Hello wonderful artists,

Where does the time go? I was waiting for someone to play an April Fool's joke on me, and it's already the 4th!

I have been a maniac lately. I planned to show in two galleries this Summer, and a third one emailed me with an invitation to join. I can never say no, because Summer on the shoreline is peak selling season, and seaweed is very beachy.

So, I've been busy dividing my work into three sections of the living room, having most of it reframed, some double matted as well, sticking name , medium and price labels on the back, and my contact info. My husband has been helping me(he probably wishes he were back at IBM)by printing brochures - nothing gets past a former editor! However, his printer with all the bells and whistles for postcards, brochures, etc wasn't working today. Hopefully it was just tired or unplugged.

In the meantime, I have begun another picture, my summer lighthouse tribute. This will be Lighthouse 2, as lighthouse 1 sold to a woman in NYC, and few people here even saw it.

Sunday at 1:00 we will deliver 17 pieces to the Hidden Gallery in Old Lyme, Ct. So new, it is not even open yet. If the owner likes my seaweed, (she already has seen some and her response is great)she wants to give me a small room to myself, and call the press, Ink Magazine, etc. Do any of you get that free magazine?

Off to sleep or I'll be useless tomorrow.

Peace in your heart,

Lisabeth

Hello Creators,

Today was a strange one. Maybe it was the damp, misty weather. Didn't see a streak of sun all day.

Left at 930 AM for my color class with my girlfriend driving our Hundai Sante Fe.

I was on the phone, while she missed the street turnoff twice, pulled into a DQ and just missed hitting a police car. Of course it was "license, registration, do you know I had to slam on my brakes when you turned right in front of me."

My friend was shook. I told her to breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth a few times because it seemed she wasn't breathing at all.

The cop gave her a citation and we were off to class. After a very long 2 1/2 hour class we washed our brushes, dumped our water, said good-buys and left.

It was raining tons, and my friend couldn't open the car with the remote. I took it from her to try my luck and realized they were her keys, not mine.

I was carrying three pieces of  my artwork  that I had brought in for critique and they were getting wetter by the minute. Finally, I got the back door up and carefully laid them down, hoping the water would dry before we brought them to the framer later . Everything turned out okay and I'm looking forward to staying home tomorrow and making pictures, good ones that  I can show in my gallery exhibit here in Essex.

Meanwhile, the day took its toll on me, too, as I am exhausted.

I have to lighten up a patch of blue I put on an acrylic. Does anyone know how to do that, other than paiting over it with a new color?

Sleep comes,

Lisabeth

GOOD EVENING ART HEADS,

Today, I started out in my studio (after core exercises on balance ball and 30 minutes on elliptical machine). For some reason, I took one of my largest pieces out of the felt bag I keep them in, and noticed the frame was badly nicked and scratched. Too much to expect anyone to buy it.

After much examining, my husband and I lugged five felt bags with two pictures each, to the framer. I give up on self-framing.

How many of you cut your own mats and frame your own artwork?

The only frames we can find around here are sold at art &craft shops and they are either soft wood, or scratched silver.

Let me know how you deal with the frame problem. You can write to me at "The Poor House," which is where I will be living after next week!

Do your best, (Buddha's last words)

Lisabeth

Hello all you bundles of talent,

Today was a tough one. At my dentist appointment, I  confronted her, requesting she replace two of her recently implanted teeth I was unhappy with, one cap, one veneer. She took it well and immediately started working on the cap. Now I have an ugly temp(they always are) for two weeks. At $1200  a tooth, I deserve to have perfect!

Next, to the Library where my therapist and I meet in a conference room. Tough session. She doesn't let me get away with anything. At the end she told me she was glad to have me in her life!

Last stop, the framers, who surprised me by having my two pictures ready!

Home, email from RI Gallery with 17 selections from my CD(was supposed to pick 10). I have more, but Old Lyme Gallery wants enough for a wall of seaweed, and Essex is up to me what I do with my space.

It all says the same thing. Get to work! Make pictures. Let yourself have some fun!

OK, and it's the weekend, too, my fav time to work.

Live in the light,

Lisabeth

Hello Artheads,

Today I had to put down my seaweed and paper and become an accountant.

We owe '06 & '07 income tax. I thought 86 was almost finished, but not anywhere I could find it.

I am not the best record keeper, so it was a lot of searching around for the bills, receipts, check stubs. How am I supposed to know how much I made in "06, and if it weren't for the goverment, I wouldn't care.

I called my accountant, we go back many years, so even though he had clients hanging from the ceiling (he's in NYC)he took my call. He said to separate my itemized expenses into catagories, art supplies, paper, glue, etc. and he would decide which go together. Otherwise, $12,000 in expenses with very little income would raise a red flag, and we don't want that at all. I thought that separating itemized expenses would be a good job for my former IBMer husband, while I search the files for income.

While all this was going on, I received an email and a phone call from a woman opening a Gallery in Old Lyme CT, who had heard about my work from a fellow artist and was ready to see it. I steered her here, as I can't bring myself to spent $1500 on a website designer. If she likes my work, that will make three galleries this summer!I should hear from her soon.

Anyway, I hate income taxes, adding numbers, numbers themselves. With luck we'll finish tomorrow, then it's back to what I love to do - making pictures!

Peace now,

Lisabeth

Hey fellow color throwers,

Yesterday, I went to my second color class. This time I remembered to bring my water jars, paper towels and pencils. During the last half hour, the instructor critiques any work you bring in. I brought  my favorite NFS work, Sleep. He loved it! The man next to me wanted to know if it was painted in acrylics! I also brought in Beachy, the part acrylic, part seaweed work. He asked me to make the top sky smooth, leave all the rest and bring it in next week. I can do that!

Getting ready for my two gallery shows in May. Every picture had to be taken apart, looked at, photographed with our new high pixel camera,then put back in the newly cleaned frames. A real drag, but necessary for cataloging work to be going away to RI and Essex, CT

I am so greedy, I want to contact more galleries, but will I be able to supply more work? Art isn't like anything else, it can't be done unless the time is right, the heart and soul are ready.

Tomorrow, except for a few phone calls, I am free to work most of the day! I work so much better when I have free spaces of time. You'll see, as I will post all new pieces.

Live in the light,

Lisabeth

 

Hello fellow risk takers,

My husband and I talked about our family Easter egg hunts. At my house, there were two prizes, one for the most jelly beans, and one for the person who found the gold foil wrapped chocolate egg. My older brother usually won both because he was a bully.

At my husband's house in New London, New Hampshire, they hunted for plastic eggs filled with different amounts of money

I guess that's the difference between my Irish/Italian family and Wasps!

We had a good day. Larry, my husband has a new hi tech Dynovox V machine and keyboard that enables him to type in sentences and the words come out.

He's had it for about a week and I see a change in his attitude. Much more alive and involved with what is going on around him.

We had such a good day, that I found myself doing my homework for Color class tomorrow at 8:00pm. I felt like I was in high school! I remember those Sunday night scrambles. I just hope the paint dries overnight. I was really in to it, as it is totally different than anything I have ever done. Put a  piece of red celephane over a photograph, and draw thumbnails of it, first in pencil as two shapes, one black, one white, then add one more tone, then another, finally painting the picture in color as it is. I only had time to do one, so I may have to say "the dog ate the rest."

Find peace,

Lisabeth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Arts,

Today, I did battle with the wild rose bushes winding around the evergreens in our yard. I wasn't aware I had so many aggressions to get rid of.

At times, I was held prisoner by branches of thorns stuck  in my hair, my pants, my jacket. When it comes to that kind of gardening, I turn into an animal. Tonight, I have the cuts and slashes to prove it.

Since this yard is new to us, I planted as many bulbs as I could, but it's great to see some surprises popping up, that were planted by previous renters.

I was exhausted after an hour, so I returned to making a picture and price list for the Rhode Island gallery owner to select from. I kept my favorites for the local Essex gallery because I will be there more, and my clients and friends can see my work. 

I am back to pure seaweed, as it goes together so well for me.

I intend to paint in my spare time (If I can find any) I love acrylics, and sometimes watercolors. I haven't tried oil painting yet. It seems difficult and smelly and permanently messy, although I see knockout oil paintings everywhere.

I have to do my color class homework for Monday. I love the feeling of being a student.

Happy Easter, or Sunday, or Springtime,

Lisabeth

 

Hi talented souls,

Today I spent many hours in my studio, which, for me has been rare lately.

I reassembled The Tribe and worked on two finished needed a little help before framing. I am beginning to get that "artist" feeling, thinking two pictures ahead.

Between the "Uncommon Art Gallery" in Bristol,RI, and The Left Bank Gallery, in Essex, CT, all my favorites will be hung. I was given some Gallery names in Cape Cod from an artist friend who livesin Wellfleet, but I wonder if I can create enough pieces for a third gallery. Something to think about!

Do your best, (Buddha's last words)

Lisabeth   sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss 

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