Patti Gibbons Art

This child is lucky. She is alive. She survived her gestation, her birth, and has made it to almost two. However, her emotional scars may be many due to the condition of her mother. Alanna is my granddaughter, conceived on a battlefield in Iraq by my daughter, nearly miscarried and almost aborted due to Army "error" and "neglect". Her mother is emotionally scarred with PTSD and many other unexplainable physical problems that remain untreated. Perhaps they will both be lucky. Maybe my daughter will find treatment for her physical conditons that will work and allow her to live a long and productive life. Maybe she will seek treatment for the nightmares that plague her and the demons that chase this 22 year old girl who was "found" by a modeling agent but chose to serve her country. It was a choice that she, her daughter, my husband and I, and others in her life will pay dearly for the rest of their lives. For what? For lies, deception, for greed, for...

Last Known Address by Niku had me engaged from the very start with the stories that relate Niku's moves to different states and countries. As someone who has moved many times, I could so relate to the house hunting, the struggles to make something less than perfect a place of peace and safety. Niku's descriptive writing was captivating, and the way she portrayed it on the page gave it an even more interesting edge. The drawings, stampings, and little retro enclosures were really fun and spunky. Her variation in type and placement as well as combining handlettering with typewriter was fresh. I enjoyed the little mini zines that were in the book. She starts out in Michigan, then lands in Canada, Belgium, Minnesota, North Carolina, and is now in Texas. Niku sounds like a really cool woman as she lives a full and creative life, as is evident in her writing. I wish her the best and hope that she found a wonderful place to live with her partner, and that someday we get another ...

I got back late last evening from my little mini vacation to visit my friend at the cape with another friend. We had a blast! We went whale watching, which was splendid, and we saw many humpbacks quite close frolicking in the ocean. It was breathtaking! We played in Provincetown, drinks and dinner at the Mews for a few hours, then hours of shopping and wandering the bustling streets. The air was warm and breezy and we were feeling soooo fine. Walks on the beach at sunset and shopping in boutiques. I love the Health Food store in Orleans; it carries wonderful Anti-Bush collaged cards and my all time favorite card company, Three Bad Mice from England. I purchased two books which I will review soon, THE CREATIVE LICENSE by Danny Gregory, and THE WRITER'S WORKSHOP IN A BOX. I am really digging this blogging, and it is time I honed my skills. Of course I came back to 250 emails and orders and conversations, and spent today catching up with business and not writing my next review...

Now this zine took me right back to my childhood, and to my children's childhood, and it will become part of my granddaughters childhood. PLASTIC DINO was published for the Gleaner Group summer swap by Val Roberts. The zine is 4 x 5.5" in size, is printed on a nice cardstock, the illustrations and text printed onto the stock and then hand colored with watercolors, gouache and shimmery paints, and has an envelope of inclusions! The illustrations are delightful, and the details in the painting so much FUN. Val relates to us the history of her plastic dino collecting, starting with the visit to the Sinclair Dinoland Exhibit with Granddaddy Roberts in 1967 where she got to see plastic dinos produced and got her own warm plastic hot-off-the-press dino. It was the start of a lifelong love affair with her dinos. She tells her story of collecting in a fun and humorous manner. I especially related to the Dino Raygun (I bought one for Alanna for Christmas last year) and the story abo...

I am so thankful to all the yahoo groups that I have been on over the past six years as I have worked with some of the best artists, teachers and thinkers. Everyone, including myself, at some point in time, was a newbie and started at ground zero. (isn't it fascinating that words like "newbie" and "ground zero" are words used primarily in this decade?) The generosity of others has astounded me, especially since many of us do not get to meet the people we talk to on an almost daily basis. I am honored and appreciative. Thank you all! As with anything we do, we strive to do our absolute best. Sometimes we don't know how to get there, and others take us by the hand and show us the path or makes us aware of options. I have struggled and pushed myself to complete swaps, books, cooperative works and other challenges over the past years. I have encountered many problems along the way and have done a few projects which I was not happy with, but in order to meet...

ArTchemy: The transmutation of any item into art by Debrynda Davey was done for the Gleaner Zine Summer Swap. This zine is a visual delight, well written, and is very well laid out. Clean and crisp, printed on nice heavy stock and is 5.5 x 8.5", bound with comb binding which is embellished with a fiber and gem. Debrynda equates making art with the magic of the alchemy; the conversion of one substance into another. She discusses her love of making backgrounds, which is pure alchemy in and of itself; using diverse, sometimes unlikely materials to create a final surface upon which to work. She has graciously shared parts of her collection with us by using them in mini works of art which are carefully mounted throughout the zine. She also provides us with delightful HIGH QUALITY inclusions with which we can make our own art, as well as a board to make it upon! I can't wait to use them! I was fascinated by the section on symbols and delighted by the web info for reference. I k...

I have not posted in a while as I have had a guest and three people involved at one point in my life died on the same day. I have been spending time celebrating their life in a way that is joyful and honors the good that they did for the world. Though I am sad for the loved ones they have left behind, I know they are at peace and without pain. Repose is the act of resting or the state of being at rest, freedom from worry,peace of mind, calmness, and finally, tranquillity. It sounds like a good state to be in these days, with the pain that life flings to us from all sides. I am spending much of my time seeking repose, and hopefully I will find it BEFORE leaving this earth. The women who passed found this peace in their lives through God, family,friends, and the beauty of nature. I am trying to follow a similar path, with the help of a good therapist and Al Anon. I want to follow up more on these thoughts, but I am weary and my body needs rest. I will be reviewing zines in my futur...

I am a pool ho and I am not ashamed to admit it. (I don't know how you spell "ho", but I bet if I asked my students they could tell me.) I don't have a pool, can't justify it in my budget. I used to LOVE LOVE LOVE the heat when I was younger, but now as I age and my hormomes become a bit shakey, I have less tolerance for the heat, and the humid hot days of the northeast KILLS ME. That means I might hurt you if you take the last bag of my favorite chips, or cut me off in traffic. I don't have central air either. Many of us here in the northeast don't, and those of us that live in older houses shut all the windows to try and keep the cooler night air in till we can't stand the stale air. There is nothing like floating around in a pool on a raft with a drink or a bottle of water in hand. I am spoiled as I have several friends who have lovely inground pools where I can escape to once in a while when I just can't take it anymore, or they invit...

On the way out TO the Cape I had done the first half of the year's tax entries in my log book. I felt rather smug being that I am a woman who had filed double extensions for years. The trip home left me wondering...dare I pull out the paints? I had not picked up my watercolors in quite a while and I find riding in the car on long trips conducive to painting as I can pass the time while Larry drives, practicing my sketching, painting, and perception skills. Often I paint what I see on the journey, which necessitates a keen interpretation and a fast brush. I carry a watercolor paint box, a package of Strathmore watercolor postcards, a small box of brushes, and a bottle of water, all of which fit into a gallon size baggy, easily tossed into the back seat of the car, or in my large Ameribag. The fear of making art that might not be good has left everything it it's bag far too many times as of late. Is it fear of making a mistake, ruining paper, or making art that no one would l...

Some paths are better left unwalked. Forget the proverbial "take the road less traveled". Some are just plain dangerous. Our hosts were gracious having spent two days taking us around so that we would become familiar with the roads and sites on the Cape. One of the journeys was to Eastham to the Salt Marsh Visitor's Center and Museum/Gift Store. It is a lovely place, equipped with the latest in toilets and sinks that are built to conserve water and keep harmful gases from entering the soil beneath. The visitor's center was quite lovely; it had a clean and spacious theater with various informative films such as one about the geography of the Cape, another about Thoreau's love affair with the area, and a few more we did not see. There is a nice little museum with arts and crafts of the sea such as sailor's valentines, scrimshaw, whaling and fishing tools, a natural history area , as well as the proverbial gift shop which actually had some really nice thing...

AM OFF TO THE CAPE FOR A FEW DAYS, HORRAY!!!! Since we had to cancel our vacation last year due to my broken ankle, we have not had more than one day away together in a few years. I will be searching for junk at the flea market in Wellfleet (I think) or combing the beach, or reading the rest of The Time Travelers Wife which has taken me forever to read, though it is a fabulous book. The Kite Runner is next and since I am a passenger in the car I will try and start my taxes. It is a long ride. I will be back in a few days as I don't think there is a computer there..though I might be wrong on that account.......

I spent part of the 4th of July quietly in my studio making cards and putting the finishing touches on my zine. It was a peaceful day, I really did not think too much about it being the 4th. Later on that evening my friends and I got some sushi to go, make a lush salad from my garden, grilled a few organic burgers, drank some organic dark beer, and dined on her screened-in porch. It was relaxing and quite heavenly to spend time with good friends. Afterwards we headed up the mountain to Mohonk to view the fireworks. We arrived early and took Bardet's grandson Pixley with us, an adorable 2 year old. We sat on the grand porch in overstuffed dining chairs; the dock was being set up for a performance. A group of men appeared in Civil War uniforms (Union uniforms) ..and played a selection of marches and songs from the period on the original instruments of the time. After they finished, it became hushed, and the all the lights were turned out on the mountain, save for the light in ...

I could have kicked myself for not bringing my camera up to Mohonk yesterday. I wanted to catch a few vista shots of the Catskills and Shawangunks from the top of the mountain, with the storms dumping their heavy loads over some unsuspecting part of the valley. For anyone visiting the Hudson Valley, the Mohonk Mountain house is a must see. It was closed to the public this weekend, but my girlfriend knows the owner, so we got in for one of our very special afternoons. There is so much to do up there..golf, horseback riding, cross country skiing and ice skating in the winter, boating and swimming in the lake, a new spa (my reasons for the last two trips), tennis, hiking, rock on the 125+ year old porch, feed the giant stocked trout, stroll throught the heavenly gardens. It is one of the only remaining original "Catskill vacation hotels" built in 1865 as a Victorian Castle, with some 250+ rooms. If you can't afford the 450-750.00 a night rooms,(I don't know many wh...

Yesterday I worked for a few hours in the garden, mulching my plants, trying to get the garden to a point of self-maintenance. Keep in the moisture, enrich the soil, and keep out the weeds with the help of some good black organic mulch. When the work is done I get to sit back and watch it grow with minimal intervention and maximum health. After having done this for a few years now, I am setting a timeline for the garden; all plants in by June 1,(except the moonflowers and the plants we buy for Larry on Father's day) and all mulching and staking done by the July 4th weekend. I am a "cottage gardener". I let the plants take their own paths, with only a little intervention from me. I figure they plants know what the best places are for them to grow, and what they need. I have to help them out now and then, but for the most part, they settled in pretty nicely. Even the weeds have been given a place in areas of the garden....sometimes they have honored and surprised me in...

AND BEING ALL EARS, STAN SAID "DON'T EAT WHAT SHE COOKS!". Meet Stan, he is a man who is all ears. He listens intently to every conversation; catches subtle murmurings behind the curtains. He is quick to report any hint of danger to Dick. He fears Totty is up to no good. Stan is one of the characters in a little ditty for the zine which I had better consider finishing this weekend. Just a little poem about the tale of Totty and Dick titled Eat Man, Drink Water. Inspired by a collage, a title, and PMS. Oh, and an ex-husband. One of my friends who saw the dummy of the zine said, oh, is this part one of the Burning Bed series?!! hehehe (in an Eddie Murphy kind of way) Kidding aside, Stan is an antique photo, collaged with paper using encaustics and xerox transfers made into the wax.If you live in the "tri-state area" which means NY, NJ, and any one of the other nearby states like CT, MA, VT, PA, etc...a workshop at R and F Encaustics in the city of KINGSTO...