Patti Gibbons Art

I have been busy dealing with the promotion/marketing part of my life. I teach all day, then go home and work on profession no.2 - artist. That could entail shipping, or to the art supply store. More often than not it means going into the studio and doing as much as I can do before I run out of "art" steam, and head into the house to do one of my many jobs....cook, clean, organize, do some computer work in the way of selling, marketing, blah blah blah. 1/3 of an artists time is supposed to be doing such s----, thrown in with a few political emails to my beloved cousin, who LOVES to do battle with me, and I can't resist the challenge. (yeah, I still love ya Jim) Today's cooking challenge at 7 pm, was to save the bag of hen (or chicken?) of the woods wild mushrooms that my friend harvested, cleaned, and it was up to me to cook. So while I was designing, thinking, and advertising, I was cooking home made chicken soup with mushrooms, and sauteing said mushrooms for th...

From time to time I look up words online to make sure I am making proper usage of the English language in my blog. I have always been a word hound. As a child I would pull out from the stack of magazines my mother's Readers Digests and read "word power". When I got to junior and senior high, I practiced my words within great literary dissertations on The Iceman Cometh, Ethan Frome, McTeague and MacBeth. After spending a few years trying to learn English words in German, and German words in German, I decided to give up my battle with the nuances of a foreign language, and learn the words I don't know within my own language. So today's word was irony: the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning, or an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected. I learned that there are different kind of ironies. Socratic irony which is pretended ignorance in discussion, and dramatic irony which is irony that is inhere...

The past few days I have been - how would you say it - off. With the flurry of the show, I think I repressed the signs from my body and head. My only focus was work, prepare, and show. Friday night, after setting up, I went out to meet my friends for a bit at one of the places we converge on a payday Friday. I had a Cosmo or two, then went home. I did not care if I ate, and went and crawled under the covers, and watched TV for a bit. No, I did not want to go out for dinner. I wanted to listen to my body and play turtle. I worked all day Saturday doing the show, then went out for a bite to eat, and came home. I found myself battling with the "ick, I don't feel right so don't touch me syndrome". Larry had to figure out how to get around that one. Sunday I went to do my yoga, and broke down the show. By 2:00 I was antsy to do something. "GO SEE LEVON HELM" the little voice said inside my head. "NOW" I mentioned my little voice to Larry, and he w...

Yesterday's show was wonderful - it felt more like a party than a trunk show and many came, shopped, jiggled to Motown, and giggled while sipping wine (and cider). Thai dinner afterwards, and today the largest amount of energy I expended was going to a yoga class, where we did yoga for 1.5 hours with our eyes closed. A challenge for me as I don't know all my yoga positions, and I am a visual person, so I had to concentrate even harder to listen to the directions. But as always, so very good. On such a beautiful day, I relished the rides I took in the countryside. As I was driving on the way to yoga, I saw that on the rail trail, a place where many bike/skate/walk, was a group of people getting to ride their horses. I was glad I was not out on the trail today. What DO you do when a group of horses comes up behind you while you are blading with Nirvana or Beethoven blasting out of your Ipod? And when they pass you, you try not to fall because you are totally surprised and frea...

No writing yesterday as I had nothing left to give, and I am writing now as the coffee kicks in, before I am going to be gone for a day of showing and selling. My WTF anxiety/frustration state reached a crescendo yesterday when I was undermined by a co-worker. The Scorpio came out full force, and I let those know who needed to know how unprofessional it was. It is a fine line between being vindictive and standing up for one's self. Most of my life I laid down and took whatever the abuse was. Now I stand up for what is fair and I am learning how to do it in a level headed manner without poison or being downright mean back. Ah the lessons we still need to learn. Oh and an aside re: the dog blog, I did go speak to one of the kids a month ago about the dog, explaining the leash and barking law. I was very kind and nice, and the dog warden did drop off a pamphlet backing up my info...just sort of stuck it in the door. Obviously, those efforts have been ignored. So, as I am packing...

I think because I have been working two jobs since I got home from Kentucky I am fried, and as a result my patience for things that otherwise might pass me by is minimal. This morning I awoke to WTF running through my brain, and having fantasies of hatchets and police cars, which was too early in the morning for me. I had just finished my meditation and my second cup of coffee had not kicked in. Life is now very different in this once quiet sleepy part of our city that rates 5 on a scale of 1-10 for violent crimes. *a FYI aside* I have new neighbors. They have four teenagers. And a giant black lab. At 7:30 in the morning I know that someone has arrived next door to pick up one of the three teen girls to bring them to school. It is a young person I presume as the stereo is turned way up and the base is rattling my windows. Larry is miraculously sleeping through it, and I wonder if Megan and the kids will also sleep though a car stereo that is literally 15 feet away from her ears. The...

I am going to leave you with a picture of a collage I did on a journal. It is countdown time and I have to have all of my art and cards ready by tomorrow night for Saturday's show. I am surprisingly calm, and figure I have done all that I can do, and I look forward to seeing some people that I have not seen in a while. If nothing else it once again gets me out into the public eye. Today a friend told me that she heard an ad on WKZE, which is a really wonderful station out of Red Hook, NY and Salisbury, CT, and it mentioned my name! I wish I had heard the ad, but I am excited that it is being advertised! So do come down and meet me at BECKON on lower Broadway in Kingston if you are a local. Check out Maryann's wonderful store, have a snack/libation, and I am the strawberry blonde (is that what I am?). Till tomorrow Patti O Artist

Thanks to one of my readers, I made it a point of taking a photo of the W banner today on my way home from work. I believe this to be the office of a Bluestone business located on the Rondout Creek, which is close to the Hudson River in the late 1800's. The Catskills were full of bluestone, which was quarried and carried by water to build the sidewalks in the Hudson Valley and in NYC. Bluestone, by the way, is the same stone that Stonehenge is made with! My 1928 home features an 18" thick bluestone foundation, and bluestone walks and grace my property. The bluestone office was eventually remodeling into a home which was once owned by my friend's grandparents, and in the late 70's I was invited in for some ice cream on a hot day. It was a very interesting place; smallish rooms with very high ceilings, and VERY elegant, at least to a wide-eyed 19 year old. Someone else owns it now, and they are doing major renovation work on the building. I suspect it was be glorious whe...

As some of my readers know, I have an air freshener in my car that has a picture of "W" on it with the acronym WFT above him. I have had a few people ask what the WTF means, and I gently explain it. I have had people give me the thumbs up when they see it. On the way home, the old lovely building on the Rondout creek that used to be the office in the 1800's for the bluestone industry (if I have the local history correctly) has a HUGE banner on it that states: "W-WORST PRESIDENT". I was so shocked, that I did not think to take out my camera until I was nearly a mile away. Flash forward: my mid afternoon leaf peep partner was on his way to NYC, so I spent time in my studio. In my pile of antique papers I found this W and thought it a sign from the universe (haha haha) to post it for all to see, along with today's quote of the day. I have not seen the movie yet, and I won't make a decision on it before I read some reviews. Oliver Stone. Hmmm. Any of you ...

It has been several weeks since my retreat. The bells, the monks, nuns and novices have left an indelible mark on me. Life has shifted, and I cannot go back to old ways. It is work to learn the new way, but the reward is a peace that I savor. I ponder on what I have taken back with me. I miss the toll of the bells that signaled us to stop and be present. I have no bells here, and I sometimes forget to take moments to stop, look, and listen. More than ever I appreciate the food I eat, and I am conscious of conserving and honoring the earth. I have learned how to enjoy some of the chores which I normally abhor, because I do it meditationally, and with a smile. That has seemed to make things a lot more pleasant, instead of wishing them away, which in essence, is wishing my life away in bits and pieces. Of course there are times when I still grumble...there IS a learning curve on this! I meditate each morning, and that seems to be just what I need before I launch myself into...

I know that I will have a very busy weekend. The task is to do what needs to be done at a sane pace, and not get caught up in the frantic whirlwind of the 10,000 things that need to be done in life. Laundry. Post Office. Bank. Yoga. Visit to Mom. Visit with son- his birthday. Make art. Make more art. Tackle some of the leaves in the yard. Tackle the cat hair on the rug. And so on. I started the evening off with the most fabulous massage by my dear friend, and after that I felt like I could tackle the bills, the dishes, the start of the laundry. I spent a piece of time writing out postcards and sending emails for my show next weekend, and I have to make sure I have everything framed that I can possibly make, and have an assortment of cards for the show. I think I care more about people coming to see what I do in the hours of solitude that I catch here and there in between career, being a wife, mother, grandmother, and taking care of myself. I want people to experience the joy an...

I can't WAIT for this election to be over. I am tired of the name calling, the hype, the lies, and the stupidity of so many supposedly educated people. I crossed the river into Rhinebeck, a well to do town in Dutchess country in the Hudson Valley. I stopped into a friend's shop where I met one her her clients. She teased me saying "and he is voting for McCain". I rolled my eyes, said "oh no", and proceeded to chuckle and leave it at that. He proceeded to drill me and asked me wasn't I scared if he got into office. "What do you mean by that?", I asked. "Because he is a Muslim and he pals around with terrorists". Now mind you, this comes from an investor, who was well groomed, and I would presume have half a brain. "No, he isn't a Muslim" I retorted, shocked that he did not know by now that rumor was false (check out snopes!) I told him that 30 years ago I too was a very different person, and hoped that people judge...

I am forgoing my blog to head upstairs, take out my contacts, and settle into my bed to watch the last debate. I spent three miles while walking discussing the election and the political climate of this country with a friend. Often it came back to the war and to our children. My daughter is a disabled veteran from this war, her husband is in Afghanistan, and my friend's son is in the Army as a Ranger. We are appalled and disgusted with Bush, anyone who smells of him, including Ms. P. While we don't support the war, we support our troops as we understand that it is a complicated issue and it is our children, mostly the young kids of middle America who pay the toll, not the politicians who send them forth. It was a Zen kind of conversation as we walked along the reservoir road with the Catskills splayed out against the horizon, and the trees near peak color. We tried to sort out the craziness of the world while appreciating the freedoms we do have. We need to heal as a co...

Flying over Detroit Coming through the clouds Coming into Albany Kingston-Albany-Cleveland-Memphis-Nashville-Fort Campbell-Detroit-back to Albany and finally home in Kingston. I had a wonderful time with my daughter and her family, even though it was not in the best of circumstances. The tumor was sent to Nashville for testing..it was a rare one, but fortunately, no cancer. Just pain and the recovery period and the probability of no more children. But we rejoice in the good, and offer up the bad as it being another part of life, and enjoy the love that we all share. 64 degrees in Albany quickly climbed to 72 as I headed south on the thruway back home with the top down, enjoying the sun which was low on the horizon, but warm and giving the autumn trees a golden glow. Life is good. Once I got home I called up a friend to go out for a ride and a drink. I had been on a military base for 5 days, most of the time in the house, and needed to kick up my heels a bit. I have fabulous memo...

It was a beautiful warm early fall morning in KY land. I call it KY land...not only because it is the state's initials, but seems that here in military land, people are constantly getting screwed, and if you aren't watching your back, you'd better have some good lube. I was greatly missing my Sunday yoga class at Duck Pond, so I got inspired to do yoga out in the backyard. The yard is amidst a hemisphere of other yards in this neighborhood of nondescript duplex family housing, with the main road not far from us that enters the PX and Food Court. Not a person was to be seen; only one lone dog pacing inside of its cage several houses away. I wondered what the neighbors thought of some new woman out in the open field doing stretches, downward dogs, shoulder stands, and positions that had my ass in the air. Some moves must have made me look like I was fighting an invisible enemy. I was. Yep, I am one scary liberal I thought as I practiced my breathing in Warrior I. After ...

I just did a longer meditation than my book suggests as I woke up totally stressed from a dream which precipitated from a situation that happened yesterday. PLUS a canon was shot off, and it was most disconcerting first thing in the morning. I am not going to use names here because it is not necessary, though it would indeed make the story that much more interesting and certainly more tabloid worthy. I have become close with a 12 year old girl here who happens to be a stranger in a strange land. She knows more about the 60's than I do, and she slaughtered me on the music part of Trivial Pursuit. She wears tie dye, sports wire framed glasses, and would fit perfectly in Woodstock. But she lives in a military town in a military household, and is always excited to see me, nutty ole me, when I am here. We have good conversations and I feel the pain of growing up different. I was an alternative kid myself. She called me yesterday, very upset. Her father has forbidden her to ever s...

I am going into my second plus week of meditating for 8 minutes a day. After my weekend at the Monastery, I realized the dire importance of mindfulness and meditation in our of our lives, no matter what religious persuasion you are. I had bought the book 8 Minute Meditation a month or so before and had not done it. The retreat was the perfect jump start. This weeks exercise are sound meditations. You listen to the sounds around as just sound. At home that is pretty mundane. The occasional rattle of the cats in the food bowl, a car that goes by on the street. The low hum of the refrigerator. NOTHING compared to this morning. I am in Kentucky (3 planes to get here) helping with the grandchildren as Megan had some more surgery. I have to get up super early to beat the children waking up. I settle in on the couch. No quiet mind this morning, and here are some snippets of the voice in my head. "Jeez, can't the Army make air conditioners that sound less like my head is next t...

WTF has become one of my favorite phrases. It allows me to use the F word without really saying it, especially in places or around people where it isn't appropriate. Knowing that, and knowing my political bent, Megan sent me this air freshener for my car. It hangs from the rear view mirror, not far from the Obama bumper sticker which sits on the ledge of my windshield. People have asked me if I am concerned about someone vandalizing my car, and I say no, for I refuse to live in fear and be a wimp. No one gonna call this girl some wimpy ass liberal/democrat. I am leaving this blue state for Kentucky again, to help Megan at Fort Campbell. I guess the CIA hasn't heard about me yet, as they still allow me on base. I land in Nashville, where last night Obama and McCain "debated". Now I don't know about you all, but there wasn't enough of the word DEBATE in the debate. I would have liked to have heard more clarifications of some matters, as many of the issu...

Larry headed to the garden late this afternoon to see what was left to harvest before the frost, and he cut the cat nip and the basil before we went our separate ways for the evening. I ate the last of the grape tomatoes the other day, and pulled off a few more hot red peppers. They will be enough to put in a few pots of chicken stock. The chives will last well into late fall, and I may even get a second harvest of dill if we get some warm spells. The delphinium are sprouting again, and they too seem to survive through the winter. A true hardy species I have growing. The Pink Oriental Poppies are still in bloom in front of the Buddha, though I don't know how they will last in a light frost. The marigolds might hold on, and the mums are near the house, so they should be OK. The cat is on my lap while I type this, a true sign of the winter to come, as she seeks my comfort and warmth. I haven't told her this yet, but I like how she warms MY lap.... The downstairs has an odd...

A long time ago I wrote a blog which some of you found exceedingly funny about my dining room chairs. I don't have the money right now to buy a new dining rooms set. I am still eating at the second hand set that my ex-in-laws gave to me when I moved in with their son some 25 plus years ago. Since that time the table had to endure kids, my artwork, their play, and the cats that still walk on the table when I am not home. The chairs? Like our marriage, they fell apart piece by piece. Larry and I have been picking up chairs this past 10 years off the street that no one else wanted and we gave them a home. Sadly they did not last long either as they were not in very good shape. One day at a huge holiday dinner, one exploded, falling totally apart, dumping my girlfriend on the floor. I still have some oak T-backs that I won't give up. I keep thinking that someday I will find someone to fix them. But they sit off to the side, a chair that will only hold the weight of one of ...

It was a beautiful ride into work. The sun was rising in the sky, while the bluing sky was dotted with white cotton puff clouds racing along towards the horizon, hastened by a strong upper level wind. I thought it too cool to put the top down, though I am sure that a day like this in mid-December I will be found donning a leather jacket, a leather baseball cap, and a thick scarf to wrap around my neck so that I can enjoy the open sky and fresh air from my car once again. After a 12 hour school day yesterday, and a truly long day today, I came home and headed straight to the studio. No stopping at one of the local watering holes on a Friday afternoon with some of my co-workers. We were all fried, and headed home--some for a nap, and some of us to work. I don't mind having to work after work. The space is cozy, is dedicated only to my art, and I put on music to work by. I get lost in the music, the art, the thinking, and sometimes stop to play air guitar, or dance and sing. Toda...

I am sure at the retreat that most people knew I was a newbie to the Buddhist way.First of all, NEVER wear shoes that tie or buckle, as you will spending a lot of time taking off your shoes and putting them on. No shoes in the meditation hall, none in your room, none in the gift shop, or in the yoga room. The only place you could wear shoes was in the dining room or walking outside. I was always the last one to everything as everyone else slipped on their Crocs, clogs, etc. (even the monks/nuns wear Crocs!) and I was still trying to find a place to sit to put on my shoes, get the shoes buckled, or untangle the shoe laces. Then I did not have the bow thing down. No one explained it to me, and I had to watch very carefully to see what others were doing. I asked another participant why we were not given directives, and they reminded me that this was a mindfulness retreat and one of the goals of the weekend was to watch and pay attention to what is going on around you. OK cool. By...