Patti Gibbons Art

At 53 I can taste retirement. But because of the Health Insurance issue, (notice I have given the issue  caps due to its importance as an American business institution) and the fact that I still have a mortgage to pay off, I am girding myself for a few more years of teaching.   But on  winter vacations, which I use to recover from the busy life that I lead from September through December,  I get glimpses into how I am going to design my retirement. I know the best laid plans can often go astray, but I also believe in visualizing and making what dreams I can, come true. My winter retirement life would look something like this: I wake up when the sun is slowly rising, and  spend some time on the heating pad (I am trying to get the back better, but it is in a holding pattern) while I read the novel of the day/week/month.  I put on my yoga/sweat clothes, I do my 5 Tibetan exercises on my wool rug in front of the fireplace, while the sun shines on me ...

I am trying to be Zen this year during the holidays. Being Zen means pacing myself, making sure that I am enjoying whatever I am doing, getting enough sleep, and not imbibing in too much of anything at the myriad of parties I have been invited to. The most dangerous parties are the ones I host...as the bed is at the top of the stairs, and I don't have to drive.  I am drinking ginger tea every time I feel an illness coming on and drinking lots of water.  I dress appropriately for the weather, and take time to exercise and spend quiet/meditation time in the morning and evening.  And my mantra is "it all is what it is". And until my next blog is carefully edited and ready to go, I am giving you this: the history behind the phrase "to tide you over" , and an article  "10 Occasions for Sending a Greeting Card". Personally, though I do enjoy virtual cards, there is nothing like a paper greeting card to put upon the mantle.  And it's even better i...

Now that my shows are  over, I am concentrating on selling some of my holiday vintage and antique papers online. I only have another five days or so that I can send in time for the holidays, so I am on a listing frenzy for the next few days.  After that, I sale it out, and if it does not sell, it gets put away for another year, or else it goes into the pile that gets cut up. These prints are in my catskillpaper Etsy shop; they invoke a time in a my childhood that was magic.  Somehow all was made better with the advent of Christmas, and these images remind me of a time when I really believed that magic happened.  I still remember the smell of our artificial tree as I entered the room, and the vintage  pixies that hung from the table top tree,  the real tree my grandmother had in Queens, coolly lit by huge blue bulbs.  Snippets of Nat King Cole wind through my head, along with Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and It's A Won...

A few weekends ago I picked up several lots of Victorian holiday cards, many of which I  used in my greeting cards. There were many however, that are too beautiful or collectible to cut up. Those I will eventually list on eBay or Etsy; some I will keep for my collection. Many of the cards (and some booklets) were printed by Raphael Tuck (England) who were printers of postcards, greeting cards, children's books, chromolithograph prints, etc., and were one of the first companies to offer contests for greeting card design.   They are one of my favorite companies, along with the fine quality postcards that Stengel printed.  With the advent of the industrial revolution and the growth of industry all around, postcard/card/scrap collecting became the rage, where women and children collected these images and pasted them into ledgers, scrapbooks, and was the start of scrapbooking in this country. The quality of chromolithograph printing is like nothing else you will find ...

I can relax now.  The craft fair is over, I managed to have work in three galleries for the month of December.  I just found out that I sold a small watercolor at an October fundraiser, though I have not been paid yet. Lately I have been pondering my future.  I have been teaching for 19 years, and am fantasising about when I can retire and reinvent myself. I sense that this reinvention will be a synthesis of art/writing/teaching, and I have been told over and over that I need to start pulling my work together in  a series.My ADD head steers me in many directions,  and I fear that the only way I can do this is by making many series of works. My themes are varied, and include  landscapes in oil and encaustic, and narrative mixed media works.  But wait, I've got fantasy, social, historical and auto-biographical narrative themes. Which theme do I explore, which medium? What am I best at? What does the public gravitate toward? Do I care what the public l...

Thanksgiving was lovely.  I spent four days in my studio, peppered with visits from friends.  Lots of good warm feelings, great food,  lively company.  It was a weekend where I could say "I really felt the love". At this point in my life, friends and tradition are hugely important. After seeing death knock on a few doors, I have learned first hand how precious life is, and that things which I have grumbled about in the past, or thought were a disaster, were not worthy of the importance I had given them.   I've grown to become upset about less, and am more thankful than ever for all that I have. And the love.  I really FEEL the love as it pulses with an ebb and flow. After one of the gatherings with friends, Larry and I stopped at Burger Hill,  off 9G south of Rhinebeck. The sunset colors were promising to be beautiful, the evening air crisp but not cold.   It was a short, but an uphill hike to the edge of the hill, and I walked it ...

After a luke warm turnout for my Black Friday sale, I decided that I am not going to quit my day job anytime soon.  I  covered my expenses, and I worked in between customers, which meant that I worked nearly all day.  But out of it came good.  I saw what inventory I had, what people were responding to, and it gave me focus on what I have to spend the week doing.  I also got to hang with a few special friends, which is always a wonderful thing. Today I  worked on my piece for The Birds and the Bees show at Donskoj Gallery.  I have the idea, but the "how" is what I have to work out yet.  It is a combination of collage, encaustic, transfer methods etc., and some of these techniques I have not used yet.   I have to see if Staples will color copy onto my Lazertran as I don't have the ink jet kind, and I will also make a xerox copy of my bees for an alternative transfer method onto wax.  Again, I have to do some degree of experimentatio...

First of all, I want to take a moment to thank you all for being my readers and friends.  Some of you have been following me for a long time.  That means you find my stories interesting, or my enjoy my art,  which comes deep from my heart and life experience.  For all of you I am so appreciative...and I want you to know that I LOVE getting your comments and support. May it come back to you tenfold. If there is one thing that I have learned in my life, is that Love is the Answer....for us all. That statement is a blog unto itself.  But for another time. I have got to get down to business here, which is, by the way, the reason I have not been writing much. I cannot teach, make art, AND write --- and do all of them well.  Two out of three...maybe, but not all three.  So as not to make myself crazy or stressed, I have focused on my art, and even focused my art on a few themes and medium for now. Open Studio for Black Friday tomorrow, 10-5. Most o...

Periodically I have written some notes on beauty products, and about taking care of ourselves as women. I had not intended tonight's blog to be about hair removal,  but after tonight's experience, I knew it was time. Guys, you have no idea what women go through to remove unwanted hair.  And, there are lots of unwanted places where this hair grows.  As we get older, and go through perimenopause, then menopause, the amount of hair in various unwanted places seems to spread, as the hair on our heads  thins.  In adolescence we worried about the hair under our armpits, followed by the hair on our legs. Then somewhere along the line we start to worry about the hair THERE.  After years of getting that under control, we start to get the hair on our upper lip, or on our chin, adding to facial maintenance that goes beyond the eyebrow shape up. I am sure most of us have  tried every kind of hair removal system, searching for ONE that is easy, fast, and pain...

  I have abandoned my dissertation on chormolithographic prints/cards for a word about greeting cards. And, Thanksgiving. In the early 1900's, when millions of postcards and greeting cards were being printed every day, every single holiday warrented sending a card.   Actually, people sent cards every day for any occasion back in the early 20th century. With the advent of this virtual technology, fewer and fewer cards are sent, especially for birthdays.  We get virtual cards, wishes from our friends on Facebook, a text, or a phone call.  I only received one card in the mail this year, vs. the usual half a dozen. I'm not complaining folks. I got more birthday wishes on Facebook that I have ever received in 10 years combined.  It made me smile.  But not sending cards is bad business for us greeting card designers, and it gets harder and harder to find our market.   However, I won't give up.  I love antique paper.  I think I ...

Today was my seasonal November shop-a-thon at the local postcard show in our city. It is the show that I treasure and bargain hunt for images to use for my holiday post cards, as well as potential holiday gifts for friends and family.  I also hunt for ephemera which I think is collectible to sell on eBay and Etsy, so that I can help offset the cost of the cards I buy. I like the small gambles that I take..trying to guess if an item is worth more than I have paid for it, and if there is a market for it. At times I have struck big, but mostly make a bit of money to cover my time and ephemera addiction;  rarely do I lose money. Today's finds were a Victorian Trade Card album, and lots of cool Victorian cards and booklets. In the quarter and dollar box I found some damaged, but still cool postcards of what is now the Walkway Over the Hudson, and the railroad bridge over Abeel street, down on the Rondout creek. (above pics) I also made a connection with a collector who will...

Babe in the Woods 5 x 7" framed in antique frame. Encaustic on wood panels. Vampire World 6 x 6" Encaustic on Wood Panel I spent this weekend doing only what I wanted; no more, no less. The jaunt at the Farmer's Market netted me my victuals for the week, as well as lively conversation with artist Marko Shuhan  whose inspirational paintings revealed to me the beauty of line, color and form in abstraction.  I met Marko when he worked at R and F Paints and gallery, which was in the same building as Studio 8, the gallery that I ran for a year with Lois.  It was above the Kitchen Supply store in the historic Millard Building on Broadway in Kingston. Come first Saturday, the building rocked.  There were several other galleries besides ours-  R and F (usually the main draw), Joel Mandelbaum's gallery, as well as Bardet Wardel's (Everyday Goddesses) studio, which later became Mandy, the Mad Hatter's space.  There were a few businesses there too, which made i...

I am still in recovery from the late Wednesday night jaunt to New York City.  I don't do going till 3 AM well, and I am still feeling hungover from lack of sleep. The organization Larry has worked for the past 17 or so years,  "The Center for Photography" was awarded a Lucie Award which was presented at Lincoln Center. I knew it was going to take a feat of mightiness to make it with my schedule, and I did not want to go.  More stress. But when I saw Larry's face when I insinuated that it was OK if he went without me, I bit my tongue and just moaned for a few days about how difficult it was going to be to pull this off, and about how I was not going to be able to wear my little black cocktail dress because I have no pretty shoes that my feet/ankle will tolerate trekking thru NY.  The Metro North ride along the Hudson River is beautiful in any weather, so I shot many photos on the way down. We all met up at the Radio City Apartments which reminded me of my gr...

You know the week was busy when I only managed to finish one small piece of art this week and did not write a blog.  My week was eaten by school, meetings, private students, and a weekend conference in Albany, hosted by the NYS Teacher's Union for those teachers who service special needs students in BOCES schools across the state.   I won't get into details here, but I learned a lot, realized how much I don't know about education law/and what's to come in the future in regards to teacher evaluations,  Special, Alternative, Career Ed and more. Any of you who poo poo us teachers, and say---- ah, you have bankers hours and look down upon us like something less than scum (like Sarah Palin's rolling eyes) should try their hand at it before they ever open their mouth, especially in a school such as mine--- and that goes for any teacher's job. I was inspired, enjoyed the companionship of those who have worked hard to keep the Union going.  A Union is as strong as...

"If there were nothing else to trouble us, the fate of the flowers would make us sad. " John Lancaster Spalding It had been too long since I had visited my mother in the nursing home; each weekend I  would make excuses to myself as to why I couldn't go...  I was on vacation.  I was recovering from vacation.  School started.  I was tired.  It was too cloudy-windy-rainy-sunny outside. The reality is, it is difficult to see her trapped within her bed, listen to the litany of aches and pains that she mumbles as soon as I walk in, barely audible with her slurred post-stroke speech.  I dread and cringe at the endless screeching of the old folks who have lost their minds and moan/cry/wail up and down the hallways of the home in their wheel chairs.  I close the door as they try to barge into my mother's room when I am visiting, like zombies. I ache because they too were once vital. What precipitated the visit today was the call ...

Time to make art has been brief these days, but I have managed to work on a few projects. I am trying to focus...either on a series, or on my medium.  I have been selling off my earrings and other decorative objects d'art that I have made with the hope that the feng shui-ing of my old stock will help me to focus. In my planning for my future, I need to keep it simple. Art, cards, and a few gift items for my Christmas show.  This year's gift items will most likely include little collaged Moleskine notebooks,  my lovely ornaments, and decoupaged Workman's lunchboxes, like the ones that were done in the 60's and 70's. I coveted the ones that some of my class mates had in elementary school, and I think it will be so fun to make some now.  And, as my brilliant sister pointed out, they can hold more than lunch items. This weekend I have been exploring an image which is stuck in my head and heart - three little bungalows that sit on Route 28 in Mt. Tremper. They r...

Last weekend's Open Studio was fab. Most of the people who came were friends who always support me - four of them were high school classmates who were in town to attend our reunion. I was psyched to show them what I have been doing the past 35 years.  I was hoping that more locals would have stopped by out of curiosity, but I was thrilled to see so many of my friends and fellow artists. I made enough money to cover my expenses, and add some fuel to the tank. (at this time of year that is what I have to think of)   My only day off was Sunday, so Larry and I went for breakfast at Dolce,  then headed up to Olana.  It was their "paint out" which I did not participate as I had too much on my plate.  But I was lucky to see friend and artist extraordinaire Jane Bloodgood-Abrams who was just pulling in when we were.  She has a show at the Carrie Haddad gallery in Hudson, NY, and The Hyde Art Museum purchased one of her paintings for their collection....

I found this at the gift shop at Olana.  A Two's Company  BOHO CHIC insulated, zippered LARGE lunch bag.  It is lined with that metallic insulated space age looking material which is good for keeping the hot - hot, and with an ice pack, the cool- cool.  The entire bag is fun and retro inside and out.  I can't wait to try it out. Looks like it will hold my baggies full of goodies, yogurt, drinks, an ice pack if needed.  Or those hot egg sandwiches that I sometimes pick up on the way into work for me and the kids.  Unfortunately, Amazon is sold out, and now so is Olana.  Oh I am such a bag hound.  Next: meet Jane Bloodgood-Abrams at her paint out on the Hudson at Olana. Patti O Bag

Been very busy preparing for my Open Studio on Saturday, which is part of the Arts Society of Kingston's Tour.  I have a "soft opening" at the ASK gallery Thursday evening in order for people to see the work of the participating artists, and also meet them.  I don't think that I will stay the entire three hours, but I will show up.  I also have art in "Art on the Line" at Seven21 Gallery on Broadway in Kingston, and my 5 pieces are at the Unison Gallery at Water Street Market through next weekend. I have not had time to write as I have been putting things away, and cleaning off surfaces in order to show my art, and serve libations.  I don't do it very often-- every 2-4 y years, as cleanliness in my studio is a conundrum.  Just how neat DO I have to have my studio for the public to visit? I have cleaned up a lot of surface junk, cleverly hidden things under my working table and thrown covers over the tables.  No matter how much I clean will not cover u...

A friend of mine wrote to me basically saying "Am worried. No blog, no email back from you. Are you OK? Hope nothing bad happened".  I work two jobs. 8 hours a day as an art teacher to youth at risk, then on the days I don't have faculty or union meetings, I go home to private students, orders to fill, or shows to get ready for.  I do the job of 2-3 people in the course of a day.   But I love my life. Every single f'in second of it. I take it one day at a time. Every day above the ground is a good one I say. My night of total abandon is Saturday at the Moby/Mercury Rev concert at the Woodstock Animal Shelter.  I plan on staking my claim in a field, and taking in the experience. I'll be the one looking like Joni, dancing under the stars. Photo of the Mid Hudson Bridge. I love bridges. The metaphors....the structures. I am still very much alive. Patti

 Money is tight this year, probably right through January.  In a way, I am glad as perhaps it will push me into doing the real life homework for a book I want to publish - even if I have to publish it myself.  I am not going to talk about it as I don't want someone else to take my idea and run with it....as has happened a few other times in my life. And it smarts when that happens on two levels--you feel betrayed and robbed (esp. when it is by someone you know and have talked to), and you want to kick yourself in the ass for not taking the ball and running with it. I am back in the Hudson Valley for a while now, perhaps taking day trips here and there. No stays at the Red Lion, or at any other place for that matter, unless it has a free couch/bed/air mattress to sleep on.  But I am restless, and as long as I have gas money and a few dollars in my pocket, I am on the move. Yesterday was a fabulous day  - 74 degrees according to the EOS, and I rode around wit...

Another freebie (or could be very expensive, depending upon whether you take out your wallet) was the visit to Eataly, in the Toy Building at 200 Fifth Ave. between 23rd and 24th streets. Having just opened two days before, it was packed. and we had gone at noon, lunch hour for most people.  I caught founder Oscar in a photo (on right) while I was wandering around the massive building full of various foods and restaurants, thanks to Frannie who noticed that it was him.  (I am one of those people who could have a movie star or president right in front of me and I would never know it.  When I was at the bar at the Bear Cafe, Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke were across from me and I thought..who are they, they look familiar, lol)  I felt like I had walked straight into Europe, reminiscent of the markets I went to in Valencia.   English was a second language, and wished friend Gabrielle (author of " Dirty Italian ") was there to translate the conversations of th...