Patti Gibbons Art

These days it feels like I am living inside of a Bergman film.  When I am not at school, I spend the remainder of my spare time keeping busy.  I  hope that busy hands makes for empty mind, but as busy as I keep the hands, I cannot help but be mired in thought about the my current life challenges.  I walk with trepidation,  as around every corner is a sinister clown holding a placard with the next challenge.  And all the time the film is playing, the snow is falling and it always feels like night. I have to be brave I tell myself.  I have to go forward.  But I want to put my hand up and say "I want a time out from all of this!!!"   I HATE having to grow up and realize that there are NO time outs. And the little child in me whimpers and cries and wants to be assured that everyone lives happily ever after. Forever. And ever.

I may be crazy, giving myself more work to do by opening another Etsy shop, but I feel that each one has its own unique products, and that they are deserving of their own showcases. Plus, let's face it.  When stressful situations hit me, I go into a mode of needing something to distract me.  The trick is, making it a healthy distraction.....and this go-around I have decided it is going to be concentrating on my house and my art as a necessary and POSITIVE means of sublimation. And it doesn't hurt that I have been granted two snow days in a row, and have the time to work on my own business instead of someone else's. Right now, I have the CATSKILLPAPER shop, for my antique paper and collectibles, PAGIBBONS , for my fine art, general cards and decorative items, and now, the recent new shop, NURSERY CRIMES for my left of center work.  It takes a lot of work to get these shops set up as I have to maintain different emails for each one (rather ludicrous that you can't u

I spent at least four hours in the studio this afternoon, designing and creating art. It was four blessed hours that I tried not to think about the complications in my life, and I did not take the portable phone in with me as I did not want to break my quietude with conversation. I am worked on several projects, one being thank you stationery to write to each person who signed my card and made a contribution at work.  I got exactly the amount for a plane ticket to Kentucky to see Megan from my amazing and thoughtful co-workers, and I want to design each friend a one-of-a-kind note I am making memory/scrap books in my Women's Studies/Art class, and am working one step ahead of them.It will be fun going on the journey with them. I am also designing cards for a friend's pet boutique, and cards to refill my stock. (Info on the location to be given at a later date.) And last, but not least, are two of the fun cards I made which I will probably list on Etsy.  This is how I m

I have spent my past few blogs whining about this and that...telling my stories with as much humor as I can muster.  I tell these stories not as a victim, but as a survivor who finds ways to deal with life in hopes that I will inspire, comfort, and humor my readers, as well as myself.   What I have neglected to tell you is that over the past several weeks, there have been little bursts of magic that have graced my life in between the difficulties, and they have arrived in many different forms. Like the check I got from my mortgage company for the left over money in my escrow account which got me out of the hole that I was in.  Or the card that my co-workers gave me filled with enough money to buy a round trip ticket to Nashville so that I can help Megan.  Or the gift of cookies that I found outside my door (and let me tell you, Karin's cookies are no ordinary cookies...she is from Germany and these cookies are HEAVENLY).  A homemade loaf of bread. A red rose. A lovely photo tha

This is the blog you have all been waiting for. The neighbors. I have lived in this city for about 25 years, and mostly in the house I live in now.  I have lived a block away from crack houses, across the street from funeral homes, near busy intersections, and most of the time have had good relationships with my neighbors.  When I bought this house with No. 2 in 1991, it was in a lovely upscale neighborhood with 1920's houses on it.  Nice neighbors, well kept houses.  On our street live judges, lawyers, retirees, school administrators, the old D.A.  You get the drift. But there was one problem with the house next to me, that I found out after I moved in.  The owner chose not to follow the city leash and pick up law and he let his dog out off leash and the dog promptly came over and used our yard as his bathroom.  Seems the person who lived here before us did not care.The lawn was half dead, and I had two pre-pubescent children.  They were constantly stepping in dog crap.

Life difficulty #2:  The Estate. I tried to write about this,  but  I could not reduce it to something that is understandable.  In brief:   my aunt P  died, leaving three properties and no will.  It is complex, and my brothers and sister and I are legal heirs to the estate, as well as my  Aunt P 's  two sisters.  My father died 30+ years ago.and according to NYS law we are heirs to his portion, thus my part in this mess. One of the two living sisters lived with Aunt P in the family "homes" (3 of them)---for their entire lives!  (um..a little odd....but there is lots to this story) We were all sent paperwork by Aunt A's lawyer, asking us to allow Aunt A to be executrix of the estate.  We signed it, though with  reservation, as we knew what an immense job it was going to be.  We knew Aunt P was a hoarder, but were beginning to sense that Aunt A was just as much to blame, and cleaning the main property was something she was not capable of doing.  But we gave her the b

I haven't written much.  Emotions have been too raw.  I wasn't writing out of the respect and wishes of  the parties involved.  But now that the cat is out of the bag, and I am less emotional and perhaps accepting of phase two of my life, I can share, breathe, and go forward. Many of you have followed me over the years, especially in regards to my daughter....who looks like a cross between Angelina Jolie and Julia Roberts (oh so lovely lips which came from her father...not me) She served in Iraq, and well, the rest of the story is history and would make for an excellent book. Megan is a gifted writer..perhaps one day she will tell her own story.  She is a miracle child, and bore a miracle baby following her chemo, radiation, and severe pregnancy problems. She is a phoenix who has risen out of the ashes again and again.  It's not to say that she doesn't suffer from the things that have happened to her, in fact, it is quite the opposite.  But she keeps going forward, ne

I have started half a dozen blogs and erased them all. Too many fragments, too many emotions, too many things. My comment for the day on Facebook, was " Notes BACK to the Universe: when you give me a plateful, would you give me something bigger than a gherkin fork to deal with it? So for now, I leave you with someone else's art.  I have checked out her other videos and songs.This Swedish songstress will be my muse tomorrow while I hide in the studio and make chicken salad out of chicken shit (quote attributed to my orthopedic surgeon post surgery when I started walking again)...and process my next move. Click on link below to take you to another world. I love the rawness and the power of this video.   When I Grow Up

I miss my studio, but somehow the past two weeks have crippled me in one way or another from starting a painting or any other project for that matter.  Health, life, and time issues have robbed me of my energy, as well as my inspiration. Strangely I am OK with is.  I watch movies when I can, look at art, read, enjoy a ride in the country, or getting a massage.  I know the muse will visit again, when she knows I can be more prepared to make a date with her. In order to sharpen my observation and hand/eye skills,  and not feel totally stale, I have attempted to make a sketch a night, even if it is a quick action drawing before I retire.  I am also trying to push the limits of what I am comfortable with.  The inside of my bedroom contains no mountains or trees, but it sure hosts other creatures and objects.  I find this exercise akin to bricollage (something made or put together using whatever materials happen to be available) which is a method I have used to make some of my stronge

On the way over to Stockbridge, Larry and I stopped in Rhinebeck.  Brunch at Bread Alone very good, although quite buzzing with constant activity.  I HAD to go to Winter Sun, Summer Moon, where we found a fabulous Salt Crystal Lamp. I had hesitated on buying a frivolity, but it was a good call, Larry. It sits on Carol's angel table, casting a warm glow in the darkened room, throwing out oh-so-wonderful negative ions out in the air to counter balance the positive ions that my computer bombards me with as I type. I could not leave town without stopping into Rhinebeck Artists Shop , owned by my neighbor Doug.  I had never been there before and could not resist taking a look and a sniff (oh how I love the smell of art supplies).  I bought some Strathmore Sugar Cane Cards to try out, as I have wanted to be greener in the work that I put out into the world.  No more virgin fiber cards!!!!   I also bought a lovely Pentalic Recycled Drawing Book. We weren't quite to Hillsdale wh