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Showing posts from February, 2014

50 Shades of Grey

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February is a month of 50 shades of grey...the light blue grey of the landscape during a snowstorm, the dark grey of a storm moving in or moving out, the grey of the snow after it's been around for a few days,  the grey that has invaded my hair. I find myself doing grey scales with my art students, hoping they see and learn how to make its many subtle variations. I make grey scale landscapes, and  surround them in domes of snow.... Storm after storm have rolled in, creating a monocrhomatic landscape devoid of color, deposting piles of moisture that I measure with a yardstick, piles that have wrecked my back and Larry's arms.  I have lost the compost bins, I have lost my stone walls.  I have forgotten what colors lie beneath the layers of snow and ice, and can only hope that my roof and gutters will hold up with its weight. I find myself grateful for odd things like snow tires and Canadian boots. Today's boots are grey, as is my coat and cashmere scarf.

Snowdays and Painting

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The problem with being self employed, is that when you don't work, you don't get paid. So, when I wake up in the morning, and it is starting to snow, I have to make the decision whether I can go to work. Yesterday I opted to stay home from my job at the Tibetan Shop, which closes when no one can make it into work.  I figured the price of my auto deductible is much more than what I make there, so it was a no-brainer.  I stayed home and....PAINTED. Today my painting student cancelled; his road had not been plowed yet.  Fortunately I had a few hours to put in another job who will take me as much as they can get me- a few hours a week, and I have one student who comes every week, no matter the weather.   Tomorrow I will not go to my studio in Rhinebeck, so I will go for a few hours tonight, pack up what I need, take care of some business, and get ready to hunker down, and work from home. Today's painting is titled "After the Storm". One of my 5 x 5 Oil

Officially Open for Business!

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Friday night was the soft opening of my new studio, in Rhinebeck, NY.  My studio is my working and teaching studio, as well as a gallery and wholesale/retail outlet for my cards. It is located at 18 Garden Street in Rhinebeck, and is upstairs from my good friend Judi Esmond's business Hudson Valley Pottery.   If you are a Facebook junkie like I am, you can find the FB page link to my studio's  on Hudson Valley Pottery's website link to me.... HERE , as well as get a brief bio/description of my work.  It was well attended, and I am always thrilled that my friends come to support me now, as they have for many years. I was not totally prepared - sales wise, as people wanted a price list of the art, which I had not gotten to yet. In my mind, it was not meant to be a "sale" opening, and I figured I would sell some cards/journals, but to my great surprise I sold two paintings and a mixed media collage!! I was so honestly unprepared for sales that I did NOT