Patti Gibbons Art

I bought a table today that I have been obsessing about ever since I saw it in the gift shop at Olana. It is from Morocco, is hand carved and painted, and the top is set with tiles. I bought it for my back porch, which is a cozy room with a wicker chair, funky art work, and bits and pieces of Middle Eastern influence seen in the beadery of the silk pillows, a hanging lamp, a piece of cloth. Though not everything matches and is a bit eclectic, I had to get this table as a focal piece for this cozy space. The barbecue tools have got to go however... In the winter, when backroom becomes the intermediate space between the woodpile and the fireplace, the chair and the table will go in my spare guest room which is empty save for a futon bed and a wool rug. They will face my Buddha and I will transform it into a winter meditation room. (I must buy lots of candles!) The table was expensive, but as I thought about it, I know I will love it every day of what I have left on this earth. And, I am...

We are done painting the walls in the kitchen. I need to decide what color is going behind the walls of my old pine cabinets that have glass and wood doors on the front. I love the red and I also love the green, except that the green tends to get very dark at night. Bardet says I should paint the two lower spaces green, and the two upper ones red. I have three sets of cabinets I need to do. The red kicks out brightness more than the green does, but the thought of having BOTH colors is really appealling to me. Larry thinks I might be a bit crazy with what I am doing, I think, hell, if I really hate it, I can repaint, no? Besides 2 artists live here and we should have fun with it. Off to think about it, and about my lovely afternoon swim under a brilliant blue sky in the woods on one of the most perfect of summer days. Mermaiden Patti

I started my day with strong visions from a dream. I was walking through fields of freshly plowed earth, my bare feet sinking in over my ankles with thick soft loamy mud. I woke up with the image strong in my mind, and proceeded living my day with it always on the brink of my mind. Strange how dreams can affect us all day long. I suspect this dream was influenced by the book I was reading before I drifted off to sleep - The Poisonwood Bible. Set in the Congo in the 1960’s. it is a story about a missionary's family. It is intense and the author pulls you into the role of politics and religion during that time period. I find it very emotional for me as the obsessive religious zeal is too close to home at times. I drift off to sleep smelling the mud, feeling the dust , and smelling death. Later today I took a trip to a local coffee place - The Muddy Cup. How appropriate to end to a day the way it began….with mud.. A new place, it is large, has lots of informal cool seating areas, and ...

St. John's Episcopal Church in Ellenville is beautiful church. Constructed in the 1800's, it's interior is wood, built in the Gothic style with pointed arches, and groin/ribbed vaults. While sitting inside I felt like I was in the belly of a huge ship. Father Jeff is the most amazing man, and led a beautiful wedding mass. Now I was raised Catholic, and was shocked to find out that I was welcome to receive communion. In the Catholic church, only Catholics without "mortal sin" may receive. I am destined for hell as I did not get an annulment for my first marriage. I certainly qualified for on according to church rules, but I did not believe that by paying money I was making it all OK to get married in the church again. So Bardet married us, and according to the church I am living in a state of sin, but I don't think God is closing the pearly gates, being the benevolent loving God that he is. I felt loved and in a state of grace in that church, and for the first ...

My Catskill Paper blog tells a bit about my art day at the Ashokan Reservoir. It is a beautiful place, source of all of NYC's drinking water. Here are a few pictures to enjoy. Near the Woodstock area, it is a place to exercise, make art, relax and enjoy the splendid beauty molded both by the earth AND man. And, it is free! Till tomorrow, Patti

I have not been so great at blogging these days as I have been so incredibly busy. The preparation for the wedding was intense, and it is taking me a few days to unwind from the event. Yesterday I relaxed, had Alanna the later part of the day, so we went to my friend's house. Karen and Phil are some of the most relaxed people you could ever know, and WONDERFUL friends, and you can often find them home on a Sunday afternoon hosting a small party by their pool, which is in ground, perhaps Olympic size, and very very private. They have a trampoline which the kids LOVE, a large well groomed yard, fabulous organic vegetable gardens (which I have been caught grazing in, LOL). Quite often we get a vicious game of croquet going, and everyone brings a dish and a bottle. After 5 hours of food, drink, pool, trampoline (hey, that is some exercise)we went home and all crashed. I want my own mansion...complete with pool, croquet course, gardens, and out buildings. I figured I could have BIG part...

I just got back from brunch. A bit tired, sore from standing all day, but I have a smile of my face. Megan's wedding was fabulous. The ceremony was beautiful as well as the church. The barbecue was wonderful in the outdoors on the edge of the woods on a mountain, in spite of the extreme heat. It is always lovely to spent time with close friend and family in a celebration of joyful things. I think everyone had a great time. I did not take one photo as I had too much talking and running around to do. Larry did shoot a few, so I have some for my future posts. Judi did all the photos and did an absolutely amazing job. As soon as we have them up online I will send a link! This is a photo of Megan and Karen. Karen's daughter Zeva got married in Paris this past spring. It looked like a stage set from Titanic. Off to a swim and barbecue, patti