Patti Gibbons Art

It has been two years since I have written a blog here. In fact, it has been so long that I have forgotten how to work blogger!  Since then I have helped my mother out of this world, am currently a caregiver,  have discovered how precious time and life is. I am deeply entrenched into the artist life now. I used to think I did not have it in me, and doubted my ability and dedication. But I have come to realize that being an artist does not mean that I have to slave away in my studio at the mercy of my muses. I have put in the 10,000 hours and have found my voice in the art world.  So that I don't get lazy, I keep myself on track by working with coaches, changing direction when I need to, mentoring art challenges, and showing up to the job every day. Lately I feel rumblings in the universe telling me that big changes are coming. I don't know what they are, but being a positive woman, I believe them to be good. And starting to blog again is the start of a new directio...

I have changed the name of this blog - formerly Eat Man Drink Water, because Patti Gibbons Art is what I am branding my online presence with. Websites, Big Cartel site, FB business page, etc. It just makes life so much easier. However eBay will always be catskillpaper- my collecting personae! The focus will be images of my art and photos, along with brief thoughts on art, life, and technique. I will be working on the blog trying to streamline and build a presence. Once upon a time I had one...but I have long ignored this treasure of stories and images. I painted outside yesterday, absorbing the freshness of early spring and the earth while seated at the edge of a field, making art and connecting with a few friends.  This is an oil sketch on paper. approx 8 x 10. Rather than paint a realistic interpretation, I let the painting take me to where it wanted to go, the rawness of the earth waking up from its long winter sleep.

I have let the entire spring and summer go by without posting. I took a hiatus from my work-a-holic self by giving myself permission to let some things go. It has been a slower summer than most, full of swimming, travel, grandchildren, and art.  I am currently in Clarksville Tennessee, the 5th largest city of the state. It is military land here, as Fort Campbell, home of the 101st airborne division, is a mere 10 miles away. You would never know summer is on its way out in this part of the world.  The sun shines plenty hot here, the pool temps are in the mid 80's , and thunderstorms pop up out of nowhere.  It is also in tornado ally, though I can not speak of this first hand. It is mostly flat, and full of strip malls with shops that come and go. Pawn shops. Porn shops. Fast foods. Drive thrus. There is even a drive thru for cigarettes and beer.   I flew here from NY to help my daughter with her two children as the third, the toddler, is in the ...

I have been out of my Rhinebeck Studio since the end of February.  I moved of all remaining items, loading up the Passat with as much as I could,  which had to find a home in my already filled studio and house.  I did it without so much as a look back. It was a good experience, but not it is time to move forward. March was two rounds of NYS sales tax, and our personal and business income tax. I have yet to figure out a way to make this less painful. Walks and adventures were limited to paved areas, as we discovered that the multiple periods of thawing and freezing created areas of mud that had the ability to suck off your shoes. One wander at Poet's walk left us muddy up to our knees. So we cut back on the roads less traveled for a bit. Plenty of time for that. Early April bought a trip to southern California with my walking partner, but I discovered that the song lied, as it was cold and rainy half of our trip. I had underpacked, and wore the same layers of...

   Clermont from the woods.  Barn on the property    Amtrack heading north  Ice Heaves on the Hudson in Tivoli  My adventure partner bought tickets for this weekend's "Behind the Ropes" tour at Clermont State Historic site. Normally the house is closed for the winter, but they had a new fund raiser which opened it up for the weekend, so that one could tour rooms without the ropes, and see some of the decorative objects up close! I have gone to Clermont many times over the years; the fields offer acres upon which to picnic, paint, or play. The front lawn of the house is often set up for croquet. I have visited the house, mainly back when it was free; now you have to pay to park and stroll the grounds during peak tourist season. But I don't mind, because the money helps keep these historic sites open. Because it is a state site, no photographs are allowed inside the house. The interior is the most interesting thing about ...

   The Last Ice on the River  From Trinity Church back yard.  Trinity Church and Rectory Tiffany Window in Hall  William Morris Window Church Location: Saugerties, NY. 2/7/16 Temp: 45 degrees Weather: full sun River Conditions: all ice nearly gone. Low Tide. Total mileage for the day: 6.5 miles Wind: none Path: slightly muddy Ice conditions: mostly melted, save for a few chunks washed upon the shore. Lunch: Hudson Valley Desserts Price: 4.95 for soup and buttered roll Value: excellent and lovely staff Difficulty: (trail from trailhead to lighthouse) easy. Flat, maybe 1/2 mile in. ?  Splendid day to walk and catch views of the mountains along the Hudson River on the path to the Saugerties lighthouse. I had wished I bought a picnic and lunched on the river. The sun was warm on the lighthouse deck - the sky and water such wonderful blues.  We then walked from the lighthouse into town for soup and cookies. Excellent choice...

Due to a lot of company over the holidays, my adventures were minimal; walks at Dietz Stadium,  walks uptown Kingston.  So when I got an invite to spend the weekend at my sister in laws house in Catskill, I jumped upon the chancc; dinner, hot tub, Qi-Gong, movies,great conversation, and, a walk. It is always exciting to have a change of view, and I love Larry's family and the town they live in.  It had been storming all day, and a brief break in the action prompted a group walk with the family dog. There are many side streets filled with lovely Victorian homes, and other great venues such as the Thomas Cole House, the Monastery, the Beattie-Powers Place, and on a good day- you can take the 2 mile walk on the bridge over the Hudson. As we walked, the sunshine rapidly faded, the fog closed in. It got very very dark and a mountain storm blew upon us. We were a half a mile from home. Rich knows the neighborhoods well, and we found ourselves following him, ...