Friday:) Friends Who Paint Together

“Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.” ― Pablo Picasso

************

I go to Towne Creek the first Friday of the month, but because I was at Crescent Moon Lodge last week, I went over there today. This morning,m I walked two miles, went to the store to pick up snacks, cake, ice cream, and root beer, made a dozen little sandwiches, packed up painting supplies for our class, then raced off to volunteer for my painting class. 

I brought all the supplies to paint vases today. I did a quick demo on varagating color from blue to pale blue to white. When I looked at the color, I thought…hmmm…it looks like the sky and the sea, so I decided to make a landscape. I painted in a few clouds and trees, and voila!

We had a young high school student visiting us today. Alex has been visiting and volunteering all summer, painting cute scenes in the laundry room, and a big logo at the entrance. I later found out that she helped clean up and organize the crazy crammed art closet after a leak and flood burst through the closet ceiling. It was very clean. Wow!

Miss Nelma and Alex.

Miss Kathy. Her vase kinda looked like her blouse.
While our vases were drying, we had our feast of ham sandwiches, Fritos, root beer floats, then chocolate cake and ice cream.

It’s a tough life…the artist life. But we manage.

Thursday:) This Is My Little Town~ McKinney

“I live in my own little world. But its ok, they know me here.” ― Lauren Myrac

************

This morning was the first Art Club of McKinney meeting  after our summer break. I love the August meeting because it’s Show and Tell day. Each member or guest introduces themselves, tells what art mediums they use, and brings some examples to talk about. A few of my favorite artist friends…

After our meeting, a large contingent from the meeting went over to The Pantry Restaurant    On the square.for more food and socializing. There’s always a little shopping on the way back to your car.

I always stop at the Visitor’s Center to say hello to Miss Beth. She’s such a sweetie and always has her finger on the pulse of McKinney. If Miss Beth doesn’t know about it…it ain’t happenin’.

This is not a natural stance. I make her pose this way…my open arms request. It’s an inside joke. 

My good friends at Sweet Spot Bakery are always baking up something sweet and special. 

It’s difficult for me to resist a quick stop at the Samaritan Inn Thrift Store on my way home. I generally find several treasures. A beautiful hand painted ceramic plate, two pale pastel purple wine glasses to paint, and a lovely glass candy dish. (My buddy, Miss Bella, looking on in admiration of my bargain hunting skills.)

I stopped to visit my neighbor, Diane, before rounding the corner home. My good friend, Karen, stopped by this evening to drop off her little fishy, Baby. I’m fishy sitting for her for a couple of days. I am the “Pet Whisperer” of McKinney. Dogs, cats, now fish. I’m amazing!

So many friends, so many things to do, this is my little town. I love it here!

“I live in my own little world. But its ok, they know me here.” 

― Lauren Myrac

Oh yes, it was pretty hot here today. It’s Texas…it’s summer…it’s hotter than 

H-E- double hockey sticks.

This Is Thursday:) Through The Eyes Of An Artist

“Artists see with their hearts. They bring beautiful color, magical music, and wonderful words into a not so perfect world. A gift they share with everyone.”

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

*********************

I like to think of myself as an artist, writer, and amateur philosopher. Student of many, master of none. I am a work in progress. Here is my day in a nutshell. (Because I’m a nut.)

I woke up at 7 am, checked emails, wrote a letter, called Mom, drove to Zumba, busted a move and thank goodness not a hip for an hour, glowing red faced, changed, drove to Art Club of McKinney meeting by 10, lunch with fellow artists, visited friends at Sweet Spot Bakery on the Square, went over to the Martin Place for Elaine Adam’s memorial art exhibit by 4, scurried home, went for a walk 5-6, and now writing this blog, then off to a divorce support group at 7-9. This is a typical day for me. I LOVE IT!

Well, never got this posted before my support group. It’s after 9:30 pm, and I’m finally able to take a breath and finish this post. This group session tonight was an eye opener. It makes me realize how very lucky and truly blessed I am. All I can say is…and this is not like me at all…but the world is truly F’d up. I need a drink!

Now, for some photos of my day… Art Club of McKinney guest speakers.

    
    
 
Lynne and Jeni won prizes for the monthly member artwork.

  
Lunch with the art gals at Cookie’s Mexican Restaurant.

   
Elaine Adams’ fantastic art show memorial at the mARTin Place. A beautiful tribute to a lovely and talented woman.

 
Elaine’s sweet husband of 61 years, Gil, family, and friend, Lynne.

  
The sky was gloomy and drizzly, but the sun kept trying to peek through while I walked.

  
The local ducks two blocks away from their pond were having a picnic on a neighbor’s front lawn. 

  
“Here comes the sun…”

Saturday:) Somemore Painting and Silly Friends

“Silly is always good, but silly  with friends is mandatory.”

~ Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

******************
“It’s okay to be absurd, ridiculous, and downright irrational at times; silliness is sweet syrup that helps us swallow the bitter pills of life.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich

******************

Yesterday, I painted with my senior artist friends, and today, I taught a wine glass painting glass at Lone Star Wine Cellars on the Square. It was a group of nine girlfriends, out for the day and evening. They came in rowdy and giggling, and they just louder and sillier as the evening progressed. At one point, I had to use my loud school teacher whistle to get their attention. It was a fun night, and the energy was contagious. 

   
   
The ladies had a good time. The noise level was off the charts. At one point they asked if they were the loudest group that I ever had. I told them that they were not the loudest, but they were the “funnest.” They had dinner reservations at 6:30, so they left their glasses so they could finish drying and came back later to pick them up. 

   
 
  

Friday:) Friends, Food and Firemen

“It’s funny, the more friends you have in a room, the more room you have for friends.”

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

*************

An early lunch with friends was a great way to start my day, sharing good times and good food. Then, off to the store to pick up some snacks and food for my senior art group, hotdogs, potato chips, cake, Coke, and vanilla caramel swirl ice cream. More sharing of food.

My friends at Towne Creek Senior Apartments are always glad to see me. Today, we were working on glass painting. They each painted two cut glass covered trinket containers. A little project for Valentine’s Day. One to keep, and one to give away. 

  
  

Mr. Angel is a wonderful artist. He also does wood carvings, and doesn’t mind being the only man in the group. 

  
Here they are, busy at work. While we were painting, an ambulance and fire truck pulled up to take one of the residents to the hospital. These happens quite frequently at a senior housing complex. 

  
Unfortunately, a common occurrence with seniors. Thank goodness, nothing too serious.

  
Then, we painted some small glass bowls, using reverse painting. Aren’t these cute?

  
  
Sharing food and friendship, art and painting. “It’s funny, the more friends you have in a room, the more room you have for friends.”

Tuesday:) Today’s Funny Face

“I see funny faces in the strangest places. Especially in the mirror.”

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

*******************

“The face is a picture of the mind with the eyes as its interpreter.” ― Marcus Tullius Cicero

*******************

I started off the day with a lively Zumba class at the YMCA. I was pretty sore from yesterday’s kickboxing class, and I was up late last night finishing up a calligraphy project. But, once I hit the floor and heard the energizing songs, weary muscles and only five hours of sleep just melted into the music.

Later in the afternoon, I went for a long walk with my neighbor, Diane. She said she had a pot roast cooking and the house smelled so good. I pretend-looked at my watch that I wasn’t wearing and said, “I’ll be by around 7.” I joke like that with everyone, but she invited me to come over for dinner at 7. Pot roast? Who says no to pot roast? Not me.

I don’t like to go anywhere empty handed, so I came home and made a batch of brownies. If you know me, and some of you do, I usually make a funny face with the brownie mix before I stir and bake. It’s a long-lived personal tradition and weird obsession that I have. “I see faces in the strangest places.”

 

 Now, isn’t that funny? Oops! Almost 7. On my way for dinner.
  

Spectacular Saturday

I want every day to be a fresh start on expanding what is possible.
~Oprah Winfrey.
*******^^*****
It was a very long day. I’m talking mikes long. It started out when I picked up Matt from the airport. His flight was delayed, then road construction, we didn’t get hone till almost 1 am. I stayed up packing more boxes till almost 5. Then up at 7:15 to wait for the movers.

I will summarize…they were amazing.

Matt was up early unhooking tv’s and pacing more boxes. Matt was amazing!

Lynne, Karen and Linda Grossman each stopped by for a visit. Can you say girlfriends? They came to wish me well and brighten my spirits.

I have the bestest friends in the world. Lynne brought pizzas and Linda brought my favorite beverage. Matt and I enjoyed the pizza, and I christened “the goose. ‘

Matt and I stopped back at the old house to pick up some things. Look what was waiting for me on the bathroom counter.

I am so exhausted now. that I’ve actually nodded off several times while writing this. Time to finish my drink and get to bed. Tomorrow I will get up early to go to church and thank God for HISang blessings. Miles to go before I rest
Bye! See y ‘a ll later.

****

Teamwork Tuesday

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”
― Helen Keller
*************
McKinney Creative Community meets the second Tuesday of each month at SPARC Art School, Art Gallery. SPARC (St. Peter’s Artist Run Community) – SPARC is a new ministry of St. Peter’s in McKinney, Texas. A very diverse group of creative and talented people meet to share ideas, hospitality, and some very good food.

The group has grown in numbers, but also it’s vitality. There’s a special energy you can feel in this room of creative people, all wanting to share their ideas and dreams of making McKinney a flourishing artistic communty.

Today, we discussed how important social media and networking is to any community group. I love sharing all the wonderful things about McKinney and all the beautiful people in this charming city. McKinney Creative Community is a great place to meet artistic, talented souls and become part of a team, “Together we can do much,”

Saturday: Sit Back and Do Something Special

“I think people who are creative are the luckiest people on earth. I know that there are no shortcuts, but you must keep your faith in something Greater than You, and keep doing what you love. Do what you love, and you will find the way to get it out to the world.”

Judy Collins
*********
Another whirlwind of a day. I got up early and walked about three miles, then went to Saturday Zumba at 9:30-10:30. I didn’t have my usual writing group, so Zumba was a special treat. Then, scramble home, shower, straighten the house for a showing, and get out the door by 11 am. Can you say, “Run around like a mad woman?”

I decided to hang out on the Square, have my yummy yogurt parfait at Snug, visit Dana and Judy at Art on the Veranda, and then paint champagne flutes at Sweet Spot and visit with my buddies there.

Painting glassware is one of my favorite creative pastimes. It is so gratifying to take a plain ol’ glass item and turn it into a work of art. I haven’t painted in so long, mostly because I don’t want to make a mess in the house, but really, I just haven’t been motivated. I’ve been wanting to work on a project for a special gift, and I knew that I could grab my paints and go over to Sweet Spot Bakery, and just hang out and paint. (It’s great to have friends everywhere.)

I sat by the front window, painted champagne flutes, chatted with friends, and watched people walk by.

A few hours later, here is the beautiful finished product. Now, do you see why this is so much fun? I’ve painted hundreds, if not thousands of items. I’ve taught many, many people how to paint wine glasses, vases, ornaments, etc., when they thought they couldn’t. (I’m just a darn good teacher.)

(Close up)
Yes, I think creative people are the luckiest people on earth. I’m going to keep doing what I love and find a way to get it out to the world. Art on the Veranda has dozens of my painted glassware items for sale in their shop. They display work of many local artists, and offer many fun jewelry, painting, and creative classes, including my wine glass painting workshop. Somewhere down the line, after I get my act together, I’d like to offer some in-home painting parties. I think it would be fun to have a bunch of girlfriends over, drink wine, eat snacks, and learn to paint your very own wine glasses. . “I’d like to teach the world to paint, in perfect harmony…” You knew there’d be a song in there somewhere, didn’t ya?

Wednesday Words of Wisdom

“Everything you can imagine is real.”
― Pablo Picasso
**************

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”
― Edgar Degas
**************
I was talking to my friend, Lin, this evening, (yes Lin, I am going to blog about you.), and I was telling her that I have to think of something to write about today. I told her how much comfort I get from blogging every day, because it makes me aware of what is going on around me. I can focus on the positive things in life and the wonderful people who have become a part of my crazy mixed up world.

Right before I called Lin, I was doing laundry, folding the towels and removing the dryer lint. I have a confession. I make art and take art photos of my dryer lint. It’s a curse, it’s a blessing…ok, it’s a curse. I don’t see things like most people do. The nice thing about this technique is, it’s disposable art. (I used to save my dryer lint for making homemade paper and crafts, but not anymore.)

So, I know you won’t be looking at dryer lint in the same light anymore, and I bet some of you are going to see what fantastic artwork you can create. Be sure to share and keep me posted on your lint art. Really! I’d love to see it.

THE VIRGINIA GAZETTE
(April 6, 2011)
“Dryer Lint as Art, Believe it or Not”

by Steve Vaughan

Sometimes art can help overcome life’s difficulties.

That’s the case with Heidi Hooper, 52, an artist from Pennsylvania whose work created from dryer lint will debut at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! on Richmond Road.

Trained as a sculptor at VCU, she made a name for herself with jewelry and costumes created from metal. She also made dolls.

“I was a master costumer. My jewelry was showing in galleries all over, and I was making a pretty good living at that,” she said. “Then I got cancer.”

She’s right-handed and had to have much of the muscle in her right arm removed, leaving the hand too weak to work with metal.

She found her new medium by accident. “When I was very sick with cancer, my mother-in-law was staying with us to take care of me. A lot of people had sent me these multi-colored chenille throws to cheer me up,” she said.

One day the dryer broke down.

“When I went to look there was this Peter Max-colored lump of lint about the size of a puppy on top of the dryer,” Hooper recalled. “Need­less to say, the chenille throws weren’t chenille anymore. They were burlap rags. I saved the lint because people had given me these things as gifts and they’d been ruined.”

Later, she was looking for a way to continue her artwork.

“When you’re an artist, you have this monster inside that needs to get out somehow. Then my husband, Michael, reminded me of these pieces I’d done in college out of handmade paper. I tried that, then remembered why I hated handmade paper. Then I thought of the lint.”

That was around 2001.

“The first couple of years, they were horrible,” she laughed. “I was just relying on my own dryer.” Now she gets dryer lint in the mail from all over the country.

“I run a contest on Facebook every year where the person who sends me the best lint and the second-best get pieces of art in the mail. I?guess it’s part of the recycling that’s becoming so popular.”

Although her work looks to the eye like painting, it’s actually a kind of sculpture since the lint is placed by hand. “I’ve never really thought of it like that, but it is sculpture,” she said. Just in a softer material.

Want to go? Heidi Hooper will be at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum 3-5 p.m. Thursday, April 7. She usually donates a quarter of the profits to a local “no-kill’ animal shelter.