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St. Paulie Girl

Click to visit my eBay Store Henle Studio Fine Art Gallery


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my (& Kiwi's) art journal

Artwork Galleries:
Watercolor Gallery Oil Gallery Pastel Gallery Jewelry Gallery

ARTISTS: Oppose S2913 the Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008
The Illustrators' Partnership of America has posted letters you can send to your representatives, urging them to vote against the act:
http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/home/

Please click here to write and send a letter to your Senators and Congressmen:
Orphaned Works Act Letter

The National Press Photographers' Assocation has an article and links about it here: http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2008/05/orphan02.html

Intellectual Property Watch writes:

Well, since I have not been hired at any of the jobd I've applied for yet, please help me out and bid on some art!  
I have just placed this pastel painting up for sale on eBay.....Starting at   $. 99!!

The price was $250 on eBay, (Was $395 in Gallery), but the Reserve is set much lower on this auction!! This is one of the last original pastel pieces left from my studio & eBay.

I have also lowered the prices on my ACEO limited edition Artist Trading Cards , (Most of them....unless they were a really limited ed. of 25)...and I've also lowered the shipping to a fixed rate of $2.00 .

I'm hoping someone will fall in love with it....

Horsehead Fragment II

I was awed by these amazing eagle pictures. They are from my nephew Adam's friend in Alaska.
WOW. Holy Snowy Eagle-Feathers, Batman!!

Eagles in Alaska- An Awesome Sight for anyone.


( MORE Eagle Pics... )

Jeong-Hyun Lim, a 23-year old Korean and self-taught guitarist:

This is one of my favorite pastels. I recently had it framed by an amazing framer- totally archival and museum quality in every part, including Tru-View non-glare glass.

I have it listed for $2400 in my eBay store.
My LJ peeps can always talk me out of a small studio discount, though! However:

I have given much thought to the pricing, and I am over and done with discounting my artwork at 50% + more below my gallery prices.
The past two years have been highly instructional, and I have become aware of the high quality of my work, and of the importance of respecting myself enough to ask its humble market value. I have not raised my prices in 15 years, so the least I can do is ask fair market value for my work.

eBay Auction

Original Pastel on Hand-Made Paper
"Freedom Spirit"


* Approximate Scale *


In other news....
The St. Paul Art Crawl was last weekend- and I sold one painting! yay...which made it all worth the rushed prep after just having moved in. I had my loft arranged as a gallery, with a table of wine, cheese, crackers, grapes brie and apples for guests. The Tilsner has almost a few thousand people in the building, and it was non-stop and wonderful.

I met a few of my neighbors...and was wowed by the quality of work in this place. Everyone agreed- the Tilsner is THE best energy artist loft co-op, and I am so glad to be a part of it!!

Oh happygods! It's that time of year again??? That is, when I finally remember my all-time favorite fictional writing awards, and go see if they are up yet.....(probably months after everyone else has already seen the results...)


Warning: (I mean it)
Do NOT have anything in your mouth as you read these.

GO HERE! READ THIS!!!!!


My favorite from this year:

The
Grand Panjandrum's Award

LaVerne was undeniably underdressed for this frigid weather; her black, rain-soaked tank top offered no protection and seemed to cling to her torso out of sheer rage, while her tie-dyed boa scarf hung lifeless around her neck like a giant, exhausted, pipe cleaner recently discarded after near-criminal overuse by an obviously sadistic (and rather flamboyant) plumber.

Andrew Cavallari
Northfield, IL

Thank U

how bout getting off these antibiotics
how bout stopping eating when i'm full up
how bout them transparent dangling carrots
how bout that ever elusive kudo

thank you india
thank you terror
thank you disillusionment
thank you frailty
thank you consequence
thank you thank you silence

how bout me not blaming you for everything
how bout me enjoying the moment for once
how bout grieving it all one at a time

thank you india
thank you terror
thank you disillusionment
thank you frailty
thank you consequence
thank you thank you silence

the moment i let go of it was
the moment i got more than i could handle
the moment i jumped off it was
the moment i touched down

how bout no longer being masochistic
how bout remembering your divinity
how bout unabashedly bawling your eyes out
how bout not equating death with stopping

thank you india
thank you terror
thank you disillusionment
thank you frailty
thank you consequence
thank you thank you silence

Sorry guys....this entry yanked due to ugh and holy crap.
I can't believe I fell for this....

Oh, god help me.

I'm going Ice-fishing this Sunday.

I tried this recipe, and wow!

 
Cuervo Cookies

I know it's a little early, but it is time to start baking for the
holidays.
This is the BEST Christmas Cookie recipe EVER!

Christmas Cookies

1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
Lemon juice
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Jose Cuervo Tequila

Sample the Cuervo to check quality.
Take a large bowl, check the Cuervo again
to be sure it is of the highest
quality, pour one level cup and drink.
Turn on the electric mixer.

Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.
Add one teaspoon of sugar.

Beat again.
At this point it's best to make sure the Cuervo is still OK,
try another cup just in case.
Turn off the mixerer thingy.

Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
Pick the frigging fruit off floor.

Mix on the turner.

If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a
drewscriver.
Sample the Cuervo to check for tonsisticity.
Next, sift two cups of salt, or something.

Check the Jose Cuervo.
Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
Add one table.

Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink.

Whatever you can find.
Greash the oven.

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.
Don't forget to bean off the turner.
Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the Cose Juervo and make
sure to put the stove in the dishwasher.

CHERRY MISTMAS !!!!!!

    Well here I am, just back last night from Minnesota.
 
I want to thank katequicksilvr and drjeff for your kind support with my mother's death. And thank all of you who were kind enough to email and send love and warmth. This was extremely hard for me, as I had just re-connected with my mother after 25 years of being apart and estranged. I had just spoken to her the day before she collapsed on her kitchen floor while preparing her breakfast. It was a sweet hour-long conversation, and I had felt for the first time in 30 years, my mothers love and support, it was priceless. My family thinks that maybe it was the last thing she was waiting for, that allowed her to let go.

I wanted so much to visit with my St. Paul/Mpls. friends, but I had not one moment to myself. For several days, my whole family met at my mother's apartment to go over and box up her belongings, take to goodwill, and share with each other photos, mementos, letters, and decide who would take home which treasured items from her. She left no will, and had little to speak of.

The wake was an entire day of greeting family and friends, at St. John the Baptist Church in New Brighton. I saw many relatives and family friends that I hadn't seen in many years. I was exhausted when we left at 9 p.m.

The funeral mass, traditional luncheon and ceremony went from 8 a.m. the next day, to 3 p.m., followed by (kid you not) a two-hour drive to Bird Island to bury her with her mother and father's family (Keltchen's and Morgans) at St. Mary's Cemetary.

I rode with my nieces and nephew (who had taken protective custody of me the day before...lol.) They always have me over for dinner, and to stay- these are the babies I helped raise when living with my brother when I was 14-16. We have a special bond, and they take great delight in absconding with me every time I come up. I nicknamed them "The evil trinity, and the Access of Evil" because they are wickedly funny, and mercilessly tease the younger kids in the family, and pull their legs, telling them false information on the why's and how's of everything
Afterwards, we all met at a local Restaraunt/bar, took over a room, and had De'Sorronno, champaign and wine toasts to my mother, and shared stories of her life with us. It was bittersweet, yet lots of laughter, humor and love.

Here is the extraordinary thing about my family. Four of my brothers gathered at the Wood shop of my brother Tom, and built a beautiful mahogany casket. The inside was upholstered by my brother Paul's Design studio. My sister Mary and I painted the inside lid of the casket. A group of four white Amarylis with red stripes (my mother's favorite flower that she always had growing) surrounded by her jade celtic rosary, with the ornate celtic cross. She was Irish Catholic, and always very proud of her ansestry. My sister painted ten beautiful arabesques in the corners, sides and surrounding the Amarylis, one for each of her ten children, in a mossy Irish green.

My sister told me the story of how arabesques were created in early England, when it was against the law to express religious beliefs, and so they created a code language of designs to relate their beliefs. The meanings are lost, but the fleur-de-lis, and arabesque designs are still used in art all over the world. I'm going to have to research that more.
Anyway, I thought it a beautiful gesture, and one my mother would have loved.

Besides helping with ranch chores, horses and barn, I helped my sis install a better email program and organized her desktop, to make it easier for them.

I returned with:
a copy of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, that was given to my Great Great Aunt Valerie Morgan in 1918, and passed to my mother.
My mother's collection of knitting needles, crochet hooks, and yarn.
Photographs and albums from early 1900's of family and places they lived.
Some of her last hand-knitted items, and a very funny hand-sewn kitchen apron from way way back.
Other items that I remembered from my childhood, sterling silver cream & sugar pitchers, a set of tiny liquer goblets, her camera, and a file of stolen items from all of my brothers and sisters....photos, letters, artwork, and gallery show announcements from me. We were all amazed at her secret stash of items...everyone recognized letters, cards, pictures etc. that I had sent them...that went missing. This is my grief, that she had to steal even this small amount of connection with me. Suffice it to say that I was highly encouraged to not see or talk to her, or any of my family, while I was in "the cult".....but I will always regret that I accepted it.


My family wants me to carry on her tradition of knitting massive amounts of hats and mittens for the worlds poor children. She did this for several months of the year before the holidays, and was famous for her generosity to the needy.

When my brother found her financial records, every other check in her checkbook was a small amount written out to an astounding number of childrens charities. This was a constant thing she did for many years. He said..."well, kids, this is where our inheritance went..." and we had to laugh. She spent all of her spare time volunteering at the church, and going to elder-hostel classes around the world. Her high-school yearbook showed a popular young beauty who wrote as a journalist for the newspaper, excelled in art, was on the archery team, and sang in the choir. She raised ten children, and she and my father were den mother/father and hosted cub-scout and boy-scout troups and field trips my entire childhood. She loved people, she loved life, nature and learning, and spent her time caring for others in need. Jeez.
What an incredible life. I will share pictures later.
I am glad to be home.

My mother died this morning.




Any help with airfare would be a blessing.
Things have been slowly getting better, but I have just enough to pay my rent for December.
That is because I sold a watercolor painting, and I am doing some small jobs to earn more.

Also, on Friday, my Jeep was repossessed, due to the payment being late, yet again, and they decided it had been late too many times. I am trying to get it back.

I am trying so hard to make it a life worth living, it seems that the universe has other plans.

The "Cord Incident"....

My brother Daniel taught me how to fix a co-axial cable....so I will try this before I shell out $79.....

Anyone know for certain that the power-cord to a Mac Powerbook (the part that plugs into the laptop) IS a coaxial cable type?

The other cord part, after the "box" is ok.

I did the stupidest thing I have done in a long time...(at least a week)lol...

Last night, I was getting ready to call my sis in Mn., and I brought my baby MAC into the bedroom, set it on the bed, along with the power-cord ($79.95). So sad.

Yeah....you saw that coming, right? When I got my sis on the phone, I turned around and....Kiwi had chewed entirely through the ($79.95!)power cord.............
*crapcrapcrappitycrap!!!!$79.95!!!!!!*...............thank god it was not plugged in at the time!!! or we'd be having Crispy-Parrot for dinner.

Have I mentioned that it will cost $79.95???!
That's not the worst part. *I cringe admitting this*
This would not be the first time in the last six months that my little Ninja-Beak has done this.
No.  This would be the Second time in the last six months. It only takes a few moments of distraction....but still, you would think I'd have known better than to place my laptop anywhere near him again. *oh the sadness and pain*

My sis is fond of telling me to give him a "flick" for her. Then follows that with, "Just make sure he doesn't hit the wall too hard."

Why oh why can't he just be content to ruin all the rubber grips on my pens??


*goes and sits self in corner*

14.4 Verizon Network.For the purposes of backup and
maintenance, we may use, copy, display, store, transmit, translate,
rearrange, reformat, view and distribute your information to multiple
Verizon servers. We do not guarantee that these procedures will prevent
the loss of, alteration of, or the improper access to, your information.


WTF???

I have been away from my seetie-flufffer-feather-butt ninja-beak for 12 days now!!!!!!!!!


AUGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

I miss him so much. I'm going to go in and see him today.

today new on auction:
ABSTRACT TRIO
$20 buy-it-now, starts at 9.95 (all 3 art cards)

I miss my little Kiwi.