More for drawspace

I have two more cards ready for the exchange in drawspace forum. That makes 5. So far we have 13 participants. So that is 12 I need and I am almost half done. I have to buy a new roll of stamps this week. I'll put that on my todo list. Then I can get started on my 24 Christmas cards for that exchange. For that one I may look at the individual's websites to get inspiration. I will try to do all originals, but if not that's ok. I still have tax classes I need to get done.

Where Oh Where is Jo?

I haven't seen a post on Jo Castillo's site for some time. I miss reading about her trials and travels. Have they gotten lost in the desert? Have they eaten one too many burritos and exploded? Have they gotten lost in the new house? Jo "WHERE ARE YOU?"

Fall ATC Exchange

I finished another ATC for the drawspace forum exchange. I really liked the moon and sky. Hated to put something over the top of it. But it just didn't seem finished without the owl.

I'm making this post short as I am really tired and need to go to bed.

Another Project

Well I have now officially joined my 3rd project. I guess I don't know when to stop. For this one I only have to do one ATC Christmas Card. That should be a breeze.

Tonight I did two ATCs for the fall exchange for drawspace. Well I really did 4 but only liked two. One other may get finished later. I shall see. It will probably depend on whether I do enough that I am satisfied with. I am trying to do some that represent the fall season and indirectly maybe some Halloween without doing the ghoul thing.

Surgery Finally Scheduled

I have my knee replacement surgery on Oct 30, day before our 37th wedding anniversary. At first I thought he was not going to do it. The lady who took me to my room said he wouldn't unless I got my weight down. But after he called my medical doctor, he said ok. I'm ready to get it over with.

I just joined another art card exchange. This one on drawspace.com. They had 10 participants the last time. They are letting anyone who didn't get in last time to have first chance. I hope they all get to participate even if there are more than 10. The ones who participated on the last one all seemed to enjoy it. This one is a fall one. I probably won't do Halloween ones but will do ones with something to do with fall.

Between this one and the one on Wetcanvas I should have plenty to keep me busy. I won't have time to worry about surgery. Plus I still need to get my tax classes done. Can you tell how excited those make me? And sorry to say the nurse said I should be good to go for work in January. Drats. There goes that excuse. Now I have to spend my drawing time doing tax classes.

Project Christmas Card

There is a new Project at WC. A 2007 Christmas Card Exchange Project. I just joined. There will be a maximum of 25 participants. So far there are 6. Two of them I have known from prior projects. It will be fun.
A few months ago, I bought on sale some packs of greeting cards and envelopes that are blank. I hope that they are good for water medium. I will probably use those. I didn't have a reason for buying them but now they will come in handy as I got them at half price. And whenever I have surgery I should have plenty of time to do art. Looking forward to the project. Now I will have to look for inspiration for the cards.

WDE Entries

I did paintings of two of the WDE photos this week. Both are about 5 1/2 x 7 on Bristol. Watercolor with a waterbrush and pen and ink. The lake scene has some dry watercolor pencil.

Rain and Rain Clouds

We had rain and rain clouds yesterday. Started out with a long and loud roll of thunder. I got some really good cloud photos. Here are a few.

Hateful Crutches

I am not getting along very well with my crutches. Several times a day I feel like tossing them. Several times a day I trip over them. And they are causing pain in my shoulders, arms, and collar bones. Achey kind of hurt. Can't get comfortable even at night. I try to walk without them and before long my whole right side (knee and hip) start having problems. That's all I need is to get that side of me having problems too.

I'm very frustrated today. I have spent about 20 hours on a 6-hour online tax class and didn't pass it. So it doesn't even count toward my license hours. What's really bad, the program doesn't tell you what you missed so that you can learn anything from the test. Very poor system. So I just wasted that time for nothing. And I am going to run out of time to get my 30 hours in. We only have until the end of October.

I would much rather be putting in my time with art. Now every minute I am not spending trying to take the classes for taxes, I feel guilty. That stinks. I enjoy my art and I don't enjoy taxes. Terrible to have to make a choice for taxes.

I did some more foot sketches last night while I sat on the bed watching the new Survivor series. Last night was the beginning of this season. Pretty good last night and some pretty good players. The one I really liked was voted off. He was older and from a southern town and was a chicken farmer nicknamed "Chicken". The younger people just do not like to have older people living with them on these survivor shows. They don't realize that the experience from life is much more important than the socializing that can be done with the others their ages. They aren't on there to party. They need the experiences of having lived life. And they also don't like to have leaders. But without a leader, those groups seem to wander around and accomplish nothing. You know that a chicken farmer has experience in construction of structures. They were trying to build a shelter. He was afraid to exert his experience as that puts you in a "got to get him voted off" mode. They are already complaining about a lady who is probably the oldes female as "the Bible toter". She is host of a religious radio station. That won't go over very well either which is sad.

Another thing I see with this show is the fact that people who have watched this show since it began, still join in and after a few hours complain that it is harder than they expected. Well duh. What part of the former ones did they not believe were real? And the clothes they were wearing.

Almost every new Survivor series, they took all their clothes away except what they had on. One lady complained she had on no bra. Who would go to China and planning to be "surviving" would leave off a bra with even a hint that they would be stuck in these clothes for months. One lady had a cocktail like dress on with no back sling heals. Try running thru a relay with those. The show had to provide everyone with running shoes. She wasn't even able to walk on dirt with the heels.

One other had these weird heavy boots on. She said they weighed about 20 lbs or so each. And they came up to her knees and she had a short skirt on. She is a professional wrestler.

Another had a long dress on. One lady said she didn't do camping. Another said she was from New York and these were not the kind of people she was used to dealing with. Another Duh. So I noticed when they went into the competitions, some of the men were down to boxer shorts and the women down to fancy bras and skimpy undies. For me, I would have had a bathing suit on under my clothes. They seem to be in those a lot on these shows.

So they start out showing their ignorance. What makes us watch these? Because they are entertaining. And that is what the tv is for...entertainment.

I really like Survivor. I will watch it every week. Like some, dislike some. But enjoy the process. And after it is over, wait for the next bunch of naive players to go off to parts unknown with designer clothes and little knowledge to strip down to undies to roll around in the mud for money.

Not much art Wednesday

Today was the day I usually do my art en plein air. But no outing today or next Wednesday. I really enjoy my outings and really missed it today. It is so nice to know that I have a planned time for art. Gives you a push out the door. At home you can keep putting off things you want or intend to do. But when you have a "date" or plans with others, you keep the appointment whether you really feel like it or not.

It's not just about the art we do that day. It is also the getting together with like-minded people. To just enjoy their company or to pick their brains for information. Each person no matter how long they have been doing art, or what medium they use, has experiences and viewpoints. Just by sitting nearby, you hear little snippets of information. And the critiques are like little mini classes. More info to process and store.

I helped hubby get ready for his camping trip. Usually he gets off work too late to leave on Wednesday evening. But today he had a shorter day. He left this evening. He will be able to get his trailer parked and set up tonight and have 3 1/2 full days to relax. And me...I don't have to cook or do anything I don't want to do. Just the dogs and I can vegetate the rest of the week.

I worked on another foot tonight and two of the items on the new scavenger hunt list posted today. I think I will work on doing the hunt items in more detail this round.

Foot a Day

I just finished my foot for today. I have my Birkenstocks on and I did a half foot. I keep wanting to do hubby's foot but it's hard to get him. He either has his shoes on, he is on his way to work, or on his way to bed. My sketches of his foot don't take priority over his sleep. He has an early call in the morning so tonight I won't get his foot either.

My teen housekeepers just left and once again the house is picked up, dusted, and vacuuming. Now I don't have to feel guilty that I am on the computer. What a nice feeling. It will be some time before I will be able to do my housecleaning myself. I do see the surgeon on the 26th to find out what is next.

Bible study starts again on Tuesday evening. The title of the study will be "Heartwarming Heresies". Our senior pastor wrote it himself. He is a writer. A very good writer. He wrote and had published a trilogy of his own take on the Rapture and last days of the earth. A little different take that the Left Behind Series. Both were very good. I really enjoy the lessons when he prepares them.

No Carbs

Many years ago I did a year of "no carbs". At that time I went completely without carbs of any kind for 3 days. That was supposed to get them out of my system so that when I finally started them again in moderation, my body would use them instead of storing them as there would be no supplies stored. Well I did lose a lot of weight. A whole person worth. But in reality, you can't go without them.

I was helped along by a co worker who was a vegetarian. She was constantly saying she wouldn't eat anything with a face. Well It got so bad that I had trouble eating at all. I think I was pretty much living on cheese and apples. I am weird like that. The powers of suggestion can turn me completely off food. So I have to watch what I watch on tv about discoveries of bad food handling etc. I stopped eating rice for several years because I found bugs in mine as I was eating it. I had a very hard time keeping it down much less putting it in my mouth again. I didn't think I would ever eat it again.

There were rumors about a couple fast food places many many years ago. Even tho those probably weren't true, I still can't eat there. Like I said, I am weird that way. I can tell by looking at something whether I can eat it or not. I don't like mushy but can eat mashed potatoes and pudding. Go figure. I am just now getting where I can eat a pancake (I always chose waffles because they were more crispy and done). I don't eat well cooked oatmeal or small grained oatmeal. I only eat the old fashioned whole grain.

I don't particularly like the taste of meat and don't like the texture at all. And if I think about where it came from, I have trouble swallowing it. I do eat ground beef but have to have it cooked very done and chopped up very fine.

As you may expect, I don't eat many things out. Too many hamburgers I have had to toss because they weren't done. No way am I eating uncooked meat. Not even moist looking meat with a tinge of pink. The thought of steak tartar or sushi is horrible to me.

A few years after the first "no carb" adventure, I decided to try it again. That lasted a day or two. I got to feeling very sick. I had no energy. At work my boss told me I looked like I was about to die. It was a very scary, weird feeling. I kept having trouble until I added carbs back in. Everything was fine. It was like my body knew I was cutting the carbs again and it was trying to shut down. It may seem like an excuse, or untrue, but for me it happened. I swore I would not try that again.

The surgeon wants me to lose weight before he does surgery on my knee. I decided to try the "no carbs" again. Well that was two days ago. Today I slept all day long after sleeping the night before. Every time I sat down and tried to do anything, I would nod off. I totally was not functioning. I am trying to make myself stay up but I could go to bed and sleep another 8 hours. That is totally not me. I am used to 6 hrs at the most.

Hubby was wondering why I was asleep so much today. I told him I was afraid it was the "no carb" thing. He kind of laughed. I also have to be off Premarin a month before surgery so he may just have laughed his last laugh. I have never been without Premarin since I had my hysterectomy. We are about to travel to feelings and emotions unknown. And from what I hear about hot flashes, we may have some trouble ahead. I know from previous years that I don't even like the Jeanne without sugar. It changes my whole personality. Now I will see what other horrors lie ahead for me. Instead of feeling bad for me, feel bad for hubby. He is the one who will be dealing with the wrath of Jeanne. LOL

Here is the ATC I did from a photo I took at our last week's outing. The hostess has a pond next to her front door with fish. As I snapped the picture, the fish just seemed to lift its head up and pose.

Ariel

Here is another of the Pet Portrait Project animals. This is Ariel and she belongs to tvandeb from Wetcanvas.

The next two weeks we will not be having our weekly outing. The County Fair is in town and some of the ladies will be doing plein air work at the fair or working in the fine arts building. So we will wait until Oct 3. That week we will go to a farmers market. It is called Murray Farm. They will have their selection of pumpkins out at that time. I have never been there so it will be a new experience for me.

I am trying to figure out how to price my Guild House items. I haven't a clue where to begin. I don't look forward to trying to figure it out. And I thought the painting and framing were the hard parts.

The hot weather has finally slowed down. It is still pretty hot during the day, but cooler in the mornings and evenings. Those times are nice. It is nice to leave the door open and let the dogs play outside. Of course they would much rather be inside so they can tell if I am doing something or eating something they want.

Last two

I finished my last two pet portraits for the exchange. I sprayed all eleven I had still waiting to be sent. And now they are all in their envelopes with stamps and ready to mail tomorrow. I will stop at the post office on the way home tomorrow.

I will take my scavenger hunt list with me tomorrow and hopefully will find some of the items, but I fear I won't be able to participate much on this list. It is a great list but will involve going around town. I am trying to stay home more and keep off my knee. I may find subs for some of the items. I will get what I can.

Here is one ATC that I finished last night. His name is Shadow and he belongs to Justjean from WC. I did most of my ATCs in graphite but did manage to get about 1/3 done in watercolor.

Fanta

I finished another dog for the pet portrait exhange project tonight in watercolor. Big's Fanta. He is not longer living. In fact both dogs I did for Big's have passed on. But I did her two current babies in the last exchange we had. Besides I think it is so nice to have a remembrance of a passed baby. I am happy that most of the ones the others did for me were my babies who are gone. These I will surely cherish.

Today was not a good day for me. I prepared a vinyl job. It is ready to print now on the vinyl. It is to be a very large one. letters 20' high and the banner length will be 10ft I think. It takes a little prep time on the computer program. The words have to be upside down and backwards on the one screen for them to be the right way on the print screen. Takes a little patience.

I'm having what I think is arthritis in my right shoulder and arm. Hubby thinks it is from the crutches. I am not sure. I just know it is very painful and hard to get comfortable. Still no call from the doctor about my knee. I need to get that settled so that I can get off the crutches.

The plein air outing will be at a private home. We have been there before. It has many things on her patio, and the front entry area. I did a banana tree from the front last time.

Many of the ladies will be walking to a large community pond but I will stay at or near the house and not do any more walking than necessary. There is a very nice neighborhood cat that visits and goes in and outside. Maybe I can convince her/him to settle down to a nap for a sketch. I got a quick one last time.

A foot a day for 30 days

Here are my latest feet sketches for the "Foot a Day" on Wetcanvas. I threw one in of Penny. To do my left foot, I had to sit on the bed. That leg doesn't have the mobility it should. Penny always joins me when I go near the bed. I drew my foot then hers. Then we had a little scrathing of her belly, some kisses, and hugs. Then we both took a nap. Somewhere along the line, Friday joined us.

A friend I have known forever notified me on instant messaging tonight. I ended up calling him and we talked almost an hour. We have known each other since grade school. Our parents were friends before that. Since my hubby also went to the same high school, he also knows Jimmy.

We hadn't talked for years, but it seemed like no time had passed. It is nice to reconnect with old friends. The older you get, the better you realize that. We are connected now thru instant messaging so will keep in touch.

Rastus

Rastus was a pet Doxie who belonged to Bigs/Sue from Wetcanvas. She posted his picture on the Pet ATC project. I believe she said he only lived about 5 months.

Tonight I worked on pet ATCs for the pet project, and one that I completed was Rastus. I did about 5 tonight. Most were graphite. I have 7 more to finish. I have one completed for each of the 10 participants, and some I have completed 2. Those are in the mail or have already been sent. I will try to finish the rest this week.

I had planned to try some different mediums for this art card trade. But as usual, I fell back to my graphite. It is just my thing to do. Why do I fight it? I really like the graphite so why do I always want the color? I guess that is not for me to figure out.

Rastus is done in watercolor. First I did a general sketch in graphite, then added watercolor from pans with a waterbrush. Then added some pen and ink.

I still cannot seem to manage watercolors with a regular brush. I just can't seem to move the paint around the same as I can with a waterbrush. I pretty much mix my paint on the paint in the pots. They get pretty dirty but that just makes more colors. And mine still are not as messy looking as the watercolorists who are using tubes en plein air.

Walking on Empty

I did way too much walking today and am paying for it. I made one too many laps around the plein air site. It was a beautiful day. Loads of shade. I picked a spot where I would be shaded no matter how high the sun got. Also my choice had several different views I wanted to sketch. Thus no moving around and shuffling my supplies.

I did 5 pages of art and 3 of them were for the scavenger hunt. I needed a sculpture and found one that I really liked doing. I sketched it in graphite and then added watercolor. I am pleased with how it turned out.

I also needed some steps and sketched the steps of the gazebo. And last I needed a row of something and chose a row of trees. That helped to get three more things done for the hunt.

There were 6 of us there today. Two oil painters who painted the gazebo. Two who concentrated on the front of the building. And the fifth was sketching/painting the side of the building with all the foliage. Then about noon we had our lunch and critique in the gazebo. A good time was had by all.

Bakersfield Museum of Art

Tomorrow is plein air day. We are going to the Bakersfield Museum of Art. The last planned trip there didn't go very well. I showed up early and waited about 45 minutes. No one showed up. I did take a walk thru the grounds in the back and took a few photos. One lady from our group said she showed up about 15 minutes after I left.

Well hopefully tomorrow will turn out better. We will take sack lunches. Some will bring things to share. Hopefully we will have decent weather. Today it was breezy. That would be nice.

Here is a picture of the front of the museum building and one of some canna lillies that I took the last time. I would like to sketch these plants, but it will depend if they are in the sun and whether someone else has the same idea. I don't know if there is enough space to fit more than one in that area. I do need a statue or sculpture for the scavenger hunt so will try to sketch one of those there. I know that there are a few sculptures strewn around the grounds.

I am looking forward to the outing tomorrow. I stayed home today and yesterday to rest my knee. The bad thing is I have several errands to run after the outing. That means I will be in some pain tomorrow night.

Hubby is out of town for work tonight. I'm not sure if he will be back tomorrow night or not. He got some more orders for the vinyl machine. Maybe this will be what we have been looking for.

Firehorse Australia's Lelo

I got another pet portrait done tonight. Cute little "taco bell" dog. I guess I should get busy and spray the ones I have done so that I can mail them. Before this one, I had two failed attempts at doing a boxer for a friend. He has passed on. They came home from a weekend trip to find him dead.

Hubby has spent the evening trying to cut some vinyl bumper stickers and some race car numbers. I have been staying out of that room. He is threatening to throw the machine out the window. He is not a patient man. The older he gets, the worse his temper is when things don't go his way.

Tomorrow is Labor Day for the U. S. Funny that on Labor Day, we don't labor. We are off of work. So hubby will probably be in his room and getting his blood pressure up while he learns his new hobby/extra job. I will stay in my office/art room and do what I do best.

Another hot one

Another sweaty, hot day today. As soon as you get dry from your shower and blow dry your hair, it's wet again. And wet pretty much all day. The dogs don't like to go outside to potty. They lay around with their tongues hanging out. If they get under a fan or the cooler, they get upside down so their bellies get the cool air.

I did some housework. Not much, not enough energy for much. But it was time to change the bedding. Not easy to remake the bed alone when you are on crutches. In frustration, I put them aside. There is not much room on either side of the bed to be walking around with crutches. Barely enough room for a person to walk around.

I forgot to check the WDE images until this morning. Where is my mind lately? Usually I am checking it the night before. I started a graphite of the cat. Just basically a line drawing at the moment. I don't know how detailed I will go. It may stay more a line drawing. Who knows?
I received my ATC of Tripod from Jeanette. She hasn't said if hers arrived or not. Mine is gorgeous. I keep running my finger over it feeling the colored pencil. You can't really see her strokes. It is so soft looking and looks like a printed card.

It's 10:30 and hubby is still not home. He has been at the yard at work cleaning and washing his truck. He was given a new truck and it was filthy inside and out. He can't stand to have a dirty truck. Even after a long tiring day, if his truck is muddy or dusty, he at least hits it with the steam cleaner. He doesn't get paid for the cleaning either. He just wants to be proud of it. And since he often eats in it, he wants it clean.

We got a new Scavenger Hunt list tonight. It is #54. Jo Castillo is the hostess this week. I can't upload any pictures. I just hope it lets me post this.