April showers bring May flowers ... but what do May winds and gullywashers bring?

THAT'S the question of the day here in Ore-uh-gun. (Oregon)
Just by looking at my Lady of The Tulips you can tell she's been getting her feet wet. Well, if she had feet they would be wet.
There have been torrents of rain, buckets of water, troughs of high and low pressure channeling in fluids, liquid sunshine galore.
Somehow, with the right foods (chocolate and coffee or tea) and a good fire to brighten up the dark afternoons, we've been able to wait for the occasional sunburst.
Here is one more picture and then I must dash for Valley Art where there is a reception tonight. This last pic is of the flowers that made it through the rain. I guess some of us just love a long, glorious bath - femminsmo

It's Coming Along.

I HAVE finished the "Lady Liberty Voting" canvas and took a photo to place it as background for our Valley Art campaign posters. The goal is to raise voters' consciousness when it comes to Voting For The Arts.
The wide blue sky will provide a nice, neutral background to the type (and information - dates, times, etc.) that will go into this poster. The Valley Art Annual Artist Event is coming on Nov. 3 with members' night and then Northwest artists will have their work on sale in the gallery during two weeks in November for the public.
I am hopeful this poster image will generate the idea that everyones' vote counts, especially when it comes to underwriting the educational benefits of arts and literature in school curricula.
Well, I am posting this on my lunch break at home. Must go back to work. May have more later; like an update on Living Leaves - femminismo

Beginning An Art Campaign.

GREETINGS! We are well into September now and everything is drying up around Oregon. Fire bans in the forest have been in effect for some time and so there will be no more campfires up on our piece of woodland property. It's not that we've even been up there to enjoy the solitude and quiet - unfortunately - but we sure would like to camp overnight a couple more times this summer before our good weather is all gone.

I have been very busy and I have to tell Candace at EyeCandy that I don't know that I can continue the Javablu Award. I'm pleased she thought of me (more than she can know) and I see the good things that awards can do for blogs: More people connect with you, you pass on other's blogs, and they pass the blogs on to their friends and hopefully everyone finds some good thoughts or ideas that can help them along. However, I know the blogs I would nominate for a Javablu Award are probably in the same boat as I am. So I'm just going to ask Candace to understand and I'll let this one - and any feelings of guilt I have - go. OK?
As you can see by the photo I have posted I am undertaking an advertising campaign for Valley Art Association, the nonprofit gallery where I volunteer. Actually, the entire gallery's operation, since 1966, has been totally volunteer-run, which has to be some sort of minor miracle.
Each November the gallery has its Annual Artist Event and all members get in early to peruse the latest offering of Northwest artists. They have one night all to themselves to mingle, eat, laugh, drink, gab and buy the freshest stuff from really great artists. (Just in time for holiday giving, too!)
I was asked to produce advertising and the chairwoman's theme is "Vote for the Arts," since the day after the November event will be Election Day.
My thought was to have this American Lady striding through the fields (thank you, Candace, for alerting me to this painting by James Montgomery Flagg), carrying a paintbrush and a sign that says "Vote For The Arts." (The little box and scissors are only to hold down the matte gelled-image.) I was hoping also to somehow work in a "crop" of artwork "growing" in the fields.
I will do other collage on this piece and hope it turns out usable as a background for our posters and other advertising. I'm trying to combine art and advertising so I can do this in a little more "hands-on" way. I hope it works. I'll let you know.
In other news, we were saddened this weekend to lose a sweet man, a member of our extended family - Billy H. He was one of those men a girlfriend spoke of recently - a man like our own fathers, strong and brave. "Gone" is such a lonely, final word. Gone on a journey that others have taken before. Off to witness something magnificent, I truly hope - femminismo

It's Late - I'm Crazy!

JUST WANT to tell you to check out the ValleyArt blog to see what I did this afternoon and tonight. Mary W. and I were hostesses for First Wednesday Downtown.
After we got the reception food out and welcomed the artists I went out into the farmers market and had a tantalizingly good sope. (Picture of one above.) Yum. The Adelante Mujeres were giving away more free samples of their great cooking. They made 500 of them and gave them all away and had to run to the store for more supplies. I think they were up to 600 handmade tiny, thick tortillas with beans, cheese, salsa. Soooo good.
It was a wonderful evening. There where still blueberries and I didn't get any! Just these in the photo. What's wrong with me? Maybe on Saturday there will be some at the farmers market for us "should have boughts" - femminismo
Gotta go. Like I said, I'm crazy!

Another Art Reception Down ... another to go?

WELL, I and my "reception twin," Catherine, have helped put on the last two artist receptions at Valley Art. We have a good way of working together: We take it as it comes and don't sweat the small stuff. (Is there any other way?)
Catherine opened a high cupboard looking for plastic forks and found them all right. They rained all over her and onto the floor. I was walking away from the scene of the accident but I didn't hear her say naughty word one. She just picked them up and kept on going.
With the help of a couple of other volunteers we managed to put on a modest feast for our featured artist, Terry Peasley, and opened the gallery to a lot of First Wednesday visitors. Check out Terry's watercolors. They are very good.
I wanted to take a picture of the green Mountain Dew/limeade punch I made since it fit the evening's theme of "Going Green" and would have looked so good here. However, I didn't have my camera handy just then. Then I found this interesting screwdriver in the back of the gallery with this anonymous note: "Modern Art."
I hope you enjoy the photos. That's my buddy Catherine and me in the very, very upper left hand corner. Sleep tight, don't let the bugs bite. - femminismo
p.s. I say that because we've been having an invasion of small black "springtime" ants. They are driving me completely nutts-ola!! Did you ever notice the odd smell crushed ants produce? Not pleasant. -: ( grrrrrrr!

Baking Cookies

I spent last evening baking chocolate chip oatmeal cookies (why bother with cookies unless there's chocolate in them?), working on art journal pages and watching "Tin Man." I loved the sister story it contained, and the strong family/humanity theme.
The cookies were for a reception at Valley Art Gallery where I volunteer. The Mister and I only ate two cookies each. (Not a total breakdown on our dietary goals.)
I worked with water soluble crayons and gluing in some collage. More fun ... and now the dining room table is covered with my "projects" again. Sigh! Well, I did keep it pretty clean for almost two weeks.
You'll notice in the cookie picture I did put in a plug for our other eating habits: whole grain bread, apples ... and can you find the red wine?
femminismo