cowboys herding cats

One of my FAVORITE commercials of all time!

Talking Cats Play Pattycake

For all my feline-lovin' friends....

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Vintage Bruce...'nough said!

Anybody Seen My Baby

One of the best bands ever, the Rolling Stones...and a fab video with a bunch of cool art effects...enjoy!

Self Portrait Photo, title"Going Green"

"Going Green"...just trying to do my part!

I do not have time for creating much art these days, my Mother is dying and I am at her home every day except one day a week... I get to come to my own place, chill out with a glass or two of wine, read a book , see my neglected cats and check out what everyone has been up to on my computer.......I miss everyone and my creative spirit, but for now ..I am needed elsewhere, and I would not have it any other way. So, I take stupid pics and play with them...hee hee!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
SuziQ

Happy Fourth of July!!!

I hope and wish everyone in blogland a Happy 4th. I will be quietly spending it with my Mom...I do not blog much since she is ill and I am her caregiver/taker...whatever the term is...

These are vintage photos of me and a best friend from childhood, Denien Lamone King, and she has lived in Italy for over 20 yrs. now with her wonderful husband Marc...and raised 4 kids there.....anyway, she was just here 2 weeks ago for her Father's passing and I am also sharing a "today" pic of us. We were in dancing school forever... growing up and took baton, tap, jazz, and ballet...then tumbling...which I would prefer to forget...I am not built for gymnastics...more for ballet...

She got to visit with my Mom, who is losing her life battle....so if you do not hear from me...just remember you all are in my thoughts and I miss you all. I will try to produce some art, but I am a nurse more than artist now...and that is what is important to me.

XoXo

Title: "Snake Charmer"

This is another monoprint using plexi glass. I manipulated the ink for the design and sent it through the press. I like how it turned out...

Title "I Don't Think We Are In Kansas Anymore..."

This is another monoprint made from plexi glass. I rolled black ink over the plexi, then added the golden yellow color and played with a palette knife. Instead of running it through the press, I used a rolling pin for the transfer...was surprised to find most of the black gone, but liked the effect. It reminds me of things/shapes flying through space (like when Dorothy and Toto were in the hurricane flying around in the sky...hence the title)...also something under a microscope! yuck!

Title: "I Only Have Eyes For You"

This is a monoprint from plexi glass that I painted with the green ink and drew out my characters with a cotton tip. Instead of running it through the press, I used a rolling pin and it came out perfect....After it was dry I added pastel for some fun colors and a touch of whimsy!

2009-2010 Purchase Award at West Virginia University-Parkersburg

I was the recipient for this award for this year, along with another fellow for a ceramic piece he created. Two pieces are chosen by the school to purchase and keep in their permanent art collection. A huge honor...and my piece will be hung and have a plaque for everyone to see and hopefully enjoy! I received my cash award on Monday at their board meeting and was on cloud nine and a half!!!!! Hated to part with this one, it was a self portrait and had so much hidden meaning...but anytime someone sees it, their face lights up, and that is what it is all about!

Father's Day!

It is another Father's Day without you, Daddy....
I miss you so much and it still hurts....
I am taking good care of Mom, I know you are proud of me.
You are our Guardian Angel.
I love you,
Suzi

Marietta, OH Artist's Walk

I was a featured artist at "The Gallery" last Friday night in Marietta, OH. It was the Artist's Walk where all the shops stay open and musicians and artisans of all sorts are all over the streets and in the shops. "The Gallery" sells prints of 6 paintings I created for the Tourism Bureau for advertising purposes in 2008. There are full size and smaller prints for framing, mugs, and greeting cards for sale. The Artist Walks are part of the summer festivities this little town puts on every month.

Title: "Radish Rhapsody"

Monoprint made with plexiglass and printing inks...I love this new medium!

untitled.....

This is a print I made using plexi glass and manipulating the ink on the plexi before pressing it to the dampened paper...I believe my paper was too moist, since my 3 characters didn't come out very distinct. But, I do like it...leaves a lot to the viewer to interpret.
This was made at home, now today in class, I hope to get a chance to use one of the presses.

I have been away from my blog land, busy with life...taking care of my Mom, who is very ill. I will try to post more often. Missed everyone!

Finally Doing Some Painting...

Not the kind of painting you were thinking...right. But, I did 20 miniature paintings...all toe and finger nails!!! Had to get this turquoise color...too pretty and notice how it goes with my second hand store shoes that I picked up for 1.99...that's right!...and never been worn....

My boy Tigrrr loves when Mom puts on any kind of make-up...always finds me when I am doing that...so I guess this counts, too!

My Hero and me....

This picture was taken at a wedding about 5-6 years ago...Mom was heavier then, now 25-30 lbs lighter...due to her problems... She would never let me take a pic of her now....but she is still a beauty....even sick...you cannot escape inner beauty as well as outer beauty. And she is both...
I take after her...petite, but I am taller than a petite....????!!!!
She could have been in the movies, such beauty...............................................................
I hope to gather some of her strength through her health ordeals.....she is an Italian dynamo, just hope some of it has rubbed off on me!!!!

Quote

" the main thing in life

is not to be afraid of being human."

pablo casals

Do You Believe in the Power of Prayer?

If you do, all I ask is that you say a little prayer for my Mother...yesterday we got word that one of her CAT SCANS, abdomen, had a suspicious area...right near her colostomy. She has suspicious nodules in her lungs and they are not sure if cancer has returned...and we have been dealing with that since Oct, when they were discovered..not much change in those, which I guess is good. But the lung specialist sent her to a Dr for serious weight loss and digestive disease. Now, he is sending us to her Oncologist with this new result. Which is scheduled for Thurs. He will take it from here with more tests. I do not look forward to tomorrow.

The problem is that she is fading away from life...massive problems with the colostomy...and has trouble even talking and walking, she is sooo weak. When I hug her, I get sick to my stomach and can't eat myself...she is skin covering a skeleton. But she is still so beautiful and giving, loving....We both hugged and cried and she said to me that we needed to take care of things...she nor I like to think about it, but we have to be strong and do it. We have always been so close...and she said to me, while I was holding her fragile body in my arms (after the Dr's call), that we have been through so much and it can't last. She is my best friend, my hero...and has suffered like no human being should have to....since her first cancer diagnosis in 1992. Rectal cancer, then 2 years later, after losing a sister to breast cancer 4 months earlier, had cancer in both breasts at the same time....has almost lost her life 3 times to the colostomy and can't live a normal life, she has not been able to travel or enjoy life because her colostomy keeps her house-bound. Many people have told her they would not live like that...and that is a real hard thing to hear...she fights for her life everyday and never gave up....no matter what. Like I have said...she is my Hero...

Altered Book/Art Journal...my first attempt

The cover was a paper towel I used when I painted, I glued it down then painted over it with white glue watered down. When it dried, it dried with a sheen and hard coating...nice.

Final spread, I am not a smoker, but my Daddy was a living smoke-stack...the one on the right is a self portrait...they make me laugh.

Fourth spread...I was going to give her face details, but she spoke to me unfinished...and fit the quote perfectly.

Middle spread...supposed to pop up, her halo and wing tops, but does not want to participate. It is funny, I used Bible pages for her wings and the quote is about age...here it is the story of Noah and that he is 600 years old...Someone had to point that out to me, I never read it...so see, it is never too late!

Second spread...she is pure class with her Bee-Hive hair doooo. She is peeking out from an envelope. Inside is a special message!

First spread, using a ticket admitting one for the little bird is giving her a solo performance of his sweet songs.

This is my first attempt at altering a book or making an art journal. I used it for my final Drawing class assignment, we only had to create a drawing, medium of choice...and I went overboard, as usual! The child's hard cardboard page book only cost .25 at the thrift store. Then I covered the spreads with papers, gesso, whatever...and quotes that I felt were relative to my feelings at the time. The background art in the first pic are other students work from the class.

Mother's Day Tribute for my Mother

My Mom, Mary Camellia, a beautiful Italian woman then and now...although she would not agree with that statement, she is struggling with her life and is skin and bones...she is my Hero, a three time cancer survivor (praying it has not invaded her weak body again), and my Best Friend. We are so close and have always been. I was really sick in my late teens and almost died and we have gone through so much together...she took care of me and now I am taking care of her.

She signed it for a niece in CA, my cousin Sandi. Mom was a "Miss Westinghouse"...that is how she met my Dad, they both worked for Westinghouse. I will be spending the day with my Mom and giving her a colored pencil portrait of her "Scooter Boy"....my furry little brother!

I'm the one in the middle...

"Nobody cares if you can dance well...Just get up and dance."
~unknown
Dancing school at Mrs' Wilhelm's School of Dance...every Saturday...of course this was from a recital....my best friend is next to me with the skinned knee...probably from wiping out on our bikes...she is much taller than me now. I was an early bloomer, I guess. Always taller than the boys....then, everyone grew and I stopped in 6th grade. I was planning on maybe being a model since I was so hideously taller than all my friends for so long.....and I am only 5'3/4". But then I felt like the Jolly Green Giant. And forget about what else was growing....

Oh...the pain, the pain...

This is how I have been feeling since Thursday! This wonderful painting titled "The Scream", by Edvard Munch is what I have been doing and feeling...screaming every time I move...my neck, shoulders...I can't even put my hair into a pony tail with out a scream...the pets are used to it all by now. At first, they all scattered and so did the fur for cover, now they just look at me and shake their tails...hummmm.

Anyway if Edvard were here today and painted my portrait, this would be me...7 days with this living hell, the family size pack of frozen peas is now my best friend for all the hourly icing I am instructed to do. And for not so good pain relief...and I have tried them all...my pill of choice is plain old (stomach-lining-eating) aspirin. It has worked over the years. I found out I had arthritis in my neck when I was sculpting about 6 years ago and had to have physical therapy just to be able to work. Now, the new x-rays are hideous! It looks like some foreign object has taken over my neck bones and is growing as I type. Plus, it is appearing to fuse no. 5 and 6 vertebra together. Arthritis...I hate getting old, and this is from the type of work I have always done!

So, I am seeing a great chiropractor who is an Angel and has worked on me everyday...even saw me on Sunday!!! But now she is out of town and I have to wait until Monday....I could not stay for my painting class on Monday and today I have drawing class...and I have lots to do before finals next week....frozen peas, anyone?

An Angel For Becky...

I just found out today that a friend/artist/merchant has cancer of the lip and had surgery to remove it...I am devastated by this news and the town of Marietta, OH is holding a benefit in her honor, on May 14th...at the Lafayette Hotel. She is such an inspiration to me...she has a unique shop (which is closed due to her condition). She paints anything ...and I mean anything she can get her paint brushes on...love her to pieces...Please keep her in your prayers. Her name is Becky Johnson and she owns 'Black Sheep', one of the coolest shops on Front St.

Becky, I wish you a quick recovery and hope to see you soon back in your shop....inspiring others, you are so gifted.

love you,

Suz

Self Portrait/photo

Two Heads Are Better Than None...

No... these aren't any of mine...although they pull the same antics...but I had to share this...too cute!

Drawing Class assignment...self portrait

This was so much fun to create for Drawing Class...had to be a self-portrait. I have drawn and painted so many self-portraits and bottles this year that I decided to combine the two! I am Italian and like my wine...and save bottles for Gawd knows what...

So I took pics of myself "smoking" a paint brush, I do not smoke but liked the representation of my paint brushes smoke when I paint and in the moment. I added a crystal tear drop to represent paint dripping...and each work created is a little gem. I drew myself on black paper with colored pencil.

I titled it ArTsy phArTsy...a full bodied wine...not for the faint of heArT. Vintage 1959, the year I was created. The back label was fun to write, all silly ArTsy stuff. Class at critique last night loved it...now everyone wants me to make wine...

KaTee KaT

Katee, my oldest child, 13 yrs...we have been through a lot together. Love her to pieces.

OMG!!! 51 is coming in way too fast....

Yes, May 25th., I will be 51....My 50th. totally sucked. No party, hooplalala, just another day, really weird. It fell on Memorial Day and the only good thing was that I got to spend some time with the woman who brought me into this world...and that was all that really mattered. Then I had to head back for classes the next morning.

Usually some of my friends get together to celebrate all our b-days since 3-4 of us have them within a week of each other. But lives get busy and time flies as you age. I do not feel 50, let alone 51...then I think ...hmmmm...what do I have to show for all those years...hmmmm, give me a minute, I should be able to come up with something......

It is time to reevaluate my life and what I do and what I bring to the world and others. It is never too late to start over.

Great Quote...

"Every job is a self portrait

of those who did it."

~unknown

Title "Adam's Apple"

This one got started today...due Monday for class. A collaborative project, we pick a subject and each do our take on it. This is 12" x 12", acrylic on canvas board. I am going to Mom's for the weekend, my brother and nephew are coming in from NC. Then, back in the studio Monday to finish up by 4pm, class time!!!!

Title "I'm Mad As Hatter!"

I think I am finally finished! What a fun painting to create. Now if I can fit it into my VW Beetle...hummmm.

I used tissue paper, acrylic paints, tea bag papers, confetti, rubber stamps, cut out words, and two 5 and 9 of hearts playing cards...represents the year I was born. The tea bag hat is attached with Velcro, so I can remove it and make interchangeable hats for other seasons, Christmas, Halloween, 4th of July...simply mad, I know!

My Bottle Obsession

This is a series I did in painting class, not intending it to become a series at all. But I became obsessed with that bottle, it's shape, colors, and light. This last one, pen and ink, was created using washes of natural home made dyes from nature...flowers, fruits, spices, etc.

Something to ponder...

"You can't depend on your eyes

when your imagination is out of focus."

~MarkTwain

Quote...

"Have a Heart that Never Hardens,

a Temper that Never Tires,

a Touch that Never Hurts."

~Charles Dickens

WV Mining Tragedy...

MONTCOAL, W. Va. (April 10) -- Authorities say crews have found the bodies of four miners missing nearly a week since an explosion at a West Virginia coal mine, bringing the death toll to 29. Gov. Joe Manchin said, "The journey has ended."

Please pray for the miner's families and loved ones who will not have someone to bring home with them. It has been a long and painful week here in WV and my thoughts and prayers go out to miners everywhere...it is a sort of brotherhood, miners are very special and brave individuals. And God Bless the Mine Rescue Teams for all their hard and painful work.

More of MadHatter Me painting...still in progress

Some pics to show the progress of my latest class project in painting class...I was inspired by the movie, Alice in Wonderland. And I love my tea...notice the hat made from Lipton tea bag papers. The two cards coming out of the tea cup are the 5 and 9 of hearts...signifies the year I was born...

Me...as the Mad Hatter....

This is a final project for painting class...our own choice...and since I am a staunch tea drinker and loved Alice in Wonderland...here is myself as a Mad Hatter of sorts!