The next level

By request from one of my faithful followers, is my first blog for 2011.  It is incredible how fast the time is flying by, the holidays are over and the new year has begun, with a BANG!  

Last blog, I was accepted at the Art Gallery of Viera, as a working commission artist, and I thought that was big news. I don't know if I ever shared with you that being accepted into a gallery has been on my bucket list for a very long time, but I never knew "how". I learned more about "how" during my art salon meetings last year. www.artgalleryofviera.com
Check out my web page at the gallery!

The art salon meetings prompted me to look at what I can do already, not what I'd like to do. Which got me thinking about drawing. I took lessons years ago and drew a few really nice things, which have hung on the walls in my house all this time.

So, it was researching graphite artists that inspired me to draw again, and the picture I took of Annabelle had so much feeling wrapped up in it, that I knew when I looked at that particular photo that it was 'the one'.  The Earrink drawing is now hanging in the Pizza Gallery in the 'Face to Face" portrait exhibit, along with 3 others.  www.pizzagalleryandgrill.com Another thing on my bucket list!   Yes, I could die tomorrow and be happy that I've finally accomplished two major things, but I hope I don't...


...Because, I've got a series of drawings in mind that I want to do. Men in Hats...yes, any of you readers that are men, and have a favorite hat that you love to wear, and would let me make a drawing of you in it, just let me know. I have 4 photos to start with, but I need more....many more. How many makes a series? Enough to have my own show that's how many I need!

Oh, by the way, I almost didn't make it to that 'Face to Face' show. It seems like I had it in my mind that the art drop off was on Jan. 3rd, from 8 to 10. So on Jan. 2nd, around 10 pm I was dressed in my pajamas, and checked my email before going to bed. Thank God I did because there was an email telling me that the drop off was over and why hadn't I brought my art in? Was there a misunderstanding? 

Misunderstanding?!  I called Jamie on his cell phone and assured him that I'd temporarily lost my mind, and that I would bring my work in right away. I hung up the phone and I started shouting and running around the house, trying to get my artwork in the carry all and out the door. I got there in the nick of time, even if I did still have my pajamas and slippers on!  Whew, that was a close one. But things on a bucket list need to get done, even in pj's. 

Okay, I told my girlfriend, Jean, that I would blog about something that happened at Christmas many years ago.  We were living on the 5 acres in Canaveral Groves at the time. I used to call it the ranch, until my daughter said, "it wasn't really a ranch" and I had to agree with her. We had a couple of barns and a couple of horses, but that didn't really make it a ranch...anyway, Michael and I were preparing ourselves for an empty nest soon. The girls were just about ready to leave the house and start out on their own.

I don't know if that might be the reason, preparing for a big change, but what I do know is that Michael started to hoard cans of spinach. Popeye spinach, Publix brand spinach, Del Monte, it didn't matter what kind, he just started buying cans of spinach. Like 5 at a time, twice a week.  He would eat the spinach, but he was buying more than he was eating.

What makes it more interesting is that he didn't want anybody else to eat his spinach. Eat anything, except his spinach.  

So Christmas comes, like it always does, and the day before somebody ate Michael's spinach, and he had a mini meltdown about it. I don't know about you all, but when Daddy has a melt down, everybody knows it, even if they aren't in the room at the time. The word of Dad's meltdown swept the family totem pole like wild fire. Those were the days before texting so they actually had to talk to each other! Ha


The kids gathered all his cans of spinach, wrapped each one in a tissue and put them all in a Christmas bag, with a bow on it.  When Daddy opened his bag and began to unwrap all those cans of spinach, his face was alight with pure joy! More spinach to add to his collection! Yeah!


I can't remember who told him, but when he found out that they had wrapped up his own cans of spinach, it was a sad and pitiful expression.  He stopped hoarding spinach after that.


I don't know about you guys, but that story still cracks me up! Maybe you had to have been there, I don't know. You tell me!   


Okay, it's starting to get late, and I don't want to have any of my readers nodding off because of my long winded tales, so I'll just tease you about the upcoming blog, which will be titled "The next level II". 

You see I was going to talk about my Zuma game and what I've found out about myself while playing it, but I had to catch you all up on what's been happening.  Oh, and by then this really unique art experience/photo shoot should have happened, and I can spill the beans about that too!  So I'll see you soon.