Julie's Art Life

Things are cookin' now!

2012-01-10T16:50:00.000-08:00

the sink is about where it will be, there will be eating bar on this side, refrig will go in far right corner

lightbulbs, all he thinks about is lightbulbs

from hallway leading out to deck, little bath will be to right

Basement apartment progress pics

2012-01-10T09:08:00.000-08:00

Kim and Ryans apartment, showing standing in kitchen, looking toward laundry room, you can see their acid etched floor a bit, it's pretty.

standing in kitchen, looking into living room, there will be a peninsula where

that drill is.

bedroom

living room

Progress

2012-01-09T15:03:00.000-08:00

first sheet of drywall up in kitchen

kitchen window

new little bath off kitchen

How we are living

2011-11-23T15:29:00.000-08:00

As if it were not difficult enough to live without a kitchen, I made it much harder by deciding to go Vegan after watching the documentary, Forks Over Knives. Dave took the week off, and there is a lot of work going on but they are both hungry all the time. I've made black bean tacos twice, a veg soup, a veg chili, tofu "sour cream" also a lentil salad that was a bust and baked apples, in 3 days! With no sink and only one burner. I have to do the dishes camping style. But it will all be worth it when I am cooking in my new kitchen, right?

Petrified Rat, the kitchen torn out

2011-11-22T15:03:00.000-08:00

Petrified rat found in the wall and the kitchen totally getting torn out. There was a check from 1928 in his nest for $3.85 written to the City of Tacoma.

Basement floor poured yesterday

2011-11-22T09:09:00.000-08:00

I have been woefully inadequate in posting progress photos of the remodel, but yesterday a milestone, the basement floor got poured for Kim and Ryan's apartment. Also a sidewalk (required by building code) from their apt to the street.
The floors will be all heated and will have an acid etch. My kitchen is coming along too, still in demo mode.

Paintings hanging at Gig Harbor Starbucks

2011-11-01T20:19:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the bad pictures, I forgot my camera, so Dave took these with his phone. There was only room for 4 paintings. I worked a lot harder than I had to. The large painting I was working on last night didn't make it, I ran out of time, but I think it might be awesome.

I'm insane, surely, work in progress

2011-10-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

I have a show to hang tomorrow, I have almost all the work done and for some reason started painting the biggest painting I have ever done. It's 48x60. I have issues, people.
I hope I can get it done though, and hope it's not too little kiddish or not Gig Harborish.
I can always hang it in our bedroom.
:)

Asher "helping" me paint

2011-10-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

It's absolutely horrible, I know, but I didn't let him use any paint, just water, because I am trying to get this painting done for a show. But he did that right alongside me all weekend.
He still calls me mom. I say grandma, but he has other ideas. How do you like that bed head? We were home alone all Saturday so we stayed comfy in our bed heads and jammies.

a song that perfectly fits my mood

2011-10-20T15:00:00.001-07:00

The Language of Peace among Dogs

2011-10-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

My mom sent me these articles by Turid Rugaas about dog behavior and their calming signals and they are so interesting. They send signals to calm US down! Almost makes me want to get a puppy and start over. But I won't. The picture is of our Greyhound, Flight, who does not live with us anymore. I'm missing her today.

http://www.canis.no/rugaas/onearticle.php?artid=1

http://www.canis.no/rugaas/onearticle.php?artid=2

http://www.canis.no/rugaas/questions.php

Thank you!

2011-10-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who has purchased something from the sale. There are still quite a few pieces left, so shop away. My little studio is so tiny and selling it all (or most) will move me in the direction of painting some more.Not sure how long I will leave it up.I have a show in November in Gig Harbor, so I need to get cracking on some new paintings.

I've been packing up my kitchen for the last few days, finally finished tonight, whew! We have a little kitchen with the refrig and hotplate set up in the dining room. It will be soup, crockpot or take out for a few weeks. Ryan spent all day with a jackhammer on the basement floor and will probably be doing the same tomorrow.
I hope to get everything purchased so far shipped on thursday.

Studio Sale

2011-10-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

I'm having a studio sale, to celebrate moving back into my tiny studio! I will be listing things on etsy all day.If you mention my blog when you check out, I will send you a free print.Oh, what the heck, I'll send a free print anyway.
This picture is in our newly renovated bedroom. I painted our dresser and nightstands black and bought them some new knobs. They look pretty good....Also, I made roman shades for our bedroom windows. They still need some adjusting. We are heavily into the second phase of the remodel, basement just about demolished and the kitchen is next, so everything is still pretty much a mess, except for the sweet haven you see in the picture above. It is so nice.I gotta take some pictures of the finished bathroom, except there is still trim paint to do and masking tape everywhere. But I swear, that shower makes me a nicer person.

***update: I've listed some original paintings for only $10! Check it out!

Hey, you guys! Look!

2011-09-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

Stripping

2011-09-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

No, I am not trying to earn money to pay for the remodel.
It's THIS kind of stripping:

This is my studio, drywall up and taped, getting textured tomorrow

And this is my sweet drywaller, Rex. He is awesome. We have known each other for probably 40 years. It was fun to catch up and watch him work. I made him lots of lattes.

So I have spent most of the last two weeks in what I now refer to as the stripitorium. It's in the carport behind the fifth wheel, and I am using a heat gun and various scrapers to take off most of 107 years of paint off our windows, doors and trim. It's awful and tedious, but I am getting pretty good at it. I have to wear a mask to save me from lead paint dust and vapors, and apparently singing along to Mumford and Sons with my ipod and inside the mask was quite audible to family. They told me I need to beware of my singing scaring little children.

PS, Michelle, Guthrie is a furry grandchild that we puppysit sometimes.

Some recent pictures

2011-08-31T21:06:00.000-07:00

Guthrie

My favorite thing Kim makes, fresh spring rolls, yum

At the Port Townsend Brewery. We are old.

Micah helped us build a garden shed

At Sweet Laurette's

The Weekend

2011-08-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

Meatballs and Sauce on spaghetti squash and arugula salad

the cook and the worker

There was a lot of sticking tools in pants this weekend. Including a 4 foot long watering wand stuck in his diaper as he ran around the yard. LOL Also a star in this show was Kim's Angel trumpet blooming it's first time here and I got a new copper fountain. Splish splash.

I've uploaded several videos of the remodel and one of Asher climbing completely inside this fireplace. He is so funny. HERE is the link to them, the others should be in my list. I think 5 new ones. Mom, if you have trouble finding the new ones, email me and I will send you links to all of them.

Lovely Weekend and 2 new recipes

2011-07-25T16:29:00.000-07:00

We had such a nice weekend, the weather was great, which we have had very little of here in the NW. As of last week, we had only had 78 minutes of summer so far (80 degrees or higher)
Dave and I cooked dinner together on friday night. A little steak and sauteed blue cheese mushrooms (recipe follows)and some chicken kabobs It was delicious. The next day we went out to Seal Rock campground and had a crab boil with our friends.

Sunday Dave worked on hanging lights upstairs and I did research, then we went to Dave's Produce to get some Kalbi steak and we did more mushrooms and zucchini. I know that is steak twice in 3 days, but we share a little one, so it's not much.
I've been reading about low glycemic diets and I feel pretty excited about the whole thing. I haven't felt excited about a diet forever, if ever. But I have been on it almost 3 weeks and I have lost 12 lbs and I feel really good. Much less joint pain, more energy and a happier outlook.
Today I made these fritters, adapted from HERE. They are so good, you must try them, even if you are not low carbing...

Zucchini Fritters with Feta

2 cups zucchini, grated

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped red onion,

1 garlic clove, minced

2 eggs, beaten

1tbsp chopped fresh mint

1/2 feta, crumbled

freshly grated black pepper

salt

olive oil for frying

Put the grated zucchini in a colander, sprinkle with salt, mix and let stand for 20-30 minutes. Squeeze out any excess liquid. In a medium bowl, combine the zucchini, shallot, garlic, eggs, mint, feta and . Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Ladle spoonful of the batter into the pan for each fritter and cook in batches for 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer cooked fritters on a paper towel to drain excess oil from them.

I sprinkled them with chopped green onions and served them with fried tofu.

Blue Cheese Mushrooms

1lb mushrooms, crimini or button, sliced

1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Olive oil

salt and pepper

1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese

Saute sliced mushrooms in olive oil until they start to brown. Add thyme and rosemary, cook a couple more minutes, then sprinkle blue cheese over them. When melty, they are ready to eat.

The pictures above were not taken by me, I am a lazy photographer. I put a link to them. My mushrooms don't have that much liquid, but other than that similar.

2011-07-20T20:26:00.000-07:00

I can"t figure out who painted this, but isn't it beautiful?
Edit** Here is a link to the artists website

Cloud-pocalypse

2011-07-18T20:22:00.000-07:00

I painted 3 large paintings today, 30x40". I've been wanting to paint some serene skies and low hills, and I needed to paint something for a dear man who detailed my disgusting car. I hope he and his wife like one of them for their bedroom.
I adore painting skies! I forgot I liked it so much. As I painted today I was entertained by my son who was singing along to music in Paul Oswald's voice. If you know Paul, you know how funny that is. I hope he does not read my blog.
Anyway, we woke up to a day that looked like October, but the sun came out later and we had dinner outside. Turkey tacos. Also had a lovely weekend with Asher. See that little pirate giving me a cherry? Life is good.
My husband and son are working themselves silly on the remodel, but the framing is almost done and plumbing and electrical are going in. Sadly, the ceiling in our bedroom and bath cannot be higher after all, but my studio!!! has sort of a pointy high new ceiling, like a turret. It's going to be so lovely. Ryan made a space for Asher and Skylar and other guests to have a sleep in a built in bed. And my studio closet is twice as big as it was. Hopefully form and function will finally meet in there and it will be cleaner than it used to be.
So here are the paintings, as of this afternoon. They are farther along now. I am looking at them and deciding what needs to be changed. At one point Ryan and I were calling one of them Cloud-pocalypse because I went a little crazy with clouds.Also Cloud-maggedon. But that was bad.
Please don't pay attention to the messy pile of Fine Homebuilding mags on the floor and the big hole in the living room where the closet used to be. It's a remodel, folks. And Fine Homebuilding must be consulted fairly often.

How I adore this little boy

2011-07-08T21:01:00.000-07:00

This is from a few weeks ago, but I have it as my screen saver, and I was thinking how much I love that little smile. That smile that is directed at me. He loves me. I love him. So simple, so easy, so sweet. How delightful it is to be a part of his life. I'm the grandma.

2011-07-06T18:34:00.000-07:00

Still figuring pinterest out, but here is a link to my profile: http://pinterest.com/juliefillo/

I like cake.

http://pinterest.com/pin/14276140/

I'm letting music express what I don't have words for

2011-07-05T23:10:00.000-07:00

Ethan Burns - So Lonesome

2011-06-29T08:03:00.001-07:00

moon river IS a mile wide and i HOPE we are after the same rainbows end

2011-06-28T08:51:00.001-07:00

I forgot this one

2011-06-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

Finished this today too.

Did the harebell loose her girdle
To the lover bee,
Would the bee the harebell hallow
Much as formerly?
Emily Dickinson

9x12 canvas

What I did today

2011-06-13T17:04:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to paint on Mondays for my mental health, but it is not very calm and peaceful when you feel frustrated. I finally painted these 3 birds. I'm not crazy about them. I might paint over, but thinking about them for awhile. Right now they frustrate me.I also traced the pattern for Alicia Paulson's embroidery sampler, which you can download for $6.
Another thing I did today which is kind of scary as far as my mind goes, is I worked for about 2 hours to mail a package. I had all sorts of problems, the bubble wrap smelled like gas, so I had to start over after I got it all packaged and then I couldn't get the label to print for awhile. Anyway, finally got it outside, heard what I thought was the mailman, Zoe barked as usual, and after an hour or so, I decided to check the mail and I see this package outside, and I think, "wow, somebody sent me a package!..Yippee!" I ripped it open.

IT. WAS. MY. PACKAGE. I MAILED. The mailman had not come yet, my package had just fallen off the chair. Losing it. Totally losing it.
In less stupid news, I lowered the price on that green bough painting I did last week. When I first do something, I love it so much, I don't want it to sell, so sometimes I price things too high. :) I'm over it.

Asher video

2011-06-13T09:28:00.001-07:00

Had a great weekend with Asher. Here is video for my mom and any other Asher lovers out there.
er

If I keep a green bough in my heart, the singing bird will come

2011-06-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

I've wanted to do a painting featuring this Chinese proverb for a long time. Thanks to positive words from Jone Hallmark, I painted this today.

Lamb Chops Dinner and Liar's Dice

2011-06-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

Aishi cooked us dinner the other night and had some friends over. Not pictured is the coconut lime cake. They played liar's dice, and it was funny, but my video did not turn out very well.

Is that my son, jumping off a bridge in China?

2011-06-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

Yikes. He says it was not as high as it looks. They have been gone 3 months and will be back June 16. Our lives are going to change again.

A Thank you and a SORRY

2011-06-04T17:17:00.000-07:00

I've been totally lame about replying to comments on my blog -for some time- and I'm sorry. I have no excuses, I just should do it and I don't. It reminds me that a few dear people besides my mother and mother in law read this little thing and I appreciate you all, very,very much. :) Especially with this long dry spell of not painting, that's what this is supposed to be about and it's rarely been. I feel hopeful that I will paint more....
Please know that I read and think about every comment.

Thank you, dear readers!

Julie

A Dream Pang

2011-06-03T16:53:00.000-07:00

A Dream Pang

I had withdrawn in forest, and my song
Was swallowed up in leaves that blew alway;
And to the forest edge you came one day
*This was my dream) and looked and pondered long,
But did not enter, though the wish was strong:
you shook your pensive head as who should say,
'I dare not--to far in his footsteps stray-
He must seek me would he undo the wrong.'

Not far, but near, I stood and saw it all
behind low boughs the trees let down outside;
And the sweet pang it cost me not to call
And tell you that I saw does still abide.
But 'tis not true that thus I dwelt aloof,
For the wood wakes, and you are here for proof.

ROBERT FROST

Flower Gathering

2011-06-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

Flower-Gathering
I left you in the morning,
And in the morning glow,
You walked a way beside me
To make me sad to go.
Do you know me in the gloaming,
Gaunt and dusty gray with roaming?
Are you dumb because you know me not,
Or dumb because you know?

All for me And not a question
For the faded flowers gay
That could take me from beside you
For the ages of a day?
They are yours, and be the measure
Of their worth for you to treasure,
The measure of the little while
That I've been long away.

ROBERT FROST A Boy's Will

I woke up to:

2011-06-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

The new coldplay song

My Lady Head

2011-06-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

I think the little fuchsias coming out of the back of my lady head this year are so cute.

Dinner and a movie in the Rain Forest

2011-05-30T19:33:00.000-07:00

Mass Moss

2011-05-30T18:14:00.000-07:00

Some camping was had this week, by the Fillos. Dave got to go fishing. I took about a million pictures of moss and ferns and things in the rain forest, where we camped by the Hoh River. We had fun. Then we went to Sekiu, and Dave fished with Micah and Sean. Micah caught halibut, but Dave did not. But fun was still had. The weather was fairly crappy, but surprisingly doable. I made a strawberry summer cake and burned the top of my wrist and played several million games of Mahjong.

Rialto Beach

The view of Hoh River from our trailer

Now I've bored you with photos of the Rain forest. But I'm thinking there might be some desert dwelling reader who has never seen or misses the wetness of the forest and mossy padded trees and delightful lichen. How I adore it.
We also drove up to Neah Bay and Dave talked about his favorite chidhood memory ever, which was camping in his parents new 16 foot trailer with the Greens. We think we found the spot. I said, "Why don't you ask your parents?" But I think it is the quest and the memory he likes. The beaches by Neah Bay are incredible. I wish I had taken some pictures. But they are world class. I like thinking about him with his family and me with my family camping up there. Maybe little girl Julie saw little boy Dave all those years ago on some rainy beach and we smiled at each other.
I also heard this song this weekend and it describes exactly how I feel about that man.

Lyrics | Sara Bareilles lyrics - Basket Case lyrics

Music I'm Thinking About Today

2011-05-19T14:44:00.000-07:00

My Daddy

2011-05-16T22:08:00.000-07:00

This was my dad about the time my mom met him. He died when I was 24. I still miss him. He was awesome.

Some Whales

2011-05-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

I painted 7 whales the other day, because I promised one to my friend Trixy months ago and while I did one, I might as well do more. I will list them on etsy, for $40 each. If you are interested let me know here and I will ship it for free.

Tea Party at Sharon's

2011-05-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

My friend Sharon gave a tea party yesterday and invited Verna and I to help with it. We had so much fun over two days, making the food together. She invited 8 ladies we know who have all lost their husbands, including my mom. It was a delightful afternoon.

My adorable mom
My dear friends, Sharon and Verna talk to the ladies:
Verna made these amaretto cream cups and a cheese terrine with nut sauce and her famous shortbreadI made a strawberry and pistachio pavlova (foreground, below)and lemon curd tart. Sharon made the chocolate raspberry cakes, a stacked sandwich loaf, quiche and more things than I can remember.
My mom's place setting
Pre-party champs with my friends:

A video of my mom talking about how she first met my dad.

I Love this commercial

2011-05-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

So Simple, So True

2011-05-10T21:38:00.000-07:00

Shanna Murray's Decals

Some Music Videos I Like

2011-05-05T10:17:00.001-07:00

I remember staying up past midnight with my kids to watch videos on friday night on WTBS, this was around 1987, and in the days of Peter Gabriel, his video Sledgehammer which is an awesome example of stop motion animation, which I am fascinated by.

I adore these children in costume, singing with Ryan Gosling:

Also, this is hilarious

Most of the above links I got from this blog, http://therebeccaartemisa.blogspot.com/

and her friend is http://grahamkahler.blogspot.com where I found the Key Video

Tybee Island

2011-04-29T08:21:00.000-07:00

I just watched a really dumb Miley Cyrus movie, The Last Song, but it was worth it to see the views of Tybee Island, near Savannah, Ga, where I spent some of the best days of my life.
There is a scene towards the end where the white tops of grass are waving against the sea. Gosh, that cold January day? Oh, what fun we had.

A Fun Weekend

2011-04-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

My unfinished painting.
Asparagus marinated in olive oil and oregano.
Salmon!
A Montepulciano (sp?) delicious.
Colors
Maiya's first painting. Zoe looks on adoringly. Her arms are too short to paint. Zoe's arms, not Maiya's.

Niki working on her painting, which is one of mine she loved that I got the idea from Ballard Designs. Can't ever sell it, because it's too close to the original, but it's a good learning piece.
Saturday we had the most awesome weather. I got to do KH inspections with Dave in Renton, Sumner and Buckley. Met some interesting people.

Then we had the first barbecue of the summer and it was warm enough to sit outside and eat it! Dave has a new way of cooking steaks he is quite excited about. I forgot to take any pictures.

Then on Sunday, after our meeting, some friends came over. Niki has been after me for awhile to show her some ideas for painting backgrounds, so I had the good idea of asking them over and asking her husband to fix dinner for us all. It was delightful. He made stuffed mushrooms, linguine, grilled salmon and asparagus and Dave did some steaks.

Maiya came too and painted her first painting and I did one too, that is not done.

I had been in a painting slump. I enjoy painting with people, especially one. But that is not possible right now, so it was nice to teach someone something. I think when you are trying to tell someone how to paint, it makes you think so much harder about why and how, you make some leaps. Anyway, it was a a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

Another thing about listing on etsy

2011-04-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

Please put your name and anything that is in the painting people could search in the title. Like if there are feathers and snakes, put that in your title. If there are bikes and birds and breasts, put that in your title. People search for those things. Also, if there is room you can put in the colors. People will find you.

I love seeing your art. It makes me hope.

Arty Stuff and Back Pain

2011-04-23T07:41:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks has been a blurry haze of pain, painkillers and muscle relaxers. My doctor thinks I have a new bulging disc in my lower back. I am trying to be patient, but it's hard.

I've had a lot of time to sit here, wishing I could paint. I'm about ready to do it anyway.

Here's some things I have been thinking about:

Have you seen this?:

For a couple of years I have used plain white gesso for the ground in a lot of my paintings, esp. faces, as you can use watercolor, either pencils or tube watercolors on it pretty well. Anyway, I'm going to get some of this and try it.

My favorite surface to paint on is gessoed masonite. Delightful. No rough holey canvas to worry about, just smooth, buttery, gesso. I love it.

Reading Salley Mavor's blog reminded me that I have wanted to incorporate my love of all things stitchy into my work somehow. So when my head clears from drugginess, I've been thinking how to do that. The most frustrating thing about being an artist is trying new things that don't work. Hours spent making ugly art. But you have to pay the piper. From all that work and frustration comes something original and worth it.

Some thoughts on listing on etsy or ebay or whatever:

Try hard to take a picture of your painting on a wall. Either use a gallery wrapped canvas or frame it. It's worth the trouble. Try to place something in your photo that gives an idea of the size of an item. Making a cool still life out of your painting and other things is also good, it makes the buyer see how they could hang your painting in their house. Be sure and state the size and any other pertinent info. Even your motivation and thoughts while painting the piece are interesting to buyers.

Gotta go, hope this helps!

Salley Mavor!

2011-04-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

I have been a big Salley Mavor fan for years, but I had no idea she had a blog or that she has a new book out until I read about it on this delightful blog. You can buy the book on Amazon. Mine is on it's way, I can't wait!

In Which My Dog Ate Half a Pound of Bacon

2011-04-03T17:36:00.000-07:00

Zoe is not feeling so good. The above picture shows how she feels, I think. I was making one of the best clam chowders of my life, and somehow, (Asher?) she got the remainder down off the counter and ate it, except for 3 pieces she hid in the couch (!!!) She is a piglet, but I imagine she will live. Her tummy was tight as a drum last night.

Asher was here for the weekend and we had fun, although he figured out how to unlock the back door and go out. Scary. He kept saying, "Maw, whatcha doin?" I've been trying valiantly to get him to call me grandma. He does sometimes, but mostly it's Maw. Also, Dave was working on the house and every time he would come in or out, Asher would say, "Hi Papa!" even if it was 2 minutes ago, the last time. And every time, just as excited. At least one million times.

Charlotte Lyons Josie's Garden Embroidery Sampler

2011-03-30T15:04:00.000-07:00

I've been working on this sampler for the last couple of days while I am staying in Portland. I really should wait until I press it to show, but I might never get around to it. You can buy your own sampler here or here is her blog.

Today's Lunch in Portland

2011-03-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

I walked 11 blocks in the rain to get another Menagerie Snack Plate at Savory et Sweet at the Lloyd Farmers Market. It was delicious as usual.

ben gay and rivers and roads

2011-03-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

I love this song., especially"I miss your face like hell"

On a side note, I think Ben Gay was invented just to make you forget your back pain because of the burning and the stink. Ugh.

Lyrics to Rivers and Roads :

a year from now we'll all be gone
all our friends will move away
and they're going to better places
but our friends will be gone away

nothing is as it has been
and i miss your face like hell
and i guess it's just as well
but i miss your face like hell

been talking bout the way things change
and my family lives in a different state
and if you don't know what to make of this
then we will not relate
so if you don't know what to make of this
then we will not relate

rivers and roads
rivers and roads
rivers 'til i reach you

They Draw and They Cook- Illustrated Recipes!

2011-03-24T16:04:00.000-07:00

I saw this on an etsy blog, what a cute idea! It seems my blog is becoming a place to point to other artists and not me. :)
Here's a link, you can subscribe to get the illustrated recipes on an rss feed.

More Demolition Pictures

2011-03-17T17:11:00.000-07:00

I wish I had done a hundred paintings recently and could show you the best ten, but I've done one that is a surprise for a patron's niece so I can't even show you that.
But there is some major destruction going on in our house. I'm posting these so I can remember where we were about now, someday when it's done and all clean.
If you want to see what the house looked like before go here.

This is where the new closet and laundry room will be.
Our bedroom, where we've run into a bit of a problem. Apparently the upstairs is an addition and when they added the dormer, they left the old peak on the roof and tied it into the ceiling joists where we want to raise the ceiling. There are consultations going on.
Old bathroom plumbing, where the chimney that has been the bane of our existence was. It's one third of the way gone, thanks to our son.
My studio, where we also wanted to raise the ceiling but won't be able to.
Bathroom. This house was built in 1905 and we recently discovered that it was originally a one bedroom with no bathroom, and an upstairs sleeping porch. The sleeping porch (my studio) was enclosed and a grander staircase, bedroom and bath added second floor in 1917. Our walls aren't talking, but the ceilings are.

If you like art, you will like this blog, I think

2011-03-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

http://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog

Check out http://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog

She posts work of artists she is jealous of. Above is the work of Andrea Kowch. Brilliant. Since I am jealous of almost any other artist, I can relate...I'm on page 11 of her posts and there is something amazing that I have never seen the likes of on every page.

I finally, finally got a thorny commission done today.... Whew, now maybe that is not hanging over my head, I can actually paint something I want to paint.

I need to post some more photos of our upper floor demo.

Everything seems so frivolous, considering what is happening in Japan. So very, very sad.

Wherein We Embark on a Daunting Project

2011-03-04T07:15:00.001-08:00

This is the TV room before.
This is our window in the kitchen that will be replaced so we can have cabinets on that side. I will miss that window, but to have counter space and storage! An 8 year dream.
The TV room now
Yikes! Note cute old wallpaper. (house is 106 years old, and there are layers of old wallpaper) I forgot to take a picture of the plumbing, which is the reason we had to start this remodel now. It's really old, like a lead waste pipe and it's leaking. Scary.

We have moved into the basement so the upstairs can be demoed too. Eventually, we will have new bathroom upstairs, bigger closet with washer and dryer, all new drywall and higher ceilings (hopefully) new windows and a built in bed for the grandsons and other guests. Also hopefully, the wind will not be able to howl through the rooms. Apparently, daylight can be seen through walls all over the place up there.

The TV room will become our office and we will have new kitchen and full bathroom on the main floor. I'm excited! I will post progress photos.

Last night

2011-03-01T14:42:00.000-08:00

I dreamed that I had three black and white kittens that I kept losing. Having an alive thing that I keep losing or neglecting has been a recurring thing in my dreams ever since I became a mother. It usually means that I feel like I am failing. Argh. The painting is by Sarah Kiser.

Take Me To The Woods

2011-02-10T16:29:00.000-08:00

I got another piece of artwork from one of my favorite artists, Victoria Whincup. I have a beloved framed stuffie, Shaun, and when she showed some new drawings the other day, there was another that looked like Shaun and I contacted her for a print, but she would sell me nothing less than the original. I love her work, it's so gentle and peaceful and I'm always wishing someone would "take me to the woods"

I've included pictures of the new piece, framed, and the other Shaun that was a gift for our anniversary a couple years ago.

I Like This, and It's TRUE

2011-02-07T16:40:00.000-08:00

Click here to go to Lizzy Stewart's Blog. Here's a link to her etsy shop, where you can buy the print.

Oswald and Band of Horses

2011-01-23T17:26:00.000-08:00

We got to be grandparents this weekend, had Asher starting friday night. It's been an absolute delight. Terrible, but I adore watching TV with him, especially little kid shows. When something particularly good comes on, he turns and smiles at me, just like someone I love does. We watched this episode today, the quality is terrible, but I LOVE this cartoon, love the music, love the artwork, love the sentiment. And Oswald has a weenie dog like our Zoe.
I got hooked on it when we had Asher for 2 months and every time we watched it was a very peaceful few moments, because he loves it, (also Kipper The Dog) and is one of the few parts of the day when I could just sit still with him.

This episode starts in the middle, but I thought particularly poignant. Oh, the people and dogs we lose in our lives! I hope they all come back.

Also, did you see Band Of Horses was on Austin City Limits this week?

Come Home

2011-01-20T15:26:00.000-08:00

A beautiful song I heard last night on AI. Expresses how I feel today, powerless and just about hopeless, but wishing, wishing for 2 I've fought for.

Come Home by One Rebublic

Hello world
Hope you're listenin'
Forgive me if I'm young
For speaking out of turn
There's someone I've been missing
And I think that they could be
The better half of me
They're in their wrong place trying to make it right
But I'm tired of justifying
So I say to you

[Chorus]
Come home
Come home
Cause I've been waiting for you
For so long
For so long
And right now there's a war between the vanities
But all I see is you and me
The fight for you is all I've ever known
So come home
Oooh

[Interlude]
Everything I can't be
Is everything you should be
And that's why I need you here
Everything I can't be
Is everything you should be
And that's why I need you here
So hear this now

[Chorus]
Come home
Come home
Cause I've been waiting for you
For so long
For so long
And right now there's a war between the vanities
But all I see is you and me
The fight for you is all I've ever known
Ever known
So come home
Come home

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/o/one_republic/#share

Food

2011-01-04T19:22:00.000-08:00

Gosh, two posts in one day! All my leisure time is showing, I guess. It's amazing what you can get done when you aren't taking care of a toddler.

So first of all, about food, today we were in Portland and I went to the Lloyd Farmers Market and got a Menagerie snack plate from Savory et Sweet. I think I posted about having one in July, it's a veritable bounty of deliciousness. The picture above doesn't really do it justice. It had a prune with blue cheese, a delicious half sandwich, a cucumber stuffed with quinoa salad, a slice of pear, grapefruit and cheese, a pea pod, an asparagus spear, a roasted blue potato and a yellow chili, roasted walnuts, and the thing in the bottom right corner is a crepe with vanilla whipped cream. I was dreaming about making a summer meal of bites like this for lovely friends all afternoon, even though it was bitterly cold. It's so nice to eat a beautiful healthy meal.

And then tonight, I got to enjoy the first meal of our new dinner co-op. My friend, Aishi, came up with this idea of four couples making meals for each other once a week, so you only cook once and you get 3 other meals delivered to you. Tonight she delivered a delicious Fish Stew, Caesar Salad with roasted capers and bread. Tomorrow is my night to cook and I am making Turkey Stuffing Meatloaves and Mashed Potatoes with Herbs and salad, with a Lemon Tart for dessert.

The dinner is from Rachel Ray, and the Lemon Tart recipe is from Grand Central Bakery cookbook. All new recipes, my fellow co-op members are guinea pigs . I'll let you know how it goes.

Kindle Reading

2011-01-04T09:10:00.001-08:00

This is Asher, 21 months. He thinks it's really fun to take off his pants and sit on the onions in my pantry. I tried to capture that for you, but no dice.

I read two good books recently, one was read on my new Kindle, that Dave got me. It was this one, Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and since I am cheap and already had the book from the library, I read with glasses, The Help

The reason I wanted a Kindle is you can adjust the font, so I won't have to read with glasses. I hate glasses! So far I love it, but currently Dave is using it to read Shogun. (for the 5th time) I think he needs his own.

I hope to get some art done in the next few weeks. I know this blog has been sadly lacking in the art life department.

Cathy Cullis

2010-12-18T11:33:00.000-08:00

I've spent a very pleasant morning reading back through Cathy Cullis' blog. She inspires me so. I am so in love with black and white and stitching and the moodiness of her work. Above is one of my favorites.

I was so pleasantly surprised to find one of my paintings in her mosaic monday series! I think I didn't know about it, don't know how I missed it, but if I did know, I'm thanking her again for posting "Their Mother Waits For The Garden". Thank you, Cathy.

Cabin in Plain, WA Leavenwerk

2010-12-14T20:43:00.000-08:00

I was privileged to be invited on a long weekend at a snowy cabin. I got to be the 'mom' to a bunch of youngsters, it was beautiful and we had such a good time. Thanks, Chelsey.

Topless snow angel, as loss for a prolonged poker game
Mckinley
Nurtz
Poker
Bedroom
Camp Leavenwerk
Mckinley and Brewster
Sweater for Asher, almost done, he might be able to wear for two weeks before he grows out

A tree fell

2010-12-14T12:22:00.000-08:00

Last night, big windstorm and a tree (ornamental cherry, covered with ivy)in our backyard fell and took out very nice neighbors power and squished their shed, among other things. It has done some damage to our fence and there is a big mess, but my anxiety is for them.

Songs

2010-12-13T12:39:00.000-08:00

These are songs I love right now:

Love Remains The Same Gavin Rossdale

Ari Hest Cranberry Lake

Bitter Heart Zee Avi

They are In Love The Weepies

Falling in Love Matt White

Lille Lisa Hannigan

Lets Stay Together Nick Driver

Chasing Pavements Adele

Make You Feel My Love Adele

News

2010-11-24T19:59:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all who have inquired about where I have disappeared to...

We have had our 18 month old grandson for 24 days, and before that we had him a lot. That means, although my life is full of happy baby screams and laughter, tickling and kisses, there is not much time for creativity, hence, not much of an art life.

We took our house off the market and had to adopt out our beloved greyhound because she was not trustworthy around him full time.

I did paint something the other day when I took him to daycare for a much needed break, and it made me so happy to paint again, I know I am going to have to find a way to keep doing that.

Thank you for caring about me and my art and for writing and letting me know. It means a lot.

Apple Crisp from "the cabin"

2010-10-23T17:34:00.000-07:00

Years ago, years and years ago, we used to go to our friends, Sherry and Kirk's cabin in Eastern Washington near Lake Entiat. We often went in the fall and got apples. One year, we decided to make apple crisp and found this old cookbook with this recipe in it. As far as I am concerned, it's the best. It might be because it has so much butter in it. It's crazy good. Those were some good times.

8x8 pan, buttered. Oven 350 degrees

4 tart apples, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

3/4 cup butter, room temp

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

lemon juice

Place apples in buttered pan. With pastry blender, cut in butter and sugar, add flour, salt and cinnamon. Sprinkle the apples with lemon juice and then crumble the topping on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for an hour or until apples are tender, and the crust is lightly browned. Serve with Vanilla ice cream.

Love and Happiness

2010-10-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

A song by Emmylou Harris, wishes for her daughter. I have the same wishes for my children.

Love and Happiness

Here's a wishing well
Here's a penny for
Any thought it is
That makes you smile
Every diamond dream
Everything that brings
Love and happiness
To your life

Here's a rabbit's foot
Take it when you go
So you'll always know
You're safe from harm
Wear your ruby shoes
When you're far away
So you'll always stay
Home in your heart

You will always have a lucky star
That shines because of what you are
Even in the deepest dark
Because your aim is true
And if i could only have one wish
Darling, then i would be this
Love and happiness for you

Here's a spinning wheel
Use it once you've learned
There's a way to turn
The straw to gold
Here's a rosary
Count on every bead
With a prayer to keep
The hope you hold

You will always have a lucky star
That shines because of what you are
Even in the deepest dark
Because your aim is true
And if I could only have one wish
Darling, then it would be this
Love and happiness for you
And if I could only have one wish
Darling, then it would be this
Love and happiness for you

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

2010-09-13T20:46:00.000-07:00

A good book I read, The Lace Makers of Glenmara.
Beer batter fish and chips. It was delish. The boys caught the fish, and also 12 crabs, but some guy that was there when they unloaded, threw them all back! He was a just a guy, not a game warden. But you can see they got over it. That crab sure would have been good... Dumb guy.
Fisherman
Fisherman and fish and fry fryer

We spent our 35th anniversary at Salt Creek again. It's near Port Angeles, WA. We had friends that came over the weekend, Micah, Amie and Sean, and then we got to move to a prettier camp above a beach on the Strait of Juan de fuca. I took video of the beach and spot 56 so you could see our cool spot and hear the waves we heard all day and night. Better than a spa.

Last night I got to see David Gray and Ray Lamontagne at a concert at Marymoor park in Redmond. Ray is my favorite singer. It was awesome. Even better than I dreamed. They played almost all of my loved songs and that is my dream team of singers. Gosh it was good. I took video, but I doubt anyone wants to see my lam-o vid-e-o. I wish you all could have been there.

My Dog is Famous!

2010-09-03T07:13:00.000-07:00

My awesome wedding photographer friend, Jenn, is doing an a-z challenge, and our Greyhound, Flight was G. Here's a link to Jenn's site.

52 Creative Exercises To Make Drawing More Fun

2010-09-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

I finally got this book, which I've been wanting ever since it came out. It looks even better than I thought it would. It came at a good time, because we are going camping this week to celebrate our 35th anniversary. ( It was supposed to be the year we went to Italy, but...) I plan on using my spare time while we are camping to do the exercises in Carla's book. I'm hoping it will be the kick start I need.

I have completely lost my impetus for doing my print project. I haven't painted anything for weeks. I probably won't finish out the year. I think I will just go back to working on originals for now. I have much less time to paint while the house is for sale and various other things are going on, so it's just not possible to keep going.

Here is a link to the book on Amazon

Here is Carla's Drawing Lab Flickr Group

Carla's Website

Craigslist Rental Scam Alert

2010-08-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

Our house was listed on Craigslist.org as a rental by scam artists from out of the country. I'm told they are probably based in Nigeria.

They just took the pictures and description from the real estate ad and listed the house for a ridiculously low rental price including utilities.

They email the interested parties with a story about how the owners are out of the country working on some charity and need to rent their beautiful home for 4+ years. They tell the people to come and look in my windows and that if they like it, they can have it, just mail the deposit and they will mail the keys. The people never get the keys.

My friend Mary's son sent $1000 for a waterfront condo that was another scam. The police said there was nothing they could do because he sent the money out of the country.

I feel so bad for the excited people coming to look at our house, thinking their dreams will come true, that they can lease a house in this desirable neighborhood for a low rent.

They even used my husbands name for the return email.

Here is an email they sent to someone interested in renting our house who recognized it as a scam and alerted us.:

Hello

Thanks for your keen interest in occupying my house,You should count yourself lucky to meet with this offer.Please note there's compulsory security deposit to move in and i need someone that is ready to take
good care of my house, the rent includes utilities(Water and sewer including
electricity, cable tv) and all amenities inside(Refrigerator, laundry,washer and dryer, ready for internet connection)..You can get back to me if you are truly interested.Just want to let you know that i
will be here for 4years and i have an intention of buying another home when i return but that should be in the nearest future. I intended selling the house but had to rethink that is the reason i looking for
a good tenant my self so i will not regret renting it. There is nobody there to walk you through the property that is reason i sent you the physical address in my first email so you will go see the house
from the outside and let me know if you truly love it so we
will discuss further. It is in a nice and secured neighborhood.
Rent $900
Security Deposit: $500
MONTH TO MONTH OR YEARLY IS ACCEPTABLE.
Below are the specifications: How ready are you to secure the house now? you know some others are interested but if you are ready to secure it then the screening will count. The house is available for you to
move in, so you need fill out this application for quick rental arrangement. As soon as i accept you as my tenant then we will discuss on the rent.
Kindly confirm your interest by filling the form below:
TENANT RENT APPLICATION

It goes on to ask for personal details from the applicant.

In Lion's Bay, British Columbia

2010-08-21T10:01:00.001-07:00

I'm with two of my dearest friends, Sharon and Verna, in Lion's Bay. We are here enjoying a 9 day home exchange in one of the most beautiful areas of the world. This picture is of my friends at a viewpoint on the way back from Whistler. We have done some sightseeing, but mostly we have have been playing mexican train and drinking cosmos. Tomorrow, we might take a ferry to Gibsons.

Our House For Sale

2010-08-04T21:49:00.001-07:00

This is why I am late with the prints, I've been whipping my house into shape to get it ready for sale.

Here are pics I took:

Behind on prints...

2010-08-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

We are listing our house for sale today and I have been so obsessed with getting it ready, I have missed a week+ of prints. I will catch up, because I have a couple days of vacation now and I plan on drawing like crazy.

Tomorrow I will post another designer's chair, and Wednesday I will post some pics of my house all scrubbed and fluffed and as good as I can make it look.

I Designed An Adirondack Chair For Kathy Peterson!

2010-07-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here is my chair! I hope you like it as much as me and Asher do!

The unwelcoming bird
Asher likes it!

Another unwelcoming bird
Foxglove, one of my favorite flowers
A magnolia and that scary bird!

Spiders!

A few weeks ago, I got a very interesting email, inviting me to participate with 4 other stellar designers to design a chair for Kathy Peterson and the Cedar Store.
I was excited about the prospect and when my chair arrived, all ready to paint, I was even MORE excited! This chair is made of cypress and when my husband put it together, he was amazed at how well it was made. And it did not even need any sanding!

I thought about my design for several days ( I had so many good ideas!) and then a friend said, "you should paint what you love" That is always good advice. So of course it was going to be birds and flowers. I laid down an underpainting of red paint, on a sunny day when everyone else was building us a new deck... and then I sketched in my birds and flowers.
Here is the chair in progress:

I painted over the red with my favorite blue and left bits of it showing. On the arms, I painted two of my favorite birds... they look kind of mad, which I find funny, like my chair is saying don't sit here! Which means I will get to sit there, because I painted the birds and they don't fool me. I also added a couple of spiders, to make sure my chair is available when I want to sit in it. By the way, the birds are from an amazing Taiwanese photographer, Sushyue Liao, I paint using his photos as reference by permission, but if you don't want to find your own amazing photographer, you could find some bird and flower images to decoupage on to your chair. You could start by using the red underpainting, then glue on your images, then paint around them with your favorite color, leaving a bit of the red showing through.

Please stay tuned for the other designers chairs every tuesday for the next three weeks.

8/3 Margot Potter http://margotpottertheimpatientcrafter.blogspot.com/

8/10 Kathy Cano-Murillo: http://thecraftychica.blogspot.com/

8/17 Julianna Hudgins: http://www.juliannaproductions.com/blog/

Here is Pat Sloan's chair from last week: http://patsloan.typepad.com/pat_sloans_corner/2010/07/im-a-design-my-adirondack-designer-.html

And CLICK HERE to Kathy's blog for sneak peeks and info!

And here is the Cedar Store website where you can buy your own wonderful cypress chair to paint!

Thank you, Kathy, for giving me this amazing opportunity. I loved every minute of it!

New print Week 13 print project "Looking for a Nest"

2010-07-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

I have not been able to paint this week. But I just realized I could use this bird from the chair I painted for Kathy Peterson's Design My Adirondack for my print. This bird looks how I feel.

I have been working on getting the house ready for sale and my studio is so clean it hurts. I am being ruthless about getting rid of stuff. And hopefully soon, I will be finding a new nest.

Next tuesday I will be showing the chair I designed for Kathy Peterson.

As usual, the bird image is thanks to my Taiwan friend, Sushyue Liao

Camping At The Gorge

2010-07-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

It was really hot. We camped at Wanapum State Park. It was windy. It was crazy windy. I did not go to the concert, but I had more fun this weekend than I've had in a year. It was fun because of these kids. They lift me up. They heal my heart.
Jakah
Chelsey
Micah and Flight after Jamie took her swimming
Micah
Dave, Zoe, Chelsey and Jakah
Niki
Jamie
Amie

Here's a picture of most of them with Dave and the dogs down at the lake.

Bryce, April, Chelsey, Coco, Dave, Zoe and Flight, Jakah, Niki, Amie, missing is Chris T, but not forgotten. He was out buying me some gin.

If this doesn't break your heart...

2010-07-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

For all the children who love their mothers out there:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhEz-KhcQfs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHrHY5WCKLY&feature=related

I was so moved by the "Fix You" Travis Wall piece on SYTYCD. It's one of my all time favorite songs, Allison one of my all time favorite dancers, and it's about trying to fix your mother. It killed me.
I can't find the 3rd one that shows the judges comments.

Week 12 Print, Portrait Of A Bear With Very Dark Thoughts

2010-07-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

I have been painting myself silly on the project for Kathy Peterson, it is due on monday and since we are going to The Gorge, I needed to get it done today, and I did. Whew! I also painted this little bear today. He has issues.

Don't ask me to tell you what his thoughts are, you don't want to know. Really.

He's on Etsy here

Sunday Night

2010-07-11T19:46:00.000-07:00

I am working on a secret project with Kathy Peterson. She is also having a giveaway here. You should go check it out.

I have to get it done this week, as we are going to Columbia Gorge to see Kings Of Leon. Or maybe not, I might chicken out about going to the concert, but we are going camping for sure, so I will be working on my project this week to get it done before the deadline. I'm quite excited about it.

I also will be posting the print on Tuesdays from now on. I'm pretty sure this week's print will be a bear.

I have not mailed giveaway prints yet, for last week, but I will do that tomorrow also.

Here is a random bird painting that I ended up painting over, but I loved that bird, the big one on the left. I don't think I've posted it yet, but if I have, forgive me. I hate doing a post without a picture.

Their Mother Waits For The Garden Week 11

2010-07-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

I did add a new picture just now. Much better and cropped right.

We had a busy weekend and we are still hopping. Here's the listing for the $2 print on etsy

Giveaway winners and late print

2010-07-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

The winners are comments number 15,11,27 13. I used the random number generator to be fair. I'm too tired to figure out who that is, but if you want, you can count the posts and figure out if you are a winner. I appreciate all the love, you sweeties! If you are one of the winners, please email me at Juliefillo @hotmail.com and give me your mailing address, and your 8x10- will be on it's way.
I am going to be late with the print, it will probably be tomorrow, this deck build has kept me hopping! The new print will be titled, "Their mother waits for the garden" It's sort of a self portrait. I have made so much food this weekend and I have been cleaning cupboards and closets getting ready to list our house for sale... I have not had much time for painting, but it's almost done.
Today, our son, Ryan and Niki and Jamie and their dog, Wrigley came and worked on the deck. Here are some pics. Seriously, if these kids had not come in and worked so hard on screwing in screws, Dave would have been doing it until November. And Ryan, he works so hard. Thank you, darling son.
Jamie
Niki
Ryan, such a sweet, good son.
Wrigley. He dances like a Lippizanner Stallion.

Deck Build July 3, 2010

2010-07-03T21:08:00.000-07:00

Wonderful friends and our son and daughter in law and son in law came and helped Dave rebuild our deck. I made food and watched and took some pictures. This deck has needed to be replaced ever since we bought the house, 7 years ago. Our son knew someone who was tearing a new deck off a house and got us the wood. It's not done, we still need to make the railing and we are planning to put a grape arbor in along the long side, but we can walk on it and the dogs can go out the back door again to go potty. It's been torn off since Wednesday. We are so grateful for the help, we could have never done it without them.
Ed Dent, his parents, Michelle and David and our DIL, Kim, eating dinner during a break in the work.
Trixy, Aishi and Bryce's arm and legs.
Our son, Ryan and Bryce with his butt in the air
My husband Dave, in the overalls screwing in a temporary support for grape arbor.
Ed on the far end explaining how to lay out the boards so it will look straight...

Our son, Ryan, our SIL, Bryce, and David Dent.
The darling Aishi

A giveaway! 8x10 print

2010-06-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

I am going to give away 4- 8x10 prints. Just because it's summer and I appreciate my readers and I am terribly bad about answering comments. They can be any the 4 winners choose from my etsy store. Just leave a comment here and I will add your name to the bowl. The drawing will be on Sunday.

Week 10 Print, SS Sleepytime, A Whale, a Full Moon a Sailboat and a Lighthouse

2010-06-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

Here is my new print. I painted it a few months ago, but I wanted to portray the moon and the whale 'communicating' and I had these bubbles going between them. It just didn't work. I finally decided to paint them out and I liked it a lot better.

The Boat is the Sailing Ship, SS Sleepytime. The moon has a wry smile and the whale is kind of sassy. The original is 18x24 on canvas and is for sale for $200. The print is $2 for a 5x7 on etsy and if you are interested in the original just email me at juliefillo@hotmail.com

week 9 print, "And Then A Twig Snapped"

2010-06-21T14:29:00.000-07:00

11x14 on hardboard. I might tweak this a bit before I print, but it's available on etsy here, now.

Late with the print this week

2010-06-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be late with my print this week, probably tomorrow. I had my grandson all weekend and no time for painting.

Week 8 Print, With Cherries

2010-06-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

I hurt my back, I think from swinging my grandson a little too much. (might still have been worth it to hear him laugh) We went to two weddings yesterday, saw old friends and family and 2 beautiful brides.

This weeks print is a match for last weeks, but it has cherries, as promised. It's here

Thank you for all the love and comments. I appreciate them all and as soon as I can I will visit your blog and say something to you. :)

Week 7 print 3 Pears

2010-06-06T20:29:00.001-07:00

This painting was originally painted in 2008. It has had at least 3 backgrounds, and I never felt good about it until this incarnation. There is another painting that goes with it that has cherries!

I finished reading Andrew Wyeth, A Secret Life. Gosh, what a story! I highly recommend the book if you are interested in how an artist makes decisions. I remember when the Helga paintings came out, all the speculation about what was going on. It is fascinating to read the family's official stand on that. This book was written while he was still alive and with his blessing.

Here is the Wiki article about him.

Week 6, print project, "She Who Stands And Watches"

2010-05-30T13:45:00.001-07:00

This painting started out to be something else, but became this. Again, I owe the bird image to Mirror Lake on Flickr, his images used by permission.

The original is 11x14, painted with acrylics, inks, colored pencil. It is painted on masonite board and can be framed. If you are interested in the original, email me and we can talk about it.

Etsy

Week 5 print project Birds and Flowers 2

2010-05-25T17:28:00.000-07:00

I've been so wiped out since we got home from North Dakota, I haven't posted on my blog, but I did list the new print on Sunday. So here it is.

Year 2 week 4 print project Birds and Flowers 1

2010-05-14T05:05:00.000-07:00

I am posting my new print for this week early, because we are on road trip to ND starting today.

The prints will not ship until May 25th. Available on etsy for $2, limited edition of 12.

"Birds and Flowers 1"
I could never have painted this painting with out the lovely photography by Mirror Lake on flickr. His images used by permission.

Year 2 Week 3 Print Project- The Eavesdroppers

2010-05-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

I had really hoped to get the birds and flowers painting, inspired by the bird photographer, Mirror Lake, on Flickr, done, but I had Asher all weekend so didn't get any painting done, but we had a lot of fun. The weather the last couple of days has been glorious. We went on several walks. He is 13 months and does not want any help walking, or any guidance and does not want to hold hands. He gets quite worked up about it, since we live on a street and I try to keep him away from moving vehicles and the like. I think he might be a little stubborn.

The 2$ print is on etsy as usual. I have 2 subscribers and one of them gets 2 every week, so I will be listing only 9 of each print.

Year 2 week 2 print project Her Love Like Chainmail

2010-05-02T18:33:00.000-07:00

Available on etsy as a 5x7 print for $2 for a limited time.

The Eavesdroppers finished

2010-04-30T16:12:00.001-07:00

Julie's Art Life

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Basement apartment progress pics

Progress

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Petrified Rat, the kitchen torn out

Basement floor poured yesterday

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Behind on prints...

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