A Series of Five

This is a sister piece to the previous one I just posted. I love how the reds and yellows pop out from the green background. I am thinking there will be four or five of these in a series that I am working on now.

There is a fabulous sale going on at my framers so I'm trying my best to get all my current work up there before it ends today. I'm headed to the "spa" on Sunday which I'll post about later today.

The Perils of Driving in Bad Weather

John took my work to the Carriage House Gallery this morning after I spoke with Stu to let him know of it's arrival. Carol and Stu are just about the nicest people you would ever want to meet. I am so going to enjoy being a part of their gallery.

So funny the other day when I was blogging about my terror of driving in bad weather. Last night I had to pick up my oldest daughter and Kelly's daughter from play practice and by 4:00pm I could see the blowing snow and grey skies and yes, I did begin to feel a tad panicky. By 4:30pm when I hit the highway the first thing I see is a major collision in the southbound lanes. Cars in the ditch, cars smashed up, ambulances, etc. etc. Ok, so now the little bit of panic I was feeling has expanded to full panic. Dry throat, rapid heartbeat ....you know the drill. But I am driving slowly and am saying a mantra to myself "you are a good driver.....just go slow" over and over again, maybe that is why my throat was so dry. By the time I arrived at the school the temperature had dropped and all that wet snow had turned to ice. Yikes!!! It was a white knuckle drive home and extremely silent in the car. A drive that normally takes 10 minutes took 30 minutes. Kelly called when I got home to see if I was alright. I just love good friends especially when they know all your "wierdness" and still love you.

I am back in the studio today finishing up another piece and last night was playing around with acrylic on canvas......

Hope everything is good in your part of the world

I really love this piece. Don't know specifically what it is but something about it makes me feel good. Maybe it's because the photo that inspired it was taken on a great weekend in Toronto with John and the girls. The man reading the newspaper on the steps of the Scotia Plaza on King Street in Toronto just seems so unassuming. The red of his hat sets of the potted flowers behind him so beautifully. The entire piece is completed in acrylic paint except for the folliage which is done in thread. I've been giving a lot of thought lately to selling my work online. I am still thinking about it and haven't quite decided but it does deserve some serious consideration. I would like to reach a much larger audience than I have with the galleries that I am with. There is a whole world out there and I would love more exposure. I would probably only sell small pieces which would of course be framed. I'll keep you updated.

I received an email from my friend Carol Currie and Stuart Leggett a couple of days ago announcing the opening of their new gallery "The Carriage House" in Midland. Carol is an amazing artist as is her husband Stuart Leggett. Together they have formed Claustro in which they create sculpted paintings. Absolutely beautiful work. Since they are both outstanding artists I'm positive the gallery will be wonderful also as Carol has a fabulous eye for design. Anyway, I heard from her again today asking if I would be interested in having some work at the gallery for opening night. Of course, I said yes. John will drop it off on Wednesday and we'll just have to see how it goes. This may lead to being part of a group show or perhaps even a solo.
Hope you had a relaxing weekend

Work In Progress

This is a piece I have been working on for the last few days. Couldn't quite get the greens to come together the way that I had imagined so I have gone through a variety of options until I settled on this. I am enjoying the way the white birches pop out from the mottled green background. The other piece I'm working on is almost complete........I've decided on calling it "The Morning Read". You'll see why when I post it.

Yesterday was a snow day and did we get snow. I had a crazy amount of errands I was supposed to run but since I'm known as "one flake Melody" I waited until today. The whole "one flake" thing came about from either John or Kelly. It is no secret that I do not like (am terrified) driving in the snow. Now I believe "one flake" is taking it too far but that is how I received the dubious title.

My youngest came at me last night with a "brilliant" (her word) idea for her birthday party. "How about we take three of my friends to the spa for the day". I laughed........she didn't get the joke. I suggested a spa day at home where I concoct a couple mud facials and buy some nail polish and emery boards. I don't think that is what she had in mind but..........it will have to do

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers............blessings all around.

The Desk That Got The Studio Organized

I attended the "White House Arts and Crafts" show on Friday to see my good friend and mentor Buffi. Buffi is to me what Maya Angelou is to Oprah. She is wise, kind and makes you feel good by just being in her presence. For three days she was managing a booth for a friend who has an antique shop in Rosseau. I fell in love with this little white pigeon hole desk. It seemed perfect for my studio. Finally a place in which to put my cards, papers and pens. So, yes, I brought it home and placed it in my studio. When I stood back and took a look, it seemed to be the only thing in that room that made me feel good....... which got me to thinking....... maybe I've hit a slump with my work because this room just doesn't feel good anymore. Nothing is really organized and everything is just scattered about. I imagine this applies to just about every room in our homes. If things are always chaotic, being at home doesn't feel nuturing or comforting, and to me, that is what our homes are meant to be. A place that instills within us a sense of peace and joy. So keeping that in mind, yesterday I spent all day purging and cleaning everything in my studio and today I've started back to work. Yeah!

Hope your had a great weekend.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

Looks like we are in for some nasty weather over night according to Environment Canada. Lots of snow squalls and wintery weather. My oldest daughter will be beside herself with excitement. She loves snow and all that is associated with it. What's not to like about snow??? I enjoy crosscountry skiing at a slow pace. .... ask Kelly. A few years ago she and I went back to the park for a ski and I mistakenly thought I could maneuvre myself down this (it seemed like a large hill to me) small hill. Needless to say......... it was a classic face plant. Ouch, it really hurt.

Both of my girls love to downhill ski as does John..........I do not. To my credit I have gone a couple times but it really terrifies me. I think it could be that careening out of control at high speeds that really gets to me. And yes, I did do the snow plow but even that was too fast. But, I do live in Canada and we do get snow and lots of it, so finding outdoor winter activities is mandatory......... sitting in a hot tub with a glass of wine doesn't count.

Changing the subject to great lines I wish I had said. .... last year at my youngest daughter's grade 8 graduation. One of her good friends was chosen validictorian and as such gave a fabulous speech. My favourite line was right near the end when she said "Try not to take life too seriously. It's not like any of us are getting out alive". I love that and try to remember it whenever I get too wound around the bend.

Be well,

Weddings................

Yesterday we attended the wedding of our friends Les and Victoria. It was a small but elegant event, a bunch, which was a nice departure from a full on reception. The girls were invited also but wore grumpy faces because the other teenagers that sat at the same table as them weren't too fond of conversation. Actully, they seemed to enjoy "no conversation" Every so often one of them would head over to my table and say "talk about awkward silence, this is brutal".

It was a short service but really beautiful. John put me in charge (thanks honey)of hitting the play button on the stereo when Victoria began walking up to meet Les. Unfortunately I forgot my glasses and couldn't stand far enough away from the CD player to see what button I was pushing. Luckily I did hit the right one and on came Kenny G.

After the meal we all headed back to their house for drinks and the cutting of the cake. I ended up sitting beside this great woman named Barb who is an airline attendant and who flies back and forth between
Toronto and Hong Kong. We found out we had a lot in common and spent most of our time comparing notes on men, life, art, etc. etc. She had a quick wit and was outrageously funny. At one point we discussed age and she said "You look good for 47". I said, "At this point in time it's all in the lighting".......which of course it is. I've had my moments being under bad fluorescent bulbs when I look like I could be the sister of my grandmother. Yikes.........

Well, I had a great day as I'm sure everyone else did who was there. Les and Victoria are wonderful people and I wish them them the best on their journey.

Hope everyone had a great weekend..........happy and healthy

Me To We

This is one of my favourite streets in Toronto.....University Avenue. Although it is an extremely busy street there is still something about it that retains a park like feel. I took a whole lot of photos on this street when we were in Toronto a few weeks ago and they will pop up in my work over the next few months. Right now I'm working on two pieces. One landscape that features birch trees and the other is an urban piece of a man sitting on the steps of the First Canadian Place reading the morning paper.

Yesterday I got a call from a woman who is putting on an art show "The Art Experience" in Muskoka next August. She is going to send me the details and I'll decide from there whether I'm going to participate or not. I will not be doing the Images Show because as I guest you can only be on the tour for two years and then you need to take a year off. Not my rules but rules just the same. This show in August will also feature four artists who also teach at the Haliburton School for the Arts which is quite a fine institution. So........we'll see.

Last night my youngest and I watched MTV (yuck) but only because there was a fabulous show on called " Me To We", ok MTV, you did a great thing. I read the book and was blown away by it last year so I was anxious to watch the program last night. Me To We is a worldwide movement of people finding purpose through living with compassion, strengthening community and making a commitment to our shared humanity. I can't say enough good things about the founders Marc and Craig Kielburger. They have been featured on Oprah's show and she has also written an essay for their book. Well the show was great and I'm so glad we watched it together. I think it had a bigger impact on her than if I had just tried talking to her about it. She immediately went downstairs and checked out their website which also features an organic clothing section (ok, she was really interested in this..........but hey, it's a start). Check out their clothing at Me To We Responsible Style .

Peace to All and have a wonderful weekend wherever you are

Another Job?

Yes, I have been quite neglectful when it comes to my blog and I feel terrible about it. I have had the best of intentions for the past few days but never sat down to get it done. In my defense I will say I've picked up another job......sort of. John started a new job back in September and until he moves into his permanent office in December, with an Admin Assistant........guess who gets the role temporarily? My days have been filled with data input, setting up appointments and writing out thank you cards. It really isn't that bad as in another life I was an Admin Assistant.....can you say "full circle". I think I was pretty good at it as I didn't get fired and did get a raise every year but perhaps it just wasn't my calling. I did love the social aspect of it though. That is one thing I really miss about working outside of the house. So I imagine you could say that I didn't really like the part of the job that I got paid for just the part where I got to hang out with others and drink coffee. No wonder I didn't last.

I've heard from a few different artists as of late who are selling some of their smaller works from their blog. This is an idea that interests me. I'll have to mull it over a bit more and do a touch more research but it may be a viable option for selling small pieces.

This is a photo I took when in Toronto last. It reminds of of what a great time I had and of the warmth of the sun. We were supposed to be receiving 10-15cm of snow this am but so far nothing. I'm still hearing it is on on the way

Have a fabulous day and "be happy"

Another Year To Celebrate

So today I turned 47 years old. People ask me each and every birthday......"so how does it feel to be another year older?". I always reply "great" because let's face it the alternative just doesn't look to promising. I'm just happy the universe has seen fit for me to be around for another year.

My oldest daughter asked me this morning, "So how old are you now?" I proudly said "47" and she said "well, that's not too old ......yet". Thanks my dear first born child.

Then of course there are the parts of the body which have now decided they don't like where they used to be when I was younger and have decided to move somewhere else. Somewhere lower than where they started out. Yes, I did notice a few wirey gray hairs in my head this morning after I had staggered out of bed but not too many and "so what". .... growing older does happen to all of us regardless of what the makers of "botox" tell us.

There is a beautiful, life affirming piece of writing by Anne Lamott in her book "Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith". It is entitled "Untitled" and speaks of aging gracefully and of a total acceptance of "self". I could never write anything more appropriate or brilliant. Please read it if you get the chance as it is remarkable.

I left the house this morning to teach yoga and there was a gift on my front stoop. I went to pick it up and almost dislocated my shoulder. I finally managed to drag it into the house and open it....low and behold it was a set of weights from Kelly. She knows I have been lifting and was thoughtful enough to give me this most perfect birthday gift. Tonight John will bring home sushi for dinner (one of my favs) and my kids will be doing what they can to pamper me (I hope) , I'll hear from other friends and family and have a glass of good red. What could be better? Life is short and none of us knows when our time is up........each and every day has something good to offer...........soak it up.