away on vacation...

well here i am sitting on a beach in florida wearing nothing but a bathing suit top, short pants, no shoes or socks, large 'jackie o' sunglasses and tons of 60spf sunscreen and don't forget the glass filled with wine!...i guess you could say that i am on 'vacation'...we have been away for just over one week with one more to go and so far the weather has been just perfect!...

not much else to write at the moment, i'm going to head outside for a bit before the noonday sun...

almost there...

all right what is up with the sunshine and no snow?...it's almost chrismas!...

had a wonderful 'impromptu office party' yesterday courtesy of a really great client who has become a good friend...she brought her two dogs and some wine over and we spent the afternoon in the studio drinking and talking...just like jackson pollack...although neither of us were bleary-eyed by the end of the party like pollack would have been...it was such a nice feeling to have a couple of dogs hanging out in the studio...yogi was asleep on the couch while scully was huddled right up against my leg looking to be massaged...such a great feeling...i really wish i had a dog...someday i will...

today the owner from the gallery that reps me is coming over for a look at a couple of new paintings...i want to have a talk about the status of my other work in the gallery and what plans she has for boosting my presence...it's all part of my 'no non-sense' plan to advance my career as a painter of work other than animals...i'm looking for a gallery that is going to be excited about me and what i produce...i want to feel like they are truly earning their 50% commission (yes that's right 50%)...they are capable of creating a buzz about any artist in their gallery so why not me?...this new attitude is partially due to the excitement i feel for the upcoming studio show/sale i'm hosting sometime in march (?)...i think artists need to look at other venues and ways to sell their work without resorting to the gallery method...frankly which in my opinion doesn't really do much to rep an unknown or emerging artist and i'm not really sure why??...

enough of that for now, i have to go and sand the one hundred small boards and get them ready for gessoing...then the fun begins with the painting!...

as for the animal portraits, i'm finished with the painting schedule and will resume with a new one in january...i believe there are eighteen (?) portraits to get to...so enough chatter for now...

thinking festive thoughts...

'fidget and java'...

here is the painting of 'fidget and java'....

just a few more days left before we leave for florida...still have much work to do before leaving...it seems as though it doesn't matter how much i 'schedule' things, i'm still faced with working up to the very last minute before leaving on vacation...i never really get any time to just sit and stare at a blank wall or pack properly or just breathe...perhaps my new years' resolution will be, 'how to effectively learn to relax in the middle of chaos'...there must be a book 'for dummies' out there on the subject!...

today, i have one of my favourite clients coming over with her dogs and she is bringing festive drinks...i'm calling this my version of an 'office party'...although yesterday i had the christmas music on, a string of lights in the studio blinking away and my singing of those christmas song echoing about...nothing like the 'ella's swingin' christmas' cd to really bring the fun into the season!!...

we NEED snow!!...

back to work...

the saturday before christmas...

the saturday before christmas or if you prefer, the first day of hanukah that jewish holiday with a variable spelling and here i am in the studio at 4am!...why?...partly because i'm very thirsty, a garlicky pizza and bottle of wine for dinner will wake you with a thirst so strong that very little will quench!...the other reason i'm up so early is that i have still lots to do before i can leave on holiday and this is weighing heavily on my mind...

yesterday proved to be a bust in terms of work and life in general because no matter what i touched, i broke it, dropped it, tripped over it, turned it pink in the laundry or just was not in synch with the world around me and what others wanted...hence the bottle of wine and the bleary-eyed early to bed...

today we are having family over for a party this afternoon...lots of cheese and other food normally eaten at this time of year...

it's just after five and i think i'll head back to bed but first another glass of water...

comments on the portrait of 'mia'

from the gallery through with the portrait was commissioned:

"WOW
I loved it – it’s just amazing. Linda Kay came in yesterday afternoon to pick it up, and she was more than pleased. I think her husband will absolutely freak (in a good way).
Merry Christmas!

Jaime Light
Owner ~ The Huneck Gallery of Breckenridge, Inc."

and from linda kay, the owner of mia:

"Dear Lisa,

Thank you, thank you, thank you! You captured the personality of our Mia so perfectly in her portrait. I can't begin to tell you how happy I am with the painting...and can't wait for Christmas morning to give it to Pete. Jaime loved it also, and she told me it's her favorite work by you so far.

I will begin to look for the perfect picture of my sweet Angus; that will be next year's gift!

Thank you again.....it is so perfect.

lkp"

'mia'...

and here is what she's smiling about....good girl...

studio food

i already covered the 'studio fashion' now let me mention a bit about 'studio food'...basically, chocolate and coffee with the occasional meal thrown in the mix...pretty simple...

the portrait 'mia' leaves tomorrow for her home in colorado and i'll post it online here and on the website on wednesday during early evening, once i'm sure it has arrived safely...i may have already mentioned this, but this portrait is such a joyful one because of the expression on 'mia's' face...it's one of sheer satisfaction that she has reached her destination, the countertop...i think more humans should climb up on a counter and experience the feeling that mia did, perhaps we'd be a much happier society...

the current painting i'm working on 'two dogs in a boat (aka the portrait of tobi and murphy)' is another one of those 'joie de vie' type portraits...it's really invoking many smiles...

coffee in hand along with a small kahlua filled chocolate i'll head to work once i climb down from this counter...

one year...

i know i haven't posted anything in a couple of days but there hasn't been much going on...just steadily working away on the last two paintings of this schedule, making gift lists, writing out christmas cards and adminstrative stuff...

i'll be starting work in the studio later today than usual because i'm making the trip back home to guelph to visit the grave of my aunt, today marks the first anniversary of her death...funny how time flies...i'll visit the grave that contains the remains of the three people that made a huge impact on my life and now living without them, i feel rather 'lost'...i won't write more on this at the moment...

well, i'd better find my winter hat and head out the door...

life is strange that way...

last night i found out that a close family friend has a rare form of cancer...news of this has really put me in a bit of a funk, as she was the best friend of my aunt donna who died at the age of 49 a year ago this saturday...i somehow find it very strange that almost a year later sheela (aka dr. basrur) has cancer...she is currently at her parents' home recovering from the surgery which discovered this disease...the weird thing is, her dad was a cancer research doctor of some stature in his day and now he is faced with his daughter falling ill to something he dedicated part of his career trying to find a cure for...life is strange that way...

the photo is one that was taken during one summer at the cottage my grandfather rented located on lake huron...the summers spent on the lake are my most precious and often relived memories...my aunt is on the left, me in the middle and sheela on the right wearing the life jacket (her mum was a tad over-protective!)...it was during that summer that i remember sheela and i colouring during a rainy day...she taught me the finer points of 'blending colours with a crayon'...not sure why i recall this so distinctively but i even remember to object we were colouring in my book, a trumpet...she was amazing at staying in the lines...her daughter simone visited my studio last year and told me of her plans to be an artist when graduates high school...i guess her mum spent time colouring with her also!...

my thoughts are with sheela today and will be everyday...she rushed to the hospital the day my aunt died to lend her shoulder in support, i hope that i can provide the same support for her family in this time of uncertainty...

well, i'm going to try and take my mind off of things for a while and continue working...

'tobi and murphy'

not much to report...the portrait coming along fine...

perhaps i'll write more later...

studio fashion...

my attire for work consists of the following:

one pair of black adidas tear-away track pants-paint splattered
one pair of overalls-paint splattered
a short sleeved tshirt-little paint spots
one long sleeved tshirt, both paint splattered
shoes that have paint on them
one black vest-paint splattered
one black scarf-paint free
one plaid 'farmer's jacket'-also paint free

i alternate the pants/overalls, but generally wear all of the remainder listed...

most days i have my hair pulled up and if painting outside i wear a hat-usually cowboy...

just lipgloss, you know the kind that is supposed to 'moisturise' your lips, but usually dries them out so you'll buy more thinking the weather is reeking havoc on your lips, so you better protect them by buying this product...

no wonder, i'm not on the cover of vogue!

every day at 330pm, i head out for a coffee with joel to the same spot dressed in my studio attire...they recognise me there as a 'regular' so they pretty much have the coffee and cookies ready when we walk in the door...i wonder if the two women who serve the coffee think i work at the construction site across the street?...if they ask, i'll tell them i'm the crane operator!

just in case you're interested in...

monday...

time is ticking and i hear those sleigh bells ringing...i'm trying not to rush through these two paintings...the two dogs in the boat painting is coming along...it's been drawn on the canvas...today's step will be applying a 'wash' of paint that will let me see where the highlights and shadows are going to be, as well i'll be able to see how the palette i've chosen will look...

starting a painting is both exciting and anxious...exciting because in front of me is a new creation that has never been seen before...anxious because i sometimes feel that i just don't know what the heck i'm doing!!!...i've read that this is a common feeling among artists...it really isn't until the muse participates that we are completely as ease with the work at hand and are able to just play and let the work happen...

off to grab a coffee and get down to it...

is it december already?...

nothing really mind-altering to report thus far today...just got in the studio after doing some chores around the house...i wonder if i'm the only one outside a family from iowa that uses the word 'chores'?...

oh well, things are moving along here with the work at hand...i can't slow my thoughts down with regards to the '100 for $100 each' show/sale...many, many ideas are circulating and this is starting to interfere with my sleep...i'm excited to start working on these paintings as they will provide me with a mental break from the animal portraits...not that i don't enjoy the animal work, i do, i just need to 'play' for a bit...

'mia' is still slightly wet, so i won't be shipping this out until perhaps later on next week but definitely before december 15th...

i'm wondering how shannan's wedding is going and what her husband thought of his gift, the portrait of 'becky'?...

the weather outside today is stormy but not in a 'december' kinda way...more like april...it's the type of day that you spend in bed reading self-help books and drinking hot chocolate...

off to the easel...