new member of the family

welcome butterfly! this new addition to the household arrived christmas day from the sean casey animal shelter. she was rescued from a hoarder house with 56 other cats.
the first five years of her life were spent in a cage.
she's free now and running around her new home like a kitten.
just this afternoon a friend described my apartment as a "playground for cats". there's lots of stuff to climb on and hide in and butterfly is exploring every inch.

new work... on the subject of time

mixed media collage

a year with sam

lived in living room with new paint

sadly, it doesn't look that much different to me. still too cluttered and messy.

paint job

finally the painting is finished. most of the heavy furniture is back in place. the people who invaded my space for the last 8 days are mercifully gone. now there's just the cleaning up and arranging of things to be done. no small job, but at least i can take this on at my own pace.

day 4 HELP!!!!
the painting began today in the living room and the entire experience has been even worse than i imagined it being. Frankie was somehow able to paint around all the stuff.he's done a good job but he won't be back till Friday,so that means an extra day of living in this chaos.
there are plants and paintings everywhere...even in my bathtub! the coffee pot is in the bedroom; books are everywhere; everything is misplaced. my coping skills are being stretched to the limit.
i have to keep reminding myself just a few more days and my home will be my own again...i can't wait!!!

the great paint job part 2

the third day of preparation comes to an end. i am so tired of packing and moving boxes.( well, really i'm just so tired and my back is screaming and there's two more rooms to go!!!) i don't know how i'll survive this.
here's what used to be my living room.

the great paint job of 2010

Day 2 of the dreaded paint job can be summed up in one word: daunting. i am over whelmed by the amount of work and the amount of stuff i have. The things you accumulate over 58 years of living. Most of it still makes me smile.
A wise woman once said "you can't organize clutter". but when do collections of stuff become clutter? when do they cross that line and why can't i recognize it?
my clutter falls into these categories: 1. art stuff 2.finished art pieces 3. books
4. sentimental stuff 5.clothes 6. things i need and 7. everything else.
I wish i had thought to take pictures before i started moving things.there was a lot of stuff, but arranged in an artful manner.
i'm writing all this to avoid working. Gonna go set the timer for 15 minutes like Flylady says.

100 votes

no, its not about yesterday's elections-tho we did better than i expected...
I received 100 votes on this painting "whale watching" on one of my favorite art sites. PaintingsILove.com features many very talented artists and genuinely nice people and i'm thrilled with my 100 votes. ok, i'm easily thrilled, but still...its a milestone of sorts.

photo of the week

my favorite picture from last week's photowalk. yum!

locks and keys

textures

today's photo walk had the theme "textures". ( i tend to get real literal...)
anyone who knows my painting knows that texture is a huge component in my work. this was fun finding texture instead of having to create it.

more sunrise pictures

to view some spectacular sunsets check out my friend barbara's site, Reading the Sky.

some pictures of the sky this morning

42 years of friendship

me and lynnie 2010

previous address

a painting i added to recently

remembering bud

it's a year today that bud is gone. not a day passes without my missing that animal. i was blessed with him for 16 entertainingand loving years; from his birth to his death.
it's been a hard year in terms of learning to let go...

mary ann kay

1942-2010
rest in peace

a new painting

old friends at the new moma

modigliani matisse

(below) paintings by picasso. photos by barbara valianti.

absolutearts.com

my absolutearts.com portfolio is up for renewal this month and i'm considering not renewing.absolutearts is a big,beautiful site but i tend to disappear there. i have ten pages of work on the site,but does anyone ever see it??? i'll have to think about this.

kholette and sam