Update in progress…

I’ve been active with social media, but have failed miserably with updating here!  I post update photos on Instagram and connect that to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, etc…but not WordPress.  My lack of updating is due to it being inconvenient.  Another way to say it: I’m lazy, yo!

So, an update: I’ve been working on a 50 gallon rain barrel for a nonprofit called Wags4Tags here in Raleigh.  They provide artists with rain barrels, the rain barrels are painted, then given back, and auctioned off at a fundraiser.  Their mission is to rescue dogs from kill shelters (sadly North Carolina is chock full of them — we have the highest number in the States), train them to become service animals which are given to Veterans with emotional injuries, such as PTSD.  For more info, go here: http://www.wags4tags.org/#!about-us/cjg9

For my barrel, I’m painting my typical landscape deal, nighttime on one side, daytime on the other.  I’m hoping to make it fancy enough to be useful as inside decor, but I’m cool if it lives outside, too. As long as it raises the cash-money for charity!

Nighttime in progress

Daytime in progress

New body baby…

New body as in body of work. I’m not sure where I’m going with it, but I have found that I’m very attracted to poppies. Symbolically they are of great interest to me – anything that is tied to dreams is bound to pique my interest (or obsession). I’ve also noticed that the use of poppies seems to soften things up a bit for those that are turned off by my work.

I stayed with my Grandmother a lot when I was a little girl and among the variety of flowers she had (has) were poppies. They surrounded the base of 2 oak trees that I played on and around. I loved the colors – bright bloody red, sometimes tinted orange and the petals seemed so vulnerable. We sold fake poppies made by Veterans to support the American Legion. The fake poppy petals were more resilient than the real ones and I always wondered why poppies were chosen for that specific purpose. I’m sure I knew I one time, but I can’t think of it right now.

Knowing the different things poppies represent I was hesitant to use them in my work, considering the subject matter, but hopefully it will be taken as something positive, whatever the interpretation. One constant running theme with me: I mean no harm.