Crunch Time!

Yes, it's crunch time! It's this time of year when I wish I could just take the time off from now til Christmas to get all my art and art related things in order. Alas, I can't do it, so sometimes things have to suffer:

For example (Heaving a big sigh here). The deadline to drop off my 2 artworks for the Honan Allston library show was the same as Halloween weekend. With Allston Open Studios (I had volunteered my time for media work), orders coming in, calendars going out... Not to mention my costume, which was awesome by the way..... Well, honestly I could sit here all day spewing a gazillion excuses but the fact is that I missed it. And when I went to email the contact that I would drop off my pieces the following week, well I never gave it a second thought why he didn't email me back. So I went to the library last Saturday to drop off my pieces... *buzz* no can do. You missed the deadline. I said, "But But , I emailed Michael on Wednesday that I would be here today!!" "oh" they said, "Michael's last day was yesterday" So to make a long story short, I will not be exhibiting my work there. I was so mad at myself and I think that's the worst feeling.

BUT Allston Open Studios is still going on and YES I will be there both Saturday and Sunday.



I will be located in Suite 417 at 119 Braintree Street in Allston. Plenty of parking!! Come visit me!

KC

16"x20" watercolor

Finished KC last weekend and it went into the mail today! My client says that her and her husband are already arguing as to where to hang it! I never wanted to cause any trouble :) On to the next project:

Quinn dogs

8"x10"

first layer still in the works

The photos that she supplied are great and she wanted both dogs in the same frame. I think collies, shelties and horses are challenging because of those long noses. But I will keep you updated and let you know how it goes! Back to work!!

September weekend.....

September is in full swing and after the melancholy that I was feeling a bit last week it was high time that I went out and did the things I enjoy doing. Remember, we're only on this ride once, better make the best of it!

I spent some time at the art table last week. Finished the painting of a Lhasa (maybe a bearded collie - I had taken the photo so long ago!) on Thursday night. Then J came home with the news that Gut is moving their rehearsal space out of Denby Street and possibly getting a space down in Southie! Oh NO! J & I were fortunate enough to go down to Denby (walking distance from the Allston SkyBox) and not only listen to some great metal by Gut but also got to know a slew of great musicians down there.. Dr. Enemy, Planetoid to name a few. Alas, it is the end of an era for us but the music won't stop. And it may be better that we cut down on our cocktail intake during the week :)

Lhasa in Black and White

5"x7" watercolor

This painting didn't take too long to do but I really pushed it over the edge and was able to bring it back. There's a fine line between done and overdone. This may fall into the category of overdone. When I'm not working on commissions, I tend to use things that I normally wouldn't use and in this case it was one big round watercolor brush that holds a TON of watercolor. I had done my "paint lines" in his ear. (I also find that I prefer to paint these types of dogs for the brushstroke mimicking the long hair.) I took the big brush, dipped into some grey tone and went over the ear. Because there was so much water in the brush, not only did the paper begin to warp a little bit but it made my "paint lines" into one grey mash mess. Oh crap. What do I do in these situations???? Walk away. Far away. So I did. Picked up a book on Hopper and started looking at his paintings.... Then went back to the painting, did a dry test with my finger and then went back over the grey mess with more "paint lines". Well, not as dramatic as I hoped I stopped painting after that and considered this work to be done.

Thank God it's Friday rolled around and J, T and I went to go check out Planetoid!! They're SO MUCH FUN!! They also played with Prospect Hill (God, they were awful!) and Onyx (they were fun but in a nostalgia kind of way)

Planetoid

I highly recommend these guys if you like what I like to call GrooveRock or GrooveMetal. Hard enough for the boys to rock, groovy enough for the girls to dance! Their shtick is that they are Time Travelers from outer space and they're here to over come the planet with their music. Yes, they just might succeed! LOL check out the Myspace page for more info http://www.myspace.com/planetoidmusic

Saturday, J, S,R & myself went down to the Guru Room in Plymouth. http://www.reverbnation.com/venue/thegururoom Yes, Plymouth. If you don't know, this is a 45 minute ride to the South Shore and is a townie kind of town. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I think people should move out and experience somethings out of their 15 square miles of comfort. (Both mentally and physically). But we were down to support our friend P who was filling in as the drummer for the Kristian Montgomery project. http://www.myspace.com/kristianmontgomery Thank dog S drove because I needed beers to get through this. It wasn't that bad, just kinda boring. I mean, I like a music that's going to shake me up a bit. Edgy, hard, groovy, spacey..... this had none of that. I'd say they were like an REM on a bad day. Kris is a good singer and the band played well (especially my friend P - but I'm biased) but it had nothing to it. And the Guru room? WTF? The water tasted like rust! And they had this big LCD screen in the back that kept showing a loop of the same 10 pictures of a different band and drunk girls. Shut that sh*t off. It's distracting and doesn't help the band that's currently playing. Oh and speaking of drunk girls, the Guru room was full of 'em! You can dress them up, but you can't take them out LOL

And then it was Sunday

Sunday are horseback riding days and I like to go to Chrislar farms up in Rowley MA. http://www.chrislar.com/index.html I swear to God, riding is better than therapy. There's something about horses, getting dirty, riding them and being in control. If you've ever thought about riding and you live on or around the North shore, give them a call. Let them know you heard about them from me :)

This week is J's big bday!! Happy Birthday to my main man!! We're headed up to Vermont on Thursday after watching the triple bill of Deftones, Mastodon and Alice In Chains. So a short work week for me and it's going to be a hell of a good time - Yee Haw!

My Montana Vacation

So on August 1 through the 8th, my Mum and I spent a week at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in lovely Martinsdale, Montana! Mum always wanted to do this vacation, it was on her "Bucket List", so I was happy to tag along with her and what an experience. It was so much fun!

We flew into Bozeman on Sunday at around 12pm but our ride to the ranch (2 hours away) wasn't scheduled to pick us up til 2pm. So we took a cab into the center of Bozeman with another girl and it cost $45!!!! Holy Crap! I guess in a small village like Bozeman where everyone has their own Ford F150 that cabs can charge whatever they hell they want to! So we split it 3 ways, got out and had lunch. Then the girl what we shared the cab with came into the restaurant and said that she had her mom with her, and their car, and that they were going back by the airport and would we like a ride? Well, how nice! So we put our bigger cases in her truck and walked around Bozeman while Jamie and her mom had lunch. Then while getting a 2 day fishing license this guy behind me strikes up a conversation; where we're we going? what are we fishing for ?and oh - if you're using spinners then this lure is excellent etc. And then I find out the guy doesn't even work there, just a nice guy. I have to be honest, I'm from the North East city of Boston. No one is this nice here!! Well, maybe me, but that's if you catch me on a good day!

The view from our cabin

Anyway, once we got there what a view and it is in the middle of nowhere! I was told people need to drive 40 minutes out to the nearest convenience store to get milk. But gorgeous, oh my. Sunday was a meet and greet with the other vacationers staying at the ranch. There was 12 total and each party got their own cabin.

Saddled Up

Monday morning was an "orientation" with your horse. You rode the same horse all week. Up until this time I had never sat in a Western saddle (if you don't know the difference between Western and English go here http://www.equisearch.com/horses_riding_training/training/beginning_rider/english_western102200a/ )

But over all it was pretty similar. I think my biggest obstacle was new horse, can I control him? And after a couple of runs, he was awesome!!

Nate Dogg

My horse was a black combo of Tennessee Walker and Quarter Horse. Simply put - he was a great horse for me. His name is Nate, but I called him Nate Dogg after that West Coast Hip Hop artist. And just like the real Nate Dogg, Nate was cool, chill and easy going. But instead of smoking grass, he just kept eating it. :) We spent Monday on 2 trail rides. The morning one we had an encounter with 2 coyotes and they were NO WHERE as big as New England coyotes, so I didn't feel threatened at all. Then Monday afternoon, Tanya (our guide) Mum and I went on a trail ride and I got to do a couple of nice controlled canters on Nate. Horseback riding is all about being in CONTROL.

Bison at the Lazy Daisy Ranch

Monday night was a tour of the Lazy Daisy Ranch about a half hour away from Bonanza Creek. So all vacationers packed up in the back of this old pickup truck and cruised around this ranch. They had bison, horses, cows, llamas, sheep, chicken, ducks, peacocks and God knows what else. It was taking a little critter cruise. I wish I had brought a bottle of wine, that would have made it complete :)

Pronghorn on the Horizon

See those tiny dots on top of the hill? That's pronghorn, North America's only antelope! I was so excited to see these guys ( I'm I wildlife geek, what can I say?) and had only seen them on TV up until this point. The pronghorn's defense is that they stay in large numbers and as far away from you as possible. As you can see here, they were succeeding.

View from the Main Lodge

Tuesday morning we did a trail ride into the woods to a campsite and had breakfast in the woods. Nothing like sitting among the wilds of the woods eating bacon! Then we did a trail in the woods along the actual Bonanza creek and did see a red tailed hawk pretty close up. Then the party divided in 2, those who wanted to gallop up the hill, those who didn't and took the low road home. Yes, I went with the gallopers!! It wasn't the speed that really got to me, but Nate's take off and the amount of power this animal was using to lunge himself up a hill was mind blowing. I just held on!

Cattle Penning

Tuesday we did some cattle penning. This was a TON of fun! We had about 14 or so cattle in the corral and the object of the game was to break 3 head off the herd and move them to the opposite side of the corral. Mum, myself and another vacationer, Joe, were the only ones who succeeded!

Me being silly!




Action shot!

Then all of a sudden the weather took a turn for the worse. The thunder started to roll in and then the rain started. Our guide told everyone that we're going to trot home. Well then it started to hail, and as big as marbles! So all the horses were galloping back. Thank dog I had already galloped earlier that day. I felt a little more comfortable that some of the others! A those marbles hurt!

Pushin' Bulls

Wednesday morning was another lovely trail ride. The weather was cloudy and in the 40's and it felt more like October than August. I did see 2 whitetail on this trail ride as well. We bumped into 2 cowboys that were on dirt bikes herding some bulls. They needed 2 bulls pushed into another pasture and since it was on our way, our guide got them going and we pushed them for quite some time. I learned all about breeding black Angus that morning. These boys had some serious "jewels" on them LOL

Skulls and sheds

Wednesday night was a wagon ride to the Hunting Camp. I got to steer the horses on the wagon too and it's not as easy as you might think. Saw a couple of mule deer on the ride as well. The hunting camp was very cool and the guys who organized it were awesome. They had beer, wine and a roast turkey dinner waiting for us! Then after dinner and dessert (peach cobbler and homemade ice cream) they sat around the camp fire and played guitars and sang some country tunes. I'm not a fan of country music but after a couple of beers, I was singing too.

Singing Cowboys

Thursday was an all day trail ride into the Crazies. I was told that the highest point was 8,100 feet above sea level. It was beautiful. Some controlled cantering but then there were some gallops too. And we saw a black bear on our way up! I don't know if I was tired from the week, but I was tired of galloping so at one point I tried to keep Nate from galloping and he was NOT listening to me! In fact, I think because I kept his head in, he ended up tripping, then stumbling and I thought "Oh sh*t, we're going down!" But he collected himself and kept on running until we got to our lunch spot. My hands were shaking so bad when I got off! Needless to say, we didn't gallop after that!

Lunch Spot

After being at the top we rode down to the hunting camp, the same one where we had dinner the night before. Here we gave the horses and ourselves a much needed break!

Horse Butts

(that's Nate on the far left)

The trail ride was 22 miles long and my knees were kind of killing me! I took a hot bath and drank some Mike's Hard Lemonade when I got back. What a workout!

Liz and her herd of cattle

Friday morning was herding 150+ head of cattle into another pasture. We each had to gather about a dozen or so head and then meet up at the pond with our herds. The small groups were scattered all over the property. This is a lot harder than you might think. Chasing cows through bushes and trotting over some rocky terrain. I have so much respect for cowboys now! When I got back home, I guy that I work out with, who is also vegan, asked me if I ever thought guilty about eating beef after being with these cows and um, no not at all. In fact, we ate so much beef that week and it was sooooo goooooood every time!

Friday afternoon was a small trail ride and then it was time to say goodbye to our horses.

Me and Nate Dogg

After untacking and brushing them down, we led them into the pasture (40 square miles) and let them go off and be with the other horses. Bonanza has about 60 horses and after a week of riding they're then given a week off and another bunch will be gathered to work. As you can see from the picture below, I think they knew it was Friday too.

TGIF!


So thanks to Bonanza Creek, my Mum and my horse, Nate for such a wonderful week. I can guarantee that I will be doing this again!
For more pictures visit my Flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/11087728@N03/sets/72157624628393309/

For more info about Bonanza Creek Country go here http://www.bonanzacreekcountry.com/

Vermont Open Studios Highlights

This weekend was the Vermont Open Studios. A lot of driving around but it was so worth it. We were staying with T's brother, Dave and his wife Alison, who had their own Gallery Grand Opening this weekend. He's a potter and I was so happy to see his work. He has achieved so much! And they were so hospitable. I tried to help out as much as I could, however, slept pretty late all 3 mornings. I was on vacation!

Saturday we drove around and saw 2 artists; another potter and a woodcarver. Cool stuff, but I was almost more impressed by the area that they worked in. As in, I step out side of their studios and there were fields and woods and butterflies and cows and Ahhhh Vermont. We had a cookout with the "cookie people"http://adozeneggs.com on Saturday night. Drank homemade Sangria and ate homemade ice cream. D & A are very into organic everything. And everything tasted awesome.

So here are some highlights of the tour on Sunday:

"The Birth of Venus" 24" x 18" Oil on Linen

Elizabeth Torak

http://elizabethtorak.com/

The Torak studio was the last stop on our journey but made the trip worth while. Both her and her husband paint in oils, they make most of their own paint. The studio was gorgeous and they had a big friendly yellow lab :).... We were there for a good part of an hour and just talked and talked. Not only were they fabulous artists but they were generally interested in our artistic careers as well.

Before we went to the Torak Studio we had to stop at the house of Terry Lindsey. She is an Equestrian artist as well as a rep for other equestrian and animal artists. Can you say "Oh jeez, Christine, that's right up your alley!"

"Racing Dreams"

original Oil on Linen 24" x 48" Terry Lindsey
http://www.equidae.com/

http://katieupton.com
Katie Upton is an artist out of Santa Barbara but Terry was her rep and Oh her pieces were soooo cute!

"From the Loft - Summer"

Kathi Peters

16" x 20" Caesin on Canvas

http://kathipeters.com

I can't tell you how excited I was when I saw this piece. I started following Kathi on Twitter (@cobcottage) and have been a fan of her work. In fact, Kathi lives in Maine with her horses, dogs and husband and is always tweeting about where her work is featured as well as the adventures of having a horse farm in Maine. Yes, I am a city girl, but Kathi lives in a situation where I grew up in (horses in the backyard) and there's a part of me that wants to go back there. I strive for my work to be as successful as hers has become. (I saw this piece at Terry's home gallery).

Finally of all the ceramics out in Vermont I had to feature Dave's work. And of course took 2 gorgeous coffee mugs home with me. His stuff falls under both beautiful and functional.

Here's a pic of Dave hard at work in the studio. This is what you do when you live in Vermont with no TV to rot your brain!!! You can check out more of his work on his Flickr stream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepotterstone/sets/72157594219017398/

Does this inspire me to work on my own things!? You bet!! I had such a great time and can't wait to do it again!!