Saturday, October 19, 2019

86th Annual International
Exhibition of Fine Art in Miniature

I'm pleased to announce that my two entries to the Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers Society of Washinton, D.C. (MPSGS) have been accepted to the 86th Annual International Exhibition of Fine Art in Miniature.


"The Prairie Schooner Journal" was awarded an Award of Merit in oil.
3" x 4.5" oil on board 


For more information about the show:
Opening Sunday, November 17, 2019, 2-4 pm
Exhibition – November 17, 2019, thru January 5, 2020
The Mansion at Strathmore
10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, MD 20852
Tues., Thurs., Fri., Sat. 10-4 pm; Wed. 10-9 pm; Sun. 12-4 pm
closed Mondays and Holidays

https://www.mpsgs.org/

Sunday, October 13, 2019

In Loving Memory of Thelma Buffalo Hair

9/11/2003-9/3/2019

It's been a little over a month since I let Thelma slip to the other side of the curtain of life.
Today I went through old photos, and it was like reliving our last 16 years. From the very first day I met Thelma, her zest for life and her impossible cuteness completely stole my heart!
To be responsible for a little life that meant so much to me over the years, and to be the one to say "it's the right thing to do" shattered my heart. In the weeks and days leading up to her death, I was tortured by the thought of letting her go. She was brave, she was always trying to be there for me. Up until her very last days, she tried her best to follow me everywhere. I always thought Thelma was the neurotic one, the one who clung to me with all of her soul, but in the very end, I realized I was the needy one. It was me that needed her almost more than I needed anything else in my life. She was with me through some tumultuous times; there to love me, there to follow and shadow me, there to simply sit still and and get belly rubs and to sing a song. I still miss her with all of my being. It may seem silly to many (except the other dog lovers that are dear friends), but sometimes that one very, very special dog just consumes you with love.


 

It's been so hard to think about doing a memorial for her. I have her ashes, I have a paw print, I have a tuft of her hair, I have photos, a few videos (never enough). I'm going to share some of her life. If was a long life for a pup, but not long enough. I'd like just one more day with her.
      In the past short months, Thelma was able to travel with us to Nags Head, N.C., and to our annual trip to South Dakota. I'm so grateful that I had those two final vacations with her. It was time to spend entirely with her... not having to rush to work, not having to attend to the everyday stresses of life. On our North Carolina trip, the ocean seemed to breathe health into her body. The oxygenated sea breeze seemed to give her a little more of a spring to her step.
  

We took many trips together. Rick and I opted to drive on all vacations, so Thelma and Louise could be with us. I hope she enjoyed our many trips to the Artist Ride in South Dakota, to Yellowstone, to Dunedin Florida, and all of our trips "home" for the holidays. Her bright, cheery personality was my shining light. All of my vacations are "working vacations", because I am either seeing out inspiration for future paintings, or attending art shows. To have my "girls" with me on our excursions was a necessity for me, not a choice.
On our final South Dakota trip, Thelma ate well, she seemed to be in good spirits, and we spent some quality time together. Thank you, Thelma for sharing that last trip with me. She was so brave to give me that last gift. It will be very hard on future trips to think that she won't be with me. My life has revolved around my trips to the west, and she has always shared it with me.






 Several of my friends shared that one of the things to think about in evaluating the end days of your pet. One suggestion is to list 5 things they love in life. If they've stopped enjoying those things, it's time to think about letting go. In retrospect, these things slipped away so very gradually, almost imperceptibly. I have a lot more than 5 things to remember of her, so I'm going to list a few. It's nice to be able to remember her in happier, healthier times.





Things that Thelma loved to do:

  • Sing a song
  • Chase Vultures in the sky
  • Chase the little red laser dot
  • Sit in front of the long windows and watch "puppy TV"
  • Sit in the sunshine, either in a window, or outside while I was gardening
  • Sit in front of the space heater while I was taking a shower
  • Crawl under the warm bed covers at bedtime (with her cold nose!)
  • Belly crawl across the floor like a frog
  • Bark at the carpenter bees
  • Nudge "her" cats
  • Young and middle aged Thelma LOVED floppy squeeky toys. She would shake them and shake them
  • Run and run and run (and run and run). She delighted in the run. In the house, we called it her "piggy run" because of the way she tucked her little butt under her. It was hilarious.
  • Use her "inside voice" to talk
  • Sit on the top of the back of the couch (to supervise)
Ride in the car on trips
  • She was our "Navigator" on our trips
  • Putting nose prints on the windows!
  • Chase seabirds when we went to Florida
  • Eat! She loved food! and Treats, Pizza Bones and Ice Cream and liver snacks
  • Fluffing a blanket. She would fluff and fluff and fluff, even if it was lumpy in the end.
In the last year or so of her life, she discovered she LOVED belly rubs. Never one to sit still for long, the belly rubs relaxed her and she would be very still.

I hope you found your way home, Thelma.
I still miss you every day, and my heart cries for you. I miss your songs, you were always able to sing me home.





Saturday, January 19, 2019

Miniature Art Society of Florida Show opens, Collectors Preview Today

Today is the collector's preview for the Miniature Art Society of Florida annual miniature art show at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art in Tarpon Springs, Florida . I am pleased to have been awarded 1st place in "Best Historical or Mythical" for my miniature painting, "Traveling Companions".

"Traveling Companions"                                                                                                5.5 X 3.5 oil on board.
I am fascinated by all canines, and especially the special bond between humans and dogs. I love studying research about ancient dogs in the Americas, how they were loved and used by their human partners. An archaeological dig in Illinois revealed a skeleton of a dog buried 10,000 years ago. (https://www.sciencenews.org/article/dogs-lived-and-died-humans-10000-years-ago-americas ).  This is why I've titled this painting with "Companions" in the title...her trusted pup goes where she goes, unquestioning, loving & loved, loyal and happy to just be with her.

I have four other paintings in the show:

"Scarlet in Winter"                                                                                                3 X 5 oil on board
Last winter, I visited Wolf Park (wolfpark.org) in West Lafeyette, Indiana to spend a day with the wolves in the park. Along with the wolves, they have red and grey foxes. I was able to meet and photograph Scarlet and Joker in their enclosure, and was quite delighted with their antics. Later last winter, we had a spectacular snowfall, and I imagined Scarlet emerging from the woods in the back of my property. 
"Stalking Shadows"                                                                                                5 X 3 oil on board
During my visit to Wolf Park (wolfpark.org) in West Lafeyette, Indiana, I was able to walk among the pack and take a ton of photos for reference. It was one of the most incredible experiences, and I highly recommend visiting and supporting Wolf Park! Our day was rainy, cold and miserable. The wolves loved it! The best part, their fur was fluffed against the cold, and they were active and playful. The frigid water was no deterrent to the curiosity of the pack, who waded out to fetch and play with various sticks. Later, a lovely snowfall presented opportunities to study the pond and cattails next door, and add them to this painting of Khewa, one of the females from the Wolf Park young pack.
"The Prairie Schooner Journal"                                                                                                3 X 4 oil on board
I am always seeking moments of human interaction in my paintings, and this one touches my heart, because of the love shown between siblings. These young ladies were modeling for me from inside an old Prairie Schooner wagon, and I imagined stories read from a journal would provide a little entertainment to the girls during the long, tedious and treacherous journey to unknown territories.

"Troubling Clouds "                                                                                                3 X 4 oil on board
Sometimes I simply like to paint the beautiful faces of people that I admire. This young man modeled for me many years ago, and later I found out he had passed not long after I met him. I loved his hair, the fine bone structure of his face, the colors of the landscape, and his regalia. I called it "Troubling Clouds", because of the forbidding clouds quickly moving in behind him, an unknowable future, and the many tragedies the people of his culture have endured. My heart aches for the stories that are told and untold. My unending hope is that interest in my paintings of  Indigenous cultures of the Americas will cause people to seek out knowledge and history, to gain understanding and empathy.
The collector's preview its this afternoon, Jan 19, and the show opens to the public tomorrow, Jan 20. My paintings and over 700 other paintings are on display and for sale at the show. Demonstrations by artists who work in the miniature genre will be throughout the week. More information is here: http://www.miniature-art.com/2019/Schedule.html