Finding Time to Do It All !

Well, it is Sunday again ! Still have not gotten around to do everything on my " To Do List". I am glad to keep up with friends via blogger. Moon Stump, my artist friend from Indiana, really is developing her painting. Love her works !!

I did get to Augusta this year and stayed with a really nice family.  I only painted two days, but I really loved the break.

These were the efforts of my three days.

    

I Need A Wife !

I  did not get to Augusta, Missouri Plein Air  to paint this year.  Instead, I had a surprise surgery; actually two surprise surgeries.   I did participate in the Stems Plein Air. www.stemspleinair.com.   I did  two paintings  prior to the second surgery.  I was pleased that both endeavors sold at the Stems events.  

Twilight  done in oil at the Quick Paint

 

Shadows oil

 

For the last week, I have tried to sit down and tackle three paintings that I need to begin. One is a commission that needs to be started like last week ! Besides the usual duties, I have had company twice which means extra house work, laundry, cooking, cleaning, errands, shopping and attention. I am pretty organized, but like many creative persons, once I start a  project, I do not like to be interrupted.

I am immersed.
I work until I am tired.
I eat what I want and when I please.
I do not clean house or do laundry.
I do not answer the phone for unnecessary time consuming conversations.
My family understands these moods after having put up with them for years and so do my very close friends.

It is hard to entertain and be a charming gracious hostess with all the work that is required to entertain- when one's mind is on the creative process. I need to paint, I need to work... my mind keeps churning as I bake, clean,  smile and plan.

I realized  last week why male artists have more time; they have a wife to do the cleaning, washing, ironing, cooking, errands, grocery shopping and all the other stuff necessary to keep life moving !  This last week I needed a wife. A maid has to be directed. A wife functions without direction. I know - I was one once.    

Next week with a deadline looming- I am retiring to to my cave studio to work all week. I  am not answering the phone or doing e-mail or attending meetings- unless of course  money is involved.

I have four shows to prepare for---one on Chicago,one in Kansas City, one in Independence. I need to re place the jewelry pieces that just sold as well.

I plan to be ready .

Electronics Work without a Hitch - (when you do not need them)

                                                                 
                                                                    Maasai
Did you ever have one of those days where there is no room, time or space  for errors and everything electronic that you touch goes Wham-o ! The printer stops talking to the computer and decides that it hates the new paper that was  just loaded; the print wheels decide that they need to clean themselves for 15 minutes. (I have an automatic clean myself printer) Well, the last two days  deserve to be nominated  as classics in this area. I worked with my photographer yesterday-- we had everything set  -- or so I thought.  Five minutes after leaving his house, I realized that I had left my flash drive. So with little time to spare, I returned to his house to retrieve it. Needless to say , I had an appointment elsewhere which I was pushing the envelope on for time. This miss- step was the sign of impending doom.

I got the flash drive yesterday and returned home-as I planned my next two busy days in my head. I was ready to rock and roll today.  Get all the  good stuff done !! Correct inventories,do the books-- you understand and clean because I am expecting out of town company, Sunday.  Low -  and be hold , you guessed it-all the pictures that we had worked on so diligently yesterday for size, settings and color were not on my  flash drive. Especially, the ones  that I needed to apply electronically to a show.  I discovered this as I was applying to a show on line.  E- mail pending send.   So,  off  I went back to my photographers to get the saved picture files off of his computer. I waited impatiently as he uploaded  files in all the correct sizes on my flash drive.  Back I went  to complete my tasks.  I started the upload- picture one- great, picture two great, picture three - part of the new doomed  series - wrong- format- which I found out AFTER I pressed send !!. You do get the picture--Electronics only work well   WHEN  NOT  NEEDED!


There must be some kind of special Murphy's Electronic LAW that exists in my studio and only comes into play when I have deadlines!!

I have to go back again tomorrow-to get the upload for my flash  and rush to  hang a show in Kansas before 3:00.  Did I mention that the site for the show is an hour from my house in Lee's Summit and my photographer is 20 minutes from me  ??  I have a 10:00 am appoint with the photographer. This should be fun to see what happens tomorrow !

Consequently,  I can only share one picture here,  Maasai.  No, he does not have on red; they really do sometimes wear blue.

Namaste,

Erlene

THE GAMBLER

This was inspired by the song, the Gambler, and the advice that the song provides...you have to know when to hold em and know when to fold em-- know when to walk away and know when to RUN...

Hello,
You probably thought that I had gone away. I did for awhile.  I am really a terrible blogger, but I am going to try to improve for the 2012 year. January is here in Missouri, not in the usual form-- ice and snow and slippery streets.

This is what I have coming up ! I was the featured artist for the City of Independence at the Martin Luther King Celebration on January 16, 2012 which was held at the Truman Memorial Building in Independence, Missouri.  I displayed 10 original paintings- among them was one of my newest ones- " The Gambler" which is also featured in the Xanadu Gallery January issue magazine that goes to over 80,000 collectors. I sold  two copies of that painting by the next Monday. The exposure was really great. I met all the important city officials starting  with the Mayor and his wife. I have copies of this picture available if you are interested. Just e-mail me. 

Next month, February,  which is right on me,  I will be showing at the Kansas City Kansas Main Public
Library located at 625 Minnesota Street in KCK.  This  show will open on February 15 and run until March 13, 2012 . 

February 9, 2012, I will be at the Black History Market Place event from 9 am-2 pm at 901 Locust Street in Kansas City, Missouri.  I will be selling mostly cards, reproductions and jewelry at this event.

 Quickly following that from February 10-12, 2012  - I will be at the 49th Ward Parkway Mid Winter Art Fair in Kansas City.

I am taking time to participate  in the Kansas City Artist's Coalition Sweet Heart Ball and Auction as a volunteer on February 15, 2012.

My Expose-- Not Good--- poor service---no excuses New Work

Two times in one week this is a record.
The new work in my Women Doing Ordinary Things is:

                                           HOT, HOT , HOT a Reggae Band in the Islands

 
Just found out that www.myexpose, my former website host -who will not communicate with me, has managed to block my access via yahoo to  my google blog. Over the years that I was with them, they have gotten several customers through their Whisper Program because of my referrals. Well, I do not want to put the cabbash  on anyone but our conversations seemed to have stopped shortly after Tanner left for higher ground, and they failed to shell out the last check that they owed me from the Whisper Program.

They no longer will return phone calls or return e-mails-- kind of over a 10 month period-- did manage to get an e-mail out to me that my bank would not do an auto debit any longer for them..  They did not answer the e-mail that I returned to them- that did not have a new debit number asking that they contact me instead.  How interesting !!

Wonder if they are like Chase Manhattan Bank and all the rest of our business community who are using foreign call centers ?  I guess that they are lucky that I do not have many followers to my blog YET !

Oh yes, I just  remembered -they do have a FACEBOOK page-- wonder if they will answer through their public forum ?

In the meantime-- consider carefully before you use www.my.expose.com- who have raised their prices for less service, one of several reasons that  I wanted to talk to them---OH yes the real kicker- they changed their phone number.
-My bank could not get them either - that is when I found out that Chase's helpful call center was in the Philippines. . Bank regulations in America require a working phone number for a debit.  Apparently, this is not so in the Philippines    Does this  sound more like fraud to you??.stay tuned !!


Erlene

Women Series: The Engagement

                                                                "The Engagement"


I am posting another of the works, on Women Doing Ordinary Things.,  "The Engagement".   

It has been awhile since I have written. I told you that I would not write often.  I do have things to share.


First, I am leaving my website, www.flowers.myexpose.com.  I have been represented by them  for a long time. I am grateful and  appreciative of the function that they served for me over the last several years. If you visit that site now it will indicate that it is disabled or suspended. I prefer disabled since i left them.   In the near future, I will be putting up another website that offers more flexibility in range for my endeavors.  In the meantime, I have work on this blog, which I hope that you  will consider following,  and on two other sites, Summitart.org and independenceartassociation.org.

Second, I participated in the Plein Air event at the Perry Yacht Club in Kansas. The people were lovely and hospitable and painting water reminded me of home- Michigan! I sold one picture there. It is posted here, too; unfortunately, I did not get reproductions made before I submitted it the Regatta Art Show at the lake.
Waiting to Sail

Last, for now- I have the pleasure of showing with the Light in the Other Room,  a exceptionally talented group of African America  Artists from the greater Kansas City area, who are celebrating their 10th Anniversary in a group show at the Lofts Gallery 2101 Vine in Kansas City in the Vine Street area near the American Jazz Museum. The opening is September 30, 2011 from 5-8 pm.  This event was juried by  Carolyn Cameron, Fiber Artist, James Martin, Curator, Truman Medical Center art collection and Leonard Pryor, President Emeritus, Kansas City Art Institute.  The exhibit and will be sponsored by the Greater Kansas City Links Chapter.  This promises to be a wonderful networking evening with administrative representation from the Nelson and the Kemper Museums who will gather at this show to welcome the new President of the Kansas City Art Institute and of course. to congratulate the TLITOR members. Add this event to your calendar, this kind of gathering only happens on occasion.

The show is curated by Pat Jordan, curator of the Lofts Gallery.
Erlene