Latest From Texas

I used to have a pretty, ceramic platter, that I would put birdseed in, and a lovely, vintage glass bowl for their water...That lasted about two days. Now, I have a cast iron griddle, and an ugly, plastic dish...We have "critters" with no table manners whatsoever....A bluejay, who thinks it's his personal bathtub (this is shot through the window, so a bit blurry, and yes, that's a deer in our woods), three squirrels, who eat sunflower seeds so fast, that sometimes, they just have to lie down and rest, assorted varieties of birds, an opossem (named Blossem), who visits often...leaving a terrible mess, and a racoon, who is totally nonplussed when one turns on the porch light and says, "go away"..eventually, it ambles off into the night.

Our "Lily of the Nile" is in bloom, and that's very exciting, as the deer eat pretty much everything I plant...they wiped out my Bee Balm (trying to attract bees), but have left this one (actually, two blossems) alone...My mother-in-law, God love her, calls it a "Lily in Denial"

Our first fawn of the season. We've named it "Zoomy", for obvious reasons....now you see him, now you don't...

Thanks to wonderful Lady Bird Johnson, we can enjoy wildflowers all over Texas, and learn and enjoy about wildflower gardening, and gardening in general at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center....

This is an Enole...not sure how to pronouce it, but they seem pretty unafraid...My cat, Raisenette Funicello Buttafuco thinks they are tasty...poor babies.

If I weren't still painting like crazy, I'd get in the car and drive out to The Wildflower Center, as they don't allow deer there....

In Another Life, Far, Far Away

I was a photostylist - (still am, just haven't done it since I moved from Wisconsin to Texas)...What that means is I set up shots for commercial photographers, who usually have a client, who has an Art Director, who dictates there "vision", and then, I am off and running....a giant scavenger hunt.... whether, hardline - furniture, window blinds, room settings, or food (I know how to make fake ice cream, and I have been known to "roast " a turkey with a blow torch) or whatever the challenge,I once had a rat poison shoot, with real rats..ew - it sounds like fun - and it can be, but it is hard work...For once all the props are gathered and the the scene is set, there's the lighting, the "tweaking", the climbing on ladders to install window blinds, the painting of the set, the setting in of the floor, the crawling around under funiture and picking up lint, the steaming of the bedding...it goes on forever....

It's all an "optical delusion"....For example..the little handbag is Marzipan (almond paste with green food coloring, and gold-leafed clasp)....
It's also several days to a few weeks away from home, in a motel room...16-hour days on set, lots of flaring tempers, and hot lights...but, the pay is pretty good.
I did a 17-hour shoot for Sub Zero. A video, that I never saw, as it was shot and then, whisked away to Paris, to introduce Sub Zero Refridgerators and Wolf Ranges to the French...oh well.

This was a shoot for Springs/Graber Window Fashions....These are all sets, which are meticulously set up, photographed, then, torn down, and everything has to be returned...Sewed the window valence and ironing board cover in the conference room, while everyone was waiting impaitently on set. By the way, laying your tile diagonally gives the space a more spacious feel...just a little hint.

The people from the sporting goods store, where I got all the props ,were not impressed when I returned them all...In fact, there are stores from which I have been banned, once they caught on.

Springs/Graber have products at different price points, directed at different age groups, and finacial status...This is geared towards the younger set...The red does scream a bit, but it made for a dramatic shot.

Not my favorite shot, but again, the Art Director dictates the theme, and she/he knows who the customer is, and if very good at gearing it towards them.I like the serenity of this bathroom shot...and I do like the "towel ring dog".......

I used to have a pickup truck, for it's difficult to stuff a palm tree in the back of the Buick.....

So, if you need someone to roast your turkey with a blow torch, I'm your girl!

I'm Painting as Fast as I Can

The Art Fair at The Vineyard in Florence (Texas, that is) is on the 13th, and I've been painting everything I can get my hands on..


This oil painting was a struggle...She keeps turning out to look like Cher...I call it "Dreaming of Miguel"

These are "floorcloths", hand-painted canvas for your floors...love them on our stained concrete floors..they are practically bulletproof....

Watercolors...."Gathering Desert Storm"

Watercolor: "Coral Fish" (okay, I don't know if that's really a coral fish, but that's really coral.

Watercolor: "Of Course Their Yours" (referring to the roe - it's a joke, son")

Watercolor: "Aneome and Friend"

Watercolor: No title..any suggestions...I found these wonderful, iridescent watercolors..

There are fabulous glass paints, made by a French company - Pebeo...paint the glass, bake the glass, and they are permanent.
Off to paint some more...just one more week.....................