. I have been hibernating or being a bit of a hermit for a good part of the past year or so. I have also been avoiding my metal shop as I have found that since I caught myself on fire welding is not as much fun as it once was. I am getting close to wanting to get back in the shop and I want to do a few more projects like some of my early works.

Below are three photos of work I made for a Steam Con Show in 2010 in case you did not guess the theme was the wild wild west. These works are some of my favorites and yes the clock works.

Today’s Quote
True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment.”
– William Penn
About William Penn
William Penn is remembered as the founder of Pennsylvania; the democratic government he set up became the model for the United States Constitution. He was born on October 14, 1644 in England. After he was arrested several times for preaching Quaker ideals, he decided to found a settlement in America. He drew up the “Great Treaty” with the Delaware Indians to ensure they were paid fairly for their land and toured Europe marketing the new colony. He died on July 30, 1718.

I really wish I had kept it as it would be awesome to put ice in for our Champagne Tuesdays! The owner sent me a nice photo of it in its new home.

Gears of Wash

Today’s Quote

“Just as appetite comes by eating, so work brings inspiration, if inspiration is not discernible at the beginning.”
– Igor Stravinsky
About Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky, the modernist Russian composer, had a profound influence on classical music with his musical innovations in such pieces as the ballet The Rite of Spring, which shocked contemporary society with the newness of its sound. He was born on June 17, 1882 near St. Petersburg. After briefly considering law, he apprenticed to composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. He was also a virtuosic pianist. He continued composing and touring into his 80’s. He died on April 6, 1971.

I just got this photo of Seasons of Paris, hanging in its new home. While I was at the clients house I walked around and counted 22 pieces of art they have purchased from me over the years.

I was at the clients house I walked around and counted 22 pieces of art they have purchased from me over the years.

I brought my paints and brushes with me and I talked my client into painting a piece of his own. I made him a template and he spent 2.5 hours painting. He calls this, 50 Shades of Paris.

Today’s Quote
“My father used to say to me, ‘Whenever you get into a jam, whenever you get into a crisis or an emergency…become the calmest person in the room and you’ll be able to figure your way out of it.'”
– Rudolph Giuliani
About Rudolph Giuliani
Rudolph Giuliani, the controversial former mayor of New York City, took the national spotlight after the events of September 11th, when he stood strong, pulling the city together, which garnered him the Person of the Year accolade from Time magazine. He was born in Brooklyn on May 28, 1944. As mayor, he presided over a massive urban redevelopment and implemented the “broken windows” policy, which cracks down on small crimes to deter larger ones. After his term as mayor ended, Giuliani founded an investment and consulting company. He remains heavily involved in American politics and ran for president in 2008.

My husband likes to workout at home so we recently purchased an elliptical for the living room. I have used the Elliptical at home a few times but it is just not the same as being at the gym.I prefer working out at the gym because I like to watch the other gyms members. Watching others work out and working out with friends is something that helps to inspire and motivate me.
Group Run 16 x 20 Acrylic $87 includes tax and shipping in the US

Todays Quote

“Inspiration follows aspiration.”
– Rabindranath Tagore
About Rabindranath Tagore
Indian poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore, a contemporary of Mahatma Gandhi, was the first Asian to garner a Nobel Prize, which he won in 1913 for literature. He was born in India on May 7, 1861, the youngest of 13 children. He wrote poetry, stories, travelogues, dramas, essays, and songs. In the West, he was seen as a mystical figure and his fame faded with time, but his legacy lives on in India, where his work has become part of the fabric of the culture. He died on August 7, 1941.

I just got this photo of Midnight Rendezvous hanging in its new home!

Today’s Quote
“If you must begin then go all the way, because if you begin and quit, the unfinished business you have left behind begins to haunt you all the time.”
– Chögyam Trungpa
About Chögyam Trungpa
Tibetan Buddhist leader Chögyam Trungpa was instrumental in bringing Buddhism to the West. He was born on February 28, 1939 in Tibet and was recognized as the reincarnation of a Rinpoche (enlightened teacher) at 13 months old. After moving to England, he abandoned his monk garb: He wanted his Western students to perceive the Buddhist teachings without becoming distracted by exotic trappings. He founded Naropa University in Colorado and wrote several books. He died on April 4, 1987.

Over the past few days I have taken a break from painting and my husband Peter and I have spent the afternoons clearing out old plants in front of our house and working on putting in a rose garden. I am not sure if we are being silly as we live in the woods and the deer really love to eat rose bushes.

Today’s Quote

“Had there been no difficulties and no thorns in the way, then man would have been in his primitive state and no progress made in civilization and mental culture.”
– Anandibai Joshee
About Anandibai Joshee
Anandibai Joshee, also referred to as Anandi Gopal Joshi, was the first Hindu woman to receive a medical degree. She was born on March 31, 1865 into the constrictive Brahmin class in India. Born with the name Yamu, she was married at age nine to Gopalrao Joshi, who renamed her and educated her in secret, watching her grow more independent. She secretly flew to the United States to become a doctor and intended to treat Indian women, who were not given medical attention at the time, but died of tuberculosis on February 26, 1887 at age 21.

Today I sold my first horse painting! This one now has a new home! Paintings start at $75 if you see a piece you need send me a note.

I sometimes get in a rut and then someone will say, ” hey, your an artist can you … ” I try to always say yes to a new challenge.

Today’s Quote
“Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew. They’re what make the instrument stretch — what makes you go beyond the norm.”
– Cicely Tyson
About Cicely Tyson
Acclaimed American actress Cicely Tyson is probably best known for her Emmy-winning TV role in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, the life story of a former slave. She was born on December 19, 1933 in New York, the daughter of Caribbean immigrants. She was nominated for an Oscar for the Depression drama Sounder, which made her a star. She only takes roles that present black women in a positive light. She was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1977.

Having lived in the Pacific Northwest most my life I am a custom to having the weather change from sunny to grey in just a few seconds and then back to sunny again. Today has been one of those days.
Seattle’s blue grey sky’s is almost finished. Each one is 73 x 21

“The be-all and end-all of life should not be to get rich, but to enrich the world.”
– Bertie Charles Forbes
About Bertie Charles Forbes
Bertie Charles Forbes, known as B.C. Forbes, is remembered as the founder of the long-running Forbes magazine, aimed at investors. He was born on May 14, 1880 in Scotland. He worked as a reporter for a Dundee newspaper until 1901, when he moved to South Africa and founded a newspaper there; but he stayed just three years before moving to the United States, where he became a financial editor and columnist. His sons Bruce and Malcolm succeeded him as editors-in-chief of Forbes. He died on May 6, 1954.

As a child I used to sit and draw pictures of the neighbors horses and in the past few years I have fallen in love with the desert so in this little series am combining young love with an adult love.

Today’s Quote

“I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is, after all, to matter: to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.”
– Leo Rosten
About Leo Rosten
Leo Rosten, the Polish-American academic and author, is best known for his seminal The Joys of Yiddish, an amusing look at Yiddish words that have entered the American vernacular. Born in Lodz, Poland, on April 11, 1908, he immigrated to Chicago as a child. He wrote dozens of books, including a set of extremely popular humorous stories about Hyman Kaplan, a night-school student struggling with English. Under the pseudonym Leonard Q. Ross, he wrote mysteries and film noir screenplays. He died on February 19, 1997.