The Tuesday night reception at the gallery went very well. Some of my old work friends stopped by to say ‘hello’ and see the new pieces. They were very encouraging. (Thanks Gang!) It was so hot I thought I would melt! And still, people came. Success!
Looks like there is enough interest for me to do a workshop, at least 12 people signed the list. Yay! I will schedule that for some time in September or October. Should be loads of fun! I can’t wait!
Folks who stopped by to take a look at the new gallery show at the evening reception.
She is pointing at my traditional watercolors, (left), 3 of them. Catherine and her daughter are looking at some of my collages.
Note my bio on the wall, right.
Begin the gallery view street-side
"Welcome!" Michelle says. She was the docent for the morning reception. Thanks for everything, Michelle, you are awesome!
Come see my show at the FUMC gallery and sign my guest book!
1. Sunday morning, August 22, 2010, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m., 1551 Montgomery Drive, (First United Methodist Church), just 2 blocks east of Memorial Hospital
2. Tuesday evening, August 24, 2010, 5:00 – 7:30 p.m., same location. See ya there!
Ahem! Announcing:
The one-woman art show by Paula L. Peterson is now up in the gallery at FUMC Montgomery! (Wish my camera wasn’t broken, I’d post pics.) And, thank you Bob Cheal for helping me hang 13 pieces this morning. I am so honored to have been asked to do this, it was a daunting task and a humbling experience. There will be a reception on the 24th as well, if you can believe that! It is a bit surreal! I am inviting attendees to sign up if they are interested in participating in a Soul Painting workshop. If there is enough interest, I will schedule it. Stay tuned!
Cool new blog started by my friends Isabelle and Christine from Napa. They invite artists to join to paint the monthly photo then, post the result on their blog. They are sooo smart! What a fun new art prompt! 
This is their website graphic, not the painting of the month. I wonder which one of them painted this? Hmmm….
www.youtube.com
Watercolor, gold ink, gold foil hearts and rose petals on paper.
This piece was started some weeks ago for my friend Siegrid Smith who just celebrated her 5th year cancer-free. She is an amazing woman and a friend of nearly 40 years. For someone so special on such an auspicious occasion, the final result should be extra special so, it is difficult to finish.
These collage paintings are all about 9 X 12 and don’t hold much within their borders so the reams of poetry, bible verses and love that I want to express won’t fit. It won’t matter to Siegrid. She knows how I feel and how important she has been to me, my late husband and my family.
Happy 5th anniversary, Siegrid!
Counter-clockwise from top left:
“Childhood–Wonder at things small and curious, passion for others-close.
‘The visit of the Master–In poverty: love of mist and haze; in spring: friendship between us, a dry post on the shore adds warmth to sunlight.’
Into the eddies drift my dreams & aspirations, I think I’ll fly a kite…
‘For me, that which is divine, rests on the pursuit of beauty.’ ~ John F. Saladino”
Upon completion I wrote:
On the banks of the river of my life I leave childhood, adolescence, wonder at small things, passion for others close. Into the eddies drift my dreams & aspirations, changing over time until now fast goes the river over the rocks of struggle, past the banks of what was, going ever faster toward the sea. Nothing gets left on the banks now. I carry my wonder with me, wonder at larger things and bigger questions, passion for life itself and beauty, pursuing the next turn with eager anticipation toward serenity.
The assignment was to bring in some words, prose, poetry or something like that and we, at the monthly muse meeting, would focus on what we brought as part of our meditation. Typical me, I forgot the instructions from one month to the next and brought nothing. When we meditated, all I could think of was the lament from one of my sons who said, in discussing his joblessness, “Mom, I need to come down and spend some time with you. I NEED TO GET SOME PETERSON MOJO GOIN,’ I don’t know what else to do!” So, after the meditation that next Saturday, we added ink, gold in my case, into the wet and were instructed to write whatever words we had brought with us on our paper. Then, add the usual paint and collage elements after that.
This funny face showed up wearing a funny “hat” I found in an article I read about another artist’s work! “My task,” he says “what is my task, what is my task? To ponder truth; to love; to help a child. To do my best from dawn till night.” The red-shirted guy looking up at the art is trying to make sense of it all. I love red and purple together! That combo just sings to me!
The hymn music, “My Task,” at the bottom reads, “To love someone more dearly every day, help a wandering child to find to find his way, to ponder o’er a noble tho’t and pray, and smile when evening falls, and smile when evening falls, this is my task.” What else is there to say? Question asked and answered. Amen!
Another magical experience in letting the image unfold. The clown image just sort of showed up so, I added a bit of definition and put an umbrella in his hand. Note that the other hand, his left, makes the sign for “hang loose” all on its own. The quote at the top reads, “It is well to drop the old that one may seize the new.” — Lillian Whiting
Tightrope walking, trying to balance and failing frequently, the Sad Sack clown continues as if in peril when really his rope is only slightly off the ground. So dramatic about it all! If he would but turn and see that the road leads easily in the opposite direction he might dance his way along instead and turn that frown upside down. Follow the girl, the Pied Piper of health and fitness, into the future and the great beyond.
In thinking about setting goals for myself I am like the clown it seems regarding my health. “It isn’t so difficult, just do it and get over yourself!” I tell adolescent Me. “Get off your bum and move!” And yet, here I sit, preferring to spend time on my computer, posting to my website rather than going for a walk. Ahh, but it is so sweet here with my cup of coffee and my artwork. How can I leave?