To our family members and friends that served this country, Thank you.

For several weeks now the term "series" has come up in conversations and articles and blogs. So I'm taking the hint from the muse spirits or whomever and adding my two cents.

I had never done a series before until about three years ago, for whatever reason. Perhaps nothing grabbed my attention enough to pursue it farther than one attempt. Perhaps it was a maturity thing, where I wasn't afraid to fail (or succeed ) at a particular subject more than once. ( Oh, the things the years teach us. ) But really I think it had more to do with the intrigue of the frozen, cracked kernels of Indian corn that had been tossed out on the deck after Thanksgiving.

I have often said the high I get from doing water colors is the process, watching the image take shape on the paper from the layers of color and the deepening values. I enjoy trying to see how deep I can get into that third dimension. So with the corn series each piece became more detailed in the shape of the kernels and the depth of the spaces in between. The first ones were merely similar shapes of flat color. Honey comb with a bad dye job. Although, I do like the one shown here with it's abstract quality. ( Does it count if it was unintentional ? ...hmm, I wonder how many artists admit to that ? )

I intend to revisit the corn soon, if I don't get distracted with the bazillion other subjects on my list. A dear friend told me that she thought I would be known for the corn paintings and I laughed. Then I delivered last years entry to the Baltimore Water Color Society's Regional show and the person checking things in exclaimed "Oh, the corn lady!"....geeze.

May 15,1979 Thirty years ago !

Last weekend we were invited to a surprise birthday party for our son and one of his friends. Those involved reserved the upstairs of Ryleighs in Baltimore, a great bar and seafood restaurant . It's one of their favorite hangouts and I can see why, too. The food was great and the entire area around Cross Street Market is full of festive atmosphere.

Inspite of, or because ,we had moved a few times in his young life, Nick always found it easy to make and keep friends. By the number in attendence that night it looks like he's kept quite a few. Thanks Kit for including us in the fun !
Happy 30 th Nick !

Flat Files !

One of my pastimes is to troll craigslist and check out "creative gigs" and art jobs and things that artists are getting rid of. All my adult artist life I've wanted flat files but was too cheap to spend the money on a new unit. Wouldn'tchya know craigslist had a post by someone near me that was selling theirs. Whoohoo ! I drove to Baltimore in our trusty pick'em up truck, to a neighborhood where I had never been and loaded the million layers of paint which had the files attached. All for a very good price I might add. That was this fall. They spent the winter in our garage waiting for warmer weather and a makeover. So, a couple quarts of stripper, several cans of paint primer and some Rustoleum paint plus several hours of scrapping,wiping,cleaning,spraying,painting....the results are to the right. It's so nice to have a place to put mat board, water color paper etc.,etc. Plus it makes a great work station for cutting mats, painting and any other flat work that needs done.....except folding laundry !