They eyes have it...

If you've been reading my blog at all, you'll know that last year I developed an eye problem - Convergence insufficiency - that basically means the eye muscles are weak and the eyeball (in my case, the left one) doesn't want to cooperate and move to focus where it's supposed to it times.  For me, it is distracting, frustrating, and disorienting at times.  I have eye muscle exercises to do and I do them, most of the time, but still have the eye muscle problem. 

I broke down and made an eye doctor appointment again.  It's not time for the annual exam but too bad.  If the insurance company has a problem, they can talk to me! 

On another subject, the Harpeth Hall Green Art Show reception is coming up this Sunday and I'm pretty psyched about it.  And the group I paint with, Collaborative Artists Network, will be showing in April in Donelson at Fifty Forward, a community art center for Seniors. 

Harpeth Hall Green Art show coming up!

Not too visible but here's the invite card for the upcoming show.  Reception is Sunday, March 6.  Harpeth Hall School is a very well-regarded prepatory schools for girls more than 150 years old.  Famous alum include Tracy Caulkins (the Olympic swimmer), Amy Grant, Reese Witherspoon, and others. 

I'm psyched.  To remind you, the painting I did that was accepted into the show was done in pigments I created myself.  Here it is all framed and ready to go:

In the midst of turmoil ... art

In the previous post, I mentioned finding inspiration via the National Archives.  Here's the end result.  I call her "Regal Rose," but the Archives file name was "Irish Spinning Woman."  I couldn't NOT paint her.  And truth be told she's only the second figurative painting I've done.  It was very hard, but I'm pleased with the results.  Hope you enjoy her.

The next paintings, below, are other ones I've done this month, trying like hell to shut out the news of conflagration around the world from Egypt to Madison, Wisconsin, to Tennessee.  My brain, aware of the growing income disparity in the U.S. as indicated by the Gini Coefficient begs me jump in.  But my heart and soul remind me I started painting to accept that there are things beyond my control.  So, I hide out in my studio, switch my IPhone from National Public Radio to Pandora's steady stream of tunes, and paint away.  My mind bears the burden of guilt my heart and soul erase with yellow ochre and burnt umber.

 

 

Hit for a loop with allergies lately!

I'm afraid I've done little painting lately, except for a lovely old Irish woman at a spinning wheel based on an image from the U.S. National Archives. To clarify, the photo is NOT my painting but the original photo, one of thousands of wonderful images uploaded by the LOC to an account they set up on Flickr which is searchable and, more importantly, lists whether the item has any copyright issues.  Fortunately for me and my love affair with this lovely image, there are no copyright issues. 

As for the allergies, I've been battling them first alone, then with the help of the steroid shot (see most recent post) and a nasal steroid spray but I'm not much better, so broke down and got the doctor to prescribe an antibiotic to help move things along.  We'll see.  One other thing I've been doing though is brewing this concoction each morning which really opens up my sinuses and gives me a kick in the clarity department.  I got the recipe from my dear Italian painter-friend Lucilla.  Here's my version:

Lucilla's Health Tea
Green Teabags (2 or 3)
2 -3 cups of water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 or so whole cloves or 1/4 teaspoon
1 teaspoon sliced fresh ginger or 1/2 teasp ground
2 anise pods or similar ground
1 or 2 crushed dried red peppers or comparable
a pinch of cumin
2 or 3 cardamom pods or comparable

Like Lucilla, I just boil it up and pour myself a cup now and again during the day.  Since I feel worst first thing in the morning BEFORE I have a shot, I figure it does do some serious good.

Note to self: Skip Goodwill After Steroid Injections

I've been under the weather for a while - actually since December and I kept figuring I was fighting something.  Finally gave up and went to the doctor this morning.  Turns out it's allergies.  Yeah, having the cat inside during winter, practically living in my office is not a good thing. 

The doctor gave me a steroid shot and though I intended to stop in for just a very quick look, well, I kinda went overboard at the local Goodwill today.  The kind of manic splurge I haven't had in years!  It was .99 yellow tag clothing days and the Ralph Lauren white cotton sweater and NY & Co tweed jacket will go quickly on e-bay I'm sure, along with the Aussie made boiled wool cardi.  I'm thinking the $2.99 vintage bowling ball hardcase is too cool to sell, and look at all the glisteny shiny .99 or less items I got for making art. 

I'm gonna be busy for a while so if I don't answer the phone, you'll understand.  It's the steroid shot.  =)