Mary and I have been chatting back and forth for a couple weeks now. I think she is a fabulous artist, so we decided to exchange Etsy minis and questionnaires. You can read my answers to the questions in her blog.

I notice that you are in Florida and wondered how long you have lived there?
My husband, Bob, and I have lived in Florida for 10 years.

Are you in a rural area or city?
We live in the metro area of Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater which is also known as Tampa Bay. There is no city of Tampa Bay, but many people think that is its name.

What do you like about it, and what do you dislike?
I love the natural beauty of the area. It is an absolute feast of artistic subjects.
I love the beach - sitting on it, walking on it, driving along it.
I love the slowed-down feel of being on the beach.
I love watching the shore birds.
I love the things you find at the beach, and it’s always something new, at least to me.
I love the weather in the late Fall, Winter and Spring when the temperatures have moderated.
I love that the people are friendly.
I love the art groups I have been involved with.
I love the variety of good restaurants and eating outdoors.
I love going to Anna Maria Island and sitting in the gallery there.

I dislike the traffic, especially in the winter when there are more people who are unfamiliar with the area.
I’m not so fond of the worries that hurricane season brings.

Are you involved with any art groups, or do you show in a gallery?
I’m way involved, and sometimes I think too involved. I belong to three groups, two of those have galleries and the responsibilities that go along with that. The third group also has a lot of involvement with showing artwork in local sidewalk shows and in venues such as shops and restaurants. All of them have websites: www.studio1212.org, www.amiartistsguildgallery.com, and www.creative-artists-guild.com.

How long have you been painting?
I was an Art major in college, but then I had to earn a living and raise a family, so I didn’t paint for a lot of years. Now I’ve been back to painting for about 12 years and don’t see how I ever did without it.

What time of day do you find is best for you to paint?
I usually find I get most serious about painting between 2 and 8 pm. It varies, but life usually interferes with errands and running around in the mornings.

What do you like about your workspace, and what do you dislike?
I have a beautiful room here with a wonderful view of the lake we live on, and I could sit there and just look at that view forever. We moved here two years ago, and I’ve been able to have my own room for the first time.

What I dislike is me, and my inability to organize my beautiful space. When you make art, you collect “stuff” from everywhere, and there’s never anywhere to put it all. Also, I’m always putting something down in the middle of a project and then not being able to find the thing I just had 30 seconds ago. Makes me crazy.

Do you listen to any music while you paint and what kind?
I listen to Country. Ha Ha! The Country music of today is nothing like the twangy stuff it used to be, and it’s the most like good old Rock n Roll used to be.

How did your style evolve?
It “just did”, is the best answer I can come up with. I have taken many classes and workshops, and I think you probably come away from each of them with something you make your own over time. I’ve enjoyed a lot of experimental techniques, and trying new things, because it’s the most like true “playing” an adult can do. When I paint and really get into it, time passes, and before I’m aware of it I have to turn on the lights, because it has gotten dark.

i set up a zazzle account today, and now i have three of my favorite collaged paintings on the side of mugs. woah! it’s a little strange to see something that i made with my own two hands mounted onto a cup like that. heh. looks like something you could buy in a department store. only better, right? heh!

oh, and i put the image on both sides of the mug, so you can see it whether you’re right or left-handed. cool, eh?

i gotta tell you, i have been having such fun in the Les Petite Dolls workshop so far, and class hasn’t even started yet. i have chatting with the most fabulous people. oh hey, if you want to chat with me, i put a chat thingy in the sidebar. you don’t have to be taking the workshop to chat. just click the link and it will open up a chat window, so we can talk. it’s such fun, really. do it! do it!!

okay, that’s all for now.
good night!

ordinary comics

DeeDee nominated me for the brillante weblog award. Thank you, DeeDee!! She said that I paint houses that are alive. hm..I’m going to think of that every time I go to paint a new one from now on. The pressure is on!!

The rules of accepting the award:
1) Put the logo on your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on yours.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

You know how I hate to play by the rules, so I’m going to nominate everyone on my links page. So, if your link is there, consider yourself a winner!! Yay!

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The VAST etsy team that I joined last week is having a Christmas in July sale. I hesitated doing it because..well, because it’s rather a large task. I just had a HUGE sale in one of my etsy shops and I put everything on sale. EVERYthing. That was A LOT of editing and the re-editing when the sale was over. Etsy doesn’t make it easy to do this type of thing. But, whatever. I did it anyway. Only five items are on sale, not all. So, if you haven’t taken a look in my shop lately, please do.

1930s COLLAGED NOTEBOOK JOURNAL - I AM GOING TO BE A GROCERY MAN

1930s COLLAGED NOTEBOOK JOURNAL - WHEN WE GROW UP

1930s COLLAGED NOTEBOOK JOURNAL - IN THE SPRING

1930s COLLAGED NOTEBOOK JOURNAL - WHEN I GROW UP I WILL BUILD HOUSES

1930s COLLAGED NOTEBOOK JOURNAL - I AM A KITTEN

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aw! I read this morning that the world’s oldest blogger,  Ollie Riley passed away Saturday. 108 years old, and blogging til the end.

Rest in peace, lady writer.

look what i got from E.B. Spider. Pink Posies Furry Flip Flops. Are these not the best flip flops on the planet? I think so. a little bit hippie and a little bit poofy girl.

my cats are reacting in strange ways. Izabella won’t come near me. She’s still hiding under the couch. Scrappy Doodle wanted to follow me everywhere - at first. Since seeing Iza’s reaction, he’s backed off and is being cautious. Like, what are those things, anyway, mom?

Emma ran a couple steps away, and then had a second thought. She sat down, and waited for me to walk closer to her. I took a couple steps, and stopped. She got up, came over, smelled the fuzzies, and then licked my leg in approval. I then got many leg rubs, so she likes! I hope Iza forgives me soon, tho.

Click on E. B. Spider’s link above, and get yourself a pair.

I couldn’t decide which one I wanted. I looked at Once Upon The End’s Etsy for about an hour. I kept hopping back and forth between these two books, and simply couldn’t make up my mind which one I liked more.

Suddenly, I thought, why do I have to like one better than the other? I don’t! Yay! So, I bought both of them. I snagged this picture from Cheryl’s blog to show you what they look like. I can’t wait to get them.