This is How We Roll!

Our ages range from 59 to 80 (am I really the oldest?) and we are on our way. Casting doubts and fears aside, we have one goal: to have a good time. We had our mannies  and pedis (except for Drew), colored our hair,

 

grabbed our coffees and descended on Austin airport. Southwest Airlines took it all in stride, literally. We felt like royalty  as we passed through the gates headed for our first stop, Oakland. Looking out the windows I think of the Scripture verse that says we are made a little lower than the angels. I am always awed to be above the clouds, and the mountains below look like crinkled folds of cloth.

We try to determine: “Is this the Rio Grande” or “Are we over the Grand Canyon?” As artists we are already dreaming of that next painting and we wish someone could tell us what town lies thirty thousand feet below us.

 

We have time to grab some lunch before our flight to Portland, and arrive in time to pick up our vans to head on west to the coast.  We’re feeling mighty fine as we clear Portland’s traffic and drive past farms that look like picture puzzles. I wish we’d stopped for photos. The rolling hills, clouds falling below the mountains give us a preview of the week ahead. Stopping to shop for groceries and dinner, we explore Tillamook.

 

Too late to tour the factory, we settle for a delicious dinner before the final lap to Oceanside. Our oceanfront home, The Anemone House, is incredibly beautiful and roomy. To sleep with the window open to the roar of the ocean, we are in Paradise. 

Never Stop Dreaming!

Photo courtesy of Fon Thayer-Ulrich

Earlier this year on my 80th birthday, a group of my friends surprised me with a fun-filled celebration of life. Known as THE ART CHIX and THE DUDES, our group is composed of amazingly creative people who paint, draw, sculpt, write and drink a little wine together now and then. We talked about how we had dreams of far away places and how we’d like to see some of those beautiful places together. When I went home I realized it was time to put those dreams into action.

I realized I would not always be able to go and do what I wanted, so I began to look into a trip with my friends to the Pacific Northwest. I’d visited Oregon several times and really wanted to share that beauty with my fellow artists. You need to realize I’m not terribly young nor am I agile. I have an 83 year old husband who needs lots of care and I almost believed my travel days were over. Just for fun I began to say – “what if?” Going on line, I started looking for lovely places on the coast that a group of us might rent. I began to ask my friends if they’d be interested, hoping one or two might travel with me, provided my best friend and husband were cared for. My beloved children stepped forward and said, “Do it, Mom! We’ll care for our Dad.” And so we began to dream it and then scheme it, which is my motto.

Before I knew it, eight artists committed to join me and our plans began to grow.

I won’t deny I had moments of doubt, but as the days flew by, the excitement began to grow. I really felt more and more confident that this might happen. For nine months we dreamed and schemed. We had planning parties, shared ideas and goals and wondered if this might really happen. I prayed for direction and was reassured by Proverbs 3:5-6:  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him,  and he will  make your paths straight.”

Tomorrow, the team begins to scheme….

The Gathering

One of the joys of being an artist is the journey. You have this lovely blank canvas and you begin to play with colors and shapes, textures and ideas, and things begin to happen! This piece began with an exploration of mediums, modeling paste, iridescent paints and several paint overs. Students in my studio made suggestions – some were helpful, and the women of my tribe appeared. The client who bought this kept saying: “More bling! More bling!” So in a spirit of playfulness, we gave it more bling. I hope you like this piece as much as I do.