Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day!

Just a few sweets for all my friends out there. Lots of Valentines this year. I think someone likes me. Ya think?!

Busy with web pages at the moment. I am working with the Greeley Art Association members to each have a page of their own on the GAA web site. So far it has been a lot of fun. First off had to figure out a way to photo paintings underglass in my house. Had that all figured out when I was in my studio and knew the process there, but after setting the studio up in the house, well, boy was there a lot of reflections. The process still works, but I just have to wait until after dark. Too many windows and stray lights. But have the process down, so the rest won't take so much time, and some of the members do have their own photos.

Also busy with the PhotoShop class I'm taking on line. The picture above is a direct result of one of my assignments. I'm really enjoying that class. I really didn't know much at all about the software. Mostly just doctored some family photos as needed, and cropped and reduced the size of photos for the web. I can't say I know what I am doing yet, but am learning and having a lot of fun.

Going to run for now. But will be back with more soon. (Stop laughing!) ...

All art, poetry and writings are copyright & cannot be reproduced in any form without written permission from Judith Angell Meyer

Happy New Year - 2009

After serious & cautious consideration . . .
Your contract of friendship has been renewed for the New Year 2009!
It was a very hard decision to make. So try not to screw it up!!!
My Wish for You in 2009
May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts.
May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet of $100 bills.
May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips!
May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy.
May the problems you had forget your home address! In simple words . . .

May 2009 be the best year of your life!!!

~*~*~*~

Update - And the Bear

Okay, lets give this a go again. First off, I'm sorry I haven't been around much of late. I think I've been in my usual seasonal funk for one. Much shorter this year though, which is good.

I had surgery in late August. And I have been doing just great ever since. Caused a bit of fuss to begin with when the Doctors found out I had a bi-fascicular block in my heart. The anesthesiologist just threw up! It took some doing, but my specialist said it wasn't going to cause any trouble and I could go ahead with the surgery. We did, and all is well. Doctors are so excitable.

The other day my son Fritz had to return a snow blower he had borrowed from a friend, and the only way he could do that was my pickup and trailer. Since I don't loan my stuff out, I hitched the trailer and went to pick him and the snow blower up. When I stepped into the pickup, I stepped wrong I guess, (don't even remember), and really hurt my right knee. Actually it isn't my knee, but behind the knee. The bend in the back. Hurt like a son-of-a-gun for several days. My son Hans fixed me up with an ice pack, then a heating pad and some Advil. I settled into my lounge chair and was there pretty much for the next two and a half days. I'm getting around pretty good now. Doesn't hurt just to hurt, but when I step a little off, I know it is still there.

Christmas Eve was fun. Had an "open house" for the kids to come and go, and as usual, when we are all together everything gets really funny. They are such a fun bunch. (Goobers actually!) Then Christmas Day I was invited to dinner with a new friend. The dinner was in an Assisted Living Center and we were visiting her mother. My what an elegant place that was. They had hired professional chefs to prepare the dinner, and was it ever good. The place was lovely. After dinner we sat and talked a while in the library by the fire place, then went upstairs to the theater and watched "White Christmas." Very nice day.

The new friend is Charlotte, (Charlotte's Web), and she is the Web Designer for the local Art Association. I had been a member many years ago, but signed on again. Not sure why. Just to be in a more social art scene mostly. Anyway, I got to talking with Charlotte, and she was kind of at a stand still about the idea of every member having their own page on their site. I volunteered to help her and have ended up with the job. But ... I'll get paid a little for each page I do.

I really enjoyed being a part of the SAA art shows this year. The annual Society of Animal Artists was held at the Neville Museum, Green Bay, Wisconsin. I was energized to complete the small cougar piece below. It was accepted in the SAA "Small Works - Big Impressions" show held at the "Wildlife Experience" in Parker, Colorado. The show will run from November to February.

Otherwise I'm just keeping busy trying to keep up with everything and keep my head above water. You might like to know that my laundry is all caught up. ::grin:: I have to tell someone! That is one of my mother-in-law's superstitions, and for the fun of it I played along. It has sort of stayed with me. She always said that you had to be caught up with all your laundry by the first of January, or you would be behind with it all year. And I'll tell you ... that was an enormous project for that woman. She really let things go. I had a lot of laundry with four kids, at least one in diapers for a long time, but the apartment was too small to let it ever pile up.

Now I have to pay the bills, and I will have everything caught up for the year end. Whew!!!

Now for the bear part. The original painting was 14" x 19", watercolor painting and was commissioned for a calander. It was a favorite. As luck would have it, I had 8" x 10" transparencies made of four of the paintings. Years later when I tried to inquire about buying them back, I haven't been able to find the company. The transparencies are very good, and hopefully this month I'll be able to have a few giclee's made.

"Fishing the Shallows"

Until next time! Looking forward to getting some poetry written down. Its been stirring around in my head for a while now, time to get it out.

Judith

All art, poetry and writings are copyright & cannot be reproduced in any form without written permission from Judith Angell Meyer

Sick and tired ...

Hello all,

.

I pretty much view my friend Lynn's Blog everyday. She has links to my Blog, and it has been stuck on "I'm Sorry ..." for ever, and I finally got sick of looking at it there. I'm sure she has too. So ...

.

To begin with, the show I talked about on that post is over now, and was a really nice group of paintings. Wonderful actually. My little cougar got a lot of attention, but didn't sell. Sigh ... Then December 6 and 7th there was another opening at the Thunderbird Gallery, and as always we have a lot of fun there. Even had some sales.

.

I tried to take pictures of that amazing moon we experienced a couple of nights ago. When I went out to see it, there was this massive ring around it. I couldn't get the whole thing in, but at least you can get some idea from the picture I did get: The moon is oblong because I had to stand still and hold the camera still until the shutter closed.

I thought it was pretty amazing!

.
The exciting news, for me, is that I have published my first Giclee. It is a watercolor painting, 14"x19", titled "Small Comfort." The original is available, but it is so nice to have less expensive prints to offer, and they are really beautiful. The Limited Edition is only 150 prints. The printer did an outstanding job.

"Small Comfort"

After the first of the year I'll be having Giclee's made of another watercolor, also 14"x19", titled "Fishing the Shallows." It is a Grizzly fishing a small stream.

.

I'll say goodbye for now, with the hopes that within a day or two I'll be back with a picture of the Bear print. Time to feed the wee little dog.

.

~J~

P.S. Expecting a huge temperature drop tonight. Down to +1 degree they say. Brrrrr~

I'm sorry ...

Hello! I think I have abused my faithful fans for much too long. No excuse really. It has been an interesting adventure through recovery though. Kind of on again then off again. However, this is the first day I have actually felt normal. I guess my body is adjusting to the new and improved me.

There still hasn't been much in the way of excitement in my life. However I have sent the cougar off to Parker for the "Small Works - BIG Impressions" show!

FYI: It will be hosted at:
The Wildlife Experience
10035 South Peoria Street
Parker, CO 80134

Opening November 15, 2008 and will run until January 4, 2009

If you are in the area, come take a look at some of the most outstanding wildlife art produced by the members of the international Society of Animal Artists. Would love to meet you!!

Now for the down home news, my son Just got himself a horse. He is getting into renaissance history, and wants to learn the horseback/warrior games. In comes Yukon. This is one big guy. He is an 11 year old registered Shire. His color and the tumor on his face made the price right. He has been very well trained. My son was trotting him out the other day, (for pictues), and when he stopped, Yukon almost came to a sliding stop. I do wish him well.

We took the picture of him riding Yukon to show his size. My son is 6' tall, and his feet don't even come down below Yukon's belly!

Okay, enough excitement for today. I'll do my best to be back much sooner!

Kittens

Just a quickie for today. Thought you all might be interested in seeing what I was doing in 1960. These three kittens are all done in a soft vine charcoal. They are on pad charcoal paper, that is now disintegrating. They were all about 8" x 10". Enjoy ...

~*~

~*~

~*~

All art, poetry and writings are copyright & cannot be reproduced in any form without written permission from Judith Angell Meyer

Morning Walk

This morning I went out for a while. The morning was beautiful. Cool and it had rained some in the night. I tossed a stick for Gizmo and then just walked around the yard. Supposed to walk more each day for exercise. I watched the horses graze for a while, then a small movement caught my eye. Not ten feet from me was a young rabbit. As I watched he didn't seem all that concerned and I noticed that the branch he was "behind" had a leaf that was close to his face, so he just hoovered it right down while I watched.

.

Since he wasn't concerned about me I moved a little closer. He didn't move while I was looking at him, but beat feet behind the tree when I turned my back. I watched for a while and decided since he wasn't bothered with me I'd go in, get my camera, and come back. And he was still there. I started taking pictures. Than didn't bother him, so went in for the "kill" and walked right close. So this is the result of my morning walk.

A Hair Cut

Hello ... Well, a lot has been keeping me busy and away from the computer. So this will be a couple of entries to catch you up. After 40 years with long hair, I finally decided to cut it. I'm not sure why, but it has been on my mind to do something with it since I broke my wrist in 2002, and was helpless to do anything with it with one hand. My daughter would have to come over and wash, comb and braid it for me. Very frustrating for a person used to, "I'll do it myself," thank you very much. There was 25" to send to the cancer society to make wigs out of. I hope it makes someone out there happy.

This then is the results. It isn't a marvelous picture, but you can sure get the idea. I was looking in the bathroom mirror while holding the camera at arms length to take the picture. So, actually it isn't all that bad! I had it cut on August 21st, just before my surgery on August 26th. It did make hospital care easier to be sure.

Sigh .....

WIP - Cougar - Number FINISHED!!

Well, hello all. I can't believe it took another five days to complete this "little" painting. But I do think I have it done and done. If you see something glaring at you, please do let me know. At this point I'm not seeing anything but "done."

We have had some really good rains. More today even. It is so muggy. Like Hans would say, there an awful lot of hum-dity in the air. We are not at all used to it here, but I'll tell you what, we need the wet so bad I don't think you will find one person in Colorado who will complain. In this kind of weather, I've always been glad I had straight hair anyway.

I ended up having to have a birthday the other day. I can usually sneak by it, but not this year. In the first place, I had to renew my driver's license. I really hope that additional year doesn't show up in the picture. They are so horrible anyway. I think everyone I knew around here sang to me this year. I have messages on my phone from my daughter and two grandsons desperately trying to get me to pick up and phone. They sang even when I wasn't there. When they called I was having brunch with friends who took me out for my birthday. (They didn't, however, sing!) Trudy not only sang, but she called friends and told them to call me and sing. Fritz sang on a message the day before, so I stopped by his place to get a current version, and got a tap dance to boot! Hans sent a text and an I love you.

I got an email from a friend that was quite a hoot! I'm going to share it with you. She probably won't appreciate that, but here goes anyway:

"Today is your birthday? How long has that been going on? Lordy!

OK, counting on all fingers and toes, dividing by the pinkie and multiplying by two thumbs (carry the four), I still come up with you're older than me!

I hope you do something outrageous, even it is only enjoy a long, leisurelysuper-hot bubble bath! OK, if you want to go to the bar and chase men,that's an option too...but be careful. They are a lot slower than they used to be, and you might catch one.

Have you noticed how gravity is so much stronger than when we were kids?Try jumping up and down a few times and tell me if you don't think that is true.

On the plus side, they have really improved bras, and a dang good thing (see gravity information above). We can follow ourselves around all day long,with the right bra on.

Still waiting for the Depends folks to come out with the thong version.There's a challenge for them! Their regular style isn't even as good as the pull-ups kids wear, and with a whole bunch of Baby Boomers headed their way,they better do something about style!

Now that you're all cheered up, see paragraph 2 again, and get after the outrageous whatever-you-want-to-do action. And I don't want to hear about hot milk and early to bed! At the least, a dirty book?"

See what all I have to put up with!!! Had a great day!

G'nite for now...

All art, poetry and writings are copyright & cannot be reproduced in any form without written permission from Judith Angell Meyer

WIP - Cougar Update 7

Yeah! The whole 35 square inches have been covered. Doesn't sound like much does it. This does not yet mean that this little painting is finished, but it is close. I'll be taking tomorrow away from it, then will come back and "pick" at it. I have to soften the outline of the cougar more still, and have to see if the rocks need tinkering with. Some are too rough yet I believe and need some softening, while others need the value deepened. Won't know until Thursday sometime when I sit down with it again.

Let me know if you see something that doesn't look right.

Today only reached 91 degrees. One more day to the record. 24 now. But tonight is very cool, and tomorrow is supposed to be in the mid to upper 80's. Looking forward to breakfast with a friend in the morning.

You all have a good day Wednesday.

All art, poetry and writings are copyright & cannot be reproduced in any form without written permission from Judith Angell Meyer