Wickford Update

Happy Valentine's Day . . I feel all your love . . . hee hee . . . Well we finally got some snow. It's nasty here in RI with snow changing to rain and ice. But cozy on this Valentine's day. Had a nice day with "My Mary", changing beds, watering plants, polishing her nails, dishwashing and trying to figure out what was wrong with the dishwasher, (still do not know why it was leaking so much suds) maybe I put too much soap in it today. We had lunch and our usual board meeting. We had many phone calls today and rec'd roses from her son Joe. He addressed them to us "girls", so we will enjoy them this week, all the colors. Doing lots of work on the computer lately with designing new ads for publicatons and lots of emails. Updating bogs for myself and the studio. Well it is time to get my valentine dinner ready for Cal, pasta with red peppers and spinach. Dinner and a movie, we are in for the night. Cal & I going shopping for new clothes this week too. Yippeee, Thank you sweetie!!! Shouldn't everyday be Valentine's Day? I spend time with my too favorite boys for Valentines this week, my week now is complete, my grandson who hugs me and kisses my whole face & the man who gives me inspiration and tickles my fancy, Cal. Hope you tell your valentine how much they mean to you today.

Spirit of Art Studios

This is the name of my studio/gallery at Shady Lea Mills Artist Complex in Wickford. It is a great space where Cal & I, my friends and students can get creative. It overlooks a river and has over 35 other artist studio suites. There is a wonderful energy there that eminates so please stop by and visit, have a cup of tea. Feel free to come and create conversation, art or critique with us. The following blog (below link) is an attempt to keep up with classes and workshops, tips and other art related news for you from the studio.

Directions: Rt 95 s-Rt 4 s-Rt 1 junction take first left, cross over to Shady Lea Road, follow winding road to mill on right, 2nd floor to suite 205

http://spiritofartstudios.blogspot.com/

Today I am looking over a grant opportunity to apply for through the RISCA (CAFE). Pulling together 10 paintings for submission. There are some written materials to prepare before submitting package too, and I am able to apply for it online. Should be easy enough, but so competetive. Interesting! Deadline Feb, 12th. Wish me luck. Here are some paintings I have done in my travels this year. I will submit them with my resume. Let me know what you think.

Getting my act together for the waterolor workshops I am planning for 2007, back to Greece in May, Carribbean in July, Wickford in August, back to Costa Rica in December.

Saturday

It's morning on a very cold day in RI, about 12 degrees. Doing laundry, dog/house sitting, planning my Saturday chores. Talked to Adele this morning and we are thinking of Ricky and wondering how we can help her get through her difficult time. Will pick up Mark & Don at 1:00pm at the airport and hopefully pick up my new corner desk at the consignment shop today for the kitchen/office at home, now that my computer is fixed, alot to orgainze there. Will fix up the office today is my plan and then meet the other boys Richard, Craig and Denny for dinner in Little Compton to celebrate Richards birthday. I have to fit in baking a focaccia today too. Cleaning up my mess now here at Mark's, making bed back up and doing dishes, making sure Kodie is happy too. Cal told Kodie they her daddys are on their way home, so she is pretty happy today knowing things will be normal again. Off to the races!

Friday

good evening all
Kodie & I are keeping warm, Cal is at apt suffering with his sinuses (he did see a Dr. today, finally) and the cold. The apt is so cold, those old houses with no insulation and old windows, not to mention when he came home he turned the heat off instead of turning it up. So, for about two hours it was off. It is 15 degrees right now outside and about 57 degrees in the apt. Nice and warm here though at the "dog house". Kodie wants all of us to put our "furs" on to keep warm. She is not staying outside very long, it is not fit for man nor beast. She misses her daddy's warm hearts too. She buries her head in their jackets I find on the floor when I come home to her. Keep warm, think warm, imagine being in warm Costa Rica.

Thursday

ok, my computer at home is with Dr. Kris. Hopefully it is just the vga card. Keep your fingers crossed. Kodie is smelling my coat and I found my clothes all over the floor when I came in tonight. Cal and I met at Duffy's tonight for dinner, he is sleeping at home tonight. Good... I get the bed tonight instead of the couch. It was my suggestion. Go figure. We will both get a better nights sleep tonight. He is still suffering from his sinuses. I will miss him. I am going to chill out tonight and get my list together for tomorrows tasks. Kodie wants to go out. Is she always on the wrong side? I would've taken her picture to put online but I let someone borrow my camera. Tomorrow I will get it back and put her portrait up on the blog, she is begging me to put it up on the internet. She is such a ham.

Wednesday

Good Evening
We got all the menus to J&W in the morning. Kodie & I waited for Cal till very late Wednesday night. We ate without him. We both curled up on the chair. I left the couch open for Cal, so he could fall asleep there and I could sneek in the bed before he started to snore. But it didn't work. I ended up on the couch again. Can not sleep with him anymore. Kodie whimpered for her dolly that was in the bedroom, we got it and she stayed with me in the living room for the rest of the night. She couldn't sleep either with all the noise.

Tuesday

Hello
Tuesday day off. Well, I have been too busy to blog, sorry, but I am catching up now. Kodie is being good. She snubbed her nose to chili the other night. Yes there is chili left, I will put it into freezer for Daddy Mark and Daddy Don. Little Hudson came over to visit Kodie, and Aja and we all had lunch (cheese quesadillas) with her. Kodie didn't want to go for a ride with us after lunch, so we left and finished our errands. Aja went back to the salon and Hudson and I had to go to the studio and play. We drew on everything and we played with the measuring tape again for a long time, and measured my butt. He thinks that is the funniest thing. Anyway, I brought him to his Dad and brought all my projects back to the "dog house". A Johnson & Wales menu was the mission for the night while we watched the big screen TV. Coallating, hole punching and putting ribbons on. The three of us working very hard to get them done for morning delivery. What a bitch they were to do! Kodie called it night at 10:13PM looking for her dolly and went to bed. I slept on couch again, cause they make so much noise. Cal mostly! Over & Out

Monday

What a day! Depressing! The Pats lose, how pathetic. My computer died, thought it was the monitor, so I bought a new one, got it all connected and the same thing, no image on screen, what's up with that. Guess what, my computer ran out of space, I did get a warning the other day about it and I thought, "I still have room". No I don't, nothing, I hope I can recover. I had to rush around all day redoing things at the printers, getting groceries for Mary, buying a new monitor, and feeling very sick at the same time. I had flu-like symtoms all day. That bed is going to feel so good tonight. I think I will fall asleep on the couch, (yea right that will be different) Need a bite to eat first. Kodie has eaten and she is fulfilled, I am waiting for Cal to come here from Braintree, maybe I will just close my eyes for a minute.

Well hello
I am sweating again with the hot flashes, Cal is freezing and I am hot, go figure. We are ready for the Pats game tonight. I made chili to die for. Had a really full weekend, got our new furniture, shopped for lamps, we did not find anything, still looking now for the perfect finishing touches. I love it.
Kodie girl was trying to let me know I forgot to feed her, its 6:30 pm and she was talking to me and I was not catching on, and then finally, about an hour I came to my senses that she had not been fed her soft food. What was wrong with me. Geez. She is now my friend. Thank goodness! She is quite content now sleeping. Thinking and sending get well wishes to Daddy Don to get better, we are sending him all her sweet dog kisses to get well. Kodie's is thinking of you Don.

Morning
Its pretty bright outside this morning, feels cold. Not much sleep between Cal snoring and Kodie snoring last night. I'll catch up later watching TV. I just made a big pot of coffee, fed Kodie and now just realized I forgot to buy milk, so I'll see if there is any vanilla ice cream, mmmm. Today Cal & I have to figure out how to pick up our new furniture for living room at Alpert's, we are considering a U-Haul truck, because Alperts want to charge us a stupid amount to deliver it. Approx. $300.00. So... getting it to 1 Tower Hill Road is the mission this weekend. Kodie is sleeping on her bed by the door, looking over at me right now with those sad eyes, checking the yard occassionally looking out for squirrels invading the yard. Got the mail this morning, took in the recycle bins, and the new Conde Nast is in for review, so my tasks today are set right now, coffee, conde nast and making sure Kodie is happy before I leave.

Greetings
Well, "Kodie girl" (dog-sitting this week) is being very good dog. We went to the studio yesterday for my "Drawl Crawl" get-together. Lorraine M. and I met and painted and Kodie ran around wimpering, then she would sit for just awhile then she would whimper again. I finally brought her back home where she is most comfortable and fed her and then I went to get fed came back later on to have a pajama party, just her & I. Cal decided to stay at home last night, he hasn't slept much this week with his allergies, so Kodie & I watched "Top Chefs" ate all the M&M's and I fell asleep on the couch until about 2 am then I got into bed with her, yes Kodie was waiting for me in the bed. The day in the life of Kodie & Lorraine B.
To be continued

ok, getting into the swing of things here now. My photos from Costa Rica are great, looking at them over & over, deciding which ones should be enlarged for an exhibit. Which ones will be paintings. Did two more small paintings of CR this weekend with Lorraine & Bill Saturday night, Lorraine, Cal & I painted while Bill played on his laptop. What other couple can you do that with? It was a really nice evening, just painting and chatting about what came to mind, sometimes we did not talk at all.

Things To Do List

• Flyer to attract more students for Fridays and Wednesdays.
• Pick up paintings being framed
• Drop off new ones to be framed
• coordinate trip to Crete
• advertisement for the Villager
• Dr.'s appt and refill

Well, first day back with my Mary, she let me chat about Costa Rica and made believe she saw all my pictures on the computer as I rambled on & on over our coffee and fresh scones. She asked me alot of questions, this too was part of our morning daily board meeting. Couple hours went by and we cleaned out her refridgerator, because I found the milk that went bad, of course it was after I put it in my coffee. We went to the grocery store ad got the usual, "eggos, bananas for my famous protein shakes she loves, the cheese sticks, the apple turnovers, cranberry juice, some eggs. This is what we get every few days. We also stopped at the Gormet shop, we never get more than a cup of hot chai, either to go or to take out. Today we took it to go, because it was already time to leave her house and do some more reorganizing in my house. Five hours.

I bought a couple plants for the living room and some of those "natural/grow lights" for the lamps to help brighten up the room. It is looking bore comforting everyday and the old apartment more airy and open. I finally got a chance to talk to Aja, she called from Brazil and gave me her number where she is, so I can call back this week, I feel like talking to her tomorrow too. I chatted with my brother, Neil too tonight and we will get together on Thursday night to catch up on life. He just got back from visiting Mom & Dad in Florida, so he will have some funny stories to tell and I can share my stories of Costa Rica.

I do love this apartment and now that it has grown, I am loving it more. Nicole will come over tomorrow, I need her help and she will have some great ideas for decorating it. She has such a great eye for rearranging a room with finese and style, and on a limited budget working with what we have. Cal is feeling really negatively on the place now that the window is gone, and I am hoping I can come up with a solution for more light in there. I think it is cozy, and so much light in all the other rooms, I don't know what the big deal is, but he has a right to his opinion, I just hope he accepts this when I get it fixed up. This place has so many other good things about it, storage, parking, high celings, big yard, my gardens, now a place for his sons to stay if they want to or for guests. Why is he making this such an issue, I don't get it.

Hola
Made it back just fine to RI, quite uneventful. It was such a pleasure to see my Cal waiting for me with a big smile, unshavened but smiling. His luggage got lost from his trip to Kyiv, with the razor. Anyway, didn't matter. Kissing my whole face, felt scratchy but comforting. We got home and had a bowl of cereal and then crashed. I have not unpacked yet, trying to get both apartments now situated so that it feels like home. We took on the next door apartment with a hallway in between the two. We bought a beautiful rug and floor lamp and I would really like to use the natural light bulbs in the room, for the landlord closed up the only window in the living room, (long story) while we were both away. Great colors though... I picked out for the rooms, very happy with choices. Living room, dark green (turtle), one wall, a light green (rejuvenate) for x bedroom and a butternut (chamois) for bathrooms (2). Antique white for trims. The high ceilings and the other brighter rooms it will be fine. So now I am off to the studio to drop off my stuff there and go to the market for stocking up groceries. Will post photos soon. Took pics at the lighthouse in Jamestown today, our favorite ocean spot. It is just to cold here in RI 26 degrees farenheit today, now it is 43.

Bamboo Winds
watercolor 22 x 30

Arriving back home Friday evening
Ok, I really don't want to go back to reality. But, I have 13 new friends I have met here too from all over the world. It has been a very productive trip, learned about blogs and the creative journey of writing in this online journal daily for a month, which I always wanted to do. I got to know my camera better, today I found out the flash has different levels of light I can control, but still I am baffled on night time shooting and the speed of shutter adjustments with this digital camera. Dowloading and filing photos. Composing photos, without this computer I woud not have been so productive. Viewing my images instantly for reference for my different "series" of paintings. The Boatman, Bananas, Landscapes, Bamboo, Architecture, Orchids, Coffee Beans, Trees, Sarongs. I have enough reference today from Costa Rica to last a lifetime, but I will be back and hopefully not alone. I would love to share this magnificent scenery with my friends and family and students. I am working on another trip to come here with art travelers for same time next year Dec & Jan. The people are so gracious and kind here. The country is the most beautiful I have ever seen, so much for an artist for subject matter. I will look at things differently now even in my own little village, Wickford, RI.

Today 4 of us went to Orosi & Cartaga. We went to the hot springs and then we went to Lankaster Gardens where I have the most beautiful photos of the strangest looking orchids. The Orosi Valley was great, it was a bit cool and a really foggy day, perfect weather for soaking in the hot springs while the sounds of waterfalls and streams surround you. Sounds to good to be true. We had a nice little man for taxi driver who asked me for directions, that was a little scary, don't you think. I mean I have a great sense of direction, but please, I lost my patience with him. Anyway, I am packing now after a pleasant dinner with most of us at Finca Bonanza again, they had this huge spanish banquet table with 8 high back chairs. We all sat around. It was another grand night enjoying the atmosphere there and the company of people I have lived with for a month. mmmmm The four words again that descibe this wonderful opportunity for me would be, the spontaneity of creating, the discipline to paint/draw/photograph a piece or pieces of art everyday, to paint and draw and compose with passion and for even a short time, the freedom to do it all in. Thank you for reading my blog and sharing this month with me. I would love to show you the work I have accomplished here and hope you can enjoy Costa Rica's natural beauty someday soon for yourself, before it gets too popular. Para Vida!!!!

Coffee Plants, watercolors, 4 x 9

Miriam Hitchcock, mixed media
Today was about getting ready for our open studio for invited guests and friends. We had about 20-25 people & the resident dogs visiting our studios and then we had the writers read some of their passages. Miriam's collection of work was refreshing, humorous and illustrative, it describes her to a "T'. Susan's work was vibrant, colorful, very whimsical and her magical lyrics & song entranced us all in her fairyland casita. Allison is writing her memoirs and read an exert from her teen-years that was very funny and I could imagine the scenario all to well. Alice read from her textbook on how the arts affect the special needs of children with autism and other serious handicaps. That was such a great way to end our time here for a full cirlce, realizing the importance of art in everyones world. Royce, director here at colony read from his 4 year project of growing up with an emotional unstable mother, but on an intellectural, educated level after studying and working in the psychology field. I coulde his story as a full length movie, and that was just a short exert of his story. Piogiant!

Susan Szathmary, Acrylic

I went horseback riding again at the same place. Just three of us this time. A different trail, an hour was a good amount of time to be on a horse, my knee muscles hurt, though. It was a beautiful experience. The horses are so beautiful. The Costa Rican cowboys were getting the horses ready for a big parade in San Jose today. Hundreds of horses strutt there stuff, fancy stepping, dancing, must be an awesome site to see. Because I have only a couple days left here, time is precious. So I can not squeeze one more thing in these next days. The day(s) of course flew by. Picked up a couple things for lunches in Colon, walked up that damn hill again, (I will not miss carrying my groceries up that hill) Lorenzo came over to see me, Soizic kicked him out of their casita, she had a client meeting. He so graciously educated me about Vitamin B12 that I have been taking for boosting my metabolism. He writes about health issues, I think he owns some spa clubs, anyway it was a really nice visit, he is about 68 , from Rome and told me I need to do more breathing excersises, so that I can be in harmony. I will try to do these tasks daily to see if he is right. Sweet man. So, I did not think he would stay so long this afternoon, then time for the sunset at Vinca Bonanza again, we went for tea and paid our bill from last night, because none of us had colones to pay for our christmas dinner. They were so kind. Long story. Took a taxi back to colony, because the path to the restaurant that we found (is a secret), another long story) was too dark, I was ascared of snakes in the grass at night. And not to mention tipping over again. I have a reputation now, being clumsy. Working hard tonight to finish up two paintings for our "open studio night" tomorrow after our last supper, Alice & Allison doing readings, Susan & Miriam & I showing our masterpieces to the colony, Dina decided not to participate. We have invited some outside guests that we all have met this month. Hopefully Royce will read from his writings also. Macy (one of the dogs) brought Susan over to visit tonight, so we had a few chuckles, nice break from painting. We are all hiding in our casitas tonight finishing up for tomorrow night. I'll be up all night trying to decide how to present all I have done. Over 50 drawings and paintings, did not reach my goal of a hundred paintings, but I did get alot accomplished. I have taken over a thousand pictures and I feel like I still don't have enough, the landscapes here are gorgeous, and being on a bus both times going places I have not been able to take many landscape shots, so we are going to hire a taxi for Thursday morning to take us to Orosi a quaint village south of San Jose for a few hours and stop at all the Kodak moments along the way, Taxi driver and the girls have been forewarned. Thursday night taking Carlos out because he has been the "gem" at this place, helping each one of us see the Costa Rican ways of fun, hospitality and generousity. I leave Friday morning, be home after 8:00pm. Having trouble agaian uploading photos.

We were reflecting at our very special Christmas dinner about Saturday's candlelight service. A cast of characters. It was in English & Spanish, it was more tolerable in Spanish, Miriam sitting next to me at the service, said at one point "just picture him in his underwear" and then I couldn't stop laughing. You know the kind of laughing where it could've been out of control? We were captive there, and it was the most amusing night, singing carols. Another andidote was that Rainbow, in her late 70's, forgot to put her bottom teeth in before going out. There are "muchos mas" stories to tell. I have to practice my Spanish even writing it helps me, sorry, but this is my journal remember?

Feliz Navidad y paz to us and to you. It was such a pleasant morning of exchanging gifts, at breakfast. French toast, fruit, maple syrup. We made wishes for the coming year & some of the party goers are wishing their headaches would go away. I do miss home today. It is warm here about 78 degrees F. Some puffy clouds and feels like there might be a shower coming along. I hear thunder. I did laundry this morning and hung the clothes out on a line, they dried in about an hour. Smells great! The nights here smell like jasmine too. It is in the winds. Trying to catch up on blog this afternoon and do a bit of painting, then we will all go to dinner at Vinca Bonanza and watch sunset. Bonanza sounds like a really tacky place. huh? I have found a new drink, cold tea of Rosa de Jamaica, made from hibiscus flower petals, real red color mixed with a little juice, refreshing. The coffee is very smooth here too which I love and learning again what good coffee taste like.

Chantelle's fiesta was great too, around the pool, lots of great food, this merinque with strawberries and almond pie, was mucho deliciouso she said she would give me the recipe. I will blog it when I recieve it. Lisa gave us all friendship bracelets from her trip to Nicaragua last week, made by a family of ceramists there. She is working with "Potters for Peace". www.pottersforpeace.com Fireworks and a Columbian band, lots of dancing the Salsa, Merengue, y mucho mas. Dogs went loco with the fireworks. We all brought Chantelle a bit of food for table, stuffing, deviled eggs, egglant spread, pina coladas. I would have brought my famous focaccia, but could not find dough and didn't know how to ask for it in Spanish. (I should have brought my garlic press too) Painted all day long, made bookmarks for all the girls for gifts of friendship for christmas morning. Worked on large bamboo painting and started 4 collages 13 x 13 for each of the seasons using natural pieces found here in Costa Rica.

I am tracking Santa through a website my sister sent me. I hope he finds me.