Check out my Second Video on Portraits and Mice in there...

I am pleased to have posted my second video.  This one is on my portrait work and includes my recent portrait of the virtuoso violinist David Garrett.  I think the photography turned out well and the music helps to enhance the discussion of the paintings.   The next one will be on my many landscapes of The Blue Ridge Mountains.

I came so close to throwing the computer out of the window yesterday.  I don't understand the ridiculous problems I encounter when trying to do simple things on it.  Why does the software change?  Why did my tutorials disappear on Aperture?  Why did the button that said workable movie disappear on my Canon software and was replaced with an upload to YouTube that would not accept my username and password?  Argh!!!!!  My husband came home, fiddled with it for a while, found my video and placed it on the desktop.  All I can say is I better leave this life before him or I may take a hatchet to the computer and then I would really be in a fix.

He explained to me that there are mice running around on the computer.  Each one is vying for the same piece of cheese in the software and they thumb their noses at the ones that don't get it.  I think some computer geek needs to invent a computer mousetrap.  The mouse we use to click is enough!

Don't forget to watch The Mindy Project!  It is a great show and since my drawing, "Reaching Out", is on it, I can say it has great artwork on the set!

My Favorite Nude Pastel Paintings and They got Those Fries from...

I have sold a number of prints of "Reaching Out" and other charcoal and conte crayon nude drawings but no pastel paintings so far. I am pleased with all of my nudes but I especially like the pastel nudes. I guess that is the colorist in me coming out. I have always been mesmerized by color and I hardly ever do line drawings. The range of greys is the color I use in the black and whites. I do have one intense ink nude that I am going to add to my portfolio as soon as I finish my current painting which is driving me crazier than I already am. I hope to have it finished in the next few days.

I'm sure everyone is sick of hearing about my husband's stomach problems but his restrictions are always leading to some kind of funny remark. My favorite is the one about the shark leaping out of the water begging for its life if someone threw a piece of rice bread in the ocean. I couldn't resist putting that one in a blog. One of the really good things he can still eat is french fries. I don't know anyone that hates those. Sometimes fast food places have ones that are dried out and pretty nasty. The other day my husband got some that were so bad he said they stole them from some poor fisherman that was going to use them for bait.

All Those God Fearing People and The Real Challenge...

I am still getting a ridiculous number of scammers on my Craigslist postings. There are so many different addresses but I wonder if they really only come from a few crooks that prey on gullible people. It is sad to think that people fall for the bogus check-I'll send the shipper scam. Some of them want to pay me extra to take the advert off. I guess that way they won't hit the same listing with their scam. Anyway, all I know is there are a lot of God Fearing People on the internet that want to steal my money. They always make that part clear. They are God Fearing People so I should take them seriously.

The most recent commercial on Hover Rounds asks viewers is they have a lot of physical challenges. When they ask if getting to the kitchen is a challenge my husband says getting out of the kitchen is the real challenge. Considering the obesity problem in this country I think he has something there.


Be sure to check out my Limited Time Promotions on Fine Art America.

So Pleased my Nudes are Well Received and I think We Need to ask Congress this Question

Just sold two more prints of my nudes. I am so pleased people appreciate my nude drawings. I spent umpteen hours in school learning the human form and I think my nudes look alive and the settings emphasize their beauty and the mood of the work. As I have said before and told many art students, anyone can draw a stiff, lifeless person. The mark of the artist is to get it right. Sometimes students get the drawing backwards. They carefully draw eyelashes on a face that looks like it is paralyzed or fingernails on a broken, limp hand. The figure must look alive and that takes a lot of practice and study.

The approval rate of Congress right now is extremely low. It is no wonder. I think most people see partisan politics and no real effort to solve our problems. I think we need to apply a little Grouch Marx humor to this situation. Have you stopped taking bribes from wealthy corporations? Answer yes or no.

Sale of Beautiful Nude and NBC?

Yesterday a great patron in North Carolina bought a framed print of one of my beautiful nudes. "Reaching Out" is an intense charcoal study of a model that looks like she is trying to reach beyond the picture plane. The light effect and flowing marks are especially strong in this one. I am so pleased that I am selling prints of these nudes and getting wonderful comments from other artists. As I have said before, the ability to draw the nude so that it looks alive and not just a combination of detail is part of the discipline of a good artist. I hope to sell many more of these drawings that are so important to me.

I am still suffering from piriformis and am wondering how long this will last. I am using a heating pad which helps but I still can't work on my portfolio update. I am too sore to drag my heavy easel out doors to photograph artwork. I am really getting tired of this pain in the butt. I told my husband I need a new butt and where can I get one. He said, "I don't know, maybe NBC - New Butt Club". Not sure how that works as humor but it made me laugh.