Sunday, October 14, 2012

Dorothy didn't go to Oz, she had a colliod cyst

Last night my husband went on an adventure of stealing an ambulance with our plumber, driving to Minneapolis, taking an abandoned child with him who had a burned hand from making cupcakes, and playing poker up on the golfcourse with his buddies.

In reality he was diagnosed yesterday morning with a colliod cyst. A gelatinous ball that is in the third ventricle of the brain and if gets too big will create fluid to build up around the brain, which to my understanding is not good. In fact so bad that it had to be taken out immediately. No discussion, no saying goodbye to relatives (just in case), no researching options, but get in the gown and start counting backwards from 100 right now. And while he was on his joyride with the plumber he was actually getting a hole drilled into his head.

After the surgery, in the ICU, he was surprisingly animated. He declared that he was a superhero, and I was not, and he needed five bucks for a cup of coffee, (he hasn't had a cup of coffee in 15 years), he then proceeded to fall asleep but just as my daughter and I started to leave he woke up long enough to recite his work phone number. I started this post 3 weeks ago, and my husband has come back to earth in that time, still some memory issues, still sleeping alot but after some investigation on his part is starting to believe he didn't take a joy ride in an ambulance the night of his surgery.

I guess this isn't that uncommon, it's congenital, a little tiny thing in the brain from birth for whatever reason started growing in his 50's. His symptoms were a constant headache for 3 weeks and freaky memory problems, he also had intermittent nausea. He was lucky to have a good friend that's a doctor who ordered an MRI because those symptoms don't usually get you in to see a doctor this time of year with the smoke from fires around Missoula, much less an MRI. Very happy to live in Missoula with so much support and very happy he is fine.



Thursday, September 13, 2012

Calling on my Dobby


If you haven't seen Elizabeth Gilbert's speech on the creative process I guarantee any creative person can relate, plus she's really funny. She talks about the ancient Greeks and Romans having little creatures in the walls who come out when needed and secretly guide the artist. They were called Damons by the Greeks and Genius's by the Romans, kind of like Dobby the house elf. Cool thing is if something is really beautiful you can stay humble and if it's really awful you can blame it on Dobby.

And so here is my newest rock painting, I found the head in my backyard and built on the body, I think Dobby was there when I found the head because it couldn't have been more perfect. So perhaps this will be a popular local image in that Montana men love those fish and Montana women want something more interesting than a smelly old fish on the wall.

Here's the link to Liz Gilbert's speech  http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

Monday, August 13, 2012

Western Artist


Sure, I can be a western artist, I live in the west don't I?

There is only really one gallery in Missoula (the Dana Gallery) and my work only kind of fits in there as most of the artists paint western themes, but in my quest to get out there and be seen as much as possible I decided to try painting for their annual "Icons of the West Show". I decided to paint a horse. My first attempt was pretty awful being sort of a traditional looking horse and really didn't fit in with my latest work at all, and I discovered 2 days before the deadline that it didn't meet the size requirements either. So, a little rejected I slunk home vowing to try again next year when my husband said in passing, "why don't you paint a horse made up of stones?" Hmmmm, interesting idea. So I did, and here it is, and I sent it to the Dana a week late and they kindly accepted it anyway. Yay.

"the Stone Pony" oil on panel, 20" x 30"

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Rock and Roll

Dancer, 36 x 48 oil on cradled panel

Snowsuit, 36 x 48 oil on cradled panel


Lookout, 20 x 30 oil on cradled panel
3 hours of painting a day. Minimum. Really. Don't laugh, I'm serious.

Yes, and here's what came of that in a week. 3 new paintings that I like (especially "Snowsuit"). I picture my 3 year old who is now 11 with her snowsuit on, unable to do anything but waddle.