Kenya Dig It-Twenty-Ten

Kenya-Dig It

 Well....Kenya?   Last week a group of friends gathered up to see some cool art, eat cupcakes and hear live music.  I'd have to say this group of people "KEN" dig it!   Im having trouble with the layout of this blog for some reason-perhaps my punishment for not having blogged in a few months. I forget how to manipulate things and spend way too long re-learning the same things I learned before.  *note to self-blog more often*  For the sake of checking this off my list, and against my creative all-be-it Rain-manish desire for consistancy, I am going to upload a few photos and links relevant to the evening anyway.   First I would like to say- I have some of the most generous and talented friends one could hope for.  Just look at some of the donated art below.  

My "look-a-like" created this-and I will go ahead and say on her behalf-she is not completely happy with it. Well dear friend-welcome to the world of art! Seldom does something I create feel "finished" and even less often am I really "happy" with the project.  I thank you for creating this!

Speaking of hidden talent- The Bass Chick painted this and she doesn't even think she can paint. Thanks so much to my ROCK STAR friend!

The Ninja drew this as well as another Asian inspired charcoal peice.  When I had this matted and framed, I had intentions of buying it for my own house.  A fellow ninja bought both drawings and proudly gave them to his son.

A new friend and super talented lady named Lauren showed and sold some of her work.  Her mother who works for the same company as me-displayed some amazing water color work.  The fun part about these two ladies is they have all this talent and had never shown anyone. I feel honored they chose Kenya Dig It Twenty-Ten as their first shows.  I know it was scary but I am so thankful they did it!

Dayo!  (It's pronounced Die-oh but she will never correct you) I will soon dedicate an entire blog to this artist and friend.  As I mentioned before, she donated a piece last year and when we met I was immediately tearful-I can not explain it. I just knew we would be friends.  And friends we are!  If you get a chance check out her web-shop at etsy.

www.etsy.com/shop/Dayoart  

And this is a cool picture of my friend Jen. She didn't paint anything for Kenya Dig It-but her friendship and life is an art all unto its self.  I would lay my life down for this friend and that is no joke.  We've been half way around the world together and will be doing that again!  Let me just say this about Jen-if you get to choose one person to have in your corner-you want it to be her.  I digress.  This picture curtesey of Thejacksonsun.com.  Displayed behind Jen is some of my work.  The little girl in the blue dress was painted off a sketch that appeared in another blog some time ago- I also finally finished that dragon fly after a year of re-dos and do overs and ughhhhhs! 

sometimes I forget to name or title my paintings. I didn't think about this one until the guy who bought it was gone.  The bass chick acutally "told" me to do this painting-as she worked on something else in my art room.  If I could go back and name this painting I would call it "Sue's Cross"

This is the guy who purchased "Sue's Cross" He is a Secret Agent of sorts. And the hot chick with him is Andi.  Hence forth known as "26.2" She works for ISF the organization that got all this Kenya medical mission fever started for TK and I.   What a gal!

Just three of MANY MANY people who make an event like this possible.  I would like to point out the sheer dedication of Josi-she came in to work early so she could see everything before her shift started. And then pushed cupcakes to her co-workers.   Anything for the cause right?  right!

Speaking of cupcakes!  There were many!   I was inspired to create the cupcake display by a show on Food Net Work calld Cup Cake Wars. 

www.foodnetwork.com/cupcake-wars/index.html   

"Mean Bean"  A Vanilla Bean cupcake with Vanilla Bean Butter Cream Frosting and and Organic White Sprinkles. Garnished with an Organic White Chocolate Heart!

"The King"  Peanut Butter and Banana with chocolate-makes you say "ahh thankyou...thankyouvery much!"

One of the coolest things we had the chance to do this year at Kenya Dig It is have live musical acts.  Two of my coworkers shared their vocal talent  and then there is Steve.  Oh---MY- GOSH!  He plays drums in a couple of bands and man! He's awesome!  He's so talented and so passionate about that talent it makes me wish I played the drums! 

It feels kind of strange after an event like this is over.  It was the consumption of the majority of my free time since July.  I thought about it, prayed about it, TALKED about it- (I'll take this time to say to any friends who were sick of hearing about it- I am sorry)  Try as I may, I just can't help it.  It's what I love.  There were so many other friends who created jewelry (Adrian),sold T-shirts,took money and tickets at the door, asked for donations, cleaned up at the end,  set up trees or took down tables, made coffee, let me store cupcakes in your freezers,  sent tickets to invite guests or  showed up in support of the cause and for those people I am thankful in a way I can not easily express in words.  If you are reading this blog and you had any part in the event.  TK and I thank you!  Thanks for being a part of  our story!   

  The orphans-well...they have my heart.  And when a group of friends are willing to pull together and come out to raise awareness and money and bring hope to children they may never even meet, it gives total purpose to me.  It makes me believe we are all part of something truely worth while. 

TK, The Fireman and I will be traveling to Malava, Kenya in December this year.  We are going to spend our Christmas at Tumaini-Miles of Smiles Children's Home!!! What a cool chapter this will be!!!!  We will be working with a medical mission team to bring health care to 5 different communities in the area while we are there.  If you would like to be involved in our story by making a donation towards medical supplies or children's needs please visit http://www.sportsmissions.com/  for more information or contact me via email.   












Paint by numbers...AKA A Blog To Remember

“my phone number?” I replied to the check out lady at Pottery Barn Outlet

“yes ma’am. Your home telephone number” she must have thought I didn’t understand the question or that I was irritated by it.
She was half right. I am irritated by it. I am NOT irritated at the girl asking, I am irritated at the concept. I understand this is how a company tracks it’s target audience and does low cost mail out advertisements. I get that. And still. It bothers me. I do not wish to be asked ANY questions while checking out at ANY store. (exceptions would be seasonal small talk “Hot enough for ya?” or “You finished with all your Christmas shopping?” these questions are okay. Additionally I do not mind chatter regarding my attire “ohh, I love those earrings” or the occasional inquiry as to where one might obtain a handbag such as the Vera Bradley I am carrying. All of these types of questions are okay with me, not necessary, but okay.

Back to my phone number- “I uhhh…well…I have drawn a complete blank” I told the girl who just rolled her eyes. I don’t care that she didn’t believe me, what I care about is the fact that it was true! I could not-for the life of me recall my own phone number. A complete blank.. I have wondered about this incident off and on since it happened and there is the common assumption of getting older and the pressure of the moment caused me to draw a blank and then there is what I find the most comical excuse “I never call myself.” For the record and for me personally, this excuse is invalid-I have never really called myself so the fact that now all of a sudden I can’t remember my phone number requires a better explanation.

My best reasoning is this: I have too many numbers/passwords and names to manage.

There are PIN numbers for no less than 4 different debit card/credit cards. There are PIN numbers for my cell phone voice mail, work phone voice mail, and my work-cell phone voice mail (of course they are not all the same…have you met me?) and my bosses voice mail. There is a security alarm code, The fireman’s garage door code (the fact that I remember this is crazy since I only knew it for the purpose of painting while he wasn’t at home and since then he changed the code and gave that information to me. I remember the first one AND now the new one) TK’s mail box number at the UPS store, the log in for face book, my space, AOL, Gmail, Outlook, Ebay, Paypal, Snap fish, Walgreens photo, Amazon, Itunes and three operating systems used for my work PC. Then there are birthdays and Anniversaries which I almost never get right. Not to mention the names of friend’s pets. (The ninja’s dog-Peanut, Maggies dog, Kittie, (RIP Kittie) The actors dogs-Pomp and Zoe, Sisters dog-Izzie, Little sister’s cats-Van and Harleigh, Aim’s house full O’ dogs, Tink, BW (stands for Bruce Wayne) Einstein and there is another one I can’t recall, Jdub has a dog named Jennie (I never spell it correctly) and just recently he told me that his love has a dog-and I promised to commit that to memory but… See what I mean? And there’s the inanimate objects I have named over the years. My Kitchen-aid stand mixer who is the color of gun metal and the heavy duty version (the pro-6) I named him Gunner, My newest Ipod, I-Tod, (as in “the Todd” from Scrubs) I named my net-book computer Hector, (without reason) and my 2.5 inch square twist phone-Huey (as in Lewis-b/c it’s “Hip To Be Square”). I did not name my cars tho (and I find this a little inconsistent since I obviously name lots of other things) But little sisters convinced me my new car needed a name-thus he was named Maurice. Maurice Nelson the 6th officially-But “Mo Nelson” to those who love him. My point is this, I have, we ALL have lots and lots to remember. For those of you with children the list is even longer b/c let’s face it-the kids want you to remember their names right? and then they have birthdays and social security numbers and favorite pets and stuffed toys they name and teachers and dance instructors and schedules to keep. I also have a mind full of information I really don’t need anymore but can not forget. Like the Preamble to The Constitution. (Thanks so much Miss J Allen for teaching me this in 7th grade) I mean with exception to last Wednesday night in church- I have never once been asked to recite the preamble. And in fairness I wasn’t directly asked to recite it then- I believe it was kind of an open ended rhetorical question-so that doesn’t even count. I also remember what I wore to school the first day of school every school year. I can recall the color of socks my dad was wearing and the song on the radio as he drove his team to the High-School boys State Tournament in 1984. Oddly enough I recall the numerical combination to the lock on a musician friend’s brief case-He gave me the code on a Friday in 1997…I was wearing Doc Martin lace up brown leather shoes (purchased for Christmas by my BFF Darla the previous year) Jeans and my room-mate Natalie’s red half zip fleece. See….. My mind is like a steel trap-I like to say…but only when it comes to things of little use. My phone number…well. Somehow it escaped.

All of this is true but it serves as a nice lead to tell you...

This weekend I will begin painting some numbers. I could have just said that at the start but what a short blog this would have been.

Like The Fruit..Part 3 (Cheri's Cherries)

See Cherries......

See Cheri WITH her Cherries.....

She's more than just a fruit you know...I mean YOU may not know, but you should. (And Universal You, what I would call my band if I had one) Universal You---already knows.  She IS a fruit-no one is trying to argue that point-but she's so much more.  Oh yes faithful followers of this crazy blog...This fruit we call Cheri is more complex than her name and elementary school age-self given title would imply...Cheri is in fact if we are sticking with the food analogy---like an onion.  You know....layers..depth...each one peeled back uncovers the next.   Each layer cohesively making the onion as a whole. The most visible layers would be like that bright purple exterior on a red onion (side note, why is purple cabbage called PURPLE...but purple onions are called RED? That is not a rhetorical question...If someone knows the answer to this-I really would like to know) As I was saying...That first layer-is the all important outside-We'll call this The fashionista part of my dear friend-and does she ever have that layer- I mean seriously...This gal can take a $8.00 consignment store scarf and a clearance rack skirt-throw on a pair of boots and some bangle bracelets and HOLY COW she is all about it. Just beyond that is the humor.  I can not begin to communicate the whit and humor that make up this layer.  I won't even try....but if you saw what is pasted on the door to her office right now you would award appropriate humor points.  She's a word-smith.  She can turn a phrase like few I have known (and keep in mind I am married to a three time published author). I haven't known this fruit for long- but we have shared countless hours of banter-music, politics, travel, wishes, criticisms, complaints and compliments.   Hands down one of the coolest chicks I've known.  And just when you get all caught up in the cool, you find this "momma" layer and this wisdom layer and this "I'll challenge you to be better than you think you are" layer and the "I'm so confident in what I am doing-it is sure to rub off on you." layer. Layer after layer you find motivation, drive, determination (all those characteristics found on cheesy office posters). make your own motivational poster I fear Cheri, like the onion, doesn't have quite the appeal as it's predecessor and wouldn't want to change it anyway, however I hope to leave you with a visual depiction of this layered up fruit.  I went to my faithful friend google.com and searched "onion art"  and found this super cool digital art by Edward Kinnally- Electric Onion he calls her....beautiful...just like the fruit!

Electric Onion

Sweet Caroline has arrived!

Actually she arrived some weeks back. And I could not be happier for The List Maker and The Red Hot Mamma! Sure this is a blog about the painting I completed for their baby’s room, and you can see the completed project just right here. But this blog in particular is about one of those art forms you don’t find in a gallery or museum. We see it all around us-it’s the kind of art that is small and often silent while at the same time LOUD and IN YOUR FACE! It’s the kind of art that invites, almost necessitates you interact.

I remember the first time I interacted with The RHM. TK and I were co-leading a cultural class. My part of the class was teaching multi-cultural cooking lessons. At the end of the first class I gave a “chop, slice and dice” home work assignment. The very next week she arrived at class proudly displaying her home work-complete. Three very nicely prepared bell peppers. “A-Plus for Cindy” I said (she was one of just a couple who actually did the home work) and we’ve been friends ever since. Really? She just chopped up, excuse me sliced up some produce and that made you friends? Really? Well…yes. But to me it was more than that. If you are not a John Travolta fan please just indulge me for a moment and read along anyway. (By the way, I am going to need a written explanation from anyone reading this blog who considers him/herself NOT a fan of John Travolta) Let me set this clip up for you. The film Phenomenon-George (John Travolta) is in love with Lace (Kyra Sedgwick) who for a multitude of reasons, will not allow George to get close. Lace is a crafts person and makes chairs-she puts her heart and soul into her work. George buys multiple chairs (he does not need)

This monologue explains the significance of “buying chairs” which could also be called “slicing vegetables”.

Bane is explaining to the Doc that his girl, Lisa has left him (AGAIN)

Doc: Really? Now George has a love at his side and she is sticking with him. You know why? Because he bought her chairs. That's pretty smart to me. You ever buy Lisa's chairs?

Doc: Every woman has her chair, something she needs to put herself into, Banes. You ever figure out what Lisa's chairs were and buy 'em?

It’s amazingly simple, yet I don’t always do it. The best practice for the art of love, romantic love AND platonic love, is to invest. Invest in people. Find out what matters to another person and extend a little effort to show your support of that venture. BUY THE CHAIRS! It’s what Rich and Cindy were doing when they showed up at that second cultural class with their “home work completed” It’s what they did last summer when we had an idea to create a coffee shop on Wednesday nights. The list maker came strait from work and began serving coffee, RHM, did the same. In October when the crazy idea for an art auction to raise money for my orphans in Kenya was presented---Here they were again, “buying chairs” making item donations for the auction and buying art for this sweet baby’s room. I realize it may sound as if I have a connection with these people because they have helped with so many projects. I suppose one could draw that assumption. It’s true, they have participated in many of the things which I have passion. That in its self deserves a giant thank you. To me, their support of my little projects is less about the “work” they have done-and more about the investments they have made. It challenges me in a way I find difficult to understand.

While painting the dots on the wall in Caroline’s room, I had conversation with The RHM, part of the conversation turned to the loss of an amazing friend and we shared the same sentiments-with this exception. I expressed my regrets having not verbalized my love and appreciation for him while he was here. She said something about the list maker at that point and it inspired this whole blog. She said something like this “Now The List Maker, he doesn’t do that- He believes in telling people how he feels. What they mean to him, that he loves them. He lives that way-no regrets now.”

See what I mean? There is an art form to that way of living. Living Love to the people around you. I love an analogy so… saying “I love you” is like taking a stroll thru your favorite gallery-but the art of really LIVING OUT “I love you” involves that interaction I spoke of before, it involves the buying of chairs.

like the fruit...part 2 (in color)

Phase 2.  Color. 

Stayed up late to play in the paint.
It was TOTALLY worth it.

Like The Fruit.. Part 1

SHARRRAAAYYYYY…..

“umm…it’s Cheri. Like the fruit.”

So…At the request of “Sharay” I mean Cheri.

Cherries…phase 1. The Background.

There is always room for ice cream!

I firmly believe that. I am living proof that no matter how much dinner I have, no matter how many times I am offered seconds and I’ve refused, stating I am just “toooooo fullllll” no matter how tight the button on my “just out of the dryer-not worn in a few days so not stretched out or relaxed at all, almost a size too small at this point” jeans is…I can ALWAYS find room for ice cream. I believe ice cream is the perfect food and I believe the person responsible for the invention of this manna from heaven deserves at the very least a Nobel Peace Prize.

I am no ice cream snob-I like it all. Everything from that little clear cup of Turner vanilla that comes with a paper lid and wooden-splinterish spoonula, to the obvious Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food. Although it’s not good math I reason if that tiny single serving of Turner is to be consumed at one setting, the same is true for the four servings that come in a pint of Ben and Jerry’s. I do have a favorite ice cream. For the sake of trival information I will tell you. It is from Braums (the local favorite in my home town). http://www.braums.com/   Chocolate Almond. I can rest in comfort at  both ends of the spectrum as far as ice cream goes. While I truly love the crunchy salty deliciousness of almonds mixed with frozen chocolate love from Braum’s, I simultaneously feel a vanilla soft serve from DQ is ice cream in it’s purest form.

Likewise apparently the same is true for Art. There is always room in my life. No matter how busy the week has been, no matter how many nights of 4 hours sleep I got, no matter how many times I silently declare “I’m toooo fulllll””” or more appropriately “I’m toooo tiiirreedddd” If an opportunity presents its self to go see some art, or even better participate in something artistic….I can muster up enough energy, re-dry some “been worn a few times now way too baggy “ jeans, and head out the door to indulge.

Last Friday was one of those times, the end of a strand of really long weeks-really long nights and lots of activities-feeling completely exhausted and silently declaring “this weekend I am doing NOTHING. I wish to stay in a hoodie and sweat pants all evening and all day tomorrow…Heck I many not even shower tomorrow….I’ll just veg out ALL weekend. (and by “veg out” I of course mean stay at home and wash clothes, clean the bathroom, organize the laundry room storage that is becoming a place Fred Sanford himself might be a little uncomfortable) I am leaving work at 5:00 and will begin my weekend of rest….I mean I’ve go to, I have absolutely no energy to give anyone or anything…I am spent.” Beep Beep- AHHH new email from TK-----All thoughts of rest were immediately put on hold as I read this invitation to travel to Memphis for “Trolley Night in the Art District.” See what I mean? ALWAYS room…..

And…at 5:00 this theory was tested and proved true. We met with The fireman and his woman and away we went to Memphis (side note, and this may be more information than you care to know but…I didn’t go home to re-dry those jeans I mentioned, just wore a pair that had been in my car for nearly a week…reasoning I had an amazing green scarf (super artistic) and my favorite Blueberry coat. Confident I could work these pieces into something acceptable in the art district) We traveled to Memphis and made a quick stop at a little pizza joint-then arrived down town. Trolley Night is the last Friday of each month. As the name implies, you can ride the trolley downtown (no charge), all the galleries and shops are open and offering Trolley Night specials, food, drinks, and live music. After stopping by an exhibition of photographs taken in Japan and a folk art show-complete with a 4 piece acoustic band *fantastic cover of Brown Eyed Girl* then a really random and creepy encounter with a pair of uber talented photographers-I faked a phone call to get back out on the main street and stumbled into……wwwwaaaaahhhhhhhhhh…….A boutique called Muse. Now before you read any further- I would ask you to look back into my archives 2009-There are only 2 blogs in 2009 so it will only take you a second to find “year in review” I posted a link to an artists’ page and a photo of my tribute painting I call “poxie”. Seriously….go look at that---it’s important to the rest of this story. As I said in that blog- I love this artist. And Aspire to own a big big piece of her work some day. Well…in my attempt to escape the insulting photo-bugger guys-I stumbled into Muse and found their plaster peeled/semi brick walls randomly decorated with nothing else but…Lattimere’s work. I became a little emotional at the sight of it all. I find it difficult to describe the feeling of seeing art-in real life. It’s a totally different experience than I get scrolling thru a line of thumbnails on a web site. (I mean it’s as different as watching someone eat ice cream and actually grabbing a spoon and indulging yourself…) As I walked thru this quirky boutique where there was a woman playing a Kimball piano for a 4 year old child who was signing songs from Annie (for real this was happening at 8:30 last Friday night and it was not a performance) The child is singing, the store owner is helping a customer fit into a pair of overpriced but fabulous all the same heels, and I am just wondering about with tear filled eyes-loving each new painting more then the one I saw before… We looked thru some interesting jewelry art and decided to end the trip on that high note and travel home. Afterall—I was exhausted and couldn’t even imagine another stop. Must. Go. Home….oooohhh wait- let’s stop by Starbuckie on the way out of town. *I will now add “a visit over good coffee” to the list of things I am never too tired to do.