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Showing posts from September, 2010
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Everyone whose blogs I visit show so much activity. art-making that is; and now, National Invisible Illness Week has passed, and believe it or not, I have been making art! Having such limited time to spend in the studio certainly takes away from blogging, commenting and visiting all the wonderful artists who stop by, laundry, cooking, all that good stuff. Most everything, aside from the frame and wings, which came from ArtChix Studios , is found. However, in keeping with the no copy policy, I snipped out a lovely photo for the frame and now cannot recall from which sheet it came. The inside of this box was a piece of cake compared the one on which I am now working. Working on the cardboard cigarillo boxes proved very helpful, as a learning curve; however, the real wood has proven an entirely different, well, cigar. Hinges that can't be removed and reinstalled, rough, nearly shredded wood along the inside edges and corners that are too rough for sandpaper alone, not
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Here we are, September 19th, the last day of National Invisible Illness Week. I end the week filled with joy at the comments to my posts, the messages from friends and the dialog that I hope will continue until next September. I have learned so much from reading the blog posts of others. Lani Gerity Glanville , mentor, friend, moderator of online art group I am proud to belong to, read my post and wrote an amazingly powerful piece. An Art Therapist, Lanie has a wealth of experience and uses her incredible creative talents to live, learn, share and teach. She has continued the conversation by delving a little deeper into resilience, one of her favorite topics. Well worth reading. Also, a post by a young, too young, gal who has Lyme's Disease (and a host of others) but who uses her illness to spread good. Victoria is her name and I was heartened by her words. The bottom line is, for every person dealing with an Invisible Chronic Illness, there are countless others invol

the invisibleness of invisibility

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Here it is Friday and my goal was to post every other day during the National Invisible Illness Week. So much to say... about what it causes my family, especially my husband to endure, the guilt that flickers in my brain at the drop of a piece of laundry - that I can't wash at the moment, the lack of social life... If not for art and writing, I think I would be, well, a mess. I did have a few hours this past week, after having been in a major flare for nearly two months, of self pity. Or, is it grief? When something of value ends, be it a life, dream, career, there is a natural cycle of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance (Kubler-Ross model). But when it doesn't end once but loss is felt over and over again? Though not in order, I do reruns now and again. It is autumn, a season I love but one that, second only to spring, triggers more flares with each dip of the barometric roller coaster. And, since Medicare doesn't pay for my meds, to the tune of $

Life is a Merry Go-Round

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I'm lying on the sofa while my mother-in-law is cleaning out the refrigerator, cutting up the fruit she brought, along with the rest of my grocery list. Wow, I really have it made. Except, no bon bons, no soap operas. Nausea, swollen painful joints and the kind of fatigue that kicks you flat. September 13 - 19th is National Chronic Invisible Illness Week. I wrote a post last year and now, here it is again. The biggest difference is that, along with the disability came Medicare. A donut hole?? What that means is that if I want the same medications that allowed me a better quality of life than this - I have to cough up several thousand dollars every year. Hopefully, my empathetic, fabulously wonderful rheumatologist, a word unrecognized by my spell check, will succeed in procuring a supply from the drug companies that, until their patents expire (my theory, opinion, not fact) gouge $1750 for the two injections I need every month. Forget the very costly eye drops that prevent the blur

Thanks Patti (Digh)

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Patti Digh is an amazingly gifted writer, creator, coach, mom, person, all extraordinaire. I've had the privilege of participating in one of her coaching classes. Today, she spoke for me, and I would imagine, a great many others. Click on the title below the photo and read her amazing article. Thank you Patti. each one a story, a life, a family, an overwhelming desire to live, to love, to survive.

(Isobel's) Pearl Dreams

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The last of my three canvases for the New Editions Show is (Isobel's) Pearl Dreams. I saved it for last because it's my favorite... maybe it will sell and that will make me happy - I suppose. Selling art is a goal, a dream and I dearly wish I could sell enough to at least pay for my art supplies. But I've gotten attached to Isobel, though she's not here but safely tucked away at the gallery . The cool thing about cradled canvases is being able to continue the art on the sides, if that's what you call them. I think it makes for a nice presentation and it's fun continuing the theme... Another two of Jim's (hubby) pieces. He has four pieces in the show and, though I tease him about it, his work has been shown and sold for years, while I'm the newbie:) The post cards/invitations have gone out though I haven't yet gotten my stash yet. The titles of his are Safe In My Place and Introduction (below). Cool, huh?

(Evangeline's) Autumn Cloud

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Evangeline's Autumn Cloud was a bear to finish... don't know if it was because I wanted to do something totally different flower wise, or if the colors were hinky or precisely what the problem was. But, I worked and worked and layered and kept layering and finally was mostly pleased. I have an abundant stash of vintage buttons and I decided that adding them did change the look of the petals. The center is an antique coaster over gold mesh with a bazillion tiny crystals and such glued on the image - once again, I need to keep better track of which drawer the 'girls' come from and to whom to give credit... The 12 x 12 below is Jim's (my hubby) piece; as you can see our styles are a bit different:) He has been showing (and selling!) for years now and it can be a bit intimidating working alongside him. He has actually been inspired a bit by a couple of my techniques though, so, YaY! I hope to have all of them photographed by my friend Jeff , the pro, because I don't