Getting Ahead

The title is supposed to be a play on words.  I am trying to improve my art (get ahead) by drawing portraits  (a head) daily.  This will expand into whole bodies, or at least that is the plan right now.  I am taking an online class with Kara Bullock which lasts all year.  It is entitled Let's Face It.

All of the faces you are about to see need more work, but rather than trying to get each one just right (as if I could!), I am making a valid attempt and moving on to another drawing. My strategy is that by drawing many faces, I'll eventually be able to get some right. Here goes...
Oh, a couple are of famous people so let me know if you recognize anyone. Ha!

 I know she looks as if she was in a fight, but I don't think she was! I should have cropped this.  

 He is one of the famous people who may not be recognized due to poor drawing skills!

 I know he looks as if he has Vulcan ears, but in truth, I made his ear smaller than it actually it.  However, I don't think it is as pointy as I drew it!

 Another of the famous people who, in real life, doesn't have such a flat head. The shadowing under his mouth looks as if he is drooling and his nose looks flat, but...

 Just a little character I made up.  Got a suggestion for a name?

The last of my people for this post.  I actually drew a few more but didn't take pictures for some reason.  

Why, of why, can't I get the eyes even?  I know that people's faces are not really symmetrical but this is ridiculous. 

Now you know what I am doing for my new year along with walking 10000 steps/daily--thank you Mr. Fitbit. Let me know what you're doing!

If you can't leave a message here, email me at vickistyons@me.com

Mission Accomplished

Whew!  I finally finished a selection of Altered Mouse Traps made and they are ready for delivery tomorrow.  I hope that I have enough so my friend, Jean, can choose among them.  Here they are:

Last Saturday on a very cold day in Nashville, TN, my SIL received her Ed.D.  I'm so proud of her. It was a long hard road but she just kept on plugging along!  Of course, I didn't get a pic of her in her impressive regalia; this is at the restaurant where we celebrated.

Kay Simpkins

It's a busy season for this family and my niece who was a teacher for many years, just finished nursing school and will receive her pin tomorrow. Another proud moment. As soon as she qualified to be an LPN, she started working and going to school. I know that was very difficult because there are just 24 hours in every day--even when one needs a few more! Congratulations to Sara Berk!

To Catch a Mouse

One of my friends wants to use altered mouse traps as a conveyance for the money she is giving family members.  I need to make about 15 of these but sometimes, I just get stuck. She already has 2 which I gave her last week,  and I made these today. Not sure about all of them. What do you think? Try to ignore that on one, I put it back together upside down!  I needed a better place to take the pic as these are full of shadows.

You may remember this girl from my last post.  She has had some rhinoplasty. Of course, as I post this, I see more problems. Such is life!

The weather has been rough both here and in ATL where one of my sons lives.  I am glad to report that we are all fine. I wish I could say the same for those people who have been injured and those who have died in the fires in and around Gatlinburg, TN.

Do-si-do

Today I was a docent to a class of 8th graders at the Hunter Museum of American Art.  I always think of it as a do-si-do around the museum for some reason. The students were from a small town in Alabama and had travelled for two hours. They were a good group, and I enjoyed it very much.

On the homefront, my client picked up the piece that she commissioned. That was a thrill for me! Perhaps later I can see it in her house...more specifically over the mantle in her bedroom which has 13' ceilings. She said she was glad to get it before they held the company Christmas party at their house because she will open up the house for people to look around.  Wow!  That was nice to hear.

Had to wait while the technician tried to discern what was wrong with the tailgate on my car. Of course, everything worked fine so he said there was nothing he could do. The manager intervened. After a little meeting of the minds (they met mine), the manager decided a call Toyota Headquarters was in order. Result:  no definitive answer, but new parts were ordered.  This is what is did during the wait. Yikes, I just realized how bad the nose it!  Perhaps, I will work on it a bit more...

It is obviously unfinished and may never be finished, but it provided some very needed practice.

Nibbled to Death by Ducks

Sometimes I just do not know when to stop. I'm afraid I need to do more with this painting so I keep putting a bit here and a bit there. Pretty soon it will look as it is has been nibbled to death by ducks! Please excuse the poor job of photo cropping I did.

I originally started this piece as a commission, but have no idea whether or not the potential buyer will like it. At first, I was worried about that but now have decided that if she doesn't like it, I'll return her deposit and submit it to a gallery. That decision is very freeing.  In the meanwhile, it can happily hang in the living room of the Bijou!

I haven't thought of a name for it.  Any suggestions?  

Halloween Cleveland Style

Halloween had gotten to be a big deal everywhere and that certainly includes where I live in Cleveland, TN.

I live on a street with a lot of traffic and no sidewalks so I do not decorate for Halloween. Well, it is a reasonable excuse so I'm sticking with it. However, a few blocks closer to town, the street is blocked off and hundreds of people (thousands?) go door to door receiving their one piece of candy. I thought I was going early at the end of my 3-mile walk today, but I arrived AFTER the parade of trick-or-treaters had started but before it reached a frenzy. Later in the evening, it was one continuous line of people going from one house to the next.

Beautiful leaves.  Note the flag--most houses had one.

Not sure if the kid in the first photo had been abandoned or what!

 These people do not seem to be getting that baby.  I'll check tomorrow and see if he is still there!

There seems to be something in the trees and bushes across the street.

Mystery solved.

I was trying to get a picture of this witch but evidently, the boy who had waaayyy too much candy was photographed. He had a companion who was equally chubby.

Notice all the ways in which the neighbors blocked off their yards so that only the walkways would be used.  It is nice it saved their yards, but it didn't do much for my pictures!

Star Wars fans, you were not left out!

 The sounds of Karaoke filled the street, but it was difficult to get a good pic without barging my way to the front.

 One of my friends giving directions. She had people giving out candy in her driveway. 

I'm not sure what was going on at this house (2 pics above) but there were some strange noises emanating from there.

A creepy clown with a jaunty walk.

There is a tale about Tall Betsy who comes out on Centenary Avenue which is where I got these pictures. The Tall Betsy link will tell the tale.

Tall Betsy with Will Jones, Katie Simpkins (my niece) and Joel Simpkins (my nephew). 

(Shhhh...I happen to know that Tall Betsy is Bailey Jones who made the video for Tall Betsy.)

I'm sorry that you can't see her costume better as it is really well done and, let me tell you, that hand that is on Joel's head is creepy looking for sure.

I also didn't get pics of the block party on the town square where among other things to see and do,  M&M Mars has Treat Street! Have I ever mentioned how perfectly lovely it is when I can smell chocolate in the air from the M&M plant?

And, that, my friends, is a glimpse of Halloween Cleveland Style.  Perhaps next year, I'll add pics of the crowd at the block party in town!

Life Imitates ART---unfortunately

You may have seen my mixed media piece entitled Head of the House.  If not, see below:

I hope this piece is finished.  I am thinking about seeing if a gallery in Chattanooga will accept it along with a few other pieces.   Anyhoo...back to life.

For about a month, I have been walking 3 miles just about every morning.  Last Thursday, I had about .5 miles to go when I tripped and hit the pavement.  Not to worry, I caught myself with my nose and forehead!

This is me 5 days later.  No idea why I am smiling!  

There is a silver lining to this saga, I happened to be about two houses from my sister's when the Great Trip/Fall occurred.  Stunned, I managed to get to my feet, gather up my glasses and cell phone, and stumble to her house.  Briefly, I considered walking on home not knowing that I had an egg on my forehead the size of a softball.  She opened her door and ushered me right to her bed where she iced my head and bandaged my scrapes.  She then sent a pic to her daughter, Sara, who is an ER nurse. Sara said to go to the hospital for scans so we did.  All was okay. Whew!!

Caroline Berk: Sidewalk Nurse!

(don't blame her for the strange looking photo; I added the nurse's cap via Photoshop)

Thursday I am scheduled to be a docent for 4th graders at the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga.  They will probably be wondering why I made up for Halloween so early!

Life is always exciting!