Month: June 2007

Posted on by

Ready, set……

I know its been a while since I last posted….lets just say I’ve been otherwise occupied. It suddenly reached panic stage in my head that ArtsFest is just around the corner…and I had little or no new work. Working under a deadline seems to motivate me best….so now, I’m up to 10 and more in process, so while paper is drying and ideas are stewing, I’ll write a bit.

Spring finally did come…and lasted a day or two…now we’re full into summer complete with the afternoon monsoon season. Thunder crashes and lightning flashes and then it torrents for about 5 or 20 minutes, dropping the temp like a lead balloon from low 80s to the low 50s. Nonetheless we in Angel Fire are madly working to prepare for the July 4th holiday and then BOOM, it’s the opening of Angel Fire Mountain Theatre. July 5th is opening night with Daddy’s Dyin’, who’s got the will? Then on the 6th it’s Bullshot Crummond. Then, our philosophy of not competing (to the best of our ability) with other events, we’re dark until the 10th, while the Village of Angel Fire hosts their summer festival on the 7th and 8th. On the 10th we’ll open Catfish Moon and we’re off and running. That leads right in to the Premier Reception of the 26th Annual Angel Fire ArtsFest. The Premier (July 13, 6-9pm) is the best party in town (sans my gallery receptions!) and well worth the $20 ticket. Live music by Christoff Brownell and catered by the Roasted Clove it’s sure to be great night. Proceeds benefit the youth arts programs of the Arts Council. Good Fun, Food and good cause!

So, you can see…we’re racing to the start and won’t stop till we close theatre on the 28th. Woo! Yes, I’m clearly insane. Truly passionate for the Arts! You can read more about that on page 16 of the current issue of Enchantment Magazine, on stands now throughout the Enchanted Circle. And now, some EXCITING NEWS! My new VIDEO is complete and I hope to have the site up and running in a few weeks. HOW TO PAINT A POPPY THAT POPS is a my (first) one hour lesson in drawing and painting the poppy that you see here “Prima Dona”. I’m tre’ excited and can hardly wait to get it out there and for sale. Believe me, you’ll hear about it when its done!

If I don’t post again soon….you now know why! Oh, and ps…my gratitude to the Dell Customer Advocate who came to my rescue. Though the wheels of the giant turn slowly, my system is fully restored on this new laptop and the lemon is headed back tomorrow. Signing off for now..

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM
Posted on by

Transition in process and back online

Ok, so I’m virtually challenged, but doggedly determined. Despite previous prognostications (based on what Dell told me) I am writing this from the new Vista machine. One more upgrade left to purchase (Norton Ghost) and I’ll be almost fully restored (sans the Office that I’m waiting on) to pre disaster levels. Vista has its quirks, but I’m getting used to them and finding ways around them…more time spent not painting but lately such is life. And hopefully this is the last post you’ll hear about it.

I’m awaiting final word, but it looks like one of my paintings will be the cover for the new local chapter Home Builders Associations’ Parade of home publications. That will be very cool. Once they’ve published, I’ll put it online.

To be blunt, I despise how stressed and on the edge I’ve been of late. Paint. gotta paint. gotta paint.

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM
Posted on by

It’s official, Spring has sprung. To be sure, the aspen have sprouted their gloriously green leaves, adding light in the midst of the dark green of the pine forest covering the mountains. Another bright, sunny day….four or five in a row now. Not a cloud in the sky (at least till later today!).

I’ve been painting and it’s had the usual effect of calming and focusing me. Which I’m sure is good news for Dell, since the saga that I thought was over, continues. I received the “new identical configuration” I was promised only to discover that it was not identical. Indeed, it came loaded with Vista, not XP Pro, and noticeably missing the software I ordered pre installed on the troublesome machine…and paid for. Yet more calls. Yet more “I’ll check on that and call you back”….yeah right. Not so much. I haven’t even taken the machine out of the box…the packing slip told the whole story. Vista, no Office. Since then I’ve discovered that there is only one program I have that will run under Vista. I can’t even begin to load it because nothing I have (save the quicken 2007 I just upgraded to) will work. I’m supposed to have this machine back to them within 7 days from the day I received the new one (two days ago). I have to upgrade 1/2 a dozen packages before I can even begin restoring data…and who knows how I’ll do that since my Ghost backups won’t be readable unless I upgrade that too….a program I bought in early December…buy it again in June. Sigh. Already up to $400 which would have been much higher had Corel not worked with me and honored the loyal customer I have been (which is great since three of the most expensive packages I have come from Corel…..thank you, Corel). The biggy will be Quickbooks. ouch. Almost $1000 total that I did not intend to spend this year. Not to mention my time. I’ve lost countless hours in rebooting, restoring, reinstalling and on the phone with Dell for so many hours at a time I broke down and bought a headset to save my neck. I’ll have to find some other way to do my email, because my email client won’t run on Vista and they don’t have a new version out yet. I’m beyond the anger and frustration. I just want a reliable machine. I don’t want to see another blue screen…ever (though that’s unlikely).

While I wait for the call that is unlikely to come, I’m going back to painting. I’ll move on while Dell ponders whether or not they are going to get me the copy of Office, and how they are going to help me through the transition that they arbitrarily forced me into. I have enough on my plate as summer approaches and all the activities and events of Angel Fire Mountain Theatre and the Arts Council loom, demanding my attention.

As I finish new works, you won’t see them here till after ArtsFest
This is the first time in several years that I have participated as an exhibitor. It’s alot to manage, between the gallery, and the Mountain Theatre, but I’m gonna go for it, so I’ll keep the work out of the public eye till then. While on the subject, if you haven’t picked up a copy of Enchantment yet, do so. They published a very nice article about the arts and my role in it. Page 16. I’m honored.

Better get to it…Ciao.

Angel Fire ArtSpace,
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM