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The gray skies are reaching nearly to the ground and the slightly heavier than mist is drenching the valley. The Gallery is quiet save for the xm radio playing and the sound of the keyboard click click clicking. I’m waiting for my newest painting in process to dry so that I can proceed. It’s watercolor on Yupo paper and wet wet wet, rather like the outside right now, so I thought I’d post. When I resume, I’m going to video it…so watch for some new video in the next few days, at least I hope so.

Cars are driving in, and slowly passing, clearly checking to see what’s here, but they are not stopping…guess they don’t want to get wet. Oh well.

Tomorrow is my birthday. 08-08-08. I don’t know whether to be excited or terrified. Probably neither, but it’s interesting that few in the population will have a birthday like this. I’m hoping it’s a good thing.

Speaking of good things, here comes someone. more later.

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OMG! What an endless parade of tragedies large and small have plagued the opening of both the Mountain Theatre And the Angel Fire ArtsFest! From Salmonella and Cancer to “just can’t pull it together”, it is a wonder we’re pulling it off! Thank you Jacqui…and John (my John) for stepping in at the last minute. Even my new student Jennifer came to the rescue! Tickets are going fast and it looks like we’ll actually open!

As for AFMT, Robin saved the day(s) and Diana ended up at the gallery more than I did! But, open we did! Wednesday opened The Dining Room and wow! what a show! The audience loved it and even gave a standing ovation at the end! Final show is Saturday night and I’m looking for more chairs!

I think I need to sleep for a week to catch up. Not that that is likely to happen. Ah, well, Fall will be here soon enough. In the mean time I’m just doing my best to keep up the most important tasks (like paying bills) but laundry is lagging behind and if don’t do some soon we’ll be walking around in the buff. Not a good idea, especially when afternoon thunderstorms drop the temperature to 50.

So…Diane, be well-and fast! Jacqui…hang in there and THANK YOU! John..ditto..and more! Diana (and Bill), and Robin, and Jimmy…and Wing and Jane…there are not words, so THANK YOU will have to do.

If you’re in the area…don’t miss the last performance of this show on Saturday (yes tomorrow) There are more shows to come, but this one closes. And now, so shall I.

It occurred to me that perhaps it’s unclear on this blog, just exactly how one can post comments to my queries. Here’s how: click the “comments” link at the bottom of my post. That will open a posting box for you. Then you simply type and save/post.

So, I’ve been asking what you’d like to see demonstrated in my next video. Notice, I said video, not DVD. I’ll do a series of short lessons and post them here for you to see….FREE. Some possible topics are: basic watercolor techniques, painting watercolor on Yupo paper, Watercolor on Canvas, Pouring and negative painting. Or we can explore pastel and drawing. The basic drawing technique of my Shape Memory Method (TM) is already posted here, but we can go much further with drawing as well.

Now it’s up to you.

In the meantime I’m headed to Los Alamos today. If I had wings I could be there in minutes, the wind is blowing so hard. (Unless of course, it’s blowing the other way!) I’ll be off line for most of the next few days, but will check back in the evenings. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

As promised, I pulled the Learn to draw vid from my DVD. Check it out:

This is a two-step learn to draw method using my Shape Memory Method TM developed over the past 45 or so years of my drawing experience. My Grandma used to say I was born with a pencil in my hand. I started drawing…on everything..at the age of 18 months. It works for me, and works for virtually anyone willing to try it. It is a method of teaching you how to draw what you see…not what you think you see. Give it a shot..you might surprise yourself! Admittedly, it takes practice. But like most things, once you get it, you’ve got it!

Let me know how it goes!

Finally got it! New Handicam is here and I can’t stop playing with it! So this one’s for you Roy Brown!

There will be a new one tomorrow! And then 29 more after that, not quite daily (I’m taking Easter off!) But I’m having so much fun it’s hard to stop! Have to say, Thank you, Gary Vaynerchuk! Wahoo! I saw him at the much talked about conference that I went to, and after he blew us all away on the stage my first “action item” was ‘buy a video camera’, and so, I did, and Tadaaa!

Gary made us believe we could “come as we are” and say hello to the world, blemishes and all. What a relief! and What a blast! I’m certainly no pro, and it’s definitely “as i am”. I hope the viewers have as much fun watching them as I do making them! The big danger is, when will I paint! No worries. The more fun I have, the better and more I can! So check back for more tomorrow!

WOOOSH! That’s the sound of the dog house blowing by. (not really, but it feels like it.) Even the dog is hiding under my feet as the torrent of wind rushes by, twirling and howling around chimneys, kicking up snow till it looks as though we live in the middle of White Sands in a wind storm. UGh. I can deal with snow, and even cold…but arrrgh…the wind irritates! And, hmmm, how that reminds me of all the wind blowing on the political trail to President. Not to mention the rip tides blowing the snows in our tiny village and it’s upcoming election. I wonder when last there was such a bevy of candidates here? Three running for Mayor, (Current Mayor Clanton, Councilor Larry Leahy and Councilor Chuck Howe…and let’s see if I can recount all those running for Council. Stuart Hamilton, Al Lotte, Luther Robinson, Deborah May, and County Commissioner, Bill Conley). Now, of course, there is one Mayor position, currently held by A. C. (Bubba) Clanton who is running for re-election against Larry Leahy and Chuck Howe. There are two open Council positions (vacated by Ed Culotta and Hoot Gibson). With 5 running for two open positions and two incumbent positions running for Mayor…it’s all abit overwhelming…and exciting! Should one of the two incumbent Councilors win as Mayor, he will then appoint his Council replacement, so the two incumbent seats are not “up for grabs” as it were. The five running are competing for the two open seats.

I’ll urge local residents to head out to the candidates forum(s) hosted by the Angel Fire Chamber of Commerce. The Council Candidates Forum is February 13, 6-8pm at the Community Center. The Mayoral Candidates Forum is February 21, 6-8 at the Community Center. You’ll need all the help you can get to sort it out. As for me? Stakeholder? Yes. Business Owner. Director/President for two small non-profits. Does it matter? You better believe it does. But I’m not a property owner/resident and I can’t vote. Not Village rules…it’s the State Constitution that says so. Sigh. And if, your calendar is not full enough, let me add this: On February 20, at the Community is the next community forum for the economic development plan. Now, I know.
We’ve been there before. Roughly 10 years ago. But is it not, really, really, time, to move on? Can we not really come together, work together, change our future for us? It’s high time we moved beyond the past, the bickering and dismay, and work together for our future!

Good Freezing Grief! It is so cold here right now it’s a freezer! Last night the low was -16. Right now, at 8:27 pm it is a brisk 0. Yes..no degrees. brrrrrrr. The fire is burning (at least I hope so…need to go check it) So…people who have been here longer than I (I’ve been here nearly 14 years) tell me this is nothing…and almost normal. So what’s the deal with global warming? If it’s “almost normal” at -16 overnight and 0 in the evening..where is global warming? As I head to stoke the wood stove I’ll ponder it. Maybe you should too. Bear in mind…this is New Mexico!

Hey, I almost forgot! I entered a video contest (yes, I’m looney). I wanna win! Go to http://www.strategicprofits.com/66-seconds-compelling/
and click on my name. Watch to video, then vote! I really hope you DIGG it!

Ok, so I once again let months slip past without posting. I know, it really only hurts me in the end. Not that I’m not already chained at the hip to my laptop. It’s not a lack of time. Mainly a lack of inspiration. Can I leave that behind me with all the challenges of 2007? We’ll see.

Mercifully, after a long, lonely fall and early winter, the last week of December was on fire at the Gallery! and, well, YAY! It certainly helped to raise the level of optimism in my heart, though I generally see the glass half full, 2007 had me wondering about the wisdom of that. But, thankfully, moving on, 2008 is looking bright to me.

What’s new? Let’s see….

The Gallery is full of great new work from kaleidoscopes and stained glass by Ocate Artist Judy Osburn. I also have fabulous new work from Nancy Angulo Telles and Jacqui Binford-Bell. Coming later this month…..ArtZteeZ. 100% Cotton, Pre-shrunk, long-sleeved T-shirts emblazoned with works by Nancy Angulo Telles, Smith Holt, Jacqui Binford-Bell and of course, myself.

My web designer, Anna Stewart, is hard at work redesigning the web site (www.angelfireartspace.com) and before long it will launch with a fully operational secure shopping cart. Watch for the ArtZteeZ to pop up there shortly after that. In the meantime the DVD, “How to Paint a Poppy that POPS! is selling both on my site (www.angelfireartspace.com/classes.htm) and at Amazon.com! All that taken together makes for an awesome beginning for this year!

Maybe I can actually not have to go looking for inspiration on what to write!