These 2 pieces are ones I finished just today!  After a big social weekend, I definitely needed to retreat and paint. Luckily, I have a fabulous husband who allows me time to do so-- that and I took the kids for a couple of hours for movie time, so he could watch football uninterrupted!  This is "It's complicated".  It's acrylic and string art.  I first gessoed the canvas and applied the string in designs directly to the wet gesso.  After it dried, I composed the colors based on the image I had in my head of this piece.  It's like a mini-synapsis of my life- lots of color and tangled overlapping shapes, grounded by a bit of darkness.

The next piece "Fragmented" is a description of different pieces of my life, some shiny, some mystical and some still raw.  This is about how all of the pieces fit together in uniformity, grounded in a deep red, the black stringed lines holding onto brass screws.  There is (hopefully!) a finished and yet still a little raw look to this as I feel that I will always be a work in progress.

Last night was Art Works Gallery 10 year anniversary!  Bringing on the Ritz was the theme and I dressed up in a sweet black and lace dress!  I loved the featured artist's pieces.  The idea behind them "Touch and look!".  Many of the pieces were covered with craft paper with words written in marker such as "Please touch!" or perhaps more teasing such as "Don't look!".  It was really engaging while doing so with muted colors.  Pretty cool!

The Art on Wheels event was wild and fun!  There were flame throwers, a huge music space and lots of local beers!  It was great people watching and there were even two people dressed up as Scarlett O'Hara--my fav!

Just a couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the amount of things I had "on my plate" and how I would try to handle myself with grace when I dropped one of my many balls I'm trying to keep up in the air.  Well, the time has come to prove myself.

I did not get into the Art Works Gallery show for October!  The same show I won 2nd place at last month!  Not one piece was accepted.  I scrolled down the email and read each line, taking in a small breath.  "Piece #32- was not accepted, piece # 33- was not accepted and piece #34 was not accepted," I read.  I was not at home and tried to hide my disappointment until I returned to the sanctity of my family.

Like the drama queen I can be, I vowed never to paint again and that when I picked up my canvasses, I would immediately paint over them, thus nulling my previous statement.  I tried to rely on my inner peace and remember my own words of encouragement but I just couldn't hide my disappointment.

I thought of all of the great artists and wondered what their disappointments looked like.  I wondered how many authors and actors had been disappointed or not received roles and I realized that perhaps I was being a bit silly.  Rejection is part of this game.  Not everyone will like what I do every single time!  I know this and yet it still stings a bit.

I think I will go to the VMFA and take in the work there.  I'll think about what I like and don't like but the fact that it is all good and I think I will find solace there.  I find comfort in my art and that is what will propel me forward.  

I guess I did take in my friend's advice, "When you drop one of the balls--how will you handle yourself?".   Like a trooper with a slightly dramatic flair!!

Ladies night at Nest, Richmond, VA went really well with no rain!  While I didn't sell anything, I met some cool vendors with some great leads!  Best of all, I ran into an old friend I hadn't seen in ages.  She looked the exact same, only with a tuft of grey and I look pretty similar-- just married with 2 kids since the last time I saw her!  I closed shop early so I could mingle and the phrase of the night was "If I had any money--I'd buy it right now!".  

As soon as I think I have a good balance of home and work.... a daunting task haunts me! Have I found the right work? I can't say.  In the myriad of my jobs- one is simple:  to shop for others.  And yet, one task continues to bother me as I've failed at it's completion:   the responsibility of providing Powerade Zero in an 8 pack 20 oz size.  There are thirsty employers with small fridges and the one thing they ask for that I can't provide:  Powerade Zero that fits the fridge.  

For those of you who don't know, Powerade Zero is a product made by Coca Cola.  It has 3 calories, no sugar, no fat, no salt and no saturates but 100% taste.

The first time I hunted for said beast, I armed myself with a shopping list, google on my Samsung Galaxy III, sunglasses and boots--ready for shopping.  I eagerly approached the end of my list and went down the sports drink aisle.  I see the larger versions of the drink and get excited.  Surely the smaller packs will be beside or underneath it.  Setting my purse aside and ready to haul 15 packs of those bad boys into my cart, I pause.  There are NONE!  So I laugh nervously to myself and approach the manager.  "Of course, we have them," he replies.  With a call and personalized walk into the warehouse a pallet is unpacked.  

" I am so special,"  I think "for them to bring me back here, unstack the pallets of inventory and get my Powerade Zero.  My employer is going to be so impressed with my story and the block of Powerade Zero I'm about to bring him.  I'm the best!".  

One pallet, two pallets, and three are unloaded.  None have the golden drink of Powerade Zero.  NONE!  I gingerly thank the manager (now I'm 20 minutes behind with no golden juice) and see this process repeat throughout several grocery stores.

I've been to:

And yet no one has this elusive drink in smaller packs.  I am a personal shopping failure until I find this shifty drink!  Supposedly the Walmart in the far west end has it but I have no reason to be over there except to find this 8 pack of drinks.  Will I risk crossing the Boulevard into the land of west endies to find the Powerade Zero Sports Drink 8 pack?

Stay tuned to find out!