Juried Exhibit at The Blue Ridge Arts Center in Seneca, SC
The two PixelGraphs I submitted to The Blue Ridge Arts Center were accepted into their 2013 Juried Exhibit “Framed”.
One of them “Creation – Cathedral” received a third overall place award.
This is my second entry: Blush Orchids
Anderson 38th Annual Juried Show
I just found out that one of my PixelGraphs, Pink Mums, was accepted into the Anderson Arts Center 38th Annual Juried Show. The show will run from April 12 to May 31.
Circle of Life - Pink Mums
FUMC Festival of Arts
One of my PixelGraphs, Candy Stripe Orchids, was accepted into the FUMC Festival of Arts. It will be on display from April 14 to 28 at the Cumming First United Methodist Church, 770 Canton Hwy. Cumming.
Flower Portraits - Candy Stripe Orchids
About nicknames…
My husband calls me "Dennis the Menace" because I can't leave anything well enough alone. My daughter calls me "The Roadrunner" because I can't stand still for long. Taken together, those two nicknames give a good idea of how I work.
Working at the computer is not a static job for me. On one hand, I really get immersed in my work, my mind following each stage, calculating how any of the many options in my tool box could bring my vision to life. But on the other, I'm coming and going many times during that process, either to retrieve something I just remembered I needed or to look for something I lost or I was supposed to do before I forget again.
All that activity gives me a different perspective each time. Every time I can see my work anew and it is then when I discover the speck that needs to be removed or the need for something that is missing.
After that comes the most difficult part of my work, to decide when it is done. Sometimes, when the print is part of a series that shares common elements it is easier, because the main concept of the work is already there. But when starting with a new idea, it is much harder. It seems that there is always a way to improve it, to make it closer to what I imagined.
And I suppose that there is also a small sense of loss, of being on the outside after all the time spent 'inside'.
New year… two shows
Art through the Lens
Two of my PixelGraphs digital photo art prints have been accepted into the Art through the Lens exhibit organized by the Blue Ridge Arts Center in Seneca, South Carolina. The exhibit will run from January 18th to February 28th. The opening reception is on Friday, January 18th, from 5:30 to 8:00 pm.
They are:
New Beginnings Art Exhibit
Four of my PixelGraphs photo art prints will be at the Gilmer Arts 2013 New Beginnings Art Exhibit. The show will run from January 18 through March 3. Gilmer Arts will host an art reception Friday, January 18 at the Gilmer Arts Gallery from 5 to 7 pm.
.Photo book
I just finished this photo book in Shutterfly. It's my third one. The first one was an illustrated story for my grandson.
Easy and fun.
Jack, the Hermit Crab
If you ever find the cleanest and nicest conch shell in the Florida panhandle shore, this is its story.
"Mama, remember the nice shell that Abuela gave me yesterday? I can't find it. I put it last night on top of the dresser. During the night, it was making a rattling sound and, in my sleep, I moved it to the night table on top of a book and later, because it kept rattling, I moved it again next to the book. But it's not there..."
That's how it started. In reality it started the previous day when I found a beautiful conch shell during one of our excursions around the Florida coast. I brought it back to the house we were renting and washed it several times, even using dish detergent to remove all the dirt from it. I stopped short of putting it in the dishwasher because I though the rest of the family would not appreciate having the dishes washed together with a shell.
Once clean, it was really a nice shell.
After Iya’s announcement, her mother said: “There was probably a hermit crab inside". Her statement started a complete room search of the now ‘believed to be a crab’ shell. Despite Iya’s worries about sharing her room with a crab, the rest of the family, me included, could not stop looking at each other and laughing. The room was thoroughly searched and no shell or suspected crab was found.
We told Iya that she was safe in her bed, high from the floor but she was not convinced. And she was right, as we later found out during an Internet search for more information about hermit crabs - they can actually climb rocks and objects with ease.
After our unsuccessful room search we extended it to the whole house, only half believing that we really had a crab in the house and thinking that maybe somebody was playing a joke on us.
We covered every inch of the house, even the other bedrooms and the downstairs entrance, but we could not find anything. Finally Iya's father decided to lift all the sofas and heavy chairs. There it was, underneath one of the sofas, probably confused trying to understand the sudden change in its environment.
Walking in circles, trying to figure out what was going on.
Another view showing the crab legs. Photo (c) Henry Durand.
After more laughs and sighs of relief, and of course tons of photos, we decided to take Jack, as we named it, closer to the water in the sound side of the island. Because of my actions, Jack the Hermit Crab had to go through the heartache of relocation. Hopefully he will find this new place to his liking. At least now he has the cleanest conch shell in town although I am not sure he appreciates it.
Jack in its new habitat.
