MADELINE TURNS 50

One thing I have from my childhood is my 18" Miss Revlon Doll which came to me on Christmas Day of 1959.  Not having many toys, as I was one of ten children, I cherished this beautiful present,  and immediately named her Madeline, no doubt influenced by the popular  story of that day. This so happens to be the name of my youngest grandchild as pictured next to the latex version. 

In the bl & wht photo, I am eleven yrs old, standing near my bed the brandnew Madeline sits on.  Other photo is a close idea of  how her original dress of navy organdy and black high heels looked which are now forever lost.

 Poor ol' gal needs a makeover.  I keep her unruly hair in an upsweep. Her nails need a fresh coat of polish.  The ink stains are there to stay. An unfortunate result of bad-lad nephew getting ahold of her once.  Adding insult to injury, his bad-doggie also got ahold of her and chewed her toes. 

SPEEDWAY & SCUD MISSILES, or DESERT STORM & ACCIDENT DAY

This morning I had a flashback of an accident  in which 2 of my daughters were hit by a pickup truck some 18 yrs ago.  

Scenaro that afternoon  in Tucson AZ:  I was attending our jewelry business location on Speedway Ave. Business being slow [as usual], I happened to be working on my acrylic painting, "Jungle Party".   Right across the street at the crosswalk of Speedway & Treat Ave,  Sarah & Julie, returning from the library were crossing when a pickup truck hit them both.

Ironically, this was same day of Iraq's 1st Scud missile attack, opening day of Desert Storm.  Daughter #1 had a knee injury, though able to hop away & come alert me the news. Daughter #3 ended up with a broken femur and a gash to the head, resulting in her having to wear a bodycast for 6 wks. 

Daughter #2 was in Ohio with my husband who was pursuing  additional business interests [as usual].  

The girls' pain and my self inflicted guilt for letting them go to the library on foot caused me great anxiety, opening this morning's fresh tears of regret.

The painting,  finished and framed hangs in our now current successful location, Wexford Jewelers in Cadillac, MI. 

Speedway Jewelry & Repair no longer exists.  One morning I arrived to open for the day to find the lock changed due to nonpayment of the rent. This only added to the forfeitures our family experienced as a result of the poor business ethics and over-expansion.

SKETCHBOOK MEMOIRS

As I browse through my sketchbooks I've saved over the years, they bring back fond memories much like a photo album does.  The book these 3 are from depicts 3 separate art events or should I call them "happenings" from approximately 40 yrs ago. 

One I sketched at our "Spring Exhibit & Sale" the club I was part of: Macomb Art Society,  in Macomb Mall, Michigan. You can see the "S" of the Sears anchor store in the rear. 

Another sketch from same book features some fellow artists I "caught" while in the outdoor life class at Oxbow which is in Saugatuck, Michigan. I knew most of their names, and tagged them at the time.

This third one selected was labeled "Gallery Night" in the Grosse Pointe Woods [Michigan, of course] area.  On Monday nights I belonged to a group of artists who met in a room above a music store in an area known as "The Block".  The lady with red hair, Nancy Profit was an excellent painter and art teacher, a good lady and mother of 8.

METEORS or UFO'S ?

A sighting had occurred in our area  Nov. 1999 (Cadillac, MI). Five yellowish white saucer shapes silently trekking above the freshfallen snow is how 3 members of our family witnessed it in the sky that evening. (I was not one of them[sniff!])   It was also seen by others in nearby counties and was documented in the Cadillac Evening News. "Meteors provide light show in local skies".  My daughter, Julie, one of the witnesses did a simple painting of it while the image was yet fresh in her memory.

The 9 x 12 canvas board got shuffled around the house for a couple years til one day I dusted it off & added more detail,  reworking the trees and shading, etc. Thus it is signed, "Karen*Julie".  On the backside, I glued the news article, now yellowed with nearly 10 yrs of age. 

PALETTE KNIFE PAINTING

Briefly used in a couple of my first works, I have recently rediscovered working with the palette knife. The interesting effect it produced could not have been gotten with a brush. The technique depends on the quality and size of the knife used.

I must say it doesn't help my carpal tunnel any. After applying paint like this for a half hour or more, my hand & wrist are 'happy' for me to take a break.
I'm about to order a smaller size spade-shaped one for better control of smaller details.
Oh-the fun of ordering art supplies!!--[another subject]

Cosmic Bride

Cosmic  Bride   ~  Oils

One of those works that almost fall in place by itself...began with a drawing of my favorite tree. Then a woman's face here, another larger face there, some lace, some nebulous cosmic atmosphere... next thing I knew, it was a surreal scene with a bridal effect.

The emotion that reverberates from it is almost unearthly quiet, of a still moonlit night combined with M'lady's eerie sadness.
The redness of the rose is reinforced by that of her lips. Her veil forms the pattern of the stellar backdrop, while she is clothed in mystery.

This painting is for sale here.