GIve a Man A Home

 Send "Give A Man A Home" Ringtone to your Cell 

"Give A Man A Home" by Ben Harper 

Have you ever lost your way

have you ever feared another day

have you ever misplaced your mind

watching this world leave you behind

won't you 

won't you give

won't you give a man

give a man a home

have you ever worn thin

have you ever never known where to begin

have you ever lost your belief

watching your faith turn to grief

won't you 

won't you give

won't you give a man

give a man a home

in a world that is unwhole

you have got to fight to keep your soul

some would rather give than receive

some would rather give up before they believe

won't you 

won't you give

won't you give a man

give a man a home

My life on the street....UPDATE

Barbara toils on... We are blessed to have had a pleasantly warm December. I want to thank all of you who have supported this cause.  I still have a few paintings left and I have found some worthy charitable options if they don't sell.  However, my pursuit for Barbara beckons, so I am marking all the remaining paintings down to $25.00 plus shipping.  I DO accept Paypal for safe secure processing.  I leave you with the photos of what remains.  Until we meet again....

My life on the street...

  I walk around trying to stay in places that make me feel safe, I have to keep my cans and my bags of things close so no one will take them from me, I need them for currency when I may need to trade for food or water.  Most people think they are just bags of trash, but to me they are all I have to GIVE. I have to wear all my clothes all the time, which means that in summer even when it is 100 degrees, I wear my layers of clothes and top it off with my full length down coat.  That coat was my greatest treasure. It is one of the nicest things I have ever owned and I received it at the mission last winter. I know it will be my greatest comfort when it gets cold again, but when it s hot, I can't take it off or someone will take it from me. I sleep with one eye open, if I sleep at all. It is best to sleep in short spurts, then move again.  There is no one to trust out here, even those like me, we are all just clamoring to survive, and I admit that even I can't be trusted. I have to survive....or do I?  What exactly am I here for?   Sometimes I wonder why I keep walking these streets, what is the reason that I carry all this stuff around from day to day.....  Sometimes, someone will smile at me or give me some money, or give me some food, or look at me genuinely and ask how I am. That gives me hope, I guess.  Sometimes, it seems like I am invisible... And I may die here in these streets and no one will even know.  How did I get here in this place?  How do I get out?   Will you at least pray for me?  Or do you even notice me?  If you can't help me or won't, please just notice that I am here and pray that I will come to know warmth, or safety, or love, or that maybe one day I won't have to live outside alone.

This is the story of a woman I will call "Barbara". I met her this past July. I think about her every night and wonder where she is and if she is safe, or if she is crying, or if she is hungry, or if she is freezing.  Ever since I met her, I have gone back to talk to her. I am trying to gain her trust so I can help her, but she has no reason to believe I will help her, yet. She trusts no one. I have dedicated all of my artwork sales to her.  From now until the end of the year, every penny of artwork sold will go toward providing at least some relief from the cold and the hunger that she lives through every day.  I  am posting the artwork that is available and the prices.  If you are interested, please just comment and I can respond to you through this blog.  If you can't help this cause or would rather not, I understand, I just ask that you pray for her and all the others like her, and please just remember that we are in uncertain times, and it could one day be you or someone you know. The  homeless among us, are no longer just  prostitutes, criminals, and beggars, they could just be your neighbor.

Mill Street  $130 in custom made frame

"Paris Metro" $50 8x10

The Bowler, The Raven and I 

$50 18x24

"Free" $100 including custom frame not shown

"Queen for a Day" $50 18x24

"Taking Off" $50 18x24

"U can Change the World" $75 including frame

"Circus Elephant" $50 can hold a picture or personalized birth announcement, etc.

NYCITIB4911 $100 8"x48"

"Ripple"  $20 9x12

"Storm over City Hall" $35 framed 18x24

"Still Life" $35 framed

"Cherish" $60 24x24

"Love" frame $15 9x12

Queen size Doors Headboard

 $850

Waiting.....just waiting....

Waiting is very hard for me, although I am getting better at it.  By nature, though, I am not a very patient person. I am always in a hurry to get to the next thing and get this one thing checked off the list. I am learning that there are so many hidden gifts in the wait, that one must not count it out. When I am in line at the store, it gives me an opportunity to meet someone new who is waiting too and even if I never see them again, it is nice to have chatted with them for a bit. When I am in the waiting room at the doctors office, I get a chance to finish that book I haven't been able to get to.  When I have waited for a dream to be realized, it seems to take a lifetime, and then when it gets here, I realize how much fun it was just dreaming about it and anticipating it, and now that part is gone, and I have to make a new dream to wait for. I sometimes envision something for a project that doesn't yet exist or I can't find it, so I settle for something less than what I really wanted.  So anyway, for those of you who have been keeping up with this blog and the process of the mini bar transformation, that this where I am now.  In the joy of the wait.  I am waiting for all the perfect things that I envisioned to surface. I found these handles that would be grand, but are very expensive, so I am doing what I usually do since I am cheap, and I am trying to learn how to make them myself out of metal castings
. This will probably prove to be an expensive lesson and I may end up having to buy them anyway, but since I am in no hurry and will not settle for less, that is just what I am going to do.  I appreciate your patience and hope you are having as much fun waiting as I am:)  But DO let me know if you have the perfect mercury glass ice bucket or bowl, cause I am still on the hunt for that:)))
Until we meet again....

By the way, while I have been WAITING, I have been submerged in some other very fun projects that are coming together nicely, so keep on the lookout for those. 

Every... Update

 EVERY.....

 PERSON...

 HAS... A.....STORY.......
I have lived 39 years of life and for a great part of it been numbed to the Needs of others, not stuff, but needs of humanity....Other's emotional needs were to me just an inconvenience.   I held extremely high standards for myself, so I really could not appreciate others who didn't numb and just run away and keep going like me.  I was never sad, but i didn't get to experience true joy either, I guess. I rather enjoyed my life, but there was this deep something bubbling up in me, and I knew I had to explore what it was before I exploded.  I found that it was the ALIVE, deeply passionate, Deeply feeling, me that i thought had died, wanting to show me that she was still in there somewhere and she wanted out.  She was tired of being held captive.  I have studied artists for as far back as I can remember, and one thing I noticed was that you could put all the paintings of most of the masters and line them all up and see their lives told in their

paintings, but not mine.  You would probably have had a hard time finding any resemblance to my life in my paintings, because almost all of them were created for other people according to what they wanted.  I decided this year to make the rest of my life's artwork tell my own story.  I know you may look at these and say "uh,  these don't look like you".
And I will say "I beg to differ....look closer...."  You see, all of these images are of a tribe of people in a land a half a world away from me, called Mozambique....  Earlier this year, I watched a documentary by Anthony Bourdain about Mozambique, and it really impressed me about these people.  I loved their story, and after that it seemed like i heard it everywhere, i saw it everywhere, and I felt like it was calling me. I started looking up to see if there were jobs there, maybe I was supposed to go there and work, or do something with these people, but turned up nothing.  I still couldn't stop thinking about them, so I set out to do what only I know,   PAINT THEM.

I have taught students for 6-7 years how to draw portraits, but I have never done one of myself until now, or anybody else seriously. I have done a few abstract portraits just for fun, but I never really wanted to look into their eyes or my own because I was

"AFRAID"   Yep, there I said it, I was afraid that their needs were too great, their pain more than I could comfort, and their joy, maybe more than what i would allow myself, so either way I didn't want to look that close.   This time, I made myself look, study them, and what I realized was that i saw the trepidation in their eyes, just like mine when I don't know what is around the corner, and I could hear their bones rattling just like mine, on cold nights, and I could feel their loneliness as they sit in the shadows waiting and hoping to be rescued, just like I have.  I could hear their bellies rumbling and know that hunger, just like I have felt. I could feel the giddiness that swells up in them when they hear their babies laugh, just like in me, I look at them and I see that their blood is just the same as mine, when they bleed, and it courses through the same veins as mine, and leads to the same heart that beats inside of me, They are ME....  half a world away in a place with different buildings, and a different landscape, but they are ME....  We are the same.  I don't want to help them, I want to band with them and share this world with them, I want to know

 their stories, i want to know more....

I want to learn from them....  not just the people of Mozambique, but all over the world.  I must go now... I am off to study.... God show me where the larger story is unfolding....
 
FOR THE LOVE OF HUMANITY...
(that is the name of the next series...look for it..)

 This is the first series of a set of 3 which I have designed. The other two are still in progress.  I will keep you posted.

 and this is just me....
no less or better than.....
Until we meet again.....

Artist for hire...

It has always been my intent to use my passion for art for good.  I started to develop it as a business because I thought I could make a living doing so.  While it has provided me a lot of opportunities to give of my time and talents, and make a little money, it has also taught me that a large majority of people do not have any understanding or appreciation for art or artists.  The people who understand the time involved and the sacrifice that an artist makes to live their craft are other artists.  I decided to posts this on my blog only to enlighten and educate.  DISCLAIMER:  If this sounds like a rant, that is because it is, so if you don't want to hear it, you can stop reading now.

REASONS TO HIRE AN ARTIST:
1. You LOVE their work.
2. You think their work would compliment your home or decor.
3. You trust them to create a quality piece of work.
4. You value them enough to pay them what you yourself would expect to be paid for the same amount of time away from your family working.
5. You think of buying their work as an investment.
6. You would buy their work whether you knew them or not.

REASONS NOT TO HIRE AN ARTIST:
1. You think they Will gladly give their services, ideas, and goods to you for pennies because it will be for a good cause. (I have a number of charities and groups of MY OWN CHOICE that I freely and regularly give to, so if I have not contacted you, you are not one of them!)

2. You Think that hiring a local artist will be cheaper than buying a manufactured item from china that has been made by slaves who are paid nothing.

3. If you have ADHD and have tendencies to constantly change your mind about what you want.

4. If you pity artists and only buy from them because you think they need the money, but know their artwork will end up in your garage sale or at goodwill.( please don't bother, this is the highest insult)

5. If you regularly order things that you do not have the money to pay for.

6. You want a piece of artwork that you have seen, but cannot afford, so you want to find an artist who seems more desperate and will do it for less.  It is unethical to copy another artists work and profit from it.

7. You think that because they are more talented than you, they can just "whip it out" in a moment and at a moment's notice for very little money. Artists by and large are not aloof and drugged up daydreamers like most sterotypes would have you believe.  Most artists spend a lot of time planning, measuring, and sketching, doing prep work, etc. before you ever see the final product.  There is literally no such thing as "whipping it out".

8. You think that your request will give them some good experience, therefore, they should not expect to be paid much.  ( I have more ideas of things I want to accomplish and do than I have years left to do them, so I don't need to spend time working for free to get that experience, I would rather be doing my own projects for free.)

That's all. 

The Emergence of the Mini Bar

Ahhh, we are now in the phase I call the "Emergence".  This is the part of any transformation when I start to see that what I have sketched and envisioned for many months, is starting to come to fruition.  I literally get that night before christmas feeling at this stage, and the fact is, I think this stage is why I do what I do....  I live for this feeling.  I am only halfway there, and there is still much to do before this project is complete, but now I know IT WILL BE...   It is the process of BECOMING something else that I love.  So, enough of my dreaminess and onto the details.  I have the mirror in place, lighting, wine rack, drop down shelves, and the condiment boxes.  The electric box is back in place and ready for a blender :)!  So the artwork on the drop down shelves was inspired by old advertisements.  I am still not giving away the period style of my inspiration, but I bet you can guess based on the artwork.  I am proposing a challenge to anyone who wants to venture a guess.  The first 5 people who can guess correctly will win a $25 gift card and a picture frame!

 

This view is the left side inside door, each of the pictures drops down and could provide a place to set drinks which are ready or more prep materials, etc.  I hung a towel bar on the inside left.

This view is the right side inside door, which has one drop down shelf at the top and 2 condiment boxes, these each have room below the box for an ice pack, so that you can keep cool lemons, limes, cherries, oranges, olives, etc. The wood box is stationery, but the acrylic boxes inset are removable. 

 This view is of the trim around bottom of mirror and the base.  It is all distressed mahogany wood finish. I am getting a mercury glass ice bowl to place in this space. As you can see in the photo above, there is an electric box which allows 3 things to be plugged in...

This view is of the top trim around mirror. Above this will be the hanging wine glass rack. I am having trouble finding one that is the width I need.  I can build one out of wood, but it would obscure the view of the painted sky, so I wanted a  wire or acrylic one, and I have found some, but they are either too small or too big, so I am still looking....

A view of inside, with wine rack at bottom and low glass shelf, READY TO STOCK!  For the inside, I need to install a hanging glass rack, make a drawer, install the side arms on the drop down shelves, and place the mercury glass bowl.





 and another view of the sky ...  So there it is...
HALFWAY to BECOMING....

SOMETHING NEW.

Until we meet again...

Don't forget to put your guess in the comments section.

Paints which work best on furniture

Painting Furniture is first and foremost....FUN!  However, there are more variables in furniture surfaces than in walls, so I have found different brands work better for painting furniture.   You should always paint flat or eggshell on furniture first, then seal it, because painting with a  higher sheen makes too many stroke marks and even creates an unsightly texture, unless the piece you are painting is so flat that you can roll it on with a small roller.  So that's the BIF on sheen...

Now for my Favorites  and my NOT SO MUCH :

FAVORITES:
My very favorite paint for painting furniture used to be Ralph Lauren, but they quit making paint, so now I would have to say BEHR paint is my favorite. It works great on a variety of woods.  I think it is a great quality paint.

2nd Favorite is Sherwin Williams Duration: I probably would not buy this paint specifically to paint furniture, but I have an insane stock of paint in my studio, which I use for furniture, and I think this paint works well on wood.

3rd favorite is MYTHIC paint:  I LOVE this paint. It is a fairly new product for me, within the last year, but so far it gets 5 stars!

MARTHA STEWART PAINT:  This one is also new for me. I had tried her European paints a while back when she had Martha By Mail.  I loved them, although they were really expensive.  When I saw that she now had a line at Home Depot, I decided to put it to the test, and I think it is definitely a high quality paint, and she carries a lot of faux products, too and metallics, which I love.  Definitely so far, 5 stars!
Like I mentioned on the previous post, her REDS are incomparable to other brands.  REDS are very difficult to get good coverage, and to match in most other brands.  Her REDS are amazing.  They cover wonderful  and are so true to the swatch, that I probably will never bother with another brand on reds...

NOT SO MUCH:

I do not use Porter or Benjamin Moore, Valspar, Dutch Boy, Coronado, or Glidden on furniture.
I want to seperately discuss my experience with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint...
I have heard so much about this paint for about 9 months, I have read so many blogs about it, I have had so many people ask me about it, so I HAD to find out what it was all about.    I had to check it out, so  I went to purchase some to try.  I will tell you in a word what I think it is all about....  A RIDICULOUSLY HIGH PRICE TAG!!! Okay, that was more than one word.
 1st of all, it is only sold in boutiques, 2nd of all, you are encouraged to take a class at $60 per class, just to "learn" how to use it, 3rd, it costs $35 per quart and it is only sold in quarts, and then you have to buy the wax which is $24, for a small jar.  I finished 2 pieces of furniture with my $130.00 worth of wax and paint.  I was completely unhappy with both of them, and I had to re-do them.   The paint is (no surprise to me) "CHALKY" and doesn't cover well at all. It took 4 coats of paint on my first piece, and it still showed through in spots. I continued to try a second piece, because I really wanted to understand what people liked about this paint, only to be disappointed again.  It is just not for me...  I have finished literally hundreds of pieces of furniture and never spent that much on two pieces of furniture, either in time or actual dollars.  They market this paint also by telling you that you do not have to sand or prime with it, which is probably why it takes so many coats. If you prepare the surface correctly by sanding and priming, then it never takes more than 2 coats.

Again, this review is only based on my opinion and my experience.  People ask me these questions every day, and I thought it would be helpful to include it on my blog. I wish you all much success with your painted projects... Until we meet again....

Review on paint

PAINT. What color to choose? How much do I need? What brand should I go with? How many coats do I put on? YIKES! The choices could make you dizzy. I have used every brand of paint that I know exists. I would like to share MY OPINION on paint. I don't know how much experience makes you an expert, but I hope what I've learned might be helpful to you. I have broken my reviews down into categories based on painting various surfaces. Different paint works different on different surfaces. I also research the companies who make the paint, because eco and ethical responsibilities from a company are important to me and I do not support companies who do not act responsibly. WALLS: Favorite primer: Kilz 2 thicker than most, but by far the best coverage Favorite wall paint: Sherwin Williams duration : great coverage, nice selection of colors, good company Coronado|: beautiful colors, great coverage, good company, more expensive Mythic paint: great colors, good coverage, No VOC's, great Eco company although due to lack of preservatives and chemicals in this paint, it does not have a long shelf life, so only buy what you can use within a month. Behr: I use this one a lot because I am so familiar with all the colors, It is convenient because I am always at home depot, and because they can mix any of my sherwin Williams, Coronado, porter, or Benjamin Moore colors into behr paint. Although, I have found no discernible difference between their paint with primer and their original except the one with primer costs more. I think if you need to prime, use Kilz 2 and get it tinted to match your color. Martha Stewart Paint: good paint, consistent, great coverage and likeness in reds. Reds are difficult in most paints, they never look like the swatch and it takes so many coats to cover, but I really like the reds in Martha's paint. Benjamin Moore: good paint, but I don't use it much because it is not conveniently located to me. Porter paints: Not my favorite. Their paint does not go on well, and I find inconsistency when buying the same color twice. It never exactly matches what I had before. GLIDDEN: will not buy or use. Valspar: will not buy or use. Same problem as Glidden. It is cheap paint, and almost drippy it is so thin. They do not use as many pigments in their paint, so the colors are lackluster, and watered down. It takes about 3 to 4 coats to cover a wall, which will end up costing you way more than buying good paint to start with. I have given you some tips on choosing brands for walls here, but don't want to run on, so I will be back tomorrow with tips on brands for furniture. Until we meet again....

Freedom

Happy 4th of July Week!!!

This week we are celebrating our freedom as a country. I am so grateful for all the ways I am free. Sometimes, I even feel guilty for enjoying such freedom. I am sure that like most people though, sometimes, the things that hold me back get more of my focus. I have been spent a large amount of time this year trying to let go of those things and live freely. I thought it was something I could just decide to do, and was as simple as changing my mind.

In my bathroom, I have a bookshelf, which holds all of my favorite books. I have books about business, marketing, painting techniques, motivational books, spiritual titles, etc. etc. Every morning, as I get ready and prepare for my day, I grab a book at random, close my eyes, flip the pages, and whatever I land on, I read. It seems to become the theme of the day. So, the other day, I landed on the page in The Prophet, by Khalil Gibran, that spoke of freedom.

He says: " Ay, in the grove of the chapel and in the eye of the citadel, I have seen the freest among you wear your freedom as a yoke and a handcuff. And my heart bled within me;For you can only be free when Even the desire of seeking freedom becomes a harness to you, and when you cease to speak of freedom as a goal and a fulfillment.

Verily, all things move within your being in constant half embrace, The desired and the dreaded, The repugnant and the cherished, The pursued and that which you would escape. These things move within you as lights and shadows in pairs that cling. And when the shadow fades and is no more, The light that lingers becomes the shadow to another light. And thus your freedom, when it loses it's fetters,Becomes itself the fetter of A greater freedom."

I always teach my art students to look for the shadows, because if they paint the shadows first, it automatically creates the light or highlight above it. And sometimes it is hard to interpret the positive image without first identifying the negative one. One cannot exist alone. They are one.

So, while we are thankful for our freedoms, let us also be thankful for what binds us, For without one, we cannot know or appreciate the other...

To be truly inspired...

INspire, inspired, inspiring; Webster's Dictionary defines the word "To breathe into, to fill with breath, to animate. I LOVE this definition because often I hear that word, and I even say it quite a bit, but what it FEELS like to be truly inspired is to me like what the ground must feel like under your feet right before an earthquake starts to happen. I get the rumblings of something coming, and then......it is as if, God leans in and whispers to me "Are you ready for this? Cause, I've got somethin' for ya". Then here it comes, 1000 beautiful wonderful surging ideas , notes, colors, expressions, pictures, scents, and feelings, all crashing over me like a wave. In my dizziness, I try to right myself and focus on one thing, but I want to do it all, make it all, use it all. In that moment, I feel rich beyond measure at what I have just been given. Then. Silence. Until the next wave hits. This is to me what it feels like to be truly inspired, and it happens to me once or twice a day. So, I was just wondering if it only happens to me that way? Share with me how you are truly inspired...

On an earlier post, I had written about my process of painting, distressing, then rubbing on stain to give an aged wood look.  I was asked, "Can you really do that?"  I figured there may be others who wondered the same thing, so here is my 3 part answer to that question.
First of all, if you go to the hardware store, and ask that question or read labels on cans, etc. You will be told that is not a recommended application of this product.  However, just so you know, i don't believe everything I read on cans or what they tell me at the hardware store until I have tried it myself.  I love to experiment and try things that most people say can't or shouldn't be done.  Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. 

Secondly, I LOVE WOOD! I love the smell of wood. I love the feel of wood in my hands, I love the look of wood.  I love TREES. I even love paper of all different kinds.  I love wood in every form.  I can pretty much identify what kind of wood it is just by the smell. I find it intoxicating.  Only other woodworkers will understand this.  This is why people are confused at why I always paint wood, but my obsession with paint is a whole other story....  Sometimes, there is a piece of furniture where the wood just wants to be and I maintain the integrity of the wood, but other times, it just wants to be something new, and that is where I come in. I still love the smell of wood, and continue to search for a way to paint wood to emulate the touch, the smell, and the feel of real wood even though it is painted.  I tried staining over paint to get the sheen and the amber hue that I cannot get with paint, and it works better to use stain than poly, and because it is rubbed in, it becomes a part of the finish, not just a layer.  It also gives me that familiar scent of stained wood.

Third:  I admit that it is VERY TRICKY, (albeit not impossible) to achieve this look as a novice.  If you haven't done quite a bit of painting and staining in your time, this process may not be very fun or rewarding for you.  I always think it is worth trying even if you have never painted, but just don't be too discouraged if it isn't right the first time:) There is always the second and the third time:))) 

"EVERY"

I decided to share with you a sneak peek of a new series I am doing.  It is so different from anything I have ever done as an artist.  I usually paint butterflies, elephants, horses, shade trees, cityscapes, etc.  NEVER before would I paint people.  Not because I couldn't, but mostly because I think to paint people you have to really see them, see inside of them, not just the features on their face, or their pretty smiles.  I either didn't want to or didn't trust myself to get it right, I am not sure, but I have always run away from other people's pain, or what is REAL or KNOWING about them.  Don't worry, this is not the beginning of me turning into a depressive painter, who only paints sad haunting paintings, but for this season in my life, for this day, I am choosing to just paint REAL. I am looking inside...  of me.... of them....  Stay tuned.....  there is MUCH MUCH more...

PLEASE SEE POST TITLED "EVERY UPDATE " to see the rest of this series....

Armoire to Mini Bar evolving...

 So I am painting the inside of the piece, a deep mahogany and distressing it to look aged, then I will rub on a layer of stain to give it a burnished, aged wood look.  I am not going to reveal the inspiration on the design style I decided to emulate.  Just see if  you can guess as I go along.  In this picture, the luan in the back is where the mirror will go, so it is not painted. 

 This picture does not show the color well at all.  I need better mood lighting in the workshop for sure!!!

 As with all the pieces of furniture that I create, I feel like they need to have some little surprise, some small place of mystery within, hidden somewhere.  This piece needed a sky.  I felt a bit like Michaelangelo  in the Sisteine, painting this.I put a sky in the top which will only be seen through the glasses hanging down, but there will be a light up there, so it may reflect in the mirror. I am not sure yet.  The piece to the left, was just my practice board. It ended up a little different, but I like them both. 

 So here is the final sky in the top of the mini bar to the right.... 

I think you can get a little bit better feel for the color in this picture, but it will show up much better once the stain is applied.  I should have the mirror soon, and the doors, shelves, drop downs, boxes, etc. are all coming together separately, so I will reveal those once they are installed.  Thanks for checking in.  Until we meet again....