New Review on Paint

I am going to start reviewing Green Products.... One a week, so that anyone who reads this blog can know what is out there and available and can make good choices when they are entertaining a remodel, or new construction.  I think once you know the harm you are doing, you can never go back to unknowing it,and my hope is that you will be armed with good choices that will allow you to feel good about living in your space.

So the first one is MYTHIC PAINT, which I have included in my review on paint before, but now that I have been using it for over a year, I am even more convinced that it is the BEST paint on the market.  It has ZERO TOXINS which makes the health benefit for you, your kids, and our planet enormous, but that isn't even its best feature. 

History of the Paint:
It was created on a grant by the Polymer Research Laboratories at the University of Minnesota to come up with a paint that would be suitable to use in submarines, and would not have the chemicals or the off-gassing that traditional paints have, and it also had to be durable because of the humidity and exposure to water.  28 patents later Mythic Paint was born and is now owned by Southern Diversified products.  They are the only paint that can legally claim NO VOCs and there is not even a warning label required on the can because there are no TOXINS.  Traditional paints continue to off-gas and release carcinogenic chemicals into the air quality for up to 6 years, but Mythic Paint is totally safe for pets, babies, people, and can be disposed of easily because it is biodegradable.  I  am proud to give it 5 stars for that reason alone.

But like I said, there is more.    I have been painting decorative finishes, murals, and furniture, in spaces for 12 years professionally, and in that time, I have used every brand of paint there is.  I can tell you that Mythic Paint holds up in durability, quality, and ease of application, against Sherwin-Williams, and Benjamin Moore, which were my other two favorites.  I also think the coverage is even a little better per gallon.  I am so happy to be able to offer this to my clients who are doing kids rooms, or nurseries, because I know that they have thought of everything to prepare the room for their baby where they will be protected and safe and they have searched every crib and cabinet for safety, but now I can even offer them a beautiful room with clean air.

There are 2200 colors  to choose from, and it can be matched to formulas of all the competitors colors.  Mythic makes 3 different primers, and a black label option with primer and paint in one, too.  It is a great company to get behind, and I hope the next project you have, you will consider making the Mythic choice.

It is available at a retailer near you, or online.  You may go to the website to find the closest retailer.  

 http://www.mythicpaint.com

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. 

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.....