A Little Confession . . . . About an Obsession

Okay, I have a confession and I'm not proud of it, but here goes. About six months ago, my friend Tory told me about a cool antique store in Camas, Washington, Camas Antiques. We tried a couple of times to get up there together, but it never panned out, so on a random weekend, I went by myself (well, not exactly by myself, Howard came along, too). When I arrived and started down the aisles, my breath was sucked right out of me. It was on a par with Monticello Antiques in Portland, which says a lot -- in some ways, it was even better (did I say that out loud?). As I walked the aisles with Howard, I remember telling him: I know it isn't right, but I'm not going to blog about this place; I want to keep it all to myself. And I didn't take any photos, I didn't share about this magical antique mall (thank heavens Tory was more generous).

Well, I returned to the store this past weekend, taking my friend Vicki along for the adventure. It was just as good as the first time, but this time around I decided to display some generosity of spirit by blogging about it. So the cat's out of the bag: Camas Antiques is an amazing place. Each booth is a little vignette of fabulous goodies - vintage, glitter, worn, shiny, random, oh, I could go on and on with words to try and describe it, but you know me, photos are so much better, so I'll just get out of the way!

The Heart of the Matter 3

The Heart of the Matter 3 opened at Guardino Gallery last night. There are two artists in the main gallery (Suzy Kitman and Jessica Orlowski)and then a group show in the Feature and Window Gallery; I'm part of the group show: The Heart of the Matter 3. But let me back up a bit. Here I am delivering my art to the gallery last Sunday:


And here is what I delivered: 13 Funky Junkyard Birds and three Fearless Faces.



So last night was the opening for all of the shows. We arrived and peeked in the window, discovering that my three Fearless Faces were in the Window Gallery.


I didn't get to see all of my birds hanging on the wall as Donna, the owner of the gallery, had sent me a message earlier in the day saying that three of my birds had sold before the show even opened (she suggested I get to making more birds)! Yikes Almighty!


Here's the beautiful Features Gallery:



My handsome hubby talking to Greg Carrigan.


Daughter Amy stopped by (with flowers for me!) and had fun looking at a couple of the dangling hearts on my birds. Amy had given me a pair of her old heart earrings, and of course they found their way onto my Funky Junkyard Birds. I guess I didn't open the lockets because inside were photos of my grandkids!




Some of my favorite crew: Tory, Greg, Tabor, me, Amy.


Tabor looking quizzical and mysterious.


You know who by now.


Finally, Steph arrived. Trifecta achieved.


And then it was just a magical evening of visiting and talking art. Can you spot Mary Lou Zeek? She's there in the mix, too!

Fearless Faces: Heart Felt

I needed to finish up some paintings for my upcoming show at Guardino Gallery, The Heart of the Matter, but due to a scheduling hiccup, my husband needed my help at his office. I'm not very proficient with the actual workings of the office, but I am good at answering the phones and greeting clients who stop by. Therefore, I made a deal with my husband: I'll answer the phones and look presentable sitting at the desk for anyone stopping by, but when I wasn't answering or greeting, I would be painting Fearless Faces. I spread out a big tarp and painted throughout the afternoon (thank heavens Friday afternoons are usually quiet).




Disclaimer: I am not a crazy cat lady. However, I do have a pretty cute six-toed cat, Sinatra (as in Nancy Sinatra and her song These Boots Are Made For Walking), who just happens to be our office cat. Sinatra decided she would supervise my afternoon of painting.





I completed three Fearless Faces for the Heart show. The first, No. 5: Awaken, features a Carl Jung quote written on the black band holding the face together:

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart ... Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.




The second piece, No. 8: Little Heart, features a tiny little heart on his chest. The repurposed board is nicked and pockmarked with all kinds of history, parts of it even look like writing.



And my favorite Fearless Face? No. 9: Heart Felt.


For show information, click here.