Roll Um

Roll Um

A few dice, a cup, a game.

5x3 acrylic on canvas panel

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It's Not a Bad Story, You're Just Not Emo Enough!

I've recently been playing through Final Fantasy VIII, which I thoroughly enjoyed when I was in high school. Now...not so much.

For those of you unfamiliar with the game, it's a long, long story, but for the purpose of this post, I'll just say that it's about angsty teens dealing with seemingly giant problems. My point is that back when I was 18, the game had a lot more pull for me. This has a lot to do with the fact that I myself was an angsty teen at the time.

This is about the general concept of target audiences. A target audience is any demographic that a form of entertainment is designed to appeal to. At first, one might think that an artist should try to make their work appeal to everyone, or at least as many people as possible. But this is impossible. I don't care how great your story is, but a 3 year old boy, a middle-aged housewife, a tween girl, and me, a twenty-something guy, cannot be interested in the same material. Peoples' brains are just too different.

But once those differences are distinguished, people become so similar within their sub-categories that it's downright creepy. Guys between the ages of 18-35 will watch anything with cleavage, explosions, and/or stupid humor. Tween girls will latch onto metro-style boy toys that can dance. Toddlers won't watch something unless it is simplified down to its most basic form, and appeals to their incredibly basic understanding of color, number, shape, morality, etc. The list goes on, and most entertainment companies have the human race figured out on a psychological and sociological level. Even if you think you have different tastes than these general categories, you simply fall into a sub-category with many other people. All humans seek entertainment, and that is something that somebody can make a profit off of.

How, then, can an artist use this to their advantage? First, the artist must ask themselves 'what is my target audience?' Probably the easiest one to aim at is the one you yourself fall into. If you like it, odds are, people similar to you will like it. But you have to determine what it is about your work that people would like. Look at other stories that have the same audience: what are their focuses? What do they downplay, or completely skip on? Different audiences have different attention spans: how do you need to adjust your work to compensate for this? If you're aiming at a target audience that you are not really a part of, that's fine, but do your homework. At the risk of betraying my own demographic, I have to admit that I really don't like zombie movies. But if I was commissioned to make a zombie comic, book, or film, my first step would be to find out which zombie movies/comics/books are the favorites and get a hold of those ASAP.

I'm almost done with Final Fantasy VIII. I can see some qualities in the story that still appeal to me, but I've outgrown it. But that's okay, because the world is never in short supply of angsty teens...no matter how much I may wish it.

It's Me Again

It's Me Again

I just couldn't resist painting it one more time.

I love snowmen so how can I wait until cold weather to paint them.

Hope they bring a smile

5x3 acrylic on canvas panel.

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Blooming Onions

Blooming Onions

They make food sparkle with flavor.

Jewels that's what they are.

5x3 acrylic on canvas panel

$35

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FOR SALE

Space Travel Before It Was Cool

Some of my favorite science-fiction stories are about space travel. Now, there are obviously a lot of stories that fit into that sub-category, but my favorite ones are about space travel before mankind could actually do it. Think about it: now that humans actually can live and work in space, or on the moon, how might that have influenced the fiction writers and illustrators of today, as opposed to before the concept really began to take form in the 1960s?

Science-fiction movies and TV shows of the time before the NASA program had a much more simplified concept of space suits, rocket ships, aliens, and technology. Novels and comic books showed space travelers as pretty basic explorers, wearing jumpsuits with domes attached to the head and a small breathing apparatus. Planets very distant from a sun would simply be cold, as opposed to housing liquid methane, and planets close to the sun might be kind of hot, rather than instantly-boil-your-face-off hot.

I've always viewed these kinds of stories as a bit more 'pure' in their imagination. Though the NASA program--and others like it--have become a spring-board for a great number of fantastic ideas, science fiction stories preceding space travel had a tendency to focus more on the 'fiction' as opposed to the 'science.' A lot of this quality has been lost because audiences today simply can't stretch their disbelief as much as they used to: for many decades, space suits must be depicted as bulky, multi-layered, vacuum sealed costumes, in order to keep out the harmful environments that all people know exist in space.

In this sketch, I tried to imagine a space suit of someone walking around on Saturn's moon Titan--a moon extremely distant from the sun. One of my goals was to imagine the suit as if it would have been imagined in the 1950s. The man is wearing a flight suit, with a few attachments for the airless, freezing, icy environment.

Red Red

Red Red

Of course there is one green apple but then standing

out above the crowd is Red Red.

3x5 acrylic on canvas panel

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$35

Summer's Bounty

Summer's Bounty

There is just nothing in this world which can compare to fresh

garden tomato's. Plump yet a little firm and yummy.

3x5 acrylic on canvas panel

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New online classes!

I am excited to announce that I will be offering a new series of online classes, beginning in July at the "A is for Artistic site".

Each class is offered individually or ...at a savings...as a series. The classes begin with my technique of sculpting and painting a head and face. Each class of the series has about 4 to 6 lessons with full instruction and colored photos, showing each and every step, and in every class there is an online forum where we can talk...critic if you want....share tips...share photos and just get to know each other.

The next class will be on to sculpting and painting the hands and arms, then on to sculpting and painting the legs and feet. The next class will show you how I create a torso, how I attach the previously sculpted arms and legs and how to make a stand. The whole series then culminates with the class on Creating a Hardscape. When I moved to Hawaii I found, because of the heat and humidity, velvets and antique laces did not work so well.

From walking the beaches and discovering sea glass, and found objects, to incorporating abalone shards and mosaic class, I developed a costume that I call a Hardscape.
This is the way I created the piece that I have been posting about here on my blog...
"My Lady of Guadalupe".
So the last class will be on how to create her costume!

I'm excited about these classes and I do think taking classes online is a brilliant idea!
I know I have taken many classes from felting to jewelry making, and I very much enjoy being able to create my own studio, at my own time, and yet learn something new.

I hope I see you in class..... in cyberspace......creating, creating, creating! :)

Never Give Up On Me

Never Give Up On Me

I went to a thrift store the other day and as I browsed around I came

across this little snowman. For the cost of 50 cents he came home with me. 

 I think he will be one which I will paint now and then. Even when I don't show

up when you think I should Never Give Up On Me.

5x3 acrylic on canvas panel

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In A Simple Jar

In A Simple Jar

Tulips make all around them elegant.

From their red heads to the lush green stems they brighten any room.

5x3 acrylic on canvas panel

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$35

Three In The Sun

Three In The Sun

Three oranges sitting in the window seal.

Juicy and sweet soon these oranges will be relished by someone

just needing a healthy snack.

7x5 acrylic on panel board.

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Finders Keepers

Finders Keepers

If you find it should you keep it?

Painted for a challenge at http://www.paintanddrawtogether.blogspot.com/

7x5 acrylic on panel board

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$80

My Lady of Guadalupe

Well, it might not be THE lady of Guadalope but it's MY lady of Guadalope.

Partial Remission

The experimental drugs LBH589 and RAD001 did their jobs. As tough as it was to be on this aggressive clinical trial, it was worth every, every, everything. It was worth every ounce of pain, fatigue, aches, tears, emotional rampages, nausea, weight loss, dry mouth. It was worth every long, cramped plane ride, every shot, every blood draw, every piece of endless paperwork and every sleepless night. Now I can see as clear as day why my body has been so wrecked and tired. Now I know that it wasn't the lymphoma growing, it was the lymphoma retreating and my body working tirelessly to get everything back into harmony.

The drugs have reduced the lymphoma problem areas in my body by more than 50 percent and eliminated some hot spots altogether. The cancer presence is not completely gone, but my PET and CT scans revealed a very, very good response; it's virtually nonexistent. The trial team in Texas was extremely pleased about the affirming science and very happy for me. The response is so good that MD Anderson has taken me off the pills and has signed off to send me onto allogeneic stem cell transplant at Sloan Kettering.

I know I have a huge treatment journey ahead of me still – arguably the biggest leg yet – but for right now I am relieved and thrilled to the core. I am finally ready. I am one huge step closer to the ultimate goal of long-term remission.

In Hiding

In Hiding.

A Plump orange hiding behind a wine glass.

It will never work. I see you.

5x3 acrylic on canvas panel.

$35

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Crunchy Good

Crunchy Good

If you have never tried a raw turnip you should.

They have a very distinct flavor. And oh! that crisp crunch.

Love It!

5x7 acrylic on panel board

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Blue mosaic cape.....

I finished my blue mosaic cape for my online "Hardscape Class".
This has been a fun piece to make and, not be one who can let things alone, I have an inspiration to make her into my version of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Stay tuned for more developments! :)

A Bear A Pear

A Bear A Pear

Ha! Two things I love

My mom gave me this little critter. I do

value this. It actually has a tag with the name Mother on it.

I think I will keep it always

5x7 acrylic on panel board

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Orange Fruit

Orange Fruit

Sometimes things become so familiar

that we forget to stop and soak in the beauty of the simple things we enjoy.

Orange Fruit

7x5 acrylic on canvas panel

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Little things Mean A Lot

Little Things Mean A Lot

Some time you wake up and paint a picture and then you

stare at it trying to decide on a name.

This is how I named this painting I do know that truly

Little Things Mean A Lot

7x5 acrylic on panel board

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Back to Big Texas

I fly back to Houston, Texas, on Sunday to fulfill a whirlwind day of tests required for the MD Anderson clinical trial that I am on. I'll undergo a long series of diagnostics tests on Monday: bloodwork, chest x-ray, CT Scan, PET Scan, EKG, etc. Then I'll meet with my doctor and his trial nurse to go over all the results. She and I have been in touch via e-mail nearly daily since I've been at home with the drugs. This will be the opportunity for them to examine me in person and hash out face to face how my body is handling this

Oh, did I mention I'm getting a PET Scan to reassess the lymphoma presence? Silly, I didn't even realize that, must have slipped my mind. Ha. Far from it. It's at the very forefront of my mind. The scanxiety has again set in. Monday will mark two cycles on the Panobinostat and Everolimus novel drug combo. Per clinical trial protocol it's now time to see if they are working and I should continue, if they are not and I need to seek different drug options, or, if it's all clear and it's time to move – very quickly – to allo transplant. Or, some different development that carries a new adventure altogether.

To avoid redundancy and the toll it can take on my body, my transplant doctor at Sloan has agreed to read the PET Scan from MD Anderson. He'll collaborate with my team there to make the call on my best next steps.

I had planned to go it alone this trip, but last night, after further talks with my husband, we realized that this is not the time for me to be cocky pants. He wants to be there for me and having him there will alleviate a big amount of the stress of travel, paperwork, appointments, airports and taxis.

I need another set of ears and eyes and the strong, comforting arms of my hubby. I hate to admit it, but my capabilities and endurance have taken quite a toll and I need to adjust to those new levels. I will be receiving hugely important information and quite honestly I don't trust myself to be able to take it all in on my own – good or not-so-good news. Craig has a great ability to take care of things when my body or mind or emotions zone out or pour out, whatever the case may be. This CEO needs her EVP for this trip. Notice, I'm not demoting myself, I'm still top dog, obviously. But it's okay for me to accept help. Okay, but not easy. I've always had trouble with delegating.

People ask me if I think the drugs are working. The answer is that I don't know. This time, I truly have no idea. I can no longer tell the lymphoma symptoms from the drug side effects as the drug side effects are so unpredictable and undocumented. I have a great amount of hope that this did the trick, but I'm also realistic. I have been feeling pretty awful, but then again, I've taken potent, powerful drugs just about every day since April 1. These novel drugs are not constructed to make me feel good. They are constructed to block and reprogram the protein cells that are telling this lymphoma to grow. I'm just caught in the middle and absorbing all the reverberations in whatever form they take.

Whatever happens, I cannot ever say that I did not try my absolute hardest. The worrying will get me nowhere, and I'm doing my best to keep it at bay. I couldn't think of a better way to do that than to spend tomorrow traveling to Rhode Island to see my little brother graduate from Roger Williams University. It'll be a beautiful celebration and such a welcome reminder of all the positivity, hope and new beginnings out there to be enjoyed.

Sunday, we jet set. I hope to come back with some answers and direction.

Working on her hood.....

I spent yesterday creating the hood of her cape. Blue mirror tiles and micro beads.....
Today the rest of the cape. ..... Off to the studio ......

Just One Of My Teddies

Just One Of My Teddies

This is another painting which I was not quite

happy with. I repainted the background and am much

more pleased. What do you think?

20x16 acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

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Springing Out

Springing Out

What is more refreshing that a bunch of unruley tulips.

These look as though they are Springing Out.

7x5 acrylic on panel board

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First (Re)Birthday

Today marks one year since my autologous stem cell transplant. It's incredible to think that a year has gone by and about how much has happened since May 18, 2010 – my Day Zero. This month also marked the two-year anniversary of my Hodgkin Lymphoma diagnosis: May 8, 2009.

I haven't been able to fully reflect on how much has been rebuilt, grown, and evolved since then as it's been an essentially continuous treatment ride since. But what I can reflect on and rejoice in is that I've survived and thrived and continue to live, and live fully, with this disease. I'm more appreciative and aware of everything and everyone around me and for that gift I am forever grateful.

However much overused, I think this is the perfect opportunity to post one of my favorite songs of all time. Who knew how much my pre-cancer affinity for Rent foreshadowed my real life and the themes that have arisen in it? I couldn't say it better myself, Mr. Larson.

Today - with my growing crown of ringlets, which I've come to adore (May 18, 2011):

Stem Cell Collection - 12 million stem cells harvested (March 2010):

Day Zero (May 18, 2010) receiving back my 6.5 million stem cells that would rebuild my immune system and allow my body to recover from the toxic chemo of the weeks before:

Autologous Stem Cell Transplant 10-day inpatient recovery (May 18-May 29, 2010):

The very beginning (recovering from my first lymph node biopsy, May 6, 2009):

Hardscaping......

I'm putting together a new class called "Creating a Hardscape".
Years ago, after moving to Hawaii where silk velvets and lace just don't do well, I began creating costumes with apoxie clay and embellishments and no fabric.
I call these "Hardscapes" and they are great fun to create.

I have a series of classes now offered at That Creative Place that begin with how I sculpt and paint a face, how I sculpt and paint hands and arms, legs and feet, how I create a torso and put together the arms and legs and build a stand. ( not up on site yet ) And now the culmination of those classes will be "Creating a Hardscape." Since I've been so lost in my Blessing wall pieces, it's been a while since I did a Hardscape and I am loving this process!

Here's a few photos of some parts of the class....the undergown, the hood and today will bring a glorious cape!

If there is any class you would like me to offer, please let me know.