Houses and Headaches!

Our new house, maybe

I love when James draws little gems like the one above...this one of our new house. He often scribbles visuals like this for me with a note attached in the wee hours of the morning before he goes off to row. Even though my Picasso man did a good job here...I will post some real photos if the deal goes through.

We had all the inspections on the house done this week...so now we go back to the bank and ask for compensation for the things that need immediate repair. James and I can't believe this has been going on for two months now. I think we need some closure soon one way or another. And by the way...thanks to all of you who left such great comments about the house and the train. You helped a lot!

Amazingly enough...I was also able to finish Jefe the Parrot this week. Today, I add some final highlights and then will email him off to his person for final approval. I'm excited to show him to you. Soon! In the meantime...Big Red below will keep you entertained. By the way...did you ever see the movie, "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill"? It's a wonderful film.

Have a great weekend! xo

We're under contract!

"House by the Railroad"
by Edward Hopper
24" x 29" oil on canvas, 1925

Yes, we're under contract with the house I've been telling you about! Can you believe it?! It's been a pretty amazingly difficult process but to try and make a long story short...the bank lowered the price, we made a third and final offer, the bank countered, we wouldn't budge, the bank wouldn't budge, then they finally accepted our offer last Thursday. Who knows why.

Now the bank is only giving us 7 calendar days to get all the inspections done and get repair estimates back to them. Then James and I will have to decide whether or not we can afford to move forward or if we will need to walk away.

When I saw the above Edward Hopper painting this morning I had to laugh because this new house is about a quarter of a mile from some train tracks. Since I am Miss Tender Ears...I have been stressing about whether or not the sound of a train going by a few times a day will bother me. For James...he stresses about the money and the repairs. For me...I stress about the sounds and who the neighbors are! What a roller coaster week this shall be!

I don't have any new paintings to show you just yet as the two commissions I'm working on are very detailed and time consuming. Between those and the new house...I haven't had much time to do any abstracts or still lifes either. That's the way it goes though...so I am just taking things as they come and am squeezing in as much painting time as I can. Thanks to my clients who are so wonderful and patient with me right now.

Wish us luck this week...we'll need it! I'll keep you posted on our maybe, almost, could be, might be new house! xoxo

“If you could say it in words there would be no reason to paint.” ~Edward Hopper

Birds on the Brain

click image to enlarge

I'm busy painting a beautiful Parrot named, Jefe this week so I am birdy nerdy and thinking about all things winged. I thought the above article was pretty amazing...from this month's Time Magazine. Just plain made me tear up.

And on a non-bird subject, have you seen Cowbelly Pet Photography's new website? Jamie has some of the very best Dog Portraits around. Check out her work!

New Cherry Still Life

"Two Cherries"
6" x 7" acrylic on canvas

Good Monday mornin' to ya! Here's my latest Still Life. I have two very dear people in my life who absolutely LOVE cherries...so this was painted with you in mind, Mom and Kathleen!

Don't have many words spilling out of me at the moment. Think it's time for a morning walk to get the creative juices flowing. It's nice and cool and fall-like here today. I love it!

Hope you all had a nice weekend. xo

Meet Bianca...the Boxer Puppy!

"Miss Bianca"
12" x 13" acrylic on canvas

From the earlier "sneak peek"...here is the full finished painting commission of Miss Bianca, the Boxer Puppy. Bianca's Mom, Donna had mentioned to me that the day the photo (I worked from) was taken, it was snowing and it was the first time Bianca have ever seen snow! Being that the name, Bianca also means "white" and "pure"...I though a snowy background would be perfect for this sweet little girl!

And speaking of snow...the end of summer is coming fast, isn't it? The days are getting shorter and the nights cooler. In Colorado, you can tell the season is changing when the Black-Eyed Susan flowers are blooming everywhere and the Geese fly back to town. It's a bit melancholy...but beautiful at the same time.

Summer Sleeps

Flowers close their
tired eyes
and dream of
soft winds
and golden horizons

Winter starts to bloom
with somber flourish
in all her
icy grandeur

Don't forget though

She is just as beautiful
as her cool arms
cradle parched meadows
yearning for a first
drink
of release.

-Linda O'Neill

Priest Lake Pics

James and I lounging on the deck (our favorite activity!)

My Dad's canoe...as you're looking north (you can see the mountains of Canada.)

"Kathleen and James coming in from a morning canoe ride."

Here are a few photos of the trip. James and I had such a great time with Steve, Kathleen, my Brother and Dad. They're all such fun people to be with. We're all wishing we were still there! The water was a liiiiiiitle cold for swimming but we all managed to toughen up enough to go in at least once. They probably heard my screams all the way to Washington when I first hit that icy blast of lake water!

Thanks for all your kind comments about our losing the house. Let me just say that trying to deal with a bank on a forclosed house is like sticking a pin in your eye! They would not budge an inch on their asking price and we could not afford to go any higher. I guess they would rather have that beautiful house sit vacant until they get what they want. It's a bit hard for us to move on right now because we loved the house so much...but we know something really good or better is bound to come along. I'm not ready to stop pouting just yet though. :)

Back with more art very soon! Have a good Monday!

Back from the Lake

Well here I am...back from the lake with a new Idaho hairdo! Ha...just kidding. I actually got this postcard from the airport in Spokane from DuckBoy cards. Check them out because they will really have you laughing.

This is a quickie post as James is "dragging" Kathleen and I to the CAL Berkeley/Colorado State football game today in Fort Collins. He is a CAL alumni...so you can imagine how excited he gets about these games. Kathleen and I will be more excited about our sandwiches. hee hee.

Anyway...I'll be back tomorrow with some lake pics and a little more blab. Hope you're all doing well...it's good to be back!

By the way...we didn't get the house. More about that later too. :(