Collage

New collage made from vintage letters and photos given to me from my friend and fellow artist Elizabeth Alley. The letters and photos originated from a woman named Gladys Kozik who used to manage Memphis Fashion Week as well as Levy's Department Store in Memphis, TN in the 1960's. I love all things related to fashion and Memphis, so Elizabeth gave me this grand box of clippings to use in my art. Thank you EA!

This collage is 8 " x 8 " on wood.

forget your trouble and DANCE!

A new drawing :) Graphite and sumi ink on 100 % cotton paper, 11" x 8".

Titled "Forget your trouble and dance".
Inspired by the lyrics of Bob Marley's "Them Belly Full but We Hungry".

hello friends

It has been a long time since my last post. I guess life has been so busy recently that I have not had time to stop and reflect. Since December my husband Bobby quit teaching at Memphis City Schools, I still work there. I wake up at 5 am Monday-Friday and it is very lonely in the morning now (Bobby gets to sleep later with his new job at Three Angels Diner.) This took some time for me to get used to, you see Bobby always woke me up and made my coffee when we were both public school teachers.

Life has been good but struggles abound. It has been a year since Granny died, and I just lost a friend and co-worker Claire Nevels. Claire was the 8th grade science teacher at my school. We have worked together for 5 years and she was a strong disciplinarian, a great teacher and a true friend to me. She died in her sleep, and was young. It was rough to go back to school to explain what happened to the kids.

Being a teacher is hard, especially when death happens to a school "family" member, but I love teaching. I do find it difficult to be a strong leader when faced with the loss of loved ones. The students were so sad when Claire (Ms. Nevels) died and they looked to me for answers that I did not have. As a control freak and bossy know-it-all, this did not settle well with me.

Time has passed and I have stopped crying and mourning, but my artwork has taken a back seat. I am o.k. with this. Art takes time to make and I am in a period of reflection, finally. I have managed to make some paintings. Here they are...

and they are hanging at Bari Ristorante e Enoteca

♥Christmas memories

Christmas was great this year. We chose to keep it simple financially and it was very nice :)
The best part of Christmas was after going to Bobby's Mom's house we came home and celebrated Christmas as a couple, alone- with no children and no family drama. It was just Bobby, me and our fat cat Nipsy.

I am blessed to have such a great husband and a quiet, peaceful home. Thank you Bobby!
Here are some Christmas photos from our house.

a glass of prosecco with a raspberry garnish and an envelope from art center for bobby!

 my hello kitty Christmas lights!

 nipsy under the tree with my new hello kitty 3D puzzle ball.

stuff under the tree :)

♥k.i.s.s.♥
(keep it simple, silly)

joy to the world

"heaven and nature sing"
mississippi mud, gouache, acrylic shimmery ink and charcoal on wood

rimmel nail polish

Rimmel London nail polish is the best. It is better than O.P.I. and half the price.
The greatest part about is that the paintbrush is a thick flat synthetic bristle, it coats your nail in one stroke.
It is my new favorite obsession.

birds and corsets

i garden, therefore i am

shots from our garden, my favorite place

 my hand, throwing a peace sign

 garden gnome under elephant ears

 parsley, green bell peppers, cucumber and 'maters

 pumpkin blossom

heirloom hydrangeas

divine intervention

i can't keep thinking of these amazing drawings by Robert Longo. they are amazing and still fascinating to me after all of these years. black and white is so delicious, so timeless.

all are from Robert Longo's "Men In The Cities" series from 1981-87
charcoal on paper

enjoy

i don't care anymore

sumi ink and charcoal pencil on paper

46" x 57"