The Longest Day

I am spending the longest day ever.  It started when I had to get up at 3am to man the cash registers at Lord and Taylor at 5am.  When I arrived there were already signs of Friday Frenzy since Target and Macy's were already open.

It started off really slow and it took forever just to reach 7am.  I had my lunch break at 9am.  Things always seem better after lunch and business did pick up but it wasn't all that busy.  The shoe and cosmetics departments were out of control and understaffed.

I got to go home at 2:15 and from there I went to the dump where I picked up another Jodi Piccoult and Seabiscuit.  I took a two hour nap and here it is only 7:30 with a few more hours to go.  I feel like I have traveled half way around the world.

Thanksgiving Eve

I decided to take a trip to the Stop and Shop after work.  I actually had to because my assignment for Thanksgiving was to supply some appetizers and I have not had any time to do it.  I was dreading this but much to my surprise, I was in and out rather quickly with some decent stuff and aside from the fact that I was only slightly annoyed when the bagger used plastic when I brought my own (this is a guy with a job?) the experience was relatively painless.

On my way out, the lottery card machine was staring me in the face.  I saw a game, something to do with jingle bells.  I figured it must be a new game and they say that there are more winning tickets when the game is new.  Don't know if that is true but I like to play the new games.  It was a $10 ticket so I decided to take a chance.  The ten dollar bill in my wallet was really old and the machine would not accept it.  I could have walked away but I decided to try $20 because the machine does not make change.  

To make this long story short, I won $50!  Happy Thanksgiving.

The Best Pencil Ever!

I am in love with my new pencil.  I bought it at the art supply store at the De Cordova museum over the summer and I have just begun to appreciate its virtues.  It is  called Hardtmuth Progresso by Koh-I-Noor.  It comes in various hardnesses and I bought mine in 8B.  Here it is:

It is heavy for a pencil and it draws so smoothly.  You can use it to build up layers but it doesn't seem to have a lead per se.  It seems to be just one piece of something and it can be easily sharpened.  I have been looking around for it but even Dick Blick doesn't carry it.  It goes for about $1.75 if memory serves me correctly.

I feel competent when I use it as I do not especially like to draw.  Here is what I did with it in just a few minutes:

Not too shabby if I do say so myself.  I was looking through some old pictures of a trip we took to Iceland a few years ago and this handsome fellow in a brochure caught my eye..

Painting Part 2

Here is what I think is the finished product:

I added some more bushes and a few details with pen and ink.  I think there should be more details in the yellow/green at the bottom but I am not sure what that should be.  On the other hand, maybe I will just leave it alone.

New Project

As I may have mentioned a few days ago, I have started a new project.  Inspired by the painting I bought from local artist Sally Dean and Jane Filer, here is what I started:

I am pleased with this beginning so we will see where it goes from here.  It is small, only 8 x 10.  I haven't worked such a small format for a long time and I have a few frames hanging around that might fit.

Saturday at the Dump

As I drove up to the dump, my heart started racing.  There was a ton of stuff there, so much that it was spilling out onto the driveway.  I thought that there must be something for me today and the hunt was on.

The first thing I spotted was a tray table that I thought would be perfect for some encaustic work like a place to fuse or put more heat plates.  I picked up two canvases to repaint and an unused piece of 1/2" foam core.   I also found a Steven King book that I may have already read  and a framed bread wrapper (?)  I figured that the bread wrapper would make a nice collage element.  My arms were full so I went back to the car with my treasures for another round.

I was feeling pretty good about my finds and then I saw you know who.  Yes it was the Grouchy Guy in the Blue Van.  Is he following me around?  Anyway, he just ruined the whole mood for me so I decided to call it a day.

I have been working on a small project and I am almost finished with it.  I will be showing the steps that I have been through very shortly.

At the Dump

I went to the dump on Sunday and I was shut out again.  When I arrived I was pretty excited because there was a lot of large items outside the shed so I thought there were lots of possibilities.  Unfortunately, my nemesis, aka the Grouchy Guy in the Blue Van, was also there doing his grouchy thing.  Nada, nothing, zilch.  Oh well.  My next opportunity is Saturday and I am due for a win.  Kind of like fishing - some days they bite and some days they don't.

Daylight Savings

I have always had a problem with daylight savings.  Aside from being depressing for the next three months, I find that the first day goes on forever.  I wake up disoriented and paranoid about the time.  I like the extra hour of sleep but I still wake up too early and  I hate driving home in the dark.

But on a lighter note I wanted to share some final pictures of Foxwoods found outside the Hard Rock Cafe:

 Madonna wore this

 John Entwhistle from the Who wore this (?)

 Not Elvis but Chris Isaak

 Some Chris Isaak bling close up

Britanny Spears

Wax, Inc. and Small Works

 I sold a piece at the Small Works show and I think I sold another because I did not see it hanging.  Because of this I purchased something from Sally Dean.  It was such a good value and I love her work.  Here it is:

More Foxwoods

Here are some more pictures from Foxwoods:

I also saw the Princess Diana exhibit which focused on her life and work.  Her wedding dress was there which was less ornate than I thought and more of her clothes and jewels.  Her clothes are timeless elegance, especially her gowns.  It was a beautiful exhibit and no pictures were allowed.

More Foxwoods

For our weekend at Foxwoods here is what the morning looked like:

As it turned out, we were the lucky ones.  There were people we talked to that had no lights and came to spend the day.  Connecticut was particularly hard hit in some areas but no problem here.  I wonder what would have happened if the lights went out.  I think they would have managed to keep the slots running.

Anyway, we were treated to a Willie Nelson concert the night before and here is the man himself.  He was kind enough to sign autographs after the show and I got one.  

What was really amazing was that he has worn a hole in his guitar.  If you go to Wikipedia, you will see him wearing the same thing when I saw him.