Being Fresh

What's new an exciting? That is one of my favorite questions when I have met someone I haven't seen in a while. Honestly, almost everyone has an answer. If they don't I hope my question makes them find a way to add a little adventure in their life.

Keeping my art 'new and exciting' is a constant task. Not just new art but keeping my website, blog, art show displays all fresh. As noted in my last blog, spending any time pouring over a computer keyboard is absolute torture. Sadly a torture I must endure to keep people coming back to my website.

The above painting is titled "Two Wheeled Flight". It is part of the BE THE BIKE show that is currently on display for one more week at Snow City Cafe. The show has been up for three weeks yet my website had yet to be updated. After a great walk on yet another wonderful fall day I decided to tackle the task. Whew, I made it.

Please go to my website www.artistsyouhire.com and check out all the new paintings from "BE THE BIKE". Stop into Signore Greve's page. He has a few new adventures to share with you. I hope your day gives you the perfect answer for "What's new and exciting?"

New Red Pumps

Ahhh computers. Have you ever tried to work on a site when your computer ask you for your customer name and password? Seems like an honest questions. We don't want just anyone flitting around in our site so who are you? Heck if I know.

I received an email reminding me that I needed to renew my website domain names. All part of the business, a necessary evil you could say. The email had a handy 'just click here to renew'. Hee hee, isn't that cute. Just click here. It really should say, " Remove your left shoe and have it at the ready." First question was 'customer name.' I learned my name years ago and my business name is pretty clearly embedded in my head. WRONG! What it should read is, "We hope you remembered the random list of 12 numbers we assigned you two years ago." And the password, don't even get me started. It took me days to recover the password that THEY assigned me. I am not kidding it looked like a swear word. Finally something I could agree with.

Sometimes I feel it's just me that gets into these situations. Not true. I was visiting with my friend Ruth and she had a story about how she got locked out of her online banking. Apparently she tried too many times to remember her password and is now blocked out. She has to go into the bank to get her balance. So much for online.

Every computer should come with a cute red shoe to threaten your computer. Hmm, you would probably need a password to throw it.

Anthropomorphism

It's a big word, anthropomorphism. It's meaning is simple. Giving human charateristics to an animal. Like having a bunny ride a bike.

Or a moose for that matter. The images here are partial photos of paintings I did for my October show. The show was about bikes and about anthropomorphism. Polar bears, herons, frogs all got a spin on a bike. I love taking an animal and putting it in a human situation. Actually almost everyone does.

I am reading a graphic novel of "The Wind and the Willows". Most people have read or at least know of this classic. The author gives us a fantasy view of life in the marsh land with all of it's wildlife traveling, making friends, enjoying picnics etc. The confident river rat, the toad with all his finery. You can't help put want to shrink yourself to walk around and see their world.

I have a friend that doesn't like animals. I am truly sad for her. She will never get that warm glow when your cat reaches her paw up to pat your chest. She will never hear a dog groan with bliss as she nestles closer to the warm fire. She might have never considered putting a moose on a bicycle.

A Glorious Day

This is a great painting titled Fall Park by Leonidafre. The palette knife technique gives it great texture. And this painting looks like my day!

Okay, in Alaska we really don't get that much variety of color but the angle of the sun, the glint of frost and the crunch of leaves under your feet is glorious. The earth gets ready to sleep and puts on a great show before pulling up the covers for the next few months. After a horrid wet summer we are having a fantastic fall. My favorite season is creeping in bit by bit. I can't wait.

After months of planning and plotting for this art show, that project, this responsibility, I find myself with a relatively clean calendar. It is as if I have more free brain space to just soak up all the wonder of this season. I can let my mind wander through art ideas instead of meticulously picking through the current project. What new adventure awaits? I will eagerly wait to find out.

Finding the Time

These amazing parkas are part of Sheryl Maree Reily's installation titled "Restorations" at the Anchorage Museum. They are each made out of plastic bags. The plastic bags made the statement of being the new bread basket of the modern world. The coats were FLAWLESSLY constructed. Around the 'family' was a pile of computer monitors painted white. I thought this show was everything museum installations should be. I clearly understood what she was trying to say. Her use of art to discuss the change technologies has caused life even here in Alaska was excellent. What does that have to do with finding the time?

I am a member of the art museum. I don't use my card as much as I should or would like. But being able to dash in for a quick 30 minute viewing without paying for a ticket is nice. This installation is finished on the 10th of the month. My schedule clearly showed if I wanted to see this it had to happen before Thursday. But who has the time?

It's interesting how we have things that we don't ever skip, miss or put off. Other things are 'need to get to' and eternally get pushed off until they never creep into our mind. How do you determine what category your 'to do' list falls into? Wednesday I found 30 minutes to go to the museum. It was placed on my don't skip, miss or put off list. I literally ran from my car into the front door. Took two stairs at a time upstairs and then for the next 25 minutes I just enjoyed the art and the quiet of the museum.

I know that 30 minutes made my day, my person better. Some days you just have to find the time.

First Friday Party!

We had a great time on Friday night at Snow City Cafe. The BE THE BIKE show was a nice success. We had lots of art lovers new and old stop in. Best of all we have LOTS of visitors bike to the event. Many customers had great ideas for Signore Greve's travels. I am anxious to get to my sketch book. For now enjoy the video!