Holiday Open Studio

Well the first Open Studio was wonderful...thanks to all who came! It was a lovely afternoon with great company and treats. I couldn't have done it without Rich...we really hustled to get things put away and organized and he was the best host...not only keeping Alice and Izzy in line but keeping all the kids who came happy and occupied, and greeting our guests.  I'll be set up through the holidays if you still need to shop. Remember studios visits are always welcome by appointment.

One door closes...

Well...it's all over now, and we breath a sigh of relief. On Monday we sold our old house on Oakley. Only memories will remain, the developer will be sending in the wrecking ball any day now. Apparently you can get a permit in Chicago to tear down a house before you even own it, yikes!

So yes, one door closes and another opens and there is the smell of fresh bread in the air...(from the bread factory across the street from our new house)...and my first Open Studio on Washtenaw on Sunday...ready or not!

The Big MOVE...

I meant to document our move over the last several weeks - that is the amount of time we have taken to transport our lives, countless trips in our pickup! And one hired haul of our furniture. Not the most efficient system - it was quite a roller coaster of chaos and emotion ...we took the final miscellaneous things from the house on Wednesday and still have yet to empty the garage..hopefully tonight!

Packing up my studio was the hardest part...I will have a very different space arrangement but I'm looking forward to starting fresh in a new place and working completely above ground for a change...and who knows what new imagery will emerge living across the street from a bread factory!

The new house is over 100 years old and is very sunny and bright and has these incredibly high ceilings. I chose Peacock Blue for our kitchen and living space - I love it and it also sets Izzy & Alice off very nicely!

Alice looks on as I paint the final pieces in my Bucktown Studio from her favorite ratty green chair that we left behind in the alley...

Last Walk to Bucktown Arts Fest

Sunday morning we took our last walk from our house...past the morning glories, north to the pool, and through the newly renovated park to the magical Bucktown Arts Fest.

So much has happened to me in the 12 years since I first exhibited atthis fest in 1995.It is the response to my work from that show thatgave me thecourage to pursue my artistic dreams. Over the years many of the otherartists and patronsIhave met have turned into treasured friends. So many people in thecommunity come by every year to say hello, update me on their lives, introduce me tonew babies and pets. It's a wonderful reunion with great art, friends,music, poetry, dancing and performance. I was pretty emotional at the endthis year. I know I tend to be too sentimental, but it’s the end ofan era for me with our upcoming move from the neighborhood. I'vebeen thinking about applying to the Port Clinton show next year, butrealized this weekend, there is no where else I would rather be the lastweekend in August than in Booth #33 at the Bucktown Arts Fest.

Anne's Art on a Bus!

My painting, "Three Birds Flying" is featured on the back of buses in the Detroit area!  Common Ground Sanctuary's Art in the Park Committee decided to feature it in ads for their upcoming Art Fair, September 16-17 in Birmingham, Michigan. The sad part is that I had to cancel the show, some big changes for us happening around those dates...more on that later!

I also designed their Art Fair Poster back in 2001.

Laughing Through the Tears

On Friday morning I tearfully answered the door to greet Jenny from Tree House Animal Foundation. She was coming to pick up all of Ollie's things which we were donating to their shelter which houses hundreds of homeless cats. She was also coming to deliver a fiberglass cat for me to paint for the first annual Cats On Parade Art Auction and Gala. I went from crying to laughing when I saw how enormous this cat was - and thankfully, it looked nothing like our Oliver.  This cat is larger than both Izzy and Alice. Having it sit in the middle of the living room all weekend has been good comic relief.

A Very Sad Week...

Our very dear almost 16 year old cat, Oliver died very early Sunday morning, August 6th. Only 8 pounds left of his healthier 16 pound weight. He had started to look like the kitten that we adopted from Chicago's Anti-Cruelty Society in August of 1991. Rich and I had only been together a few months when we got him, and Oliver only strengthened our small family bond. He remained our baby until 1993 when we adopted our second cat Zoe, then later our dogs, Izzy and Alice. He was always a little miffed that we kept adding to our family, but he enjoyed the daily annoyance of these other beloved pets. He was with us as we moved from Weed Street to Fulton, to Campbell to Oakley, each transition always traumatic for him. It's a blessing he left before the the move to Washtenaw as I think that probably would have put him over the edge. In his younger days he was an amazing jumper and he loved to chase shadows across the wall. In 2002 he made his press debut in the  City Link Newspaper Newspaper. He was my witness and companion as I went from setting up an art studio in a tiny little closet to building my art business to what it is today. He would always come traipsing through my studio whenever I was trying to photograph a painting on the floor...the end of his tail often gracing the photos. It was getting pretty boring around here when Alice showed up as a 12 week old puppy in 2004. I think she probably prolonged his life, the two of them would spend hours engaging each other one at the top and the other at the bottom of the stairs - Alice yipping and every now and then a snarl or a hiss from the OL Man. He was an indoor cat but loved to go outside and eat grass...only to come in later and throw up....Izzy and Alice were always happy to take care of the mess!  He had these amazing little tufts of fur on the tips of his ears and he loved to have them pulled. It is so hard to say goodbye, these creatures come into our lives and do nothing but love us, without emotional baggage, no memories of anger or hurt only love and companionship. Not that he didn’t have a feisty personality, he would sidle up to me to be pet only to bite me a few minutes later when he had enough ...then return 10 minutes later for another round. I guess we've had our final round, we will miss you dear boy...

Licensing Show 2006

Just returned from my second year exhibiting at the Licensing Show in NYC. I had a corner location this year and it seemed to make all the difference. I met people from many wonderful companies and have several great prospects. Now the hard part, follow up...!