Blog

29 July 2015

Come on in!

Today is the first day of my new blog and you are my first reader! Well . . . I hope it will be you X many more readers but I'm happy you came.

This is a dream come true for me. Not the blog, that's definitely a new avenue for this old girl and one she never, ever, thought she would attempt. The fact that I am finally pursuing life as an artist is the biggie. No, I'm not ranking myself with Monet or Degas! Not even Grandma Moses although I may be her age before I accomplish what all I hope to attempt. I'm just living life and enjoying it and hoping you are too. 

Did I do a good job of keeping my secret? Did you know that an artist was what I wanted to be when I grew up? Okay -- maybe to some of you I haven't grown up yet but a few well placed facial lines and sags say otherwise. I'm guessing very few of you knew my secret.  When one does not get support or encouragement as a child from those individuals responsible for shaping and promoting opportunities, one tends to keep certain precious thoughts close to the heart.  That way, the disappointment is only known to you.  And I will be the first to say aloud that as much as I dreamed of being an artist, I was never sure that I could create paintings that I would want to share with others -- such a risk to put ones self out there. But I 've decided to go for it! No use waiting or wanting anymore! I'm painting! I'm even trying my hand at blogging! And lucky you are in the position, thanks to modern technology, to read on or  hit delete at anytime. It's a Win Win for all!  :))

This blog is intended to simply be an expression of joy. Fun things shared. Happenings happening in my world. Please feel free to share this with others - I will appreciate the exposure. And I'll be happy to pass along your positive and wacky remarks too-- just comment and send them my way.

Okay, you are probably wondering by now  -- what any of this have to do with Paris? After all, it is the title of this blog!  I've already shared a tad bit on my FB page so some of you know that I recently got home from PARIS where I spent 3 days painting with artist girlfriends. It's where I ate myself across town and back, a new restaurant every night and breakfast prepared in a tree house every morning. Go figure! And where I saw the Eifel Tower not once but several times -- a 6 foot replica that is and even designed in sequins on a ball cap (did NOT buy that). I spent almost a week, including traveling, to and from Paris KENTUCKY (outside of Lexington) for a workshop with artist Dreama Tolle Perry. It was great - even if it wasn't "the Paris." 

Dreama was named by her grandmother and I can't help but wonder if she had a vision that someday her granddaughter would be an accomplished artist and be able to sign her paintings with such a descriptive and beautiful name. Lucky Dreama! Karen does not roll off the tongue so softly and I've opted for signing my paintings with my maiden name, Avery.  Dreama's style is all about the use of translucent colors and letting them shine through and/or around the opaque's that are applied on top. She strives to maintains her brush strokes, using them distinctively to tell the story of her painting. The are happy, bright, full of life and I love her style! I loved Dreama the minute she first spoke. She's as kind and funny and intelligent as she is talented. Thank you Dreama for a dreamy class that is going to take me a long way towards fulfilling my dream.

The trip was not all paint and paper towels (NEWS FLASH - buy stock in Viva paper towels, I use them by the bushel full, many artists do). We stayed in a little cottage on a horse farm in the middle of blue grass country and ate breakfast each morning in a treehouse. It was a slice of heaven, for us and for the lucky horses that were born and raised there. The ranch, Hunterton Farm at Stoner Creek, is a 900 acre breeding farm for Standardbred horses. These horses are raised and sold for harness racing. They are sooooooooo beautiful, check out my new studio Facebook page (The Little Studio and Gallery). We were told there were 130 colts born at Stoner Creek, which means the same amount of mommies in the fields with them, watching them play and serving up dinner on the hoof. We walked the long tree lined lanes and petted big brown noses that came to the fence. We watched them play, running with tails straight up or snuggling with heads entwined.  And they took our breath away when they were silhouetted against the early morning sunrise or the sky inflamed by the setting sun. It was truly picture perfect!  Four artists couldn't have asked for more visual stimulation or more photo opportunities.  Yes, there will be paintings coming out of this experience I imagine.

But before I move on, let me drop a few names here. It seems genealogy and cemetery walking will follow me all the days of my life, this time it was the graves of horses. Buried at Hunterton, which was originally the Stoner Creek Stud Farm owned by rental car magnet John D. Hertz before he sold to the Woolworth's, is the "Count Family" - 1943 Triple Crown winner Count Fleet, his sire (daddy) Reigh Count and dam (mommy) Quickly. Our farm (for a week) abutted Claiborne Farms, one of the most famous of Kentucky horse farms. It was where Seabiscuit was raised and is where Secretariat is buried. Pretty cool wouldn't you say!!! And the Treehouse?? Captain Pat, the commander of a mean pontoon boat on Stoner Creek is the proprietor and manager of our rental cottage and a lovely B&B named the Treehouse and nestled in the tall trees along the river bank . He served up a delicious breakfast as part of our accommodations and we scurried over there every morning on the way to the workshop to dine and play with his darling Westies,  Fergie and Fiona. They got my love and attention, I was seriously missing with my precious Beau ( male Shih Tzu) back home.