With the Rain, I Look Forward ~

Good Morning (Oh, it's not morning anymore):

I'm tired.  Exhausted actually.  Today and tomorrow are looming over me like a black cloud (thanks to you, mortgage company).  2 more days to buy groceries and gasoline before "payday".  I have, thus far, sold enough art, mostly framed originals, to keep a bit of food in the house but I still have  2.  more.  days.  to.  go.

I am forcing myself to think forward.  My plum tree is putting on her frilly white springtime costume, begging me to pay attention...

I've forced myself to applaud her and look forward to her generosity...

With yesterday's rain came a tentative hope.  Just a simple, short term hope that somehow, we'll make it through this, just as we've scrambled and clawed our way through the last 4 years.

Out of the dark clouds...

comes a fresh beauty...

a hint of better times ahead...

When I feel a darkness setting into my thoughts, I literally close my eyes and ...

I imagine that I am here ~ on this dirt road in the richness of the Ozarks.  This road that I walked up and down countless times on my childhood vacations...

Ohhhh, and this photo, this particular photo can make me smile even on the bleakest days...

That's my grandpa on the right...the gentleman with the bandaged finger.  I don't know what the story is, but I always like to imagine that the rabbit gave him a little nip on the finger!  

...and, my art.  My passion since forever...

I try to keep it tucked away in my heart all the time.  But, when life gets ugly, art can easily find it's way to the back-burner.

I have several shows to create for and a few other good things on the horizon, but over the last week or so, I haven't given much thought to any of it.  That makes me sad.  It makes me angry and sad that money worries can take away all the light in your life.  It can suck the living breath out of you!  I hate money for what it does TO people instead of FOR them.

So...while I'm looking forward, the reality is that I have 2 more days to go.  2 more dinners to prepare, 2 more days of keeping that gas gauge just a wee bit above the "E".  I am hopeful that I can sell a couple more framed originals.  

I have just listed 2 framed originals that have never been in my shop before.  I do offer them in print form, but the originals were never offered until today.  They were both created for my "Connecting Spaces" show...

This piece, entitled: "An Unexpected Visitor" is based on "Little Red Riding Hood".  It was recently published in "Pasticcio Quartz" Issue 13. ...

AND

This piece, entitled: "The Haunting of La Llorona" (which is filled with all sorts of personal meaning for me.  The image of the weeping woman is actually my daughter.  She does a lot of modeling for my work).

Both of these pieces are framed up in simple, black frames and they are both now listed in my ART SHOP. One of them hangs above my computer and the other hangs in my studio.  I'll keep them listed through Wednesday in hopes of conjuring up a bit of money for groceries and gasoline.

Again, let me thank everyone for all the kind and supportive emails I have received.  Thank you, as well, to everyone that's purchased from me during this ridiculous mortgage faux pas.

The next time you hear from me, I will have a full tank of gas and a full belly too!  Times are gonna get better.

Until Next Time:

xoxo

Kim

Gerushia's New World

Still in a Panic...

Good Morning:

It has been a long few days.  Still chugging through, but it's been difficult.  For those of you who may not know what I'm talking about, please read THIS.

I have sold a couple of originals and several prints!  We're heading into the last 4 days of "life after my mortgage company screwed me up"!!  So....I wanted to pop in and let you know something ~

I have decided to offer these last 7 originals already framed up.  So, that means, for $30.00 you're getting one of my originals that hung in the "Connecting Spaces" show and a frame.

****Please Note...You can see what the pieces look like, framed, if you click on the link and then click on the individual photo of the framed art pieces.

I need to get these pieces moving...not only to help us through this current struggle, but also to make more room for some new pieces that I'm creating for an upcoming show.

If you've ever considered purchasing art from me, truly, now is the time.

Thank you to everyone that sent encouraging emails my way.  I appreciate every single one of my blog readers.  What a spectacular group of supportive artists and folks!

Until Next Time:
Kim
Gerushia's New World

In The Blink of An Eye...

Isn't it scary to think that in the blink of an eye...your whole world can change.  Sometimes for the better and sometimes not.  You put your head on your pillow at night, close your eyes to sleep and you have no idea what the next day might bring.

This can be a good thing for....someone who is going to win the lottery or get a big promotion etc...BUT, this is also a very scary thing when the unknown could be tragedy.

I make a point (force myself, really) to think of good things while I'm trying to go to sleep.  I think about art projects...

I think about my garden...

and sometimes I think about my kids when they were little...

A few nights ago...that's exactly what I did before going to sleep.  I was planning out my garden and was lulled into sleep with visions of cottage garden colors and lovely homegrown vegetables.  But....little did I know, while I was dreaming of sweet smelling flowers...

and delicious tomatoes...

my mortgage company was busy taking my mortgage payment out of my bank 2 weeks early!  What????

 I get up the next morning, pour a hot cup of coffee...

and turn on my computer.  I needed to pay some bills so I signed into my bank account....are you kidding me?  Immediate panic set in.  How in the world am I going to fix this?

So...I spent the next several hours on the phone.  I talked to several different people at the mortgage company, then, talked to several different people at my bank...THEN, talked to more people at my mortgage company.  All I want to know is when can this huge mistake be fixed?  It doesn't work for our budget and it left us with, well...zero to be exact!  I am told that, indeed, it can be fixed, BUT, it will take a full 2 weeks for the mortgage company to reverse the charge.  2 WEEKS???

At this point, we still have several days until our next "payday", so I'm having a huge "panic sale" in my Art Shop.  I have re-priced every single item in my shop and discounted each item by 50%.  This even includes my 2 newest pieces "Miss. Lilly's Roadside Motor Hotel" ...

and "Guardian of Winter's Bride".

So...if you've been thinking about purchasing some of my art...now's the time.  I welcome you to take advantage of me!  At 50% off, this means that my little ACEO prints are only $2.50 each, my standard 4" x 6" prints are only $7.00 each and my originals are now down to $30.00 each (except for my two newest pieces).  Please...stop by and have a look around.  Or...if you can't afford to buy (which, believe me, I can totally understand), maybe you can share this sale on your blog, facebook or twitter.  I surely would appreciate any help in passing the word around.

We only have 6 more days to go before "payday"...but when you've been left with nothing, 6 days feels like an eternity!

Curses to my mortgage company!
xoxo
Kim
Gerushia's New World

"Guardian of Winter's Bride" ~

Hello There:

Looks like I've skipped out on a few "Photo Challenge" days.  Well....I've been busy and I have the hardest time finding my way here, to my blog, on a daily basis.  But, I'm working on it!  Truly I am!

The last week had me working on several pieces in my studio.  The weather has been damp, so I had to wait for lower humidity to put the last coat of sealer over my work.

Anyway, I finished one of the pieces yesterday and I think I'm liking it!  It's cold and bluish and subtle.  I purposefully forced myself out of the brighter color palette that I normally cling to.  No circusy brights, no animal heads...just a simple lonely bride in a cemetery on a snowy day....comforted by her guardian.  This new piece, entitled "Guardian of Winter's Bride" can be found in MY SHOP.

(Please Note...this piece shows a bit bleached out on my particular monitor, but in truth, it's not bleached at all.  It's actually quite lovely).

So, I'm left wondering what will happen to this very cold bride.  I don't know if she'll ever make it to the church.  Or....most likely, she's no longer a part of this living world.  Seems to me, the person getting married on this cold and snowy day is the bridegroom that she left behind.  Of course, you can always make up your own story to go along with the piece.  I've actually had folks email me with very long and beautiful stories that go along with my pieces.  Isn't that cool?

If you're interested in this piece or have any questions, please feel free to email me at gerushiasworld at aol dot com.

Until Next Time:
Kim
Gerushia's New World

The "Almost Everyday Photo Challenge"...Day 10 ~ Self Portrait.

There are days of hope and light and breath...

and

There are days of loss and darkness and uneasiness.

Hours of sunshine

Hours of shadow 

A seeing-glass of truth and color and decline...

and

A shadow comforts and relieves.

Until the next "Almost Everyday Photo Challenge"

Kim
Gerushia's New World

The "Almost Everyday Photo Challenge"...Day 8 ~ Sun.

A warm, spring-like day with a glaring winter's sun....

Posting these "Photo A Day Challenges" is fun, but it's hard NOT to create a proper post.  A single photo seems so....hmmmmm ~ empty, I think.  

Just by coincidence, I was thumbing through one of my old poetry journals and came across this ridiculous and over dramatic poem I wrote in my senior year of high school.  Wouldn't you know...the poem is about the sun.  Well, in my mind it was about the sun.  I guess it could be about anything to anyone. It's a funny little poem and I suppose I'll share it here, as it seems to be fitting for today's photo challenge...(it's okay if you laugh, I laughed at it too).

To Fall Softly

...and with a heat and a flame orange, it lingers,

wrapped in rags and waiting to be engraved in your skin.

Save some for ...

Later

I will save it for later.

To squeeze on the shoulders 

of

what you want.

Shoulders to ride upon

with heavy legs 

and

white sand in which

to fall softly.

***********

I know, I know...can you get any more dramatic and pretentious?  I was an odd sort of teenager, I suppose.  But, keeping a journal with me at all times was something that came natural.  I suppose it must have helped me somehow, along the way.  If nothing else, it's fun to look back.

Thanks for looking back with me

Until Next Time:

Kim

Gerusha's New World (The Secret Poet)

My Superbowl Sunday ~

Hello There:

It is a chilly and overcast Monday...just right for February.  Although, this winter has shared very few brisk days with the residents of Southern California, so, I suppose the drab and sullen gray sky should be a welcome sight.  I am making an effort to welcome it, anyway!

Yesterday was "Superbowl Sunday".  I don't watch football, or any sports for that matter.  However, I do enjoy preparing food for the day, as my family does watch the game....if for no other reason than to keep their dad company (yep...my husband is a sports fan).  So, I prepare the food and then I find myself with an entire day free, to plot and play, to stroll or relax...I did a little of this and a little of that ~ 

I found myself in the garden, peeking for new signs of life.  Little snippets of color teasing the winter ~

Ruffles of foliage, holding the secret of a vibrant orange California Poppy ~

I found myself rearranging the treasures on my dining room hutch ~ 

...and admiring my newest vintage CDV...little Jennie Quigley.  She was a Scottish sideshow performer ~

Jennie has a new home on the fireplace mantel...right along side a few other sideshow performers! ~ 

I worked in my studio a bit...building the undershape for Humpty...still a long way to go ~ 

I went on a search through a tool box in the garage...looking for some Humpty Eyes ~ Hmmmm, silver or copper?

I started working up some new character creations...just the very beginnings~ 

I even took out a spot of time to sit down and admire and read one of my favorite books..."Old Black Fly" by Jim Aylesworth and illustrated by the great Stephen Gammell.  OH how I adore the art of Stephen Gammell ~ 

These are the best days.  The Everydays.  The days that find me staying home with no obligations and nowhere to be.  These are the days that connect me and ground me.  A peek in the garden here, an hour in the studio there.  A patchwork of home, I reckon. 

So...as I witnessed another day pass and am watching a new day progress,  I am, again, reminding myself to take notice of the Everydays.  Smells, sights, hopes.  The knowledge that in order to have this ~ 

You have to have this ~ 

Until Tomorrow:

Kim

Gerushia's New World

P.S.  I am beyond thrilled to tell you...I just got the word that the very first issue of "Pasticcio Panoply" is out. I am humbled to have my piece "Miss. Lilly's Roadside Motor Hotel" included in this first issue ~ 

P.P.S. Just so you know...I am still participating in the "Photo A Day Challenge"...but, I've decided to call it the "Almost Everyday Photo Challenge"!!  It's going to be very difficult for me to post a daily photo, especially on the weekends, but I will post as often as I can.

Okay...bye bye for reals!

Sarah's Hands....Photo A Day Challenge Day 3 ~ Hands.

Hands.  They tell secrets.  They can expose our habits and give away our age.  They hold, they gesture and they speak.  Some are soft and have proof of very little work.  Some are rough and strong and hard-working...just like this pair of hands in the photo.  

These hands belonged to my great grandmother, Sarah Elizabeth.  Of course, I never met her, but I have a feeling that Sarah Elizabeth was a hard worker.  Her hands tell on her.  Was she a gardener?  Did she work in the fields?  I'm sure she cooked, chopped wood and cared for little ones.  A strong, busy, hard-working woman.  

Hands.  They tell history.  They can open doors and connect us to our past.  Hands that were once tiny and newborn, soft and fresh, become a map ~ telling our journeys and travels and hard times.  If we're lucky, we will live long enough to carry our journeys in our hands.  To show the world that we gardened or painted or stitched.

Will my hands resemble Sarah's?  If I'm blessed with a long life, I would be proud to have hands like Sarah Elizabeth's hands.

Until tomorrow:

Kim

Gerushia's New World

P.S.  Obviously, I didn't take this photo myself, but I did take a photo of a photo for today's challenge.  :)

P.P.S.  On a whim, I decided to have a SUPERBOWL SALE in my Online Shop.   Included in the sale are the last 8 originals I have from my "Connecting Spaces" show.  They are straight up $50.00 each with free shipping worldwide!!  They are unframed and each piece measures 4" x 6".  Sale ends Sunday at midnight.  Have a look if you like!

Here are the 8 pieces being offered...

"Country Adventures Of a Fashionista"

"Guardians of the Questionable Motive"

 "A Simple Game"

"The Changeling Moon"

"The Uninvited"

"Sister Ophelia's Unfortunate Picnic"

"She Wore Her Heart on Her Cape"

"Lulu's Bigtop Playtime"

Thank you so much for having a look!  ♥♥