Morgen Thruston

Leonardo Quotes

2011-08-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

Today I'd like to share some quotes from my favorite old master Leonardo da Vinci. Study closely as there will be a pop quiz at the end.

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (April 15, 1452-May 2, 1519) was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculpture, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. Leonardo has often been described as the archetype of the Renaissance Man, a man of unquenchable curiosity and feverishly inventive imagination. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time and perhaps the most diversely talented person to have ever lived.

Besides his obvious genius, he has great advice on how to live and make art.

Sounds like me, right? I paint, design homes, garden, help kids with math/science homework, plan birthday parties, take photos, serve in church, write a blog, cook from scratch, sing, and am politically active. I think I'm a little MORE diversely talent than Leo. Ha, just kidding. Maybe.

"I have offended God and mankind because my work didn't reach the quality it should have."
-Leonardo da Vinci

What? I wish I were so offensive! Artists are typically so very hard on themselves.

War chariot with scythes. Eww... gross. He even drew the chopped up bodies.

"There are three classes of people: those who see, those who see when they are shown, those who do not see."
- Leonardo da Vinci

"It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things."
-Leonardo da Vinci

"You can have no dominion greater or less than that over yourself." - Leonardo
I am always telling my children that. Good advice for sure.

He was a master of drapery. I really wish I could do fabric like that. I saw this drawing in person and there are hardly any pencil lines. He can really blend.

I love to draw houses but I never drew anything so fancy. He had very wealthy clients.

"The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions." -Leonardo

"Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence."- Leonardo

When I saw this in person I was saddened by the age and deterioration but in awe of it's beauty. This is my all time favorite work by Leonardo.

He said, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." I wholeheartedly agree.

Besides the 'Mona Lisa', 'The Last Supper' has got to be his most famous work. Unfortunately, he experimented with unproven techniques and failed. If he had done this work on panel or canvas like his other works this would be the most incredible painting of all time.

"Life is pretty simple: You do some stuff. Most fails. Some works. You do more of what works. If it works big, others quickly copy it. Then you do something else. The trick is the doing something else." - Leonardo

"Learning never exhausts the mind."-Leonardo

"Talent is like the grease on the wheels of the cart, you don't need it to get to town, you'll just squeak on the way." -Leonardo

"Art is never finished, only abandoned".-Leonardo

"Nature never breaks her own laws."- Leonardo

And my favorite quote of Leonardo da Vinci is this one, "Marriage is like putting your hand into a bag of snakes in the hope of pulling out an eel." -Leonardo

Maybe that's why he never married.

Portrait Commission Step by Step

2011-06-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

My girls take piano lessons from the famous, lovely, and talented artist Angela Henrie. Some of you may know her name from her line of jewelry or her blog. She has 8 kiddos just like me. She even has 2 boys and 6 girls just like me (and my Aunt Joanna). I just love her, and my kids do too. I also dig her hot pink kitchen! Who wouldn't want to cook in there!

Here is Art Girl at her recital. Did I mention that Miss Angela is very Classy? Yes she is. I think it is from going to the same High School as me, Mountain View.

Here's Mini Me playing Brahms Lullaby.

Well, I begged Miss Angela if I could paint a portrait of one of her kiddos and she said "yes". So here is how I go about making a portrait for someone.

Step one: Arrange a meeting with the client and discuss what you want and the clothing. Angela really liked my paintings of angels and wanted one for her little Winnie. For her clothing, I draped and pinned some silk fabric on her and set her in the light the way we wanted. They both wanted a dark blue background and so we set up a black poster board behind her to set the values.

Step two: Talk with the model to loosen her up. As you can see Winnie was a little shy at first but we took care of that with a few jokes. Then, I just shot with the camera to get the model used to idea. The best shots will never be the first ones...ever. So relax and shoot away.

Step three: Have your model grow some angel wings right before your eyes. This might take a few minutes so be patient. Just kidding, we used some costume wings and propped them up to approximate what the lighting will be on the painted ones. Also, note how Winnie is starting to warm up and smile.

Step four: Choose which pose you like the best. Sometimes this can be agonizing and sometimes it is very easy. Winnie is so cute that it was hard to choose, so Angela had me email her a few shots and they had a family vote. They chose this one. The family just loves the way she smiles. Me too.

Step five: I did a mock up of what the wings will look like and the colors I would use for Angela's approval. I juiced up Winnie's skin a little with some color in her cheeks and made her eyes just a teeny bit bluer. I put in the blue background and of course, painted in some wings.

"Winnie" Angela's Angel. 2011

And here is the finished painting. See how easy it is? For you guys, not for me. I love painting angels. I think there will be more angels in my future. I'll keep you posted.

Decorating Trends

2011-04-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

I used to be an interior designer and I love to follow decorating trends and decorating styles. Personally, I have always NOT followed trends but designed timelessly. If you decorate English or French or Italian, stay true to the style and you will never go wrong or out of style.

That being said, I'm happy to find out that "Old Masters Paintings" are a hot trend right now.

Online store and blog VandM just released their trends for 2011-2012.

VandM officially publishes the year's main trend forecast every August. But what many don't know is that the studio prepares a report each month. We thought it would be fun to share an early peek at the main trend forecast as it is shaping up for late 2011 - early 2012.

IN	OUT
Dark Interiors	Light and all White Interiors (Unless black & white)
Old Masters Paintings	Too Many Contemporary Pieces of Art
Eclectic Clutter	Minimal Glam
Stuffed Taxidermy Birds	Antler Mounts
17th/18th Century Antiques	Danish Modern
Strong Patterned Flooring (especially animal print)	Simple Textured Flooring
Cameos/Indaglio	Framed Butterfly Taxidermy
Victorian Hair Art	Victorian Shell Art
Wallpaper	Paint
American Silver Tankards	Silver Trophies
Gold Gilt Elaborate Frames	Simple Modern Frames
Thrown-likeWood Chairs	Modern Plastic Furniture
Chip Wood Furniture	Chrome Furniture
Animal Pelts/Blankets	Chennile Throws
Goblets	Clear Stemware
Think Medieval/Darkages	Think White Minimal

One of our shorthand tricks to knowing what the culture is about to start to lean towards comes by way of HBO/Showtime. The number of shows relating to Medieval/Darkages is exponentially multipling. Everything from Robinhood, Merlin, Game of Thrones, cue the 1980's obsessions of Lady Hawk, Labryinth, etc

I think they are right. We are thirsting for comfort and history. I can't think of anything better than making history with a painting. Click on the link and see for yourself. Yay for paintings!

Why Get a Portrait?

2011-04-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

Why get a portrait? First of all, they are wonderful precious family heirlooms.

Kathryn Ireland

And secondly, they are great to decorate with!

Ralph Lauren

Let's face it, art is just decoration after all. There is a new-ish trend to decorate with heirloom portraits. I say new-ish because portraits are always IN, it's just right now they are more IN. I mean this room in Ralph Lauren's house could have been decorated 20 years ago or last week.

But what if you don't have a family heirloom portrait? Well, have one painted!

Charlotte Moss

Decorators all across the country are decorating their own houses with antique portrait paintings. Don't they look gorgeous? Charlotte Moss is my favorite decorator.

Even old fashioned folk art portraits look amazing in a room.

Okay, yes this is the green room in the White House. And yeah, that is Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson...I think. But this Federal Style room looks totally timeless and, well, green.

You don't have to have traditional style to have a portrait painted. Love the modern abstract. Notice the traditional furniture to anchor the room. Seriously, the only thing modern in the room is the art and it makes the whole place look modern.

I love 17th Century Swedish Gustavian antiques.

You don't have to relegate portraits to the living room or the bedroom. I love it in a hallway. I have one in my hallway and every time I walk by it I love to see it.

Sometimes the portrait can dictate the style of the room. Sometimes you can get a portrait to fit your style. I wonder which came first, the portrait or the wallpaper?

A portrait can really personalize a room. Even if you don't know who it is.

A portrait can set the mood. What attitude! Such a manly man's room. No women allowed!

Darin Giese

You can never have too many portraits!

All these photos were from two decorating blogs I love, cotedetexas and tartanscot.

New Website!

2011-04-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

I have a new website. Okay, not that I had an old one but saying that I just got a website sounded so amateur. Which I am, but shhhh...don't tell anyone. Here is a link to it. And there are some new paintings. Let me know what you think, unless it's bad then just keep those thoughts to yourself. Thank you.

www.morgenthruston.com

Yellow Rose of ...Ora

2011-03-10T08:56:00.001-08:00

I can paint flowers. I just can't paint them like Christie Repasy. So, I decided to just paint the way I do and be myself. This is for my friend Ora. Her favorite color is yellow. When her son moved out she took his room and turned it into a yellow floral woman cave. Nothing manly is allowed. So for her birthday I painted this. Happy Birthday Ora!

I'm gonna have GORGEOUS grandchildren!

2011-03-03T13:36:00.000-08:00

I asked my son in law if he would like to pose for a painting for me. Luckily, he said he would and with my daughter as stylist, we turned his normal "skater boy/college student" look into this Wall Street looking man. What a handsome cutie. I'm gonna have the most beautiful grand-babies!!!

This painting is my daughter's birthday gift. Happy B-day Married Girl!

What NOT to do in Business

2011-02-27T19:17:00.000-08:00

My son sent an email inquiring about a product for sale on a website. The response was hilarious and I thought you would like to have a laugh. Clearly English was not his first language. And remember, Banana is never Apple!

hello friend

paypal also has scam,the buyer receive the parcel but he said he didnot on purpose.so paypal scam make selelrs worried about the money.these days business is not easy for anybody.

i hjope good buyer and good seller can do business together.although we use western union,but it doesnt mean we are bad seller and dont ship parcel;s. on the contract,we are are very serious in business and want to have longterm business with you, we can also email you some recent shipping every a couple days.

Trust is built as time goes by and not just for a time.you say i m not good ,does it mean we are bad people? we are not bad people and at lease so far we didnt any thing bad to you and we never do you bad.here we are doing business for benefiting both sides,hardly for scamming money.

Every penny you earn is important for you and we understand,so the price has been lowest for you so that you can enjoy a good profit at your market and good competition.

The qualtiy is guarranty bvecause only the original count in the market all the time,before and now and future as weell. we have been working hard to establish good relationship although it isn ot easy.the beginnigng is diffuclt but i think the result willl be very good.

if you think every body is bad people,then the world is over in the usa also there are bad people and good people. i m not them so i cannot stop them from stealing money.we are 100% responsible for our sales.Banana is Banana,Apple is Apple,Banana is never Apple.This has been a very serious thing when it comes to the business.

best regards,

matthew

Talent vs. Hard Work

2011-02-17T08:08:00.000-08:00

When I was a baby, my dad taught me how to read. I seriously never knew what it was like to not read. I was also very bored in school because of it and I passed the time by discovering other talents. Drawing, school work, sports, music, sewing...you name it I was good at it. I just had loads of natural ability or talent.

Michael Naples

Then, in fourth grade I started to play the violin. I was so good that by the end of the school year I was playing second chair next to the sixth graders. First chair was 6th grader Stephanie Buckley. Who is now an opera singer in New York City, seriously. She was WAY ahead of me in ability. But by the end of my sixth grade year I was still playing second chair. Why? I didn't practice. The girl in first chair had a private teacher and she practiced EVERY DAY. Practice? What's that? I always just floated on my natural ability. Which gets me pretty far but not far enough. So what did I do? I quit the violin.

Casey Baugh

Now why do I tell you this story? Well, I have been teaching art to kids and adults. Each age group feels like they stink and they can't do it. The biggest tantrum I get is from a very talented little 7 year old who wants to paint like Michelangelo and she can't. And my sweet 70 year old student wants to quit every 5 minutes. Everyone has yucky work. Even Casey Baugh told me that he has a room full of paintings lined up against the wall that will never see the light of day.

James Christensen

I asked James Christensen one time if he ever had a hard time parting with some of his most beautiful work. He said, "A lot of my stuff doesn't really turn out the way I planned so I am glad to get rid of it."

James Christensen

He also says you need to put in ten thousand hours before you are very good.

TEN THOUSAND!

Talent can only get you so far. So, if you have been given a special talent, you better get to work!

-Morgen

p.s. If you know anyone (or yourself) who has a similar story, let me know!

Workshop with Casey Baugh

2011-02-15T16:38:00.000-08:00

I just spent the most amazing week with artist Casey Baugh. We was very generous and talented and a great teacher. I learned so much. I can hardly wait to take his workshop again.
He has been in magazines for a few years. Like, since he was 18! This one was in The Artist's Magazine as a demo. His gallery has a page where you can see all the magazine covers he is on. Sheesh, and he is only 26.
Portrait Society of America International Competition award winner.
I think he said he was 17 when he did this one.
My favorite version of "Madame X". He is a genius. I met that model. What 'tude!
Mr. Baugh himself. What a cool portrait. He has a free video of how he painted this on his website here. She? I told you he was generous!
Love it! LOOK at those brush strokes. It looks all haphazard and loose but he plans every last brush stroke down to the last detail. Nothing is left to chance.
This one is so cool.
I love painting tulle. He and I talked about painting tulle and the other guys in the class asked, "What's tulle?" He designs every last detail- even going to the fabric store and buying tulle.
Basically it boiled down to this:

If you were to build your dream house, and you were to put that one special piece of art on the main wall in your living room, what would it be? Paint that. Work hard and plan everything. Spend more time planning than you do painting. And buy Rosemary and Co. mongoose brushes. Thank you Casey!

My First Show!

2011-01-16T12:35:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of me at "The Best and the Brightest" show in Scottsdale. I had my husband take it to show how cool it looks. I went with the black frame but I rubbed a little gold in the creases. I think they must have liked it because they put it by a door and hung it at eye level. If the picture were a little bigger you could have seen my name tag with my name misspelled on it and NO red sold dot on my card. You can see on the wall behind me that there is also no award ribbon :( But that's okay, they gave the "Best of Show" award to a painting of a travel trailer.

Sheri Dinardi

When I first came in the front door I was blown away with this beauty! It won an "Honorable Mention" and I think the "People's Choice" award.

I can paint like that, I just don't have the time. I was really surprised at the level of talent at a student show. It really was impressive.

Cari Updike

I met this artist first. Her name is Cari Updike, she is from Mesa and lives about 3 miles away from me. Her husband didn't like my painting, but she did. They said that they have been coming to this show for 8 years and this is by far the best show they have seen.

Pris Butler

We both thought the green on this was cool. And a black frame is the way to go.

Nancy Becker

There were several cow paintings. Actually, a lot of western paintings. Is this the 'West'?

Elaine Locati

LOVE, love, love this one! It could have been painted right on the farm in Iowa. So pretty.

Tim Perkins

This painting won 1st place in the oil category.

Paula Stern

I don't care for this painting, but the name was funny and it sold right away for $500. The name..."Seeds of Social Justice". Hmmm... what does THAT mean?

Elizabeth Pollie

THIS painting also sold right away. It is Peeka's favorite. It is 20x20 and it sold for $3000!

Jon Francis

THIS... won "Best of Show"! What!?! I rest my case. Because right next to it was the best piece in the whole place.

Sheri Dinardi

Several people were just standing around it staring the whole night. I am surprised it didn't sell at $2900. I would have gladly paid that...if I had an extra $2900 laying around that I wasn't using. If you are in Scottsdale and you want to see some good art, go to the Scottsdale Artist School.

My First Art Competition!

2010-12-12T16:26:00.001-08:00

I finally got accepted into an art competition. It's the "Best and the Brightest" show at the Scottsdale Artist's School. I did this painting of a sweet girl in my church. I just loved the way she turned her feet.

Now, here's the problem, I have to frame it and I can't decide which frame to use. I personally like a gold frame for portraits, but black is all the rage right now. Maybe you guys can weigh in and help me decide. Here is the black frame:

Clean, simple and unadorned. Would look good in a Tuscan style home.

Here is the gold frame. Classic, timeless and a little flashy. What to do, what to do...

So, I need you to post in the comments which style you prefer as I have to have this thing delivered by Wednesday. Yikes!

Oh, and I am not the only artist in my home. Look at what my Art Girl did. A mother couldn't be any prouder.

Now, go vote.

Kid's art class

2010-11-01T12:42:00.001-07:00

I have been having a kid's art class. We painted Halloween scenes on panels with acrylics. The kids do all their own drawing and painting. I am pretty impressed. Look how happy these kids are. I love teaching kids to paint. They are so eager to soak up my vast knowledge of painting Halloween creatures.

My monkeys are good at making art. So are their friends.
Scary. And messy. But I cleaned it up.
Look how good these paintings are! I am impressed.
My B made this cute girl. It sits on my entry hall table. Love it.

Miss Erika Davies

2010-10-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

I come from a large extended family of talented individuals. Most of my 48 first cousins are excellent singers. A lot of us are artists, too. My aunts can make anything. Some of us dabble in painting.

My cousin Heidi makes the most amazing wedding dresses.

I can upholster your car, but I don't want to, so don't ask me.

My cousin Jake has an Etsy shop where he sells his custom belt buckles. So does my niece, Erika. Have an Etsy shop I mean, not make belt buckles. She makes clothing ...AND by the way- sings. Duh.
Only this family member is really taking her talent places. She works very hard.
She's serious. And good. I'd like to think she gets her talent from my side of the family, but you should hear her mother...WOW! My brother did good! He sings, too. Duh.
She's very pretty AND the sweetest person you will ever know.
She is tearing it up in San Diego. If you are ever there for a vacation or anything, you should see her perform. She has her own style and it is all about the VOCAL chords baby! Kinda old, old school, a little jazzy, all Erika.

Just recently, she got snatched up to be in this cute little commercial. You might have already seen it on tv. Check her out. She's not a hiker, she's the singer. Way to go!
p.s. visit her Etsy shop and buy her cd. Nothing like a little plug for family.

Eight kids?!? Really?

2010-09-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

I was in the plastic surgeon's office the other day...for Fifi, not me... and his very beautiful assistant asked me how many kids I had. Boy, there's an awkward silence waiting to happen. Nothing like being a frumpy older mom with a stitched up baby in a place where everything is very beautiful and cosmetically enhanced. And, well, a little superficial.

So, I just told her. The truth. Eight kids. 23 to 3. Two boys, six girls. All mine. Same husband. Can I have a tummy tuck now? (Not really about the tummy tuck part -but a girl can dream can't she?)

Now here was her reply. She said, "I wish I had had more kids, you are lucky."

What? Of all the places one would expect to be looked at like a freak, I wasn't. In fact, I was admired. That made my YEAR!

It just goes to show you that having kids is a great thing. Some people think I am very fortunate. Even the beautiful ones. And after all is said and done, if I just lose a few more pounds and raise a few more dollars I just might be back for that tummy cutty offy thingy.

What? We're done?

2010-08-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

Summer vacation is over? Already? I hate schooooool! Okay, not really, okay... really- NOT.

How do you send your kids to school when you know it will be hard on their little blossoming self esteems? But at the same time it will get them the knowledge and social skills they need in the real world.

I am homeschooling two little monkeys, Art Girl and B. We love to create and read and do math in the kitchen. But my older monkeys need more than I can give them. They love the social life, sports, and student council. This year is the first time in like, forever, I only have one school to drive to. It is a little weird and at the same time very natural.

I have some friends who wouldn't dream of schooling at home. I have other friends who wouldn't dream of sending their kids to public school. Where do you fall in this category?

1. I wouldn't dream of sending my kids to public school.

2. Homeschool is not for me. Public school all the way.

3. Eh, Maybe a little bit of both.

I'm in the number three category. Get the best of both worlds. Please comment and let me know where you stand.

I love it out here

2010-07-04T12:37:00.001-07:00

I love the light out in the North American RAIN FOREST, otherwise known as Nauvoo. It is always soft and cool.

Case in point: Water + shade = Cool pictures!

In Arizona we rarely ever have rain so we don't have streams or shade. Out here in Iowa it rains almost every week and this year it has rained nonstop since April. Some of the farmers couldn't plant their crops, it was just too muddy. Have you ever seen a tractor stuck in the mud? Me either but I bet it is not a pretty sight.

So if you are in Hot-izona, find some shade for Pete's sake and shoot away!

There are some tricks to shooting in the shade. You need a large aperture lens. Mine is a 50mm 1.4. Then, you have to boost up your aperture and slow down your shutter speed- you may even need a tripod but it is way worth it. I used a rock wall but I still was a little shaky.

Now, go try this at home.

I Shot a Deer in my Yard!

2010-06-24T13:53:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Art Girl saw a deer in our back yard. So I had to shoot it.

The blue rectangle thingy is our pool cover. Yes, the bushes are a bit overgrown. I just got here. I'll get to it okay?

She just stared at us and didn't know what to do.

"Should I go out the way I came?"

"What is the human thing looking at me with that big black thing on her face? " (Uh, a camera.)

"I think I'll go out that-a-way."

Art Girl was so happy to see it. In Arizona we don't have deer in our yards. I know the rest of you are like, "a deer? Really?" We also don't have four foot high thistles either- yuck!

Here she goes. Sorry for the blur but I didn't have time for settings.

"I'm outta here. "

Out the gate she goes. I like to think of my yard as 'lush greenness' not weedy.

"Bye, you weirdos."

We tried to find her but she ran out into this amazing wooded area. I love Iowa.

Painting with Art Girl

2010-06-12T11:23:00.000-07:00

Art Girl's first oil painting- available

The other day, I thought it would be a good idea to teach Art Girl to paint an abstract landscape. A little blue...a little green... voila! We had a blast and the best part is, it was done in one day!

I realize that the public school teaches the kids art. And my kiddos have come home with some pretty sweet stuff. But there is just something about sitting down with your offspring and making something you will treasure forever. Sappy. I know. You should try it.

Look how intense my little monkey is.

My studio is pretty sweet! I have floor to ceiling windows and a 6 foot grand piano for mood music. Okay, okay, it is really the living room. But, when I painted in my closet studio I could never be with my kids which meant they weren't being supervised, which meant ... trouble. So I moved into the living room. It kind of has a Ralph Lauren feel to it with the giant easel and all.
Art Girl getting her brush strokes smoothed out. She wants to sell this on Etsy or if any of you want it, it is available. Just send me a note. We will even frame it for you. It is a 12x16 .

This was my painting. I love it. Way fun. I think I will do some more. Let me know if you want one.

Don't worry. I am still doing portraits.

Peder Mork Monsted

2010-06-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

Class... today's lesson is on unknown Danish landscape painter, Peder Mork Monsted. He was born in Denmark late into the impressionist movement, so of course no one has ever heard of him. But for some strange reason, he is being highly sought after in the auction circuit. I think it might be because his middle name is "Mork". Slight giggle. Or it could be because he is fabulous!

You won't find him in any museums. But, you will find him in wealthy collector's homes.

You can't touch one for under $25,000.

He traveled all over Europe, but during WWI he pretty much stayed close to Scandinavia. Aren't these woods just beautiful? I want to go there some day.

I really love his paintings. You really feel like you are there in the painting. I secretly want to paint landscapes. Okay, that secrets out. I really want to learn to paint landscapes, but everyone tells me to paint portraits. Someday...

How This Whole Thing Started

2010-06-06T12:30:00.001-07:00

Six years ago, I read a magazine article about losing your marbles (i.e. getting dumber). In the article they mentioned ways to regain your brain function by learning a new skill.(i.e. getting smarter). It said if you want to keep your mind sharp, you need to learn something new and challenging - specifically, learn a foreign language, learn how to play a musical instrument, or learn how to paint. I chose learning how to paint. Because, I've seen some pretty crappy stuff out there so how hard can it be?

very first oil painting ever

I signed up for beginning painting classes at the local art center. At 39, I was the youngest student there. Apparently, I was not the only one who noticed a little brain function decline.

My teacher had us paint our first painting with only blue and white. This cube cylinder thingy is my very first oil painting ever. Isn't it SWEET!

second painting ever

The next assignment was to paint a still life. This is my lovely teapot with food. Dig my groovy shadows. I was so proud.

third painting that I want to burn

Then we got to paint whatever we wanted. I was trying to be Christie Repasy but it didn't turn out so hot. I want to burn this one but my monkeys won't let me. So I hide it in the closet.

fourth painting ever, first portrait ever

Then, I took a portrait painting class taught by the very talented Sarah Clemens. I would link to her site but it has nudes and I have children who read this. I don't know why this pic is grainy but if you click on it you can see it larger and it is really smooth and perfect. I can't believe this is my very first portrait. It took me eight weeks and is a 10x14. Wow was I surprised! Especially after seeing the first three pieces. Everyone started telling me they didn't know I could paint. Well I didn't know either! Isn't that the most beautiful surprise you could ever find out about yourself!

second portrait ever

Then my dear friend passed away and I was so distraught that I painted this for her family. I cruised through this in 2 weeks. It really helped me heal and I learned why painters love to paint. It is like a drug, but cheaper (barely) and legal.

third portrait

This one was so fun to do. But it took me three months. I love the details. She is an angel. I also found out I loved to paint fingers.

fourth portrait

I started this one but quit. It is very unfinished and now that my boy is all graduated and everything I probably should finish it and start a new one. I want to start a tradition of painting Senior portraits for my monkeys.

fifth portrait

Then I did this crazy monster for the Church Art Competition. Of course I didn't get in but I had a growth experience with it. It took me three months. My favorite part is the comforter on the right hand side. So real. I stare at it every time I walk by it. Having art in your home is wonderful, but when it is meaningful and it's your own kid, it's just amazing.

sixth portrait, ninth painting ever

Love, love , love this one! The lighting, the composition, the details, the flowers... the long time it has taken me to complete it. Just kidding about that loving the long time to complete it part. It is actually not done but I framed it anyways. Sometimes you have to call it good enough and move on. I know when I clean house that's what I do.

There you have it. My little story of "How I Became a Painter". I really do think I have gotten a bit smarter. Or at least I am so busy painting I haven't noticed losing brain cells.

Have you seen my keys?

Should I or Shouldn't I?

2010-06-06T09:45:00.000-07:00

A commission for a picture is almost corrupting to the artist, since it injures his originality of impulse. - Alfred Stevens

Everyone has impulsive desires. Why do you think there are malls? How about the checkout counter at the Walmart? Artists are more impulsive than most people, I think. It's the drive that makes you work instead of just thinking about it. I am very dependent on my impulse to create. Sometimes I have to tell my impulses to calm down because I have to do laundry or some other horrid thing... like DISHES! Ewwww.

Well... I have been toying with the idea of taking commissions for portraits. What do you think? I don't really have the time or desire to do anything big or anything with more than two subjects. I also have to be the one to shoot and pose. So my work would probably have to be local. Unless someone wants to fly me to Paris to shoot their kids in front of the Eiffel Tower. I'd be down with that!

But, if I get all tingly and inspired to paint someone, should I charge money? And if so, how do I do that? It almost seems to me that if someone wants a painting made by me, then that is enough of an ego boost to make the painting. Is that silly? I mean -I could use the money since modeling gigs are really down right now.

Should I have a website?

An Etsy shop?

Should I wear jeans or a skirt today?

Do you hate it when you make your burrito too big to fold?

Come on people, help a girl out!

I've been to professional portrait artist's websites and read how they charge for their commissions (and how MUCH, whoa!). They actually get client approval before they start! AND halfway through! AND before delivery! What's that all about? I don't know if I could do that. I mean...who is making this thing? Them or me? I'm the artist here! Okay, I'm not that big of a diva, but what if they don't like what I'm doing? I don't think my precious ego could take that.

It is always dangerous to paint a portrait for nothing, for the person who has sat for it never defends it when it is criticised. - Alfred Stevens

So, back to my question. Should I or shouldn't I? I would love it if you would weigh in on the matter. Tell me the truth. Am I full of it? Am I good enough? Since I only have one reader, I will take your opinion heavily into account.

Love and thank you,

Morgen

-mom of eight monkeys and aspiring artist.

p.s.... one more thing, how much should I charge? Just askin'.

Weeds...Part Duex

2010-05-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

Mini Me wanted to go out into the weeds and shoot. But, I was too grossed out by the ickyness of these foxtails. Johnson and bermuda is one thing, but FOXTAILS! No way.
So Mini Me took Art Girl into the lot next door and pretended they were in a field of wheat. What were they thinking! There most definitely were scorpions and maybe even a snake!
Mini Me did an okay job shooting Art Girl but look at what Art Girl did.
Remember, Art Girl is only nine.
Drama, cool lighting, perfect fun angles, what talent.
She even followed the number one rule in photographing people, make 'em laugh.
Love it! So, look around you and see if there are any dangerous weedy lots you can shoot in. You might just come up with something like these.

Mad Hatter Tea Party

2010-05-18T10:23:00.000-07:00

My little B turned 7 years old! What's up with that? Cut that out right now! Anyway, I threw her a Mad Hatter tea party for her birthday. She loved it.
Friends got to dress up like their favorite Alice in Wonderland character. I think she is Alice, or the Caterpillar. I can't tell. Look at her cheesy smile. How cute!
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum came and sang some songs and danced in these hilarious costumes. These two are naturally funny and they were like the comedy act running around the party and causing mayhem. Thanks, Rachel and A.J.!
More older kids dressed as characters creating mayhem. "Off with her head!" Thanks, Lilly.
My own daughter Peeka, dressed as the Mad Hatter. She was the best at creating mayhem. When she walked into the room she demanded everyone applause. It was hilarious!
A.J., Mini Me, and Rachel...so funny. We all had a good time. Ray Jay (as I like to call them) couldn't believe I made such good pizza. The food was good...mmm.
Rachel charming the little one. Fifi doesn't really like anyone so Ray was really proud of herself when Fifi cozied up to her.
Amanda eating cake. I love her super blond hair.
I had to dig up some old pre- marriage tea cups. *No china was harmed during this activity.*
I actually forgot to frost the cake. Kids were showing up and I panicked. Luckily for me I have a sharp mind (laughing hysterically) and threw this wobbly cake together at the last minute. We had to sacrifice a deck of cards for this but I think it was worth it. We also made cake pops but we ate them before any pictures were taken.
Ben did not want to leave. I want to kidnap him. I have been asking him for years and he always says, "no". I never got a blond boy, or a blond anything. Anyway, he almost said, "yes"!

B drinking chocolate milk.
Cake. Yum.
Well, here you have a wonderful Mad Hatter Tea Party. The king and queen had a wonderful time.

OPA in AZ

2010-05-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

The National Oil Painters of America has a yearly members only competition. Then they exhibit this competition at an art gallery. This year it is in SCOTTSDALE at the Legacy Gallery on Main and Scottsdale Road! Woo Hoo!!! I have already been twice. The show runs until May 24th so hurry up and go see it.
This one won some award but I forgot what it was. All of the art is for sale. This one is the most expensive one that sold. It was $4000. For a 24x36 I think it is a fair market price. But most of the sold paintings were under $1500. This recession is really hitting artists hard.

This one is painted by my kids favorite dude, Dan Gerhartz. We go and meet him every year at his spring show. This is a 24x36 and he wants $13,000.
Michael Mao. Very brushy up close. Beautiful. I'm thinking of doing a series of white paintings.
This is a good example of a bad photo. This painting in person just glows.
I love realism. The name of this one is Plain and Peanut M and M's. How cute.
Robert Coombs.
I really want to paint a cow. I think they are so cute.
Again, way better in person. It really inspires me. I think I'll paint one like this of one of my girls in our woods in Iowa. Does anyway have a long satin dress they want to loan me? I won't ruin it with mud and branches- honest.
I love peonies.
$20,000. For reals? I mean, this is a REALLY beautiful painting and all but $20,000?

This one is probably my favorite painting of the show. I am so going to paint this. Can you just see Married Girl in her wedding dress holding her bouquet?

Well, these are some of the highlights of the show. But there is a lot more to see at the Legacy Gallery. Go. Now. If you can't get there in time, or if you have no gas in your car, or you don't want to get out of your pajamas, you can click on this link and look online. Have fun!

I Got This Idea...

2010-05-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

I was cruising through the internet, looking for cool portrait painters and I came across this guy. His name is Phillip deLaszlo. He replaced John Singer Sargent as the portrait painter to the rich and famous. This beautiful painting caught my eye and I wanted to paint it real bad. But I didn't have a bride to paint. Then, the very next day, I received a wedding invitation in the mail. It was fate I tell you...FATE. Then, I ran into the girl's mother at a volleyball game. More fate!
Here's the conversation,

me: Hello mother of the bride, can I paint a portrait of your daughter for a wedding present?

Mother : Uh..What? Are you kidding me? Heck yes!

me: I know your daughter is away at school, but will she be in town soon?

Mother: Yes, she will be in town this weekend.

me: can I shoot her this Saturday?

Mother: Actually, meet us at the bridal salon where she will be trying on her dress and veil.

me: Oh my gosh, that is so perfect!

(or something like that)

Totally perfect timing. Totally perfect model. Beautiful family. Lucky me.
I'm sorry for the blurry photos but I was too tired and lazy to go get my tripod. Her eyelashes are actually longer than this but I was so jealous of them I made them shorter. Not really. Shorter looked a little softer.
Oh, I wish I took a better photo. Her hands really look real. I even painted little blue veins and everything.
Her veil was so much fun. I seriously giggled when I was painting it. My friend is so sweet, she has wanted a painting from me for so long and I haven't done it. I am really blessed that this came out so well and she was so happy. Oh, and the bride was pretty happy, too.
I even painted the frame. I have never painted a frame before, it was a good experience. Okay, no it wasn't, it was a nightmare. Let's just say that I learned how not to do it. I even learned how to use paint stripper.

Pay no attention to my fingers, I was in a hurry.

Anyway, all in all, I had a really good time. They displayed the painting at the reception and a lot of people were really impressed. That made my year!

p.s. If you read this post, please leave a compliment, I mean comment!

(Not So) Self Taught Artists

2010-04-29T06:40:00.000-07:00

I am largely teaching myself how to make art. I would say painting, but painting is easy and I went to a few classes on how to do that. (Thanks, Sarah) What I am trying to learn now is not taught in college. It is taught in ateliers of classical artists all around the globe. Unfortunately for me, I can't go to an atelier because I have a serious life to lead right here in my own little town raising sweet munchkins. And there are no classical artists or art schools here. Wha? Huh? I know, really! Phoenix is the 6th largest city in the country and you would think someone with classical training would move here, but NOooooo.

So, my education is limited to what I find on the internet and practice on my own at home. I am amazed at what I am learning and would like to show you some of the artists I have found who think are doing what I am doing. Maybe there is hope for me yet!

All the art on this post is from the lovely, talented artist Kate Stone . She is amazing and is only 23 years old. She started exhibiting and winning awards in 2006. And on her website she doesn't list any formal training so I think she didn't go to school. Actually, she is married to art instructor, David Gluck, who teaches at the Academy of Realist Art in Toronto. I think she went there. Dangit, I was hoping that I could do this without going to an atelier!

Although, Canada in the summer would be nice...

She was born in America but lives in Canada. She is storming the portrait scene up there and was even featured in a tv show called "Star Portraits". She got to paint Debbie Travis.

Sweet. I'd love to draw like that, but I don't have the first clue how to do it. What paper is that? I only know about sketch books and pencil. I don't think that is pencil.

Some people say, "Why don't you go to ASU?" If I were to go to a university, I would be told not to paint like this. I would be told to "paint what I feel". Well, I "feel" like painting what I "see". Then adding a little juice to it. Isn't this painting delicious? It just glows. Kate got it right. Atelier training is the way to go.

Look at those HANDS! For Pete's sake woman! Bring your husband and move here and teach me how to do that! The real estate prices are incredible. I will personally find you a house. And the weather is much better than freezing cold Canada.

Old kids, cookies and stitches

2010-03-12T10:55:00.001-08:00

I have been goofing off.

Married Girl turned 21. I know, it's very very wrong. But, you either get older or you die and I would hate for her to die .. so I guess I will have to live with her getting older. Anyway, she LUURRVVES Christie Repasy and wanted me to buy a print from her but I is broke.... and cheap. So I just painted her one myself. It's not perfect, but it cost me only about 10 dollars and my daughter LLUUURRVVVES it because I made it just for her. And I had fun, it only took me 8 hours. If you want a painting like this one, go to Christie Repasy's website and order one. She has tons to choose from and they are all beautiful.

Then Peeka decided we need to make more cookies. We have a really good cookie recipe. It is so perfect that the only thing you could do is make them bigger. Bigger is good...mmmmm. Unless the bigger parts are on my body and they are jiggly and I can't zip my jeans. Then, bigger is bad. (Pay no attention to my dirty pan.)
Saturday night I was getting ready for a church meeting to see an apostle and I heard this blood curdling scream. Yup, sure enough, blood and guts were everywhere. Well, not guts, but I couldn't go to my meeting and I spent the entire evening in the urgent care getting stitches on my baby Fifi. Then, yesterday when I went to the dr.'s to take out the stitches, Fifi fought so much she ripped her skin back open and I had to take her to the plastic surgeon's office and get him to fix it. He is so sweet. He did his very best with a screaming, squirming, fighting three year old. When we were on our way out he said, "Give it a year to heal and we will see about that scar." YIKES! Poor baby.

Needless to say I have been a little busy.

Finger Painting

2010-01-03T09:37:00.001-08:00

I just stumbled across an award winning artist named Mary Jane Q. Cross.

She was an established commission portrait painter when a Pharmaceutical side effect left her with tremors over the right side of her body. (I smell lawsuit here!)

Anyway, you can't keep a good painter down! She started to use her fingers to paint and look at her results!

She doesn't have the time to do commissions anymore but she is storming the competitions with her fresh style. She is scooping up awards, too.

She reminds me of "Pre-Raphaelites meet 50's homemaking magazine covers".

I love how her lighting is bright and strong. She has a lot of back lit paintings.

Like this one...Mmmm I can feel the sun on my face right now. This one won a $5000 award at the American Oil Painters Society competition 2009.

She has been painting WAYYYyyy longer than I have. Like 40 years longer. But still. I think I could paint as good as her some day. Or not...

Mary Jane uses water soluble oil paints as they are less toxic and she puts on a barrier lotion on her hands before she paints.

Liz Lemon Swindle told me she uses her fingers to blend. I think I will try it sometime. It looks fun.

What an inspiration Mary Jane is to me! If life gives you tremors, make art. Or something like that. If she can paint with that difficulty, then I can paint with 8 kids! Sometimes they give me tremors. You can go to her website here.http://www.maryjaneqcross.com/home

Don't try this at home!

2009-12-27T11:03:00.001-08:00

I mean it. It will make you jiggle and wobble. It tastes like the stuff from See's candy store but much cheaper and easier on your teeth. You could find yourself eating the whole recipe -so if you make this you must have a plan in place for it's immediate removal. Like, take it to a friend you would like to see get fat. Like April. So here goes the recipe.

Toffee Butter Crunch with Almonds

1 cup coarsely chopped almonds
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds

Sprinkle the coarsely chopped nuts on a greased 13x9x2- inch pan. Butter the sides of a heavy 2-quart sauce pan. In it melt the 1 cup butter. Add sugar, water, and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat to 290 degrees (soft crack stage), stirring frequently (mixture should boil gently over entire surface). Watch carefully after 280. Remove from heat. Immediately turn into prepared pan. Wait 2 to 3 minutes and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. When the chocolate is melted, spread over the toffee. Sprinkle 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds over the chocolate. Chill til firm and break into pieces. Wrap it in a cute bag and take it to my house. Your thighs will thank you.

Perfect

2009-08-02T08:15:00.001-07:00

It's over. Our perfect summer is over. The summer was absolutely wonderful. The weather was amazing. It averaged 74 degrees. The land was beautiful and peaceful. It looked and felt like we were in the English countryside. Now I know why I never run into people who have moved to Arizona from Iowa. The local Iowans would tell me that Arizona is a dry heat. Yeah, I guess it is, but dry comes with a price...like no trees, grass, and ponds.

Goodbye, creek that ran through our farm.

Gone are the rolling hills with horses running freely through the meadows.

This was the view across the street from our church building. Just gorgeous.

No more fishing. Not like we ever caught anything, anyway.

Goodbye obscenely large front yard. Okay, it is really a field of soybeans - just beyond that row of trees, but it was still beautiful. And large.

Goodbye wonderful walks in the woods. Out in Iowa they don't call the woods "woods". They call it timber. I thought "timber" was what you yelled after you cut down a tree.

We will miss you, scenic park and pond. Is this not the most beautiful place you have ever seen? Unless, you have been to England ...then you saw it there.

This is the road home. Back to reality, dry dirt desert, hectic schedules, competition, money worries, and 112 degree HEAT! I love the country. We had the most wonderful, perfect summer.

Painting angels

2009-07-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

Painting angels is loads of fun. I know this because I painted my daughter as an angel four years ago and it was fun. I think it turned out okay.

I am currently working on another angel painting that I've had to restart twice. I don't know what is wrong with me and this painting, but I've really had a hard time with it. I think I'm making it too complicated.

So, to help me out of my "stuckness", I love to look at my little collection of angel paintings.
These first three are Nancy Noel. I have about six of her prints.

William Bourgereau is a champion of angel painting. I love his work. He is a genius.

I bet you have seen this one. Look at those delicate wings.

Everyone whose anyone paints angels. This is Leonardo da Vinci. Beautiful.

Rembrandt is well...Rembrandt. Look at the story that these angels are telling.

Fast forward to contemporary angels. I love them too. Those flowers look like Donna Dewberry "one stroke" flowers. But look at that baby's adorable face.

Love the freshness and emotion. Oh, I wish I could do this. It takes me FOREVER to do anything! Except eat chocolate. I do that rather quickly.

James C. Christensen is my idol. He can do it all. Rustic, natural, renaissance, science fiction, fantasy, comedy, and all with meaning. I met him two years ago and we talked while he drew little drawings from his imagination that were amazing! I can't talk and draw at the same time, or talk and drive, walk, do dishes...

He has a large body of work dedicated to angels. This one is the cover of his book, "Men and Angels". He even told me how to do a crackle finish like this one.

This one is so cool. Literally. My dream in life is to own an original Christensen painting. It is hard to find originals. When you do, they are reasonably priced - considering his prints sell in the thousands!

This is a renaissance style painting. I wish I could do that.

My all time favorite artist is Carl Bloch. Amazing.

Abbott Handerson Thayer is no slouch either. He invented camoflage uniforms for the army.

He pinned these wings to a wall and had his daughter stand up against them. This is probably my favorite.

Well, there are my inspiration paintings for you. Hopefully, I will get my angel painting done by the end of this year and show it to you. Wish me luck.

Look out for the train

2009-07-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

We just missed the train coming down the track behind us.

Cute pose that was totally unposed.

She was a pill to shoot. Right when we got on the tracks a deer showed up and all she wanted to do was chase the deer into the woods. Like she could catch a deer!

Some random house in the town with a beautiful garden. I thought this yard was so cute and we just jumped out and hurried and shot these pics. I call it Kamakazi shooting. If you don't get thrown out of your location you are just not trying hard enough.

My family looks so big and I am missing 4 people! Love the country!

We just saw a bobcat!

2009-07-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

No lie! THIS was in our backyard right outside our glass door. Art girl said, "look at that big cat" and I said, "That's a BOBCAT!"

Then I screamed (I mean SCREAMED!!!) for the only man in the house to come running and DO something and my screams scared it away. So I didn't get a picture of it in our backyard but it was there, man.

Okay, so far we have seen or heard, coyotes, deer, muskrats, chipmunks, rabbits, squirrels, snakes, turtles, raccoons, a groundhog, and now a bobcat! Not mention every insect known to man.

Did I say I loved the country? What is there left? Bears? Cougars? Javelinas?

Please remind me I love the country. I love the country, I love the country, I love the country.

Hammes Farms

2009-07-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

Last week we went out to our new best friends' house, the Hammes. Pat has a big farm operation and he farms our land 'cuz I'm not getting a tractor and all the stuff you need to farm and he really loves it, anyway. He has some serious equipment, man!

Here is Fifi on the biggest tractor I've ever seen. That yellow thing on her arm is a floatie. She wears them all the time in the hopes someone will take her swimming.

BIG tractor. And Pat has three of them. Apparently he needs three so he and his two sons can all drive at the same time. He also has three or four smaller tractors that I didn't take pictures of because I was mesmerized by the BIGNESS of these bad boys.

Did I mention that the tractors are BIG? Did I ever mention that I used to ride on my Grandpa's tractor with him? Quality time, man...quality time. Maybe I secretly wish I was a farmer. But after seeing all the hard work that is involved in farming, maybe I secretly wish I was a rich supermodel that could eat chocolate and not get fat. Hey, it could happen...

I'm glad I don't have to drive these to farm my land. He sometimes has to plant or plow from 5 am to midnight. He has to beat the weather.

After he grows all the crops he can he has a couple of these to deliver the grains. Behind the truck are the biggest silos I have ever seen on private property. I couldn't even begin to get them in the picture frame. I think he has four or five of them, I can't remember.

So, the next time you eat something, think about our new best friends and be grateful that farmers like the Hammes love their job. I think I'll go and have me some chocolate.

Fourth of July Rodeo

2009-07-06T15:49:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow! (pun intended) We had a blast on the Fourth of July! We went to our first Rodeo. Of course Rex didn't want to go but once we got there he couldn't keep his eyes off the arena. Bucking broncos, calf roping, trick riding, and bull riding. Then we saw awesome fireworks. I love the country.

After the rodeo we went home to light some more fireworks. We bought some big stuff in Oklahoma so we used some of it. I think I have created some pyros.

Sugar and Sweets

2009-07-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

Oh Man! I just read a post from an artist mom's blog and I can't stop laughing. You have to go here and read this. Seriously. Tears, man. Every now and then I go blog hopping. I don't know if that is the official term but I'll go to a blog and link to another blog from the first site and so on... you get the picture. I don't remember how I got to this woman's blog and I don't know this person but she is right up my alley.

http://pamily.blogspot.com/2008/10/sugar-and-sweets.html

A little rain never hurt anybody

2009-06-29T08:13:00.000-07:00

In the Midwest in rains. June is usually the rainiest month from what my farmer tells me. As soon as it stops my little Bee goes out for some fun.

Wait for it...

Here comes the delightful rain dance of a six year old...

Splash, splash...

Kick, splash...

JUMP!!! Now you have seen the dance. Go and practice at home. I want to see it perfect at the next rain dance recital.

This originally was a painting blog

2009-06-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

I did this new thing called "painting". You take a piece of wood and you slap this gooey paste all over it and then you put paint on it...or something like that. (Oooh, cute ear.)

I had Mini Me take an action shot so that you could tell it is really me. Exciting, I know!

Up close you can see the texture of the panel. Looks like linen, but it's not. It is really the gesso brushed on with a 3 inch foam brush. Pretty cool, huh? Aunt Joanna, you want to paint with me? I'll make you a panel just like this one. My Aunt Joanna doesn't paint like I do - she's actually very good. VERY good. She has 6 girls and 2 boys just like me... she doesn't paint anymore. I wonder why?

This is just the first layer or "block in". You are supposed to see the drawing as my paint is very thin and transparent. I love the texture of the panel. I have never made my own panel before. I kind of like it.

Now I wish I didn't have the ink lines all over. I think it looks pretty good for a first layer. Mini Me is so pretty. I hope the finished painting is just as pretty as she is. One thing about the midwest is that it is humid and it takes oil paint several days to dry. Not like AZ where your painting is dry the same day. I have three paintings in the works so I can paint every day.

I'll keep you posted. Or not.

Cereal from a mug

2009-06-27T07:15:00.000-07:00

"Keep the doors locked, they blow open."- Hubby

I just ate my breakfast cereal out of a mug. Hey! At least I had a spoon! I think we are bringing a new level of laziness to our family out here on the farm. It could also be that I only have six bowls and one dishwasher that NO ONE will empty.

When I went down to the kitchen to get said breakfast I had to step over a mattress. A MATTRESS on the stairs! I also noticed the kitchens doors were wide open and flies had come into the house. I guess it could have been worse... like frogs, rabbits, or deer in the house. I love the country but there are certain rules, like, shut the doors to keep out the critters. And this rule, keep the mattresses off the stairs.

The other day I slept 'til 1:00...P.M! 'nuf sed.

Catch up

2009-06-03T07:53:00.000-07:00

*WARNING* The post you are about to read is all over the place! Discombobulation ahead!

Okay, I know, it has been a loooong time since I last posted. But, hey, I've been really busy. End of the school year activities, softball games, concerts, you know... all the fun you have when you have a barrel o' monkeys. I also found Facebook and Twitter so I have been spending my free (FREE? hahahah) time on those sites. But I'm here right now. Yeah!

March-nothing interesting. Just sports and stuff. No painting.

April- More sports and stuff, was going to do another contest but I got lazy and ...nothing. No painting.

May- Fun galore! School concerts. Student council elections. Both of my girls that were running lost :( I am so sad for them. Mini Me was in a school play and it was delicious. Did you know two years ago she asked Santa for an agent? She really is talented. She had one of the leads and was adorable. Maybe if you ask very nicely I will post a picture of said production.

Then we had class parties, dance recitals, trips, and all that.

May 21-My oldest turned 22! I know what you are saying, "But he's just a baby!" He is so adorable. I am so glad he is home. If anyone knows a super pretty, adorable, tall, blond, sweet girl my son can go out with please let me know. He is so handsome that he puts himself into a bracket with models, homecoming queens, Miss America's, and so forth. He was dating a girl just like that but it fizzled out. But now he knows what he likes.

May 30- I met JANE SEYMOUR!!! Yes I did. It was at Champagne's in Snottsdale. She was there for a book signing and print signing. Apparently, if you are famous you can sell art. Maybe I should get famous first and then become a painter!

Anyways, we talked about painting, and raising children. I think she liked me. Oh! and she doesn't have any brunette kids just like I don't have any blonds. That wicked gene pool afflicts others and not just me- woo hoo! She is really tiny. Like 5'3" and about 90 pounds. And she is very pretty in real life. I couldn't believe it when I read she was 58 years old. She seriously looks 40. She was very nice and she has twin boys the same age as my Mini Me. And she has the sweetest English accent. I wish I were British so I could talk like that. Maybe I will just wake up one day and start talking with an English accent. I could probably only do it until noon. That would be great!

Later that evening my hubby and I went to the temple for our 23rd anniversary. Seriously! Where does the time go? We had a great time. My present to him was that I would stay married to him another year. (I know- I am generous.) He gave me tickets to see Glenn Beck!

June 2-Saw Glenn Beck. It was awesome. He was really funny. Especially when he dresses up like Paul Revere. Glenn is my secret boyfriend. Did I just say that? Keep it a secret okay? Maybe I should get a Paul Revere outfit for Hubby...hmmm.

Tomorrow we leave for Iowa to spend the summer. We were supposed to leave May 25th, then June 1st, then June 3rd, now we leave June 4th. Yay! I am sooo excited to squeeze my 6 monkeys and Hubby into a car and drive and drive and drive and drive and drive across 5 states to our farm. I love it. Are we there yet?

There -now you are caught up. I promise to post more in the future. Or maybe just a pinkie swear to post more in the future.

We have a winner!

2009-02-13T21:22:00.001-08:00

I love having Valentine's Day traditions. My monkeys got together and made a bunch of cookies for me to give away to you. They also got to eat a ton of them.

Actually, only about three of these girls belong to me. The rest were on loan from the Scottsdale Culinary Institute. Only the best chefs for my friends.

After we made 200 of these beauties we went t.p.ing. I wanted to doorbell ditch but the little chefs wanted to start a new tradition.

Anyway, the winner of the diaper size guessing contest is April! I will be over in the morning. My littlest monkey is so tiny, she has been wearing a size 3 for over a year now. She is so cute and little. And like I promised, here is the recipe:

Morgen's Sugar Cookies

In a large bowl, mix the first 5 ingredients one at a time in the order listed until fluffy and yummy.

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla (please use a good one)

1 cup sour cream

Sift dry ingredients together:

5 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Add the dry ingredients all at once to the large bowl of buttery and sugary goodness. Mix it up until it is all blended. Now here's the cool part, scoop a third of the dough and spread it on a piece of waxed paper or sandwich paper or parchment. Cover with another paper and roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with rest of the dough. You should have three flat dough thingys. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or freeze for 1 hour. Cut out into shapes and bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

Frosting:

4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup red hots + 1/4 cup water

Mix the butter and sugar til stiff. Add the red hot juice until you get a smooth consistency. Spread over cooled cookies or hot ones if you can't wait until they cool. Try not to burn your mouth.

Have fun and Happy Valentines Day!

Giving a little Love

2009-02-11T13:48:00.001-08:00

Hello my blog reading friends. In honor of Valentines Day, I am giving away one dozen cookies. These aren't just any cookies. They are the most delicious sour cream sugar cookies with red hot frosting you've ever had. They come with this cute little box and you can give them away or hide in your closet and eat them all at once like I do... did I just say that?

Anyway, trust me, they are worth the calories.

I made up this recipe when I was about 14 years old and I have been perfecting it ever since. When I was a kid, my mom would bake about 200 of these bad boys and place them on people's doorsteps, ring the doorbell, and run. Yes, my mom doorbell ditched. Where do you think I get it from?

Here's the catch. You have to guess what size diaper my littlest monkey wears. Hahaha hohoho I am diabolically laughing right now. Here's a hint... she wears the same size she wore when she first got these:

Bwah hahaha I love to diabolically laugh. Good luck guessing. Just shoot me an email or leave a comment on my blog by Friday night at 6:00 and I will bring your prize over on Valentine's day. (Sorry, locals only.)

These will be waiting for you, your closet and your thighs will thank you.

Happy New Year- Late

2009-01-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

Remember when I told you we went Iowa for thanksgiving? Well, on New Years Day the boys and some friends and I flew back out there to see this!

And this!

And this...

and this!

I was so sad. There was a flood and a lot of damage. We went out there to clean it up and remove drywall so that mold wouldn't grow. We ripped off wallpaper and cut out walls. We actually had a great time. Even though it was a lot of work.

I'm actually speaking for the others, I didn't work. I just went into town and bought respirators and food and stuff.

THIS is why I never get accepted

2008-12-31T20:22:00.000-08:00

So, I got this letter from the Church Art Competition people saying "thank you for entering...blah blah ... lots of entrants....we regret to inform you..." I don't remember what else because my sister in law was reading it to me over the phone. I actually didn't receive the letter as all my mail that has my maiden name on it goes to my brother in Cali. It's just as well, I was so busy with my son coming home and Christmas I just couldn't be bothered with packing up a painting and shipping it anywhere, anyways.

AND I never can get a good photo as you can see here. I wouldn't accept this painting if I were on the committee, either.

I swore last time I would get Sarah, the best art teacher ever, to do a scan for me but as usual I painted at the last minute and had wet paint and excuses, excuses. But in reality it wasn't a very good painting. It was painted well but it doesn't mean anything to anyone. I even showed this to some relatives of Louisa Sheen and they were unimpressed. There are two things to great art.

1. How to paint
2. What to paint

I got the first part, I just can't seem to get the last part. Maybe if I took a college illustration class I might learn something. I am open to ideas. If any of you have an idea of something meaningful to paint then I would love to hear it - I might even paint it.

Here is a link to Emily Mc Phie who knows "what to paint" even though some of her stuff creeps me out just a teeny bit, (like tree branches growing out of heads) you cannot deny her work definately has meaning. The link will take you to her Church art competition painting and I'm the one who told her she should enter! The painting is really good and has loads of meaning. It could be that she is a professional artist and knows what she is doing , or something. She really is good. I love her work. Enjoy her site.

Perfect landscape

2008-12-29T12:47:00.000-08:00

It isn't hard to take a good photograph when you have a great place to shoot. I don't want to make you all jealous, but the midwest is full of inspiring locations and beautiful light. Okay, I'm jealous too, because I don't live in the midwest. But I went there. And I took these.

This is a hill in Iowa. Is that the cutest thing ever? Art Girl thought she couldn't be photographed in a field without a piece of grass in her mouth.

Married kids found a cute little barn and some golden sunset light. Aren't they sweet?

This is a little creek on the farm. It doesn't look like it but it is about 7 feet deep. All this cool atmosphere makes monkeys pose all artsy. I think they should be Ralph Lauren models or something, don't you think? I actually took some pictures even better than these but I deleted them on accident. Of course, they were the best ones I took the whole trip. Isn't that the rule?

Even fallen leaves make a great backdrop. My kids went crazy in the leaves after this shot. We don't have deciduous trees where we live. The heartland is where it's at, baby.

He's Home!

2008-12-29T11:38:00.001-08:00

Well, my first born man-child has come home at last! We were so excited to see him that we made these adorable posters. One arriving passenger said, " thanks for the sign but my name is not Howard."

I think he looks the same but with more whiskers. Everyone else says he is a little skinny. I think he is perfect.

This is one happy Papa. I got hugged first, but since I was holding the camera at the time there is no picture of me getting a big ol' bear hug.

He hugged everyone and then he picked up Bee and twirled her around. She was the only one he missed. Look how happy he is to see her. She is so big he almost couldn't pick her up. I know I can't.

Here we are in front of the house. It was pouring rain when we left and we didn't get a sign made, so my amazing friend Julie made this sign and put it up after the rain stopped and before we got back from the airport. I think I saw a tear from Homeboy's eyes. That was totally sweet of her. Thank you, Julie. Pay no attention to the weeds or the hose. Please.

Here he is. My College Boy. My life is complete. I love him with all my heart.

Romantic Living

2008-12-05T12:52:00.000-08:00

There is a new online magazine called Romantic Living. Here is their website. I think it is cool that we can use the web to get out ideas and have some fun. They will enter you in a drawing for a beautiful Christie Repasy print if you mention their website on your blog. So I'm mentioning it. I actually met Christie in the summer of 2007. She is sooooooo talented and so very nice. Her originals are amazing and she just cranks them out. She even painted on the walls of her little shop in Laguna Beach. She gave me advice (basically to stick to portraits) and gave me tickets to an art fair and was very generous with her time. I would love to get a free Repasy print even though I already have like 5 or 6. My girls love them, too. So go check out Romantic Living online.

Nauvoo in a Nutshell

2008-12-05T03:54:00.000-08:00

Here we are at the Nauvoo Temple. I thought I would be clever and bring a tripod and shoot ourselves with the timer button. But, what I didn't know was my new camera doesn't have a timer button so My Man got a temple worker to come out and take our family pictures. No lie. He's a smart one, he is. Since I am in bed with a bad cold I am too tired to go into the kitchen where my PS is to edit these. Sorry for the bad pics.

This is one of the reasons I call my offspring monkeys. She did this in our house, too.

While the older people went into the temple I watched the little ones and took some lovely shots. This is a replica log home where you wait for your carriage ride. So sweet.

We went into this place called the family living center where they show you how the settlers lived and made stuff. Here is a demo on how they made candles. I know, you are thinking they are just wax but they are really made from animal fat. EEWwwww, gross. Think how their houses would have smelled.

After we went to dinner at a little local diner, we saw a darling play put on by the senior missionaries. It was so cute and funny. Rex didn't want to go see it, being a 16 year old boy and all but I think he laughed the most. Here we are with some of the actors/missionaries. (Yeah, it was cold- like 27 degrees.)

Sorry this photo is unedited but I thought it would be cute to see our little married couple by an old stable. I believe this is an original structure.

We don't have leaves on the ground where we live. This is quite a phenomenon to my monkeys and they proceeded to do the natural thing when one sees leaves on the ground... scoop them up and throw them at each other. Even cute little Fifi is getting in on the action. Where is Mini Me? She is doing what I would be doing and she is video taping the scene off to the side. How very smart of her.

Here we are at a real oxen ride. The wagon is a replica of the wagons they used to cross the plains in. You can tell how narrow the wagon is compared to the Holstein oxen. These oxen were HUGE, about 2500 pounds. The pioneer's oxen were only about 1200 pounds. Which is about how much I weigh. Shhh... don't tell anyone I said that.

After the oxen ride we went over to old Brigham Young's barn and took some more pictures. That is his original house behind us. It was really small. Low ceilings and about 900 square feet. I absolutely love Nauvoo. It was so romantic and picturesque. The missionaries told us that a lot of couples travel to get married here. I can see why.

Iowa for Thanksgiving

2008-11-18T19:50:00.000-08:00

We are going to Iowa! Yippee! This is the place we are staying at in Iowa. I know, pretty fancy, but property values in the middle of farmland are not as high as say, Phoenix or even Show Low. This place is about an hour and 15 minutes from Nauvoo, Illinois. We will be going to the Nauvoo temple while we are there and seeing old Nauvoo.

This is my bath tub. It's just wrong, all wrong. Now get out, I'm going to take a bath.

Iowa for Thanksgiving. I know, some of you are saying "Iowa? Why are you going to Iowa? Do you have family there? Are you crazy? Are you going to eat your tots?" Well, I know what you are thinking as I have had those same questions myself. BUT, take a look at this house! It is in the middle of nowhere (as much of Iowa is) and there is nothing to do but kick back and relax, go fishing, go swimming, or bowling. This is the conservatory, filled with plants I see every day in Arizona. Oh so very, very wrong.

Unfortunately, we haven't been there in a while and the furnaces are broken. All except one, the conservatory. I am not sleeping next to the pool. I am going to see if the fireplaces will work so we can have some heat. We might all be sleeping in this room. I call "dibs" on the big sofa.

Here is the "pond". That is what the locals call it but it is 9 acres and stocked with Large Mouth Bass. I like to call it a lake. The bass is yummy. There is a boat and turtles, frogs, snakes and little otter type creatures. But I think they will be in hiding because it is 40 degrees out there right now. I just hope there is no ice on the pond.

I didn't show you the wooded part but there are wild turkeys and pheasant running around. I wanted to catch one and eat it for Thanksgiving but the owner said "no hunting". Is it officially hunting if you catch it live and then accidentally take it to the butcher and then eat it for dinner? I'll let you know how that turns out. See you next week.

A Little Education

2008-11-08T09:23:00.000-08:00

I hate it when people, decorators, furniture stores, builders, and magazines try to tell us what Tuscan style is. I have never been to Tuscany but I have seen pictures of the buildings and the decor and it is not what Ashley Furniture is pushing. Case in point, Emanuela Marchesini. She has a few shops in Tuscany and they all look like this.

You need to go to her website and check out her style. I love it. Mini me and I drool over her stuff and it makes us want to go to Italy real bad. When I was in London I was asked if I decorated in the Southwest Style. When I asked him what that was he said, "Log pole beds and rustic mexican stuff with bright orange and red." I told him I didn't know anyone who decorated their homes like that but I have seen a few trailer parks with some painted coyotes in their yards. I guess that is what Tuscans feel like when we think they all decorate their homes like fallen down barns. They do have venetian plaster and lime washed walls, that part we got right.

My Christmas tree looks just like this one only BIGGER. I swear. I would love to have a dining room set like this one. I would even consider taking the piano out of the dining room to put that in there. I think my sister in law is getting me a set just like this for Christmas.

Look at the buttons on the sofa... they are bows! I could replace every cabinet in my kitchen with the big display cabinet here. Counter space just gets junk on it.

I love this room. I love the old scraped paint on the doors and the added on built in closets. There is gold writing on the wall in Italian. Mini Me loves the sofa because it is her favorite color.

I love the bed - but the curtains are what I'm going to copy. Peeka and Art Girl are due for some curtains and I love how the sheer fabric has a silk panel on the bottom. I'm giving myself until the end of the month to complete them. I just got all the fabric in and the only thing holding me back is...ME! I would love it if you would encourage me to meet my deadline.

Oh, the colors!

I showed this to my builder hubby and he said we could do this in our next house. (I think he is just thinking is would be cheaper than a cabinet.) I love how there are beautiful things to see underneath the sink. Bidets are big in Europe. Ew. Check out that mirror. Maybe I can find one on Craigslist- hey, it could happen!

This is my new family room. I wish. Have fun on her website. I know I do.

Breadsticks

2008-10-10T13:13:00.001-07:00

In case you don't have breadstick recipe, this is how I make mine.
2 cups warm water
1 T yeast
2 t. sugar
2 T oil
1 t. salt
4 to 5 cups bread flour

Place into a mixer in the order listed. Mix in the flour one cup at a time until a soft, almost sticky dough forms. Knead for 10 minutes. Cover and let rise for about an hour. Roll out onto a floured surface about 3/4 of an inch thick. Cut with a pizza cutter into 1 inch strips and place onto a greased cookie sheet. You need to make sure they will touch when they rise or else they will dry out. Like my skin in the winter. Cover with plastic and let rise about 45 minutes or until double. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

When they come out of the oven, brush with butter or a mixture of olive oil and butter, or just olive oil. Whatever floats your boat.
Generously sprinkle with garlic salt. I like this Lawry's brand because it has flakes of garlic and some cute little green specks in it. I'm not exactly sure what they are but they make it look pretty and I'm all about looking pretty. Like my friends.
Some of my monkeys like me to sprinkle a little Italian seasoning on top of the garlic salt. That is really yummy, too. I have seen my monkeys just eat the breadsticks for dinner and nothing else. They are such monkeys.

I finished it!

2008-10-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

Louisa Sheen, 1856

Well, I made the deadline. Just barely. What a stressful day I had yesterday. I must have called my friend Ora 20 times. I really owe her big time, (tamales to be exact) she wrote my artists bio and my art descriptions. I was just too freaked out to get it out of my head. I also have to thank Sarah (the best art teacher ever!) for helping me with ideas for my bio and for teaching me how to paint in the first place. She's a genius. And she is kind.
Here is a closeup of her face. I put in a litle curl on her forehead like so many of you suggested. I had a hard time getting a good photo. That canvas is more textured than I thought and it wouldn't let me get a sharp picture. It really looks better in real life. I just hope I can get a good scan for my family. I plan on making prints for them to have in their houses. Oh CRAP! I have to go and clean my house! I am probably not going to paint for awhile. I think I'll take a shower, too.

Pasta e Fagioli

2008-10-10T11:22:00.000-07:00

MMmmmm... Hot soup with breadsticks. Are you hungry? I have been begged to post this recipe about my favorite soup- Pasta e Fagioli. It is like the one you get at Olive Garden only you can make it at home for you whole family and their friends. When I make this my monkeys will call their friends over and it is gone in about an hour. This is a good way to get your kids (or yourself) to eat their vegetables. (I really think they just like the breadsticks)
Let's get started. You will need a large pot, and all the stuff you see here. I don't feel like typing it all... just look, okay?

Sorry, I guess you need the list of ingredients.

1/2 to 3/4 pound hamburger
2 cups chopped celery with leafy tops
1 cup onions
3 cloves chopped garlic
3 cups chopped carrots
Place in a pot and cook on high until the meat is browned. The veggies should be undercooked. Add:
6 cups boiling water
1 t. chicken bouillion
1 t. garlic salt
3 cups spaghetti sauce (I like Prego the best)
Wait until this boils and then add:
1/2 box of you favorite pasta = 1 3/4 cups or 2 cups ( I used mini penne- so cute)

Cook until pasta is just a little too firm and add:

1 can of drained and rinsed lima beans (or one cup frozen)

1 can of drained and rinsed kidney beans

1 can of drained and rinsed northern beans (or garbanzo or navy...just some white beans)

See how pretty the beans look next to each other?

Here is what it should look like. Mmmm smell that? Go ahead get closer, now doesn't that smell great? I like to put it in a bowl with some parmesan cheese on top. And of course, you have to add some kind of bread to dip in it. I used homemade breadsticks. I think that is the best part.

Now go forth and multiply. And then go jogging to burn off all the calories you consumed from eating the extra breadsticks.

I've been lurking

2008-09-27T22:01:00.000-07:00

Hello. I have been gone awhile. I haven't been posting because I have been lurking on this lady's blog. She is amazing. She has furniture painting instructions if you want to get something used and make it shabby chic. On her blog she taught me about Craigslist. Now, I knew about Craigslist but I didn't know that you can get stuff for free. Free I tell ya. Here is a picture of a chair she got for $35. When I saw this I thought, "I should look for some shelves" since not only do we not have grass but I don't have any shelves in my closet. I found these shelves for $40. Aren't they cute? They are originally from IKEA and I put them in Art Girl's closet. Hopefully, she will be able to put her art messes in there and keep her room a little neater.
These are some shelves I got for FREE! It is actually a table and shelves and they are solid pine and quite large. You can't tell in the picture but they are about 7 feet tall. They used to be a candle display at a Hallmark store. I'm going to load 'em up with my art messes. Maybe then I can see the floor.
This, this piece is a miracle. A miracle that it was under $200 and that this seller was not interested in her hand me down froo froo stuff from her mother. I on the other hand LOVE froo froo stuff. This thing was HEAVY. I mean, I think it is made out of iron and then painted to look like wood. Rex and Ian and I could barely lift it. It is so nice and pretty. Like my friends. Mini Me is going to use it to store her scrapbook stuff. I'm telling ya, art is messy.
Look at these handles. On the inside it says Century. That is a high quality furniture manufacturer I can't afford. The woman I bought it from said it was $2600 brand new. I had to sneek out of the house to go get it. When my husband called me and asked me what I was doing I said I was getting some storage for the house. When I got home he was shocked and thought I blew a wad of dough. I love it. Now, go on Craigslist and buy washers or laptops for $5 or look at the free section. You might just find some huge shelves or a pretty armoire like I did.

Goofing Off!

2008-09-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

Our Monkey's piano teacher is a very talented young high school student and wants to increase her artist portfolio so she can get into BYU. I think BYU is the best university art program in the country. Aside from going to an atelier for a REAL art education, I think BYU is a fine institution. They don't have nude life drawing for one. I mean, that is completely unnecessary, and gross. I can't even look at myself naked much less a complete stranger. I think that would scar me for life. Anyway, Our piano teacher needs to add some oil paintings to her collection of colored pencils and acrylics and baby stuff. Oil painting is the big time, the real deal, the "I'm a real artist- am too, am too" art. So Saturday she came over and we painted together. She painted an alla prima painting of Mini Me and I painted Art Girl. Mini Me held real still for her. Art Girl moved A LOT! I wasn't going to paint her for that reason but she wanted to model so bad that she got real upset when I wasn't going to paint her. I'm talking weeping, wailing and knashing of teeth. Knashing? No one ever says that any more. This painting is keeping me from doing my real project affectionately called "Church art competition painting". When I think of my deadline on October 10th I want to say "AAAACCCCKKKKKK!" I'm not done. Or close to done. I am just starting my "depths of despair" phase of the painting process. I still have "light at the end of the tunnel" phase, then "joy of finishing" and then "I screwed up on that part and I have to redo that" phase, sometimes known as "What was I thinking? I need to throw this in the dumpster!" phase.

Anyway, I think I got a pretty good likeness for just goofing off and Art Girl has a new painting. Oh, by the way, that blue background is straight Paynes grey and white. Her skin is venetian red and white or raw sienna and white. Seriously. This whole thing is mostly tube colors and white. For you painters out there- put down the cadmiums and pick up the earth colors. Thank you.

Are you jealous?

2008-09-17T12:52:00.001-07:00

This was our breakfast this morning. Mmmm... homegrown cantalope. I actually just scooped some seeds from a cantalope I had purchased earlier this summer, put them in the ground and here we are.
I had two ripen this morning so we had to eat them. You can't tell, but they were HUGE. We scooped out the one on the right before I could get my camera out. It was good, too.
Here are some more babies out in the garden. I have never had cantalope this good before. I think part of it is that we moved next to a lemon grove where there are lots of bees. Sometimes there are so many bees that the kids won't even go out on the patio. The big wusses. Now, they are happy we have bees. We also have had a good crop of cucumbers, peas, and green beans. Bees, baby. They aren't just for honey.
Here is our breakfast two days ago. They are wrapped around the tomato plants. I know, you are really jealous now aren't you?
Well, since I have to wait a day or two for my paint to dry and I'm allergic to housework, I decided to clean up the garden and get ready for the fall planting. Not all of my backyard is full of weeds. To the left are my two left handed gloves and there is some soaker hose laying around. You have to have soaker hose. So now is the time for you Arizona people to plant your carrots, peas, broccoli, lettuce, corn... you get the picture. Last year we planted only one package of lettuce and we had salad every night for three months and even had some for the neighbors. My kids are getting gourmet on me and they held me down and tied me up and demanded I plant Sugar pumpkins and Buttercrunch Lettuce. Man those rope burns are killer. I will let you see the progress as soon as I get some. GO PLANT!

Second and Third Layer

2008-09-17T12:52:00.000-07:00

I have been very fortunate to have found an old photo of my Great-great grandmother Louisa Sheen who was 5 years old when she came to America with her family. She walked across the plains in a handcart company with her little sisters and big sister. Tragically, she lost her 1 year old sister when they were about a month out on the trail. Their company, the Ellsworth Company, was actually very lucky to have been the first handcart company to leave that year. The following groups were the tragic Martin and Willie Handcart companies. Anyway, I have a photo. But, she is not five, dangit. So I have to make stuff up. I guess it doesn't really matter to anyone but me- but I want to get it right. Plus, I think she looks A LOT like my grandma who I love, love, love. Did I mention that I love my grandma?
Here we are with the second layer. I know it is real blurry, but that is just the foundation for the detail that is to come later. The black things are supposed to suggest boots. I'm going to paint long strands of grass over the top of them so we don't don't need to see much. Plus, when I shot B I didn't have any boots for the photo. The white blurs are going to be Queen Anne's Lace. I have been in Iowa during the summer and Queen Anne's Lace is everywhere. It is so pretty. Oh, by the way the sky is Payne's Gray and white. It really looks bluer in person but I think it looks natural. For all you painters out there...PUT DOWN THE CERULEAN!!! Thank you. Third layer. I think I got the dress better but that bonnet is giving me fits. And the curls. And the doll. Oh crap! I haven't even started the grass yet! I am starting to enter the phase of painting my art teacher calls, "the depths of despair". After that phase is "the light at the end of the tunnel" phase. I'm looking forward to that stage. (I actually think skin is the easiest part.)
I put another layer on her face but I need to rework her mouth. She reminds me of the Joker from Batman. I also know I need to work on her eyes, don't send me hate mail, I just couldn't find my 20/00 spotter. For you non painters out there, that's a paint brush with 3 hairs in it. My daughter was really upset that I painted her hair red. I had to make her cookies. Mmmm... cookies.

Tall patch of bushy grass

2008-09-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

When we moved into our new house we were too cash strapped to put in landscaping and the weeds are gross and out of control and I have spent about $100 dollars on Roundup and I still have monstrous weeds everywhere. Well, if you can't beat 'em... join 'em! Hello weedy backyard. I am sorry I ever grumbled against you.
Yes, this is really my backyard. The shorter stuff in front is Bermuda grass and the taller stuff in the back is Johnson grass. Sometimes I feel like a hillbilly, white trash, weed growin' barefoot mother of eight. Okay, I feel that way all of the time, but now I'm proud of it!
I love Johnson grass. That chair was dang hard to get outside our back door. I think I will plant Johnson grass in our next house's back yard. It sure would be convenient for photoshoots. Oooh... I could plant wheat. That would be cool and be green in the winter.
We shot these on Labor Day instead of going cliff diving like Married Girl, Married Boy, and Rex. They didn't wear sunscreen and got sunburned but we got these beautiful pics. Haha, we won. I would have posted these sooner but our power grid went out that night and blew my computer for a week and my man fixed it all by himself. Like a pro computer guy. My hero.
This one is my favorite. It was almost sundown and the baby was not cooperating and I am lucky I got any of them in focus. I think I will make this one my business card. This just goes to show you that you have to be grateful for what you have. If life gives you weeds, make pictures.

I love Photoshop

2008-08-25T15:36:00.001-07:00

I love Photoshop. It makes bad photographers good. Every pro photographer alive uses photoshop before they show you any proofs. If they say they don't they are lying or they are not telling you the truth. Here is an example of a photo I took 2 years ago and it is the naked truth- straight out of the camera. Or SOOC. I didn't need the background to be good as I was shooting this for a painting anyway, which turned out great. She was sitting on my daughter's dresser which had a bunch of junk on it and a crooked poster of Cinderella on the wall. I got rid of that with a PS paintbrush.
Next, I jacked up the color and blurred out the edges with the layers function. That is always real fun. Jacking up color and blurring edges. I try to do that when I cook, too.
Cropping is the single most important thing to do in a photo. If you have a bad composition or someone's hand is in the way, cropping will make it all better. If you have a headache, cropping will take care of that, too. I know, I had a headache this morning and I thought, "Advil or cropping?" I chose cropping.
Here is a different crop. It is square. See how beautiful Photoshop is? I love to make things black and white. It hides a myriad of photography flaws. If you see a photographer who doesn't ever do color, that is a big sign that he stinks. Just kidding, or not, just kidding. Now go back to the first photograph and see how stinky I was until I did some Photoshop.

What's in a Name?

2008-08-21T10:43:00.000-07:00

Okay. The name of my blog is Morgen Thruston. Because I am not very clever and that is a good enough name to have. But my family should have some anonymity. So to make it fun and cute and easier to type I am going to give you a run down of my Monkeys' names:

Monkey #1 is Junior because he is named after my man and although I never call my husband by his name, it is just not a cute name and we are trying to be cute, right. We never call him Junior but everyone else does. He is 21 and on a mission right now and so I don't see him much, okay ever, and I just don't write about him, okay? But he comes home December 18th, YAY! Then I will write about the crazy things he does. Maybe we will change his name to College Boy.

Monkey #2 is Married Girl. It was Wedding Girl but since she got married it just didn't seem right. She is only 19 and she's amazing and sweet and talented. She works at a hair salon so go get your hair done by her so she can have some money and move out of my guest house. Just kidding about the moving out thing. I love her to be there. I hardly ever see her at all. Her LAUNDRY on the other hand I see every day. I think I need to buy her a washer and dryer, and some shelves in her closet would be nice.

Monkey #2 1/2 is Married Boy. He married my daughter. He is not officially my monkey but he is accident prone and golden and his children will be my grandchildren so that makes him practically blood. He is also smart as crud and fluent in Spanish and handsome. So, I'll take him.

Monkey #3 is Rex eats Chex. It used to be I-man but he decided this year he was too big to be called I-man. He went to EFY and they gave him this name. Now even his best friend of 12 years calls him Rex. He is all by himself in this sea of girl monkeys. He is really a MONKEY. That boy can flip and pike and tuck and somersault like no other. When he was little I thought he would break his neck. Seriously. He is 15 going on 25.

Monkey #4 is Mini Me. The End. She is exactly like me only organized. Just think how dangerous I would be if I were organized. I would be like Martha Stewart. Only practical and very funny and better looking. That is MM. She wants to be a news anchor. I think she will, too. She is in all advanced classes in school and the other kids look at her papers to try and cheat. Yeah, that's my Mini Me. I remember that. Anyway, she did most of the planning for Married girl's wedding and she is 12! She put together a planning book and did maps and diagrams on the computer. Sometimes, she's a little scary.

Monkey #5 is ....... okay I don't have a cute nickname. Only a dumb one. Peeka. It is short for Pikachu from the Pokemon game and Pikachu is so cute, like her. So maybe you can help me out and give me a new nickname for her. She is very talented and like me. Only she is nicer and is better at making friends. She is like Mini Me but softer and 10. And more patient. I love that about her.

Monkey #6 is Art Girl. Okay, all my girls are very artistic but Art Girl will spend 3 hours wrapping a present. She will make the most unconscionable messes involving art I have ever seen. Paint doesn't come out of things. I have marker on almost every surface in my house. She has a pile 3 feet high in her closet. Yeah, I gave her that ability. But she is good. I think she will be a professional artist when she is about 15. She is 7 now.

Monkey #7 is Bee. She is only called that a few times, she has so many names we can't pick just one. But they all start with the letter B so MM and I just call her B. She is 5 and apparently too big to be homeschooled. I wanted to homeschool her this year but my man registered her for kindergarten without my knowledge and she was so happy. I couldn't un-enroll her. She loves school.

Monkey #8 is the littlest monkey and her name is Fifi. She is adorable and funny and little. Like 10th percentile little. She reminds me of my grandma who was barely 5 feet tall. And she runs every where she goes. That girl started walking and within a week she was running and she was been running ever since. She loves to climb on things, things she has no business climbing on. She also gives kisses a lot. I saw her kiss the mustard bottle a couple of times. Her new favorite word is "No". Don't you love babies?

My husband is not a monkey. He is very forgiving. And a little abrupt. When we were dating, my mom, sister and I thought we would call him "How Rude" instead of Howard and see if he noticed. He never did. So that is the only nickname he has ever had other than "Honey" or "Dad". So I will shorten to H. He wants me to make his nick name "Stud Man" but I think that would make the other men out there with only 7 or fewer kids feel bad. He thinks he is virile. "How Rude"!

Now what?

2008-08-16T08:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided I had better get cracking on the "LDS International Church Art Competition" thing. I thought I would be clever and make a wood panel with Claussens linen on top. I sanded the wood and carefully glued the canvas to the wood. Everything went as it was supposed to. Until I lifted it up and saw bubbles AND lifted off pieces of oil primer. AAUUGGHH! I can't even get my head around trying to fix it and my art teacher Sarah (the best teacher ever) said to cut that part off and use it for something else. Wasn't that so wise of her? No worries, it's just art. But I am so stressed out over it. What if I am not accepted AGAIN? I will seriously have a melt down. Or eat chocolate. Mmmmm chocolate.
So, Friday, I drove 500 miles to the art store (okay, only 15 miles) and bought the same boring canvas I always buy to paint on. It is Centurion pre-stretched linen canvas. Also, it is a little too nubby for me but it was all they had.
Here is my surface. That's not my youthful hand. It's my 10 year old monkey's. She has beautiful hands. And I have been painting her painting for 2 years. Sorry, honey.

Here is the drawing. After I drew on the canvas, I made a copy with some acetate because I am so nervous I want to make sure I can go back to my drawing if I mess up. I don't know why, it's not a commision and it's not like anyone is going to say,"Oh my, Great-great grandma Louisa didn't look like that when she was 5!" I am actually making the whole thing up.
Here is my beautiful hand drawing on the acetate. It is a good thing to do if you are nervous. Computer geeks back up their hard drives all the time so I can back up my drawing. I hope I get it done in time. The deadline is October 10th. Just in case you want to see what I'm up against, here is a link to the Lds Church Museum. Some LDS artists have the courtesy of not entering in it anymore like Greg Olsen and William Whitaker. Now they are the judges. Uh, no pressure. But Leon Parson, Robert Barrett, Mike Malm, and Liz Lemon Swindle are probably going to enter so I just have to be that much better.
Here is something I have never done before. I drew over the pencil with a SHARPIE! I know, I know, you are thinking, "But Morgen, won't the sharpie show through?" Well, I hope not, but I was worried that my drawing would disappear even though I made a back up drawing on my acetate. I'm real nervous. And persnickity. It has to look just so. If I get distortion I would crawl under my bed and suck my thumb.

Here is the first layer with just the flesh tones. It looks like she has a bruise or red smudge on her forhead but that is just the photo. It doesn't look like that in real life. Wish me luck. I will post each new stage as it gets done. Then you can see how a painting progresses... or not, in my case.

And feel free to send me your comments. I am not a sensitive painter, you can critique all you want. Just don't critique my cooking, that's getting personal.

Snipes DO exist

2008-07-28T18:25:00.000-07:00

Getting ready.
Caught one!
Here it is! Look close he's a wiggler.
Caught another one.
Fearless snipe catchers.

I know, I know, you are thinking I am just some crazy camp leader who got carried away but I caught one! On camera! Oh yes I did. And just to prove it I am going to share with you and the world my photo of a real live baby snipe. It was brown and moving a lot so it is a little blurry but it is there nonetheless. Emily caught it. She is so brave. But she had toothpaste on her face and undies on her head to keep it from biting. We were so lucky. We caught three but the mom started to get mad and was peeing on us from the bushes where she was hiding so we let the babies go and ran away. Some of the girls in our cabin couldn't sleep for fear that the mother would smell us and find our cabin. What fun girls camp is.

Goodbye Sunshine

2008-07-28T16:26:00.000-07:00

This past Easter the Easter bunny brought us three little baby chicks. Two of them were Aracaunas (one of those was a rooster) and lucky us, one was a white frizzle bantam coachin.
Bantams are dwarf chickens. They never get very big and frizzle means they have soft curly feathers. We named them Coco, Chanel, and Sunshine, because she was yellow. We loved them and played with them every day since we got them. They are our pets.
Well, the most horrible thing happened last week. I was in my room and I heard a "WOOF". I thought, "Oh no, Sunshine is out of her pen". I came running to the back patio only to see a huge dog chasing our poor little frizzle coachin around the chicken pen. I opened the back door and called to her to run in the house. She's done it before.
She ran right in, but so did the huge dog. I tried to stop him but he was too strong and ran past me. He chased her around the family room while my two girls screamed at the top of their lungs, but he grabbed her in his mouth and I thought he had swallowed her. My husband grabbed a shovel and hit the dog on the back of the neck and he let go but it was too late. She lay there motionless, a soft fluffy pile of feathers and love. I feel like I failed her and my littlest monkeys who played with her everyday. We were all crying and had the most somber day ever. It's one thing to lose your pet but to see a huge dog just eat it right in front of you is just not right. I'm sorry girls. Goodbye Sunshine. We love you.

Alla Prima

2008-07-11T19:45:00.000-07:00

Alla prima means "All at once" or something like that. Anyway, alla prima painting is to do a painting from start to finish in about 2 or 3 hours. Number 4 monkey was doing a lot of reading lately and so I thought I would make use of her stillness and paint her. All at once, right now, hold still. I did this today in about two hours. It is not perfect but it sure was fun. I also found out that it is hard to photograph wet sloppy paint. It is too shiny and reflective. This painting is small, 12x16. That way I can easily frame it. I think #4 likes having a painting done in 2 hours. I know #5 is still waiting for hers and it has been 2 1/2 years.

What do you think?

2008-07-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

#7 monkey posing as my 5 year old English immigrant great- grandmother
Louisa Sheen

Drawing I did from the photo of my monkey and the photo of Louisa

Louisa Sheen 1856. Okay, I am the world's worst procrastinator and that is why I have this blog to try and force me to do some painting. I missed the deadline of getting this painting done for my family reunion (sorry Tryons) and now I have the International Church Art Competition deadline looming over my head. Any way, my Dad found this old photo of Louisa herself and I shot #7monkey in a bonnet and plain dress. I wanted to use a straw hat but they are expensive and I just sewed this one in like, 15 minutes. So here is a drawing I did yesterday while Rex eats Chex was getting his hair cut. It only took about a half an hour. Here are the photos (and drawing).

Wedding Girl and Wedding Boy

2008-06-24T14:13:00.000-07:00

The whole family

Engagement Photo
Flowers from the tables
This was a quick shot HOWARD took. Who says I'm the only photographer?

Well, the wedding was a success. And Wedding Girl and Wedding Boy are married. Should I change their names to Married Girl and Married Boy? I hope all of you who participated had a wonderful time. I would like to thank Jolene for her amazing support and endless shopping. That girl can shop. I think I'll call her Shopping Girl. Ruth, Ora, Hyrum, kids and Judy, Anna, Renae, the Guthries and the guys from the shop - Thank you so much! Christi was invaluable in the kitchen, I didn't even know she was in there until Sunday when someone told me. Thank you. We had fun making flowers. I think I could do that again. Thanks to Sarah for shooting the reception. The pics turned out great! Now I have endless washing to do so I can take back many borrowed things from my amazing friends. Gina, Launi, Susie and of course my Aunt Joanna who had all the amazing tulle and curtains. Didn't it look like a garden? I loved it.

The Pioneer Woman

2008-05-25T04:22:00.000-07:00

Last week I went looking in the www for a recipe for pioneer beans and I stumbled across this website that has completely consumed all my free (free?) computer time. I'm sorry I didn't post anything sooner. This lady is a hoot! Her website is www.thepioneerwoman.com and you must go there right away. Right now, go. She has recipes, (if you want a coronary bypass) but her best stuff is actually photography. She has step by step tutorials on Photoshop and even has her own free downloadable actions. You can even print your own photos from her gallery for free and she has giveaways- like a Kitchenaid mixer and Photoshop cs3! No lie- free stuff. For free. Anyway, wedding girl has taken over my life and sick monkeys and last week of school... I think I have given you an idea of my crazy life right now. Oh, and #4 monkey got the humanitarian award in her class and #5 monkey got the art award that was given out by the art teacher no less! I love being a mom.

Prairie Angels

2008-05-13T06:37:00.000-07:00

Here is an incredible painting by Leon Parson. He is an art professor at BYU-Idaho. If I could do college over again I would have majored in fine art instead of interior design. I like designing homes but the client always gets in the way of my freedom. In painting you are the boss. Anyway, back to Leon, I asked him if he would sell this painting titled "Prairie Angels" and
a) I have no money to buy it, and
b) He's not selling.
But, he made prints and you can get one at http://www.onewest.net/~parson/LeonHome.html
I bring him up because I want to do a painting like this of my great -great grandmother who walked across the plains in 1856 with the Ellsworth company when she was just five years old. I'm trying to get it done for my family reunion. I wanted to know if anyone would be interested in having a copy. Let me know. I'll post pics as soon as I get them.

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to me. I am the luckiest woman alive. Eight children are definately a joy to have and on the "Spoil your Mother" Day it is the best. My 20 year old sent me a homemade card that was so cute and sweet. I also got to talk to him for about 40 minutes. That was awesome. # 4 gave me a wonderful pendant that has a "M" on one side and a crown on the other. I love it. It was made by my friend Kathy Jones. You can buy one for yourself here http://www.charlenecharms.blogspot.com/ All the other monkeys gave me the best handmade gifts and poems. #3 and #4 are great poem writers. All my kids have artistic abilities. I hope they use them to relieve their stress like I do. Happy Mother's Day to all!

The start of my Blog

2008-05-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

I am going crazy. My daughter is getting married and is falling ill at the same time. Not the flu or a cold ill but episode of "House" ill. We have taken her to neurologist and the ER for CAT scans- nothing. Not that I want there to be something, but we would like to know why she is having fainting spells and seizures. Maybe she is allergic to work. I know I am. So here I go and start a blog. Maybe I'll get some pictures in it, even though my Canon 20d got stolen. (The best camera ever!) That is another story altogether.