TameraAbate

Mama's Angel

My Mama's been an angel all her life. Everytime I need her, there she is. She's always ready with a smile, a hug, or kind words of encouragement. I made this angel for her birthday. 

See, I'm really serious about posting this year

I just received my copy of Cloth, Paper, Scissors with my painting in it. It was part of the "Tea Party Challenge" It is a mixed media painting with a lot of maps from an old atlas, oil pastels, acrylics, old jewelry, and other odds and ends. The title is "Tea For The World" I wanted to convey the idea of having people from all different cultures coming together to sit down and have tea. What would the conversations be? What interests would be shared? What problems might be solved?   

New Year, New Post....finally

Things got a little out of hand before/during the holidays. I did manage to get a lot of Christmas presents made like the cloth/clay St. Nicks below. The bodies are painted cloth while the faces are clay. 

Why blue? I don't know, he just wanted that color so I obliged. There was quite a production line in my studio. I hung them by their feet to dry when I painted them making them appear to be doing some strange upside-down ballet. But the ballet is over and they have taken up new residences across the country. I enjoyed them quite alot. Each face has a unique expression and a life of it's own, I will miss the tinkling of the bells on their shoes and hats.

Gathering Beauty

This is an art doll that I've been working on off and on for a few years. It seems she was reluctant to be finished. I'm still not sure if she is. Things came together a little bit when I decided that I would put acrylic paint on her clay face.  As a potter/ceramicist I have always felt that slips and glaze are the only "correct" way to add color to clay but the mind she is a changin'. Maybe because my kiln is stuffed in storage....

 I named her Gathering Beauty because she has been gathering the things that make the soul beautiful for many years, no longer concerned with the lines of age.  Her body is canvas with washes of many different colors, oil pastels and acrylics. Her hair is wool roving that I needle felted, her face is clay, her arms are driftwood and at the bottom is an old copper leaf bracelet of my Mom's.Over her heart is a felted landscape with a setting sun. The branches are wrapped with strips of poetry. 

And the Cowgirl who looks after them all...even in her dreams.

Toy Pony 2

A "cheval" of a different color.

Toy Pony

Another soft pastel painting, My days of plein air painting are numbered as it gets colder and colder here in the valley. I only do pastels during times that I can sit outside and blow the dust into the flowerbeds.  This pony was inspired by ancient Greek paintings on pottery and old-fashioned toy ponies. And you would agree that "cheval" sounds more melodious and exotic that "horse" right??

Not a self-help book, but a soul-help book.

"Damn, girl. You write good." Lee Hancock, Dallas Morning News 

NOW AVAILABLE at your local independent bookstore, at Barnes & Noble, Borders, from Amazon, 37days.net (for a signed copy), or my fantastic local bookshop that ships worldwide--Malaprop's.

A celebration is being held! Go here for details on how you can win an inscribed, signed copy of LIFE IS A VERB!

Check this out!!! 2 pieces of my artwork are included in this amazing, brilliantly put together book by Patti Digh It is a very fun, insightful book full essays that give you something to think about, maybe even nudge you in the direction of change when change might be just what you need. Patti writes from her heart, always soulful and thoughtful but  her sassy, fun-loving spirit is nearly always present  casting a warm light on sometimes serious subjects.  It's also chock full of meaningful artwork by a lot of different artists with many different interpretations on a story. I knew my horse Spring would enjoy it  (she always loves a good book)! so I had my hubby take a few pix of the two of us enjoying it together.

 Must have been reading the essay called "Burn those Jeans" --she knows me too well. 

Here are the 2 paintings that I did for Patti's book.

 

"Damn, girl. You write good." Lee Hancock, Dallas Morning News 

NOW AVAILABLE at your local independent bookstore, at Barnes & Noble, Borders, from Amazon, 37days.net (for a signed copy), or my fantastic local bookshop that ships worldwide--Malaprop's.

A celebration is being held! Go here for details on how you can win an inscribed, signed copy of LIFE IS A VERB!

Check this out!!! 2 pieces of my artwork are included in this amazing, brilliantly put together book by Patti Digh It is a very fun, insightful book full essays that give you something to think about, maybe even nudge you in the direction of change when change might be just what you need. Patti writes from her heart, always soulful and thoughtful but  her sassy, fun-loving spirit is nearly always present  casting a warm light on sometimes serious subjects.  It's also chock full of meaningful artwork by a lot of different artists with many different interpretations on a story. I knew my horse Spring would enjoy it  (she always loves a good book)! so I had my hubby take a few pix of the two of us enjoying it together.

 Must have been reading the essay called "Burn those Jeans" --she knows me too well. 

Here are the 2 paintings that I did for Patti's book.

 

IF:SAIL

North Lake Trail

One of my favorite places to be in the whole valley is up at North Lake. It's a 5 mile uphill climb to a cirque lake with beautiful, clear, blue-green water. Parts of the trail are filled with fist-sized rocks that the horses have to scrabble over at times and there are fairly steep slopes down on one side so you need to pay attention to your horses feet for a good part of the trip.

  

                         Dusty enjoying the lush grass.  Mountain Heather, Alpine Speedwell, Columbine, Indian Paintbrush and Devils paintbrush among others were in full bloom. The trip was not without a little drama as one horse turned up lame and had to be walked the entire way out. Another insisted on jigging all the way home and one of the gals fell and bruised her hip as she was leading her horse but we all made it safely back to the trailhead and headed home.  All this only an hour from our house-how amazing is that?!

My fine, trusty steed, Big Red. A remarkable horse indeed.