http://www.wpinstitute.org/

My online galleries are here

I will say that I have a vested  interest in the work of the WPI as I have been diagnosed with ME/CFS and have tested positive for the recently discovered XMRV retro virus that the WPI is diligently researching .     This is why I’ve not been posting very much.    I have been too ill to keep up on this blog and to add my voice in some small way to activism efforts.   The activism wins when I decide how I’m going to spend what energy I have.

Hopefully, with continuation of the research, treatments and perhaps even a cure will be available to the approximately 17 million people worldwide that suffer, often with  woefully insufficient medical care and without  help for even day to day needs.

More information about what ME/CFS  REALLY IS here

I consider myself fortunate to have done as well as I  have in the past with periods of remission and a relatively gradual onset, but unfortunately there are millions, including children,  that don’t share in my good fortune.

Let’s Help ‘em out by funding the research!!   C’mon…you know you want to…..

Folks who already volunteered: we now have a fabulous volunteer coordinator!

Help coordinate him? Put VOLUNTEER in subject line to :  sockit2MEcfs@gmail.com   so he will have your contact info.

What I need to know is this :  As a person who needs GFCF cooking resources would you rather have

A:  smaller  and less expensive books of more pointed focus (ie just sauces , dressings and gravies or other focus)

B: A huge broad scope book that covers everything (think Julia Child here) that costs more

Sound off!!!!   I’m trying very hard to put together what people need/want the most and thus have a resource that actually gets used vs. one that sits gathering dust on a high shelf

So, here are a few new pieces from my “Something Old” Series.

“Reclamation”   2009

I really liked the irony of this image.  The plants are growing out of derelict logging equipment. 

Chandelier 2009

I was experimenting with creating detail with very loose brushwork , Ashcan School style, in this piece.  I really enjoyed the odd perspective and reflected light and subsequent color play.   Great fun to paint.

As always, I welcome your opinions and comments and prints are available on my Imagekind Gallery.

Sorry, but I’m hanging on to the originals right now as to try and get a show put together.

Art Frahm- A study of the effects of celery on loose elastic

Greens Beer has many different styles that have the same full body, texture and color as its gluten loaded counterparts.

I found it at my local Fred Meyer to boot!

YAY for brewers who think out of the box and with their tastebuds, rather than just an ingredient list!!!!!

EVERYONE looks better in garb in my estimation.     I think what has kept me from doing a lot of portraits in the past is the isistance of people that their portraits be visually synonymous with glamour shot photography or state portraiture type stuff.

How much more fun would it be to capture everyone’s inner Lord and/or Lady?     Since I have a small talent for realism, I think this could be a fun exercise.

This idea tickles my creative fancy as well, since I have an abiding interest  in both textiles and history that actually passes over into the perseveration zone…

W00T for multi-level creative itch scratching!

Hmmmm, now all I need is subjects….

I utterly, totally, completely and royally SUCK at sewing.

Weird thing that…I can turn a double finished edge with less than a quarter inch tolerance without even pinning (let alone pressing) and machine applique in my sleep. But do you think I can figure out even basic piecing or manage to set a non- puckered gore? Nope.

What started out as a simple Dark Ages  mans tunic ended up as a 4 gore,  inset underarm gusset tunic that’s about 4 yards around the bottom with approximately 20 yards of piping and 10 yards of tablet weaving that had to be top stitched . And I don’t sew well….

It turned out looking fairly nice as all the ornamentation sort of distracts from the little flub ups here and there.

Only 2 Gowns, 2 more tunics and 2 pairs of trews to go. Before the end of the month that is.
Ah well, as I’ve always said, anything worth doing is worth obsessing over.

I lovelovelove retro- styled pinups, but I noticed that the body types were all exactly the same, with the exception of Coops work. Also the trend seems to be to an overly slick stylistic approach.

I decided that a different body types needed to be looked at as subject matter and that a return to the more painterly pinup needed to happen, at least in my studio. Thus came the “Cheesecake makes you Phat ” series.   I think that a direct challenge to the narrow societal parameters of what is beautiful  (and imposed on us!)  is in order.

Larger women tend to be very body shy and I was worried that I’d have an issue with finding people willing to share reference shots, but the support for the series has been overwhelming! I’ve got models ranging from a size 12 to a size 30 and all of them are fabulous!

I’ve already had interest from spaces willing to show the series and it’s still on the drawing boards! Awesomeness!

The trick is going to be finding the balance of titillating rather than tawdry and provocative rather than pornographic. I’m also throwing in modern twists such as piercings, dreadlocks and tattoos.

There was something rather innocent about the classic cheesecake pose, at least by current standards. I’m hoping to retain some of that charm.

You’ll have to wait to see them when the series is finished and I’ve got prints available.

Just remember that patience is a virtue, but in general I’ve found being virtuous is mostly overrated