An Ultraviolet Wind

pages gadget?

2010-02-21T14:42:00.004-06:00

Sorry I've haven't been posting lately. After my big push to get my website up I found myself avoiding being on the computer anymore than absolutely necessary. Consequently my blog has fallen behind. However now that I'm feeling a bit more energy for blogging again.

Not to make a commercial for blogger out of this post but I'm quite excited about the new "pages" gadget. I've wanted to add other pages for a year now. Holy Crap! It's about time blogger added this option! I was even toying with switching over to wordpress. Now I'm sticking with blogger. The trick now is to figure out what pages I thought I wanted to add all those months ago. lol!

So far I've added an "Available Herps" page. I don't have much on there but I had to do something with the new gadget. lol.

Caio

New Portfolio Gallery Website!

2009-12-27T14:28:00.007-06:00

After weeks of work and sleepless nights, I just finally launched my new gallery website. Thank goodness! I've been working on it every evening for weeks. Sometimes staying up until 3:30 am. I'll still be doing some tweaking but the brunt of the work is DONE!!!!! Wooo hoooo!!

Check it out here: www.ti-imagery.com

Now maybe I can get rid of the circles under my eyes. lol!

First Vivarium

2009-12-07T11:00:00.014-06:00

My first vivarium is complete!

A vivarium (Latin, literally for "place of life") is a usually enclosed area for keeping and raising animals or plants.

I wanted to do a rain forest environment. It was quite a challenge to find the correct ingredients for the substrate. The soil consists of orchid bark, coir (ground up coconut husks), leaf litter, pea gravel and a tropical moss.

Believe it or not the hardest to find was the orchid bark. Every store had it but only one brand. Of course that brand had lots of added chemical fertilizers in with the bark. That is a BIG "no no" when adding live animals to the terrarium. Even when I finally did find a different brand at a local garden center they had to call the manufacturer. We were trying to find out what this ambiguous ingredient "other plant stimulating ingredients" actually meant. Turns out that it refers to a fungus-- can't spell it--that's naturally in soil. It helps plants take nutrients into their roots. That sounded good to me.

Brought that one home to add to my mix bowl. That brand did add charcoal, which I took out.
The final mix below.

"Sticky" checking out her new home.

Hanging out.

Happy Turkey Day!

2009-11-26T09:02:00.005-06:00

Hope all my readers are doing something that they enjoy today.

Be with the people you want to be with.
Eat anything you want.
Do something different.
Throw out the routine.
Have fun.
Feel loved.
Love yourself.

Be Thankful!

First Crested Gecko - so cute!

2009-11-25T12:21:00.002-06:00

I got my first crested gecko (Rhacodactylus ciliatus) last Thursday! They are native to New Caledonia (near Fiji). Each crested gecko can and does change color according to their mood. Color change is usually triggered from from excitement or stress. Gecko people call it "fired up." I know some humans that turn red when "fired up." LOL! ;)

My gecko is lavender when not fired and orange and yellow when fired up. She also has some red spots on her. I'm calling her a "she" but I don't actually know the sex yet. After she settles in I'll get some better quality pics.
I still need a name for her.

Here you can see the crests on her eyes. They don't have eyelids but to have a transparent scale covering the eyeball--for protection from the elements (and sticks in the eye). To clean their eyes they lick them. Eeew!

This was a millisecond before she had decided the camera was a good perch and jumped on it.

Florida

2009-11-22T13:53:00.002-06:00

Went to Gainesville, FL for a screening of our film Mad City Chickens. Then my hubby and I spent a few days in Orlando. Loved the warmth and the sun. Wish I could have stayed for a couple months! Here's a few of the highlights.

The best hot sandwiches. Not for the low-calorie diet. ;)

Entering splash mountain at WDW

Castle all decked out for the holidays.

Inside the T-Rex cafe. We didn't have enough time to eat there. We did walk around inside and basked in the fun atmosphere. That's a huge blue octopus over the bar area. See the little people heads at the bottom of the pic?

Us. Relaxing for once! lol!

Could have stayed here all day!

OMG

2009-11-05T18:48:00.003-06:00

I did it!!
I actually wrote (on my writing project) yesterday! Woo Hoo. Let's see if I can do it again today.
As soon as I publish this post I plan to stay on the computer and write--Not surf the web! I've got 1 whole hour to write.

Wow...two whole days in row. lol.
What a track record. :)

Avoidance

2009-11-04T10:45:00.004-06:00

I've been trying to work on some writing projects. However, it turns out that some part of my mind tells me that doing chores is more important than the writing. So I end up not writing at all. It's kinda sad that I have to fight with myself to do something that could be fun. That awful chattering mind voice has got to be ignored.
Today I will write!

Home

2009-10-25T23:32:00.001-05:00

Title: Home
Medium: Digital Art
Full Size: 11 x 14
Price: $36.00 (unframed)

Lunch in San Fran

2009-10-01T15:00:00.000-05:00

Title: Lunch in San Fran
Medium: Digital Art
Full Size: 11 x 14
Price: $36.00 (unframed)

Close up images below.

Mustard

2009-09-28T14:39:00.005-05:00

Here's the faux mustard label I designed for the 'Mustard Museum Movie' that was shot a week ago. It's stars Colin Cameron (that's his face on the label). He played the mad professor in my Mad City Chickens film.

Chicago memories

2009-09-24T16:25:00.005-05:00

I was in Chicago the past few days for a few screenings of my Chicken film. We past by this plant store on the way to lunch yesterday. Stores like that were some of my favorite places to go as a kid. They were always stuffed to the brim with exotic plants and strange looking cacti. This really appealed to my childhood imagination. I was in a different world while in those stores. Good to see at least one is still around. :)

What a week

2009-09-16T15:19:00.005-05:00

I feel a bit off-balance this week. That is not a good thing considering my packed schedule goes right through the weekend and doesn't let up till next Thursday.
What does a good night's sleep feel like?

Also, I have to get out of this library! It's a fairly new building and the off-gassing is just making my head pound today.

Life After People

2009-09-10T01:22:00.004-05:00

History Channel - "Life After People"
The premise - what would happen if humans just disappeared?
Know what they think the only three signs left from human culture will be 10,000 years from when we disappeared off the Earth?
The great pyramid,
The great wall of China,
and Mt Rushmore.
NOTHING of our so called advanced modern society
(...except plastic and Styrofoam garbage.)
Kind of humbling.

This can be seen two ways. It can be really sad or it can be looked at in a mythological way. I can hear good ol' Joe (Campbell) saying something like this...
"That reminds me of the story known as 'The Humbling of Indra." He recounts the story in the video "The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers" I've always liked that story and the way he tells it. Here's a 1 page transcript. http://www.red442joe.com/red442joe/indra.htm

6 1/2 months later...

2009-08-30T14:42:00.003-05:00

She finally ate! One of my female ball pythons has been fasting for over 6 months. Apparently she got into breeding mode (even though she was too young) and so didn't want to eat.
The slut! ;)
As a warm-blooded human, voluntarily going without food for that long is just something I can't relate too. I get cranky if I miss breakfast!

I'm so glad she finally ate. Maybe now she will be big enough to breed this winter.

Full circle

2009-08-18T18:00:00.006-05:00

Last week my filmmaking partner and I did a short northern California tour with our film Mad City Chickens. While there we drove through San Rafael....

10 years ago I was also in San Rafael and I happen to eat at a really excellent chinese restaurant. My dinner consisted of a wonderful plate of fresh garlic, spinach and rice. It was so good that I've remembered it and dreamt about going back to eat there quite a bit in the 10 years since then.

Well while in CA we decided to try and find that restaurant again. It was a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack. No map. No name. After driving around a bit and not remembering much about the landscape. We decided to follow a gut feeling about where it was. A few random turns later, we suddenly recognized the greenhouse we had walked to...then the hotel we stayed in. We were getting warmer. (ever play that game?) Starting out from the hotel we had a general direction. A few more minutes of driving we found a street that looked vaguely familiar.
"House of Lee. That's it!!!" I shouted.

10 years later I've come full circle. The garlic roots and spinach were still on the menu! The waiter said it was even the same owner/cook!

Me - the happy camper.

About to have my first bite.

Was it good?

It sure was.

Sunflowers are a favorite of mine

2009-08-01T15:57:00.004-05:00

Title: Sunflower
Medium: Digital Art
Full Size: 12" x 12"

(the pic is from the 4 x 6 card version.)

Little wigglers

2009-07-27T13:36:00.006-05:00

Here's some pics of the babies out of the eggs and all cleaned off. They have "Cheerios" on their backs. ;)

I think I got 4 females and 2 males. I'll have to check again just to make sure. I'm not the best at sexing them yet.

~

Lo and Behold

2009-07-22T18:51:00.005-05:00

Last night (day 53 for my eggs) I was checking in on them every hour and nothing new. Just before bed I thought I would take one more look. I look in...totally expecting to see nothing different...lo and behold look what I found!
Two little heads poking out!!!! Whooo hooo!

My first ever clutch! I even got to see one slit the egg right before my eyes! That was so cool.

This morning 5 pipped! At 3:45 pm the 6th on decided to join the party.

They will stay in the egg for 1-3 days as they metabolize their yolks. The left one on the bottom had her head stuck. She couldn't pull it back in the egg. So I cut the hole bigger for her. That was nerve racking! Trying to cut the egg without hitting her or veins on the inside of the egg. Can't wait to see if they look like mom or dad.
They do have moms cute star head pattern.

Eggs - day 53!

2009-07-21T11:39:00.006-05:00

I'm getting excited! Today is day 53 for my 6 ball python eggs in the incubator. They should start to hatch sometime today...or sometime this week. It's not an exact science. Unlike bird eggs that you can pretty much depend on to hatch on a specific day. Reptile eggs may take a little shorter or longer depending on the conditions and temps in the environment.

I was able to separate them last night. That's good news. They were stuck together in a big pile the whole time they were incubating--that's normal. The mother would have wrapped herself around them and incubated them herself.
Here's mom on the eggs
.
This was right before I put them into the incubator. They are stuck together in a clump.

A sign that they are close to hatching is that I was able to carefully separate them. Another sign is that they are starting to dent in a bit. (The shells are leathery and not hard like a chicken egg.)
At least some of them are denting.

This pic was taken through the incubator window so it's a bit murky. There is one huge egg. You can see it in the right hand side. It was the bottom egg in the pile and is a lot bigger than the others. Can't wait!!! :) Maybe it's twins??!!

Intuition

2009-07-17T14:37:00.002-05:00

Our second car is still in the shop. I'm working at home today but needed to do some errands. On his way to work, my hubby dropped me and my bicycle off at my first stop. Yes, I could have rode to my errands and home again. Unfortunately we live in a valley. Every way I turn it's up. I've found if I tackle that large hill in the beginning, the rest of the ride is all about exhaustion and leg cramps. When I'm in better shape maybe I'll love that I live at the bottom of a bowl....maybe.

Before we left, there I am getting my backpack ready, grabbing my wallet, keys, hat, sunglasses...and my eyes fall on my point-and-shoot camera. "I should bring that with. " I think. My next thought is "Why? I'm doing errands with a little backpack and I don't want to carry anything else."

Then I'm at my last stop before riding back home and it's taking me a while to wind my bike lock back around my seat pole. Looking down through my tire I spy what looks like two yellow and brown leaves below me. No wait. It's actually a gorgeous moth. And I don't have my camera!!! Damn!

A lesson I have to learn over and over again. "Don't second guess your intuition." This was an example of a small missed opportunity but I still missed it.

However, I did "rescue" the moth from the sidewalk so no one will step on it.
Once home I looked it up in my Peterson Caterpillars book. A good thing to have if you garden. It's called an Imperial moth. They have a 5 to 5 1/2 inch wingspan. Such a spectacular looking moth. Not at all like the little ones the cats chase around the house.
This picture is in creative commons and is very close to the one I saw. The second one is shared from photobucket.

New Mandala

2009-07-16T10:06:00.000-05:00

Title: Sunset
Medium: Digital Art
Full Size: 20" x 20"

8 more days...

2009-07-13T09:56:00.004-05:00

8 days until (hopefully) my snake eggs start to hatch!!!!!! I'm getting really excited.
AND I've finally got my video camera back from the shop. It was out of commission for almost a whole year! That's a whole other story I'm not going to bore you with. The short of it is...it's back! I'm going to try and catch them in the act and then post some video of the hatching for you all to see.

Stay tuned!! :)

Here's my incubator.

Look what I found...

2009-07-10T10:06:00.005-05:00

I don't like the big ones eating my garden but this one was so small and cute. He was chasing robins and cardinals in my backyard. They were way bigger than him and he was having a grand time of it. The birds seemed a bit perturbed. lol! Especially the robin who was trying to listen for it's dinner and kept getting interrupted by this tiny bunny bouncing around her.

I wish I would have had my video camera.
OMG! Look at those cute little ears.
.
"You can't see me."

No more mowing

2009-07-06T15:42:00.009-05:00

Aren't these yards pretty?
I would love to have a no-mow yard similar to these. You could even tuck food plants in there--though better in the backyard or at least back away from the street and cars.

A bit of lawn to play or picnic on is great. However, I just don't understand this infatuation with the plain green lawn everywhere you look. Chalk up another victory to the boys with the advertising dollars.

These pics are from my trip to Seattle a couple weeks ago.

Is this heaven?

2009-06-26T17:15:00.006-05:00

Just got over a summer cold. I haven't had a cold in the summer in a LOOOONG time. It's just as "unfun" in the summer as it is in the winter. ;)
Then this week not one...but both our cars broke down and are in the shop! Don't know where the money is going to come from for those problems. We also had to rent a car. What a bummer. However, I do have to say I like driving this little rental Nissan instead of my usual Eurovan. I feel like I've lost 200 lbs. lol!

Now we are heading to Iowa...

John Kinsella: Is this heaven?
Ray Kinsella: It’s Iowa.
John Kinsella: Iowa? I could have sworn this was heaven.
Ray Kinsella: Is there a heaven?
John Kinsella: Oh yeah. It’s the place where dreams come true.
Ray Kinsella: Maybe this is heaven

My hubby quickly made this pic yesterday night. I think it's cute.

Field of Dreams...love that movie! We’re heading to Iowa for 2 public screenings of Mad City Chickens this weekend. Iowans want their backyard chickens, and we hope to help them get ‘em.

~June 27, 2009 Iowa City Environmental Film Festival presented by IC Friends of Urban Chickens - 2:00pm Robert A. Lee Rec Center Social Hall, 220 S. Gilbert St.

~June 28, 2009 Cedar Rapids, Iowa - Public Screening presented by Cedar Rapids Chicken Chat group and the Indian Creek Nature Center - 2:00pm Indian Creek Nature Center.

Anyone in Iowa? Come on out for the free screenings. I'd love to see ya.

Refined White

2009-06-17T13:37:00.005-05:00

Found this quote today in the Susan Powter book The Politics of Stupid.
It cracked me up and had me laughing out loud for real!

Here it is in all its' glory:

"Refined white flour,
refined white sugar,
and refined white men
are directly connected."

If you want to know more about the book it's on my shelf at the bottom of the blog page.
way
down
there...

Back from Seattle

2009-06-15T16:34:00.024-05:00

Just back home from a whirlwind trip to Seattle, promoting and screening our documentary Mad City Chickens.

We had a 3 hour layover in Minneapolis. Then our connecting plane to Seattle was a few hours late. By the time we got into Seattle on Thursday night it was 3:00 am our time. That set me up to be tired for the rest of the trip but I still had a blast!

The Friday night MCC movie screening went well. Around 160 people showed up even though, quite uncharacteristically it was a beautiful sunny day and gorgeous evening.

On the radio at 7:30 the next morning. That's us and the Seattle city chicken educator from the Seattle Tilth group. What fun!

As it was Robert's and my first time in Seattle. Our host family (& new friends) took us around to see some of the highlights of the city.

Saw some fish "thrown" at the downtown market. Yes, when you ordered fish they throw it to the packers.

Free chocolate tasting at the chocolate factory tour!!!! I won't show you the pics of us in the hair nets. ;)

On Sunday we were up at 5:00 am and spent the whole day at airports again and on various planes to get back to Madison. The plane from Seattle to Detroit had an all male cabin crew and a female captain welcomed everyone aboard. How refreshing!

Anybody in Seattle? There is another screening of our film tonight in Seattle. However, because of a schedule conflict we couldn't stay.
Here's the skinny on the screening:
7:00pm
Youngstown Cultural Arts Center
4408 Delridge Way SW.
Seattle, WA, USA, Earth, Milky Way, The Universe.
lol!

Snake Tails

2009-06-08T17:38:00.010-05:00

So...do snakes have tails? They do!
This is my "butter" corn snakes' tail. You can see how she uses it to hold on. Her tail is really quite long. It starts about where the very tip of her tail is touching her body.

Snake tails start right after the snakes' cloaca. This is the opening used to excrete waste, for mating and also where the eggs or baby snakes come out. Having one opening is pretty efficient...or gross depending on your point of view.

Here is a ball python tail. The pink circle shows where his cloaca is, that's where his tail starts. He also has spurs. Those are all that's left over from when they used to have legs...way back when.

Ferdinand was having a bad shed day. See his loose skin? He usually sheds very nicely. I recently moved him into a larger home and now he needs a bigger water bowl to keep the humidity a bit higher.

This is him after a nice soak. No more old shed. All spiffy and handsome. ;)

This is another of Tigerlily...sleeping off her first big meal since she broke her fast.

:)

"Tart" updated

2009-06-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

I've managed to update my photography website. Yea! I think it went 5 months without an update. For shame! :0
It's just a simple one but suits me fine for now.

www.tarazod.com/tart

Here's a screen capture.

More Tigerliy pics

2009-06-05T17:00:00.005-05:00

This was last summer on an outside photoshoot. :)

Here she is with her partner. She's the bigger one. Male ball pythons can't be insecure about their size...they are always smaller than the females.

3 month fast

2009-06-03T14:19:00.006-05:00

Yea! Last night, Tigerlily (my snake mom) ate her first meal in three months. That means she is no longer in the maternal mode and is back to normal. I find it fascinating that they don't eat for that long and can be pregnant=making babies! Amazing! I gave her a smaller than normal meal (frozen, thawed mouse) just to ease her digestive tract back in the swing of eating.

You may have noticed that countdown I put up in the left corner of my blog. When that is down to zero the babies should be cutting the eggs and looking out into the world. Can't wait! :)

This is her when I first got her.

Egg Candling

2009-06-01T14:00:00.005-05:00

So just what the heck is egg candling? Here's a picture to give you a better idea.

I'm holding a flashlight up to the egg. If there are red veins present, which there are, that means it is fertile. The black "x" that I've marked on the eggs signifies "this side up". Reptile eggs are not like bird eggs...where the parents turn the eggs to keep the embryo from sticking. You don't want to rotate snake eggs, it could kill the developing baby inside.

SHE did it...my first EGGS.

2009-05-30T14:47:00.003-05:00

Went down to my snake room this morning and this is what I saw!

I spy something in there! I am so happy it happened today. She was a bit overdue...so this helps my mood a lot.

Here's her giving me "the look" You know the one I mean..."Don't mess with me."

6 gorgeous eggs! Very exciting! She would have cared for the eggs for the next 2 months but I've got an incubator. So, I took the eggs out.

The clutch weighed in at 624 grams. 5 candled good. The 6th is underneath and I couldn't get to it.

One problem. When trying to snap the top on the egg container the bunch of eggs was too tall so it doesn't sit tight. I'll have to figure something out today.

This is the mom after her tub is all cleaned. She was very thirsty. Drank for awhile. Now I want her to start eatting again. She's been fasting for 3 months.

My very first ball python eggs.

Etsy and Artfire

2009-05-27T14:33:00.005-05:00

I haven't been able to pay as much attention to my Etsy and Artfire accounts as I would like. However, I did get a few things in my stores today.

As I am not able to take the time do all the things you need to do to promote your shop, I haven't had any luck with sales yet. If you would like to be one of my first customers, I will give you 10% off of any item from either of my shops. Just send me a note telling me you saw this blog post.

(There are different treasures in each shop.)

Tashai's Artfire

&

Tashai's Etsy

Ciao!

Sun in Hand

2009-05-19T17:55:00.003-05:00

Title: Sun in Hand
Medium: Photography
Size: 8" x 10"

Indigo Dream

2009-05-17T20:10:00.005-05:00

May has just been bird month for me. I haven't done much art but found some living art in my yard. ;)

O la la...

Indigo Buntings.

My regular readers know how I just love royal blue. Just imagine what I did when these guys came to my feeder!

Surprise!

2009-05-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

~
Got a surprise behind our recycle bin.
~

~

And two days later...

I just love finding little blue surprises in nature. Real blue is so rare in the natural world. (Unless it's a hybrid.) Makes it even more special.

Spring Show

2009-05-04T23:15:00.000-05:00

I had a table Saturday at the spring Wisconsin Reptile Expo. Got to talk to some people I haven't seen since last fall and meet some internet buddies in person for the first time. Sweet!

That's my half-table. I shared it with another vendor, which is allowed at this show. As a relatively new vendor that suits me just great.

I had my cards and prints again plus a new line of one-of-a-kind reptile hides. For the uninitiated that's the thing they hide in...a hidey hole...not a skin. See the little hides in the pic? They are small, so work for smaller geckos, frogs, toads, and baby snakes. A couple of friends asked me, so I brought my documentary Mad City Chickens also.

Sales weren't stellar. However, with some people buying late in the day I did sell enough to make it worth my time. Yea!
That's me at my table. (the blond) Picture by: Eric R.

Lots of neat animals there too. It's a captive bred only show. No reptiles were collected from the wild. Like this bearded dragon. Yes, his legs are supposed to look like that. You've seen dogs do it too. ;) He's basking in the sun lamp.

and this spider ball python.

Spots of Sunshine

2009-04-27T17:05:00.011-05:00

I just love goldfinches! They have such cute squeaky voices and their bright yellow coloring can bring a spot of sunshine to even the most dreary day.

They travel in waves in the spring. It's not really like the flocks of geese or other birds you see in a bunch. They don't stick all together but they do travel in the same direction at the same time.

Today I found a feeder in the garage and put it out for the first time this year. Within 15 mins there was a line of finches waiting for a choice seat.

One year we had over two hundred goldfinches stop at our yard each day for about 14 days. There were three of these feeders out, plus a net bag. All the feeding spots were full with a bunch more birds waiting on the sidelines from dawn till dusk. I've never seen anything like that. It was intense.

For those two weeks, we went through 10 pounds of niger seed every 5 days. That's not an easy feat. Niger seed is smaller than a chocolate sprinkle on a cupcake or...
to mix metaphors...smaller than a mouse dropping. That's a lot of seed!

Good thing it only lasted two weeks or our yearly seed budget would have been blown in a month. :)
Can't wait for the hummingbirds and orioles!

Speak for yourself

2009-04-20T18:23:00.003-05:00

"When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt."
~Henry J Kaiser

This is an interesting quote. As an artist I tend to agree with it. An old professor of mine used to say "You will not be standing next to your work explaining what you meant. Your art has to speak for it's self." Well prof. I have found art (any form) speaks different languages to different people. That can be frustrating or fun, and it's unavoidable.

What I do find a bit disturbing is that it is quite difficult to find good quotes by notable woman.

Speaking of which...
Last night I had a great start for a short story script. It was midnight and I was falling into blissful sleep not wanting to get up and write it down. The words came like poetry. I knew it would be gone in the morning...and it was. However, something is brewing inside of me and will eventually see the light of day. Hopefully sooner than later.

Polynesian Dreams

2009-04-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

Here is the 3rd piece in my Edge of the Mouse grouping. This one is less moody and more fun-- but still in keeping with the surreal atmosphere.
Hope you like it. :)

Title: Polynesian Dreams
Medium: Digital Art
Size: 8" x 10"

close up below

First Flowers of Spring!

2009-04-12T19:00:00.005-05:00

Finally got some signs of spring in the air--and the ground. These beauties are on the north side of the house in my front bed. I'm very excited to see them!!! Also got word that the humming birds are back. Yea! Little flying jewels. Got to dig out my feeder.

Change

2009-04-10T17:15:00.003-05:00

"There is nothing like returning to a place
that remains unchanged to find the ways
in which you yourself have altered."
~Nelson Mandela

My calendar had this quote on it for Monday but I find it a fitting end to the week. I have changed so much in my life that sometimes I don't even recognize myself. lol. I look into the mirror and say "Who is that!"

For example: There was a time when I wanted to go to all the Dunkin Donuts bakeries. I kid you not. Loved those Donuts! While I still like the occasional doughnut. Don't think I've had one (or wanted one) in at least 4 years. My waistline thanks me...though not enough.

Mad City Chickens - DVD released

2009-04-02T19:09:00.009-05:00

I am very happy to announce that after three years in the making, Mad City Chickens, my independent feature-length documentary on people who keep chickens in the city has been released on DVD!

Pasted below is a press release promoting the DVD. If you know of anyone who might be interested, feel free to forward it on.

Thanks for your support.
Tashai

~~~~~~~~

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Tarazod Films Releases Mad City Chickens On DVD

It's here—the film that's been causing a buzz in the backyard chicken world! Tarazod Films has released Mad City Chickens on DVD. Three years in the making, the 79 minute documentary is a sometimes wacky, sometimes serious look at the people who keep urban chickens in their backyards.

Filmmakers Tashai Lovington and Robert Lughai take you into the backyard like you've never seen it before. From chicken experts and authors to a rescued landfill hen or an inexperienced family that decides to take the poultry plunge—and even a mad scientist and giant hen taking to the streets—it’s a humorous and heartfelt trip through the world of backyard chickendom.

With over 60 minutes of extras, the DVD includes: The Making of Mad City Chickens featurette, Cheryl Long from Mother Earth News, Cherrie’s Backyard Chicken Tips, deleted scenes and interviews, bonus chicken footage, movie trailers and more!

The filmmakers worked for three years before completing the film, shooting on location in WI, IA, TX, KS, MI, and CA. They met with chicken experts and poultry enthusiasts, and gathered over 40 hours of interviews and chicken footage. They have appeared on Public Television, the CW Network, and on numerous talk radio shows in the US and Canada as well.

Mad City Chickens opened to shining reviews at the 2008 Wisconsin Film Festival and continues to please audiences at festivals and public screenings across the US and Canada.

“I never thought I would sit here mesmerized, open-mouthed over a chicken movie,” declared one audience member at the end of the evening. Neither did I. Kristian Knutsen, Isthmus Daily Page.

Buy the DVD ($21.95) from the Tarazod Films online shop at www.tarazod.com/shop
The return of the backyard chicken...the city will never be the same again!

Why do we like shiny things?

2009-03-25T13:20:00.008-05:00

I happen to love shiny and sparky things. ;) Snuck this one out of my studio in between all my other busyness. This is the 2nd piece in my Edge of the Mouse series.

Title: Why do we like shiny things?
Medium: Digital Art
Size: 8" x 10"

Detail of image - below.

Are you bigger than a bug?

2009-03-18T14:21:00.003-05:00

Check out this doosey I found last night.

"If you think you are too small to be effective,
you have never been in bed with a mosquito."

~Betty Reese

HA! Now that's a good one.

A New Series

2009-03-16T14:33:00.009-05:00

One year later. I've finally been able to start a new set of images that I'd been holding off on, in favor of other projects.
The series has a working title of: Edge of the Mouse. I think that brings me up to 4 open series now.

1) Kaleidoscopes and Mandalas
2) Fairy Friends
3) Chakras (4 left in this one)

...and the newest makes four.

Here is the first installment for Edge of the Mouse.

Title: Dark and Stormy Mountain
Size: 8" x 10"
Medium: Digital Photograph

Enjoy!

Replacing the spork

2009-03-13T11:45:00.007-05:00

I found this at the salad bar yesterday.

It's a biocompostable fork made from corn starch. They have been around for at least 6 years but this is the first I've seen it being used here in the mid-west. Even with the controversy over "Do we have enough corn?" that's a step in the right direction. It doesn't use petroleum and it composts. How cool is that!

It has a very different feel from petroleum based plastic. Somehow a "nicer" feel under the hand and MUCH stronger than those old flimsy plastic forks they used to have.

The following is from the wrapper.

"Believe it or not this utensil is made from non-GMO corn starch and is suitable for foods up to 200 degrees F. Unlike petroleum based plastics, this utensil is made from annually renewable resources and will compost within 12 months in a commercial composting system. Home composting may take up to 36 months."

OK. It's not good for soup. So maybe it won't replace the spork. Still if it's good up 200 degrees it can be used for almost anything else.

I think I'll throw this in the compost and see if it lives up to the claim. Check back in 36 months for a full report. LOL!

In 10 years

2009-03-09T13:21:00.001-05:00

Ten years ago I took a belly dance class. Since then, while I have done some learning and practicing on my own with "electronic instruction" (DVDs) I've never taken another live class. Now looking back and realizing it's been 10 years, I'm feeling a bunch of regret that I didn't stick with it. I could have been darn good after 10 years!

At the time, the reasons for not signing up for another class seemed important. My friend was not continuing, not a lot of time, money for dance lessons, dinky little apartment (How would I practice moving around?), shyness. Dance in public?! "Everyone will see how bad I am."

So what? 10 years later, these reasons seem trivial. Maybe I'd never be the one to dance solo in a restaurant with all those people looking and eating around me. A lot can happen in 10 years? Who knows. I could have thrived on that experience.

It's not too late. I'm 10 years older but I'm not bedridden. (Thank you universe.)
Do I want to try again? Absolutely!

Are the issues of the past gone?

* I've got a larger living room to practice in. Its not huge, but it will do.
* Unfortunately, I still don't have bunch of extra money for dance classes. I do however have some DVDs. That's a start. Two days of following one and I'm already sore. I'll use those while I'm saving up for the lessons.
* Am I still shy? Well...Yes. Not as shy. I still can't see myself doing a solo in a room full of people. BUT I'll dance with a few others. Who knows once I feel more confident the whole world could be my stage. OK, not really...maybe?

Regret happens.
I've found it is only debilitating when you don't or can't do anything to fix the situation. Ten years from now I want to look back and say "Yes, I did that." However it works out, at least I tried and didn't quit because I was afraid or thought I couldn't scrape up the money for lessons.

(The picture is me in a hip scarf that I got for my birthday 3 years ago.)

Redesigned film site

2009-03-07T12:07:00.007-06:00

Sorry dear readers for my two week absence. I've been working around the clock--it seems--trying to get our new redesigned website up in time for our latest film screening March 10th. Since I still had obligations to go to my other job as well, I ended up working 7 days a week and well into the nights. So some other things had to be let go for a while.

BUT...Hooray! All the hard work has finally paid off. I launched the redesigned site yesterday. There are still a couple glitches I'm working on. A few side pages are still in the works but the main pages are done! Whew, I can breathe again! (and have a life again.)

Above is a screen capture of the new home page. Here's the url to take a "live" look: www.tarazod.com
Please let me know if you find any links not working or other issues. Thank you!

Imagine New Possibilities

2009-02-21T09:30:00.001-06:00

I missed President's day by a bit but it still a good quote:

"Towering genius disdains a beaten path.
It seeks regions hitherto unexplored."

~Abraham Lincoln

Think Spring

2009-02-18T12:21:00.003-06:00

Title: Peace
Medium: Digital Watercolor
Full Size: 8" x 10.5"

Goodbye, Joe

2009-02-14T10:00:00.000-06:00

I'm very saddened to say that I lost my cat Joe, to an illness this past Tuesday. He was only 12 years old (he'd been with us for 11). It was so unexpected and so quick! Joey was my first cat. I always thought he'd live to be 18 or 19. He always seemed so healthy and vital.

I called him "Joehead" because he loved to sit in boxes with just his head peeking over the top edge. Big boxes, small boxes, tall boxes, short boxes. It didn't matter to him. We'd put a box down and he'd jump in. I loved that about him.

No picky cat was he. He adored food. It was always his central preoccupation come about 4:30 in the afternoon each day. People say you can't train cats but that's not true. You just have to find out what motivates them. Sometimes that's hard. With Joe it was food.

Over the weekend we suddenly noticed, he wasn't eating very much. He ate a little bit of his food, but would leave most of it in the bowl and my other cat, Melchizedek would come along and finish it off. We'd seen this once or twice before over the years. No big deal. Usually at the end of winter he'd get cabin fever and be a little tired of his food. Then we gave him an extra treat of all wet canned cat food, something he just loved, and which we usually mix with the dry every couple of weeks as a change. But he still only ate a little bit.

Then we knew something was wrong. On the last day, he stopped drinking, and pretty much just laid by us. He'd lay in the living room if we were there. He slept next to the bed his last night. In his last days we spent as much time with him as we could. He was with us so long and through so much in Colorado and here in Wisconsin. He was the gentlest and friendliest cat I have ever known. He got along with other cats and dogs, loved people. He was part of my family.

We said "good-bye" to him (just in case) Tuesday morning before we left for work. When we returned, he was laying at the top of the stairs, where he used to greet us everyday coming home from work. It was as if to say goodbye. He had gone sometime in the afternoon and when we got home his body was cold.

I think I've cried a river of tears from that moment to now.

After petting him and saying our final goodbyes to him. We wrapped him in a cloth.

The evenings have still been freezing here, but that day it had been almost 60 degrees. That night, there was a full moon, the stars were out, and the air was warm. The snow had melted just that day around the flower bed in our backyard and the soil was soft. Robert dug a hole in the bed, a place Joe loved to eat catnip, sniff the garden smells, and roll in the dirt.
We buried him there.

Goodbye... My tux cat, our butler. Box cat. Joseph. I miss you.

2009-02-06T13:23:00.002-06:00

I visited a friends' place the other day and brought home three new snakes. I was planing on getting one. Opps! They were all captive bred (not taken from the wild) and born fall 08.

If you were a West African farmer, you would hold the ball python in the highest regard, as they help preserve your crops for you and your family, not the rodents that could destroy your pantry and your livelihood. Plus they stay pretty small, so are not a danger to your pets or your children. An African farmers' best friend.

It's speculated that some people don't like snakes (even harmless ones) simply because they seem so alien. A big part of that speculation is the fact that they don't have eyelids. Humans are very turned into the eyes. So their unblinking eyes may tap into some part of us that feels threatened by an unblinking stare. I'm not sure I agree with that but it's an interesting theory.

Anywho...

for all you genetics fans...

The first picture is a male pastel 66% het for Ghost. His name is Arturo.

The second one is Athena. She's also a pastel 66% het for Ghost.

Third pic is a portrait of Athena. She has beautiful eyes but no lids. ha ha.

The last image is Goof Ball. You can tell why they are called Ball pythons in this picture. That's what they do when they are afraid and want to protect themselves. They don't bite like a mammal would...they "ball-up". She's not totally afraid so you can still see her head in the center.

She 'shows' the normal wild coloring but she's 100% het Ghost. For all you who hate genetics talk...that means she's got a fun recessive gene. Put her with a male with that same recessive gene and some of their offspring will look a lot different and in my opinion prettier.

Thanks!

2009-02-05T15:27:00.001-06:00

Thanks Katie M.!
The blue mermaid will be on her way to you soon. :)

Only 5 left folks!

So Wooly

2009-02-05T13:00:00.002-06:00

When it's cold there is nothing like sitting down to a nice cup of something hot, a movie, and a bunch of wool. It's still needle felting season! I haven't had much time but here are some cuties.
They originally started life as "kelly" barbie's little sister. Then were discarded. I am recycling them and giving them a new life. I like them so much better now! I made around 30 mermaids for the holidays as ornaments but then realized that they can go anywhere anytime.

Most of them sold during the holidays but I do have a few left if anyone is interested in them. I was selling them for $25.00 but they are on sale now for $18.50. What a deal! ;)

(The gnome is not available. I just thought I would show him off. :0)

Before (sample pic)

After: I changed his face paint and he needed some "ageing" also. His clothes are all needle felted.

~

Toxic Niceness

2009-02-03T12:58:00.003-06:00

OMG! Now I've gone and done it! I realize that I've gotten stuck in a "toxic niceness" rut! I can't believe it. It happens to the best of us, I guess.
Sigh.
The thing about toxic niceness is that it taxes your energy and creativity. So much is spent trying to please everyone else except yourself. It's just exhausting. I think it's easier for women to fall into that pattern than men. As society still somewhat expects that kind of personality from women. I'm saying "I don't think so" to that kind of attitude. No more!

Here is an example:
Toxic niceness: "Do they like me?"
Inner Power: "Do I like them?"

It's a subtle but powerful shift. Try it you may like it.

How could it be...

2009-02-02T15:33:00.006-06:00

...monday again already!!!

On the desk in my "creative" room.

Light play

.

Just some fun with the sun. :)

Happy Blue Monday!

2009-01-26T11:39:00.008-06:00

Happy Monday!
Have a fabulous week!
How many sentences can I start with the letter "H"?
How about a couple more?
Ha Ha.

Here are some pics from out my front door. I just love the snow frosting and the gorgeous blue from the early morning light. No way! Something I like about winter!? Wait a minute! Who am I and what have I done with myself?

Art for Mad City Chickens

2009-01-21T16:45:00.008-06:00

As promised, here is the finished DVD cover art for the documentary Mad City Chickens. We've been working on this film for three years. I will be very happy when it's all done. (The white square on the back cover is for the official barcode.)
The DVD will be coming out in March 2009.

Go chickens!

If you are new to my blog and confused...
"what is she talking about?"
See this post for some back story on this project. :)

Your blog is Fabulous!

2009-01-20T12:00:00.005-06:00

The sun is shining, the temperature is back in the double-digits, and I've been presented a blog award. Holy Cow Batman!

This one is from Yasmina of MeaCulpaBodyandBath blog. She's got some truely inspired creatations over at her blog. Creams, lotions, shampoos, you name it. The only problem is...I want to eat the face cream I got from her. It smells so good. lol!

Thanks girl!

I wanted to pass this award on to some other Fabulous blogs. Check them out. :)

All natural

Bliss Soybean Candles

Thyme 2 Dream

Enjoy! Now it's thyme for lunch. :)

Other Worlds

2009-01-16T10:03:00.008-06:00

Where am I the moon? We've had a bitter cold spell the last few days. This morning the temp was -17 degrees! With windchill it feels like -30 or some ungodly number. Too cold for me! Supposedly today is the last of that for a while. Whew.

I want to share my new favorite piece with you all. Don't you just love these old world horses.

Title: Fae Horse
Medium: Digital Photograph
Full Size: Bigger than a walnut and smaller than an elephant. ;)

Fae Horse will be available on Etsy later today.

Brillante Award

2009-01-11T13:44:00.002-06:00

Whoot! Another award! This is the "Brilliante Award"

Bril`lan´te

adv.

(Mus.) In a gay, showy, and sparkling style.

It was given to me by Jessie of "The art of Jessie." He's always got something interesting going on at his blog. Check out the cool ocean theam urban art photos on his January 8th post. Very cool.

Thanks again, Jesse.

New Mandala

2009-01-09T16:42:00.002-06:00

Title: Lacey
Medium: Digital Art
Full Size: 20" x 23"

Muse...ings

2009-01-06T13:44:00.007-06:00

I was at my credit union today and had to use the restroom. As I was looking for a clean, dry place to put my purse I noticed the toilet had a neon green handle.
"That's odd."
Then I noticed the sign on the wall. "Water conservation project. Pull up for liquid waste, Push down for solid waste."
I arrived in the Midwest after living though a heavy droughts in Colorado. Consequently, I thought that a choice of how much water to use was pretty cool and very progressive of them.

Enough about the water closet. I've been working on the cover art for our Mad City Chickens documentary to be released on DVD this coming spring. That includes the actual box label, disc label, and inserts. It's taking somewhat longer than expected. On the bright side, I'm learning more about Adobe Illustrator. When the design is a little farther along, I'll post it here for you to see. In the mean time, if you are interested in learning more about the documentary go here: http://tarazod.com/filmsmadchicks

Hope you all are having a stellar 2009 so far. Any resolutions?

2008-12-31T00:00:00.000-06:00

I want to wish everyone a wonderful and prosperous New Year!

A big thank you goes out to all my followers - new, old, & those yet to come. I'm grateful for you and your comments.
All the best to you and yours in the year to come!

Title: New Year

Medium: Digital Art

Full Size: 11" x 14"

The holidays

2008-12-30T11:00:00.001-06:00

The holidays have a way of bringing up the light and the dark side of life. This past Saturday I just felt melancholy all day. There wasn't anything that I could point a finger to and say "that's it. That why I feel bad." It just was there.

Then last night...more sadness. I found out that Suzanne of the blog Liquid Illuzion committed suicide on Christmas Eve. I was shocked, for many months I have enjoyed her blog and the comments she left on mine. She will definitely be missed. I hope her spirit finds the peace she sought. If you feel inclined you can go to WIXY Gone Bananas blog and see her obituary and friends comments.

Even though the hour was late, before I went to sleep I picked up the book The Heroine's Journey by Maureen Murdock. The part I read seemed very fitting for how I was feeling the last couple days and oddly it helped.

"Sadness lies at the very core of being. Lay the heart bare of every other feeling and inevitably you will come upon sadness, ready like the quickened seed, to put forth its green leaf.' One does not have to hold onto sadness, however. Releasing sadness is a discipline, like mindful breathing. Breathe in, you feel it, breathe out, you release it. Breathe in, a tear rolls down your cheek; breathe out, you feel gratitude for its warmth. Breathe in, and smile.' Be kind to yourself, take baby steps."

Be well,
Tashai

Impossibilities

2008-12-28T07:00:00.001-06:00

Two quotes today because I like them both and couldn't decide which one not to use. ;)

"We forfeit three-fourths of our self to be like other people."
- Arthur Schopenhauer

That's a lot people! Let your true self shine. No one else can bring to the world what you can.
and the second bit of wisdom...

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."
-Walt Disney

Walt was told many times in his life that he couldn't do what he wanted to do. He succeeded because he never gave up.

The T-shirt Bag

2008-12-24T10:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Holidays!

This is an awesome winter project I'd like to share with you all. It was not my original idea. I found it in a book which I can't for the life of me remember the name of. Anyway I did add a small original touch of my own. I changed the handles a little. If you know what book this project came from pm me, so I can give proper credit.

And now for the fun stuff!!! Here's one of mine.

Grab a big t-shirt you like but don't want to wear anymore or is too big. OR go to a thrift shop and grab a cheep used T.

Instructions:
So you have your t-shirt. Turn it inside out and lay it flat. Side seams together.
Cut off the seam on the bottom of the shirt and save it for later.
Sew the bottom together with a straight stitch.
Turn right-side out again.
Cut off the sleeves at the seam-leave the seam on the shirt.
Save the sleeves. You can use them for rags or on another altered shirt. :)
Next Cut the neck line lower.
Cut straight down--parallel with the arm hole. Then straight across making a new square "neckline".
Remember that seam from the bottom of the shirt? Did you save it like I told you?
Grab it now and cut it open. Then cut in half.
Now you have two stripes. Wind that around the top of one of the arm holes, tie at each end. Leave a little of the seam free to dangle. Repeat with other arm hole. These are your handles.
Boom! You are done! Now go show off your new bag!!

Bag handles image below.

Birth of the light

2008-12-22T00:00:00.004-06:00

The white flakes came down again this weekend. The snow is so high now I'm starting to feel like a rat in a maze when driving down the street.

The winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, was this weekend. The days are getting longer again. Whew, made it through the darkest part of winter. The birth of the light has come once again. Gladness!

I know these images are not exactly what you think of when you hear "Birth of the light" but they are full of light and color. So I think they still fit. ;)
'I love fall (too)' is now in my Etsy shop.

Title: I love fall
Medium: Photograph
Full Size: 8" x 10"

Title: I love fall (too)
Medium: Photograph
Full Size: 8" x 10"

Nikon Sunset

2008-12-19T16:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday Everyone.

Finally New DSLR Camera!!!

2008-12-17T16:00:00.002-06:00

I've been saving for a new Nikon DSLR camera for a while now and it arrived in the mail last week!! My first Nikon! Got two lenses too--a wide to normal lens and a telephoto lens.
WHOPPIE!!!

I'm selling my beloved Pentax film camera with it's 3 lens on ebay. I really loved that camera. I still love the look of film. After many years of processing my own pictures and working in a corporate professional photo lab, I was really glad to leave all the chemicals and water waste behind--don't want to go back.

Haven't had a chance to learn the manual setting or how to capture RAW uncompressed images yet. That will come with the new year.

Here are some tests pictures with my zoom lens--on all automatic settings.

Once I get the hang of the manual settings I'll be in business again!! I'm stoked!

Snake Sex

2008-12-16T18:00:00.000-06:00

Warning: For the non-reptile people out there - just skip this post. ;)

I'm very excited! I got my first lock on Friday! (that's snake sex) . For those of you who are new to my blog...I have snakes. Ever since I was a kid I've been an animal lover but not just our furry friends. I was a kid snake catcher, frog lover, turtle picker upper. I've also had a fascination with genetics since High School Biology.

This season I wanted to breed one of my ball pythons. I've only got one female big enough, but that's enough for me to start. At least 'till I know what I'm doing. The female is the larger one in the picture. Females snakes are usually larger than the males.

Ball Pythons are a very docile python and only get to be about 4 feet in length. They eat once every 7 days. (Can you imagine doing that!) Are native to Africa and spend 85-90% of their lives in a burrow. They must know how to meditate better than me.

My female hadn't eaten in 6 weeks. That's not unusual in breeding season. Still I gave them a brake on Sunday--and low and behold snake sex makes you hungry! She ate like a champ. He'll go back in with her as soon as she digests.

Pigs with Wings

2008-12-12T22:02:00.007-06:00

~
This is my "tribute" to the impossible.
I felted him this past spring and plan to do some more this winter. He currently flys over my kitchen table to remind me that what is "impossible" changes with each hurdle surmounted.
~

Sliding into home

2008-12-08T11:52:00.005-06:00

~
Unfortunately, some of us detest Mondays.

If you don’t dig your work find something else.
This may take some quiet time.
If life leaves you empty, fill it with something satisfying.
Live like you mean it.

I forget that sometimes we have to find our passion again. Drag it up from where it fell. Shine a healing light on it, and tend it like a fragile seedling for it to continue to grow and blossom into the giant beanstalk that it was meant to be.

“Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Chocolate in one hand, strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming WOO-HOO! What a ride!”
~unknown

I'm not a religious person but I just have to say "Amen" to that!

Sparky Blogger Award

2008-12-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

A big thank you to Jesse for giving me the Sparky Blogger Award. What a sweet guy.

The Sparky Blogger Award is for sparking creativity, conversation, controversy and friendship.

Wow, a tall order. Hope I can live up to it. ;)

Thanks again!

DeviantART

2008-12-05T09:00:00.000-06:00

I don't know how many of you my fellow artists are on DeviantART. I've been meaning to sign up for an account with them for about two years now. How's that for being on the back burner. lol.
Now I'm sorry I didn't sign up earlier, it was free up until late 2006. Whoops! Missed out on that.

Here's my shop: http://goldberry24k.deviantart.com

I have to say that the "artist cut" is not very good. But they do print the art and ship the to the customer. You don't have to do that part of the order. That part is nice.
And I understand it is a very popular site outside the USA.

There is some fantastic art on the site. Take a gander if you haven't already. DeviantART.

The two sides of my mother

2008-12-03T11:13:00.011-06:00

Why I thought this would be an easy post I have no idea. Probably because it's been on my mind for days. I thought I had it just about written in my head...but it took me a long time to get it out.

This is for my mother who passed on three years ago today.

I don't miss...
1. your rage.
2. your pain.
3. your prudishness.
4. you calling me stupid.
5. your stuckness.

I very much miss...
1. my momma
2. your awesome cooking
3. your special wisdom
4. my shopping buddy
5. having you there

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Contrary to what my Aunt thinks...my mothers favorite colors were green and pink (not purple and yellow). Where did that rumor start?

Title of Piece: Mothers
Medium: Digital Art
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wooly Good

2008-11-29T10:05:00.005-06:00

It's felting season again! I never feel like needle-felting in warm weather. When the wheel turns, and the cold weather sets in out come the wool and the needles.
This photograph was taken at a friend's farm and is a tribute to those "wooly" beasties. It's a mix of reality and romanticism. Just that way I like it.

The photo is available on Etsy. :)

Title: Wooly Good
Meduim: Digital Photograph
Full Size: 8" x 10"

Dolls from the past

2008-11-26T10:00:00.006-06:00

As a child I was not allowed to have fashion dolls like Barbie only baby dolls. Well, I didn't like baby dolls. All the adults in my life thought that was just plain strange.

I think that's a main factor in why a few years back I got into remaking old fashion dolls. I couldn't get enough of them. Some of my friends and especially my mother-in-law would bring me more dolls every time they saw me. I was thrift shopping all the time. At one point I think I had 125 cast-off fashion dolls and few new ones too. People thought that was strange too, and I felt a little strange. What was this obsession?

I didn't want them for what they were...a fashion doll (and nude and filthy). I wanted to transform them into something more. OOAK's as they say in the remake biz. That's one-of-a-kind to the uninitiated.

I would wash them, take off their face-paint, redo it, make new fantasy outfits, sometimes re-root new hair (hours of work!), give them "accessories", etc. Now when I look back at that time, I realize that I was transforming the inside of me and it was reflected on the outside of the dolls.

Hubbs and I started this short film in 2005 just to document my work, but then it turned into something more. Hope you enjoy it! I do have images of some of my art dolls for sale as greeting cards in my Etsy shop. Be sure and check it out.
I need to eat too. ;)

Winter?

2008-11-24T11:14:00.007-06:00

OMG! I woke up this morning and this is what I saw...

Our first snow. I hope it's not a sign of the winter to come. Our first snow last year was Dec. 3rd. That was the year we had the most recorded snow ever. I don't think I'm quite recovered from that. :O

I usually really like the first snow and winter weather until around January 5th. Then I'm done and want spring to come. Snow and sun together is just gorgeous. The long winter, gray skies, and cold that accompany it here in the Midwest is just so depressing.

I've decided to just pretend the first snow didn't happen yet. Here's a nice fiery mandala to heat things back up. ;)
I've also listed it for sale in my Etsy shop.
Cheers.

100th post!

2008-11-22T16:36:00.007-06:00

Holy Smackers batman it's my 100th post! I think it's time to celebrate...
break out the bubbly.

My kitties are not impressed. With the onset of the cold weather, they just want to eat, sleep and whine in the middle of the night.

That's "Joe" the butler and "Melchizedek" the maverick on the right. They moved with us from Colorado. Genetically they come from Colorado stock...that means they are big! 90% of Wisconsin cats are so small in comparison. My big cranky boys.

The Uber Amazing Blog Award!

2008-11-18T17:00:00.001-06:00

Another honor! Thank you Fairy Jane at http://seefairies.blogspot.com for bestowing the Uber Amazing Blog award on me. I'm so happy that people actually read my blog and it's not just going into a cyber blackhole! :)

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"How is the award determined? The rules are as follows:

The award is presented to blogs that- 1. Inspire you 2. Make you smile and laugh 3. Or maybe give amazing information 4. Are a great read 5. Have an amazing design 6. Or any other reasons you can think of that make them uber amazing!

If you receive this award: 1. Please put the logo on your blog or post. 2. Nominate at least 5 blogs that you feel are Uber Amazing! 3. Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog. 4. Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from."
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I'm sending it on to these lovely folks:
http://twentypoundtabby.blogspot.com (love the colors and patterns (and kitties) she does and has)
http://mea-culpa-aromatherapycreations.blogspot.com (everything always looks so yummy)
http://delightfuldivasinbusiness.blogspot.com (for their work inspiring independent business women)
http://michelleperkett.blogspot.com/ (just love her fairies)
http://pinchmetoseeifyouaredreaming.blogspot.com (her journal pages are so awesome...and she likes Pippi Longstockings)

Artful Women Show & Sale

2008-11-17T12:00:00.011-06:00

Title: Doty
Medium: Photography
Full Image Size: 17" x 8.5"

My "Doty" piece was juried into the 22nd Annual Artful Women group art show and sale. When I delivered it, the coordinator said to me, "We argued about that one."

I thought that was kind of an odd thing to say. But it is the only architectural piece in the show...and it's a brew pub. Maybe she didn't like the subject matter. ;)

The show runs from Nov 1 to Dec 5, at the UW hospital here in Madison, WI. They hosted a "Meet the Artists" reception yesterday and I only ate one brownie!

They take a 25% commission with 10% of it going to University of Wisconsin Hospitals Art Fund and 15% to the Wisconsin Women’s Network, sponsors of Artful Women 2008.

I won an Award!

2008-11-14T13:34:00.009-06:00

The Marie-Antoinette A Real Person, A Real Award

Thanks and a big hug to Art Lover at Love the Art Forever for nominating me for this award. It's my first ever blog award! How very exciting.

Here are the Rules for the Award:
1. Please put the logo on your blog
2. Place a link to the person from whom you received the award
3. Nominate at least 7 or more blogs
4. Put the links of those blogs on your blog
5. Leave a message on their blogs to tell them.

Here's my nominees:
All who wander are not lost
Artwork of Amy Short
Art of Jesse
Paper Raven Art
Aunt Jane can make it all better
The modern crafter
Liquid Illuzion

Congrats! :)

After the show

2008-11-10T12:35:00.005-06:00

I was so wiped after show on Saturday. I think I fell into bed at 9:00pm! That's early for me. I'm usually a night owl. Here's some pictures from the show. There was a fair crowd all day long with maybe a little lull around 11:00am. I made my table money back and a little extra. Could have been better with sales...but everyone there was saying that sales were a little slower. That old economy thing.

I also forgot my table cloth and I so need a better card rack. Anybody know where to get one for not a lot of $?
This was the view from my table.

Any of you near the Madison, WI area?

2008-11-06T13:32:00.000-06:00

Are you a closet reptile enthusiast?
Even if you are not...

I invite you to come to the Monona Reptile Expo this Saturday Nov 8th
I'll be there with all kinds photo art--puppies and mandalas too.

There will also be a free "cold-blooded" Educational show (he does parties too). Plus lots of lizards, frogs, turtles, snakes, and supplies for reptile pets.
Come on it'd be an adventure. ;)

This is a captive bred only show. No reptiles are collected from the wild.

WHERE: Across the street from the Monona Library
Monona community center
1011 Nichols road, Monona, WI
10-4 pm
Adults - $5.00
Under 12 - $2.00

Better late than never?

2008-11-03T16:38:00.006-06:00

Yes, I am a little late with this one. Hope you folks like it anyway. It's also on sale at my Etsy shop . Slightly altered to fit an 8x10 format. If you want it in the original square format (like this pic) let me know.

Title: Witches Kaleidoscope
Medium: Digital Photograph
Full Size: 22" x 22"

Fall

2008-11-01T10:00:00.002-05:00

Nothing like walking to relax and calm the mind. I usually get lots of ideas when walking. I brought my camera along on this one. Here's some from the "road" I've got some others that will show up in my art sometime soon. ;)
My camera was not fast enough to get this hawk in focus...but I thought it was still a neat shot-for a point and shoot camera.

Happy Haunting!

2008-10-31T11:54:00.010-05:00

It's a gorgeous Halloween day. It hasn't been this nice on Oct 31st since we moved from Colorado 5 years ago. Here's me in my costume...well part of it. I'll put my short green wig on a little later. After I go to the acupuncturist. I'll change my make-up then too. That way it stays on my face and doesn't get smeared all over when I'm face down on the table. I think getting needled is very fitting for All Hallows Eve. ;)
I'm here in my favorite Madison haunt. It's called a wine cave and it's great place to hang. lol!

Started on my Etsy store branding. Check out my new banner. You can get there from the Etsy link in my side bar....and let me know what you think. Thanks peeps!

I'll leave you with this awesome sky. Happy Haunting!

New Sidebar

2008-10-28T14:39:00.004-05:00

Check out my new side bar. I added my Etsy shop to it. Also uploaded a couple new items to my shop. My Etsy is starting to look like something. I'm working on my shop branding now. Hope to have it looking much less generic soon.
You might have guessed...but I just don't do mundane! lol

Caio

Sleeves

2008-10-27T13:16:00.001-05:00

Here's the answer to my question on Oct 24th.

Did you get it?
If not look back at my previous post. It's still on this page below....
I got nothing up my sleeve. Hee Hee.

Kaleidoscope

2008-10-26T11:06:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted a kaleidoscope in so long that I've almost forgotten how to spell it. lol. Why? Because they were all on my computer that was in the shop for a whole month.
Remember? Ok, I really am done harping on that.

Here's one inspired by the beautiful fall colors this year.

Title: Fall
Medium: Digital Painting
Full Size: 18" x 18"

Little Alien

2008-10-25T10:00:00.002-05:00

Here's another creature from my backyard. I swear he looks like he's from a science fiction film.
Title: Little Alien
Medium: Digital Photo
Full Size: 11" x 14"

Etsy Shop!

2008-10-24T15:37:00.007-05:00

I finally got my Etsy shop open!!!!
I've a whopping 2 items in it at the moment but it's still exciting since I've been waiting so long.
Please check it out. Ultravioletwind
I'll be adding more items and a banner shortly.
but whooo who...that's me yelling...my cats are looking at me strangely. Good thing snakes can't hear. ;)

If any of you are have any Etsy advice. Hopefully you'll share it with me.

Halloween is only I week away!

2008-10-24T12:36:00.010-05:00

When was the last time All Hallows Eve was on a Friday? Seven years ago?? I really wanted to have a party but Robert said "everyone will be having one." Now it seems everyone thought everyone else was having a party...so no one planned anything. OMG! We have to do something! It's one of my favorite holidays.
Fun! Unless you're like my father, "Halloween is not an official holiday."
Whatever!
Anyway, can you guess what in this picture is part of my costume? And feel free to share what you folks will be doing on Halloween this year! Really I want to know.

It's back!!

2008-10-23T13:59:00.005-05:00

I'm so excited. Its finally back! My computer that is...
Hooked it up this morning. It works and all my files are still there! It does seem slower than I remember it...not sure why it would be but Robert thinks so too.

Good news. I finished the latest website that I was working on. Yea! Take a look. www.gullandforge.com It's a fairly simple one. He has plans to expand it quite a bit later on. Larry and his wife are also in a documentary Robert and I recently completed. It's on people who keep chickens in the city--Mad City Chickens the film. City chicken keeping is fast becoming a world-wide phenomenon. YOU might have neighbors that keep chickens in your city. If you want to take back some little control of your food supply--keep a few chickens in the backyard.

Queen Anne

2008-10-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

Title: Queen Anne's Lace

Medium: Digital Painting

Full Size: 8" x 10"

A Tibetan friend of mine got very excited when he saw a field of these flowers.

"I know these! I know these!" he says.

The next time I visited him he had made a aromatic vegetarian dish. It had a wonderful flavor...that I couldn't quite recognize. I asked him what it was and he said he had collected it but didn't know the English name. Turns out it was Queen Anne's Lace. It was so good. Who would have thought that this weed was so useful. I haven't collected any myself...but I think of that dish every time I see "the lace" on the side of the road.

Watercolor class

2008-10-16T09:00:00.002-05:00

My computer should be back today but I'm not counting my hard-drives before they arrive. lol.

These are a few images from a beginning. watercolor class I took a few days ago. The first one is of the instructor and a fellow student.

This is some of the work in-progress. It was a fun time. I'm a little surprised I'm liking watercolor.