keeping the committment

me and hilary hanging in philly before i cut all my hair off

hello hello- i'm really psyched tonight. i've been learning so much from kelly rae robert's course flying lessons, i still have two more weeks of vacation,i'm loving spending time with my daughter before she flies off to london for a semester abroad, and also enjoying time spent with my husband and two boys. i'm getting really excited about going to the squam artists workshop in september in new hampshire. i've been wanting to attend saw since i first heard about it several years ago- i can't believe that i'm actually going! i'm working on getting products ready to sell at their fair-even if i don't sell a thing it will be worth it because it's the first time i've ever done anything like this before, so it's a real learning curve for me. i'm working on my blog trying to improve it, am considering opening an etsy shop and putting together a website. the best part is that ia, my husband, and the love of my life, is coming on board to help me with all the business parts of the business, leaving me free to do the creative work, which takes a huge load off of my shoulders. we're actually going to work on it together and i'm so excited. i just have to take a few deep breaths and remember that i don't have to do everything at once. i'm going to have to pace myself, especially since i have to go back to work at the end of this month, after such an exciting and glorious summer. i'm going to try and post a picture of me and my daughter but i'm not so good at finding the exact picture i want so it may be something entirely different=i'm still learning how to do all of this stuff so please be patient. until we meet again, brigid.

whew!

hello all-so much has been happening i don't know where to begin.i just finished my summer class at the Art Lab and it was as usual outstanding.i received a great critique from Marie Roberts who said my work is definitely progressing and when  i asked her what artist i should be looking at she said lucian freud-who is one of my absolute favorite painters(he has a gem of a show at the met- some 17 or so fabulous paintings-his use of paint is both rough and luscious at the same time- don't miss it). i am now re-taking kellyrae roberts flying lessons e-course-so good. i am learning so much it's mind blowing and this is my 2nd time. lots of stuff about the importance of blogging-so iam committing myself to at least one if not 3 or4 posts a week from now on, and i plan to revamp the whole blog in the days ahead- i'm really excited over all that i've been learning.i hung my solo show in new hampshire on monday and i've already sold two paintings!  a fantastic beginning. we had a fab time with our incredible hosts colleen and jack foley, who co-own and operate the Cold Mountain Cafe in bethlehem new hampshire.great food,great service- i can't thank them enough for hosting my show and their incredible hospitality.- so if you are in the north country of new hampshire please stop in for a look at the show and an outsanding lunch or dinner. it's so beautiful there and the people are so friendly, i never want to leave. if my circumstances were different i'd move there in a hot minute. well that's it for tonight thanks for listening and come back to see the blog revamping. good night, lots of love, brigid

bliss;summer continuing

hi all- as you can see by the title i am totally enjoying my summer "off", and i'm busier than ever. between preparing for my show,taking an e-class and going to the summer program at the art lab,along with experimenting with other art materials and substrates, i'm having a ball.and i haven't even started working on my children's book,or trying out encaustic painting, which are 2 of my goals for this summer. life is good. and i'm so loving staying up until midnight or later and waking up when i wake up- usually around 9 or so. i could so get used to this on a permanent basis. retirement is a magic word. i don't know how many years i have yet to go-3-5 probably- but it can't come soon enough for me. still for now i'm enjoying having the summer off, and am very grateful for it. today i painted all day and spent a little time working on the bookmarks i've made for the show.tomorrow i plan on more of the same, unless i start doing some encaustic work, or work on the book. i'm a little behind on my e-class work, but i'll get caught up soon. it's very time consuming, what with doing the work, scanning or photographing the pieces, and then posting them on flicker. i've also joined something called maryjane's farmgirl sister hood which looks like a hoot. anyone heard of them? it seems to be a kind of girl scouts for grownups-you can earn merit badges, talk to other members, and hopefully meet some of the girls in the flesh eventually.well i guess that's enough gas bagging out of me for now- i'll be back with more news as the summer progresses. lol, brigid.

july's sweet s0ng

hello everyone- i've been on vacation for nearly a week and haven't. had the time to post. let's see if i can do better than one post a month over the summer! all kinds of things going on. tomorrow is the first day of art camp at the art lab-6weeks of drawing, painting, and art history lectures 3 daya a week. this is my 4th year i think. i just love it. seeing old friends,doing art together it's a blast.. my printmaking teacher pat dechico called to ask if i wanted to put some prints in an art show

 at the lab. of course i said yes and so will have a few pieces up starting on friday. come by and see. also gearing up for a one woman show in early august- september at the cold mountain cafe in bethleham n.h., which is owned and operated by my two old friends coleen and jack foley(and  partners). so for the best gourmet lunch or dinner in new hampshire,if you're heading to new england, stop in and eat and see my paintings too. i just ordered the postcards for the show-i'm calling it "women and other figments of the imagination". it should be good fun, and maybe i'll actually sell something. the summer is fling by already and i have so much art work to do. on that note i'll leave you so i can get to it-cheers brigid.

june at last

hi, y'all i just wanted to check in on this beautiful spring day and tell you what's going on in my world and get to hear hopefully what's going on in yours. i'm waiting to hear if i've been accepted into the summer studio program at the art lab. i've gone for the past 3 or 4 years and it's a great time. we draw in the morning from the model and paint in the afternoon it's a great program.irecently exhibited 3 etchings fom my ptint making cass at Art by the Ferry.  it was an interesting experience- artists of all kinds exhibited their work for 2 days as part of a festival. a wide range of different art forms some of them quite good.here's a shot of mein front of my work taken by another class member. i also just signed up for the SAW art retreat for september-5 days and 4 nights in new hampshire making art. i'm really excited about it-it's my first art retreat ever, and i've been wanting to go forever! until next time-brigid.

memorial day 2011

 lhi friends
let's remember all those
who laid down their lives
because they thought
they were paving the way
for freedom for those
who don't live with the privileges we do.
let's remember the ones
they left behind
the wives the sons and daughters
the mothers and fathers
who died too with their loved ones
on all those empty battlefields,
often not knowing why
they were sent to their deaths
or if the purpose was worth
the dradful price they paid.

what would happen
if all over the world
people and nations
put down their bombs and their guns
and their weapons of mass destruction
and just said no we don't want to fight anymore.
enough with the childish war games
we choose to live and let live
we choose peace and love and harmony
and don't want anymore memorial days
of our collective guilt,of our abominable hate
of our petty arguments
and thirst for blood and power?

why can't we have a memorial day
for those who choose life over death
friendship over enmity
peace over all the useless wars
fought for all the wrong reasons
by young men and women
who haven't even had a chance to live
before they met their deaths.
why can't we behave like civilized adults
instead of like petulant children?

be that as it may,
if there's one grain of truth
in the fact that they died
for somebodies freedom
and not for the pipelines
that hold our precious oil
i salute ther naivite and thei bravery
for all those who still fight
and for all those who went before
i wish for a peaceful and meaningful memorial day.

a day to remember and others to follow

hi friends-this morning i woke up at 530 to drive alex #1 son and ian 1 &and ;only husband to the airport where they flew fom n.j. to dallas and from dallas to la to spend a week among the weak andwonderful california brothers and sisters.today i got to hang arounnd with chris-something ian does weekly without complaint, and i;m a harried mess eating everything un sight,thinking of drinking although i haven't had a drink in 17 years an it's now 700 pm too early for bed ... i never got to finish this post-it's now may3 and i'm all alone until saturday, the 7th i didn't  know i would miss them so much. i feel like a lost child, wandering through the house, talking to myself.-i thought i would relish the time alone and get alot of art done, but it's torture to get myself into the studio and when i'm there i kind of flit from one thing to another, unable to commit. one thing i did notice is that even if i'm just flitting i physically need time to do art or else i  get  antsy as i did when i had to watch chris on my own for two days without any me time.may 9th- made it through the week and back to work on a lovely monday afternoon with not a care in the world.seriously things could be a lot worse - igot my boys back and my daughter's coming home for summer break this week.and i get to make a little art every now and again and rumour has it june is just around the corner.happy days brigid.