Cedar Lee May 12th, 2008

I haven’t gotten much painting done lately, mainly because of my two jobs on-the-side (installing art shows at the local arts center and babysitting a little girl.) Both jobs are fun and rewarding, but I’m glad that they are extremely part-time affairs, because I’m feeling the need to spend some serious focused time at the easel.

I have managed to spend enough time painting that I’ve nearly finished the 6′ x 4′ tree I’ve been working on. I’ll put the finishing touches on tomorrow, if all goes well, and I should have it photographed so you can all see it later this week. The huge canvas is taking up my whole studio.

I’ve also been putting together a project that I’m really happy about–within the next couple weeks I will have ArtByCedar Magnet Sampler Packs for sale! Each sampler pack will include 6 different refrigerator magnets, each one featuring one of my favorite tree paintings from my “Looking Up” series.

These magnets are large–about the size of a postcard. They’ll come in an attractive little gift box, so you could give the whole set as a gift, or you could keep your favorites and give out the rest individually to friends and family.

These sampler packs will retail for $19.99 apiece. I’ll be offering free shipping to my blog subscribers. If you know you’ll want several, let me know so I can reserve them for you.

In other news, I cut my hair short for the first time in many, many years. The new hairstyle is really growing on me (no pun intended!)

Last week I made a new necklace. The beads are made of lapis lazuli, iolite, black onyx, sterling silver, and wood.

My garden is really coming along! I think it’ll be pretty spectacular this summer–I’m going to enjoy harvesting tomatoes and peppers in the sunshine, with the scent of herbs and flowers all around me.

Next week I’m getting a wisdom tooth, possibly two, extracted. I’ve never had any kind of dental surgery before (I’ve never even had a cavity as an adult) and I’ve heard horror stories from people I know. I’m absolutely terrified and filled with dread. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Next month I’ll be taking a trip to North Carolina. I’ll be at the Twigs & Leaves Gallery in Waynesville all day on Saturday, June 21, in conjunction with an “Art Walk” event happening in the town that day. I’ll be doing painting demonstrations and talking about my work with all the art lovers passing through.

In July, my family is having a huge reunion in the mountains of Tennessee. I’ve been in charge of planning the whole thing from the beginning, and it’s been a lot more work than I expected, but the plans seem to be coming together nicely and I’m really looking forward to it!

In August, I’m going to Ohio for a week to scout out some galleries. While I’m at it, I’ll be attending a contra dance weekend at a boy scout camp in Indiana with a friend. Then in September, if all goes according to plan, my husband and I will be going to West Virginia for a 3-day whitewater rafting and camping trip with a group of our buddies.

I’ve been doing a workout routine and actually sticking to it, and I feel great! My arms are definitely less noodley than they were a few weeks ago.

• Art By Cedar Merchandise , Art Gallery Representation , Art Studio , Garden , Jewelry
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Cedar Lee September 17th, 2007

Here is a new painting, a commission. This is Buddy, a sweet canine soul who passed away several months ago and is dearly missed by his family. I could tell by looking at his photo that he was indeed a great “buddy.”

Buddy 16″ x 12″ Acrylic on Canvas

It’s a sad fact of life that dogs don’t live as long as people…they are such good friends to us and it is so hard to lose them when they die. But for the time that we have them with us, they make things better in so many ways.

On a recent trip to WNC (Western North Carolina) to drop off new artwork at my gallery in Waynesville, my husband and I took my little brother and sister and some of their friends camping for a night. My husband took this photo of my youngest brother (16 years my junior) with our dog, Clara.

How could I not be a dog person?

I want to share one more picture with you. I worked for a jewelry company for many years before I went full-time with my painting, and I still design a lot of my own jewelry. Here is a necklace I designed for my friend Leann, to wear on her wedding day. It’s made of freshwater pearls, garnet, black onyx, swarovski crystal, and sterling silver. (Her dress is going to be white with black and red accents.)

September 20th will be the 10-year anniversary of the day I met my husband, Kevan!
And the 23rd is the autumnal equinox!

It is really starting to feel like autumn now, where I live. The air has been cool and clear, the sun and the blue sky have taken on that crisp, intensely bright quality, and more and more trees are starting to change color. There’s been a cool breeze, and I’ve been listening to my wind chimes. Change is literally in the air.

In anticipation of colder weather, I did a little research and discovered a new & superior way of making hot chocolate. You won’t see me using any of those silly cocoa mixes this winter. I’ll be getting bricks of high-quality dark chocolate, grating them, and melting them in a pot of milk (or soymilk) with cinnamon and a dash of cayenne for that Aztec punch.

Sorry for the lack of updates lately…I’ve been seriously neglecting my blog. The combination of a business trip, automotive woes, home improvement projects, re-evaluation of finances, and hosting of a party on top of all my usual work & home responsibilites has put “updating my website” on the back-burner these past weeks. But it’s temporary. (I think.)

• Delicious Food & Drink , Jewelry , New Works: Portraiture , Pets
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