"spiced pumpkin" walls and sunny dreams....

Ken and I went in and painted the dry wall walls a beautiful spiced pumpkin color...we forgot out CD player and I ended up humming the theme from "Green Acres" from the old 1970's TV show. Do not ask me why because I truly do not know why or how it came into my brain. Thank God for Ken's gentle patience and the blue painters tape for edging the baseboards and door jams. I am thankful that the area of the walls was not overwhelming but it still took us almost four hours to prepare and trim and paint...then clean up the remainder of the brushes and paint tray. I then went to Goodwill and found two more hats and a couple of shelves to use in my office... I like saying my office...no one can push me to do it a different way unless I ask for help. What a brat I am? I think it goes back to being one of six children and a very small house and no one wanted to live with me when I was in the middle of process and messiness :O)!

Tonight I am trying to stay awake for the Bravo original series Work of Art/Next Great Artist. Two teams have to work together to create a public art space installation for the community to step into and relax in a creative space. Teams of four making a geometric shape develops into a critical time drain and maintaining stability is a larger problem to solve than the creative spirits will ever admit. Ego is often a overwhelming obstacle to completing a task...and this series is developing into a an ego competition. Physically the installations are curved with seating areas in a contained shaped space....and still be inviting for the viewers. One group actually created a cocoon of curves but one member of the group's personality continues to erupt into a disrupting energy. Rejections of one person's concept adds further complications. Spirals and organic rocks surround the living space opening up into the sky. Cooperation and collaboration become extremely vital for a completed focus and one negative voice seems to split the positive force of one group and time will tell how the final completion will come together. Stress is growing and the time schedule limits the amount of time the group has to complete and compromise for the final installation. The final two hours for completion their public art made me tense as the program come close to the finale. 30 minutes until the park opens to the public and the patched work structure has very little time for finishing touches. Time will tell how the actual evaluation will be made. I do find this 60 minutes of TV to be intriguing. In many ways I imagine a much more progressive sophisticated environment in the big city of New York as compared to the rural isolation I experience here in Newark, Ohio. But quietly I can hear my mother 's soft voice whispering to me...Bloom where you are planted... but never be afraid to travel to an unknown city or country so I can widen my lenses and expand my vision's focus.

I am including some art process photos of the dynamic Stewart Painting Crew working together to create a beautiful space for making sacred marks and standing still to think, sketch, create and play with child like abandonment in my studio space. Tomorrow I am walking through the gallery wit a very small group to retell my poetic narratives and then walk over to share the first visions of the new studio. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart