Tea for Tuesdays...iced Raspberry diet tea with plenty of ice...

I have spent the day in the studio and worked on my first month's income and sales....I am one quarter short for the next month's rent. I am so grateful to all who have come in to support me and the hugs just keep on coming. I put up the new labels by Hayley's paintings and the article is still bringing new visitors in to see her works. I also had an antique oak bar from a lawyer's receiving room...martini time was a vital ritual in their daily schedule... and even though it needs some sanding and a new finish topcoat ...I think it is beautiful with all it's rustic historical presence. I worked on my beginnings for a collage for a cancer fund raiser but alas I did not get too far in the process...several patrons came in to pick up their books and see the studio space and to catch up on all the latest excitement. I am totally amazed at how quickly this month flew by...my next month I am hoping to get more time to create my own works...I am itching to work on a the canvas I need to gesso. Somehow when you apply the gesso it makes me feel as if I am on my way...one step at a time.

Ken has a long day tomorrow with open house for the parents so tonight we headed for our little favorite Ruby Tuesday to just collapse and relax with one another. I then headed over to pick up Ken's medications and finish the grocery shopping before the weekend...it is a holiday so everyone will want to Grill just one more time. The weather is supposed to be great...we have two 85 year old friends getting married on Saturday with a Sunday morning brunch at the Country Club to celebrate. In the afternoon Dawes Arboretum has their Bluegrass and Barbecue
all day festival...I am hoping Ken and I can get down there and enjoy the music and special treats from the grills in our town . The symphony is also playing later in the afternoon with fireworks at dusk. It is becoming a special way to enjoy Nature and the Arts and close down the summer of 2010 here in Licking County. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart


Time to get a new license...Yikes

The morning began very early....

The morning began very early in the Spalding household. Lyndon Allen was up with his Mommy have a midnight snack at 2:45 am...Morgan woke up at 3:00 am and needed to find her pacifier until she went to sleep...and then she woke up for the day at 5:30 am and was ready to rock and roll. Erin was also up with the baby so we enjoyed the early morning mist and a hot cup of coffee as Erin fed her little man. Morgan then decided she would like to nurse also but that did not fly with her mother. She then busied herself with her old baby car seat and decided to reacquaint herself and sit in it once again. This small tableau was very amusing to witness as she amused herself for about 20 minutes. Then she was off to another distraction until she could play in the baby wing with her big brother. The last 24 hours have been totally unforgettable and I want to hold onto the soft little bundle of baby boy in my arms. This young couple, Erin and Chance are growing into wonderful parents and some how I want them to realize these are the most important moments in the lives they are giving their children. I felt a sadness when I headed back to Newark...I wanted to hold this moment forever and the realization that this is one of the happiest moments in my life as a wife, mother and now a grandmother. Thank you for all my blessings.

I came home, had a quick shower and headed down to the studio. Another artist came in and we sat down to make plans to work together in my outreach plans for this fall. Abby is a willing and able artist who is hoping to assist ... and her small miracle son sat on her lap quietly and enjoyed vanilla wafers and coloring as we made plans for a couple upcoming projects. The sun was shining brightly as the day in the studio came to a close. I went to the grocery to pick up a small chicken and fresh salad fixings for a quick and cooling dinner to catch up with the days events and rest. Yes I am tired but it is a good tired. I am hearing the whispers from my mother's gentle voice and I do wish she could be here with me to see the grand babies grow up...I miss her warmth and support but I keep a framed photo of her in my workspace as a gentle reminder that she is still here with me. I am blessed. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

Sleep is over rated...but I do know why God gives young people the privilege of being parents.

Matissa Pizza...party to play with colors and shapes

Tonight Ken and I went to a wonderful Art party to make Matissa Pizza Art party. With wonderful foods and wonderful people you could not go wrong!!! Ken and I played and created several images that would delight the soul of the child in all of us. I will share photos later. I came home and put together a beef roast dinner with all the fixings for Erin's coming home dinner from the hospital with Baby Lyndon Allen. I am about to fall asleep so this will have to be a short post but my words are totally inadequate when I try to express the joy in my heart today!

Hayley's article in today's newspaper caught the attention of several of the people in our community. She is a graceful spirit and the show as you can see on this short video ended up being a true celebration of the human heart. Her parents and grandparents were so proud and by 9 pm I was trying to shoe the guests home and out the door. By the time we cleaned up we were out the door by 9:30. Yes I know I need to slow down but I am so proud to be able to experience this first gallery opening in Whispers and Echoes ...Life just does not get any better. Have a very relaxing weekend. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

blessings from all around...

I am tired but in a good way...the world has been blessed with a new little angel and my daughter is doing fine. I went over on Wednesday to sleep at the house and spend some quiet time with Erin as she prepares me for the "waiting" with Cole and Morgan. Erin is so prepared...she made their favorites ...tiny pancakes with fresh fruit for breakfast and pretzel dogs for the lunch and plenty of Ovaltine for their milk. I made macaroni and cheese and cut up strawberries to add to their menu right after Erin left for the hospital. She has a special dino egg that when placed into the pitcher of water...72 hours later when the baby dinosaur hatches Mommy will come home. Grandpa picked us up after his school day and we all got ready to go up to the hospital and meet our new baby. We found Daddy and went to the nursery to see the new babies...the children can not read yet but I found Lyndon Allen right away ...all 7 pounds 13 ounces and 21 inches long and a head of black hair. I teared up right away as we waited for Mommy to go through her after surgery check and routine vital reports. We walked into the room and Cole climbed up into the bed by his Mother...he is old enough to understand all the hospital routines and was missing his Mother very much. Morgan climbed up into Nana's arms and sucked on her beloved pacifier as she attempted to understand what all the fuss was about. Both sets of grandparents, an uncle and his girlfriend, Cole and Morgan and the various nursing staff crowded the recovery room and Mom was totally at peace as she began the feeding Lyndon Allen. We went down to the cafeteria and had dinner to celebrate the day with an assortment of dinner entrees. As we walked out into the parking lot Morgan noticed a sculpture of a woman holding a small child..."Momma"... Morgan is a so observant. They did not go to sleep on the drive home but when we entered the house we put Morgan into her new diaper and pajamas and she went to sleep as soon as Ken put her down. Daddy came home to change his clothes and he put Cole down for the night and all is well in the Spalding household. I was very tired but feeling so blessed. Nana was coming over in the morning so the guard would change and I could go and prepare for the Final Friday Art Walk under a full Harvest moon. I will report later on the opening with a short video Ken put together for me. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

Listen to me...

Rumi wrote "Listen to me...for one quiet moment quit being sad...Hear the blessings dropping their blossoms around us. " Today as I prepare for Hayley's first art opening and delivering the postcards to other galleries and specific locations on the downtown square to celebrate Final Fridays Art Walk for August 2010. The weather should be spectacular and a full Harvest moon also know as a Sturgeon Moon will light our path as we casually stroll around our court house square. The Chop House is all bright and shiny and very near its grand opening... in fact there is a fund raiser tonight for our theater...The Midland Theater.

Hayley's exhibit is opening from 6 to 8 pm at the Whispers and Echoes Studio located at 50 South Second Street in the Works across from The Grill. Hayley has volunteered this summer in both of my week long art workshops and I am very proud to share her paintings with our community. There are titles that will give you some clues but Hayley deliberately hides messages and metaphors in her compositions and at her very young age she has begun mastery of her stylized brush strokes. The Final Friday Art Walk is a wonderful family experience so come downtown and discover the talents that are being developed here in our hometown. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

Iced tea with a young student.....

I was fortunate enough to work with a wonderful 11 year old volunteer this summer during the art workshops at The Works. She shared a special secret wish...she wanted to paint onto a real canvas and create something with her identity ...for her bedroom. So I invited her over to spend a little time with me on the last day before she heads back to middle school tomorrow. We began around 11:30 and we worked together one on one until 3:30 pm when I had to prepare to go to my board meeting at the Fraley Bed and Breakfast in Granville at 4:00. What a lovely and restful way to have a board meeting ...outside on the lawn under tents with fresh fruits and silky smooth homemade brownies. Sorry I digress... it has been a hectic busy day. I will include several photos of this young woman's sacred marks and delightful smiles as we went through the process. During this time...somehow my office door closed and locked with my purse and keys inside the office...Yikes. No one had an extra office key so I had to call a locksmith who I knew from a few years ago. He tried...he tried... and realized the door jam itself was off and even with the key the lock would not release. I can not live this way with fear that it will happen again so he worked to remove some askew parts from the defective door and I could get in more easily. It did cost me $30.00 and I was frustrated but I did tell Justin and Tyler the maintenance men and well we will see what tomorrow brings. You can not let these crazy things interrupt the flow of youthful optimism and glee in making her own creation.

Tomorrow I am going to the studio to clear away our remnants and attempt to get everything in order ...Thursday I will be in Columbus to watch over Cole and Morgan while Mommy and Daddy go to the hospital to have a new member of our family arrive here on Mother Earth. On Friday morning I need to get the fresh foods and fruits and wine and drinks for the opening and set up the table and such for refreshments. Whew this is exciting and crazy at the same time!!! Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

what really matters...on Monday and everyday

Ultimately what really matters is a courageous spirit...and a generous heart. I received this little note from a teacher friend today and it makes me smile with the joy that I am of doing what I truly love. I am going to finish the final touches on putting the little wall hangings for Abby and Zoe. I went to the bank to sign another form for the business and made a deposit to cover my rent...two classes and two more books!!! WooHoo! I am paying the rent. We hung Hayley's paintings on the brick wall and the studio is alive with her youth and colorful, intriguing assemblages and paintings. The postcards arrived to day but her name was misspelled so we immediately ordered new ones hopefully for Friday's opening. I am ordering the cheeses and wine and pop and Hayley's Mother and Aunt have ordered cookies and will be baking for the Friday night celebration. I want her to be excited and feel how much we appreciate her new adventures in making her way in the world of Art.

I went to Michaels and picked up some clearance letters...metal this time...make art for a future assemblage with my name and focus. I need to deliver the press to have a piece that is broken welded by my biker boys around the corner...I would like to get some small printing workshops going but in totally non-toxic inks and affordable papers. Eventually I want to create some "junk mail" hand made papers and work with some layering effects to enhance the designs and textures. I discovered a new ...2009 book on making transfers with just about everything you can possibly imagine. Image Transfer Workshop by Darlene Olivia McElroy and Sandra Duran Wilson. The second treasure to read this week is Ruth Rae's Layered,Tattered and Stitched... another wealth of intimate exercises...cards, dolls, assemblages and aprons. The finishing touches are photographed and explained very clearly for even the novices wanting to add textural design elements. Cas Holmes 's The Found Object in Textile Art is a new publication infused with knowledge and techniques from a well known and renowned textile artist. Cas uses found objects to combine a mixed media approach to making her artful marks. She encourages a well recorded sketch book with rubbings, found objects, compositional proposals for transforming her works daily...she is always evolving and shares her experiences generously with her readers.

Well I need to get upstairs to in home studio with my home...yes I am still relocating and reorganizing to move down to the Whispers studio. I hope you will look into some of what I have shared tonight...I need to research an artist from the early part of the 1900's for a visitor...has anyone heard of Tanner Fox? It is a long shot but this gentleman is elderly and not familiar with the powers of the Internet...but neither am I. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

The lady is black and white is my friend Nancy from Melbourne , Australia stopping by to catch up on what I have been up to. She came in special to see my quilts but I hinted she would see a lovely printmaker's work in the exhibit at the Art Works Gallery.

Saturday and Hayley's exhibit is up and glowing....

The last twenty four hours have been incredibly busy and there is so much to complete before next Friday. Monday I need to go back to the bank and sign a form I forgot to complete...today I received two letters from the president and the vice president of my new professional banking collaboration. I know...well, I think this is a real honor and I am moved by their generosity and loving support. Tuesday I need to attend the board meeting to conclude some summer visitor business and maybe invite them to have a meeting in the future at the studio. Wednesday I will finish up the readiness for the opening on Friday night and make my final lists for foods and wine and drinks and to be packed for my night of grandparent duty as we will watch the two little ones while Erin and Chance prepare for the upcoming Cesarean and the birth of their third child on Thursday. On Thursday afternoon we will all go up to have dinner at the hospital and introduce Cole and Morgan to the new baby and reassure them to see their Mom and Dad. On Friday morning Grandma Lauren will take over for the little ones for now and Saturday so I can be in Newark for the big Final Art Walk in downtown Newark. Hayley is coming after school to help set up and double check the labels and prices of her pieces. Saturday I will prepare meals to carry over to the new baby's house and watch the little ones until Monday when Momma is due to come home. Whew it is going to be a very busy week and please pray that we all stay healthy and calm through the passage of time. The circle of life and love is continuing to grow and flourish in our lives. I have included a few photos of the last steps in putting the exhibit together...I hope you enjoy the promise of tomorrow's new artist. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart