Today I went to witness our future...thanks to some incredible teachers

This afternoon I visited our local high school to attend their annual student art exhibit. I have several samples in my photographs...so hopefully you will enjoy a brief visit into the works and sacred marks of young artists. They have developed an appreciation for their favorite known artists and listened to the gentle guidance of their dedicated teachers. Take a moment to enjoy the view...their chocolate m&m cookies were very good also. Bravo! Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart


Which image spoke to you? I wish more parents would have been able to see this year of works. Art Saves Lives!

This blog is for you Billie and Jake and ...a very dear 87 year old musician

Today we have had an incredible day in the studio. It was COTA day so there were many schools closed so that the teachers could attend professional meetings. I was blessed to have many families come into the studio to see what is happening. Priscilla and Randy and their canine companion George brought in The Paper Moon installation. I met two adorable little boys named Billie and Jake who came in with their wonderful grandparents for a day of exploration at The Works! They have a blog and I promised them I would put their photo up tonight and check out their blog and become a friend! Little Jake wanted pertinent information...how old are you? how much do you weigh? I told him I was 60 but heaven will freeze before I disclose my weight! They were delightful and had wonderful questions and made my heart smile! I hope you enjoy the photos guys and will come back to visit me when you are in town.

Ken worked on my computer to add an anti-virus program and made it easier to get to my Outlook Express. I felt loved and spoiled because we were able to share the day together...working together to prepare for the Paper Moon experience next Saturday! We had lunch together and in the middle of the afternoon we had ice cream... this is a treat for me. I am living the Life I ordered. Life is crazy though because Ken's car was in the shop all day and the heater will not go off...and yes we are needing a new furnace and it will be installed next Wednesday...but at least we can work to pay for a new furnace and have a roof over our heads.

Tonight I worked for the Midland Theater for an incredible inspirational musician...87 years young Doc Watson. Doc was blinded by the age of one and worked hard his whole life. He was blessed with an incredible talent for finger-picking and flat-picking . He also plays a hot harmonica and the banjo. Tonight he played with David Hoyt, Richard Watson...Merle's son and Mike ...sorry I cannot remember his last name but they have traveled together over the decades. I am still walking on air...I felt as if I was in the presence of our National Treasure in the life this gentle man has lived! Doc host the world's largest acoustic music festival in Wilkesboro, North Carolina including folk, bluegrass, blues and old time music genres. Art truly saves Lives! A new biography "Blind But Now I See" by Kent Gustafson was just published and I will be checking out Amazon as soon as we get the furnace paid for. I wish you all a wonderful weekend and enjoy the beautiful colors painting our landscapes here in Ohio. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

p.s. Tomorrow I will share the treasures I received from Thelma Eddy...wonderful treasures that were saved from her mother's sewing box. Buttons, laces, buckles and oh so much more!

Matthew was our Miracle Worker....

I attended my very cool summer of magic...Weathervane Playhouse and purchased the remainder of the season's productions ...tonight The Miracle Worker...The Producers....Alice in Wonderland and the finale is ...Hairspray!!!!. I am sitting in the front row seat 105 center stage so I have perfect seats to take in the best of our theater's offerings. My little friend Alivia McKenzie...a first grader who dreams to dance and act and make ART... had a small part in the cast of the blind school children where Anne Sullivan graduated to becoming a teacher. This was a wonderful production and dedicated to Matthew Trombetta's hard work, passion and vigorous approach to making a LIFE! The play is a extremely physical and I was exhausted just sitting so close to the stage. The theater is a very intimate place but I will have to find out how many seats there actually are but everyone has a wonderful view and this year Thanks to Matthew we have air conditioning for the very first time. There is a special gathering after the opening nights but if I try to go to the service tomorrow I need to get to get home and to bed. There is a small crescent of the moon...and I was once told that this image of the moon is "the thumbnail of God". I find myself comforted by this metaphor of God holding us all together tonight and for the many nights when we will need comforting because we are missing Matthew. He is so loved!

As I made my way home I found a young woman in distress in the middle of the road leading back to my house...she was crying hysterically and attempting to pick up her belongings from the street and put them back into her purse. I asked her if I could take her home and to get into my car...of course my front seat was a disaster. My neighbor's daughter pulled up behind me and offered to help "Star" also. In a flash the abusive boyfriend reappeared and the young distraught woman jumped out of the car and ran toward his silver Intrepid...I called after her that this was an abusive relationship and we could help her and take her home safely. Nina and I decided to pray and hope that she would make it home safe...why does this young woman think she deserves this abandonment technique to keep her under his control. Now I hope I will be able to sleep! Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

Final Fridays...scarecrows...Kathy Anderson's opening and Goodnight Gracie

Friday was an incredibly busy and began with lunch with my daughter. We had a brief...too brief for both of us and shared the week's events and the gran children's escapades. I watched her cross the parking lot and saw what a lovely young woman she has grown to be. Like she will tell you we may not always agree on things but we do love one another. Thank you for my delicious lunch and time to be with you once again.

I began my volunteering at the Midland Theater with the opening of a one man show "goodnight Gracie". The life, laughter and love of these two incredible human beings: George Burns and Gracie Allen filled the room with laughter one moment and tears in the next. Their love story between an Irish Catholic young woman and a very industrious Jewish man made quite an impression on me and it was such a joy to be able to contribute to to the cherished treasure we are privileged to have in our own backyard. I loved the generations of loving couples in the audience as they held hands and chuckled through the performance. There was radiance in the room with the green velvet seats and the intimacy shared in this theater is one of those moments that has become a memory for my mind and heart. I look forward to my next opportunity to volunteer for this priceless establishment for joy, education and the theatrical arts here in our hometown Newark!

It was Final Fridays in downtown Newark also and the square was decorated with 20 individual scarecrows and even the horse drawn carriage ride was bestowed with the straw energies. The businesses were open late and all the galleries enjoyed the strolling crowds as people drifted in and out of establishments. Since April the community of the downtown association have worked incredibly hard to encourage everyone to discover the wonderful establishments to shop and be inspired on the courthouse square. Each month has a theme that encourages families to come on down and explore their own hometown. I am planning on working on a snowman to begin years (hopefully) of Snowman displays to help us all get into a real Holiday Spirit and purchase gifts for our loved ones from the businesses on the square. With the courthouse lighting celebration it seems that everything is progressing nicely!!! Bravo to our hard working NDA and the Licking County Cultural Alliance!

A very talented and hard working young woman Kathy Anderson had an opening night at the Argyle Gallery with some new impressive landscapes. The colors and brushstrokes have progressed and display a new mastery of her convictions. The local is familiar but her intensity and passion is shown in each intimate view of our life here in Licking county. You have truly inspired me to pick up my brushes again and place my heart's views out loud. Thank you for your dedication and support throughout the years.

I visited a dear friend Joyce Dupler this afternoon in the rehab unit. Yesterday I just learned she had suffered a stroke in her home and we spent the afternoon discussing the dedication she would need to keep and maintain her strength so she could return to her passion for the Arts, she has taught many of the watercolorists here in Licking County and her paintings are treasured and collected by many in the area. I met her daughter Dawn and her beloved Riley... her granddaughter as they came in later in the day and saw the smile come back to Joyce's eyes. Be strong and Brave so you can return to your dear friends who love you. (Plus we need to go down to see the LCA and Kathy's newest works at Argyles Gallery.)

I piddled around the house today and Ken enjoyed his Buckeyes 30-0 over Illinois...sorry Mr. Don; I think you both had a good time "talking the talk" during and after this game. I went to JoAnn's and got a new embroidery resource book that I am hoping to dive into tonight in order to expand my skills and tools on my fiber diaries and journals for next May exhibit. Have a restful weekend and tomorrow I am having a live chat with Pokey Bolton from Quilting Arts and Cloth, Paper, Scissors so I want to review her latest magazines so I can ask and learn from her generous spirit and years of experience. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart