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!

Welcome to the Newark Art Scene...

Tonight my friend Kim Miles opened her elegant studio/gallery "Gallery of Dreams" and she has created an environment of sophistication and elegance. Kim and I first met when we traveled to Greece to paint with Anita Miller and to study the art of plein aire. I am wishing her a blessed opening and she has her own style of working in oils and home decorations. I was hoping to see Anita Miller at the opening but I had worked until almost 7 in the studio in preparation for the installation of the Paper Moon photo shoot. Priscilla Rink has worked extremely hard in preparation for this endeavor...we want to do a great job and still offer a good evening of family fun. I came home on this cool Autumn night to discover that our furnace has pooped out..$3000.00 worth but hopefully we can make the proper choice and have the new furnace installed as soon as possible. Cuddle time for all of us tonight to keep warm and cozy...even the dog and the cat :O)!

I worked on a small collaborative moleskin journal this afternoon and a restyled tee shirt for the Fall harvest Festival ...it is really a necessity because I somehow stained the front with Lord knows what so I am making a batty impressionistic style fun shirt to wear on October 23. Priscilla made her lists for tomorrow and what she will need for tomorrow. We tasted her skeleton cookies and I am planning on baking some small bite size morsels to have for the children snack tasters for the Halloween fun. Tomorrow Priscilla is creating a life size Pumpkin costume for an afternoon "paid" art adventure. I really do wish you all could meet Priscilla in person.... she is just a very creative person in her every day life. The journal project is inspired by The Notebook Project with Moleskin and it is a way to savor my short but precious visit with Mary and JoAnn. They are very deep into the Art Quilt Network Fall Retreat so it was so nice to have a day and a night with them.

My grief is heavy on my heart but with work and the help of kind kind friends I am honoring Christine by making my art and the process visible. I met with a social worker today with the possibility working with a young 8th grader in the Arts as a way of gently empowering her to recognize her own strengths. I won't know until later but it looks like I will have private one on one art time with her on Tuesday afternoons. I plan to have hot teas and cookies each afternoon to ease her into a trusting environment and hopefully create some beautiful sacred marks. I hope the powers that be will find my arrangements and costs to be affordable and doable for the mental health agency. Helping a wounded young woman is exactly what Christine would have wanted me to do...be the change I would like to see in this sometimes toxic society. I am leaving something out of my busy day but I am really tired tonight. May you be blessed in your works as an artist and Imagine and Live in peace. Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

Wednesday October 13...the cycle of life...

On Monday I told you about the installation of the Prayer for the Maasai quilt for the John and Christine Warner Library at Ohio State University here in Newark. What I did not say was I went to visit the dear lady who made the decision to purchase my quilt for her library....Christine Warner Powell. I had a special hand inscribed book of my poetry I had wanted to hand deliver. Christine has been in precarious health lately and I had attempted to visit her in her home for a couple weeks. Christine was sleeping when I arrived but the housekeeper said she would be sure to give her the book when you woke up...but Christine was very ill. I said my goodbyes and noticed the lone walker in the garage doorway ...I began to cry...human life is extremely fragile and I knew there was a reason I needed to deliver this book ...today. The salty tears stung my cheeks as I drove to ...the direction of my studio but decided to stop by our bank...I wanted the president to know if I was needed for anything...I was available to Christine in any and all ways. I was beginning my grief as I knew instinctively Christine was going home. Christine was a remarkable woman... a farm girl who worked extremely hard during her life and has donated to Denison University, our local YMCA, the million dollar library for our Newark OSU campus complete with fireplaces and comfortable furniture for the students and every luxury a college student might need to make their way through their college years. Christine supports the theaters and The Works ...education for everyone and the possibilities for a better future for our community in Licking county. Christine died in her home at one o clock am this morning.... and there have been tears in our community all day long...but also there has been laughter and joyful memories of Christine outgoing love and appreciation for the diverse families here in our community...our state....our country and our Mother Earth! Farewell dear friend...you have inspired me to be a strong woman, working visibly as a working artist in my community and to find as many ways to give back to the lives of all generations here in my hometown. My heart is heavy but I spent my moments in the sunlight and embracing the moment honoring my special friend Christine Warner Powell.

Today I shared the colors of Autumn with two artists from Naples, FL...Mary Bartrop and JoAnn Carlson. They are in Ohio to attend the Fall Retreat for the Art Quilt Network but arrived early to spend a day and a night with Ken and I. We have been friends since 1990...and over the distance of miles and decades we have remained close and shared our art journeys and family trials and tribulations. I am blessed by sweet friends who bless my life through thick and thin... "the secret of life is enjoying the passage of time"...thank you James Taylor . Mary encouraged me to feel the grief and express my loss and sorrow...she understood my loss because she lost her beloved Jerry a few years back. The three of us went down to the studio and then went down to Dawes Arboretum so they could capture some beautiful color from the Fall glorious landscapes. They headed over to Columbus for their hotel and an early reception for the artists arriving tonight.

Ken and I had a quiet dinner and moved to complete our tasks of the evening...school work for Ken and laundry for our family. I have rested and rejoiced that the miners in Chile have been rescued and reunited with their loved ones. The world dramas continue on and my heart is saddened to know that I will not see Christine's delightful smile here on earth again...but she will live in heart until my last breath. I hope you enjoy some of the photos. Tell the ones you love ...you love them today! Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

10-11-2010...celebrating our 24th anniversary...

The sun is shining and the leaves are brilliant in color and seem to be cheering us all on! Twenty four ago I married my best friend. Yes as all couple do we have had the hills and valleys of our lives but I am blessed to have met and married a man I respect, love and can still laugh with. God Bless you Mr. Ken...you have given me Grace and strength that I did not know I had inside of me. May God bless and keep us safe and healthy ...we have so much living to do. "You don't marry the man you can Live with----you marry the person who you cannot live without!" Thank you sweet sexy Ken for twenty four fabulous years!

I went over to Ohio State University to the John and Christine Warner Library to see my "prayer for the Maasai " quilt installed over the Connie Baldwin fireplace mantle. There were students studying and I felt the generous reception of the OSU staff and faculty. I forgot my camera at the studio so tomorrow I will post the images.

i also had to buy a new battery for my 1988 Geo Metro...I was just praying it would start and stop each time I had to make a new direction in my day. I stopped by my friendly Walmart and a young man...Ryan worked me into his schedule and in about 45 minutes I was on my way to have dinner with my Ken. I hope you all have had a glorious day...are the trees of Autumn speaking to you? In yesterdays post I shared a linen paper I had painted to the whispers of the wind's gentle breezes...the restlessness has eased in my soul... paint will set you FREE! Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

ten-ten-ten...this just sounds melodic...

I had a lot of rearranging to do for my guests arriving on Tuesday from Naples, Florida. But tomorrow I will head over to Ohio State University John and Christine Warner's Library and Student Center here in Newark, Ohio to help them install the Prayer for the Maasai Warrior Quilt in the student center. The time is early in the day and I have to get my medications to cooperate with me but this is a special honor for myself and my family in my hometown.

I am still experiencing the effects of the toxic cleaner in my eyes, throat and head. I did routine laundry and went outside in the warmth of Indian Summer and sat on the back step of our cabin. We had rented "Babies" from Netflix and it is the film that will capture your heart especially if you are a grandparent. I plan on working on some slow cloth tonight to settle my restlessness. Do you notice that if you fail to fill your creative vessel you soon discover an uneasy restlessness...be it painting..knitting...stitching or sorting mother of pearl buttons for adornment and embellishing your latest dream. "Art Wish" are two words I have laying on my studio table and it helps me to remember to make a wish each morning and be grateful for the time I have to create.

"The reason old souls enjoy spending time alone, is because they never really are" Love from invisible friends

Michelle Channel created this little illuminated Unicorn for one of her COTC assignments...just lovely and there is a sense of grace in her hand work. Great job!

Indian Summer in my small community....

Friday I was proud to attend the Citizen of the Month luncheon for Newark City Schools for October 2010...and our Maya Rose was chosen to represent her Cherry Valley Elementary. Tina Marie was student of the month..well it seems like yesterday. Now her first born was sitting at table 5 with her Mother and her principal and her principal from last year plus members from our community bank Park National and State Farm Insurance. She walked into the room wearing a new outfit with tiny sparkles and purple and black designs. My eyes teared up when I realized how beautiful she is inside and out and how quickly she is growing up. We had a pizza and salad buffet with fresh chocolate chip cookies! The Newark high school "Swing Band" performed with show tunes and dance routines...Maya Rose was mesmerized and would someday enjoy being on stage in high school. In 90 minutes the lunch was ended but I felt a sense of pride to see Tina and Maya enter their car to return to a normal schedule. God bless you Maya Rose for blessing my life.

I rushed back to the Studio to meet dear friends Jimmy Acord and Susie Shie's newest family member Miss Libby Rose...an eight week old... double doodle...I am not sure what this means in the new breed that is quickly becoming a family favorite pet. She was asleep on Susie's lap in the courtyard and looked like a living teddy bear...cuddled with her new mommy. She was already missing her brothers and sisters but would soon realize she was in good hands and her life would be full of puppy joys. I can hardly wait to them all again. God bless this new family!

Dalale Hall came in to photograph her paintings and had concerns about the two paintings that seemed to shift with truck or firetruck vibrations. I advised her that she should shorten the wire on the back and that I would type up the labels and mount them on black card stock for a professional and unified appearance. Priscilla Rink brought in the Paper Moon Poster which I will frame next Monday and display outside the studio gate for further marketing communications.

Today I was to have a student in for a private lesson in drawing and make some plans for further possibilities ..but she did not make it. It may have been a good thing because when I opened the door I was knocked over by an strong egg smell and thought we had a gas leak. I called over to the the main desk and Tyler our maintenance man informed me that he had cleaned the steps up to the COTC classrooms with a highly toxic cleaner that was meant to be used only in the open area...muric acid. Tyler worn a ventilator and a Haz mat suit to protect him but his shoes/boots that had been splashed were now burning holes in the leather. Where is the EPA when you need them??? Michelle and her daughter arrived to help me move outdoors under the shade of the trees on a beautiful afternoon to make painting pages for further projects. We worked for a couple hours but when I entered the gallery hall to use the bathroom I was greeted by the burning in my eyes and throat...eventually I had a full blown headache. We walked down to Wendy's for lunch and came back to have a "Quick" lesson for how I can learn to use a laptop donated by her husband. Well to make a long story short ...I am not very quick about anything to do with the computer world! In the end we made a few steps forward and I will have access to the Internet and email with this much needed tool. God bless you all for bringing me into a more cohesive approach to making this studio more accessible. Yahoo!

I now have the Paper Moon postcards in the studio to share with the community...thank you Priscilla. She was heading home to make her third skeleton costume for Alex and his two best buds! Two weeks to the big Harvest Day of Fun! I hope you all have had a wonderful relaxing weekend in the sunshine! Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart