A Bittersweet Week 05/14/2012
Last week was bittersweet. I lost my beloved Daphne suddenly to kidney failure.  Tuesday evening the vet told me that her kidneys were failing. Thursday, Daphne died. She was an extraordinary companion to me. Only 2 weeks ago, I posted 12 Important Things I’ve learned from my dog Daphne. And although it feels like my heart is breaking, I am extremely grateful that she went peacefully.  Sole Survivor Art Gallery On a brighter note, last week Sole Survivor Art Gallery reviewed my artwork and invited me to be one of 18 artists represented there! Saturday, I returned to the gallery with 8 more map paintings (for a total of 12 paintings) – to be displayed in time for Art on the Square May 18-20!!  The weather was so lovely Saturday that I decided to walk along Main Street after dropping off my art. Just a few doors down from Sole Survivor Art Gallery, I was pleasantly surprised to see a display of luggage and maps in the windows of My Vintage Addiction! Inside were even more maps and globes! It was such an unexpected and delightful visual treat.  Though I miss Daphne immensely, I’m remaining positive, embracing my fond memories of her. And I’ll continue looking for and finding inspiration along the way...just as I did Saturday. Mary^ 24 Comments Friday Favorite: Amy Rice 05/04/2012
This Friday’s Feature artist is Amy Rice! I’ll take one of each from her Etsy Shop please! 
Needless to say, I love the way she uses maps and the positive messages her artworks convey. After reading more about her, I was also deeply touched by how her dog Ella was her greatest muse and continues to inspire her art. TGIF! Mary^ National Specially-abled Pets Day! 04/29/2012
 Thursday is National Specially-abled Pets Day! This holiday is recognized and celebrated annually every May 3rd! National Specially-abled Pets Day encourages adoption always and for people who would like to bring a new furry family member home, to consider a specially-abled pet.  Daphne and me! Many of you already know that I brought home my specially-abled, one-eyed dog Daphne nearly 7 years ago! But what most of you don’t know, is that Daphne lost her sight completely and suddenly last month. I had a much harder time adjusting than Daphne, so was unable to write about it until now. I will be eternally grateful to Karen Goodale and her wonderful website BlindDogs.net. Her dog Lucy is a Jack Russell Terrier that suddenly went totally blind the same way Daphne did – from SARDS (Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome) in September 2004.  Lucy! At the time, Lucy was just 2 ½ years old. Karen created her website after learning how often blind dogs that are otherwise perfectly healthy are put to sleep. Her hope is to make people aware of what happy and fulfilled lives blind dogs can still have! The website offers support and information to help other dog owners that are adjusting to life with a newly blind dog, or a dog that may slowly be losing their sight – and let us pet-parents know we are not alone! Most importantly, BlindDogs.net reminds us that blind dogs see with their hearts! I am also so very grateful for friends like Liz Thoresen. Liz is a wonderful portrait artist, and she created this beautiful pastel painting of Daphne for me.  ©2012 Liz Thoresen, Daphne I was so afraid when I first suspected that Daphne was losing her sight, but had only talked with family about my concerns. Yet somehow Liz seemed to know; that week in the mail I received a wonderful magazine article and note in the mail from Liz. The article was entitled Outta Sight! from the Winter 2010/11 issue of Modern Dog magazine. The note from Liz and magazine article really lifted my spirits. Since becoming completely blind, Daphne has adjusted quickly and amazingly well! She is such an inspiration to me…she always has been, but even more now than ever! Daphne’s blindness has been another journey, another learning experience, and the bond between us has only grown stronger, the trust between us even deeper. I wanted to share with you a few things Daphne has taught me. 12 Important Things I’ve learned from my dog Daphne: 1. Never give up! 2. Live in the present. 3. Never be embarrassed of showing enthusiasm and excitement. 4. Go for lots of walks. 5. Take lots of naps. 6. Don’t hold grudges. 7. Stick close to the people you love. 8. Find joy in the little things. 9. See with your heart, not just your eyes. 10. Listen carefully. 11. Do the things you love. 12. An old dog can learn new tricks! Have a great beginning to your week! Mary^ New Work Wednesday: First View 01/11/2012
My new painting this week is entitled First View. This painting layers a Hawaiian map, text, Wood Icing, olivine, mica, and acrylic on a teeny-tiny stretched canvas.  Also, Daphne and I want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the wonderful wishes and encouraging comments left last week after her diagnosis of chronic bronchitis. The veterinarian’s aim was to break the coughing cycle, reducing the coughing by more than 70-80% and to reduce the severity of the coughing fits. Well I am pleased to report that the Prednisone and bronchodilator definitely opened up Daphne’s airways and the coughing fits have nearly disappeared! I told the veterinarian that she is 90% better, and we have a follow-up appointment this week with the doctor. No more coughing in the night, and my sweet Daphne is nearly back to her old self!  Daphne's been enjoying this week's record-breaking high temperatures in St. Louis! Last week, too, I saw many other artists posting their 2012 words. But it seemed so daunting to me to choose only one word for the entire year. Then yesterday I read Layla's Word of the Year post on The Lettered Cottage. After reading this post, the first word that came to my mind was flow. Don’t get me wrong, I love lava flow and anything having to do with volcanoes and geology. But could flow work as a word that would serve as a guide as I make decisions throughout the year? My curiosity got the best of me, so I looked up flow in the dictionary. As a verb it means: – to move or circulate, rise, abound – to proceed smoothly and readily – to have a smooth continuity – to hang loose – to bend under stress without cracking or rupturing — used especially of minerals and rocks! And as a noun it means: – a smooth uninterrupted movement or progress <a flow of creative ideas!> – the direction of movement or development <go with the flow!> So with that said, I mean read, the Word of the Year I have chosen is flow! Linking up with The Lettered Cottage on January 16th:  Thanks so much for visiting my blog! Hope you're having a wonderful week! Mary^ New Work Wednesday: Mapped 01/04/2012
My new painting this week is entitled Mapped. This painting layers 2 Hawaiian maps (one vintage), encaustic (wax), text, metallic tape, Wood Icing, acrylic media and acrylic on a small stretched canvas.  It’s also time to announce that I will be continuing my lofty goal I set in May... to finish and post 1 painting a week until the end of the year! I want to thank everyone for the wonderful birthday wishes last week, too. Now I'm asking that positive thoughts be sent my 10-year-old puppy's way. Daphne was just diagnosed yesterday with chronic bronchitis. She's a family member that often makes it into my blog posts! I feel hopeful and grateful that the prognosis for treating her chronic bronchitis is good, but any wishes sent Daphne's way would be cherished!  Daphne had a great Christmas...especially with her candy-cane-shaped-rawhide! Thanks so much for visiting my blog! Happy New Year! Mary^ Gotcha Day! 10/31/2011
Last month we celebrated Daphne’s Gotcha Day. September marked 6 years since I had adopted Daphne from the Humane Society of Missouri. Daphne quickly became an integral part of my life. She is a home security system, champion leg warmer/couch dominator, bedside companion/alarm clock, car-mate, therapist, art coach, and matchmaker (it was because of Daphne that I met my husband!) Because of Daphne, I wrote my first proposal for a public sculpture – for the Humane Society of Missouri’s Art for Animals Auction – and was accepted! My positive experience decorating that fiberglass sculpture led me to create a proposal to decorate another large-scale sculpture: this time for Wings in the City! We spoiled her for Gotcha Day by getting her a Birthday Bone and bringing her and Sam on a car ride through Lone Elk Park.    We got to see bison up close and personal...from our car, of course!    It’s hard to believe that when I first brought Daphne back to her forever home, she could not even go down stairs because of her lack of depth perception. Daphne is 10 now. She still gets a mohawk from the nape of her neck to her tail when she’s angry, but I love her unconditionally – flaws and all – the way she loves me.  True to the park's name, a lone elk rests quietly.  A young bison balances to scratch an itch. What have you celebrated recently? Any special animal companions in your life? Have a great beginning to your week! Mary Art Gone to the Dogs 10/03/2011
 Photo courtesy of Treats Unleashed October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month! To celebrate, Daphne and I had a special painting date at Treats Unleashed – at their Puppy Picasso Event! Using a sponge brush, dog-safe paint was applied gently to her feet, and then she got to work! We began with her favorite color: metallic pink! I was a proud pet-parent, watching Daphne create her very own painting to take home! Each painting cost only $5.00, the proceeds benefitting the Humane Society of Missouri!  Daphe painting passionately! In the afternoon, we met up with Dan and Sam for a double-date at Dog Days of Summer: Laumeier Sculpture Park’s special exhibition that explores the relationship between humans and canines as depicted in visual art! “As one of only two accredited museums in the United States that allows dogs, Laumeier is an ideal museum to produce a show that is both playful and serious,” said Marilu Knode, Laumeier’s Executive Director. Research for the show began in 2009. The results of visitor studies showed that more than 20 percent of Laumeier’s visitors come with their dog! “All the breeds I see at Laumeier, from Teacup Poodles to Great Danes, are descended from a common ancestor – the wolf,” said Kim Humphries, exhibition co-curator. “Millennia of evolution have domesticated the dog which has become so deeply intertwined in our lives it is only natural that they have found their way into our artwork.” The centerpiece of the exhibition is a commissioned dog trail by Finnish artist Tea Mäkipää, who has worked with a range of experts from St. Louis and elsewhere to create a multi-sensory experience for both canine and human visitors along Laumeier’s Nature Trail. Mäkipää’s six interactive installations highlight the ways in which our four-legged friends “read,” and experience, the outdoors. The exhibition includes contemporary artists Robert Chambers (USA), Jeff Koons (USA), Maria Lindberg (Sweden) and William Wegman (USA), as well as historic works by Richard Cosway, Edwin Megargee and others on loan from the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog.  Sam's favorite sculpture was the Treasury of Smells!  Afterwards, we grabbed some much deserved dinner!  It was hard staying awake during the car ride home! With the ongoing economic crisis, there are more dogs in need than ever. But what if you can't adopt? Here are 5 easy (and free!) ways YOU can still help (from Petfinder's blog): 1. Donate your Facebook status! Just paste this message into the What's on your mind? box at the top of your page: October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month. Save a life: Adopt a dog! http://www.petfinder.com 2. Tweet, retweet and repeat the following (or your own brilliant message): October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month. Save a life: Adopt a dog! http://www.petfinder.com 3. Add a Petfinder widget or banner to your web site or blog. (I have one posted in my blog sidebar to the right, and a different banner posted on my LINKS page.) 4. Contact your local shelter or rescue group and offer to photograph their adoptable pets and upload the pics to Petfinder. 5. Pass on an understanding of the importance of pet adoption to the next generation. Talk to your kids, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and other up-and-comers about animal shelters and why Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month, and pet adoption in general, is important. Have a great beginning to your week…and month! Mary Dog Days: Leadville & Minerals! 08/22/2011
 Recently, my husband and I took an end-of-the-summer road trip to Colorado. After weeks of heat warnings in St. Louis, we decided to drive to the lowest temperatures – where highs were in the low to mid-70s! We also thought our 10-year-old min pin mix and 15 ½-year-old Cairn terrier deserved a vacation! We began with a day on the Leadville Colorado & Southern Railroad, taking a scenic journey through untouched wilderness. Dan and I were thrilled that well-behaved pets were allowed to ride, and that clinched our decision to buy tickets! Not only was the train pet-friendly, but bowls, bottled water, and cookies (dog treats) were provided for free on the train! After Daphne and Sam met the conductor, we found prime seats on an open car facing the west side of the landscape.  Daphne and I loved the sunshine!  Dan held Sam as the train lulled him to sleep.  What a wonderful mid-way stop! Along the way, we experienced the beauty of the Arkansas River Valley, lots and lots of wildflowers, and spectacular views of Colorado’s two highest peaks, Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive. Halfway through our 2 ½ hour ride was a mid-way stop at a 47,500 gallon wooden water tank! Afterwards, Dan took me to the National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum…filled rooms and rooms of minerals! Although I had not intended to post about our road trip, I was too inspired not to share the experience on my blog. From my past Missouri Mines post, you know how much I love rocks! I was fascinated most by the oil shale – because it so resembled a topographical landscape!   Did you know that Friday is National Dog Day? I'd love to hear how you spoil your dog, too! Have a great beginning to your week! Mary Friday Favorite: Nicholas Hyde 07/01/2011
 This Friday’s Feature artist is Nicholas Hyde! I just love the way he combines 2 of my favorite things: maps and dogs! Nicholas is an Archeology major who loves maps, art, and dogs!!   Friday Favorite: Lou Lomibao 04/22/2011
 This Friday’s Feature artist is Lou Lomibao also known as Scratch and Sniff! I emailed this crummy photo at the right to Lou, who quickly transformed it into an extraordinary work of art! The photo, although dark and grainy, has always had great sentimental meaning to me – it is the very first photo I took of my dog Daphne nearly 6 years ago, the night I adopted her. But because I took this photo on a cell phone I no longer have, and wasn’t able to improve it with Photoshop, I had no idea how to go about display this photo. Then along came Lou! (Actually, I found her quite by accident on Heartsy! And what a happy accident it was!) When I told Lou that my min pin had an undocked tail and ears, she encouraged me to email a photo. When I told Lou that my min pin was red and that we lived in the St. Louis area, she knew immediately that she had a map to match my request!  Being the art, map, and dog-lover that I am, I couldn’t be more pleased with this piece!! As it turns out, the more I read about Lou, the more I liked her – and the more I wished Dan, Sam, Daphne and I lived closer to her to have our portraits taken by her! And as devoted Lou is to her art, she is just as devoted to SCDR (Southern California Dachshund Relief, Inc.) and is also a member of HeARTs speak, where artists help animals. To find out more about Lou, her work, and her dachshund Scratch who inspires her, go to her website or Etsy shop! TGIF! Mary | About Me
I am a painter and art educator living in the Greater St. Louis Area. I love creating mixed-media paintings layered with maps and geologic drawings. This blog is a place for me to share my work and what inspires me. Read more here.  Follow me? Interested in buying my art?
You will always see my most recent paintings here on my blog, so you are in the right place. If you are ever interested in a piece, feel free to contact me. You can also find my work at Wood Icing, The Little Gallery at Art Saint Louis, Artlandish Gallery, and Etsy!     Grab my button  
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