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Saturday, April 27, 2013

Back from Oblivion

Wow, so much time has passed since I last posted!  So much has happened.

Since I last posted, we've lost two precious people in our family.

My little brother, John, passed away from renal failure and diabetic complications in May of 2010.  He was 53. 

John

Then, in August, 2012, we lost Momma.  3 weeks before her 89th birthday, she simply went to sleep one Sunday and never woke back up. 

Momma

My Mom lived with us for the last 4 years of her life, and I miss her so very much.  We lost my Dad so many years ago (1974) it seems like forever.  With Momma and John, the wounds are still so very fresh.  Still a bit unreal.

Also, we lost Pie Oh Pah, my daughter's beloved 13 year old white German Shepherd.  She fought valiantly to live, but a stroke took her in the summer of 2010. 

Pie Oh Pah

 

I haven't painted in a while, seems everything just took precedence over that and life's been fairly overwhelming.  But thing's are beginning to settle back down now.  I find myself longing to paint, so will be posting more soon.


Sunday, March 7, 2010

Bad Karma

This has been a chaotic two weeks. My 86 year-old mother fell in a parking lot, broke her hip, had surgery and is now convalescing in a rehab care center for a few weeks. Right on the heels of all that, our household has been visited by a vicious gastro-"bug" that has been wreaking havoc with my daughter and I for the last week. We've both been ill, moving like ghosts around the house, avoiding each other and living way too much in the bathrooms. Only now, after 5 days, am I feeling like I'm rejoining the human race, and I'm still not feeling 100%.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Angel Trumpets

It's been a busy few months since I posted last. Thanksgiving, Christmas and the new year have all come and gone. It was a lovely time, even though it was hectic. Got to visit with family and spend time with my children. Had a birthday this month, and my children "treated" me to tickets to an Eddie Izzard show in Chicago. We had the tickets for months and, wouldn't you know, the day we left was a blizzard day! We drove for almost 11 hours through snow and icy roads, only to arrive to a foot of snow in Chicago. Eddie was fantastic! I loved the show! All in all it was a fun trip and worth every minute I got to spend with my girls.

Haven't had a lot of time to paint, and have missed it. This is a painting I did last fall.

"Angel Trumpets"

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Angus and Baron

Time gets away so quickly ... I didn't mean for so much of it to pass between posts!

I wanted to post pictures of my other "grand-dogs", Angus and Baron, since I'd posted Pie's picture. They are two beautiful Border Collies, one black-and-white, and one tri-colored, and are the light of my daughter's and son-in-law's lives.

This is Angus
photo © K. M. Eddleston 2009

Angus is tall and lanky, kind of goofy and always curious. He is always ready to play and finds fun in everything he does. He has those lovely, amber eyes that just melt your heart and they never miss a thing that goes on around him.

This is Baron
Photo © K. M. Eddleston 2009

Baron is older, more settled, but has a few more aches and pains than Angus. He is loving and quiet, such a smart, sweet boy and a joy to be around. But his quiet demeanor can surprise you ... he's all Border Collie, with intense concentration and intelligence.

Sooner or later these two are going to show up in a painting, they're just too beautiful not to be painted, don't you think?

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Cheyanne

I have a wonderful friend who has a beautiful granddaughter named Cheyanne. She had this lovely photo of her at about two years old, sitting among pumpkins and fall mums, and I thought it would make a lovely portrait gift for her.

Cheyanne, © 2008 M B Gilliland


This was my first opportunity to paint a baby and I loved it, there's just something about babies' chubby little hands and feet that are so sweet ... it was a total pleasure to do this portrait for one of my very best buddies in the world.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Lakota

No painting to post today, just a couple of photos of my beautiful Lakota, an Australian Shepherd mix we "rescued" from the Humane Society in 2004. Actually there are days I feel she "rescued" me.



Lakota
photo © K. M. Eddleston, 2008


We really don't know what the breed mix is for Lakota. The vet thinks she might have one of the smaller spitz breeds involved as well, since she's not as large as the usual Aussie. Her coat is soft, and her tail tends to curl up over her backside (hence the question of the spitz involvement). Whatever the mix, she's beautiful ... inside and out ... my sweet furry companion and a total delight.

Lakota
photo © K. M. Eddleston, 2008

Two years ago, Lakota began to have seizures. So far she's handling them alright. She seems to rebound well each time, and the condition doesn't seem to have caused any real deficit for her. She's energetic and healthy. Just needs a bit of extra loving every so often.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Pie Oh Pah

We are extreme dog lovers at our home. I have a wonderful furry little friend of my own named Lakota (an Aussie Shepherd mix) and between my two daughters there are three "grand-dogs": Pie Oh Pah (a beautiful white German Shepherd Dog) and Baron & Angus (two equally beautiful Border Collies). As time passes, I'm sure they will all show up in these posts.
Today it's Pie's turn.

Pie Oh Pah, © K D Gilliland

Pie is 11 years old and has advanced arthritis and hip displasia. She spent several months last year in a wheeled-assistance cart after a back injury (which was made worse by her displasia and arthritis). She's been able to recover enough now to be walking on her own again, although her gate remains a bit limited. She's a trooper and keeps on keeping on, a gentle, sweet-tempered lady, a total joy to be around.

I painted Pie's portrait from the photo above as a gift to my daughter on her 35th birthday:

"Pie", © 2005 M.B.Gilliland

Monday, July 27, 2009

Success or flop?

I'm a watercolorist, and I started this blog as a way to display my artwork, talk about art and network with other artists, and just put stuff out there. I thought a good way to start would be to share my "success or flop" story.

I painted my original "Jack in the Green" (immediately below) in 2006, and I guess it's up for debate whether the painting was a success or not. I entered it in a charity art show staged at a local hospital, and out of the 50 or so paintings in the show, it was the one that was stolen off the wall. The thief just took it and walked out the nearest exit. So my question has always been ... did it offend to such a degree the thief wanted it out of sight or was it just something they felt they couldn't live without (and preferred not to pay for). So ... success or flop?

"Jack in the Green" , © M B Gilliland 2006

It was a new experience for me, having artwork stolen, and I have to admit it rancored, but the hospital was gracious enough to pay the asking price for it since the theft occurred on their property and their security was apparently lax.

It helped being reimbursed what I would have made had it been properly sold, but as time passed, the theft still bugged me, and eventually I decided I'd just paint it again and keep the thief from having a "one of a kind" anymore. (I know, convoluted thinking ... but, hey, it got me working on a new painting!) The result was "Jack in the Green II" (below), and truthfully, of the two paintings, I think the thief got the lesser one. I like the more vibrant colors in the second one, I like the different angle and sizing, and I simply think I did a better job.

You can be the judge:

"Jack in the Green II", © M B Gilliland 2008

When I'm asked about this painting, it's always "is he supposed to be mean ... or what?", and here's what I always say about "Jack": "It's up to you to decide if he's sinister or benevolent and whichever you choose will say alot about your own nature."

Heh! How's that for a stumper?

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Trepidation ...

Whew! Getting started ...

For now, I'll keep this simple and beg your forgiveness as I go through the learning process getting this started up. Ultimately this will be an outlet for me, a place I can express myself and network with other artists, a home on the web for my watercolor paintings. These are the goals for starting this blog.