A trip to the Garden Center

A few weeks ago we all piled into the car and took a ride out for lunch and to visit a local garden center

We shopped a bit after lunch and GG (Lola's Great Grandmother, Honey) bought her this beautiful flower crown

Here's Lola with her Mommy, Carly

When we got to the garden center, the flowers were so lovely that Lola had to go and sniff each and every one she could reach

all the while eating her lollipop

To the side of the garden center there was a beautiful koi pond

Lola could have stayed there all day just watching them

What a beautiful day we had....

Pictures from The Marketplace Gallery Elemental Show

Ok, so i showed you the photos from the 4 Generations Show at The Paper Sparrow in the previous post. Now here are some photos from the Elemental Show at the Marketplace Gallery!

These paintings were very big, tho you can't tell by this picture. The artist is Laura Meyers and she lives in New York City. I liked these paintings very much...

There were many other paintings by various artists all around the gallery, and i was able to take a few pictures, but ran out of space in my camera...(next time i will be sure to download my previous shots before going out to take more...)

This painting was one done by the gallery owner, Samson Contompasis. It's huge! He also had some beautiful fused glass wall hangings and i bought one for myself...(more pictures to come)

And here are my paintings. Sam gave me a very generous space in this show. (Thank you so much Sam !) It was wonderful to stand back and watch people look at my work. One of my paintings sold that opening night!

This little girl and her Mom enjoyed the show and i was happy to see they liked my paintings too...

This was one of my favorite pieces at the show. Sam's Mother Jackie Brickman is a well known local artist, and she made this Pegasus pony just for the Elemental show

I think she was lovely with her feathers, star lights, and a jewel encrusted breastplate... If you live in the Albany area, stop in to visit the Marketplace Gallery and check out the local art scene! There is always something new and exciting to be discovered!

Pictures from the 4 Generations Art Show

Well, it seems these photos are Way Overdue! After getting ready and working hard to hang the two art shows, we had a few revelations, a series of doctor appointments, the passing of a very important and much loved family Matriarch, and i sort of crashed. I am just now getting to posting these pics of the shows! First i want to say thank you to everyone who showed up and made our 4 Generations show so special!

Here is the wall my daughter Katie put up. She took some of her favorite photographs and printed them out on fabric, cropped them and hung them in embroidery hoops. Her wall was awesome!

This is Mom's exhibit. She had the most paintings to hang so she had the biggest wall. Her work looked lovely as always!

More of Mom's work

Here's my wall

more of my wall

And here is Lola's wall. And to top it all off, Lola was the biggest seller of the show! Yay!!!

One of the people who showed up and totally surprised Mom and i was my sister Nancy, who came all the way from Florida to see our show. Thank you Nance! We love you!
Left to right: Nancy, Mom, me

And here she is, the star of the show, Miss Lola, smiling for the camera with her rose from Aunt Nancy! The 4 Generations show comes down on Tuesday, but the memories are forever!

The Marketplace Gallery "Elemental" Art Show!

I can't believe i haven't posted in so long...not since the Three..I mean Four Generations Art show at The Paper Sparrow.(Lola added a few paintings to the mix and she was the top selling artist at The Paper Sparrow on Troy Night Out! YAY!!!!) I have pictures to post and stories to tell, but in the last week, my sister Nancy has surprised us with a visit, things have changed and "stuff" has happened, and it has kept me away from the computer.... Anyway, tomorrow night is First Friday in downtown Albany NY, and so is the opening for The Elemental Art Event at The Marketplace Gallery on 40 Broadway... I've included a picture of the poster for the show, and LOOK! My name is on the poster! This is so awesome! I feel so fortunate and Blessed to be included in this special show. If any of you are local and looking for something to do on a warm and wonderful Friday night, come on down and see us! I'll try to remember to take pictures there too!

More Paintings for the Art Shows

" The Newborn"

watercolor, pencil

"Quince"

watercolor, pencil

"Used to be Sedona"
Acrylic and ink on paper

Two Upcoming Art Shows!

"Spring Bouquet"
watercolor, pencil

Things have been moving along here at the Robinson house...slow but sure. Bill is recuperating from his surgery and i am becoming more confident with our new way of doing things every day... We are still pretty much home bound, which works out just fine for me, because this upcoming Troy Night Out is a special one for me and my family. My Mom, my daughter Katie and i are all sharing space in the gallery at The Paper Sparrow on River Street in downtown Troy NY for the May/June show! Mom and i will be showing our paintings, and Katie will be showing some of her photographs, combining mixed media and fiber art.

"Pot of Pansies"
watercolor

I have to admit, i have been so busy making knitted and crocheted toys, rosaries and jewelry, my painting had gotten a little rusty....This upcoming show has made me dust off my paint brushes and get back to work! The name of our show at The Paper Sparrow is "Three Generations", and opening night for the show will be on Troy Night Out, May 28th. Please stop by and say Hi!

"Beat of my Heart"
watercolor and colored pencil

But wait! That's not all! I have also been invited to enter a few pieces of my work in an upcoming show at The Marketplace Gallery in Albany NY!
"Just a little green..."
watercolor, mixed media, collage

I will be one of many local artists showing their work at the "Elemental" show, opening on First Friday, June 4th. The show will hang thru the month of June. This will be my first time showing my work at The Marketplace Gallery. Thank you Sam for giving me this great opportunity!

"As Above, So Below"
watercolor, salt, pencil

So i have been busy painting and matting and framing pieces...deciding what painting goes into what show....It feels good to get my creative juices going again!

The Little Baker

Here's my Best friend Lola the Baker Girl, helping me bake our daily bread.

She LOVES to eat "Gumma Bread" but this is the first time she asked to help me make it...

She shaped it

and patted it...

and sprinkled the seeds on top... and then it went into the oven

Now it was time to make more bread dough

She stirred the flour, yeast, salt and water until she couldn't move the dough with a spoon any more..and then came the fun part...

In we go, hands first! First, you have to taste it....

then "squish and push it"...

then taste it again! I think Lola is just like her Grandmother...she likes the taste of the dough just as much as the finished product! This is going to be delicious bread!

In the works....

Little cloth dolls...I haven't made any of these in years..... She still needs hair and some clothes!

Two Good Friends

Pollyanna and Gipetto sitting in the sun. Geeps got his haircut yesterday and it seems to have given him a bit of a lift! He'll be 17 in June, but still tries to mount Pollyanna and sometimes Rubie too! He is an equal opportunity humper!

Lovie...

A portrait i painted of my friend Virginia's dove, Lovie. Look at that sweet face.... No wonder they call doves the birds of Peace....

Adopt a Native Elder

I have been doing a little research on rag rugs and looms, and in my search i came across an organization called "Adopt a Native Elder". This organization had set up a website with photos of the Native Elder's traditional woven wool rugs online and offers them for sale. The money from each sale would go back to the artist to help support them and their families. I had read a little farther into the info when i learned you can actually adopt a native Grandmother or Grandfather by sending out the cost of 2 food boxes a year, plus a few other supplies during the year...It didn't take me long to decide i would LOVE to adopt a Grandma! So i inquired, and got a response. My new Grandmother's name is Mary Ann Lewis, and she lives on the reservation in Winslow Arizona. I am just getting to know more about this organization thru newsletters, but so far i am very happy that i found this group! If you would like to know more, click here to read their blog....

The next thing i am going to do is send her some wool yarn in traditional colors to weave with. I cannot imagine what it is like to be a weaver (or knitter or crocheter) without yarn!

A Nice Monster

A drawing done by one of my favorite artists.

Trudy....

Trudy is a sweet little hand made, crocheted kitty, made with love by me. Trudy loves to read books and sing songs and take long walks in the sunshine...She would love to come to your house and be some one's best friend... Maybe yours?

Trudy is crocheted in amigurumi style out of acrylic yarns, and stuffed with polyfil. Because she has safety eyes and a button at her collar, she is not recommended for very small children who may pull her small components off and put them in their mouths...Trudy measures approx. 11 inches tall, and is waiting for someone special in my Etsy shop!

Trudy was created using a wonderful pattern by Amy Gaines. You can find her patterns at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/AmyGaines

Poppy's Home!

I'm sorry i haven't been a very good blogger lately. Things around here have been pretty busy. It seems every day there are visiting nurses and doctor appointments, or just getting used to our new way of doing things, which seems to be way better than the way we used to do them! But Bill is getting stronger and healthier every day, and we want to thank you all for all your prayers, healing energy, and good wishes sent our way...

Today Lola came to visit us

She climbed right up and snuggled with her Poppy

For us, when that little girl comes to visit, it's like the sun just started shining!

Love to you all....mare

Easter Gifts

Walking by my kitchen window this morning, a little hint of pink caught my eye down in the left hand corner of the picture....

For the first time this year, my Easter (Spring) cactus is blooming...Not much, but every little bit counts with this particular plant. These simple flowers bring back such good memories...

The original plant was bought on a bus trip to Boston to a big plant and garden show with my Grandmother Mary, some 30 plus years ago. It was the first time she and i went on a trip together. I bought the original plant and Gram bought one of the first Martha Washington geraniums to come out on the market .(This plant above is actually cuttings taken and repotted from the original plant which did actually pass on recently. It just got too old and "woody" to survive. I guess no matter how you care for things, nothing lasts forever...) I remember Gram and i each brought home a few other plants, as many as we could carry. I can remember me buying a "Crown of Thorns" plant that is no longer living, and Gram buying a few more African violets.. I remember that bus ride home, getting pricked by the crown of thorn plant all the way home, and laughing! Just like it was yesterday...

Happy Easter!

I have so much to be thankful for...Bill is finally home and recuperating. My Family is so close and Loving...Happy Easter dear friends. I share this special song with you. When i first heard it, it made me cry...and it still does. I hope you enjoy it.