Behind the Scenes and Inspiration: Red Kitty with a Pink Tail

One of the questions I hear most is "where do you find inspiration," followed closely by "what's the story behind that image?"  The answer to the first is "pop culture, life, music and my 'black comedy' sense of humor." While that is definitely true, it is also pretty vague, so I thought I'd start occasional posts that tell the stories behind and beyond some of my pieces.  Of course, sometimes, a painting is just a painting, so not all of my images will show up in this series.

RED KITTY WITH A PINK TAIL (2012)
mixed-media (soft pastels, charcoal, ink, molding paste) on canvas panel

people sometimes refer to this painting as "Joyce's Alzheimer's kitty"

In the summer of 2012, my mother-in-law, Joyce, was officially diagnosed with advanced Alzheimer's Dementia. It had been coming on for almost a decade of forgetting, arguing and battling until she was diagnosed in late 2011.  Things finally got so bad that she was hospitalized in the summer of 2012. While in the hospital, she insisted she saw a "red kitty with a pink tail."  She said the kitty had been coming in and out of her hospital room and asked my husband where she had gone.  He was educated enough about the disease to know telling her there was no kitty wouldn't help, so instead he asked her about it.  Joyce said that she was a "nice kitty" and when asked what the kitty was doing, Joyce replied, "Oh, you know. Kitty things."

My husband is convinced, because of my hair color at the time (crayola red, which had previously been magenta) that her brain turned "Krissi," into "kitty" and she was really talking about me. After all, I had been in and out of the room for several hours. 

The facility where she now lives promotes the idea of "going on the journey" with the Alzheimer's patients, so we continue to ask her about whatever she experiences on any given day.  The conversations have been interesting, and other "kitties" have come to visit her, but the jewel-toned Red Kitty never returned.

Prints and jewelry of Red Kitty with a Pink Tail are available at skelekitty.com.

See all Behind the Scenes/Inspiration posts.  

Is there an image you're curious about?  Drop me a line and ask me to talk about it in a future Behind the Scenes and Inspiration post.

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Critters Make Me Smile!

It has been a busy summer full of "surprises," so I decided to do a few relatively quick paintings to cheer myself up.  It worked like a charm!

These first two portraits were "payment" for my end of a couple of trades.

Gracie, the Australian Shepherd

Mustard Danger, International Lhasa Apso of Mystery!

I was on a roll, so I also did one of my husband's cat, Mouse.

Mouse, the cat who was raised by a dog.  

And while I was awaiting photographs for new portrait orders, I did this for some fun.

For the story behind the Red Kitty with a Pink Tail, see the
"Happiness Happens If You Make It" post on the Corporate Rejects blog

For those interested in a custom portrait, they are available through my online shop at http://skelekitty.artfire.com.

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We Apologize For This Brief Interruption In Service.... *beeeeeeeeeeeeeep*

Hi everyone!  *cough*  I still have plenty of marketing tidbits for all of... of... *AhhhCHOO!* ...you coming up in the very near future. *sniffle* I promise.

I hope to be back in the full swing of things by the end of this week or early next if the stuff the doctor gave me works on this nasty head-cold-turned-strep-throat thing I've got going. *cough*

Oh, and just ignore Brooke Van Gory if she tells you I have The Plague; I'm fairly certain that I don't.  LOL.

My writing skills may have suffered, but at least I can still paint in between sneezing, coughing, washing my hands and complaining to my husband about how I'm sick.

8x10" owlets in progress
(yeah, they already have a home)

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Little Things Make Life Worth Living

Cosmos from Kim, originally uploaded by Skelekitty (Krissi Sandvik).

...like seed packets in the mail from a good friend. Every time I walk out my front door and see the Cosmos Kim (of Loco Folko and Ant Farm Studio fame) sent me in March, it puts a smile on my face.

You don't have to do anything huge to let people know they matter to you - the littlest things have the biggest effect.

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Where the HELL Have You Been? Do You Know What Time It Is!?

I know I haven't been over here blogging all that much lately, but I don't want you to think it's because I don't love you all.  Amidst and amongst the usual excuses of the colder, darker, wetter winter season, I have been working on some fun stuff.

Glitter Bitches Handmade logo
(art by Wenchkin)

Life of a Glitter Bitch - My team, Glitter Bitches Handmade has been crazy busy over the past year since we first formed.  Initially, we figured we'd simply cross promote across our fan bases and give a few things away as a group.  After we added four new members at the end of last year, the group started to morph into a full fledged "guild." We expanded our presence on Facebook and opened an ArtFire shop to cover our growing administrative expenses like mailing prizes, business cards and promotional items.

Around the time we were setting up our shop, our good friend and fellow Glitter Bitch Kim Mayhew of Ant Farm Studio** was diagnosed with an aggressive form of uterine cancer - and there she was, with no insurance.  Well if you don't already know this, you can knock a Bitch down, but she'll get right back up again.  Fighting.  Hard.  So we started adding items to the shop to raise money to help Kim out.  The Teal Ribbon Fund, as it came to be known, has been a runaway success, thanks in large part to Kim's friends and the DIY community who turned out in force.  We even list items donated by some well-known non-Bitch artists & crafters as weekly featured Guest Artisans - Honorary Bitches, if you will.
**you can find Kim online at Got-Ants.com, on Facebook or in her ArtFire shop!

Hmmm.... Let's see, what else?  Oh, one of our members, ArJay of Kiss Zombies, has started up an inspiration contest series to help spark creativity in our collective fan base.  The current round ends on April 7th - Fabulous Prizes are a definite possibility if you enter....

Glitter Bitches Handmade Inspiration Contest
"Bitch Favorite" Prize
2" Pendant of Old Growth (detail)
(ends Thursday, April 7th
check here for details on how to enter)

Random prize:Loco Folko Vampire PEZ dispenser
by Kim Mayhew of Ant Farm Studio

Anyone may enter, as long as they follow the rules ArJay has set forth here:  INSPIRATION CONTEST GUIDELINES AND RULES.  The "Bitch Favorite" entry will win my twinchie pendant (doesn't Brooke look cute modeling her twinchie Glitter Bitches pendant?), and a random winner will receive one of Kim's awesome "Loco Folko" PEZ dispensers - I have a few of them myself and love them.


Art Stuff - I have been working on a few new pieces, but they are mostly in the sketch phase or are "secret" and not available for public consumption.  Yet.  Sorry, but that's just part of the deal I struck.  I've been keeping up on my prints and pendants (which were featured in December on Rings & Things' blog), with earrings in the works.  The prints and jewelry have become a very popular (and affordable!) way for people to collect my art.

Oh! And my new business cards came in yesterday!  Next week's shipments will have them.

I've been replacing the headers in my sites with the newer, more Krissified image.  This blog is next.


Makeup - It was a weird winter and several indie makeup companies have been outed for a lot of bad/unsafe/unethical practices, which makes me sad for the good companies out there.  However, I have tried to focus on the fun part of makeup, rather than turning into a Mean Makeup Girl.

For those of you who want to see what I do when I'm painting my face, you can follow it on my relatively new Facebook page: Krissi's Makeup Studio.  I will remind you that I am not a makeup artist; I am an artist who likes makeup.  However, there is some cool (to me anyway) stuff over there like my series of tutorials on the color wheel called Beginning Color Theory for Non-Artists (so cool, in fact, that I am in the process of copying them all over to this blog too).



Life - I continue to spend just about every day enjoying the life as a Jack Russell Terrier's human.  Abby keeps me sane and happy.  I am THRILLED that the clear weather is finally upon us so that we can take more breaks during the day and get outside to take pictures and dig for voles (I do the former, she the latter).

Me in my 2007 Z4M Coupe at Thunderhill

Finally, I have started tracking my car.  For those of you who don't know what that means, it means that I take my car to the racetrack (yes, a real one, not an oval) and run it around.  Fast.  As I write this entry, I am preparing for my second track day on Friday, April 1st at Thunderhill Raceway here in Central California.  It would appear that the Skelekitty has a need for speed....




Enjoy the Spring and I'll really TRY to check in over here more often.  In the meantime, you voyeurs can spy on me over on Facebook.

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The Art of Lasagna

My painting techniques -layering, using products that take a long time between steps- apparently go much deeper than just art.  Every year in February, I undertake The Lasagna Process for Ron's birthday.  For those who have been asking for YEARS, here are my "guidelines" for making my famous-to-those-who-have-eaten-it lasagna sauce and casserole.  I have a hard time calling this a recipe because it changes each time I make it.  If you're OCD and need a measured recipe, I highly recommend that you NOT read this!

Use the freshest ingredients you can find. I purchase all of my canned goods, cheese (high-test ricotta and mozzarella - the super squishy balls--no "low fat" junk) and pasta at Mama Ann's Deli in El Dorado Hills, CA, but there are plenty of great supermarkets and Italian groceries/delis around these days.  This is not a cheap endeavor - one of the reasons it only gets done once a year.

Perhaps only one ingredient is a bit of a surprise, but the real secret to this whole production is patience.  It's a two day event to cook the sauce--plus another 24 hours to get a Krissified lasagna, but it's so worth it. (I always make more sauce than I need since it makes a great companion to any kind of pasta, chicken, etc. and freezes well.)

MY 2-day sauce:

• Use whole, peeled Italian tomatoes (and get rid of as many seeds as you can while preserving the juice). Blend to chunky consistency with a hand blender.  
• Add fresh garlic & basil (Ron prefers it without onion, but you can add it) and dried organic oregano & a spicy Italian herb mix. 
• My biggest "secret:" Guinness. In years past I used wine, but it's too acidic when mixed with the tomatoes. I tried other beers, but the stout gives the sauce a certain body and "heft" you can't get with ale or lighter beers. Depending on the size of the batch, I use 1 to 2 bottles (about a bottle per big-ass lasagna).
• Cook the sauce down at a simmer, stirring regularly, for about 2 days (allowing it to cool/refrigerating overnight) until it has a nice thick, pizza sauce consistency. 
• Let sauce cool before assembling.
• Add salt to taste about an hour or two before assembling the lasagna.

Ready, set, ASSEMBLE!

Lasagna filling: 

• Combine 3 Cups of ricotta cheese and add 2 beaten eggs, some dried parsley (a Tbsp or so) and a handful of freshly grated parmesan/romano blend.  I purchase mine from the local Nugget grocery, cut them into chunks and blend them in my food processor.  
• Slice, crumble or chop (I chop/crumble) about three fist-sized fresh mozzarella balls.  If you're not using fresh, the water content will be lower and you may want to reduce the amount of cheese.  Or not.
• Prepare the noodles in a well salted pot of boiling water with olive oil. Don't overcook the pasta - leave it a little more than al dente (just cooked enough to be flexible) since it will finish cooking and soak up extra liquid in the sauce when you bake it. For pasta that calls for 9 min, I usually cook it for 6.  Lay the noodles on paper towels or tea towels to prevent sticking and to absorb the extra water.

Assembly:

• Layer noodles, ricotta filling, sauce, mozzarella and sprinkling of hard cheese blend and repeat.  I do two layers in one pan that is wide and shallow and three layers in a pan that is deeper and narrower.  

My 2-layer lasagna - ready to go into the oven!

Bake

• Another one of my secrets: assemble and bake @ 375 for about 30 minutes the day BEFORE you want to serve. Cool, wrap loosely in foil & refrigerate for about 24 hours. 
• Bake 30 min @ 375 with foil. Remove foil and bake 25-40 minutes until top has achieved your desired crispiness.
• Allow casserole to rest for about 15 minutes before cutting.
• Oh, and watch out for the inevitable carb coma

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Rest In Peace, Lonely Tree

In 2008, I blogged briefly about a leg of one of our road trips across the Western US and included a bit on "The Shoe Tree" in Middlegate, Nevada.

Us, on our second visit to the Middlegate Shoe Tree, in May 2008

Ron and I discovered this roadside oddity on October 10, 2004, the day before our first wedding anniversary.  We love the geography and geology of the Western States and take off down the road every chance we get.  On that day, we were driving "The Loneliest Road in America," the portion of  Highway 50 that roughly parallels the Pony Express Trail, from Silver Springs to Ely, stretching the width of Nevada.  Located in almost the EXACT middle of nowhere, we saw an unusually large cottonwood tree that seemed to be sprouting shoes between the leaves.  The Middlegate Shoe Tree (we researched it when we returned home) stood for many decades, the last three of which were spent covered in shoes, as a perfect example of roadside Ameria.

I was saddened to hear today, in a text from Ron, that vandals cut this landmark down in the middle of the night on December 30th.  I don't know what else to say, so I will leave you with Ron's comments.

Felled Shoe Tree - photo by Alan Skinner

This was one of my favorite things from all the travels my wife and I have done on the road in America. It simply captivated everyone who drove by it–they all invariably turned, stared, stopped, and came back to look and take a photo with it. I got to see it twice–once in fall and once in the spring. I even had friends do paintings of it which are on my office wall. I guess I should feel lucky to have seen it at all….

"Shoe Tree" 16x20" acrylic on canvas
Anniversary gift from Nicolas Caesar (10/2007)

Middlegate Shoe Tree 16x20" acrylic on Canvas by C!nder (Chris Cinder)
Commissioned for Ron's birthday in 2/2009

What purpose other than to be hateful and destructive does this serve? I’m sure these people will go on to commit other crimes against animals and children. The type of mind that conceives of taking this kind of action is the type that moves all to easily on to other acts of pure hate and destruction since they take pleasure in the pain of others.

Some will say it’s just a tree, but it meant a lot more to me as it stood tall and proud in the middle of nowhere on highway 50 providing an odd sense of joy and happiness for the thousands who had a chance to be in its presence over the past 30 years. Rest in peace, tree…

Middlegate Shoe Tree (photo by K. Sandvik - May 2008)

Middlegate Shoe Tree (photo by K. Sandvik - May 2008)

Middlegate Shoe Tree (photo by K. Sandvik - May 2008)

Middlegate Shoe Tree (photo by K. Sandvik - May 2008)

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Falling In And Out Of Love (Denouncing Glittersniffer Cosmetics)

The following post was original written for my personal facebook profile yesterday.  However, since that profile is not public and I have several blog readers who also follow my hair and makeup recommendations, I am reposting it here.

Falling in and out of love (or, "dude, it's only make-up")
by Krissi Sandvik on Sunday, December 12, 2010 at 3:58pm

You know that awesome feeling you get when you find something special that you really love and you want to tell EVERYONE you know about it? I have; you know I have. You've even seen it if you follow any of my blogs, videos or even just my facebook status. Just a few things that you may have seen me fall in love with over the past 5 years include Hina's Tea (oh how sad I was when they closed their doors!), Golden brand's acrylic gel medium and fluid acrylic paints, Special Effects hair color, driving, wood burning, Moleskine journals... and Glittersniffer Cosmetics.

Three different formulations of Glittersniffer's pigment "A.D.D."
Notice the unblended chunks of pigment in the far right swatch,
typical of almost all of the pots I received in the last 3 or 4 months.

I have fallen out of love with only one of the above brands/items, Glittersniffer Cosmetics, and I am sad to say that it is not because I found something better, different or that I lost interest in all similar products. It is due, very simply, to the company losing sight of who and what made it so wonderful in the first place. I was quietly retreating, but when several of my friends sent me messages saying they purchased from Glittersniffer because I used her product, I decided to speak my mind. And so, dear friends and fans, I will no longer recommend Glittersniffer Cosmetics to you.

Specifically, I experienced a growing number of the following problems as Glittersniffer grew over the last six months:

Two jars in my "mattes" collection (too chalky to use) arrived
completely open; sifter was improperly inserted, preventing
lid from being secured. My final three orders (which were incorrect)
arrived with open jars and pigment spilled all over the box/envelope.

• incorrect orders / incorrect "replacement" orders
• substituted items without notice or option for refund
• items never sent / "lost" packages
• accepting payment for items out of stock offering only store credit (not refund); credit required to be used in conjunction with another order
• inconsistency in formulations (visibly noticeable from batch to batch)
• poorly mixed or unmixed pigments (aka "chunks" of color and chalky pigments)
• multiple attempts at communications ignored
• broken / open / unsecured jar lids
• blaming others for errors and lost packages

I personally experienced all of these issues on multiple occasions and even brought these issues to the owner's attention, again on multiple occasions. I understand that running a small business is difficult and that mistakes happen. I run a small business and of course, I have made mistakes. However, I do my best to ensure that they never happen twice. I have turned away work if I feel overwhelmed or am unable to fulfill obligations to existing customers. In the case of Glittersniffer, I would receive an apology, sometimes a product I did not need or want and then it was back to business as usual on the next order. After my last 8 or 10 orders, I started to suspect that maybe this was a pattern.

I am not qualified to say that every experience was like mine (though I can assure you that this issue is quite wide-spread throughout at least 25 of her very long-term customers), nor am I telling you to boycott her items. However, I will say that if you do purchase, I hope that you do it of your own accord and not based on any recommendation I may have made in the past.

There are MANY cosmetics companies out there - some which are also 'cottage industry' businesses - from whom you might wish to purchase. Here is a very small list of companies from whom I have purchased in the past and with whom I continue to be happy (just type the names into Google - you can find them very easily):

• Madd Style Cosmetics (new company this year)
• Hi-Fi Cosmetics
• Medusa's Make Up
• Alima
• Aromaleigh Cosmetics (no longer in business)

And I added another to my "faves" list in March 2011:

• Brazen Cosmetics

Other companies from whom I have not personally purchased, but about whom I have heard good things:

• Pure Luxe Cosmetics Fell prey to Glittersniffer Syndrome and is selling glow in the dark pigments (updated 3/28/2011)
• Beauty From The Earth
• Detrivoire Cosmetics
• The All Natural Facekept her shop open during a 4-week absence, selling items not in stock (3/28/2011)
• Shiro Cosmetics
• Sugar Pill Cosmetics
• Elohi Cosmetics - noted here for good product, but mixed reviews on customer service admitted to allowing people to smoke in enclosed space with product ingredients and packaging (3/29/2011)
  and, of course, there's
• TKB Trading for bulk purchases and supplies

The 2-5 week turnaround time is the only reason Fyrinnae is not on this list. I understand why the production time is so long, but it's tough to recommend a company who takes that long to ship.

One final note: This is a description of my experiences only, and you are free to disagree. However, please keep your comments here civil and to the point. I know I may lose "friends" over this, but frankly, if I do, my response will be "it's only makeup and they clearly weren't my friends."

------------

Update (12/13/2010 - 2:20pm):  Yesterday, I set out to write a simple, clear post with the single purpose of letting my friends know that I had experienced ongoing and unaddressed problems with a company and was removing my recommendation.  I assure everyone that I had no idea the issue was so widespread or ran so deep.  While I did NOT set out to defame anyone or to bring anyone down, I cannot apologize for the avalanche this first post started since all I did was state a few facts about my personal experiences.  I cannot control that others had similar experiences as well.


With that said, while I empathize with everyone's anger and disappointment, I also request that you keep your comments constructive and restrain the urge to name-call others on this post (you can call me whatever names you like).  I'm not asking you to edit yourselves, just to post those more "subjective" expressions elsewhere so the point of this post stays on topic: the removal of my endorsement.


Thanks everyone.

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Year Two With Dog - It's Still Bliss

If you've been following my posts and photos and social networking around the web, then you know that Ron and I are the lucky "humans" to a very, VERY adorable Jack Russell Terrier named Abby.

Abby loves to snuggle!

Today is the second anniversary of the day she found us on a hiking trail in Coloma (Sutter's Mill), California (and here are some links if you're interested in reading the original post and the one-year post).

Abby, the first week with us: skinny & submissive with shock-collar scars.

Since then, the ride has been bumpy, stinky, muddy, snuggly, furry and pretty much completely wonderful. When we first had her, she didn't know how to play tug-o-war, bark, chase a ball or just enjoy being a dog.  Clearly, she had not been given boundaries or received positive feedback in her first "home."  Well, we took care of that in short order!

Graduation from Intermediate Obedience Training! YAY!

Ron and I often muse that now she must hear "GOOD DOG!" more in one day than she heard in the first two years of her life.  As a matter of fact, sometimes she even "helps" the trainer show other dogs how to behave!  Now she plays, growls like a terrier should, is a PERFECT watch dog, loves children, people in wheelchairs, dogs and pretty much everything life has to offer - including tug toys and balls!

She loves to play with her friends, like Buddy.

Oh, and she's even on Facebook. and has started posing for super-awesome artsy portraits.

Custom portrait of Abby by Kevin Seconds (and yeah, he'll paint your dog too!)

I'm not sure what "they" mean by it's a dog's life, when describing something bad, but I do know they certainly weren't talking about THIS dog!

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In The Spirit

My GLAAD Spirit Day purple eyeshadow, all by Glittersniffer Cosmetics. 
Say, did you know she's running a GLAAD fundraiser?  Yep!  Check it out!

If you don't know about Spirit Day, you can read all about it here, but here is the short version:  Purple symbolizes 'spirit' on the rainbow flag, a symbol for LGBT Pride.  Wearing purple not only honors the three teenagers who recently took their own lives after experiencing anti-gay bullying, but it's a way to show every singly LGBT youth who face the same pressures and bullying, that there is a vast community of people who support them.

I live in Folsom, a pretty uptight little town 30 miles east of Sacramento CA (and about 2 hours from San Francisco, where I lived until my 30s).  In my neighborhood, I hear a lot about family values and how we need to "save the children" while people spread hate and fear with things like Proposition 8.  Oh, the irony.

Today, however, my faith in people may have been restored, if only a bit.  There were so many people just going about their regular business, albeit wearing an unusual amount of purple!  I asked a few if they were wearing it for the same reason I was (they all said they were!) and I'd venture to guess I made some new friends.



Oh, and if you don't know me and stuff like this matters to you: I am a straight, married woman in my 40s who believes that everyone is entitled to the same rights.  So there.  Take that.

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YAY! Bewbies!

For the entire month of October, 8x10" prints of my painting "Survivor" will be on sale for only $8.50.  This sale may not be combined with other offers, but there is no limit on the number of these you can purchase, so if you want 10 of 'em, I'm happy to package them all up for you!

"Survivor" features a pink breast cancer awareness ribbon with butterfly wings in shades of purple, on a bright green background with inspirational words. This painting was created for a friend's wife, a breast cancer survivor, and is a representation of her tattoo.

And as always, you can get deals on my other prints by buying multiples - there are 2 for $22, 3 for $33 and even 5 for $45 deals.

Oh, and speaking of cancer, my pal Mo Love of Madd Style fame is still running her Cancer Fund of America campaign!  ALL profits from listings in the CFA section of her shop will be donated.  She has LOTS of awesome lip products, goodies and... THESE babies!

Thanks for reading. Now go FEEL YOUR BOOBIES!

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Show N Tell / Stuff N Things (SNT2) #1

Hi all!

As you must certainly know by now, I love "stuff,"   My newest acquisition was given as a birthday present by my LSH (Long Suffering Husband) - a laptop equipped with a webcam!  That means I can start sharing my STUFF collection with all of you!  Hoorah!  Here is my first Show N Tell of Stuff N Things (SNT²).

Curtain please...

LINKS!  LINKS!  LINKS!
Website/shop (facebook fan page)


- Ant Farm Studio  (facebook) Skeleton Kitty box. Skullie yo-yo & painted snake
- KissZombies DIY  (facebook) Zombie/Skeleton hand hair clips
- Ms. Formaldehyde  (facebook) Plumeria hair clips
- Glittersniffer Cosmetics!  (facebook) pigment as nail polish
- Madd Style Designs - (facebook) lip balms
- Juli's Jewels - (facebook) 2-sided soldered/glass pendant (art by Krissi's Art Studio)



PLEASE NOTE: all of the items featured in this video were paid for (cash or in-kind), with the exception of the Skeleton Hand clips, which were a birthday gift and not given in return for a review.

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Letter From The Crazy Dog Park Lady

SENT VIA E-MAIL

Robert Goss
Parks & Recreation Director
City of Folsom
50 Natoma Street
Folsom, CA 95630

Dear Mr. Goss,

I am writing to let you know of my extreme disappointment as a Folsom resident, home owner and dog owner regarding the way that the City of Folsom has managed FIDO Field. I've had a growing dissatisfaction for some time, but was finally motivated to notify the Department and City today.

This afternoon, I took our Jack Russell Terrier to the park only to find it closed. Upon returning home, I called the number which stated that the park would be "closed because of recent rain," however, it has been sunny for two days straight and both sides of the park were quite dry - dryer in fact than many other days when it has remained open.

As I mentioned above, this incident is not the only one that gives me pause. Over the past 12 months, I have also noticed that while the park is closed for "rest and maintenance" two days a week, maintenance is regularly neglected. Specifically:

• Refuse containers are rarely emptied, and are sometimes left to overflow for several weeks. At one point, owners resorted to hanging additional garbage bags on the fence since the cans were full (the same bag was hanging on the fence for two weeks straight). As a result, the odor of dog feces emanates from the area of the garbage can, even on the coldest of days. Given the nature of the park ,it's understandable that the cans WILL smell of dog feces, however I am unclear on why it would be left to pile up for more than 5 days at any given time.
  

• The lawn on the small dog side was completely neglected during the entire summer months and died from a lack of water. In August, a thick layer of fine dirt and grass seed was tossed on top of the dead lawn and was not watered in. This careless "reseeding" attempt resulted in asthma inducing dust for over 3 weeks, followed by mud which choked and killed any of the original lawn that managed to survive the summer.

The dog owners who frequent this park have formed a true community and we pride ourselves on picking up after our dogs and maintaining a pleasant park - that is, when it is open. 

More than a response letter listing excuses, I would truly like to see some action taken on the above issues. Folsom says it prides itself on its parks and open spaces, and that should most certainly extend to the dog park it has taken on as a responsibility of the City.

Sincerely,

Kristine Sandvik
#### Xxxxxxxxx Court
Folsom, CA
916-###-####

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Putting It Out There

This thread-painted art quilt of my Oscar, the Military Macaw, was the very first piece I ever put in a group "art" (i.e., non-quilt show) show - the January 2006 "National Bird Day" art show in Sacramento, CA.



Since that first night, I gradually increased the number of works in group art shows.  First I showed just with The Scary-Art Collective at Body Tribe where I nervously listened to criticism (positive and negative, but all constructive).





By early 2007, I had started showing at other Sacramento galleries like Side Show Studios and the former 24th Street hot spot, Cool Cat (R.I.P.).




I tried some new techniques and played with new mediums while I continued to find my voice. 









In the last half of 2009, I finally submitted some pieces to out of town (actually, out of State) shows to a positive response.

Now, with four full years of group show experience (not to mention the long list of commissions I just completed), I feel confident enough to consider a solo show.  So I'm putting it "out there" that I'm ready to put it out there - you know, putting it in writing as a promise to myself and so y'all can keep me accountable.





I've already started working on a "theme" involving hearts and skulls with various things growing from them, and we'll see where this leads me. 
So far I'm planning on doing most, if not all the pieces using my pyrography and acrylics on wood techniques.

While I'm working on the pieces, I will also be looking around for a gallery to host this currently imaginary solo exhibition.  Oh, the joy of cold calls, how I look forward to it!   I have a short list of places I'd LOVE to show, a medium sized list of places I'd seriously consider (both of which I'm keeping secret to avoid jinxing myself) and a blank list of places I haven't even thought of yet.

If you have a gallery and would like to talk to me about the possibility of doing a solo show, please contact me with your list of demands.

Wish me luck and inspiration and I'll send some right back to you (I'll send you some anyway).

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You Have Been Warned

In all seriousness, I'm "feeling" this sign lately since I've been suffering from self-imposed exile in my studio while I work furiously to finish some commissions I took for the holidays. I reiterate that the exile (and subsequent absence of a real blog post) is self-imposed as I try to bring in as much cash as possible to build up the "Skelekitty Tee Shirt Startup Fund" we're working on over here. Yes, I know you all want a tee shirt! I'm painting as fast as I can (now go buy some prints while they're on sale 2fer one).

In other news, Abby has fallen prey to some mysterious toe malady and is going under the knife tomorrow morning. Hopefully, it's just something jammed in there next to her little doggie toenail which hasn't responded to antibiotics and hot epsom salt soaks. If not... well, I understand that even Jack Russells can live full and speedy lives with three toes on one of their front feet. Meanwhile, she's in good spirits and the funkiness that has afflicted said toe is in a place where it hasn't impeded her running any (dog park patrons beware).   I'll keep you all updated as we discover more.

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One Whole Year

One year ago today, Ron and I were found by a cute little Jack Russell Terrier while hiking in one of California's many state parks.  We were smitten by the time we got to the end of the trail even though she was skinny, covered in ticks and smelled horrible.  You could tell she knew she'd hit the jackpot when we invited her to come home with us, ticks, stink and all.

Abby - right after she found us

On the way home, the plan was for her to sleep in the back yard. When we arrived at the house, we figured she could sleep in a kennel in the garage. By the time we'd cleaned her up and fed her, she had a reservation on the bed.

Abby's first week at home

Neither Ron nor I had ever had a dog before.  Now we wonder aloud and on a regular basis how we EVER lived without one.  She's such a happy little dog now, and very VERY sweet and gentle (weird for a JRT, but we're thrilled to have gotten so lucky).   She has also learned to NOT chase the kitties (even when they really deserve it). 

Abby - now

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Twisted Minds Think Alike

The story of "Gwen" the new American Girl doll who, as it turns out at the end of the accompanying book, is homeless, finally hit NPR last week.  After hearing people voice their opinions on what I see as a complete and total non-controversy (well, except for the $95 price-tag on the doll alone), I inevitably started thinking: you know, what images we expose our children to, what we should hide from them, what constitutes "promoting" something, blah, blah, blah...

As usual, my thoughts followed a tangential path and I came up with what I THOUGHT was a terrific idea for a painting: Teen Pregnancy Barbie. I spent quite a bit time brainstorming and sketching ideas for her clothing (hot pink half shirt with "Porn Star" in crystals). I also thought up all kinds of extras and accessories: "Baby Daddy Ken" (not included, of course), maternity prom gowns and several other things that Ron and I thought struck the perfect balance between offensively funny and socially significant.

So today, while searching the internet for pictures of Barbie's face (I don't own an actual Mattel Barbie doll - why would I?), the funny all came crashing down.

I discovered that an artist by the name of Nina Westerberg created a multimedia art project called, yep, you guessed it, "Teen Pregnancy Barbie."

Here's a link to Nina's PowerPoint presentation.

At first, I felt terribly chagrined and, for lack of a better word, "uncool" for not having known about this piece earlier.  On the other hand, I did come up with the idea independently (albeit 3+ years late), and it turned out to be one that got people pretty worked up.

This lack of knowledge about what has and hasn't been done before makes me want to take a series of art history classes - starting with the Dutch Masters and going right through to current performance, Pop Art and Low Brow stuff.  Not that such information would prevent me from making another time-consuming near mis-step, but at least I wouldn't come across as Little Miss Smugly Defensive like Kenley "but I don't look at other designers" Collins from season 5 of Project Runway.

Well, I guess that's it for today.  Back to the idea pool, I guess.

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Kitty Kismet

Those of you who have been following my blog/facebook/twitter posts know that Ron and I put our old orange tabby cat, Finnegan, to sleep on Tuesday. It was the right decision, though it is never an easy one to see through.

As I mentioned in my last post, this cat has been with me since I was in my early 20s and has gotten me through break-ups, bad jobs, moves, family problems, money worries, unmedicated depression and more. Some days I wonder if I would have made it through my 20s, not to mention my 30s and into my 40s, without that fuzzy guy. I even gave up my engagement ring budget of $3,000 in 2002 to save him when he mysteriously stopped eating. I never once doubted that choice and am happy with my $299 pink sapphire and the extra seven years I got to spend with Mr. Ringie (nicknamed in 1998 for his tail, ironically enough).


"Finnegan Francis O'Malley" (1990-2009)

We arrived at our vet's office to some pretty sad faces. Everyone had an attachment to my funny old cat who most had known for ten years. One of the office staff said she had even thought of staying home. While I never forget how much animals touch the lives of their people, I overlook how much they touch the lives of everyone they meet.

We decided to get the paw-print plaque, which meant that we also needed to have a private cremation and would receive the ashes. I am one of those people who completely separates the spirit from the body in my mind, so a box of ashes itself doesn't mean much to me. Not to mention that I had NO idea what to do with a little pine box of "ex kitty" (Heather will get that reference, though precious few others ever will). The staff suggested planting a tree, or scattering them in his favorite outdoor place, none of which really struck me as completely "right," but as Ron pointed out, we'd figure that out when the time came.

Despite all the sadness, I am happy to say that his crossing over was very peaceful. Because of collapsed veins and a need for regular blood tests over the past few months, he had developed a stress response to needles (even acupuncture). Our long-time veterinarian Jodi VanTyne, DVM (who saved his life in 2002 and loved him very much) suggested an oral dosage that, while it would take longer, would let him leave this world without experiencing fear as his last emotion. Ron and I sat with him for a long time, petting him and talking to him. Jodi also joined us at our request, petting and talking to him. When it was clear that he was no longer aware of his surroundings, she finally gave him an injection and we all said goodbye. I gave him one last kiss and told him I loved him. Then I went home, cried, slept, started work on some memorial pieces and read all the wonderful comments & notes people left about my boy, all of which helps more than any of you could ever know.

Memorial pieces to work through
the grief of losing my 19 year old cat, Finnegan

Tuesday night, the fog of stress which had permeated the house for the last month lifted, and both kitties (Mouse and Gracie) and the dog slept in bed with us last night - totally incident-free.

Yesterday, my mind wandered back to Finnegan's ashes and what to do with them while I was talking to Allyson at the gym (aside: many of you may not know this, but personal trainers are kinda like bartenders or hairdressers -that is, psychologists/therapists-  who beat your ass silly for money). I was just thinking out loud that I didn't really want to bury him in the back yard of this house, since Ron and I don't want to stay here for more than five years (we have dreams of a bit more space around our home than 10 feet in each direction). As far as scattering his ashes somewhere he loved ... well, his favorite place for the last two decades has been sitting on my chest while I lie in bed, his paws on my face. Following a train of thought, I supposed I could put some of the ashes in a little vial and hang it from a chain so I could have Finnegan on my chest, near my heart, whenever I wanted...

And that is when I was hit by the obvious solution: A long-time co-worker of Ron's and now artsy-crafty friend of mine, Jim Adlhoch, introduced me to his line of hand made glass memorial lampwork beads about a year or so back.

To create a memorial bead, Jim incorporates a few granules of the cremains into the glass, which can take the shape of a focal bead for a pendant or smaller beads for earrings or a bracelet. He also makes some beads with trees on them, in the shape of vessels and that even mimic real stones:

Usually, people tell him what colors or color schemes they want, but as a fellow artist, I told Jim to let the glass tell him what it wanted to be. I gave him some general guidelines - I like dichroic glass and bright jewel colors, pinks or iridescents, but unfortunately don't look good in orange or yellow which were 'Ginnie's colors. I'm becoming pretty fond of the round clear/opaque mix bead to the right of the "vessel" bead in the first picture, but in various shades of pink....

Jim is also making Ron and I one of his beautiful "vortex" marbles and will be incorporating some of Finnegan's cremains in there as well. I told him Ron's and my favorite colors, and that Finnegan had greenish gold eyes with orange fur. We shall see what the glass says to him....


I love that we will be able to look at two beautiful works of art, made just for us, and remember all the wonderful things that Finnegan brought to our lives. Of course, when this project is all finished, I will be certain to post photos of our pieces, so stay tuned.

If you would like to have one of these memorial pieces, or just a pretty piece of handmade art glass, drop Jim a line (and tell him Skelekitty sent ya).

Jim Adlhoch
Woodland Hills, CA
info@wildwares.com
http://www.wildwares.com

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