Doggie Art Festival 2013
This past Sunday was the 10th Annual Doggie Art Festival. I had my art and booth there, as I normally do for almost all 10 years of events! I'm getting old and time flies by! Thanks to Brian and Jeff, owners of the Doggie Door in Winter Park, FL. this has turned into a must attend dog and art event attracting art and animals lovers from all over the state and beyond. Profits go to help the non-profit http://sebastianhaulfund.org/.
It is always such a fun festival to do and attend. There are so many different types of dogs. definitely like a dog party. My GSD Sasha was in attendance, enjoying a perfect weather day outside with her family and the squirrels.
I learned about a new breed of dog the "Tundra Shepherd." The biggest German Shepherd Dog I have ever seen casually walked into my booth standing as tall a Great Dane and with a slightly wild look of a wolf. I was so taken a back that I didn't get a photo of him. The owner said the Tundra Shepherd is a rare breed, first bred by the military in the 1960's. He was gorgeous and created a crowd of dog lovers around him. The owner called him his "Rock star". For more information and photos check out this rescue group in Arizona; http://2001.homestead.com/tundrashepherd.html
Clients, relatives and friends stopped by. Here are a few photos to share. Click on the image for a larger view and slideshow. Enjoy and make sure to catch you're next dog event in your town! Such fun!
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Black Cats, Halloween & Healing
One of my wonderful art collectors lost her beloved black cat this week, Mr. Meeshka. He lived a long and happy life (15 I believe) and from what I know about him he was a pretty cool and laid back cat.
Superstitions. A Witches familiar.....
In Europe a black cat crossing your path is bad luck. In Japan it is good luck. In Scotland a strange black cat appearing on your porch is an omen as well but a good one. It means that prosperity is on the way. If you hear a cat sneeze in Italy then you are in for a streak of good luck.Cats are not allowed in the room if family is having a private talk in the Netherlands. The fear is that the cat will spread gossip all over town, and the family secrets will be out. Don’t be too hard on the cat in Ireland, however killing a cat there brings 17 years of bad luck.
I think there's something great about black cats! I've never met one that I didn't like. They look at you with a knowing of the depth of your soul. They are playful and mellow, alert and smart. Unfortunately, they are targets for strange pranks around Halloween.
The first cat I owned in my adult life was black and chose me and my husband as its owners. It used to follow us into our apartment at night and because it was black, we didn't notice it until about 15 minutes after we were in the apartment. The first meal we fed her was collard greens (the only thing we had in the fridge) and she ate every bite. We knew then that she was a stray. After about a week of following us around we decided to keep her and named her Mystic. She really lived up to her name! The first mysterious thing we found while giving her a flea bath was a tattoo on her stomach. It wasn't a number, or a name, it was a symbol. It was the female symbol with
a 6 pointed star in the circle part of the symbol. We were quite shocked by this and I went to the library to look for answers. I really didn't find anything except a reference that the symbol may be used as part of witchcraft ceremonies. A few year later, a psychic friend of mine put Mystic on her lap and intuitively saw that she had been part of a Halloween ceremony, perhaps a satanic ritual and had gotten the tattoo that way. Mystic somehow had gotten away before the ritual was complete.
Mystic was pretty smart and would play hide n' seek with us. She would also, always eat and eat just about anything you sat in front of her.
When my mother was home with hospice, dying of breast cancer, Mystic would not leave her side, except to eat or go to the bathroom. It was only on the day of her death that Mystic left the room and then did not return until she has passed. She lived to the good age of 13, fat and happy. At that age she began to have seizures. Alarmed we took her to the vet who said she had an advanced stage of cancer and should be put down right away. It was a shock to us and my poor husband helped Mystic in the end, as I could not bear to see her go.
Scientists now believe that a cats purr may be healing or a self-healing mechanism. Cats purr during both inhalation and exhalation with a consistent pattern and frequency between 25 and 150 Hertz. investigations have shown that sound frequencies in this range can improve bone density and promote healing.
Is it a coincidence that Mystic had cancer, as did my mother? Does it just say that our environment is screwed up? Was her presence helpful to my mother and her illness? I was to me at least. Will there be rituals and ceremonies performed on black cats this Halloween? Will it be bad luck or good luck the next time a black cat crosses your path?
Art & Clay Camp
[slideshow] Art & Clay Camp happened last week and the kids had so much fun! It was 5 days of just art and clay. All the adults that came by the room wanted to join in.
I helped the kids create the 2-d projects, including a montage of 4 Zetangles, a oil pastel/watercolor resist of Owen the Hippo and Mzee the Tortoise, A mixed media heart painting, and a crayon compostion of crayon rain that melted in the sun. I assisted Katherine Mathisen in her portion of the clay camp. She expertly showed the children how to make a bowl, cup or goblet, + several sculptures of animals. Katherine and I usually teach this camp just once during the summer and this is our 5th year of working together! It's both fun and exhausting. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLMxoD5Ce14
This video explains Owen and Mzee's relationship. So sweet.
Katherine’s awesome website: http://www.katherinemathisen.com/
DOG is GOD spelled backwards
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H17edn_RZoY&feature=player_embedded] Many people have used this phrase over the years. Here's a video by Wendy Farncisco about their connection. I found it to be very sweet and true.
I've also started making these small paintings that work great as key, leash, jewelry holders. Here's a couple of them with the "DOG is God" phrase.
