Artistes in Residence

It's a glorious day in Mission Texas. We have had the air conditioning off, and the day has been lovely. Iim recovering from some kind of bug. The day has been spent reconnecting with more friends, by phone and by e-mail. Marg and I talked for almost two hours. You all seem to really enjoy seeing bits and pieces of my life down here.

The covered porch on the left is surrounded by lattice. That is making a fabulous studio. In the front of the trailer is an orange with fuschia hibiscus, a crocus (the red, maroon, goldish leaved bush) under the front windows), and a huge gardenia bush on the right.

I have been watering them all since the top photo was taken and they love it. I can't wait until the gardenia bush blooms - it has white gorgeous fragrant blossoms and is my favorite flower. Aren't digital cameras terrific. This gardenia picture came off the web, however.

We moved our dining table out onto the porch, and there already was a plastic white round table and chairs. If you look between the yellow and red cup is a container filled with water. One of D2's (our cockatiel) mockingbird friends is having a drink.

Amber and I have had great fun trying to regain our technique with painting. Just as in any sport or athletic activity as dance, when you don't do it for a while, it gets rusty. Amber took watercolor classes at Normandale Community College, and we both went up to Lake Superior and took a long weekend workshop with Karen Knutson and Pat Undis February a year ago. We sure missed being able to attend this February, but we sure liked the weather better. You can see Karen's work at Karen Knutson Watercolors, and an example of Pat's is here from the North Artists Studio Art Walk . Just click on the colored words.

Behind Amber in these two photos is a huge color chart that she has been making. For the last two years I have been looking for a warm red to include in my palatte. Also my Christmas present to myself was a bunch of watercolor tubes from Daniel Smith. At one of Karen's workshops, I met a woman from Florida who had almost all of them, and she let me paint some color patches with these tubes and I fell in love. If you are not an artist, the rest probably won't interest you. When painting watercolor, and finding one's own painting voice, we have to select our own particular set of pigments to work with. Each pigment has different characteristics (like whether it is transparent or opaque, granulating or not, staining or not). Cadiums are generally opaque, perhaps granulating, and sometimes staining. I like to work with transparent colors and like lots of granulations, but I don't like staining colors. Staining colors sink into the paper and you can't get them off no matter how hard you scrub - yep - you can correct watercolors - if you are not using staining colors and your paper is hardy. (har har har)

Well, many reds are staining. Many explode on the paper and take over other colors. So I have been on my quest for my warm red. I have all these tubes of paint, but I don't know how they really interact on paper. Amber and decided our best bet was to make color swatches of each tube of watercolor that we had. She cut hers apart and put hers together on two big pieces of styrofoam. I've been painting mine in groups on small size paper so that I can create a set of references. It's been lots of fun. I brought all my color information down with me, and have created a color notebook - including manufacturers brochures with all the colors - and Daniel Smith's huge new color chart. Which I have decided doesn't work for me. Amber has the right idea. I created a color chart a long time ago when I took Carol's Color class, and I have used it very much. I think I will create another color wheel, and include my Daniel Smith's pigments. Carol's class was one of more helpful classes I took. She has since moved to Colorado, built her dream home and an adjoining studio.

While I am talking about Art and Carol, if you haven't already seen her Women of the Prairie series, it is a must. Too Many Too Soon is part of No Time for Idle Hands. Her personal art journey has been very inspiring for me. She branched from watercolor to pencil to prepare for that series, and then on to pastel and now oils. You can see her work at Carol McIntyre's Fine Art.


The good new is we have plenty of subject matter to paint. Our two dogs here are forlorn at being shut on the porch during workout time.









The goats are always wonderful subject. We have to be careful where we come to the fence because they think we are coming to feed them.

Easter Porch-Raising @ Tanya's in Texas

Amber and I went to my niece Tanya's in Sabinal for Easter. It was the first Easter I have ever spent with any of my family since I was 18. My brother Derrill and wife Linda had been promising to help Tanya put a porch with a gabled roof onto the front of her home. In Texas and the southern states, roofs are often made with Tin sheets. To tie the gabled porch into the existing pitched roof, quite a bit of the existing roofing material had to be removed.

Tanya and her husband have been renovating and expanding their home by themselves. They pay for all their materials as they go, and so have substantially increased the value of their home. You would not believe how little their original mortgage was. I am very impressed with her. She can seam and float sheetrock which is very challenging, and has amazing other skills. She has to with three children.

Tanya's home is six hours away from Mission. We drove up, not knowing what to expect, but knowing a big project was in process. Tanya with the help of her Uncle Dan (who spent several evenings calculating cuts, angles, materials) had made the calculations, ordered all the materials, and had it waiting so that she, her husband and her Dad could get rolling. This picture shows Derrill sawing one of the joists and Tanya holding it steady.

We felt like we were doing something like a barn raising. Family and friends came over with food and hammers, ice and Gatorade, and away it went. Some people making food, some people cleaning up, others watching the baby and overseeing the kids. The weather held up great. We all prayed a lot that it wouldn't rain before the roof was buttoned back up.

The kids were great. Aaron came down from Lampasas. He and Tyler (uncle and nephew) enjoyed shooting baskets. I watched Tyler sink four baskets in a row, the ball never touching the rim.

Aaron was great with the kids, and was wearing a shirt that said "I'm a keeper."

Easter was a working day. But
we made sure to have the Easter Egg Hunt and the Easter Egg Pinata 'bustin' before Linda and Anna took Aaron back to Lampasas (about 7 hour round trip through the hill country and it was beautiful). I had made a chicken salad - yum was it good, and we left it in the refrigerator for anyone to snack on when they were hungry. Linda, Anna and Aaron had a bowl before they started their trip.

Back to the egg hunt. Amber and Aunt Linda took the 24 eggs out into the back fenced in yard and hid them. Kristen and Anna went across the street and looked and the horses - which was one of Amber's favorite places to look. We could see that pasture looking west from Tanya's kitchen. Amber of course found one - a chestnut that she really wanted to bring back home. Tyler found the prize egg, and Kristen found that a gecko was much more interesting than her Easter eggs.

Now the pinata was fun. All over the country, hispanics sat along the road hawking different Easter creations. Some were made like eggs, and I thought it would be fun for the kids. I bargained with the lady just as she was closing up for the night, and got a great deal while Amber was checking into the motel.

Never having bought a pinata before, I was thinking that the candy was already in there. NOT. Good thing Amber told me that before we took to hitting the thing. So I went to Walmart on Easter morning and got candy to put in for treats, and the wine vinegar and oil that I needed to make the chicken salad.

The guys would get up in the mornings between 7:30 and 9:00 and get working on the porch. Amber and I missed seeing them set the original posts and taking off the roof, because we didn't arrive until Saturday evening around 7:00. Easter morning though, they worked, Linda made breakfast - ginger pancakes for the kids. The guys came in for breakfast, then they and Tanya went back to work. The Easter egg hunt was in the back. We decided to hang the pinata in front to include the workers in the fun. (plus that is where the tree was).

I found a broom stick, and legislated that Kristen (the smallest) would hit first, then Tyler, then Aaron.

Kristin and Tyler are very athletic as is their Dad. Tyler went to softball practice and Kristin went to her softball practice around 6:00 on Monday, just before we left on Tuesday. They both hit that Pinata with mighty whacks. Then it was Aaron's turn. I was sure that the pinata game was over when with a huge smack, surprise, the pinata stayed intact.

By now, all the adults had stopped what they were doing and watched with interest to see how this was all going to turn out. My job was making sure the participants landed their blows on the pinata and not on any bystanders. I was the Gestapo. Didn't seem to stop the kid's fun. Each kid got to hit the egg three different times. before the egg began to come apart. It took even more thwacks before the whole thing came apart.

The grownups loved it. We were all on the sidelines just grinning. The sawhorse and plywood in the picture was part of the construction site. The work table.

Just between you and me, I saw some of the grownups come over and help with picking up the candy - their own stash. But not much. Those kids were quick.


Kristen kept up with the gecko for quite some time. Don't know if you remember it Derrill, but once upon a time, when you were visiting, you took us to St. Paul, and you picked up a gecko for Amber. Did she love it. And she loved the four anoles that you sent her.

Between Tanya, Aunt Linda, Amber and myself, we were able to keep up with Kinsley. She's the newest addition on their block. Four months old, she captured everyone's heart. Including her brother and sister. They love her to pieces and watch over her well.

Somewhere in all the fun, Tanya and Derrill compared their genes which show amazing dexterity in thumbs and toes.

We ended our Sunday with Linda and Anna arriving home safely. We were going to watch a movie, but maybe we were too tired. I remember going home to the motel and doing 17 seconds with Amber and praying for a dry night and lots of wind to dry what had gotten wet. It began to drizzle during the evening hours. With the roof still open to the elements, there were some people that night who didn't sleep very well. Monday dawned bright and sunny. There were a few puddles on the insulation that were about the size of 50 cent pieces, according to Tanya. We were all very relieved.


Monday, Derrill and Linda were thinking of heading up to Utopia about 4:00 pm. Anna and Amber had checked out of the hotel, because they too were going to head on home. One thing interferred.

That one thing. Do you remember City Slickers?

Well our one thing was.....it wasn't done yet.

We were all relieved when the tin started being replaced on the original roof. But it all had to be measured and cut to fit around the gable that had just been installed. All the construction workers were tired, sunburned and thirsty out in the sun all day. They did a magnificent job.

I grilled chicken strips marinated in a wonderful teriyaki sauce, served with mashed potatoes and green beans. I got it done about 7:00. No one wanted to stop to eat because we wanted to use every available ray of light. When the last piece of tin was replaced and screwed down, we were all relieved. There was only plywood over the porch, but at last we could stop, refuel, and rehydrate. Everyone loved the chicken and mashed potatoes. Tyler loved that they were "real" There was plenty left over.

Amber and I decided not to try to drive back to Mission and indulged in a cup of zinfandel - Tanya doesn't keep wine glasses around. Derrill and Linda also decided to stay the night. Don (Bubba) said "I've got my second wind", and we went back to work. Tanya and I went outside with the men, and helped measure and we wanted to cut, but cutting tin is a bugger, and the tool was getting dull. Derrill's knees were really swollen by this time, and every step that Tanya and I took was one less that he had to make. We all finally finished somewhere between 10:00 and 11:00 pm. There were some happy faces. It was done. No rain ruined vaulted ceiling in the living room, thank heavens.

Amber and I slept on the living room couches that night. The kids were up at 7:30. We had overslept so Tanya quickly made lunches and took them to school. The rest of us got up, got our belongings together, had a very short visit, prayed, took photos of the front porch now completely roofed.

We've all talked on the way home, on the phone, several times, of what a wonderful experience it was to do something together as a family. Derrill said it was the best Easter ever. Amber and I were thrilled to be a part of the family gathering, and felt that we really had also contributed. That many hands and hearts together helped make a wonderful addition. What wonderful memories we all have of the porch raising.
From this to completion. Well Tanya and Bubba still have more to do. They will add a deck flooring, stairs, then they can take the diagonal support posts down. But the part they needed help with, tieing into the original roof, that was done.