handicap seating

apparently some people out there think that the disabled deserve to be punished. have you ever tried to get tickets for an event, if you're disabled? beyond one of the most frustrating and sad processes i've come across and i'm nearing my breaking point. surely it has had it's advantages on rare occasions... such as when it's always sunny in philadelphia live tickets were sold out, but tim and i got to go thanks to some open handicap-only seats (yeah!) and handicap seats many times have pretty decent views with nothing to obstruct your view. but the process of actually getting these seats is miserable.

first off, these ignorant policies that are found in most venues is ridiculous. not only am i only allowed to sit with one person from my party (despite how many people i'm with), but i have to pay extra for it as well.  please send over any reasonable arguments as to how this is fair because i'm all ears, but i'm seriosuly outraged that i'm forced to be secluded from my group just to sit and enjoy a show (whatever show it may be.) i know the main reason you go to shows is simply to see the show, but a part of it is also to share and experience it with people you care about. if i wanted to watch it by myself, i would go by myself. i get it if there is only a limited amount of space for wheelchairs, and i'm not about to take away the chance for another wheelchair user to see a show, but i can't tell you how many times i've been to arenas for ice shows, concerts, sports, where there has been tons of empty space in the handicap section. if it's that big a problem, make more space. don't get me wrong, i fully understand about larger groups of 7, 8, 9+ people, but when there is only 4 of us, is it really necessary to split that up?

as for the paying extra part, if i wanted the cheapest tickets available, i could get them...if i were "normal." however, since i'm in a wheelchair, i don't have the option for cheaper tickets. wheelchair seating is many times priced higher, and since "it's just policy," i'm forced to pay extra, despite where i want to sit. i don't care if they are better seats or how much anyone else in that section is paying.  if that is my only option, i shouldn't be penalized for being disabled. we've fought the policies many times and luckily have gotten seats for the cheaper seats, but if you refuse to play fair, then it's time to make a new handicap section in every price range, so we all have equal chances.

i'm not trying to scam the system for cheaper tickets or special treatment. i know i've admitted, and i'll keep admitting that i love the perks and advantages that come along sometimes from being disabled (and who wouldn't love it?), which sometimes may not be fair to others, but maybe that's just another issue to resolve. i don't care about the advantages, i'd prefer it to be fair for everyone. i'm getting really sick of the moronic policies that force me to feel so horribly like an outsider. i have enough issues to deal with during daily life that i don't need to feel bad about the things that are supposed to be a fun and entertaining escape. i just find it sad.
my worst experience with wretched policies was at dorney park (every year, but most specifically with this past october).  i have been meaning to write about it for months, but i'll save that for another day.

chef erEEK!

this is chef erEEK!  my sister wanted me to paint her chef boyfriend as a kritter for christmas this year and this is the outcome.  erik is kind of a neat freak so my original intention was to make it a nice, clean, organized kitchen, but it ended up pretty cluttered because it's more fun that way. it's much less hectic than it could've been though.  so hopefully i did a good job of portraying his personality, and his profession as a chef. i can't tell you if he's a good cook or not because he hasn't made me enough meals for me to judge fairly (hint hint), but what i've tasted has been delightful. so make me more. i loves my foods.

merry merry christmas!

i hope everyone had a lovely christmas with lots of love, lots of presents, and lots of christmas cheer. now it's time to start posting some of the work i've done over the past month. i figure this is a good one to start with while christmas is still fresh in our hearts! i painted these sleds for my parents and tim's mom for christmas. sure they big and bulky, but i wanted to do something different and more themey than just a boring rectangle shape. i'm not a photographer and i had no time to figure out a good way to photograph a mini sled, so please don't make fun of my cheesy set up with the elves ha.

for my parents, i wanted to do a cute little scene with stockings hanging by a fire, and it just so happened that adding our pup chloe, yet again, was the best finishing touch. i fully didn't intend on making another art piece based on the dog that already gets far too much attention, but that's how it ended up. i hope that's okay with my parents, but based on how crazy my mom is about the dog, i'm sure it is more than fine.

for tim's mom, i did a snowy scene of a cabin in the mountains, since she's into that kinda thing. pretty and quiet with a fire going. the best part about where she lives now is during the winter, the entire street is filled with the cozy, delicious (and overwhelming) scent of a fire burning. it's one of the greatest smells ever.

snow day!

best part about snow days:  i don't have to shovel snow outside.  results in delightful laziness inside a cozy warm house, no sore back and arms, and silently laughing at everyone else who has to spend hours digging our their cars... and mine.

worst part about snow days:  i don't get to shovel snow outside. that means i don't get to enjoy of the crunch of fresh snow under my feet (both sound and feeling.) no experience of being overwhelmingly surrounded by fresh, clean snow after a major storm. no fun.

i want to shovel! i know that everyone could argue that i wouldn't complain about not shoveling if i were actually physically able to (and forced to) and i know that is most definitely true. but that doesn't change the fact that it's sad how many things there are out there that you need to lose before you're able to appreciate them. even the worst, most painful or boring of tasks, that i constantly hear people complain about things i'd kill to be able to do, like running upstairs just to grab something, do laundry (our machines are in the basement), take out the trash, any other stupid chore that everyone hates doing.. like shoveling snow.

i'm sure by saying this, i will probably just infuriate anyone who reads it, especially those who have to do all these things for me. don't get me wrong, i'm not saying anyone has no right to complain, and i'm not saying that i don't complain about the things i can do. i just wish we all could appreciate the things we can do a little more...even when they are a huge pain in the ass.

gingerbread houses!

 a gingerbread house was not on my agenda this year, but i thankfully finished all my work with a day to spare to relax and decorate a gingerbread house with tim. we had to forfeit our original plan for our house since we couldn't find any marzipan to make little characters and accessories. we ended up changing our idea to the overused mario brothers theme (only because i already had a luigi gingerbread man to go with it, as seen in my post a few days ago) but as it ended up, my mom found marzipan after we had already started so we still had to do mario, but at least we could do mario the right way!  i guess we'll have to save our cool idea for next year... so i'm not telling you what it is. 

tim and i both did equal amounts of work on this, both made different characters.. i had to fight him to the death to let me put christmas lights on the tunnel chimney, but my nonstop whining about it caused a victory for me. i always get really bored making gingerbread houses, so i'm really happy we started doing these themed ones. it gives it a purpose and the outcome always makes me so giddy. i'm pretty sure last year's house is and always will be my favorite of all time. snoopy's doghouse:

tim and i worked on our charlie brown christmas gingerbread doghouse together equally like this year's. it's so cute, i can't take it. i'm excited to share it again this year, and more excited to share our new mario gingyhouse !

merry christmas!

christmas cheese!

each year for christmas, i have been painting my parents a special painting for the holiday.  they usually end up being a little rushed thanks to the stress of the christmas deadline (particularly the gingerbread one, which i did in about an hour. i'm definitely going to have to replace that one someday, i strongly dislike it.) it's kind of amusing because i know my mom feels obligated to put them all up each christmas (even if she won't admit it!), even though she could just pick one or two and switch it up each year. personally, my favorite is the snowmen, which was the very first one i made for them in 2006. i think i need to pick one style and make a series.  there's too much random variety going on here.

gingerbread houses tomorrow!

GINGERBREAD MEN!

every year during christmas (since maybe 2005?) my buddy and i decorate some gingybreads. we used to do gingerbread houses, but last year i saw a kit for making gingerbread men and decided that was a million times cooler. it's my favorite christmas activity, and i highly recommend it for a fun night of christmasy festivities. and we are pretty darn creative with it, if i do say so myself.

so here are our gingy men! we like to and try to do duos: mario and luigi, kyle and stan, spiderman and flash, woody and charlie brown.  top row mine, bottom row brian's:

woody is, of course, my favorite. (favorite character, and gingyman!)

and i can't help but post last years because i just get so giddy about these things. they're so cute. marge and bart simpson, mickey and pooh, the freds: flintstone and from scooby, leela and fry. again, top row mine, bottom row brian's

(mickey was my favorite last year)

yeah!

paper doll romance

yesterday i was featured on a girly blog called paper doll romance.  they are currently having a special 12 days of christmas where a random drawing picks out a winner each day for some free stuff, and asked me to donate a piece. we felt my one-eyed girls was the best fit to match the content of the blog: girly and feminine. so some LUCKY winner gets a free 1EG painting. jealous? they also wrote some a nice little bit about my work and me. check out the post here.

i meant to post about the blog when i found out about the give-away, but my mind has been so scattered. two best friends, jen and saira, created paper doll romance to post about fashion, weddings, jewelry, purses, basically anything girly you can think of.  feel free to follow their blog at http://www.paperdollromance.blogspot.com/ for all the best fashion and beauty tips.  i am far from girly, much to my mom's disappointment, so i should be reading their blog religiously to learn how to be a girl.

there's still a few more days to enter to win some free stuff from their 12 days of christmas give-away. check it out here.

sweet delicious christmas!

i tried to be creative, but ran out of ideas...

but these are my yummy christmas cakes ! my favorite is the snowman.

ps- did anyone else see the lunar eclipse? i only peeked for a moment since i could only handle a few seconds at the pitch black back door by myself at 3 am...but it was perdy.

johnny appleseed

mr. appleseed!  for an annual christmas party amongst friends, i thought it would be fun this year to have christmas bingo (thanks to my new found love for friday night bingo over the last year or two.) there are several artists within the friend "group" and thus it became art christmas bingo! i thought art for prizes might be more fun than just buying little gadgets from the dollar store that would end up in the garbage (you better not throw johnny in the garbage!!)  each artsy prize was wrapped, and the winner of each round of bingo got to choose a present to unwrap and take home their new artwork. unfortunately, i didn't take photos of the other prizes, but this was my contribution. nothing fancy, but i thought he was cute for a nice, friendly game of bingo.  

thank you, will from laughingboycomics for being our lovely, talented, and enthusiastic bingo caller.


i think that the rest of this week will be christmasy posts. time for magic!

forever

why must it take so long to paint the simplest of things?

the life of a painting

over the past few days, i have been simultaneously working on 7 different projects... which includes prepwork, sculpting, and painting. i'm attempting to finish quite a bit of work in a short time, for the lovely christmas holiday.  it is stressful, yet i'm feeling the excitement and empowerment of working on so many things. it makes me feel like i'm really accomplishing things, like i don't have a second to spare (which i don't, really). gesso these boards while waiting for the clay to dry, paint these canvases while waiting for the spray paint to dry. mmmm stress. my favorite (when it comes to art.) i work best under stress. when will people learn to give me deadlines? (hint hint)

i was thinking about how amazing it would be to live the life of a painting. don't ask me where this is coming from. but particularly the commissioned paintings i'm working on. if you could see life through these paintings' eyes, you would see everything.  the artist's process, from beginning to end. the conversations that go on while the piece is being worked on or even just lying around.  the sounds, music, movie, or tv shows that are being watched during it's creation (and let me tell you, i watch a lot of weird and horrible movies, not to mention i also laugh really hard almost unnaturally at times. right now i'm addicted to the tv series "coupling" so if you receive any artwork i've created for this christmas, please imagine a bunch of cute little british voices and hilarious, stupid humor while gazing at the piece. ) the frustration of the artist where it feels like the painting will be a huge failure, where the artist contemplates whether they will be even be able to pull this off... followed by the acceptance and relief of the artist during the final stages when the painting finally comes together. the reaction of the person purchasing the artwork.  and what the painting will see, but the artist never: the reaction of the person receiving the artwork from the buyer. followed by the real reaction of that person once the buyer is gone. and then who knows what that painting will see once it's real life begins! either a sad junk-filled closet, or a lively living room, or a sexytime bedroom.  i want to live a life of a painting.

it's late, i'm really tired and delirious, i have no idea what i'm talking about.  thanks to everyone who came out to my show tonight ! i very much appreciate it.  more on that next week.

KAOTIC KRITTERS show

flabs, spikey, and uzzy

tonight is the night.  the destined-to-be awkward reception for my kaotic kritter show. this is my third show at the red horse gallery, yet i've failed to explain a little about the gallery and organization that so kindly invited me back again for another show. 

The Arc of Monmouth received funding from the Monmouth County Arts Council, TD Bank Charitable Foundation and NJ Natural Gas to provide art classes to people with disabilities and to assist in exhibiting, promoting and retailing their art at the Red Horse Art Gallery, located within the Freehold Raceway Mall in Freehold.

VSA New Jersey is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the creative power of people with disabilities.

i'm thrilled and grateful be have been asked to have this show. i love making the kritters, and seeing them all together like this in the gallery is exciting for me. everyone at vsa and the gallery are all such nice people and i think what they do is great. i've said it a million times, i truly believe that art is the most powerful and effective form of therapy, and having a disability calls for lots and lots of therapy. at least for the crazies, like me.  an organization dedicated to supporting arts for the disabled is a beautiful thing.  i want to get more involved somehow.

so come to the show! here's that info one last time:

TODAY, dec 16. red horse gallery

freehold mall (upper level, next to sears)

6-8 pm

 

or see it anytime until january 21 !

gallery hours: mon-fri 10 am- 4:30 pm

 

one last note, i have to thank my parents for their undying support. i would have ripped out all my hair or broken a lot of valuables if not for the hours upon hours they spend helping me frame artwork, matte artwork, cut wood, cut masonite, build frame supports, and everything in between. for this show, for past shows, for basically any time i need it.  so thank you mama and papa!

tiny, spike, and gunther

TOMORROW!!!! go see my little kritter friends and me at my show!

tiny t-rex, spike and gunther! gunther the snail was one of the very first kritters that started it all! while on a very relaxing family vacation in the outter banks a few years ago, i started sketching animals for the fun of it and he was one of them.  he is also the first one timmy and i designed together, and remains one of my favorites to this day.  this is the very first sketch of him that i clearly remember drawing while in a huge mansion of a beach house surrounded by ton of family and relatives.  another fun fact, this gunther painting was the 2nd or 3rd kritter painting ever done, before we decided we wanted crazy colorful backgrounds. i think a brand new updated painting of gunther is long overdue..

here's the very first drawing of gunther before my love for painting these kritters was born

TOMORROW!

dec 16. red horse gallery

freehold mall (upper level, next to sears)

6-8 pm

hip hop, nostrils, and stinky

 

more kritters you can see in the show. hip hop the hippo, stinky stegosaurus, i-toucan.  my toucan is one of the original kaotic kritters from '08.  maybe later this week, i'll post the very first kritters i designed/painted.  i like to compare the old with the new. i feel like they've changed a lot, and every time i make a new set, i see a little change in them each time, whether noticable to others or not.

come one, come all:

this thursday! dec 16. red horse gallery

freehold mall (upper level, next to sears)

6-8 pm

aussie and v-buzz

here we have aussie the ostrich and v-buzz the vulture, both from 2009, but are on display at my art show at the red horse gallery.  i won't be posting any new work over the next few weeks while i'm slaving over tons of artwork day and night to finish by christmas.  once we meet the new year, i'll have plenty of different work to show.  until then, i'll be sharing old work, mostly kritters, some of which can be seen in the gallery... right now!

i have two 3D back to the future paintings just about finished that i'm excited to share, as soon the very kind and extremely patient back to the future fan receives and approves of them.

(ps- this thursday is my kaotic kritter show at 6-8 pm at freehold mall. red horse gallery is upper level, next to sears!)

professor bub

professor bub!! over the past few weeks, i've been posting all the new kaotic kritters i painted for my art show, and this is the last new one. the rest have all been previously painted over the past few years, and i can't wait to see them all together on the walls the way god intended!  there will be 20+ total, maybe 30+, i forget.

info again is: thursday, december 16!! 6-8 pm at the redhorse gallery in freehold mall (upper level, next to sears)

facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=134526906604811&notif_t=event_wall#wall_posts

ringer

this is ringer, he is also a part of my kaotic kritter show.

i'm a little dumb and keep typing the wrong date for the reception... but the reception for the show is december 16!! 6-8 pm at the redhorse gallery in freehold mall (upper level next to sears)

everyone add it to their facebooks, or do whatever it is you're supposed to do to get it saved in your facebook events so you don't forget!!  

http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=134526906604811

or mark it down in your calendars like a real person :)

sugartooth

this is sugartooth.  he is officially my favorite kaotic kritter of all time.  in fact, he is my favorite painting of all time. i can't begin to describe how much my love for him grew and grew as i was designing him, but once i started painting him i was knocked off my feet. or out of my chair. or whatever saying isn't awkward. when i finished painting him, i just repeatedly showed it to the same people, over and over, i was excited. i loves him. see sugartooth in person at my show:

kaotic kritter art show!  red horse gallery in freehold mall! upper level next to sears!

open now! mon-fri 10am-4:30pm.

reception DECEMBER 16 at 6-8pm

(show ends january 21)

i hope someone out there loves him as much as i do

hooty

the KAOTIC KRITTER show at the redhorse gallery is open! check it out anytime mon-fri 10am - 4:30pm at freehold mall (upper level, next to sears) and/or come to the reception on december 16 at 6-8 pm!

this is hooty and he wants to see you december 16th.

playtime: zapper and polly pocket

the next two in my toychest series! this is my second piece for the autumn society's playtime show at brave new worlds. (read about the charity art show here!) 

in my quest to choose different beloved toys i grew up on, i decided on the nintendo zapper! or better known as the duck hunt gun. i was a very avid nintendo player (though not ever skilled, even now) and duck hunt was one game my sisters and i lived for. the sight of that orange gun still makes me excited and even though the duck hunt game has lost its ability to entertain me for endless hours thanks to figuring out how to avoid missing a single duck, it's still a super fun game. the dog and the ducks and especially the sounds forever hold a place in my heart. 

and my last piece, polly pocket! reliving my weirdo obsession with polly pocket made me so unbelievably happy, just to see some of the ones i used to have (and i used to have tons), and remember my favorites.

 it makes me want to play with them, to at least just see and hold them once again. the teeny-tiny-ness of them.  i wish i could explain that happy nostalgic feeling i get when i think about these, and so many other toys, but i'm sure anyone who reads this could imagine by thinking of your own childhood toys. my favorites were the mansion (on the right!) and the castle. and the one with the hot air balloons... ohhh. polly pocket i love you.

playtime: puff

who remembers puffalumps?!  here is my first of my toychest series for the autumn society's PLAYTIME show this month! every time a new show comes along i try to think of an idea that may be more likely to appeal to its audience, but it always ends with me making what i love, even if i'm the only one. i can't seem to force myself to make something i don't care about. so for this one, i put my heart and soul into this! it's simple, but i painted my soul mate, puff. he is literally my favorite thing of all time and i've had him since i was born. as lame as it is, i've brought him everywhere, including sleepovers when i was "too old" to bring stuffed animals, college, vacations (that includes present and future vacations...), and i have slept with him every single night (except the past few years, partially because my jerk boyfriend thinks he's gross, but mostly because i don't think he can survive any more holes or tearing.)  he may be old and falling apart, but i plan to keep him forever. you can see a big hole in his ear thanks to an old habit i for some reason called "cuffing" where i'd repeatedly rub my finger over his ear.  it's still a form of comfort to me. i'm a child.

this is what he used to look like (thank you internet stock photos) and his current condition. 

love him.

if you missed my last post, check it out to read about what the PLAYTIME charity show is all about: here

PLAYTIME!

see my next few posts for the my pieces for the show, with some happy memories :)

very excited to be a part of a great show, with so many nostalgic pieces, for a great cause.

awesome poster art by Peter Wonsowski / design by Mat Kerfren (also huge thanks to mat for putting the show together!)

The Autumn Society is proud to present, PLAYTIME, it’s first charity art show!
Toys bring children joy, spark imaginations and inspire creativity. Help others in the Philadelphia area so that less fortunate children can still have the joy of a new toy this holiday season. What was your first toy? Your favorite? What amazing adventures did you go on with your action figures? What distant planets did you explore with your spaceship? The Autumn Society will illustrate their visions of childhood favorites - somewhere between plastic molding & imagination.

There will be a donation box on site for new, unwrapped toys for our local Philadelphia Chapter Toys for Tots. And a portion of the proceeds will go to Toys for Tots nationally. Join us this December on First Friday for the art, the nostalgia, and the gift of charity.
http://www.theautumnsociety.com/
http://www.toysfortots.org/

PLAYTIME
Opening Reception December 3, 2010 6-9pm
Brave New Worlds Comics
45 N. 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA

THE CHARITY TOYS FOR TOTS
The objectives of the U.S. Marine’s Toys for Tots are to help needy children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of one of our nation's most valuable natural resources - our children; to unite all members of local communities in a common cause for three months each year during the annual toy collection and distribution campaign; and to contribute to better communities in the future.

http://philadelphia-pa.toysfortots.org/

THE DETAILS TOY DRIVE & PROCEEDS
Toys for Tots accepts new, unwrapped toys. If you forget to bring a donation, Brave New Worlds offers a variety of great toys. The donation box will be on site until mid December. Toys will go directly to the Philadelphia Chapter Toys for Tots. Our artists have individually selected 25%, 50% or 100% of their artwork sales to go to the Toys for Tots national charity. Brave New Worlds Comics will be generously donating 100% of their standard commission
www.bravenewworldscomics.com