Saying good-bye to 2005

What a year it has been. I've spent less time reflecting on the past year and more time making plans for the upcoming year. But it's in the back of mind no matter what and shapes how I look at the future. I'm thankful for the blessings I have enjoyed as many have suffered in the past months.

And now I throw open my arms and say "Welcome, 2006!" I have plans for you and me! What a great way to kick off the new year as I prepare to hang my solo show in Austin at Kerbey Lane Cafe on Sunday afternoon. David and I visited this week to size it up. What wonderful food they have! And I can't wait to see my Wildflowers blooming through out the restuarant, filling the walls with color and happiness. I'll post some photos after we get it all set up.

To you and yours, best wishes for 2006!

Last class of the year, getting ready for January

I'll have my last painting class at my studio in New Braunfels tomorrow. Then I'll be taking some "down time" until about mid January. I love teaching and having some time off helps to keep me loving it! I'll be excited to see my students, old and new, come January. In the meantime, I'm preparing for an exhibit in Austin at Kerbey Lane Cafe, northwest location (www.kerbeylanecafe.com). I'll be hanging my work on Jan. 1 and plan to be on hand for a "meet the artist" on Sunday, Jan. 15. But before all of that comes about I have some painting and self-promoting to do! Time to update my website! Also, I plan to be in my studio for the next 3 days, for last-minute gift buying. Always plenty to do!

Full Circle

Like this milk can, my life continues to come full circle. Ages ago, it seems, I would do custom paintings of traditional Texas bluebonnet scenes. Last month, I had a call from Mary who wanted to give this antique milk can as a Christmas gift. I just delivered the finished product today and she was thrilled, which brings me more joy that I can express. It is truly wonderful to be appreciated and to know that my art will live on--whether it's on a stretched canvas, a wooden birdhouse, an emu egg (yes, I once painted a windmill and bluebonnet scene on an emu egg), or an antique milk can. Having grown up on a farm in the late 1950s and 1960s in rural South Texas where we had a small dairy, these old milk cans hold a special place in my childhood memories. Thank you, Mary, for bringing me this wonderful project!

Photos from Wildflower Center

Here are a couple of shots of our booth at the recent show at the Wildflower Center in Austin. Met a lot of nice people...fellow artists and artisians, Wildflower Center volunteers and staff and the visitors who came to the event.

Nice and warm in here

As the temps outside are not likely to get above freezing today, "Basking in the warm glow of Spring" warms the heart and soul. One of my favorite works, it is shown here in its new home in Boerne (see the previous post from Dec.4).

Sunday Morning Reflections

It's been an interesting few days. Wassailfest was a success. Planned the amount about right...only had about a quart of wassail left over! That's pretty good since I always fear either running out in the first hour or having a couple gallons left to throw out (I can only drink so much wassail!). Talked to lots of folks about art classes for the spring, which is great! I plan to teach drawing again (haven't done so in about a year) and want to put together some other art courses. David got to discuss his photography with several people and he continues to get such positive comments about his work.

Something really great happened Thursday/Friday. Got a call from a very nice couple from Boerne who read about me and my art in the November Hill Country Edge and wanted to see my work. Long story short, David and I took several paintings to thier house Friday afternoon so they could see what fit. Two works, "Spring Medley" a 48x48 inch (my largest work to date, which is also the painting I'm in front of on the front page of my website) and "Basking in the Warm Glow of Spring, a 40x30 inch painting in warm tones with a reddish background, now have a new home in Boerne! I am so very honored that my work affects people the way it does and it will continue to warm hearts and souls for years to come.

We are heading back to Austin today for day two of "Wild Ideas: The Shopping Event" at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Yesterday's traffic and sales were slow but we are hoping for the best today. Three of our Texas Birdhouses will have new homes come Christmas day as they were purchased for gifts. At least 2 are going out of state! Had some serious interest in my paintings as well.

I've been working on my website this past week and struggled with some broken links. I think I have them all fixed but still can't get my Wildflower Catalog pdf file to link correctly. That's the next thing on the list. If you ever find a broken link on my website, please let me know!

Here we go a'wassailing...

The greatest challenge to blogging for someone like me is to remember to, or take the time to, post regularly. I admire my friend Susan who does so well at it!
I'm about ready for Wassailfest. What's that, you ask? It's an annual event in downtown New Braunfels designed to get people to leave the big boxes on the interstate long enough to come downtown and actually go in to the stores. The bait: wassail. As many different recipes as you can imagine. Like the other businesses, I take advantage of this opportunity to get people up to and in to my studio/gallery above the Art League Gallery. I'll be serving up my low-carb, no-sugar-added, lite version again this year. It was a hit last year.
So if you happen to be in the area...drop by Thursday night for some wassail!

First Posting

Welcome to my first post with this new blog service! You may have found me from my previous blog address or my website or just stumbled here by accident. However you got here--welcome!

If you don't know who I am, I invite you to visit my website, www.casadelinda.com, where you can view my artwork and read about my various projects. I am an artist...and more (meaning that I do just about whatever it takes that's not immoral or illegal or painful to make a living while getting to be an artist). I'm married to a wonderful and supportive man who moved from his beloved Hawaii to Texas 10 years ago to make a life with me.

I'll try to post when the spirit moves me to do so. And I'll always try to end my post with either something humorous or thoughtful. Today I'm taking a line from the classic "Miracle on 34th Street" movie:

"Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to."