Life is So Weird.

Ok, so I must have sat here for 3 hours yesterday typing and deleting, crying and pacing, trying over and over again to figure out the best way to talk about the only thing that I could think about...losing O'Malley on Sunday. And then yesterday afternoon something happened that made me just shake my head in wonder at the extreme weirdness of life. But I will get to that in a minute.

He has been a very very sick baby for several weeks now, but he was doing so well we all thought he was going to be ok. Even Saturday night he ate and was acting normal. Sunday morning was another story. I am still in shock thinking about how fast it happened. Although it seemed like the longest day ever as I sat with him and talked to him and loved him. The only thing that brings me peace right now is believing what I told Kennedy about where he is now...in heaven with Itty Bitty (my Christmas kitten pictured below that we lost in May) in no more pain, running and playing and having all the treats he wants, whenever he wants.

But I still miss him. So much.
They just become such a part of the family that the absence of them is so strong. Their little personality traits and the spots they pick to sleep in so that you always know where to find them. O'Malley had a certain spot on the rug in the dining room, right in the walkway...I'm so used to stepping over him that I can't even walk through my house without thinking about him, or high-stepping! He had also started sleeping at night on the trunk at the foot of the bed. And even though Gabbie and Trinny are still here, the house is just not the same. I think they know it, too. They have been unusually loving and just with me nonstop for the last 2 days. They know he's gone and they know I'm sad. I can feel it in the way they seek me out and lay on me or up against me with all the strength and warmth their little bodies can muster. They are trying to make me feel better. Like they always do. Really. When I have a sore throat Gabbie will literally lay on it, trying to heal me with her body. How does she know where I hurt? I don't know. But they know my heart is hurting now. And they are trying to heal me. I only wish it was that easy. What I wouldn't give right now to hear his little happy chirps. (yes, chirps. It was just his happy sound.) God. Ok.

Ok. I'm back. I can sort of see what I'm writing now, so I will try to continue.

Ok, I said while a go that life was weird. Seems like it is always one extreme to the next. High, low, low, high. No in-between. Let me explain.

Something very big for me professionally has been in the works for several months now. But I have not been able to talk about it here yet. Of course I have thought about how I would talk about it when I could, but in all those wonderful, excited announcement posts I have conjured up in my head, this one never existed. But here it is. And I guess this is maybe the universe's way of letting me know in no uncertain terms that life does go on? And I am so excited about it! I am elated! I am completely and totally over the moon! I cannot even believe that it is really real! (See, low to high, all in one post. geez.)

But here it is...I have been published!!!!!

In one week, on October 7th, you can find me between the pages of this magazine explaining how to create a painting of the studio of your dreams along with photos of the one that I made! Thank you, thank you, thank you Cloth Paper Scissors for this amazing opportunity!!! You made one of my dreams come true!!! And for that I am eternally grateful! In addition, photos of my actual studio can be found in the online extras of the magazine at this address... http://clothpaperscissors.com/cpsmag/extras/amy_giles_STUDIOS.html. Just too cool! Needless to say, my jaw was on the floor when I opened my e-mail yesterday, saw the "Embellishments" from Cloth Paper Scissors, opened it, scrolled down, and there I was! Holy Tamoly!! That's me!! Little girl from small town staring back at me from the pages of an e-mail sent by a magazine! Then, click! And there I am, and there is my little studio, on the pages of the website! Oh. My. God. I about fell out! I still can't believe it! All because I am finally doing what I love. Amazing. Simply amazing. And weird. Life is so weird.

To order your own copy of this wonderful magazine, (And, yes, I would say that even if I wasn't in it!) and to see all the other cool things you can only find on-line, go here http://clothpaperscissors.com/shop/StudiosMagazine2008.html! You don't wanna miss it!

Oh! And wondering who took all those amazing photos of my space?? Check out the website of the amazingly talented Jessica Roach of Jessica Roach Photography right here in Texarkana here www.jessicaroachphotography.ifp3.com ! And prepare to be amazed! Then hurry and get on her books! She will be filling up quickly after this!

And I will have some new items in the shop in the next couple of days, so be sure and check back! I am now going to take my in-shock in all ways self out to the studio and try to get some work done! Wish me luck with that, as I don't even know how to feel today...one extreme or the other! But I'm working on it, and letting all of your good thoughts and congratulations carry me. So, thank you all. Thank you very very much.

The Best Time of Her Life!

So we went to the fair last Saturday night. It was Kennedy's first time...not counting the time I was pregnant with her and all I did was eat my way through and then spent the next 24 hours sick as a dog...but I digress. This time she absolutely LOVED it! I have never seen the child so excited! But I'm not sure what was better...watching her have so much fun or watching her Daddy squeeze his 6' 1" frame into those kiddy rides over and over! Oh, the things you do for love! I mean, is this priceless or what?? lol!!This is actually the second time on the merry-go-round...I rode the first time, but I am the picture taker, so as usual I am mysteriously missing in most big-event moments.Of course, I would never make absolutely sure that upon entering the helicopter ride they got into the pepto-bismol pink one! Not me!This is a close-up shot of the little duck Daddy won for her (immediately named Chloe) that got her own seat and all buckled in tight. This shot also conveniently shows just how crammed in there Eric really was. I am not laughing now, nor was I then. Not at all. Not me!Upon leaving the fair, at, wait for it...11:30pm...gulp...(waayyy past bedtime!) she told us that of everything she did, riding the "real ponies" was her "most favorite thing". Just look at my little girly-girl loving "driving" the motorcycle! There was a little boy in the back seat. She talked to him the whole time, but there was no way she was giving up the wheel!
This was the first one where a parent couldn't ride with her...she gave the carni her tickets, found her car and buckled and unbuckled herself. She was so proud! And I thought I was going to cry. She's getting too big too fast!
Finally, proof I was really there! This dinosaur went round and round depending on how fast we turned the wheel...and surprisingly I couldn't turn it fast enough for this little daredevil! Oh, and we also (all 3) rode the ferris wheel...and of course, she loved every second of it! Not scared in the least! But apparently I was too nervous watching her to remember to take a picture!
She noticed everything! And when she noticed a group of girls wearing light-up bunny ears she went straight to Daddy...(smart kid!) and told him that she needed a pair. 5 minutes and 8 dollars later she had 'em!
But when they got in the way of the next ride, this is where they ended up! Yep, that's my honey! Cute, no matter what!
All in all, she had the absolute best time imaginable! And if there was any doubt, when her eyes opened the next morning the first words out of her mouth were, "Can we go to the fair today?"

Island Soul

This is a different take on the same idea...at least in terms of size...it is only 4" x 4"! (the others are all 11" x 14") I have 2 more that should be finished today, and let me just say, smaller does not equal easier or less time involved! Especially in a square format when one is used to working in rectangle. I have ordered some smaller canvases in 4" x 6" and some tiny 2 1/2 " x 3 1/2"....trying to get some varied price points for the upcoming show...and I am needing a challenge! Will keep you updated on the progress!
Oh, and these tiny little shells...I ordered starfish from a popular online source and this is what I got. At the time I just said oh, well and left it at that. Glad I did, cause I don't know what I would do without these little things now, and have no doubt starfish would not do the trick! Just another lesson in trusting the universe even when I think I know what I need. I don't. Ever. Well, hardly ever!
Now, picture this...8:45am...a normal morning sitting at the red-light to enter one of our major streets here in Texarkana, State Line Avenue, (yes, the street that divides Texarkana into Texas and Arkansas) and me hanging the iPhone out the window to capture the beauty of the morning sky amid lots of honks and engine revs as the light turns green. Obviously noone else bothered to look up or I would not have been the only one doing this! Of course, the light was streaming down through the clouds in such a way that the camera just couldn't capture, but to me it was the first beautiful light I had seen since the hurricane came and went.


And the most beautiful thing I had seen lately, and I knew I had to share it with you. I hope your day is full of beauty in the most unexpected places!

You Can Find Me Here....

This is my back porch. Really it's a deck, but in the south it's a porch, front or back. And I show it to you now, (even though these pictures were taken a couple of months ago, note the patriotic pillow) because this time of year I could literally live out here, and I am really trying to! The temperatures here have been 60s at night and highs of low 80s in the daytime. bliss. And I am soaking up as much of this as I possibly can, while I can. Because I know after the dog days of summer this is a short respite until the coooold sets in. And I am not a fan of the cold.
The official nap spot. Again, every southern porch must have a swing. It is a requirement.
Yes, that is the studio in the background. It is becoming harder and harder to pass through this place on the way to work. So I am using up valuable brain cells conjuring up pieces of the work puzzle that can be accomplished while sitting here as opposed to there. I know, I know, like the work spot is awful or something. And I am working with the doors and windows flung open, but it is still not this.
And just for the purposes of complete disclosure, the spot here on the right with the wine-colored pillow is "my spot". So if you are looking for me lately you will know exactly where to find me! Come on over! The weather's great and the coffee's on!

Oh! And now all these spots have been decked out (ha!, no pun intended!) for fall with chunky throws and blankets and tablecloths and such, so we are ready for the evening chill without ever having to move! (except to retrieve another glass of red!) I will take more photos and show you the update soon, promise!

Something New!

I have been itching to add some thread and fabric into my pieces for quite some time now, so I finally got my Mom's 31 year old sewing machine repaired and promptly sat down to sew. I got the edges of the square done, (the piece in the middle is fabric) and then criss-crossed the center, tried to change colors of thread again, and I'll be damn if it didn't freak out and refuse to do anything else! So this is what this one little sewn piece turned into! (it's about 6" x 11") The bottom two pieces are watercolor paper that I had ready to go from a sort of free-play painting session a couple of weeks ago when I was feeling stuck. Ya'll ever do that? Just play with the paint/colors/techniques/tools/etc. with no feeling of "oh, crap, I don't wanna mess this up!"? Very liberating. I will be doing more of that on a more regular basis. And if I end up with something usable, great. If not, I learned what not to do next time. No big deal, I haven't ruined anything. Ok, I digress. Then I used lots and lots of layers of Golden fluid acrylics. I swear they are the best paints ever created. Absolutely amazing. Love them! Just look at that build-up...and I haven't found a surface these paints don't like...too cool.
I love this picture. This is one of those pictures that inspires a story to me to the point that I can almost hear the dialogue between Mom and Dad and these two kids on Christmas morning...can't you?? The perfect boy/girl gifts for that time period, and yet the looks on their faces tell it all! I keep wanting to put parts of that dialogue into the piece somehow, but then again, I like it as is, too. If I change it, I'll show it to you again! (and that quilt! oh, man, that quilt!!)
Oh, and the corner stitches are hand done. Never discount the necessity of a good thimble when going through two layers of watercolor paper, one piece of fabric, and the picture itself! Whew! More than one reason for only 3 stitches in each corner!

Now I need to go see if I can figure out what the problem is with the sewing machine...you know, what really is the problem...machine or operator! :~)

Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend

This is the latest in the nest/house series...
The house is an actual house here in East Texas called the Larissa House. Several years ago I did a show in Tyler where the owner of this house saw my work and contacted me to create a series of works showcasing it. Too fun! (at the time my work was primarily photo restoration and old, interesting photos framed under old glass with aged bandage tape for frames...I know, hard to explain, I'll see if I can't find some photos of that to show you.) A little bling on the nest is a new thing.

And this girl just looked like she should live in this house and literally be decorated with diamonds and sparkle...love her!

I also love this background! Isn't it funny how same concept, sometimes the same papers, every time...different result! I have so got to figure out how to make prints of these, cause so far letting them go is just not happening!
I am working on some smaller sizes, same concept, and I have about a month and a half until the show we are planning here at the studio happens...so maybe I can have it ironed out by then! Just have to get out of the studio and figure it out! What I need is another of me...there is simply not enough to go around! And I know ya'll know exactly what I am talking about! Just someone to, you know, take the kid to and from pre-school, do the grocery shopping, meal preparation, clothes washing and putting away, floor mopping, toilet scrubbing, random errand running, bill paying...you know, all the stuff on the endless to-do list that keeps me out of the studio! Although I am not sure if I would be any less tired in the evenings if I was a one-job woman, (you know, like a man!) But it seems that I am always the one that just can't sit and relax after dinner...I start fading, and fading fast, and have to go lay down. And that is usually the last thing I remember. That is how fast I go to sleep. Maybe we could just start a petition for reinstating afternoon naps? OH! I know how to get it done...I'll put it on the list!

Whew! What a Weekend!

Well...it's over. The hurricane, that is! We prepared and waited and watched and waited, and even though the wind and rain began in earnest on Saturday afternoon, we didn't lose power until about 9:30pm that night. It was one long, hot, restless night, but that is all. Just one. It could have been soooo much worse. And it still is for sooooo many. Even for those in and around the Texarkana area, much less the Houston and Galveston area. My heart goes out to them. I just cannot even imagine the prospect of not having power back for days or weeks. We are just so dependent. I wish that there was something that we could do about that. But alas, I think that we shall remain in the grip of the electric companies, and forever at their mercy. Oh! And when I bought gas last Tuesday I think it was, I paid $3.50. That was still the price on Thursday evening, and I know this because the reports were beginning to trickle in about gas shortages and outages and prices soaring, so fill up now! And I noticed. On Friday morning as I took the little to school it was $3.70. This morning, $3.99. Yes, for the "cheap" stuff. Amazing.

Yesterday was odd. It was as if everyone emerged from their homes all at once...surveying the damage and beginning to clean up. Mostly limbs and other tree debris. But in our neighborhood at least, not much more than that. Thank God. We are all still scared to death of wind and rain since the last big wind storm we had about 3 months ago. That is probably why I over-prepared for this one. Oh, well. Better safe than sorry! And for the future, no oil lamp is safe from me again...at yard sales, flea markets, dollar stores...wherever I may find them, they are coming home with me! Those cheap things we finally found a couple of weeks ago after a day of hunting leaked like a sieve. Yuck. Nothing like a little kerosene on the kitchen counter to send me into a cleaning frenzy, in the dark, late at night, with storm raging outside, and an exhausted child unable to sleep. No thanks.

Ok, let's see...what else? Oh, my dear friend and mentor Lori, I call her my "mother-sister-friend", came to see my on Friday night. She brought her cute as a button little great niece along with her to play with Kenndy and they had a blast! I think every toy she owns was in the middle of the floor by the end of the evening! Perfect proof of too much fun for the 3-4 year old set! They stayed the night, and the kids ultimately had to be separated in order to sleep. Upon separation they were out in 2 minutes flat. sigh. Should have done that long before 11pm! But is was sooo wonderful to see her! It had been since before Artfest that we had gotten together, so we were certainly not short of things to talk about or show and tell items! She was absolutely in love with my new art nest/house pieces! Which, as ya'll know, from artist to artist, that always means so much! And especially since she has known me for, well, about 12 years now, and has seen me grow and change in so many ways as woman and as artist. I began working with Lori in her pottery studio all those years ago, and that job became so much more than a job for me...it, both Lori and the clay, became my sanctuary in the midst of everything from day to day life to one more messy divorce and everything in between! She is so much a part of who I am...again, both as artist and woman...and I cannot even describe how it feels to know that she is proud of me! I guess that is something we just never outgrow.

Ok, well, ya'll have listened to me ramble on for quite long enough. I will leave you for the day with the view of the back of my deck...what I see as I look out the studio window pictured above. And that is where I'm headed now! Have a great day!

Rain, Rain, Go Away.....

Rain, rain, go away. Little Amy wants to play! Ya'll remember singing that song when you were a kid? I haven't thought of it in ages, but the last couple of weeks have had me singing it in my sleep! Which, incidentally, is all this weather makes me want to do! That and cook up a big pot of soup. That is one of those Brenda Giles (My Mom) things that I guess will just always be with me....when it rains you're sposed to cook. And it has to be big, warming, one-pot meals that have to simmer for hours and make the whole house smell good. Oh! And don't forget the cornbread! Gosh, my southern-ness sure is showing right now, huh?? lol!

Another thing I get from my family (although thankfully, not necessarily from my Mom) is this tendency to be depressed. I have never talked about it here, but it is something that I have to manage and deal with on a regular basis just like I mother my child, clean the house, and make art...it is part of me, and part of what I have to do. I don't like it. I fight it like hell. But sometimes it gets the better of me. And rainy, yucky days don't help. Maybe that is why I need the comfort food?? The ritual of the food itself??

But, I have been sitting here updating the shop and answering e-mails in the midst of floors that need to be mopped, and clothes that need to be folded, and a million other things I put on my to-do list yesterday when it was nice and beautiful outside and I had enthusiasm and energy to spare. But I wore myself out by 9:30 last night, I went at such full-speed. So here I am with the leftovers, and despite a pot of coffee, no get-up-and-go. Maybe I will start on that soup and curl up with my sketchbook for a bit until I have to head out in the downpour to do the grocery shopping and take the little to dance class. Then at least supper will be ready by the time we return! Or maybe I'll just head to the studio and get lost in the paper and paint and glue until I look up and it's time to leave. And I'm sure the clothes and the floors and the supper, and for sure the sketchbook will all still be there waiting on me....what do you bet?? Yeah, I bet so, too!

In the meantime, these Art Girls are new in the shop...
This is Rita, And Clarissa,
And Samantha,
And Grace,

And Leslie,
And Lila,
And Kim,
And Marilyn.
And if the sun is shining where you are, and especially if it's not....I hope you have a great day anyway! (Just go make some soup...I swear it helps!) Thanks for stopping by!

It's Been a Long Week....

Whew! I am so extremely glad it's Friday, I can't even tell you! Of course, I am glad for every Friday...but, man! What a week it has been! As most of you know our little town and the little towns surrounding our little town were, and are, the temporary home to many of the displaced citizens of New Orleans in preparation for the arrival of Gustav. Although we also received plenty of rain here. It started on Sunday and rained without ceasing through at least Wednesday night when I finally went to bed. Thankfully it was not anything like what the weather-people had predicted with the high mph sustained winds and all, but we spent the entirety of last weekend getting ready for the worst. Fun. This on the heels of K's first full week of "big-girl preschool" (K-4)...she was beyond worn out.
We all were.

Then, on Wednesday I took one of our little fur-babies to the vet for the second time in a month. He just couldn't seem to gain any weight and we were very very concerned. As it turns out, with good reason. The news was not good. Not at all. But as of right now it seems as though he is bouncing back. I visited him in the "hospital" yesterday and his eyes looked bright and shiny for the first time in way too long. He knew me and was happy to see me, purring and loving. Thank God! Now today I have to take the other 2 and get them tested to see if they are carriers of the same deadly viruses that he has or not. More fun. But, the more information we have the better. And God bless our vet. He is so down to earth, and really takes the time to talk to us and listen to us and honest....man, I really appreciate the honesty. He will be there until Monday at least...resting and having professional care. We are just praying for a continued upward climb.

Meanwhile, in the studio...lots of mess going on! I have had this uncontrollable urge to add fabric and thread to some new pieces of art. Yes, I do know how to sew! (at least I think I still do!) It's just been a while! So Eric helped me move this massive old (heavy!) metal desk into the front part of the studio to use as the sewing table. I began trying to organize all the fabric and thread and stuff last week...right after we moved it in. We even added a new shelf on the wall to house all the fabric. This is what it still looks like. The desk that is. I'll show you the shelves later....I spaced on that this time!

And my primary work space...gotta love it when it gets down to that one square foot of space in which to work. Sigh. I coulda sworn I just cleaned this up!

But this little thread rainbow makes me so happy I can't stand it! Needless to say I am just trying to block out the rest, get some work done, and when I do look up, I'm looking at this! And where is the sewing machine, you ask?? Good question! I went last night and borrowed my Mom's. I will leave shortly to take it to the repair shop. It is only 31 years old, so it needs a little work! Hopefully, just a little! And maybe in no time I can show what I've done with it!

In the meantime, with Artfest 2009 and the new friendly sea-monster/octopus theme heavy on the brain, but no real working brain cells to do more than create a background, I did these yesterday...

Now I really must get to the studio and commence the process of making them look old...they are much much too pretty like this!