judo100

 The Opening Reception to this 4-artist show at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro is one week from today - Friday April 24, from 5:00 - 7:00. Come if you can; it's a fun party with great art, good food, free wine, and cheerful people. Here's your next installment of artwork hung in the show.


THE MORNING AFTER THE BIG SNOW
Acrylics 18 x 24 inches



REEDS
Watercolors 15 x 18 inches



FIRE AND ICE
Acrylics 30 x 30 inches


Hope to see you next Friday!

 Today is the final posting of paintings I've got hanging at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, NC. The show, which is in their small gallery space near the cafeteria, will be up through the end of the year. It may remain for some period after that, since we haven't determined a date to take it down. If you're in the area, please stop by the CCL and take a look.

Even if you can't see the paintings in person, I hope everyone has enjoyed this virtual art show. Thanks for all the kind comments!

SNOWY LANE
Acrylics 20 x 16


STORM BREWING
Acrylics 9 x 12


OVERHILL
Acrylics 12 x 12

 I feel like I've spent most of the week doing chores, either for us or for my parents. Yet I managed to paint a couple of days, which is always good. Since it's cold in the mornings now, Sharkey and I spend some time early each day reading. He sits in my lap and, truth be told, doesn't pay much attention to the printed page, but we both enjoy it nevertheless. Have a great weekend!

Well, I survived the colonoscopy, horrible as it was. Nothing wrong, no polops, no cancer, etc., but the doc had the nerve to say "He'd like to see me in three years." The odds of that are terribly slight. It's like all the doctors from last spring -- running multiple useless tests just because they think they can. Huh.

One thing I hadn't expected among all the horribleness (and a thing that nobody mentioned at all, although they really should) was that after waking up from the procedure and for the next day and a half, I had a terribly dry mouth. I mean, practically choking on my breath type of dry. I drank glass after glass of water, tea, soda, and anything else I could get my hands on, but none of it helped. Something to do with the drugs they gave me while under, and it would not go away until the drug finally left my system. They should at least warn people about this, as it is bad enough that you'd think something was terribly wrong.

Ok, so now I'm going to forget about this whole episode. Gone. Done.

On Thursday evening, I've been invited to not one but two award dinners. Not an award for me, mind you, but awards for people I know. I turned one down and am going to the other with my husband. Although it's "free," I'm sure there will be enough fund-raising during the evening to make up for it. The one I'm attending will raise funds for arthritis research, I believe. I'll have to study the closet soon to find something appropriate to wear.

In better news, I may have found a couple of places to exhibit some art work, at least for a brief time. One is at yet another awards evening in November, where the organizers have decided to solicit art from local artists associated with a charity. Thus my association with HandyCapable makes me eligible. Only 2 pieces per artist, but still. The other is a shot at a large show at the Center for Creative Leadership, and interesting think-tank / training place in Greensboro that trains leaders worldwide. They only do a few shows a year, but I got introduced to the woman who runs the shows and more or less decides who will be in them. They are now booking for 2015, so it's a ways off if it happens. I'd really like to land that one. Oddly, I got the introduction from a woman at a non-profit training class I attended last week, who happens to work at the Center. When I said I was an artist, she offered the introduction, which naturally I sprang on. Don't let the grass grow under your feet, and all. So in various ways, I have to give HandyCapable credit for both art events.

Dear friends - I'm going to ask you to do me a favor and take part in a fundraiser for HandyCapable. It isn't hard, the site is fun, and iy won't cost you much. I hope you'll join in - every dollar we get is important.

As I've mentioned here in recent months, I am now working part-time at HandyCapable, a non-profit organization in Greensboro, NC. Here's the website:   www.handycapable.org    HandyCapable is a worthy organization tha accepts used computers, keeping them out of landfills, trains disabled adults to fix and upgrade them, and distributes the refurbished machines to low-income families in the community. In the process, we touch a lot of people and make a lot of lives better.

Unfortunately, HandyCapable, like many non-profits, has been hard hit by the last several years of recession. Grants, donations, and contributions are down, while expenses are not.  Belts have been tightened, staff cut to the bone, and saving found wherever we can. But it's not enough. Recently our Director, Barbara, has stopped paying her own salary to keep HandyCapable doing the good work it is meant to do.

Those of us who know how hard Barbara works and how much she cares do not think it's right that she should have to deplete her savings to survive without a paycheck. So we've launched a special campaign to raise money through a "crowd funding" site called Indiegogo. Our campaign is called, "Please Put Our Director Back on the Payroll!"

Here's a link:   http://www.indiegogo.com/HandyCapable-Director

These crowd funded campaigns are fun. There are perks (prizes) for various levels of donations, people can leave comments and ask questions, there's a nice video about HandyCapable, and you can check back to see how we're doing day by day. Of course we're getting the word out to all our existing supporters, but the idea is to ask new people to make small donations as well. To be, well, part of the crowd.

The smallest donation amount is only $5, which would be gratefully accepted. Would you be willing to provide just $5 to keep this great organization going? Of course if you wanted to give more and take some of the perks home with you, that would be most welcome too.

This campaign lasts only 30 days, ending October 3, so please check it out now.

You can also help us in two other ways. When you're at our Indiegogo request site, you can leave a comment whether you donate or not. The campaigns are rated on several factors, including money, naturally, but also number of visits and comments. Those with the most activity are highlighted on the site, where strangers might notice them. So you'd do us a favor by leaving a comment, if only a few words.

In addition, it would be wonderful if you'd copy the Indiegogo link above and paste in into your Facebook and other social media sites and blogs, along with a few words from you about making a contribution. Maybe your friends would get interested and want to make a small donation too. A crowd funded campaign is only a success when a lot of people get together and all do a little. Like they say, it takes a crowd, not just a village.

Thank you! Judy