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Something is up with my Myspace and I am unable to respond to comments. I will ASAP!

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119th N.A.W.A. Exhibition

Okay, I know you are just dying to know about "The Big Dilemma", right? Oh well, maybe not, but I'm going to share it anyway because it seems typical of my art life post Caden. Last Friday afternoon, after a very busy fun filled week of Weirs Beach and Story Land, my extremely exhausted son decided he had a popcorn kernel tickle in his throat that he could not talk himself down from. The result? 20 feet of vomit splatter from the kitchen to the bathroom, including full coverage of floor, from kitchen counter to bathroom toilet and sink. Lovely. Being an equally exhausted mom I was certainly not pleased by this turn of events and I was heatedly making this clear while cleaning it up and then the phone rang. Well, who should call at this opportune moment? The President of N.A.W.A. of course! Oh my, as she was politely discussing upcoming charity events for N.A.W.A., I just happened to ask when the annual exhibition would be coming up. Making calm inquiries about upcoming events while covered in malodorous popcorn spew is perfectly normal, uh, isn't it? Well, good thing I asked because apparently the deadline was THAT day!!! OMG! Did you see the exorcist? Yeah, well, then you have a pretty good idea of what I looked like at that moment! Head spinning, puke everywhere, you get the picture. Argh!!! I was fuming! And devastated. Apparently I didn't get the mailing that was sent out MONTHS ago! I couldn't believe I was going to miss this exhibition that I have faithfully participated in every year since I became a member because of a stupid mailing issue! These shows mean a lot to me and post Caden, the balance of Mother and Artist has been a battle to say the least, the annual N.A.W.A. exhibition is part of my set of goals to maintain as I keep a foot in the art game. Anyway, long story short, N.A.W.A. was gracious enough to extend the deadline due to the circumstance but only until the following Monday. Well, Hellllllloooo! Panic! While everyone else had months to decide which piece to include that would truly represent them in the show, I had 2 days. TWO DAYS!!! Not good. I had my little breakdown Friday night and then thankfully woke with renewed optimism Saturday and proceeded to paint an entirely new piece. What the heck? Who does that? Me, and I must have decided what to paint while I was sleeping because it came together like it was meant to be. What appeared was an Exalted Beauty style portrait of the goddess Athena. Athena is the goddess of War, Wisdom and the Arts. Who could better represent me in my time of need? Anyway, after the drama is all said and done, the new painting: "Exalted Beauty: Athena" will be representing me in the National Association of Women Artists 119th Annual Exhibition:



I hope you will join us for:
The 119th Annual Exhibition
August 24th- September 28th, 2008

Located at:
Goggle Works Center for the Arts
201 Washington Street
Reading, PA 19601
www.goggleworks.org
(610) 374-4600

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Swim Lessons

Here is my little fish anxiously awaiting his swim lesson:



Can't you just feel the excitement? He absolutely loves it, he is doing wonderfully and is even listening (at least *most* of the time). And our boy has found a new love interest; he has developed a huge summer crush on the lovely red haired instructor Katy. OMG! Adorable! Meanwhile I am still lagging from the change in routine (among other things) and haven't quite adjusted to the new schedule. Unfortunately I'm thinking I won't get back to a normal work routine until after the swim lessons are over. Meaning, my Poppy paintings have been put on hold, but really, looking at that face, you know it has to be worth it.

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Tiger Lilies

Here are our wild and wonderful Tiger Lilies:











I love the drama these flowers evoke. Big, bold, beautiful orange! Speaking of drama, I better get going or there will be DRAMA to be had if Caden doesn't make it to Swim Lessons on time! When I catch up with you next time I'll answer comments, fill you in on the Big Dilemma and reveal a brand new Exalted Beauty painting!

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Good Morning Deer

Ah, the sweet sight of a darling doe in the morning:



Too bad she is probably the one who ate my ENTIRE 30' x 30' crop of Mammoth Gray Stripe Sunflowers! :( But you know what they say, with beauty comes heartbreak. A girl's gotta eat!

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Shasta Daisies

As the wild Ox-Eyed Daisies go to seed, their much larger and more refined cousins, the Shasta Daisies, make the scene. Here they are in their mid-summer glory:

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Mid Summer Gardener

The garden has evolved from a dirt plot into a vegetable jungle. So far our harvest has consisted of Strawberries, Cilantro, Basil and Cucumbers, but as you can see from the size of the plants, lots more is on the way. Here is our little gardener posing in front of his veggie crop:

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Fox Kits

The recently rescued fox kits have really made a home here with us. They have provided hours of entertainment as they frolic through the yard, playing and hunting. Here they are just hanging out in the driveway:







The redder of the two is Max and the lighter toned one has been dubbed Buffy. It's actually pretty hard to tell them apart unless they are together.

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Fresh Poppies

Here are the much anticipated Poppies found growing in the new garden beds planted next to the house:

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Plains Coreopis

A few of the fun and fabulous Plains Coreopsis plants have made it to the Wildflower Meadow this season:

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Yellow Saturation

The Wildflower Meadow has evolved into its mid-summer yellow saturation:

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Woodland Wildflowers

Here are some more Woodland Wildflowers found during our summer afternoon adventures:

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AVA Notification

I received the AVA notification on Monday and discovered that my work was NOT accepted to the upcoming juried exhibition. I'm frustrated but not surprised. Under normal circumstances I might have taken a moment to wallow in the disappointment of it all but (fortunately?) I have WAY too much going on to give it more then a passing thought. I had a Big Dilemma on Friday afternoon that temporarily sent me through a loop. I'm just now recovering from all of the hoo-hah (Let you know more about THAT in a future post.) Then, Caden's swim practice started this week, while lots of fun, it is consuming most of the mornings and leaving us a bit discombobulated from the change in routine. By the time we get a rhythm going, class will be ending and then summer will be on its way out. Once again we will be left wondering where it went. In an effort to combat just that, I've been making myself take a time out every now and again to stop working (stressing) and really enjoy the summer. Balance is key, the yin and the yang. Rejection is also significant, because it helps to maintain humility and forces one to try harder. Thank you so much for your support and encouragement, it is very much appreciated. Now lets move on to some stress free thoughts while I share some fresh, calming, mid-summer goodness. Get ready to get your Zen on.

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Story Land

Here is a visual overview of our trip to Story Land:





















Caden was thrilled to bring along his best bud Killian again. Thankfully the boys were on their best behavior, the weather was perfect, the views of the White Mountains were phenomenal, the fun park wasn't over crowed, we were able to catch the veggie show as well as a sweet circus performance and we made great time. What more could you possibly ask for? A fabulous time was had by all!

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AVA Submission

Here is what I decided to submit to AVA Gallery and Art Center's Fifteenth Annual Juried Summer Exhibition:



"Exalted Beauty: Morgan"
By Amy E. Fraser
Medium: Acrylic Paint on 140, Acid Free, Archival Watercolor Paper.
Size: Matted and Framed 17" x 21"



"Botanical Bioform Set 1"
By Amy E. Fraser
Medium: Acrylic Paint on 140, Acid Free, Archival Watercolor Paper.
Size: Matted and Framed 21" x 21"

And here are my Mr.'s patiently waiting for me while I filled out the paperwork:



Wish me luck!

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