New works!

Here are some new works for those of you guys who couldn't make it to Clothesline. I should have posted some of these guys much much earlier, since a lot of them were done just before the show... but, anyhooo.... here they are!!!
I hope you guys like these new square canvases as much as I like making them. I think they are going over pretty well since a lot of them found happy homes this weekend... The first two birds pieces and the penguin have found new abodes in our little Chatty town... However the airplane, zebra and polka dot birds are still looking for theirs...
If ya want one just let me know!!! Some of the 4x6 corky collages with the antennas are still available too... but you just gotta ask if you're looking at one in particular....

For those techy art appreciators... the square canvas works are done with a process called beeswax collage, where no adhesives are used... all the components of the piece (whether drawn or a series of various textured papers) are dipped in beeswax and and adhered to the canvas with heat.
A very cool process... very eco-friendly, virtually weather resistant (although I wouldn't hang outside - the sun is a big bleacher), kid resistant, drop resistant and does not melt unless it hits almost 200degress!! so cool!!! These pieces are also portable since they are only 4" x 4" and 2" deep. I am such a fan of this new thing, if you can't tell... I guess that's what happens when you spend 10 years of your life dipping every collage in polyurethane!!!!!!!!!!! he he

Clothesline Success!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are a few snippets from the Women's Clothesline show that took place this past weekender at Laura's house. For those of you who didn't make it... it really was a pleasure to be there...and to participate. For me, being with other women artists whom I respect in such a lovely stress free environment was a treat... truly. Those of you cats who have been to Laura's home, you know a thing or two about the peace & comfort that envelopes you when you are there. At one point I thought that my feet might just have grown little roots that connected them to Laura's blue garden chairs. The experience of this show was colored with good conversation, great food and so much visual stimulation. Lovely.... just lovely, i say.
This weekend just reinforced over and over again that this is the kind of environment in which art was meant to be viewed. I just think that people need to see art living with people...they need to be in a comfortable place... a place where conversation isn't stifled and they can meet artists and be themselves.
Perhaps the gallery scene is just not always the right fit for every artist...or every viewer, for that matter. I know that the older I become the more weary I become of going through those motions. And perhaps I should take note b/c my sales this weekend were grrreat! Thank you everyone for coming out and supporting us!

Spidey

So, this weekender Ty, Jess and I went to check out the new Spidey flick. What a treat for me... I just love big release actiony movies, don't you...

Anyways.... I must say as far as great Marvel comic flicks go, this Spidey was by far my fav. I love the good verses evil story... especially when the character battles it in himself. Rockin!

For those of you who have not yet seen it.... Stop reading here... I am about to say a thing or two about the END - I hate it when people spoil the end, don't you??? At least I warned you, right?
Anywaysies.... I would love to know if any of you out there wish that Spidey would just stay bad.... or perhaps that Mary Jane would be so pissed about Harry that she turned all dark and devilish and kicked nice little Spidey's butt.... Some how I just think it would be sooooo fun to smash up the whole good guy Spidey image and piss off everyone by making such a dark and unsettling slap in tha face ending.

Who knows what this secret desire says about me... hmmmm. Tell me what you cats think!

Celebrating the PhD Chicky style

So our good friend Andy now has Dr. in front of his name! Yes, yes, a PhD has been earned through much dedication and hard work and we are all so proud of him!
In fact, we thought that such an achievement must be celebrated... and celebrated well. So, the Green house was once again the site of much laughter, beer drinking, grilling and camping. So much fun!!!!

This time was so lovely... full of my favorite things... good food, convos by the fire, naked babies running through the field, and remembering how blessed we are to have these good friends.

Check out the good times...
and one more thing... the ring around the rosie pic was not even staged! They just started doing that... super cute, though, right?

Sorry no real pics of the grown ups...unless you count Poppa Joel as a grown up... he he! I guess that is a symptom of mommiedom.

Down Home Days

So you cats are about to get a glimpse into a small town USA phenomena called Down Home Days !!!! This is a little celebration that has been going on in this one horse town for as long as I can remember. It used to be a relatively small event with one stage hosting cloggers, southern rock bands and beauty pageant contestants fighting for the grand title of Little Miss Chickamauga. However the most popular site of the event was a parking lot with one lonely junker car, I remember it being an El Camino, where you could pay one dollar to bash it to bits with a sledge hammer....

But now.... it has grown into quite the thing to do... the whole Chicky population seems to come out to enjoy an assortment of activities that include going down big inflatable slides, riding mechanical bulls, getting their hair teased and spray painted into wild shapes, eating BBQ and fried oreos and taking in a wide assortment of music or perhaps even purchase a handmade doll or quilt.

I know it all seems funny, but I love living in a town where you can see kids riding down the street on 4 wheelers, vendors dancing together outside their videalia onion tents and people carrying anything from dogs, kids or snakes in their arms... it is so unexpected... so unpretentous... it just is what it is and there is no where else like this town I know.

Filming Time

Well, things have been so nutters around here that I haven't had a chance yet to give you cats a heads up about all the action taking place in and around little Chicky mauga... my good good friend, John is shooting his short film right here in town this week!!!

I probably shouldn't say too much about the film itself... I know how much Joshers hates it when I give any sort of description or explanation about his films (and lets face it... I am a wordy girl... and most of the time I end up just coming right out and tellin ya what the whole thing is about anyway - such a bad flaw for an artist to have... I should give the audience a little bit more credit and allow them to make up their own minds, righto..... blah)

Any freagin way... It has been nice to be back watching such a collaborative creative process unfold before my eyes... I love film and am ever impressed with the artistic give and take that happens on set.
It is just such a different kind of creativity than what I find prevading in the fine art community... which let's face it, is totally centered on the idolatry of the individual... you know... so introspective... such an emphasis on the names at the bottom of the canvas and the artist and his or her process rather than the actual work... sorry... don't mean to sound snooty... I just think the fine art community could learn a few things from our colleagues over in the films, ya know...

All that blathering to say... watching my husband and an old friend working together on such a creative level is really so cool. I'm so happy that my sweet husband is back on that scene again... and I know he is pretty excited about it too (he is the key grip guy on set...)!!
It is a lot of hard work and we all have been doing very unglamorous tasks to make this thing come together, but it's been a lot of fun too... I find myself doing anything from set dressing to running out to get live worms and signs... I love this weird behind the scenes stuff... Such a fun job!

I'll post some more pics of the shoots lata... have fun kids!

Play Play and more Play

So little Laughfer has reached a place in her little life where she just does not want to be in the house... Period! It is all about playtime and go go go and on to the new! No more exploring the same ol' toys again and again... nope... we are done with that.... So needless to say, I have been a litttle monkey girl entertainer and chaffeur for a 15 month old. Heh...

Here are some snippets of our past few days... at the indoor boo boo proof play ground and SWIMMING... yes, as of 2 days ago we are swimming! Lavender was fearless, guys... Fearless... she just hopped right in that baby pool and splashed and stomped and rolled around to her little hearts content... she was Very proud of herself... and it was too cute!

Ratt a Tat Tat...Here is an Alley Cat

These little square collage pieces have been occupying my spare moments the past few days. This one is a gift for an old friend.... Hope ya like it John!

Anyways... I like the little alley cat slinking around the city... don't cats just make you want to slink or saunter around???

The Big 30!

Yes, Yes... Jen has now officially entered the 30 year old age group! I had a big whopper of a birthday yesterday and I must say it was a blast, despite the big number... thanks to my lovely husband, family, and soooo many good friends!

My big birfday went a little somethin like this...
sleepy jen wakes to an eager joshie & lavender clutching a cutely wrapped present... the box reveals a picture of pine cones in a basket (that looks suspiciously like the one in our den)... I go to the pine cone basket and there is a pic of our Hemingway books, where I find another picture that leads to another sneaky, unexpected place and so on until..... .... .... drrrrrrrrruuuuuuuuuuuuu (that is a drum roll) I find my real present... which is a brand new tinnnie tiny little cannon digital camera just for me !!!!!! It is so lovely and tiny that they call it an elph... so cute, huh.... and EXACTLY what I wished for!!!!

I kept finding myself missing out on many photo worthy Lavender outings b/c I have no room or extra arms to wield the giagantor camera with broken lens that we always use... you mommies out there know what I'm talking about!!!! We need technology that we can operate with one hand.... yes?!

Anyways... all throughout the day I had these little reminders of my little celebration and how much those around me love me too. Joshers made a lovely breakfast for me... which was very tasty... and we also had a slammin party out here at the house... hotdogs... bonfires... beer... smores... old friends... newer friends... cool rubber stamp presents... and balloons too. Oh ya... I also received a incredibly swanky pair of Confederate colored flip flops that say REBEL across the bottoms... they make me feel WILD... just wild I tell you!!!! Watch out you don't know what I'll do next! I am the super duper 3 0 celebrating, rebel yelling, wild one...... WWWWOOOOO HOOOOO!

A New Work

Here is the latest piece for my new portrait series... it is entitled Mt. 5:6 and it is a portrait of JR, my friend and the pastor of ERPC.

I feel a bit mixed about this one... the colors and composition seemed to turn out ok, but the pencil drawing could be better... I liked the piece this afternoon for awhile... now I think it should have been better... but this is always how I feel when I reach the end of a work. I guess that's why I just don't get it when artists want to keep the art and "have trouble letting it go." I just don't get it... I would prefer that each piece I finished flew off to another country about an hour after its completion.

Anyways, here it is... another one down... more to come.

And for Kate and Cat... the tip about the Acrylic Gloss Medium rocked... you saved my bum and the many hours I put into this piece. Thanks, girls!

Guess What?!!!!

Yep, Yep... It's true!!! The Kring family is now a family of four... the newest addition is very small though!

It appears that I am only 6 weeks and 6 days the Preger, but we just couldn't keep our little mouthes shut any longer... How do people keep such news a secret??? I dunno... but it looks like November 19th is the big day for this little bunny.

All bets are off as to the sex of the babe... of course everyone has already begun to claim that this will be another wittle girl... everyone being my mom, amelia, lavender, leah and others too!!! He he ... we just don't care... a new little baby will be ours soon and we are so very pleased as little peaches!!!

What a magical and exciting time it is to be me! I am always so very impressed to read about the development of little babies in their mamas... how impressive the human body is... what amazing feats are taking place in little ol' me!!!! Here is a snippet of what out little bit is doing in there....

The first heartbeats have begun! The baby is now an embryo and is about 1/17 of an inch long. Growth is very rapid this week. The umbilical cord develops. The eyes and ears begin to form as well as an opening for the mouth. The heart has begun to pump blood and most of the other organs are well under construction. Buds form on the body that will become the arms and legs. Exciting week!

How thankful we are that God continues to bless this little family!

Gardening with the Girl

Here is my cute patootie in the garden!
We planted violas and repotted a peace lily and some succulent plants.
The whole gardening experience was a BIG hit with little Lavender... she had such a blast throwing and eating dirt, inspecting the beautiful flower petals and playing with gardening tools like mama.
What a great helper!!!


Let no one think that real gardening is a bucolic and meditative occupation. It is an insatiable passion, like everything else to which a man gives his heart. ~Karel Čapek, The Gardener's Year

Silly about Spring & my new Wreath!!!

Spring has definitely sprung and I can't seem to make myself stay inside for too long. Lavender and I find just about any reason to be out in the lovely lovely, not too hot yet weather.....we pull weeds, inspect the pea gravel, wash the car (to no avail... pollen everywhere!) and take many many walks.

I am discovering that this little one is quite like her mama when it comes to the outdoors... she begs to go outside, reaching for the door and when she gets out there I catch her kissing our pretty red bud tree and giving it a big hug... What a tree hugger! ha

Anyway... all these lovely days inspire me... to plant flowers (I know the violas won't last too long, but hey... so pretty!), to make a new foam flower wreath for the door, to not pull the dandelion "weed" that is growing in my rose bush, and to enjoy the gentle "spring snow" that falls from the Bradford pear trees as the wind blows. Walking in these little white petals makes me feel like a garden nymph!

And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast
rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.
~Percy Bysshe Shelley, "The Sensitive Plant"

At Long Last

So here i am... finally. Things seemed to get all busied up in no time around here. Joshers and I have been busy celebrating the birth of my bro's newest little girl, Naya Faith!!!! So exciting! She is just really tiny and has this wonderful fuzzy full head of black hair!!! I think she may just be the cutest newborn to ever cross my sight.... so precious.... so lovely. I think we forget just how tiny and fragile these little angels are when they first arrive.
Anyways... I was so excited about the wittle one that I made her a little something to brighten the walls of her pretty little room. The triptych collages with the little girls here are for my new niece. They are kinda in the same stream as the "children's art" that I have done in the recent past (like the 2 pieces that hang in Lavender's room... for those of ya'll who have been to my house!).

This second work is a portrait that I did of my sweet sweet husband... the guy who makes me the best version of myself.
It is the first of a series I have been referring to as "A righteous man." The piece is kind of a tribute to the heart of my husband and an acknowledgment of James 5:16.
I plan on making several more of portraits to accompany this one. But, I will definitely make some different technical choices... like the choice of paper for the portrait. I had loved loved loved this brown packaging paper that Josh's portrait was created on, but the beeswax really penetrated the paper and made it so dark that the image is hard to detect... I was also very disappointed to discover that the beeswax also diluted to pencil itself on the drawing... it made the wax a bit grey... which I didn't mind, except that the drawing just got more and more faint... ugh ugh ugh! I was so pissed... oh well. Live and learn, right???

Anyways... all this to say.... for the first time in a while I am really really excited about the art that's happenin in my studio. This portrait was one of those landmark pieces for me.
I'll keep ya posted!!!

The Big 1st B-Day!!!

Since little Laughfer's Birthday falls on Wednesday, we decided at the very last minute to do a little (very little) Birthday party this weekend. We had planned on having a joint b-day celebration with little Juden over at the Green's, but Joshers was sicky sick and poor Lindy is just so about to go into labor that we changed the plans last minute.

But I have to say I think it came together just fine. We had a really great time and little Lavender was really really exuberant about it all.

I decorated with a dog theme, since our girl just can't seem to get enough of dogs right now. And I have to say I didn't think she would really get that into it all, but I thought she was about to explode with excitement several times. She would start rocking and saying "DAWG DAWG DAWG!" So Cute!!!!!!!!!!!!
I made her a dog cake all her own to destroy (mission accomplished), little dog & dog bone cookies, and another dog cake for the rest of us. She was so giggly and excited and all that hard work was just soo worth it.

We love this wonderful little girl the Lord had blessed us with... She suprises me everyday with her joyful heart and her sense of adventure. I am ever so happy to be her mommy and to see the new things she's doing and the unique little person she is becoming.

Oh... thanks for all the lovely presents guys... so nice!!! Lavender is fiercely playing with all the dogs she received!!! And she really likes to look at all the cards that came with her presents... What a funny one!

Here are some pics of the event... the cake, the messy kid, the labors of love.