Once more, into the abyss...

Dropped off 11 paintings from my Geomorphic Abstractions series at a small gallery/art center in Sierra Madre, CA.

It's a nice space, showing art from local artists and from students in the center's classes. I've had good sales in past shows, and am happy to be invited back.

The show should be up in a few days.

www.salamonefineart.com

I'm published!

I'm published! My illustrations decorate this sweet children's book, now available on Kindle!

Bucca Comes Home: A Newfoundland's Tale

Young readers will love this story of Bucca Dhu, the goofy Newfoundland puppy, and the beginning of his adventures with his "forever" family.Colorful artwork brings the fuzzy puppy to life.

AMAZON.COM

A Tail of Two Kitties....ok, it's actually six...

A Tail of Two Kitties

In 2011 I moved in with my boyfriend and his two cats, Cokie and Darla. I brought with me my two cats, Kismet and Kashmir. Cokie and Kismet were both older, and didn't pay much attention to each other, but Kashmir and Darla HATED each other. What ensued was a year of flying fur, marking of territory, romantic stress, and our cats becoming more famous than we are.

Along came My Cat from Hell, and a randomly seen casting notice. My fear was that Kashmir, who is large and aggressive, was going to end up killing small, timid Darla. Add to that her marking up of the apartment, her new aggression towards us (we were both getting attacked) and my hopes for a long-term relationship with this wonderful man I'd found were dwindling fast. I sent in a picture of us and a paragraph about what was happening. A brief phone call later, and we were in the running! 

Then we waited...

For months...

I figured we weren't controversial enough. Not pretty enough. Not Hollywood enough.  

One day, I got the call - how about filming in February and March? What?! Yes, please!

Just before filming began, I lost my beloved, sweet Kismet to pancreatitis. I was a wreck. Then, a month later, my family lost our beloved stepfather. I was more of a wreck, crying all the time, and filming was started. 

Jackson Galaxy was patient, knowledgeable, and funny. Along with his crew, intervention with the neighborhood strays from Fix Nation, and help from the immensely talented Kate Benjamin, we transformed our apartment, our ways of dealing with the cat crisis, and how Kashmir and Darla interacted with each other. We even belly danced. Yes, Jackson Galaxy belly danced on national TV.

We finished our shooting time with a new hope for peace in the kitty kingdom. And it worked!! There were still spats, but no more marking, no more bloody attacks, no more terrified Darla! 

About a year later, we decided to bring some more kittens into the family. I was worried for more aggression from Kashmir, but the exact opposite happened, and was the final piece of the puzzle. Kashmir is so enamored of the kittens (now adults), that she has forgotten to go after Darla. 

All is well. 

Tune in to Animal Planet's, "My Cat from Hell," and you may catch a re-airing of our episode from 2013, "Evil Kashmir."

Sleepless in Seattle? Try Hopeless in HelL.A.

Every time I escape from HelL.A., even if just for a day or two, I am overwhelmed with the desire to permanently leave this god-awful city. I spend the next few days looking for work and homes elsewhere, only to come to the realization that unless I win the lottery, I'm going to fucking die here. Cities that were affordable only a couple years ago no longer are. Jobs in my field are more and more scarce. So I look for a home here, thinking that at least with a home of our own, we could build equity, have pride of ownership, etc. But this city is a joke. $700K+ for a tiny, crappy 2/1 in a crappier neighborhood and it still needs another $100K to be decent. Don't even get me started on the costs of renting.

So, not only am I going to die in HelL.A., I'm going to die in a tiny apartment with 40-year-old stained, stinking carpets that we stay in because it's the last affordable place in the entire county.

BTW - I realize that I'm lucky to have a roof over my head and that this is a first-world problem.

Struggling with Motivation

The thought of my writing being rejected, or worse, ridiculed, is weighing upon me, and it's keeping me from finishing my damn book. What's worse, is that I've decided to lay off whisky for an entire month. Actually, that's all hard alcohol for a month. I will still allow myself a glass of wine, but not every day. I realized that I was drinking something at least 3 or 4 times a day, mostly out of depression.

As easy as it is for me to edit and proofread, I can't look at my own work objectively. I guess I better start sending out what I have to some beta readers, or I will not be happy when I submit to publishers.

On a good note, I just submitted 3 pieces of artwork for the San Diego County Fair. I'm much more confident as an artist than as a writer.