I wanted to share this with all of you. 

As you know, I’ve been working on a series of portraits of talented artists and artisans in preparation for my 2012 solo show at Kaviar Forge Gallery.  I recently completed a pastel and an oil of Brook Forrest White, the internationally known Louisville glass artist.  He was quite pleased with the paintings.  Tiffany, his assistant, took some pictures of Brook standing next to the paintings and a couple of photos of the two of us together with the portraits.  I think the whole thing is a hoot and I’m thrilled at his response.  Needless to say, this makes me even more excited about preparing for this show.  Just click on the link below see these photos.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=180586&id=288079493940&ref=mf

Thanks! 

Angela Shroyer died in her sleep yesterday. Even as I write these words, I find them almost impossible to believe. Next to my husband, Marty, she was my best friend, my greatest art fan, and my closest confidante. We talked on the phone constantly and we saw each other whenever her busy schedule would allow it. She’s gone now, but I can at least write these words as a loving tribute to her indomitable spirit. 

Angela was diagnosed with pancreatitis when she was just a child. Even though this disease is debilitating, she fought to live a normal life despite constant chronic pain and frequent hospital stays. Even though she had to take medication every day to fight the pain and nausea, she managed to graduate from a four-year college with a degree in nursing and science. After graduating from college, she became a nurse and found that her strong personality was well-suited to caring for other people who suffered from disease.   She also married her college sweetheart, Michael Shroyer, and gave birth to three beautiful daughters, Kate, Jessica and Sarah. After many years of nursing, she decided to quit and stay home to care for her children. 

She was very ill for a long time and unable to work. But Angela had a dream.   Although she was passionate about science and medicine, she also loved the arts. She had dreamed of owning an art gallery for many years. Michael realized that she needed something to inspire her enough to get better so he supported her by investing in an art gallery that was being sold by its previous owners. Despite her physical limitations, she completely revamped Lime Tree gallery, interviewed and took on new prospective artists, handled all of the marketing, and took on the herculean task of running a small gallery at a time when businesses were closing all around her. 

I was one of the artists who had been in the gallery when it was run by the previous owner. The first time I met Angela in person, I was completely captivated by her energy and passion. She liked to tell me that it’s so rare to find someone that you instantly connect with on a deep level and know that you will be friends forever. She believed that we were meant to meet and be friends like that. And I agreed with her. The first time she came to my house to see my artwork in person, we ended up sitting and talking on my back porch for seven hours. We were trying to catch up with a lifetime of experiences. 

Despite her best efforts, she was unable to sustain the gallery. After approximately eight months, she closed its doors. That was a very difficult time for her and she got seriously ill again and had to be hospitalized several times. After she recovered, she decided that she would renew her nursing license and go back to work as a nurse. And that was exactly what she did. 

Angela and I were friends for exactly one year from the day we met until the day she died. In that short time she changed my life forever. She supported my art in a way that no one except my husband had ever done. She shared her love for her family with me on a daily basis for many months until she returned to work and then we talked whenever she had enough energy to call me or visit me in person. She was so excited about becoming a nurse again. She loved helping people and she was one of the most nurturing, compassionate people I’ve ever known. Being a nurse allowed her to express this side of herself. 

I don’t want to make her sound like an angel because Angela was very much of this earth. She could be crude and ribald, she could be merciless in her judgment of people if she disagreed with them, and she could be very stubborn if she couldn’t have things the way she wanted them to be. But she was the most loving, selfless, creative, passionate and brave friend I have ever had. She taught me to be a better artist and a better person and I will cherish her memory for the rest of my days. 

Hi everyone.  This is my official entry into blogdom.  My husband, Marty, has dragged me kicking and screaming into the 21st century.  He insists that this is the best way to get my name, as well as my art, into the public consciousness so here we go. 

I am part of a group art show and wine tasting event at Blackstones in Fern Creek.  The reception took place on Saturday, November 14th and the work will be on display until December 1st.  Dennis Shaffner, the organizer of the event, graciously agreed to pose for me so that I could paint him from life.  While everyone else was having fun drinking wine and mingling with the crowd, I had an even better time painting Dennis. 

I love painting from life:  people think that because the artist is concentrating intently on capturing the moment and the sitter's likeness, that they are unaware of the conversations going on around them.  I heard everything from, "isn't it cute the way she's wrinkling her forehead?" to "Wow - she looks like she's really having fun."  And, of course, I'm always covered in pastel when I'm done so people find that very amusing.  The comments on my work ranged from total silence to rousing enthusiasm.  My live work tends to be edgier and more interpretive than the work I do from photo references.  I was actually very pleased with the finished results (see the photo of the painting above).

Dennis tells me that the local media will be conducting interviews with the participating artists.  At this point, it looks like the media may be interviewing us on Wednesday or Thursday this week and the video will be featured on Fox in the Morning.  It's all speculation but I hope to have a firm date and time in the next day or so.  Please  check this blog if you'd like to know more details. 

Since this is my first foray into blogdom, I'm not really sure how to end this thing so I guess I'll just sign off.