Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Red Madness WIP

The New work in Progress
'Red Madness' is the working title for now,
it'll probably change when it's done.
24" X 30" X 2"
Oils
Close up of the right hand upper corner.
Well Peeps, that's all the free time I have right now,
I must get to work...
read the post below for news of the day.
Have a good one all,
Heather
Buy Some Art Today!

Another day at BAD! Kitty Studio


BAD! Kitty Art Studio

Quote(s) for the work day...

***
Ineffective people live day after day with unused potential.
They experience synergy only in small, peripheral ways in their lives.
But creative experiences can be produced regularly,
consistently, almost daily in people's lives.
It requires enormous personal security
and openness
and a spirit
of adventure.

~Stephen Covey
***
So...I fought the white canvas ( I said to it..."come on you white bastard, bring it!") and won yesterday. Ending up with a wildly deep red and an extremely cool texture for a background...(kind of funny, really...I was in a battle and painted it all in red... dontcha think? I still have blood red fingers from all my fighting back the whiteness yesterday...and I like them...proof of my victory...OK I am a little morbid today) As soon as the sun rises up I'll take some shots of it to share here.
I started with no plan, as promised, and I feel really good about the results so far...I love the migrating reds...it's one of the few colors I have left in abundance and one of my favorites to boot so I had fun working in an all RED world yesterday.
My spirit of adventure is alive and kicking. (ass)
I did find some gold powders the other day, I have just a touch left in the bottom a jar so I am going to play around with that today on this work and see what happens. Personal security...aaahhhh it feels so fine.
In other news...the kids have already started marking off the days left in school...OY! As if the count down to summer madness is a good thing...as if!
I finally got around to making a birthday cake for Mate Man's birthday...it was at the top of the month...but we were broke and didn't really celebrate it this year...well we did, but it was a private celebration...just for grown-ups...tee-hehe.
So, I got out the big book of recipes and made a cake yesterday...it turned out super rich and yummy...today my tummy is still mad as hell with me for eating all that sugar...I don't tolerate the sweets like I used too...before the illness. But Man do I still love me some homemade chocolate cake!
I am off to work like a crazy lady for the rest of the day...the final countdown starts today on the gallery show...just four weeks left to deliver 15 new works...officially I have five done...whew, that's a load off *insert sarcasm here*...only ten more to go in actually just a little under 3.5 weeks time (drying time, framing/hanging, documenting and papering each one and so on takes a lot of time, dontcha know)
so...I better get busy and burn rubber on my day here. More later with the new work pics...
Love to all,
Heather
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(For the love of art...buy some of my work!)
(uummm, please and thank you)
:)
Oh yeah...PS. a BIG BAD! Kitty thank you to everyone for the words of encouragement yesterday about the new works...I appreciate your kindness and time more than words can say!

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Work Complete on Fairy World #15

BAD! Kitty Art Studio
Finished!
***
Fairy World #15 "When you know"
18" X 24"
oils and mixed media
***
The quote that inspired the work:
"To be happy,
you must have taken the
measure of your powers,
tasted the fruits of your passion,
and learned your place in the world."
~Santayana
***
Yippeee! I finished her...now on to other things.
:)
Heather
Support Living Artists

REALISM, n. The art of depicting nature as it is seen by toads.


BAD! Kitty Art Studio...
"Art is making something out of nothing and selling it."
~Frank Zappa
***
"Last night I stayed up late playing poker with Tarot cards.
I got a full house and four people died."
~Steven Wright
***
Well it's another day at the BAD! Kitty rodeo...and I am still working hard
with what I got...rounding up ideas, and waving red flags at charging bulls...no art patrons with money to spend showed up yesterday...but I shall not lose hope that today's the day that everything goes right.
I have this wonderful canvas sitting on the easel...and I can't for the life of me figure out what I am going to paint on it...I talked to it all day yesterday and it just sneered back at me...nah, nah, na-na-nah.
So, today I am going to show it who's boss...and just paint whatever I feel like...I am going to just pick a color and go for it...deadlines are not good for inspiration...but they are better than no inspiration at all...I guess.
Oy!
Aaaiiieee!
Argh!
Send Help or Throw Money...either one will do.
Have a good one all,
Heather
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PS. Click Here to see a really funny video!
Click HERE to see a master painter at work...my new Hero!

Monday, February 26, 2007

Want in one hand...

BAD! Kitty Art Studio
Quote(s) for the day...
***
"Individualism, as a definition of holding to personal ideals, is classed as obstinacy and anti-social.
Inevitably we run point blank into the evils of compromise.
When compromise enters our moral fibre, it spreads like a cancerous growth.
We think we plan adequate safeguards around areas in which we contemplate yielding our standards, but once we lower the fence and break our strong will to do right, come what may, we expose ourselves to forces that spread beyond control.
Compromise always starts on some rather insignificant principle.
The dangers of yielding seem negligible and we usually risk those things first where observation and detection by others is difficult.
We thus seek to avoid censure and discipline.
In a short time we find ourselves trading our principles
for false values and doing it in the
black market of human relationships. . . ."

~Ralph W. Hardy
***
Busy today with a new canvas...
a world of possibility dressed all in white...
and putting the final touches on the New Fairy World.
(the freaking moon finally dried)
I did start and finish a work over the weekend that has nothing to do with
the Fairy World show but I don't like it very much,
it's dark and murky from being overworked
(read: not knowing when to stop and leave it alone...Aaaiiieee!)
and not having the paint supplies that I
wanted to do the project in the first place.
Oh well...I keep on keeping on...
So, I am happy to return to the
Gallery Showings works...
as that's really where my mind,
heart and energy need to be.
I move forward with grace and grit...
such is life.
I am not bitter mind you...
just utterly determined to not lose my
focus at this moment in time
by trivial obstacles to my success...
such as wants verses needs.
I am iron woman...
*Grins*
Have a great Monday all,
hope the world is a welcoming
place for you to be today.
Heather
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PS: Dear Universe, I really need some supplies, so could you please send me a patron of the arts with some money to spend?
Thanks,
Heather :)

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Self Possession


"It's not that I don't suffer, it's that I know
the unimportance of suffering,
I know that pain is to be fought and thrown aside,
not to be accepted as part of one's soul
and as a permanent scar across one's view of existence.
Don't feel sorry for me.
It was gone right then."
~Ayn Rand
***
"There is much suffering in the world -
physical,
material,
mental.
The suffering of some can be blamed on the greed of others.
The material and physical suffering is suffering from hunger,
from homelessness,
from all kinds of diseases.
But the greatest suffering is being lonely,
feeling unloved, having no one.
I have come more and more to realize
that it is being
unwanted
that is the worst disease
that any human being can ever experience."
~Mother Teresa
***
Knowing that you are loved, valued, wanted in this life is such an important thing. Children need to know that their parents would do anything, go any distance to love and protect them. Young adults need the comfort of a family to rail against, and still be unconditionally loved through the madness. Adults need parents/family to accept them as they are, support them and empower them emotionally so that they may become parents/citizens that know how to lead in the darkness that is parenthood and life.
Knowing that you are loved and valued not for what you can give, not for what you "owe" for being alive and a product of coupling and genealogy is a most valuable thing to every human. Needs of the child if not tended to in an honorable loving way, lead to adults that have a lack of compassion and venerability.
Greed sets in, people tend to raise their offspring with a sense that those children are their possessions, instead of their gifts in this life.
Family...what does this word mean to you?
What do the terms Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, Son and Daughter mean?
Is there obligation in those terms or is there love?
Is there respect for the differences that each of us come into this life with,
or a deep seated need to change or control them with those titles of power?
I am thinking this morning about these terms, labels, identifiers.
What do they mean to me?
Thinking about my thinking...
and taking my time on the issues at hand.
I am not an object to be possessed,
I am a human being that has suffered
the pain of abandonment again and again.
When do you say...enough is enough?
What could possibly be different this time around?
Why should I risk any part of myself at all...for you?
Issues that I think I have conquered
and losses that feel to large to bear in a lifetime,
but are none -the-less...mine.
Questions of my mind this morning...
knowing myself as I am today,
I trust I will find an answer that sits well
within my heart, mind and soul.
For today I have faith in myself.
I have parented myself well in the years past
and now arrive at the shore of my own understanding.
Forgiveness is a gift we give to ourselves.
A long memory of past behavior is also
something that one can not easily put
away like a worn out pair of shoes.
Past behaviors are the best indicators of future actions.
Scars are but thin works of skin
that hide the throb of the original
wound..ready to pulse again, so easily with
just a word, or a memory, or a communication.
I embrace my fears these days, I do not hide from them.
I embrace my own life-story, knowing fact from fiction,
knowing that reality is perception.
Today I am a risk taker and a
comfortable leader of an
army of one.
I am free.
I plan to remain that way.
This life is mine, and I'll not hand over my heart easily.
I'll not give away my power, hard won, to a title, or a label
from my past.
I am free, and I plan to stay that way.
This is my choice. I alone will bear the
consequences of my choices from this point on.
I will not be swayed by sentiment or obligations to ghosts.
I am free.
I plan to stay that way.
***
Treat each other well,
share your love with those who mean the most,
and have a wonderful day.
Heather
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Saturday, February 24, 2007

My post for today...it's at my "other" blog

BAD! Kitty Art Studio
Above picture taken by: ME!
***
Today's blog post is over at my other blog...you can read it
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend...
I am still working in studio,
and will be uber busy for the next couple of days.
Love to all,
Heather
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Friday, February 23, 2007

Fairy finds a home WIP continues


BAD! Kitty Art Studio
WIP update...
***
So...here she is in her home amongst the night blooming moon flowers.
I still have the leaf details, the little just opening flower has some work left to go (to the far right) and a few other things to do, but I finally got her into the garden and I feel good about it.
About five hours left! Wahoo! Progress.
It's now Happy Hour at the studio!
Waiter!...I will have a strawberry daiquiri...blended, Oh...and make it a double, please. What'll you have?
Let me know what you think...
Heather
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New Fairy World WIP


BAD! Kitty Art Studio
Work on the new Fairy World continues...
***
So, this is the fairy that lives in the new Fairy World painting...I finished her yesterday, I put a background behind her just so you could see better. I did finish the flower pods, the stems and the touch up on the background yesterday too, and will be working on the ground collage elements today, (scroll down for a picture of the WIP...) as well as the final touches on the leaves. When the moon dries I'll be ready to finish the assembly, glaze and add the final details. I used Titanium white for the moon, and am now waiting what feels like forever for it to dry...I meant to use flake white because it dries so much faster, but grabbed the wrong one because my paint tubes have gotten so covered in paint from my hands, I couldn't tell which one was which until I had finished sculpting it...argh!
So, anyway I have the other new work 'Secret 2' (scroll down for a shot of the background for that work too) to work on today, and I am looking forward to a day in the studio with loud music...a must for me when I do assemblage work. I'm listening to the soundtrack from 'Even Cowgirls get the Blues'...I love that CD.
Hope everyone has a great Friday, and a happy, happy weekend.
Woot!
It's almost the weekend...and it's only 8 more hours to happy hour!
What could be better?
Heather
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Thursday, February 22, 2007

Crazy Dreams

BAD! Kitty Art Studio
Tales of night time escapes....
***
Last night I had crazy dreams.
I mean like really whacked out crazy dreams.
I found myself in Egypt, and the whole dream was backed up by the soundtrack to Indiana Jones...anyway, my mission was to bring trees to the desert. I had this cool belt on that held hundreds of little zip-lock snack size bags. In each were freeze dried trees. I went around with a canteen of water dropping water into the bags and watching the trees bust out of their little capsules with leaves and roots they even had fruit and nuts already on the branches. The biggest problem I had was there wasn't any good black soil around to plant them in...so I kept trying with all my might to find potting soil amongst the vendors at the street market. I also had to do a rescue mission for my friends who had been trapped under an oil tanker ship that was caught in the shallows of the bay and had pinned my friends under the back of the ship while they were fishing for a dinner of eels.
Good thing I had freeze dried trees...I kept telling myself, because I sprouted a few of those bad boys and used them to lever my friends out from under the ship's back-end, I also blew it up when everyone was free...with some tiny little hand grenades I had in my back pocket...funny thing was I had set up before hand to have the shallow part of the sea drained so that the spilled oil could be cleaned up with my extra roll of bounty paper towels I had brought along too, I was keeping those under my hat.
I also had to use my handy whip several times to cross huge open pits in the ground where large googly eyed alligators lived and they kept calling to me as I sailed over their heads that all they wanted was a rump roast and some toothpicks.
Then I woke up with grit in my teeth and sand in my shoes.
I was sore all over and went into the kitchen and pulled out some blood oranges to make breakfast, but when I started squeezing them they had bright blue juice instead of red orange, and I threw them out the window into a cave that housed our pet woolly mammoth who liked to eat our vegetable scraps...and kept asking me for a soy ice cream banana split for dessert.
Then the alarm went off and I really woke up.
***
Whew...it was a busy night in dream land...I need a vacation and hazard pay.
Have a great day,
Heather
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Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Another New Work in Progress

BAD! Kitty Art Studio
Another New Work In Progress
***
This is a new one too...the background anyway.
It's a Super big one too, 30" X 50".
All oils.
I am going to do a really cool figure on top of it.
I like the movement in this one, and the colors turned out nice too.
Let me know what you think.
***
In other news...I don't have any.
My life as of late has been chores and working in the studio...basically I am about as boring as you can get these days and still be considered upright and human.
All I have been thinking about is how to make some extra money to buy more canvas, paint and some paint knives (because mine got lost somewhere, ARGH!)
so I can continue to finish the work for this showing...and working with what I have in creative ways to get the most out of my current supplies.
Yawn!
So, nothing funny or charming or even interesting to really report, just me working like a crazy lady with now a deep cobalt blue stripe across my nose, (not a cute one across the bridge either, it's on the side of my nose and cheek...ick!) because I swiped myself with oil paint on my hand, didn't know it and it stained my skin...fun eh?
I look like I am going to clown school for painting...it is kinda funny.
Well...I am going to go get to work,
you all have a great day today.
Share the love,
Heather
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Tuesday, February 20, 2007

New Fairy World in progress


Fairy World in progress
***
The details are still to be done, but this is the blocked in colors. I have left where the fairy lives blank so that I can be reminded of where she goes...and that really too bright moon in this picture is painted in...it's sculpted white paint and it will have a glaze (warm yellow/orange) put over it to make it blend into the scene better when done. The flower pods still have tons of detail work left as well as the leaves, but the stems just have a little touch up to go. The ground at the bottom will be a mosaic of cool things at the end, so it's just a paint filled in area. I think I am at the half-way point here, with about 10 hours (or so, depending on the collage part of the work) left to go...What do ya think so far?
Heather
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Tuesday and the kids go back to school...Yippee for Art Mom's everywhere!


BAD! Kitty Art Studio
Quote for my day...and a little more.
***
"To me it seems basic to the getting rid of fear to know that our trials,
of whatever nature, are not motiveless.
In our present stage of development we could hardly do without them.
So often looking . . . ugly . . . they are in reality the branches by we which we catch on and climb.
They are not obstacles to happiness. . . . Every call of duty has its place in this ideal;
every irksome job,
every wearisome responsibility.
The fact that we are not always aware of it
in no way annuls the other fact that it is so. . . ."
~Basil King
***
Today the boys go back to school and I have some quite time to finish the new canvas...I am going to post a picture of it later today when the sun gets higher and the light better for taking pictures. A new work in progress and I am happy that things are moving with the muse again. Yippee for school, is all I can say.
I did get some good work done yesterday, between the snacks, and every kid in the hood wanting to ring the doorbell and play with the boys...so I am really looking forward to a free to paint day.
I hope all is well in your world, and that the universe is a wonderful place for you to dwell in today.
I plan to start another new painting, with no planning at all...I don't even know what I will be doing at all... no clue yet, but because I am working with limited paint colours (still hoping for a sale so I can re-invest in supplies) it should be fun none the less. I can't let lack of funds stop my progress as the days and weeks before the show are still passing by. It'll just have to be an opportunity instead of an obstacle. Challenge is good for the creative soul...I hope. *grins*
Oh yeah, you might have noticed the new quote pictures I have been doing, they are from my collection of vintage ephemera and also the source for the new fairy's! I am thinking about putting a collection of these images together for sale on CD, would anyone be interested in buying them though?
That's the question of the day...would any of my artist friends out there have a need/want for something like that? I am always looking for images to use in my work (to use in my mixed media paintings, like fairy world, and for models for my paintings), at this point I have a huge gathered collection of images for my own use...and I thought maybe some of you might like that too...as far as cost...I was thinking like maybe $10.00 + shipping, each for a collection of say 150 images all jpeg and high resolution...and royalty free. So, some feedback on that would be great...before I embark on another project that is.
Have a good one all, come back later for the pictures of the new Fairy World work in progress...it's a full moon scene...and let me know what you think.
Share your love,
Heather
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(Please!)

Monday, February 19, 2007

Quote for the day

BAD! Kitty Art Studio
Quote for today...
***

A Few Rules for Life

� Stay in Tune with the Spirit.

� Take the Power.

� Act with Courage.

� Lean Into It.

� Anticipate and Plan.

� Act Successful . . . Be Successful.

� See the Broad Perspective.

� Take 100% Responsibility.

� Seek No Ego-Satisfaction.

� Keep Every Commitment.

� Be Always A Gentleman/Gentlewoman.

� Have The Majesty of Calmness.

� Forgive, Forget and Let It Roll Off.

� Radiate Happiness.

� Don't Wobble.

~ C. Smith Sumner
***
I am so busy for the day today...and it all started at dawn.
I will post more later...for now, it's a quick good morning to all.
These are my working quotes for the day,
to inspire and transform
the feelings of Aaiiiieeee, to Ahaaaaaa.
Love to all,
Heather
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Saturday, February 17, 2007

Someone you just have to know about!

I would like you all to meet Jina Davidson
Personal Coach
& EFT Certified Practitioner.
Her company is Discover Within.
***
I have had the professional and personal pleasure
of working with this wonderful woman.
She is charming, caring, witty, super smart and really a just terrific goddess/teacher. I am honored to count her as a friend and as a professional teacher.
I just thought you all should get a chance to know her and if you are looking for a personal coach, you just can't ask for a better person to help you in your private journey of self discovery than Jina.
So stop by her place, and drop her a line.
Tell her Heather said
Hi while you are there.
Have a wonderful day all!
Heather
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Hey I am the Featured Blogger!

We Reap
Laminated Collage
by: Hmbt 2006

For my Friend!
Laminated Collage Magnet
***
BAD! Kitty Art Studio


Surprise!


I am the featured blogger on Amber's blog!


***


My thanks to Amber for this kindness and act of love!


A poem for the occasion...




A FRIEND IS A PERSON


With whom you can be sincere.


To whom you never need to defend yourself.


On whom you can depend whether present or absent.


With whom you never need pretend.


To whom you can reveal yourself without fear of betrayal.


Who does not feel she owns you because you are her friend.


Who will not selfishly use you because she has your confidence.


I WOULD HAVE SUCH A FRIEND,


AND I WOULD BE SUCH A FRIEND.


I DO HAVE SUCH A FRIEND!


~ Y-O-U ~


~Alfred Montapert


***


Thank you for the feature, I appreciate you being a part of my life daily, and I learn so much from you about life and humanity each time we interact.


I am grateful to be a part of your world, and blessed that you are part of mine.


Thank you Amber!


***


May the world be a wonderful


place for you all to dwell today,


Heather




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Friday, February 16, 2007

Friday...and it's only just begun.

BAD! Kitty Art Studio
Thoughts for the day ahead...
***
"Factors necessary to develop us into real eminence in any field:
Whatever may be the nature of our work, or the character of our own vocational activity, eminence always involves the following:
[And then he named four factors, and I want you to mark them.]
1. You must have the determination to excel.
2. You must have the willingness [And I want you to mark this.] to pay the price, to study, to live through disappointments with optimism, and to accept the sacrifices necessary to succeed. [Now, do you get the significance of that?]
3. You must have the steadfast pursuit of purpose, doing the work day after day, week after week, yes, year after year, whether you feel like doing it or not.
4. You must have pride and faith in the virtue of your calling. [That is to say, spiritual motivation.]
~James F. Oates,
Address before the YMCA at Los Angeles,
California, April 15, 1960.
***
This is the working quote I am using to push myself through this day.
I hope you all have a great day, a happy Friday, and a wonderful weekend!
Now back to the regularly scheduled work day....
this has been a test of your local
BAD! Kitty Emergency broadcast station...
it was only a test.
If it had been an actual emergency, this message would
have been followed by
bitching, over eating, and possible random acts of
BAD! kitty violence.
But, thank the universe...
This was only a test.
Beeep!
The kids are out of school for four damn days
and I still have to work and clean the house
around their constant snacking
(or grazing as we call it here)
and snarking, and snarling at each other.
Send help!
Love to all,
Heather
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Thursday, February 15, 2007

This is post #755!


BAD! Kitty Art Studio's
Musings for the day...
***
Post # 755! I thought I was still in the 400's and surprised when I bothered to take a look and see just how far I have come over the past 4 years! I mean I have ranted, raved, marketed, shared, and told my story for that many posts and I have to say it feels great. I have learned so much about myself in this space and found some really dear friends in the process... can you tell I am feeling very happy today?
My kids are finally both well enough to return to school, and that is making me feel wonderful too...a whole day with no little ones around to distract me from artwork and internal dialogue, I feel free!
I am also feeling much better and super pumped about that fact, I practically jumped out of bed this morning to greet the dawn. I have worked on some collage stuff that has re-ignited the new work...exciting to re-capture the muse after the two weeks of drudgery and poopy-ness.
Today I will be working on the lay-out for a new canvas, and continuing the struggle to find and sort all my supplies into submission in the studio. I like working in the middle of a giant mess it seems, but because the studio space is much smaller now...it tends to get maze-like and hard to keep works in progress from getting messed up, so I am continuing the effort to organize the space into a creative inspirational environment.
Well, I guess that's all to report this morning, I am going to share some new work here soon, as I got the good word yesterday that as long as I don't share all the works going to the gallery show here, I can share a few of them...cool beans! I miss sharing the creative process with you all, and because I am cranking out a ton of work just for the show at the moment, I have not shared new work in so long...it's getting on my last nerve, lemme tell ya.
So, check back here soon and let me know what you think about the new stuff...Fairy World is exploding all over the place and I am having fun again!
Be well today and share you love!
If you have some spare change...buy some of my art! It would sure help this artist to buy the expensive supplies that I need to continue the work. Think of it as an investment in the arts! I even have stuff on sale still, so I bet you can find something in your budget, and don't forget I DO offer Art-Lay-a-Way...now I ask you who does that? Me that's who! =)
Have a good one.
Heather
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Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Oh NO...Mercury...not that again!



BAD! Kitty Art Studio

with news you can use...

(above) I am

laminated Collage
by: HMBT 2006

If you idled your evenings away watching the planets slip across the sky, you would eventually notice Mercury seem to stop, and then for three weeks, move backwards. In ancient times, astrologers were the chief scientists and advisers to emperors and this unnatural motion was cause for alarm.


Even to this day, Mercury Retrograde is regarded with no small amount of dread, trepidation and fear. Yet, it will come three times a year, every year. So learning to manage it will give you a real edge.

Briefly, Mercury is responsible for communication in all forms, including transportation; remember those winged heels? He reigns over information, education and the truth. For these three-week periods his energy is moving backwards and inwards. He's engaged in reflection and reviewing - not in forward progress. This is harder for us to accept than it was for the ancients -- they saw life as cyclical. We want steady progress.

Communicate cautiously


The best way to handle Mercury Retrograde is to be extra cautious in these areas: speaking or writing to friends, loved ones and co-workers; emails; phone communications; contracts; travel plans, flight connections and baggage; giving directions (be especially clear at the tanning and hair salon); with your car; and even when throwing parties.
Being scrupulously careful however, does not mean don't communicate - in today's wired world that's simply not possible! None of us can avoid sending email or speaking to others, nor should we, it's just important during these few weeks to be extra, extra careful. Use your best judgment, don't assume things will all come out in the wash, especially where you already know there's potential for trouble: an unhappy boss; a jealous co-worker; or a harried medical tech. If the situation is fraught when going into the retrograde period, then you must painstakingly check, revise and re-think every communication before opening your mouth or hitting 'send'. The key is to take the time to consider the recipient's point of view -- before you make your statement.


Beware of electronic glitches


Mercury Retrograde is also a time when computers, cars and electrical equipment can go haywire. Likewise luggage, packages, mail can be either delayed or lost. If you start a new job, new project or new relationship it'll turn out quite differently than you imagined, so either go in very cautiously or if at all possible avoid making a firm commitment until

Mercury goes Direct on the evening of March 7th.
Be sure to protect yourself by keeping copies of important documents, doing a back-up of your computer and duplicating your important computer files on a flash memory card.
If you're in an industry that is naturally ruled by Mercury: communications, marketing, advertising, publishing, public relations, investor relations, broadcast production, sales, writing, transportation, shipping and travel; you'll need to take more time with each communication you send and those you receive from customers.

Check everything twice


Mercury Retrogrades are nature's time for renewal, for review and to re-do things. The way to get the most from this time is to go back and check your work, to review contracts, to clean and reorganize your office and home, to edit and revisit projects that aren't complete, and most importantly, to just take time to enjoy the simple things in life. Go for a walk, sit by the beach and reconnect with the natural world. Besides, if you feel renewed and refreshed, well, that delay won't matter as much!

article by: Martine Jeanne Craughley

***

Well folks, it's here again...Mercury in Retro grade....Fun eh?

I am thinking it's not a big deal, but then again it's only the beginning, and being aware is the first step in avoiding disaster. So, being careful and checking myself at the door is going to be a daily thing until the 7th it seems. I am feeling a bit better, the fevers are getting farther apart, but no less intense when they hit. So, I guess that's a good thing.


I am feeling withdrawn today, just wishing I could shake this feeling of mild Ho-Hum-ness that has been with me for the past week or so. I am sure it has to do with the fact that at the moment I am at a standstill with the art, because of lack of funds to procure the items needed to continue. It's a situation not a definition, but when I can't work I feel "weird" and stoked up inside. I find that working is when I relax and really let go of whatever inner monster I am chewing on. When that outlet is suppressed, I get itchy and sometimes bitchy. Today I am going to work on some paper collage projects and try to get it out...work with what you got baby!


Happy VD day to all of you out there, I hope you have a good one. Mate Man and I are not into the once a year commercialization of love...we show it everyday of the year, and we don't really go crazy on the 14th of February for the sake of buying into the whole deal...but we do try to share some fun with the kids and make them feel special...well we do that everyday too...so I guess I just give more candy on this day than others. :)

Anywho...must get to the day job and get some money rolling in for the artwork to continue...so off I go to be productive and such. Whatever.

Love to all, and I hope the world is a great place for you to dwell in today. Stay warm to all my friends in the frozen tundra!

Heather


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Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Darren D. Johnson: The Wisdom of Warren Buffett

Darren D. Johnson: The Wisdom of Warren Buffett

You all must read this blog post...I have been following this for awhile, it amazes me and inspires me to ...uuummm, just be thankful and work as hard as I can to be the best I can be...check it out. I repost it here for you to read...easy like, but the links are above if you would like to read more or the comments which in my opnion are just as great.
Love to all,
Heather

I spent 6 hours last week in Omaha with Warren Buffett.
As I walked into the meeting I was pleasantly surprised to find Mr. Buffett dressed more like a scroungy sophomore chemistry student than the greatest investor of all time.
It was an open Q&A session with some of my colleagues and me for about 3 hours.Going into the meeting, I was thinking that I would receive a great deal of advice about investing and how to quantify intrinsic value.
I figured he'd tell us all about "Mr. Market" and how his favorite holding period is forever. Then I figured we'd get around to his bet on the Euro or his belief that the market is irrational and ineffecient. Or perhaps the second richest man in the world would, I don't know, talk about money?
Total time spent talking about any of the above: Zero. Zilch. Nada.
Let's get to what he DID talk about.
As a big fan of "Top" lists, I've compiled the "Top 5" things (prioritized) I learned from Warren Buffett that day:

1. Be Grateful -There are roughly 6 Billion people in the world. Imagine the worlds biggest lottery where every one of those 6 Billion people was required to draw a ticket. Printed on each ticket were the circumstances in which they would be required to live for the rest of their lives.
Printed on each ticket were the following items:
- Sex-
Race-
Place of Birth (Country, State, City, etc.)-
Type of Government-
Parents names, income levels & occupations
- IQ (a normal distribution, with a 66% chance of your IQ being 100 & a standard deviation of 20)
- Weight, height, eye color, hair color, etc.
- Personality traits, temperment, wit, sense of humor
- Health risks

If you are reading this blog right now, I'm guessing the ticket you drew when you were born wasn't too bad. The probability of you drawing a ticket that has the favorable circumstances you are in right now is incredibly small (say, 1 in 6 billion). The probability of you being born as your prefereable sex, in the United States, with an average IQ, good health and supportive parents is miniscule.
Warren spent about an hour talking about how grateful we should all be for the circumstances we were born into and for the generous ticket we've been offered in life. He said that we should not take it for granted or think that it is the product of something we did - we just drew a lucky ticket. (He also pointed out that his skill of "allocating capital" would be useless if he would have been born in poverty in Bangladesh.)

2. Be Ethical & Fair

Continuing on the analogy above, consider this scenario:
Imagine that you were selected as the one person (out of 6 Billion) to create the systems of the world. This includes the type of government, social programs, tax systems, military systems, job markets, laws, regulations, etc.
The only catch was this: You had to come up with systems that you believed were fair and that you wanted to live with, before you were allowed to look at your ticket.
When Warren talked about this it made me reconsider the definition of ethical behavior - what type of system would you create if you didn't know what ticket you had drawn? Would you take a different position on some of the programs you are for or against if you were surrounded by a different set of circumstances?

3. Be Trustworthy

This may be a minor point that Mr. Buffett was trying to make, but he told a simple story that affected me greatly. He told of the Founder of the Nebraska Furniture Mart, one of his companies, and how she came from a poor Jewish family and couldn't read, write or speak English.
She had survived the Holocaust, spent 16 years bringing her family to the U.S. (at $50 per person), and grew the Nebraska Furniture Mart from a $500 initial investment to do $350 Million annually from a single location in Omaha.

Update: A friend of hers told Warren at one point that the way she evaluated people was simple: She simply asked herself, "Would they hide me?"
What a great way to judge your instincts about whether to trust someone or not.

4. Invest in Your Circle of Competence

Warren talked at length about investing within your circle of competence. This applies as much to entrepreneurship as it does to investing in public securities. One thing that continually amazes me is how much discipline Warren has in never letting himself get excited about a deal that he doesn't understand. He understands his weaknesses, limitations, and the types of businesses that he gets.
He said that it is crucial that people clearly recognize what they don't understand, and place their effort and energy on businesses or career paths that allow them to bet big on themselves doing something that they do understand. He said that it's "not so important how big the circle is, but it's important that you know where the perimeter is, and when you're outside of it."

5. Do What You Love

Perhaps the reason that we've heard this a million times is that it's true. Warren talked at length about how excited he is to wake up in the morning and to do what he loves. He talked about how important it is to have the freedom in your life to paint your own canvas any way that you like. He said that many people talk about how they are going to just work at a high-paying job "for a little while" and then go do what they love - he equated that to "saving up sex for old age." He said to "never do something that doesn't excite you or that you dislike." Not the advice you'd expect from somebody worth over $40 Billion?

I only hope that as I gain success throughout my career that I can mirror the image of humility, charity, intelligence, optimism and justice that Warren Buffett represents.
***
Pretty great huh? I told you!
Again my love to all,
Heather
http://www.badkittyartstudio.com
Buy Some Art, Support A Living Artist!

Checking in

BAD! Kitty Art Studio
(above) Walk with ease collage
By: Hmbt 2006
***
"Any mother could perform the jobs of several
air-traffic controllers with ease."

I am still sick...and wondering when this will end. OMG! I can't stand it anymore.

Worse is the fact that Middle child (or as he likes to be known as "oldest in the house") is worse off than I am, and had to spend a long day sitting in the doctor's office yesterday. He is so sick it breaks my heart for him. So today I am tending to the ill, and trying to putter around the house getting some things put away in the studio, between the fever peaks and cold chills.

I hope all is well in your world today, and if you have a little extra in your life...consider putting Oldest in the house on your get well energy list. Poor guy could use a little more than Mom is able to give. We are two sickies in a pod.

Oh yeah, if you need some art for your home, office or a loved one, consider shopping at my place...Valentine's day is tomorrow! I really need to buy some art supplies for the Gallery show (I am out of paint! Alert the Media, it's a crisis!) and can't afford to do so at the moment...so, go buy some of my work...pretty please! :)

Love to all,

Heather

www.badkittyartstudio.com

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Saturday, February 10, 2007

Chakras Primer


BAD! Kitty Art Studio
(above) Chakras in the sky collage
by: HMBT 2006
***
What am I doing today? I am taking a day to heal...I have had the flu for the past two days...feeling like crap and pushing myself to go beyond the comfort zone to keep working, and also to avoid some internal stuff that I have been avoiding (my almost 18 year old son's "issues")...which made me feel worse and the art showed the stress (had to ditch a whole canvas and start over...ARGH!). So today, I woke up and thought maybe I should take a day off and do my Yoga, check in with my chakras, get aligned find my center, courage...and heal myself for next weeks push. I pulled out some of my books and CD's and such and went out to the back porch as the sun rose and got busy...relaxing and checking in with myself. This is some of the stuff I thought I would share, because I know many of you out there push beyond sometimes too...and maybe you might like to know how to push the "reset" button too. So...


Here is a simple primer on the chakras:



Root Chakra (aka Muladhara).


Color: Red


Element: Earth.


Located at the base of the spine (tailbone), this chakra helps you root down in reality, says Porter. "It gives us a sense of identity and stability. When it's in balance you are in your body, you're present and mindful." Rooting down also gives you more flexibility; this is apparent in yoga. Your root also effects all the other energy points, so if it's out of whack then all of you is affected.
If there is an imbalance or blockage, you'll have a hard time connecting to reality and making decisions. You'll likely be spacey.


Dancing is very good to get grounded. In the summer, go barefoot. And you can always hug a tree.



Second Chakra (aka Svadhishthana, which means sweetness)


Color: Orange


Element: Water


Located in your abdomen area near your genitals and womb, this chakra is associated with receptivity, nurturing, creativity and sexuality. When your second chakra is unbalanced it's hard to feel pleasure and sex is challenging. "Basically you're cut off from your emotions. It's hard to trust and to receive." Deep psychological and spiritual work is in order along with some deep soul-searching. Breathing techniques such as breath of fire, a cleansing & energizing breath, powered by abdominal contractions, should help in this area.



Third Chakra (Manipura which means lustrous gem)


Color: Yellow


Element: Fire


This energy wheel is located between your navel and solar plexus. This is where we develop a healthy sense of ego and personal identity. When your third chakra is balanced you are able to set boundaries, stand up for your self and take action. When it's unbalanced you don't have a clear sense of self. You're mired in indecision and you aren't able to bring things into fruition. You also let people walk all over you like a welcome mat. Certain postures (Yoga) such as supported bridge, abdominal toning and Warrior poses to move will and purpose and to build chi.



Heart Chakra (Anahata meaning unstuck)


Color: Green


Element: Air


Ah, the heart, it is the antidote to so many things. This energy center, which is situated in the center of your chest, represents your ability to love and show compassion to yourself and to others. When balanced you are able to be honest. You can admit your own flaws and shortcomings with softness. This is not a kumbayah kind of love but a deep sincere responsible unconditional love. "What I mean by that is, let's say someone is crying, you don't tell them 'come on get over it, just be happy.' You say, 'ok you're crying, what can I do?' Your ability to deal with your own emotions (the good, the bad and the ugly) allows you to easily understand another's."


This is the chakra which bridges the three lower chakras to the upper ones. Some signs that the heart chakra is overpowering your life can include co-dependency, possessiveness, jealousy, heart disease, and high blood pressure. For these symptoms, forward bends are the best antidote, because they are grounding and foster introspection. While people with deficient heart chakras need to open to receive love more fully, those with excessive heart chakras find healing by slowing down to discover inside themselves the nourishment they have been seeking from others.
Fifth Chakra (Vissudha meaning purification)


Color: Cerulean


Element: Ether/Sound


This chakra is located in your throat and neck area. It's all about communication and speaking your truth. It links the mind with the body and allow you to be centered, artistic and live in the present. If you don't let your voice be heard you can run into a host of problems from neck pains to thyroid issues. Too much energy here and you'll be arrogant, talk too much and be self-righteous (yuck). Too little energy and you'll be timid, unreliable, weak and manipulative (double yuck).
Moving with sound, letting sound move the body, releasing through sound are all excellent ways to get energy to flow through this area. Chanting OM and sighing is also beneficial. As for yoga poses... shoulder stance, plow and neck stretches.


Sixth Chakra (Ajna)


Color: Indigo Blue


Element: Light


This is the center of internal seeing; the all-knowing Third Eye located between your brows. It is the center of psychic powers and higher intuition. Here is where you receive guidance and tune into your higher self. When this chakra is working optimally, you trust your instincts, follow your intuition and you are not attached to material things.
When this chakra is deficient of energy, you are non-assertive, oversensitive to the feelings of others an unable to distinguish between your ego and higher self.
Visualizations and imagining energy moving are good ways to stimulate this chakra. Recommended poses include bridge pose, seated straight leg and shoulder stand.



Seventh Chakra (Sahasrara).


Color: White or Violet


Element: Consciousness


This chakra, which is situated at the crown of your head, is the energy center associated with divine purpose and destiny -- the seat of higher wisdom. When in alignment, your exterior and interior life is in harmony; you are no longer separated from the object of your perception. In essence, you are at one with the universe and totally aware of your true self. The issues of this energy wheel are devotion, inspiration, selflessness, and spiritual understanding. This is where body and spirit fuse. When this chakra is unbalanced or blocked, chances are you'll feel a little off, and cut off from the divine. Rather than feeling as one, you feel like many little pieces scattered all over the floor.
To balance this chakra, cultivate an awareness of the body, awareness of awareness and a releasing of attachment.


An affirmation associated with this chakra is: May I have a clear and open connection with source energy (spirit), and live in the present moment. Beneficial poses include head stand, mountain pose and tree.


***


Overall, yoga, which unites body, mind and spirit, is an excellent way to keep the energy flowing and the chakras in check. I practice it daily...but sometimes I find that I do the motions but lose my internal "moment" and it's good for the body but well...it does nothing for the brain if you are not really "with" yourself. I feel better in tune with myself now...and ready to relax a little today and let my body take care of the nasty bug it has....I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday.


Be well and share your love!


Heather




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Thursday, February 08, 2007

My post for the day is here...

I posted today at my "other" blog...click HERE to go read it. Whew...I am totally swamped and overwhelmed, but pushing hard to make the best of each moment.
The best to you all today,
Heather

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

A cool MeMe List

Hello everyone! I found this cool meme over at Chrysti's blog, and thought it was super neat-O...and thought to myself..."self why don't you do it too?" So I did, here it goes...if you decided to do it too...let us know with a link so we can all come over to your place and see!
Heather
(again I got this over at Chrysti's blog) Ok, Here is how this meme works:
Copy the list and highlight only the things that YOU have done yourself.

1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said “I love you” and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables (retired organic farmer)
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars (I hate tents)
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon(it was more of a ride, not really a trip)
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne

24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (A funeral)
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can (every time I go to the ocean, if the surf is really up and crashing loud, I stand at the waters edge and let er rip... I do a great Tarzan, it can be heard for miles...really.)
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking (all the time)
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day (so many times, it's fun!)
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had an amazing friend (and lost her)
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign (High Street)
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach

50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs (can we say OCD, I do this with my books too, it's a sickness)
57. Pretended to be a superhero (wonder woman and Super Mom)
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business (5)
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken (still married to him!)

69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest (my friend and I made matching boob costumes, we were a couple of uber large boobs!)
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show (come up to the lab and see what's on the slab!)
97. Raised children (3)
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over (several times)
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge (that was fun but scary because I don't like bridges all that much)
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds (118)
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Ridden a bike
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol ( and I am an expert archer)
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school

131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes (still do, all the time)
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (just once, and it cured me from wanting to eat animals)
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language

139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream (all the time)
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care (5 times now, all AIDS related deaths, I miss my friends)
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you (almost all my work is sold this way)
145. Had a booth at a street fair (so many times)
146. Dyed your hair (there is Not a color I have not tried)
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head (before it all fell out when I had cancer, just to get it over with)
149. Caused a car accident (my one and only that I caused when I was 16 and taking the test for my driver's license HA!)
150. Saved someone’s life (twice given CPR to heart attack victims, one lived the other did not)