Have a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year

It is a bit like Spring inside my home.
My daughter, M.A., gave me some Paper Whites Bulbs when she visited at Thanksgiving.
Today, January 1, they bloomed and filled the house with their delightful fragrance.

Also a friend gave me a lovely Amaryllis for Thanksgiving, and it has bloomed again.

The last day of 2008 was lovely and warm ( 70º) for Oklahoma. I walked around the Duck Pond, the trees are not ready to bud yet, which is good as we will get more cold weather before long. It is just a delight to be able to walk outside without a coat and enjoy the blue, blue sky and warm breezes.

HAPPINESS

"Only the artist, or the free scholar, carries his happiness within him". Ludwig van Beethoven

Came across this quote and realized how true it is. Especially, it is how I feel when I complete a project or even finish an order.

These Seven Copper Roses were finished and shipped just before Christmas as I wanted them to arrive in plenty of time for a special 7th Wedding Anniversary in early January.



Although arthritis in my shoulder is slowing me down, there is something special about making things that gives me a sense of fulfillment.

I am wishing all a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

I like this set of 7 Copper Roses better than the last set that I sold.
These are going to a gentleman in West Virginia, who really plans ahead.
His 7 wedding anniversary isn't until March '09, but he wanted to get them before Christmas.
I told him that although I was in my seventies, I was pretty sure I would be around next year, but I guess he doesn't want to take any chances.

I am going to offer a similar set on ArtByUs as a "Special Order"

I am very glad that I have retired from doing art shows, especially the outdoors ones.
I took some hot vegetarian soup to a friend that has set up at our local Downtown Art Market this cold windy Saturday. He was alone, and I was sure he had no access for a break or hot food.
His sister is doing a two day art show, in OK City. At least she is indoors.
I don't envy either, what I do miss is seeing the artists and skilled craftsmen.
It was fun seeing some of them again, but too cold to stand long and visit.
Surprising there were buyers at the show.
That makes it worthwhile.

Copper Rose in full bloom with 15 Bass Leaves.

I am certain that I will continue to make Copper Roses until I can not do any welding.
And though I continue to make them, I do try to change them by making small improvements.
Thus, I am introducing my newest.
"REMEMBRANCE"
A Copper Rose in full bloom, with 15 Brass Leaves.
This scented, with rose oil, rose is the perfect gift for a Loved One.
. I have one list at ArtByUs
I will be making more, so if you wish to place an order, contact me thru my web site.Joygibat.com
Like all my roses, I comes with a vase, a card explaining how it is made, and a pretty gift card for you to sign.

"Poor Pitiful Pauline"

I can't chew gum and walk at the same time, I can't walk and talk on a cell phone. In fact I have trouble even doing one thing at a time but usually I could do several thing spread out over a day. Not now.
My creativity, as I like to think of it has been asleep or perhaps comatose. I have been able to fill orders and was able to make a few modifications on my roses by making them taller, with more sets of leaves, for a gentleman who wanted 7 in a vase for his 7 wedding anniversary, however it took me much longer than it should.

I am unable to come up with anything new or exciting or even get back to developing more of my "Reflections."
I have been concentrating on walking, which I have had some success, trying to stay on a low salt diet is very difficult and I am not doing very well with that nor has my blood pressure gone down much, even though there has been several increases in dosage. I have lost some weight but need to lose more.
In other words, I am failing as an artist and at getting well .....I am a poor pitiful pauline!
Take heed everyone, take care of your health!

7th ANNIVERSARY GIFT of THREE COPPER ROSES

Received a couple photos from Martin W. in Cumbs,England, who gave three of my Copper Roses to his wife for their 7th wedding anniversary.


Although he had a Paypal account he didn't want to use it as his wife would see it, so he had a friend pay me, and then he repaid his friend, but to complicate matters I then had to send the roses to his parents' home. However, in spite of all the complications, they arrived on time and his wife was happy with his gift.
I have another similar set of 3 Copper Roses available at my website JoyGibat.com or thru ArtByUS

My thanks to all that have inquired about my health, I am walking a mile or more each day, actually I walk at night.
I live near the campus of the University of Oklahoma, where they have lovely wide sidewalks that are well lit and a pleasure use.
I am taking a pill to reduce my blood pressure and am on a low fat diet, which isn't much fun but better than having another stroke.

Wedding Ideas and update

My first Stroke, I think.
A week ago Sunday, my daughter brought me home from the hospital. The Thursday before I had gotten up with a strange and nasty headache, decided that something was wrong. Drove to the urgent medical office. Got there fine, but once inside, I could barely speak. They called an ambulance to take me to hospital, I was having or had a stroke.
Evidently, I am one of the very lucky ones and have little or no damage to the brain.
So, I am now on low salt, etc. diet. Looks like I will need to take a pill or so.
I have my own blood pressure meter which will tell me how I am doing.

Am finishing another batch of Prosperity Feathers for a Rotary group that is traveling to Denmark. As the copper feathers are light, they make good traveling gifts and are not expensive.

I received some photos from a couple who used two of my Copper Roses in their wedding ceremony as their first gifts to each other. Rather romantic ?


Am hoping to get back to work on more of my steel "Reflections" and have something new to show.

I haven't posted lately as I have been making a lot of Copper Prosperity Feathers and Copper Roses with Brass Leaves. which are similar to ones I have done before.
A friend sent me this link and I think it will be of interest to those who like visual stimuli.
It is a collection of 78 Optical Illusions & Visual Phenomena http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/index.html

One of the examples is the "Turning Lady"

with which I am familiar. http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/sze_silhouette/
However, many are new to me and are good examples of how one perceives images.

Received this notice from:
Jimi Beach
Editor-in-Chief
TalentDatabase
with this message. "good luck... well, with your level of talent…who needs luck right?"

Creativity

Yesterday I received emails from two very talented friends who were concerned with creativity.
One a classical concert pianist and professor, who felt that though he plays superbly "but the COMPOSER is the genius." "--the creator! " and a potter who has built her own kiln, mixes her own glazes, who feels "we let what we have already done and what we have, dictate who we are and what we do in the future"

This is timely for me, as I have been doing "repeats" as they pay the bills, are safe and almost stress free.

There is nothing more wonderful than having an "eureka!" experience, but for me they are far between.
Usually, happening after, periods of stress that hurts. Then, the refining effort to complete the vision. Sometimes, the refining seems to take forever and then it might not be financially successful.
I know that even my best are not really significant, but I had the experience of feeling " I got it"
That feeling is what matters to me. It is feeling "in tune" with the universe, while being "tone deaf".

Although, this sounds like a joke, years ago, a friend told me of having a short conversation with Albert Einstein. He had the pleasure of escorting Einstein from airport to a lecture hall. They talked about ideas and creativity, my friend always wrote down all his ideas on notepads, but found to his amazement that Einstein didn't.
Einstein told him " I don't have that many good ones".

Thus, I stopped worrying if I was really an artist or what art is, I will just do what I can, enjoy the process.

Rules for Being Human

I received this from the couple who purchased my welded steel tree "Autumn in Ohio "
The Rules for Being Human
You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period this time around.
You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a fulltime informal school called life. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid.
There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error, experimentation. The 'failed' experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately 'works.'
A lesson is repeated until learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.
Learning lessons does not end. There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive there are lessons to be learned.
'There' is no better than 'here.' When your 'there' has become a 'here' you will simply obtain another 'there' that will again look better than 'here.'
Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
Your answers lie inside you. The answer to life's questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
This whole thing will often be forgotten, only to be remembered again.

Visit my website at joygibat.com

Wishes and Gifts

First of all Best Wishes for a Happy and Peaceful New Yea
I had a lovely Christmas with most my family here for the day, Strangefetish stayed in Chicago, but we all got to speak with her on the phone.
I got some lovely gifts, but this has to be my very favorite.

It is a little oil by my best friend who lives just a half block away. When I saw it, it was Love.
It makes me feel happy and youthful, which are important sensations, it was so kind of her to give it up and to give it to me.

I think I have Bursitis or something like it. Have actually seen a doctor, and am taking some medication which makes me sleepy, but is helping some. So has the weather, it got up to 76 degrees yesterday. Cold will return, but then we will have a couple of great days that make winter bearable for me.
I have an order of 50 Prosperity Feather to be ready by Thursday. I have finished them, just need to details, signature, and slipping each in a little Clear Bag envelope. The Norman, OK Rotary GSE Team is giving them away. Next week, have 30 more for a Rotary individual who will present them to other national officers.
I am tired of making P F, but grateful for sales at the beginning of the New Year.
Rotary and other organizations have been a good resource for my small items, often referred to as bread and butter, which is apt.
My new year's resolutions include:
Re-doing my website. Trying to get some translation help as the rate of exchange for other countries is favorable. I had two sales to UK in December. First Class International is not very expensive.
Lose the proverbial 25 lbs. and continue with Tai Chi.
Keep enjoying life.

Please visit my website at joygibat.com

Banned or Blocked ? Censorship

In the 1940-50s, maybe even the 60s, "Banned in Boston" , usually meant that a book banned there would be a best seller.
Well, I just found out that I am or my website is "Blocked in Kuwait" and I have sold the welded tree that I just listed.

The couple had seen my trees before. A few weeks ago, they tried to contact me, but to no avail.
To quote from their email
"That's what I meant about your website being blocked.....they have seen something there that violates their delicate sensibilities, and so we can't go to your site when we're at home. Strange... D::: thinks it is because some of your art depicts Indian religious symbols, so they'll block it." Except for the censorship on the internet, movies, and radio, it's better than most of the Middle East.

They visited their son in Rome and were able to get in touch with me, so am double boxing the tree and off it goes to Kuwait. I don't have to worry about customs as it will be thru an APO.

(I am definitely a liberal but I have not thought of my website as being offensive to Muslims, but there is the case of the teacher, in Sudan, who named a teddy bear, Mohammad. )

Life is interesting!

Howard Tuvelle

I finally added this Welded Steel Tree with Copper Leaves to my website, Joygibat.com

Later this afternoon, I was very happy to hear from a dear friend that he has some videos of his concerts on YouTube.
Howard Tuvelle.
He is a very talented pianist.
If you like Chopin and Rachmaninoff click here There should be a list of his other videos on sidebar.
We liked each other when we were teenagers but our lives were controlled by others who would not have approved, so our lives went in different directions, but we have kept in touch as friends.

I should have done what I advise.

I have always advised that one use file cards to list what one has sold at shows, put name of show, city, date etc.
and I have always done so until I forgot at this last show.
As the school was taking the money, and I wasn't there all the time, I didn't think it would matter.
Well, it is 2 weeks since the show, I have forgotten now what I took, what was left I put in our little local gallery. The check is on its way to me, but I don't think I will get a list of what sold which will not help me next year to know what to take.
As it was so easy to do with the help of my grandchildren, daughter, and son-in-law that I plan to do it again next year.
This is how my display looked. I should have taken more pieces for the wall, but ran out of time.

Althought I didn't sell it, I had a couple very interested in the wall tree at $650.
It is pretty. I finished it in time for EBSQ Autumn Foliage instead of Flower of the Month Show .
I hope to list it on my website soon.

Just acquired a new painting by Angie Reed Garner

I GOT IT ! I GOT IT !
"WHITE TREE DANCING" BY ANGIE REED GARNER.

The painting looks evn better in my hands than on the computer. You can see more of her work at Angie Reed Garner
Angie is leaving on a wild journey to live in Pakistan with her husband, who is already teaching and working there. Thus, I am thrilled to get a piece of her work before she departs.

Plants

Thursday morning I shipped a copper roses and vase to the Dallas area, (about 200 miles south of me), Express Mail, which is costing almost as much a the rose.
The reason is this gentleman wants it to give to someone with which he has a lunch date on Monday.
I am imagining that it is going to be some lunch.
I am now wondering what he will do when he invites her to dinner?
Maybe - jewelry?

Anyway I am having lovely fantasies.

Today is a good day for them.
Very cold this morning.
We had our first frost, but by noon, it was a warm 74 degrees and a great blue sky.
I have brought in the herbs, some flowering plants, hibiscus, jasmine, lavender and miniture rose.
I hope I can get them to winter over, which might be a fantasy.
I have good light from the clear story windows that are above the cabinets.
I have a great ladder, so I climb up and water them once a week.
When one is 70, one needs a good ladder.
The others are in front of living room windows which covers one wall.
As the windows are single panes of glass, it does get chilly but there is lots of sunshine.
I do close the drapes when it is very cold.

Now back to work on making stuff for show.

On the Road Again

I said that I have completely stopped doing shows, however, I am doing a very little one in a week or so. One of my daughters is working as librarian at a private day school. The one day show is just for family and friends of the school.
She thought I should do it. So, here I go again.
I am not putting up my usual display, which takes hours to set up and tear down. This will be simple, it has to be. I have sold my van and now have a older Honda Civic which I really like but it limits what I can take, which is good.
I have strong and able grandsons who will help carry things for me.
I don't even have to be there, they will do the selling for me.
It is a half mile from their home.
Think I will enjoy this. Will give report soon.
I uploaded some old photos of my display just to show the complexity of it. They have scanned very dark, not going to try to lighten them, am sleepy.


Best wishes to all.

Spinning Lady

An interesting site, Spinning Lady

I haven't made anything new, or sort of new, just roses, feathers, trees, and thing similar to what I have done in past, they are still selling so I can't complain.
Best wishes to all.