A tribute to talent

This title could describe so much and so many . Last Spring I, by chance through a friend said I would help her with props for the Play at the Astor written by Beth George a local Author/playwright from Liverpool "For Riches and Honor", once I got involved I became excited by the dedication involved in putting on a production of this size. For years I worked on a smaller scale with many groups but never anything quite like this. I ended up being an extra, helping with props and painting and doing the finishing touches of magic to the set which was built by Rick Gilbert who has been the Man behind many if not most of the sets we have seen at the Astor Theatre in the past. We are only happy to join in with a good group of hard working People who do so much behind the scenes. So I have decided to take you with us on a fast moving picture journey between now and Nov 17th when "The Full Monty " will be on stage , Nov. 17-20 & 25&26. This set is so involved and needs to do double duty ,like magic Rick has had to make this happen with the many different scenes needed and only a small stage to work with. With plans for surprises near the end,which I have seen and been told is what he is known for. Often when I am doing a painting Chuck will say nothing about the painting but then I will make one brush stroke and he then is taken back with that one stroke. Like magic it becomes what it is meant to be and I am happy to be working with a great group who together will make this happen for this play. What you see here in the picture is basically the foundation of the set, primed and ready to be brought to life. It proves to be a GOOD one ,another one of many to come out of Liverpool Nova Scotia. So, stay tuned to watch and get excited along with us, for a great production. Get your tickets soon, I hear the phone ringing while in there working, they could be going FAST!!!

Here is a shot of me after putting the 2nd primer coat on the far from finished set. I will bring you along on the trip as it comes along. Sharing with you what Rick comes up with , we have all seen the Movie, this should prove to be one of the greatest...remember there is a scene with a car and a scene in a bathroom....Hummmm!!!! it should be interesting. Stayed tuned , for this creatively will be what I am doing from now till then.

And speaking of till then, then will be here in Liverpool on Dec. 2&3 from 5-10 PM there will be a Christmas Artisans Market across from the Liverpool Pharmasave on Main Street during our annual Christmas Tree lighting ceremony. Drop by you may be surprised at what our sleepy Creative Town has to offer, save gas, money and time. Now if we can have snow flurries on those nights ,feel the Spirit!! OK..I have put my order in...just for flurries.

Humbly Thankful

Humbly Thankful describes how I feel after the wonderful response from the news of my Little book being published and being recognized by our Local Advance news paper and the warm hugs and congrats received from all of you . I can only wish to do something for you in return, I hope I can put a chuckle on as many faces as I can. Whether it be through my art , my writings or my rambles. For I truly believe that is what it is all about, and nothing we have can be taken with us when we go, but our satisfaction of fulfillment in whatever we Love and feel.Everyone of us is special and sometimes it takes a few of us longer to find our passions, and it is nice when one can discover these things even at a ripe age. All caregivers and Teachers see these gifts in Children at a much earlier age then years ago. Like Europeans ,our young Adults are encouraged to pursue their dreams at a much younger age seeing that they are not all meant to be Doctors and Lawyers. In my case it took many years to realize that I just may have been bored back in my early years and not challenged with other creative activities besides the regular school systems curriculum. And it pleases me to be given the chance even now to do what I love and be rewarded. Not to mention my wonderful Husband and how he has become my Muse. Between the two of us we believe we can conquer the World, Thank God our World is small. But no matter how small, everyday is great and successful. So thank you all you have again inspired me.

Above you can see my latest needle felting"Dear ole Girl" I love her cheeks. what more can i say, I enjoy my work. I'm not really sure what I will start artistically next, my house needs attention ,yes I know, but the next few days are said to be raining and if that is the case I find that is the time to sit in my studio and heads down start something big, my mind has been on another diorama that would actually be for sale,the last two I did were commissions, this one I want to do will be somehow related to maybe "Peggy's Cove" or some other little Maritime fishing type scene, I am still working on details before I announce what exactly it will be. I have found that over the years I have put all modesty aside and work in whatever medium and style I fancy and not worry how some may want to label me, I believe I have no label, I am me and love to create and give me a challenge and I at times with Chuck's help will give it a kick at the can whatever it is ,why not ?
One more thing regarding our Sea People figurines which we have been making for ever and a day it seems, I received a message from someone who's Mom bought one way back years ago now in New Brunswick and her Mother loves the one she has, she wants to surprise her Mom with another , she tracked me down and we are working on just what her Mom would like, I love how the Sea People keep on working , you might say for me and those who enjoy them. Thankful for that too, well you could say this blog installment is my Thanksgiving in a way :-)

forever Humble....

October all ready?

Yes October is here, thoughts of getting ready for Winter are buzzing in our heads. We are putting apples up and thinking on cooking up a storm and putting meals in the deep freeze so we can continue working on product throughout the colder Months instead of needing to stop and cook, which always seems to be Chuck. When I think of back the 25 years on the Farm in Charleston, all I did was bake ,cook and milk Cows ,everyday full and busy with Children and Animals, and still I made time to create something other then food ,Farm and family. These days I sit and work in my studio while Chuck does most of the cooking so this Winter we will be more prepared and save much time by organizing our lives and meals better.

Here is a picture of my latest Needle Felting "Lucinda" a very friendly good ,happy Witch, I enjoy her so much I considered keeping her myself, but I have learned so many times in the past, I can only keep and display so much in my small Home that I have had to look away and bite the bullet and sell these fun pieces, so here she is ready and waiting for a new home. I still have my Mermaid as well, see above,she would have been gone by now but I have not been doing any shows and very few People have seen her being so late in the Season. I love going into Spring after a long Winters work and see what I have been producing for the Summer selling Season after working hard in the colder weather. Even though I have seen and heard that this past Summer Season has been somewhat slow compared to other years I find my Gallery somewhat bare. My needle feltings are all sitting somewhere in their new homes, most of my interesting unique boat piece paintings are sold ,I am happy to say that I know where a few of them are and will see them again. Others in the past have gone far away and it is always nice when People send me a picture of them in their new homes, a very nice feeling indeed. Thank you all for that. I will be starting the body of a Mermaid today, a commission of a young Marine Biologist, a surprise for her from her Mom, I am waiting on a picture of her but the body can be started before hand. I do Caricatures of People and animals in needle felting.

Here is a picture of our Laura who we puppy sit on a regular basis with her play date Duncan the other day, they were so cute together. Duncan is so funny as I am sure you can tell in this picture, he is a ham bone and has no idea how big he is, both of these dogs were rescue dogs, can you imagine? Wonderful pets like these needing a home, so sad when you think of all the needy animals and people for that matter out there looking to be loved? But we can't take them all in,which saddens me. We don't have a dog since our Eddie passed away last year, but fill our void by taking in Pets while their owners travel. It helps us in many ways while helping them, their owners as well, everyone wins.

On a sad note ,we got a phone call last evening with news of a death, I am heart broken to say that Mary Mouzor has passed away. Mary was known by all in our community.She wrote an online publication for years with news and highlights of Queens County, a great service she gave freely to all of us from Liverpool and surrounding areas with announcements and local news. Mary's husband passed away I believe a couple years ago now and she was not the same since, like another dear friend said regarding Mary, I agree with her ,we believe Mary died of a broken Heart after the loss of her Life Partner and Love Barry.Rest in Peace Mary, I know you two are together again and your pain is gone. OK..I can't type with tears in my eyes, so I will leave it at that for now.

So off I go to start another day. When given a lemon, make lemonade and share it with your loved ones.

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Meet my warren of bunnies,

Here they are , if you can zoom in and can see their faces , check them out. I am just about crazy from making bunnies one after another this past while, almost like production work but when doing something such as needle felting or carving anything hands on ,one at a time it is almost impossible to recreate anything identical, so the end result is so satisfying. I see so many wonderful expressions in these faces , not only do I see it myself but Chuck as well as they were coming along and we have been sitting and laughing when looking at them .I can imagine what they might be thinking when looking at their cute faces, yes if they could think. I believe like when doing a painting or anything such as this, you work along and then "puff!!" like magic it all comes together , don't you love it when that happens? My next commission is of a needle felted Mermaid, a caricature of a young Marine Biologist who is a beautiful young woman with long brown hair. I look forward to her challenge.Of course I love it and it helps so when I know some little personal information about the person so I can capitalize on their most striking features. It makes it so very special. So another day on the beautiful South Shore of Nova Scotia , Autumn being my and many other's favorite time of year. "So when are you coming?"

Happy Puppy debut...

May I introduce to you my great accomplishment of finally getting this project in print. I am happy to bring to you "Lu Lu Belle the Happy Puppy".It is a fun little book which over took my mind and heart as we were Puppy sitting a Border Collie,Lu Lu Belle and like all puppies , she is happy,all the time . I dare not tell you more ,I am selling copies of this fun little book and I look forward to sharing it with you . You might ask what age group? Well, let me tell you ,as young as young can be and as old as old can be, I am 58 years old and whether I wrote this or not, I always smile when I read it, you get a happy feeling from the pages. So, I am on pins and needles you might say and have plans for something else in the future. Which brings me back to needing a lap top :-) do you think I can nag it to be? I am trying :-) if anyone is interested in my book you can contact me at debchuck@eastlink.ca being the end of the Season ,my plans for distributing it will be right now here from home.
The Folk art piece I recently finished was delivered to A-1 Pizza today and I am happy again to say that he is pleased with it and I believe it will look great along with the first piece I did for him.

Needle felting has been in the back of my head, on my mind and the plan is to get one started soon,but I actually may take a day off.Then again, this time of year with our cool mornings ,warm mid days and cool evenings,it seems to be the time to do those little get ready for Winter outside jobs. I have many boat pieces dry undercover waiting to be prepared for painting on. This Summer even though not quite like other years finds me needing to replenish those hard to get paintings on unique pieces of what I call treasure pieces of found boats.

Last evening we celebrated our upcoming on the 17th ,28th wedding Anniversary with Dear Friend's who are celebrating their 25th on the 14th of September . Along with another Dear Friend and two Dogs. We ate and took in a beautiful Fall evening outside under the Progola with good Friend's rejoicing with memories of our Unions. Photo above of Patricia , William, Chuck and I.

On a sad note I would like to send my thoughts and concerns at the News of our Local Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet closing here in Town. Our concerns go out to all of those who have lost their jobs. We pray that you all find new jobs and soon. We appreciate your friendly smiles and jokes as well fine service these past years. Best of Luck to you all.

Finished FolkArt commission

This is my latest work, A "Diorama" for A-1 Pizza. Which has been keeping me busy this past bit.There is already a simular one which hangs above his Pizza Oven done back in 2010. The Bubba Factory being the theme of this latest one.,with again his Children in the scene. It is a Family business, and take note of the youngest of his Children who I put front and center, his little arms reaching up trying to help, waiting for the day he can get in there with his Father and Siblings ,creating and learning the business. A piece like this is out of my norm as to what I usually do but I have enjoyed building these Dioramas so much that I have plans for another ,which will be for sale. My thoughts are still moving about in my head as to what it will be of, I am thinking on the line of Peggy's Cove or similar with Boats, wharfs, etc. etc. maybe even Mermaids. We will see as I put more thought into it. Chuck built the box for me ,it being the same size as the first Diorama for A-1 Pizza so he has the option to hang it beside the first piece. Once the box was done I sketched in all that I wanted to build and then took off from there. First the background was created then the figures were cut out and mounted ,I tried to upload these pictures in the right order but one needs to be computer smart and ,well that may not be little old me with those abilities, so bare with me and figure out by the photos how it all came to it's completion :-) The fun part was finishing it, bringing it to life you might say, I worked on it well into the evening a few nights, excited to see it come to be, as does so many pieces like my 2010 Elevator Mural, Chuck always saying, now make sure you stop at 5 PM,so as not to burn yourself out, but this is what I do and I Love what I do so I always find myself after a good Mug up sitting at my easel with a glass of wine looking over what I had done that day ,to then find my right hand reaching for a paint brush to add that one little stroke which makes the World of difference and sure enough, that is what happens and I always like the results. Today just a simple coat of varnish and tomorrow I will deliver this piece to Joey to hang and be photographed along with other inside and outside shots to add to his upcoming new Web Site. Regarding my Children's book, I was told yesterday that it is done and I will be picking it up tomorrow, I am so excited!!!it has been awhile coming, I have talked about it for so long and I soon will have it in my own little hands with plans already for something more, something new, a story yet to be told, maybe of some of the exciting adventures Chuck and I have lived in our come Sept. 17th 28 years married ,or The Story of the Sea People, wow!!! I need two or three of me, is the World ready for that many me's? Maybe not!!! I want a lap top, I have said this so many times, I need to start a lap top money jar,hmmmm..I just may do that, and save for one so I won't be tethered here in my computer closet ,able to write where the mood strikes me.They can't be that pricey these days, I must research soon regarding that.

Today we are having our from away Summer Friend's for dinner along with Family and adopted Family and fur friend's ,the day promises to be a wonderful Maritime Autumn day with good food and special company and me in the Kitchen instead of behind an easel . Wish me luck...I am making my once and hopefully still famous Seafood casserole with all kinds of trimmings and desert, Chuck usually being the cook ,today is my turn...as I said wish me luck,then again, any seafood is good sea food so I should have no problems..yum!!!

Drop back again soon and see what I am up to next.

Sea Wizard's,on their way.

Here is a picture of my Wizard order who are on their way to New Mexico as I write. I have a History Professor Client who gives Sea Wizards away to his favorite Graduates at the end of the school year. Because I have been working outside as well house cleaning the past two weeks , I have not been getting any Art or needle felting done. I have a commission I am starting for A1 Pizza, same kind of creation I did for him last Fall, a three D folk art type piece. I need Chucks help with the shadow box building and now that it is done, the fun part begins. My Children's book is at the publisher's and I will have copies for sale soon. I am so excited!!! finally ...and I do hope you all like it, I find it makes me smile when I read it ,I hope it puts a smile on other faces too. Thoughts are swimming around in my head about another story and I have some funky ideas about this Winters paintings.Totally out of my norm, we will see. Although I will always have to have boat part Paintings available, but Beach combing for these interesting pieces is getting harder and good pieces are fewer and harder to find, not being as busy with smaller boats fishing as in earlier years.Thank God Chuck cooks, where would I find the time?This Winter we are going to try cooking once a Month, our plan is to put up meals in the freezer and try and make more time for other things other then cooking daily. Years ago we did a craft circuit with a Dear since departed Soul , a published Author,Artist ,Animal and Children Lover, Sylvia Wiggle, she had us over for Dinner one day and we were so impressed with the fact she had all these meals already in the freezer, we saying ,now don't go to any bother, we all got to pick what we wanted, way to go Sylvia, a real time saver. Her craft was making Little finger Puppets, furry pets and People puppets.A lovely Lady she was . Thank you Sylvia ,for teaching us well.Off I go ,back to work.