Looking for Complements

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I found this background fabric recently in my stash. I actually painted the dots on, years and years ago, when I couldn't find what I wanted at the store.

Looking for the Best Cup

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Hey all, sorry for the total radio silence! I've been sewing again. Apparently it's an addiction. I'm addicted. I'll try to paint again someday.

Meanwhile here's one from a few months ago. I tried several times to paint this striped cup, and this was the only one that worked out. I didn't realize it would be so hard! Also got this cute little square cup.

Existing Separately

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Seeing as it's cyber Monday and all, I put a few of my paintings on sale. You can see everything of mine that's currently available here. : )

As for this painting, in case you are confused, I put down the maroon-y paper first, then a big piece of glass, then the light pink paper, then everything else. I thought the reflection-y bits were really cool, but in hindsight I wonder if it might be confusing...

Shine on, Rosie

 

Click Here to Purchase - $400 - 9x12in. - oil on panel

Something funny is that 9x12 is a super standard size, but I've only done it ONE other time in my life! Haha.

Holiday Pears

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving, ate too much, drank too much, had several awkward conversations with family and/or friends, and then slept really well. If not then you didn't do it right. ; )

Pears and Paper

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Here's a little one with some little pears I found at the grocery store. Small things on a small panel. How cute. ; )

Reflecting on Things

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in - oil on panel

Sometimes a composition asks for a large panel, and sometimes it wants to be born small. They tell me what they want after I'm done putting them together. As long as they ask nicely then I'm fine with it.

Fruitful

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in - oil on panel

Here's a fun little one from a few months ago. I don't know why I'm going so slow posting this old work. I guess I've been so into the new stuff I'm doing that I just forget.

Join Us

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Always nice when a friendly group of apples welcomes a newcomer. : )

Scissors Paper Grapes Apple

 

Click Here to Purchase - $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

What beats what in this contest? And do we add the cup, or is it just the referee?

Student Teacher

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel

Here's another little still life that I painted a while back. I had been to the store looking for bottles with colorful labels to add to my scenes. But I think the apples stole the show. Or is it the pitcher?

Should We Hide the Sake?

 

Click Here to Purchase for $200 - 6x8in. - oil

Here's another one that's been sitting around my studio. I'm still not able to paint still life, but I have started to paint from photos (less difficult for my healing neck). As it is after any long break, my skills are rusty. I know it will take a little while to get into the groove and start doing work I'm proud to show you. Until then I'm enjoying the process.

Neck update: I'm feeling better every day! I started PT today and it's going really well so far. More and more I'm able to do the things I couldn't do for almost an entire year! It's like starting over with my life. : )

Gathering

 

Click Here to Purchase for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Here's another little painting I did a few months ago when I was still able. I'm looking forward to doing some new stuff and have a ton of ideas. I keep a million little post-it notepads around the house for jotting down ideas, and lately I've also been using the Google Notes app on my phone. I love it.

Hello There

 

Click Here to Purchase for $200 - 6x8in. - oil on panel

I mentioned a while ago that I was suffering from a health issue, and I am happy to report that it is finally being resolved! I would like to share my saga, if only that it might help someone else.

Some of you might remember I had a cervical herniated disc years ago, and a fusion surgery in 2022. Afterwards I improved slowly, but about a year ago started to have problems again. They were similar in that my neck hurt constantly and I got terrible headaches, but otherwise the symptoms were (apparently) odd.

I began seeing doctors here in Missoula. Right away they found that I had another herniated disc in my neck, one below the previous one (I think it's a genetic issue). But the message I got was: it just doesn't look bad enough for surgery, despite the fact that I got terrible headaches when I sat, and so I didn't ... sit. They said my symptoms weren't "textbook." I got a steroid shot, which helped tremendously, but only for a week. I tried everything else commonly recommended: PT, massage, etc. Nothing helped, and I continued to get worse.

Over 10 months I saw 4 surgeons, 4 other doctors, and was rejected by the Mayo Clinic twice. They listened to me tell them that my hands and feet hurt constantly, the headaches were unbearable, my digestion and temperature regulation were wacky, my eyes hurt all the time, and if I sat or did anything remotely strenuous my mouth and arms went numb and everything else got worse. And the answer was: the disc isn't causing your problems. Some added that I must be "oversensitive," or "have emotional issues" because I'm a woman. Yes, at this point I wanted to kick these men in the ....

They ran a million tests. Which all cost a fortune, of course. Insurance only paid for some of it. And they didn't find anything that could explain my pain.

My husband and I were completely baffled. It seemed like their goal was to get me out of the office as quickly as possible. But these were appointments that took weeks or months to get, so time was passing painfully, and after each dismissal we found ourselves back to square one.

All through this my husband was searching online, trying to find answers. Before each appointment he compiled lists of symptoms (in case we forgot any), and a timeline. We thought that if we just saw one more doctor, they would be a little smarter and figure out my problem.

Finally, towards the end, my husband found a place near Seattle that had a sitting MRI. All the other MRI's I'd had were laying down, and all my symptoms got better when I laid down, so we reasoned a sitting MRI might show something different. No doctor we saw knew anything about this, btw.

When I got the new MRI, the radiologist's report said that the herniated disc was flattening my spinal cord. This is called myelopathy. When we looked it up we found that it could cause ALL the symptoms I was having! The spinal cord brings messages from the brain to the rest of the body, and when this is disrupted it can cause problems with the autonomic nervous system, which regulates the things in your body that you can't directly control: heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, etc., which were all things I was having trouble with. For the last 2 months in fact, I was almost completely bed-ridden. If I stood for more than 10 minutes my heart would race and I would feel like I was going to pass out.

The physical medicine doctor I was seeing at the time sent off urgent messages to the surgeons I had already seen, and one by one they dismissed the new MRI! It still didn't look bad enough, they said.

So the phys-med doc referred us to one more neurosurgeon, a Dr. Larson in Coeur d'Alene, ID (3 hours from Missoula). We were dismayed to see that he didn't take insurance, but at that point were desperate. We met with him and he quickly said - surgery is an absolute no-brainer. He got me in two weeks later for surgery. Once inside he found that the disc was worse than it looked in every MRI - part of it had broken off and was lodged against my spinal cord. When I woke up, except for the pain from the surgery itself, I was completely better!!

In hindsight we believe that the first 4 surgeons must have been restricted by the hospitals/clinics they worked for, and the insurance companies. We believe they had a checklist, and my case was unusual enough not to check all the boxes quite right, even though the suffering was very real. It doesn’t seem that they are allowed to think outside of those boxes. They consistently recited statistics, rather than treating me as an individual. The doctor who finally helped me says the reason he doesn't take insurance is because it allows him to “focus on what’s best for each patient.”

The worst part of the last 11 months was the emotional toll. I lost hope over and over. But I was lucky. My husband was by my side through it all, often waiting on me hand and foot. He was even NICE about it, the whole time. Even when I wasn't. Haha. My little dog, Meep, was glued to my side night and day - best nursemaid ever. My son regaled me with stories from the outside, which provided much needed distraction. My family and friends kept checking on me, despite so many months of listening to me complain and despair.

I am now 3 weeks post surgery. Every day I feel a little better. At 6 weeks I can start doing physical therapy, and can address the muscles in my back and neck that have been busy guarding my “injury” for so long that they will need to be retaught how to operate. I have been visiting my studio a little more each day, doing as much as I can. Painting requires more turning of my head than I can do at the moment, so I’ll do that when I am able. Meanwhile I will share some paintings from back when I could still do them. Thank you for reading!

Bumps and Dots

 

Click Here to Purchase for $200 - 5x7in. - oil on panel

Here's one I painted months ago and somehow completely forgot to post. I made this bumpy vase years ago out of clay, along with a few other similar ones, and occasionally they make their way into my setups.

Flower Season

Click to Purchase for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

A tiny arrangement, perfect for a tiny tea party.

Ribbon Cutting

Click Here to Purchase for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

This is another new Hobby Lobby purchase - ribbon. I love the challenge it presents. Plus it's great to use for presents. Ha.

Rose Tea

 

Click Here to Purchase for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

My town recently got a Hobby Lobby. We had them in Texas, so I knew to expect to get lost inside, and I did. I remembered a sizeable flower section, and wasn't disappointed. Fake flowers are getting better all the time. I like them sometimes in a still life because I can do things like this and they don't get all slumpy.

Collections

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Everywhere I go I keep my eyes peeled for things to paint. I have a pretty big collection by now. Here are just a few of my favorites that I think make a nice team.

Alone Together

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I was enamored with the little bits of pure blue in the bowl and its shadow where it meets white. Colored glass is so fun to paint. I keep looking for new bowls, but they are hard to find.