Attitude Adjustment

If you've been following me along on Twitter or Facebook you'll already know that for the first time this year I didn't make expenses. My streak of profitable shows has ended as I knew it would at some point. That's just the nature of the work I choose to do. And since you are reading this blog you'll also know that we still disparately need for me to make a profit at my shows, particularly given the fact that I'll have three weekends off after the trip to Roanoke, Virginia later this week.

A little over a month ago this combination of information could've been cause for a major meltdown. Regardless of the lack of income bills are still showing up in the mailbox. The good news is that payday for Joan takes place in two more days so we can breathe a little easier. Despite knowing that the past few days have been just fine. In fact they've been more than fine; they've been outstanding! You see I've had a small epiphany recently - call it a dose of my own medicine.

A few weeks ago the ladies at BlogHer Backtalk asked me to do a short blurb about advice I'd give to a parent just beginning the jouney of exceptional parenting (hence my discovery of the little webcam thingy on Ben's computer). After watching the piece it dawned on me just how much I was ignoring my own words. In fact it was quite sobering.

The first photo is of our new little friend. Shelly is an Eastern Box Turtle which I rescued Monday morning on my way home. She was slowly making her way across Highway 76 in the northern Georgia mountains and was about to meet the fate that many female box turtles encounter this time of year as they return to their own birth home to lay eggs. For the record Shelly is a temporary guest - in fact after school Jessie and I will be sending her back into the wild this afternoon.

It has been interesting getting to know Shelly. Joan and I have always used opportunities like this to teach the kids about nature and the very cool critters that are our neighbors (including the giant black snake who has returned to live under our deck). Ironically it has been me to whom Shelly has had the most to say.

Getting me to slow down is like telling Jeff Gordan to hop in the Dupont Hendrick Pepsi Frito-Lay Quaker State National Guard Tylenol Chevrolet and turn a few laps at Daytona behind a horse and buggy. It very likely isn't going to happen. Just ask Joan who has watched me for 16 years get distracted by shiny objects, funny sounds, sharp objects, things that catch on fire, and those odd neighborly critters. But living with a child like Ben one has absolutely no choice but to slow things down if only to grasp the always changing situation at hand.

My new friend Shelly has very clearly reminded me of that advice I uploaded to BlogHer. Take things one day at a time - try to concentrate on the moment in front of you. Otherwise life becomes too overwhelming and you'll end up defeated before the green flag waves. I shouldn't think about next month's bills because June isn't here. I can't think about Ben's school therapy plan because the summer vacation hasn't even begun. Don't fret over some boy fawning over Jessie because I own several guns. The point is that I am at my all-time worst when I'm looking at the big picture too long.

Shelly's pretty cool with that advice because she's more worried about just getting across that road in one piece. Then it's time to figure out what's for dinner. After that maybe she'll think about where to close up shell for the night.

And after our reptile friend has moved on when I need some advice about slowing down I'll turn to my son for that encouragement. Even after almost a decade living with an exceptional son I always find it amazing how much I'm still learning from a kid whose vocabularly consists of about 2 dozen words.

PS: Lisa wins the "Name that Corn" contest! You'll have to drop by some time to pick up that print! Jess and Mikaela I need mailing addresses for you gals. E-mail me at benwaddell@bellsouth.net with the info. Because of traveling the next two weeks it may be the second week of June before I can get the notecards out to you. Thanks to everyone for all the votes and humorous entries!

Embracing My Folked Up Art Side

There couldn't have been a better day all Spring than this one...not counting one of those fabulous days I sold tons of art. At the moment I'm gazing out my office window looking at a beautiful canvas of leaf green and sky blue. There are no clouds in the sky and I know from being outside quite a bit today that the temperature for this time of year is normal for us once again - somewhere in the lower 80s.

Jessie and I had a bunch of laughs when she got home from school. At the moment she's sound asleep - napping like pre-teens are supposed to do. When she is like that I can still see the "baby Jessie" in her.

Ben had an awesome day at school spending a whole hour in his new stander! Nurse Vickie said he smiled, kept his head up, talked, and generally shocked all the therapists at how well he tolerated it. When he got home he truly amused me by trying to tell me how powder Kool-Aid tastes. Do I not have two of the greatest kids?

Then I went to the grocery store and discovered a terrific sale on rib-eye steaks. Dear readers, do you know how long it's been since we could afford steak? Know that as I type this I am preparing a feast for my exhausted women folk.

Speaking of folk, I'm finally embracing that term for my artwork. I'd really like to be known as a "fine" artist but like most terms using "fine" means something quite boring. That I am not. So just to let you know that I have been working on my week off, I present to you some of my most recent finished pieces.

By the way, having had such a wonderful day at home one "downer" was that I did book my longest trip of the year today. I leave June 25th for Charleston, SC and won't return home until July 5th from the show in Southport, NC. The only good thing about it is that I'll have one of my new art friends, Kelly Morris, tent-camping with me part of the time. Which reminds me that my "art sister Christy" needs to send her application in soon so she can join us. Which also reminds me to tell Christy how much I'm writing on my paintings now.

"Catatonic" 24" x 30" acrylic on canvas
Perfect name.

"Fresh Air" 16" x 20" acrylic on panel
Mountain shows start this weekend!

"Funcky Chicken" 16" x 20" acrylic on canvas paper

The name says it all. 16" x 20" acrylic on canvas panel. Someone has already asked what the cow is smoking. All I have to say is that what happens in the pasture stays in the pasture...unless you're fertilizing a garden (it was meant to be a cigar).

"Joy in the Key of Life II"
Just to let you know I guarantee my paintings. If you hate it when you get home I'll make another. The only request is that you be honest with me!

On the Palette

Phthalo Green: Wow! It's been like forever since I've written one of these posts! For those who are relatively new I use "the palette" in front of me at the moment and begin throwing some "colors" on the canvas. After it's all said and done you will have a good idea about what is basically happening at the moment in regards to the portrait of our family.

For the most part things are much better these days. Having several successful shows over the past month certainly has helped. Both Ben and Jessie are growing like weeds so the mood swings from melancholy to excitement based on the moment. Our babies aren't that any longer! They are both growing quickly into bright young people. Neither Joan or I could be prouder for what each of them has accomplished this past school year.

Our scariest thought is now haunting us: we not only have one but two offspring smarter than us.

Medium Magenta: One very cool thing that is taking shape in a way I had hoped. Several of my artist friends are trading information on a weekly basis about upcoming shows. Therefore we are making sure that we 1) apply for shows that at least some of us know have been successful in the past, 2) when we are accepted we can look for lodging situations which we can share, and 3) know we have someone always watching our back.

At the moment at least one or more of my friends will be applying or attending the remainder of the shows I have booked for the year. That's a very cool prospect!

Cerulean Blue: For some reason I'm having no problem coming up with painting ideas this year. Last year at this time I hated picking up a brush between weekends. This year I'm actually painting at the shows (I hear my friend Christy's evil laughter). Things are still rather iffy in regards to the economy but I'm truly having fun with my job again. I cannot pinpoint the reason but I think I find it a tremendous blessing to be able to still do what I'm doing.

I hope everyone is having a delightful week! Come back and visit soon!

More Corny Stuff

I always say I have the most witty, clever, dark-humored bunch of readers in the Blogosphere. You guys not only rock but you really entertained the family over the last few days participating in our "Name That Corn" contest. The really difficult part came last night when we had to try and narrow the choices down to one. We couldn't do it. We barely managed to come up with three choices that we will now ask you wonderful SoulShiners to pick the winner from.

The overall winner gets a personally signed giclee' print of one of Ben & Bennie's paintings. The other two will receive a set of 4 notecards featuring our artwork. I will keep the poll up until a week from today when I will return from my next show in Blue Ridge, Georgia.

For the record, here were the other nominations either received in the comments, via Twitter, e-mail, or Facebook: Jimmy (the one who "cracked corn), General Cornwallis (this one barely missed as a finalist), Pelosi, Demetrius (comes from the Greek Goddess of Corn - someone must play way too much trivia), The Kernal, Sanders, Emperor Cornstantine, Cornucopia, The Cornspiracy, The Toe of Dreams (personal favorite but I just can't imagine building a baseball field in that corn patch), Sean Cornnery, Kojak, Corn Cob Like Old time, Dick Cheney, Be Glad It's Not a Hemorrhoid, and about 3 others that I can't put on a family site.

So without further ado, here are the three finalists:

"Cornelius" nominated by Nurse Boop
"The Great Cornholio" by Jessie in B-town (I am still a big Beavis & Butthead fan)
"Maizie" nominated by Michaela (family favorite because I had a wonderful great aunt by that name)

Vote by using the poll on the left side-bar and good luck to the finalists!

Shucking Corn

Sorry about the weird voice delay. I discovered after recording this that there's an option to record directly to YouTube from the webcam. Also come visit over the weekend when we will announce the winner of the "Name That Corn Contest." I'm still surprised no one suggested Orville.

Why I Might Be Just a Bit Grouchy

I had this really terrific blog post planned for today. It included how wonderful my weekend went (financially and entertainingly), how Ben had gotten sick but managed by teamwork kept him from another Thanksgiving episode, how much better life has been the past two or three weeks, and how much I was looking forward to the weekend off so I could work in the yard. Post postponed.

For almost a year now I've had this "thing" on the digit next to my left foot's pinkie toe. I suspected what it was but this "thing" never gave me a problem. It just looked sort of gross and since most people are not focused (usually...unless you're really weird...like me) on someone else's feet I decided not to even deal with it.

Well a funny - okay it really isn't funny - thing happened within the last 24 hours. That particular toe is sore as hell! As in that it's painful to walk. The "thing" is most likely a corn and decided now was the time to make its presence known. Thankfully I have a weekend off to consider my options before daring my corn to make the 72 hours of my next festival miserable.

I tell you this not to be gross....okay...I lie. I really love writing about gross stuff that all of us can identify with but I need some information. Google gave me a bunch of really stupid remedies. I'll be going with the safe ones but if you have some more interesting ones then let me know. Also I need to name this little prick upon said toe. The best one gets an 8" x 10" giclee print; not of my deformed toe but your choice of a Ben & Bennie creation (voting is always a family endeavor).

Until tomorrow when I give you a terrific report about the weekend, all I can say is "Owww!"

My Day at Hopeful Parents

We are over here today. Long time readers may recognize this piece. I wrote it almost two years ago but it describes a scene that often repeats itself around here.

Today is the first day in well over a week that he "kind of sort of" acts like himself. That's good news for Joan and Jessie since I head down the road to the Atlanta area tomorrow morning. I will be at Barefoot in the Park in downtown Duluth Saturday & Sunday. Since I am aware of several regular readers who live in the area I expect you to come out just to say hello!

Also I expect a pretty interesting blog post early next week, if not sooner. I'm staying with Rick & Cher Thompson Austin this weekend. Cher is an incredibly talented glass/mixed media artist. Rick is infamously known as the founding member of the Pack Mule Society (PMS), an organization dedicated to all "art slaves" around the world. Also this couple knows how to party! Note to self: be sure to pack a full bottle of Advil.

Two in a Row!

That's right. Two awesome festivals over two weekends! And the potential for this coming weekend in Atlanta is expected to be even better.

Having two good weekends this early in the season is certainly a shot in the arm and confirmation I needed that I am still doing what I'm meant to do. The cool thing is that I'm meeting some some new artists and developing some wonderful friendships. Since I've been home from Savannah I've been on the phone networking with a couple of old friends and a few new ones. More about that in a moment.

This past weekend offered a pleasant surprise. Spartanburg's (SC) Spring Fling is actually 31 years young now but the Folk and Outsider Art Show is only in its second year. Young art shows can sometimes be dreadful as far as sales. Although I didn't set any records most of what I took in was profit since I had hardly no expenses. Even though we worked some long hours (Friday 3 to 9, Saturday 9 to 9, Sunday 12 to 7) two things made it extremely enjoyable. This was the first show in almost a year that my dear friend Christy Buchanan and I were able to attend together. Secondly, the music kicked some major ass!

Oh. My. God! Three days of continual coolness by local and regional acts. Seriously, being a former full-time musician and then a part-time local bar acoustic player I was really blown away. From funky jazz to blues, the Spring Fling had it all - and it was AWESOME! I ended up buying two CDs. The Watts from Spartanburg were a big hit Saturday afternoon before the rain dampened things (be sure to listen to all three selections via the link). They were followed by The StereoFidelics, a husband and wife duo from Asheville, NC who were just mind-blowing. Check out the video section of their site and you'll see what I mean (watch the entire 5 minute piece on the left side).

Spartanburg was a great bookend for my experience in Savannah. I've alluded to it for about a week now but I finally have a chance to tell you about getting to be "one of the ladies." While I have some wonderful male artist friends, for some reason I get the opportunity to hang out with some absolutely gorgeous female artists after many of the shows. Fine Arts on the River was just a new occasion for that to happen.

To make a long story short, Amy Cox, one of my best art buddies had some really terrific booth neighbors. That led to a dinner with some really cool gals on Friday night at a piano bar over-looking River Street. Friendships for life were made over a nice bottle of wine and some awesome appetizers. The rest of the weekend was just an absolute blast because of the energy exuded from this core group of artisans.

So without further ado, let me introduce the River Street Vagrant Pack (RSVP)...

This is Amy pretending to be a ceramist without any arms or legs. She must be good "kicking" that wheel with her chin while centering the huge lump of clay with her nose. Her hubby Jayson is one of the funniest people I've ever met. The guy is extremely bright and witty. My face is usually sore from laughing so hard after I hang out with them.

Here's my new painting buddy and possible camping partner in the future. Kelley Morris is an oil painter from....gulp...HOLDEN BEACH, NORTH CAROLINA! In her defense had I known her last fall she would've told me to stay far away from her locale unless I were there for sun & fun. Both Kelley and Amy surf. They live just a short distance away from each other so they plan on catching some waves later on this summer, dude.

Back to camping. Kelley...uh...makes me look like a wimp. She is all about roughing it as in tent camping with no air conditioning, etc. Even though she's just a tiny little lady I wouldn't want to piss her off!

This is our fearless leader, Moso! She is the real deal when it comes to folk/outsider art. I was really tickled that she showed up Sunday morning to squeeze in a day at Spartanburg! As it turns out she and Christy have actually met each other before at another festival. Hopefully the two of us will get to meet for dinner or drinks this coming weekend (she lives in Atlanta).

Oh yeah, Moso had the best quote from this past weekend. When asked if she'd drink one of Christy's Bloody Marys her reply was, "I'm an artist - I'll drink anything."

This is the lovely Christina Paluszek. She is cute as a button! I swear I thought she was about 25 until I read her bio when I got home. I wish I could look so young! Her jewelry is so very cool and so very different because Chris has studied some of the historical stuff i like: Celtic, northern European, and Viking cultures. I can't wait to pick her brain for some painting ideas!

Just one of "The Ladies."

I Should Probably Go to Hell for This...

Speaking of Hell, I can say for certain that Ben has had his share of fire and brimstone filled journeys in his nine short years. Even though he can't walk he certainly has felt the heat as we've pushed him along the molten highways of exceptional living.

If you haven't been following along on Facebook then let me say that the wicked virus Joan caught last week has really done a number on our son. Just when we thought he had turned the corner yesterday his fever returned with a vengeance. As they say there is no sleep for the weary. Things reached the boiling point for me and Joan as well. While trying to make an impression by way of phone call to work about the severity of Ben's condition Joan hung up on me. In my book there is only one ruder thing anyone can do to me and that is spit at me. Shit definitely hit the fan.

Things between me and my wife are so very confusing and in such a state of emotional flux that I don't know up from down, right from wrong, or heads from tails. I just want for us to be away for awhile - and I don't honestly know if we need to be away together or from each other. I just know that I keep working. Having a brush in my hand at the moment really seems the only true escape that I have. Perhaps that new beach scene is my way of wishful thinking.

Anyway, I haven't forgotten that some introductions of my new artist friends are still due. They're still on the front burner and knowing that I just might meet some pretty interesting characters this weekend at Spartanburg's (South Carolina) Folk & Outsider Art Festival which begins today, expect a full "disclosure" first of the week. My dear friend Christy Buchannan is coming up for the show. There's always a story whenever we're together! If you're in the upstate then please come visit with us.

Oh yeah, why I should probably check in with Old Nick? check it out for yourself...