Halloween Past Paint Party Friday

 What do you mean you gotta go "BOO?"

Why didn't you do it before you left the house?

 About twelve years ago and long before I discovered my artist within I played a pivotal role in a haunted house. A woman having her throat slit several hundred times a night, as onlookers sauntered through. It was a school fundraiser. One of the parents loaned his home for the event, preparation took months.

Production included many volunteers to decorate, act and man the crowd during the Halloween season. It was a blast! 

Interviewed for a Vancouver news cast, I was asked how it felt to scream so many times in repetition,  I told them it was extremely cathartic to scream all evening after such an ugly divorce!

Richard, who loaned his home, is known for throwing manic parties of epic proportions. I've missed several of his New Years and Halloween Parties featuring live bands in the last decade but it's not likely you'd ever forget any of his themed soirees. That Halloween turned out particularly exciting. Too bad the Slasher was married… to a woman with my same name!

 

True Fantasy

Jostled, and giggled,
during each scene.
A grope transpired,
a tickle, a scream.
Some of it acting,
much was not.
Crowd In progression,
mischief he sought.
He killed in succession,
within seconds she’d revive.
Arousal emerged,
she'd never been more alive

My daughter 22 years ago

The artwork here was done five years ago but I thought it might be fun to share it with my new readers!! 
Funny how much it reminds me of my niece and nephew! 

My daughters first Halloween, 24 years ago

 Daughter and Son in Law about eight years ago

My heart is in such a pensive state as I pray for those caught in the devastation of the horrible storm in the east! I've always been grateful for the everyday comforts of my home, somehow I feel even more grateful. If that's possible! Do you ever wonder what you'd take with you if you knew you'd never see your house again?

 I hope you'll be as inspired as I am by all the artists at Paint Party Friday that I feel so blessed to have found!! 

 

Zombie Paint Party Friday

Last week and most of the weekend  was spent furiously trying to get three photo books, sixty pages together under a groupon deadline.

 This is pretty much how I felt during the process!! It was an excellent deal I wanted a hard copy of some of my favorite art pieces and family related poetry combined in a few  albums!!

 But seriously by the end of it I was turning purple!! 

  To top it off it took forever to upload them to the company!!

I have a feeling everyone was trying to get in under the  same deadline!!

I awoke in the middle of the night in hopes of  uploading against the time difference. Thankfully I did get it loaded but it took some tenacity. 

I was a ZOMBIE by the end of it!!

And so  relieved when it was all done!!

 Anything I've put my hand to creatively this week has not come to fruition. 

Here's another snap shot of how I felt. Notice my gnarly teeth after

not much sleep and too much coffee!!

Night turned into day!!

Anyone care to take a stab at the metaphor for a cat in the ear?? 

I've heard of a bug in the ear...but a CAT???? 

 I overworked a sketchbook page so much this week that it feels likea piece of thick leather and it's still not worth showing...Can you tell I'm frustrated?

However while thumbing through my blog I found a fun piece that many of my new followers may not have read. 

 Sadly it's a true story accompanied by a digital piece (replica of me and my bro)

done a few years ago! 

 True story!!

We teased my mom about this for years after the fact. Even though she is long gone it's a memory that still holds a chuckle. Keep in mind she was a very short woman, with only a few extra pounds. Really cute, very young looking for her age and a bit aggressive. I was always taller and heavier than my mom. Most of the time I felt like a big oaf following behind her. She never ceased to embarrass me in a restaurant, this is just one of those occasions!

smörgåsbord

Feisty, five foot mom named Sue

You’d dare not do, what she told you to
 Off she’d drag us to the smörgåsbord
A day off of cooking, she implored

 Down the line we’d trail behind
For twenty bucks, four of us dined
 Filled up our plates, all you could eat
Savories, salads, delicious things sweet.

 Mom always heaped hers, just a little more

with chicken almost toppling, to the floor

We’d cringe and scowl, often protest

A covert measure we kids would detest

 She’d shush us, with a voice cautiously terse

Then proceeded to stash chicken into her purse

Embarrassed we’d shudder at this brazen act

Our mother stole chicken carefully packed

She excused it by saying it was for dad’s lunch

We’d paid for it anyway and it’s wasn’t a bunch

In eighty degree weather the chicken would ride

Nestled amongst lipsticks in her purse it would hide

 Shopping, visiting, with no one the wiser

The bacteria laden fowl, now a potential bum geyser

Hours went by with poultry out of refrigeration

Suddenly she remember her chicken with elation
 Placed into the fridge until the very next day

“Chicken Sandwiches everyone?”

We both screamed “NO WAY”!

You can check an old Halloween post  here  for the  template on how to carve these pumpkins!! Hope you have a spooktacular Halloween!!!

Check out the other zombies artists  at Paint Party Friday!!

I wonder! Paint Party Friday

Waverly

 I am excited to read the  artist interview with  Aimee from Artsyville this week!! Join me in visiting her and many other interesting artists Paint Party Friday!!

Benny and the Balloon

Things I'm wondering this week!! I've always said, "Children learn what they live!" But....do they?

Geesh, why are there so many bullies in the world? Wonder where kids learn such
disgraceful  provoking behavior? I'm sure it's not  from the fifty percent divorce rate their divorced parents who speak ever  so nicely to each other during all encounters. 

Definitely not from  watching those trashy trendy reality shows of people abusing and belittling each other.

 Certainly it's not entertainment shows where celebrities are lined up in turn,  bashed,  exploited, and humiliated  in a public forum with little no regard for the victims  (usually their children)?

Zombies

Seriously baffles me why there are so many bullies!! I'm sure it's not the comedians that manage to demean even the most revered celebrity icons. Or certain musicians who use deprecating profanity and visuals in videos to express their ire?

 For sure it's not the politicians who  rip each other apart in attack ads!! No it can't be any of that! Hmm so what can it be?

It certainly can't be those Normal Rockwell  scattered mealtimes where everyone bustles in and out of the  house on their way to and from music lessons, sports practices, and volunteering dance leaving little to no daily family connection and a lot of huffing and puffing to get it all done!! 

 After all there is nothing more character building than a wonderful family evening  glued to the television , smart phone , or laptop, reading mocking emails and sharing  true feelings with acquaintances or anonymously with strangers!

I know for a fact it's not the influence of  single parents inundated with too much to do, an empty wallet, and loads of frustration doing it all alone hanging around in bars every night on the hunt for a new partner!!

Itchy Witchy

Or the single parents scheduled shifts that leave their kids all kinds of unsupervised evenings and weekends to experiment clean the house!! 

There is no way a wicked stepparent  who holds so much secret  resentment love in their hearts for the children who resemble their spouses  ex , could possibly have anything to do with children being bullies!! No I'm sure it's none of that....so what is it I wonder?

  Where could they possibly learn such deplorable behavior...hmmm... I wonder........ 

Do you have any ideas?

Halloween Night

 Can you believe this whimsical piece is my  everyday bowl?

I'm sure you're not surprised. None of my friends are! 

We gave out little bars to the little ones, and full sized bars to the big kids!

Some were adults I'm sure. But hey I love the spirit of Halloween, so power to them!

 

 Many kids squealed getting a full sized cadbury bar! Just a little insurance that our house doesn't get egged. In actuality my parents of modest means always handed out full sized bars. In keeping with their tradition I too have always handed out large bars. Several years we have been out involved in a haunted house, or visiting others. Which I welcomed when times were too tight to buy candy!

 Although this couple has celebrated Halloween together for almost nine years    they've never carved a pumpkin together! I had to capture their  first carving session. The middle one is mine,  for the traditional Garfield pumpkin that I carved when  Pepper was a child!Pepper did hearts on hers, Bryan did music notes and this Garfield was not one of  my best. I think  the thrill of a Garfield has left the house! One thing for sure, we don't do scary in this house! Except in the morning before I do my hair!

 Here they are  on the stairs awaiting  their porch debut!
Garfield seems smitten with the hearts don't you think?

 We made yummy pumpkin seeds splashed with extra virgin olive oil and salt, then baked at 350 degrees until golden, a little over 15 minutes! We had friends for dinner more than  125 kids knocked at the door. Many kids passed by, afraid of a large container parked against the house for roofing material.... It was a spooktacular evening with friends and family!