For this painting, it is a simple image of a couple dancing, with the perspective being that of the woman's back and the man in front of her leading the dance. Neither of their faces are shown, and it is a very elegant and sophisticated image. I'm using a lot of liquin to get a soft, smokey look. I'd love to achieve a sort of renaissance feel to the painting. I'll incorporate light blue into the background to reflect one of our colors, and I think this painting will be a wonderful addition to our wedding reception decor.

Reflections. 2005.
Oil on canvas.
h8 x w10 in.
For sale (with frame).

So, I know it has been quite a looooong time since I have made an entry, and even posted a new painting (yikes), but as you can see, a lot has been happening in my life. First and foremost, my wonderful boyfriend of over a year popped the question this Tuesday night, November 29th in a most romantic way. Picture a freshly decorated tree, a house full of Christmas cheer, and Jason kneeling on one knee asking me to be his wife. What a wonderful night. He proposed one year from the day I said "I love you." He presented the gorgeous ring on a red ribbon, telling that we had one last ornament for our tree. Then before I knew it he was down on one knee and I was crying. Now the fun and revelry of being engaged will last until October, our chosen month for the nuptuals (a more specific date to follow soon). We're hoping for October 28th, the date in which he first said "I love you" to me.

To you my sweetie, the man who inspires me and makes me laugh, my best friend, my soul mate, to you I give the world...

When I was in sixth grade, I use to come home from school, plop down on the floor in front of the TV and eat one to two frozen corn dogs (microwaved to golden perfection of course). The ritual continued for many months, and I'm sure there were days when I downed three of the delicious batter-covered dog treasures on a stick. By the time I got to eight grade, my corn dog cravings has subsided but had left their mark on my waist line. Not to be overcome by the lingering affects of one to many after-school corn dogs, I dropped some weight in high school through athletics. Fuled by the classic need to being "cool" in high school, I watched my diet and safely made it through my four years as being "semi-cool" (oh, the drama!).

In college I ate nearly a one corn dog, all but forgetting my middle school addiction. Yes, the NC State Fair and other such events brought me close to this perfectly contained and easily eaten food, but I avoided the corn dog's seductive powers (although I was easily taken over by elephant ears and candy apples). My corn dog addiction of long ago was gone with my youth; I was free!

But I have underestimated the power of the corn dog. Yes, my fierce addiction over a decade old has returned. When did I fall you ask? The Little Princess diner in Cherokee, NC. My boyfriend and I stopped into this quaint little diner and the bottom of the Smokey Mountains last weekend. As we sat down began flipping through our menus, I noticed they had corn dogs, and for cheap! (The other great quality about a corn dog is that you can typically get one for around two dollars). Almost on a whim, I ordered the corn dog (with fries) and a coke - such a classic meal! When the waitress brought our lunch, and I sank my pearly whites into the corn dog, I thought I was in heaven! How delicious the batter! How wonderful the dog! How much fun it is to eat something that is actually prepared and served on a stick!

The lunch at Little Princess led to a stop at a roadside grocery store the following day in Bryson City. As my boyfriend and I stopped in to get some supplies for dinner that night, there before me at the checkout register was a display of hot, fresh corn dogs. I didn't feel so bad when my boyfriend ordered an egg roll as well. The two corn dogs I ate in the mountains were delicious, and I think I can safetly say that the Smokey Mountains are home to some of the best corn dogs.

Salivating from the memory of corn dogs in the mountains, I practically forced my boyfriend to drive me around town yesterday in search of a corn dog! Our first succcess was at Cook-Out. The corn dog was small, and a little charred, so I wasn't that satisfied. The next few stops to Dairy Queen, Goodberry's and Capi's proved unsuccessful. Finally, after a long journey to Holly Springs, we stopped at Sonic where I proceed to eat a second corn dog. Crazy you ask? Maybe a little. But you only live once. Hopefully I can keep my addiction in tact (and my waist line) this time. I plan to go jogging tomorrow morning - can corn dogs be considered the new energy bar?

For all you Food Network fanatics, you are sure to be familiar with the above chef. Emeril Lagasse is the chef du jour as he is making his much anticipated appearance at my bookstore tonight. Emeril will be promoting his new cookbook, Emeril's Delmonico, which highlights his famous New Orleans restuarant (which I believe was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina). Nonetheless, it will be interesting to hear what he has to say about his hometown. For those of you who are hoping to get a taste of what he is most famous for, sadly I must say that there will be no cooking tonight, just autographs. I would also say I will post some pictures but his publicist has asked that no cameras be allowed inside. Oh well...you'll just have to come see him for yourself!

Tonight I have art class - hurrah! I missed last week because I was working but tonight I can enjoy dinner with my classmates and then go on to class. What shall I paint tonight? I have no idea once again! I fear that I am in a weird sort of "painter's block." Perhaps because I've been super busy at work and outside of work. Perhaps I just am in a dry spell. Not sure. I'll probably roam about the house and look through magazines and online to find an inspiring image to paint. I'll keep you posted on what I find!

On Sunday I was driving to the bank to get some much needed cash for my much needed soy latte at Starbucks. As I pulled up to the teller machine, the brick pillar of the bank jumped right out in front of me and slashed my right front tire. How dare that pillar ruin my Sunday morning!

OK, so it didn't really jump out in front of me - I actually struck it by not turning enough to pull up to the teller. Surprisingly the body of my car was not damamged. Unfortunately I can't say as much for my hubcap. Oh well. Nothing a good buffing can't get rid of.

After the tire busted and I drove through the teller (sans cash) to find the nearest parking spot, I immediately called my boyfriend who came to my rescue just minutes later. He did his boyfriend duty of getting the slashed tire off and the spare on while I grabbed us a Diet Coke at the BK across the parking lot (which he gratefully paid for in addition to chaning my tire! What a guy). My only contribution was one pull at the wrench to loosen a lug nut (which didn't really help as my bf is much stronger than I).

After he changed the tire, he followed me to NTB so that I could get a replacement tire. The wait was insignificant, the cost a little more significant but nothing a day's work at the bookstore wouldn't cover. All in all, a pretty crappy morning turned into nothing more than an hour mishap that fortunately didn't color the rest of my day. My knight in shining armor made the event somewhat comical and he definitely rescued me from a somewhat dire situation.

Thanks to my wonderful boyfriend who rescued me on Sunday mornning, and didn't even mind the fact that I spent most of that time sitting on the curb sipping a Diet Coke while he did all the work. My hero!

Every return to Chapel Hill brings back a flood of wonderful memories from my college years. I have memories tucked away in almost every area of the town, and I hold those precious four years dear to my heart. I love the atmosphere of downtown with the college kids trudging to class. I love the beautiful gardens and trees that surround the campus. I love the old, stately buildings with ivy growing up towards the sky. I love that no matter what mood I am in when I arrive, it is immediately overcome by a sense of nostalgia and happiness. While it was decidedly hot this afternoon, the sun was shining nonetheless and it was a beautiful afternoon. And the company only made the afternoon even better! Thanks for a great lunch Megan!

Am I pleased? I can say with completely certainty that I am. I love creating and coming up with ideas. I love how my ideas take shape on the canvas. I love going to my art class and viewing the ideas of my fellow local artists. I love getting lost in my art, and enjoying time well spent. Art gives me an escape unlike no other, and an outlet for my creative spirit.

In general, I can say that being out of college I have experienced the best and worst of people. Much of this is unrelated to my art career. I have seen the best and worst in former employers and collegues. I have seen the best and worst in friends. I have always said that college really matures a person. Now I believe that nothing really forces you into becoming an adult than graduating from the college bubble and dealing with the best and worst of people. People of all sorts of backgrounds, convictions, morals, and values. Much to my naitivity, I assumed that most people held the same convictions, standards and values as I did. And I certainly believed that my friends would too. But I realized all to well recently that a person must choose their friends carefully and not be so trusting. That agreements and promises fall through because your "friends" aren't really so much your friends as they are selfish. And by now you are probably wondering if a particular incident happend to me to provoke this entry - yes, it did. I was forced to realize that a friend was anything but, that a verbal agreement was as good as nothing and that selfishness reigns true for these people.

But, above all this, I have learned valuable lessons in business and business dealings. I have learned that you can't really trust anyone. That in these days, you really do need contracts, signatures, and evidence to do business with so-called friends. I have learned that the people you sometimes feel closet to have absolutely no problem with burning you. These are business lessons I was bound to learn at some point, and now I have. To say that college teaches you everything is untrue. Living your life teaches you all you need to know about relationships, the ways of people, business and values.

I have learned a lot this week, this month and this year. And I never want to stop learning. My art career contines to lead me in a interesting path of self-discovery. But after this week, I feel more prepared to handle the business side of being an artist. It's not just a game anymore folks.

Tomatoes II. 2005.
Oil on canvas.
h10 x w8 in.
For sale.