Cherie's Progress

It's been a while since I posted about Cherie's progress. For those of you who are new to this blog, you can catch up on the story of my childhood friend who was paralyzed in a life changing car accident on September 30th, 2010 from previous posts.

I have asked you to make and send cards and notes to her, first at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and then at Shepherd Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Center. I have asked you to consider contributing to or purchasing a copy of the book that I created for her on Blurb, with proceeds going to her family.

I'm still trying to help raise money for Cherie and her family. Cherie has no health insurance, she is not married and has no children. Her sister and brother have quit their jobs in order to provide 24-hour care for her in Vero Beach, FL in the home of her sister Sue.  They are still in need of simple things like a front door ramp, widened doorways, a shower chair, and other adaptive equipment as Cherie is paralyzed from the shoulders down.

Recently I reconnected with an old friend from our hometown, Tom Mihalek. Tom, Cherie and I all attended Westfield High School together. When I told Tom of Cherie's story, he wanted to help. Tom's sister was in a life threatening car accident when he was a kid and he remembered how hard it was on his family. It just so happens that Tom Mihalek owns a company that makes a health care related product. This product is the PERFECT Card©, a Portable Electronic Records For Emergency Care and Treatment. Basically this USB card (MAC and Windows compatible) is YOUR portable records protected and in the palm of your hand. Click here to view the emergency records report.

TravelerER has a very special offer, they are willing to donate 100% of proceeds of this product to Cherie's charitable trust fund.

Please click to enlarge the letters here from Tom Mihalek and learn a bit more about his product and how he plans to share the proceeds with Cherie. The offer for you is FREE SHIPPING AND HANDLING when you utilize the CS2011 promo code. This code also signifies that your purchase proceeds will be applied to the Cherie Stannard charitable trust.

Our goal is to sell 1000 pieces! Spread the word to family and friends. This is a great product for a wonderful cause.

BUY IT NOW!
and use promo code CS2011

In Addition to Art

Anyone who has watched my inspirational video by Growing Bolder knows that in addition to art, I like to think of myself as athletic. This morning my husband and I completed the Columbia Muddy Buddy at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Disney World, FL. What a great time and a great cause!

All proceeds from this race series go to the Challenged Athletes Foundation, which helps people with physical disabilities, including many of our wounded veterans, prepare for an active lifestyle and participate in competitive athletics. Some amazing men who returned from Iraq without legs were there to show us all that where there is a will, there is a way! They all had "running legs" on and they were not only competing in this obstacle course, run/ride... but all of them have done bigger, better races as well!

My husband and I really enjoyed our run/ride and obstacle course, including rope wall and mud pit this morning starting at 6am!

The Muddy Buddy is raising funds for a great cause, check out this informative CAF video on YouTube. They are bringing this race to 18 cities this year, check their website to see if it will be coming to your area!

In the mean time, check out my Facebook Fan Page for an album awesome down and dirty photos from today.

An Inspiration

Bob Cline, a 7th grade science teacher at Dr. Henry W. Karrer Middle School in Dublin, Ohio sent me this letter along with photos of his student's "Paper Paintings" bird collages this week. Each of his students chose a bird to research and visually display using art. They were presented three artists with unique styles and many of them gravitated toward my work (I was in company with Audubon and Charley Harper!). the students used classroom scraps to create with and boy did they come up with some wonderful birds!

Thank you Bob for taking the time to send me such a wonderful letter and photos which I will put in my brag book binder!
Please view the album of the kids work on my Facebook Fan Page!

Bigger is Better

Peacocks, Purple, and Klimt

Richard Kessler, of Kessler Hotel fame has commissioned me to create a peacock collage. Mr. Kessler owns the Grand Bohemian Hotels which are home to the Grand Bohemian Galleries which represent my work in Orlando, Celebration, St. Augustine, Asheville, and Savannah.

A few weeks ago I was painting live at the Orlando location for Sunday Brunch and I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Kessler for the first time. He came up to me, put his arm around my shoulders and pointed to my piece "Fine Feathers" and said "I want that one.... only BIGGER!" He asked me if I could do that, I said "sure, as long as you don't need it next week!" We agreed that 30x60 was a size he would be happy with and that he had no immediate deadline. Coming from a world of advertising as my day job, I NEVER get this kind of deadline.

"Fine Feathers" caught Mr. Kessler's eye. 

He's a fan of peacocks, purple and Klimt

This weekend my husband built me the support for the 30x60 (did you know that 60 inches is FIVE FEET????) peacock which will be my biggest collage EVER. Mr Kessler said he just loved the pinks and purples I had utilized in "Fine Feathers" and I told him that purple was, in fact, my favorite color. "Me too!" he said, as he smiled at his wife, they were on their way out the door to spend the afternoon at Leu Gardens with friends. As he rushed out I wanted to tell him how much I loved the "Klimt Rotunda" in the hotel, because Klimt was my favorite artist and I even had his signature and a copy of one of his images tattooed on my leg.... I guess I'll have to save that for future conversation.

The Orlando Hotel's Klimt Rotunda features Klimt etchings and a very rare Bösendorfer piano

Visit my Facebook Fan Page for a complete album of photos taken yesterday as Doug built me the support. My daughter is going to make me a documentary video of the project in her own fun style, you can see her amazing videography skills on her YouTube channel.

35th Annual Maitland Rotary Arts Festival

Art Under The Stars

The Maitland Rotary Arts Festival is the only one in Central FL that starts out on a Friday NIGHT. The atmosphere at night is really fantastic with the booths all illuminated around lake Lily. I am proud to say that I have been chosen as the 2011 poster artist for the festival! September 30th - October 2nd


My art will be on the poster and I will also have a booth at the festival where I plan to be working live and signing posters. I have never done an art festival before, so I am looking forward to it with a little nervousness. Anyone that has any tips to offer, I'd appreciate. I will have to get my husband to help me set up the booth.

Many thanks to Jeff and June Flowers of Performing Arts of Maitland who encouraged me to consider the opportunity. I play the violin with the Maitland Symphony Orchestra and guess what? We will be performing under the stars at the Festival on Friday night!

For those of you who know me well, you know that I love to burn the candle at both ends... but violin playing and having an art booth at the same show takes the cake!

Anyone want to man my booth for me?

Violets

10x12 collage of hand painted papers on wood panel

This ORIGINAL collage is one of a series of flowers being considered by TJMaxx for reproduction. You may see prints of this piece available nationwide, but this is the original! Rich in texture and color and signed, this piece is protected with UV varnish and should be framed without glass

click here to bid

Collaboration for Celebrations Gallery

"We Stick Together", Robin Maria Pedrero and Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson

Robin and I have worked together in the past, and this year we decided to do it again as part of a collaborative show at Celebrations Gallery and Shoppes in Pomfret, CT. Ironically, Robin grew up in CT and now lives in FL, I grew up in MA and now live in FL. Robin and I have been friends and fellow artists for years, in fact it was her encouraging the folks at Celebrations that got me in the door!

We started out the birds piece with Robin taking the blank panel, painting a layer of her resist technique including branches, leaves and two silhouetted birds, and then handing it over to me. I added two more birds and branches in collage, some flowers and some postage stamps, and gave it back to her. She was then inspired to add more leaves, fruit and even a very subtle house in the far background. I love it! She gave it back to me and I was so happy with it that I just photographed it!

"Let Them Eat Cake", Robin Maria Pedrero and Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson

The Cake piece was started by me with a blank panel. It was Robin's idea to lay out a grid and have us each work in every other square. I covered the background with old recipes tinted with acrylic stain before laying down a pencil sketch on top of that. I did my underpainting of the cake in all of the squares, but I only collaged in every other. I then handed off the piece to Robin who added paint, charcoal, birds and branches and painted her panels to be harmonious with mine, forming a complete cake image. She mimicked some of the collage patters in her squares to keep the continuity, this work super because the piece looks like a complete image and not a checker board. Our work is interacting with each other!

I truly enjoy working with Robin, it was fun collaborating and even having lunch once or twice to discuss the project!