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June 30, 2009

Well, I didn't win the World Art Critic's Artist of the Month
contest.  I am so happy, though, about all of my friends who
took the time to vote for me.  I am not bummed.  The person
who won really deserved it, and she wasn't really nominated
that much.  Guess they weren't looking for a popularity
contest.  LOL!

I am starting a newsletter.  Sign up is at the bottom of the
page.  Please sign up so I have people to send it to!  I have a
few responses so far.  I know, you are thinking, the last thing I
need is another email or freaking newsletter.  But this will be
different, I promise.  Well, I think so.

Delores and I just got finished watching the entire t.v. series of
Twin Peaks (it only ran for two seasons and was 29 episodes.)
 I hadn't seen it since 1998, so most of it was totally new to
me.  The ending was really unexpected.  It haunted me the
whole next day.  Now we need to watch the movie.  While the
first season's focus was on who killed Laura Palmer, the
second season was altogether different.  David Lynch is
awesome.  The movie is actually about the last week of
Laura's life.  One thing about the show is that it had a lot of
action and there was great character development.  If you still
have a VCR, let me know and I will lend out the series to you.  
My DVDs are too priceless.  Or maybe I can talk a friend (yes, I
am talking to you, RH :)) into copying them for me.  I am a big
fan, and own lots of Twin Peaks memorabilia - mostly from the
movie.  Movie release posters from around the world (Italy,
France, Asia, Germany) and the entire set of Wrapped in
Plastic magazine (that dissects the series and the movie, as
well as talks about other projects the actors from the series
are involved in.)  It's actually an intelligently written magazine.
 There are about 70 issues.  And of course I own every book
written about the series.  Viva la Ebay!  O.k., I will stop
blathering now.

I got together with two of my artist friends this week.  Very
successful artists.  Oh, what the hell, I will give them a plug:  
Adija Wolf and Lou Majors.  What free spirits they are!  It is  
fascinating to listen to them and their experiences.  As you can
see, Lou is not lacking in the confidence area.  Addi (as she is
known) paints beautiful work and also makes Sacred Space
Angels which are awesome and incorporate items sent to her
from women all over the country.  We traded for one.  It is
awesome.  She also gave me a giclee print of my favorite
painting.  I wish she still had a copy of it on the site.  

Hope you are having a great week!

Peace,
celeste

June 14, 2009

I went to Jonas' performance painting yesterday.  He was
really in his groove.  Here's some pics (click on the thumbnail
for a larger image):










Me and my hero.  :)                        His painting wall.











Creating another masterpiece.     End result.











During.                                                End result.










A painting in five minutes.                End result.

It was fun, as always, and inspiring.  I still have to complete
another original work for him to see by June 20th.  He
introduced me to some people yesterday as "a wonderful
artist."  That tickled me.  He always pays special attention to
me, which feels great.  He knows how much his art - and him
as well, with his generosity and support - has affected me.

Having a great weekend and hope you are too,
celeste

June 13, 2009

Going to watch Jonas paint again today.  I have been blessed
by the number of live paintings he has been doing.  I think he
has been doing it to pick up business; even though he is doing
well, every artist can use help in this recession.

No big deal, but I am thrilled:  I was named Artist of the Week
on Global Art Collectors.com.  I just wish that I had posted
more paintings to my profile.  There are only three.  I
submitted more today for approval; hopefully they will get
posted before the week is over.  I hope people will vote on
them.














Had a bit of a scare on Tuesday.  I had to go to the hospital by
ambulance because I was having trouble breathing and
swallowing.  Everything is o.k., but it was pretty unnerving to
say the least.  I am feeling 100% better.

I hope you have a great weekend,
celeste

June 6, 2009

I bought a new domain, cjhabstracts.com.  This will be much
better, so that potential customers don't have access to my
personal information via the celestejheery.com/cjhabstracts
URL.  Delores, who is a pro at designing web sites, is designing
the new one for me.  I ordered business cards already, but
could kick myself, because I forgot to use the new logo.  The
launch will take place by July 4th, as I will be participating as an
exhibitor at an event at the Rumbling Bald Resort.  I will take
my paintings which are priced to move, nothing over $100.  
The more expensive paintings I will leave at their various
venues.  I didn't sell any there last year, but a lot of them were
on wood and frankly inferior to the work I have done since
then.  It's free to participate and a lot going on there, so why
not.  Last year Delores sold several of her designed bird
houses.  They were a big hit.

I have started doing more work, as of yesterday, in
preparation for the launch of the web site I am working for.  
More details to follow.  Putting in a full day is a little difficult for
me right now, but I don't want to let down my group, so I will
push through it.  Who knows, maybe I can work more hours on
a regular basis after the launch.  I certainly don't mind the
work.  Compared to what I was doing, it's a welcome change.

Jonas started a new partnership with a gallery downtown and
they had a reception last night.  I hated to miss it, but I was
spent from the workout and putting in a full day of work
starting at 5:30 a.m.  The great thing is that now he will have
his own gallery plus the majority of the gallery at the Asheville
Area Arts Council downtown.  More exposure for my hero!

Well, ta ta for now.  I hope you have a great weekend.

Peace,
celeste

May 31, 2009

I went to Jonas' performance painting yesterday.  Here's a pic:

















It was great, as usual.  I was able to get a refill of magenta (a
popular color for me to use) even though his supplies are
running short.  He has also agreed to refill my jars when I
bring them in.  He gave me an assignment:  two new paintings
by June 20th.  I haven't painted since April 9, so it is a bit
daunting.  I will start warming up on some do overs.  The only
new canvases I have left are a small one and two very large
ones that he bought me.  A little intimidating.  But it's for
Jonas, so I will do it.  He treats me like the father I never had,
and he always makes me feel special.  He always says
something to me during the performance painting.  Yesterday
he didn't notice I was there at first and during an interlude, he
said "How long have you been here?"  He was busy
beforehand and didn't see me there.  He made a comment
about it twice and asked me if I wanted to tell my story.  This
time I said no and he left it alone.

Talked to the boss yesterday.  I need to do some work today.  
It'll be much more fun than what I was doing.  So, I will put in
some time today and get back on the horse tomorrow.

We are planning to go to the Y today.  I need to work harder
as I wasn't even sore last time.

We also need to have our weekly "church time" listening to a
message from New Hope.  We have tried out a couple of
churches and they just don't hold up to New Hope.  We
attended that church every Sunday back in Lorton, VA.  We
really miss it.  And they have a new facility that is amazing.  I
started going to New Hope in January 2006 because I needed
to let go of some serious resentment from a past relationship.  
One of my friends, Cynthia, has such a strong faith (she never
preaches, though) that I wanted what she had.  So I asked
about her church.  Through God, I was able to let go of the
resentment within a month, and I had been carrying it around
for a couple of years!  God is so powerful.

That's all for today.  Have a great Sunday.

Peace,
celeste

May 30, 2009















Painting in the studio.  Actually, I was doing "paintovers" -
painting white or black over canvases that I didn't like the
result.  I have a lot of those.  :)  Since I can't get any new
canvases right now, it's great to have these.  I am preparing
for a July 4th event at a resort.  We went last year, and
Delores sold almost all of her bird houses.  I didn't do well, but
my quality of work is better and my prices will be set to sell.

I am going to see Jonas paint today, so I am really looking
forward to that.  I hope to get some painting in today.

Hope you have a great weekend,
celeste

May 29, 2009

As you can see, I now have a logo.  Delores designed it.  She is
also designing a new web site for me, and I am very excited
about it.  I need a more professional-looking site.

I am going to serve in a new capacity for my job.  No more cold
calling for specials.  I am going to be editing the specials on the
site and making follow up calls if necessary to obtain more
information.  MUCH better than making call after call.  I was
totally burned out on that.  I dreaded doing it each day.  Thank
you, God!

Today is my first solo workout at the YMCA.  I hope I
remember how to adjust the settings on the various
equipment!  I am really looking forward to it.

Happy Friday,
celeste

May 26, 2009

The results of my Personality Disorder Test - and I DIDN'T get
it from Facebook, believe it or not!:














Strange thing is, the results are contradictive of how I
answered certain questions.  I would agree with some of it,
though.  You should take the quiz - the results might interest
you.  I wonder if anyone gets the result of having no disorder.  
The authors of the quiz probably believe that we are all
screwed up to some extent.

Peace and Love,
celeste

May 23, 2009

Went on a hike today at the Blue Ridge Mountains - the Craggy
Pinnacle Trail.  It was fun and the views were great, as usual.  
Click here to see all of the pictures.











Hope you are enjoying your long weekend.

Peace,
celeste

May 20, 2009

I went to a workshop today that was designed to identify
potential careers.  Some of the results were just plain weird,
like TV Producer and Cosmetologist.  One result was
interesting - being an Arbitrator.  Before I entered into the
Public Administration graduate program I had considered
applying for the graduate program in Conflict Analysis and
Resolution.  I was afraid, especially with a liberal arts
undergrad degree, that I would pigeon hole myself.  If I had to
do it all over again, I would probably do the Conflict...program
and move to wherever a job was available.  Well, maybe.  
Doesn't matter now.  I'd have to find a similar program in the
South or go to law school, neither of which I have the financial
resources to do.  The workshop was an interesting exercise,
though.

I got added to the Asheville Now web site as well as Global Art
Collectors.com.  Never hurts to take advantage of an
opportunity.

I think Twitter is lame.  I also joined SodaHead.  I did a poll on
Jackson Pollack and got some interesting answers (question:  
Was he an integral part of the Abstract Expressionist
movement or a fraud?).  Most believed the former.

I haven't painted since April 9th - what's up with that?

Well, getting ready to make my calls.  Hope all is well in your
world.

celeste

May 6, 2009

It's been a while since I last checked in.  Since my last check in,
there have been visits to family, a little bit (but not much)
painting, and a seemingly endless parade of chores and
errands for someone who doesn't work.

Speaking of which, I have a job.  It's with FindMeSpecials.com,
to be launched in a couple of weeks.  This site has the
possibility to blow up like Google, or fail.  No middle ground.  
Essentially, the site is a compilation, by city, of specials and
events that are going on for the date you choose.  There are
also special features such as rating restaurants, marking
favorites, and photo sharing (so it has a Facebook-esque
component).  I think it will be a great resource - especially for
business travelers.  Anyway, my function right now is to call
restaurants (they provide the name and number) and find out
what recurring specials or promotions they have.  Then, I
enter contact information and detailed information on the
specials into a spreadsheet.  It's really hard to make call after
call for hours.  I can split it up if I want to, which I will, but
some days when I have appointments, etc. I have to do it in a
big chunk.  Did I mention it's a telecommuting job and it's part
time?  Big plus.  Wish me luck.

I hung 8 paintings at a new restaurant called Razcal's
yesterday.  Hey, they aren't making money sitting at home.  
The owner wants to have a "House of Blues"-type feel.  One
of my Facebook buddies hung some there as well.  Mine are
upstairs which wouldn't be my preference, but that was what
was available to me.  I haven't had the "urge" to paint lately.  I
think financial and other stress has taken the wind out of my
sails.  I know I will get it back once I get into a groove with
work and my physical condition improves...

Speaking of which, I changed doctors.  I have learned from
her that my adrenal glands are shot, and my thyroid is
underactive.  I have been on the same dose of thyroid meds.
for years, despite the fact that I have told them that while my
bloodwork indicates a "normal" range, I am still experiencing
the symptoms of an underactive thyroid.  It's nice to get some
validation.  I am taking a bunch of vitamins and have to
incorporate certain things into my diet.  Weird things like beef
broth.  Not sure what that's about.  The bottom line is that I
got a new doctor just in time, according to her, or I would be
fatigued, etc. the rest of my life.  She thinks it will take about 6
months to "repair" me.  There is no doubt irreparable damage
that has taken place, but as she says, we all have damage.  
It's nice to have some hope that I can feel more like a normal
human being, and that I am not just a depressed person who
struggles with finding the right combination of medications.

Whew.  Enough for now.

Peace,
celeste
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"Works of art can
only be produced in
Perfection where
the Man is either in
Affluence or is
Above the Care of
it." - William Blake
(1757 - 1827)