Saturday, April 23, 2016

every day is like earth day

Yesterday was Earth Day...although I celebrated this holiday a week ago, with my Brushstrokes With Impact (tm) "Paint-a-Thon" event, "Every Day Is Like EARTH DAY"! Yes, I was in the front window of Frosty's Donuts on Maine Street in Brunswick bright and early, painting away and raising money for the Cathance River Education Alliance. It was a gorgeous day, and although I was indoors, the warmth and beautiful light from the sun coming straight through that large window allowed me to enjoy it as if I had been standing directly on the sidewalk. I got there at about 7:45am, and the tireless Keith Spiro was already set up and working: he'd been there since they opened at 4am! WHAT?

Can we talk about the way the air smells inside Frosty's? Holy cow...the donuts, the coffee...it was difficult to resist! Generally speaking, I am not a donut eater, but OH MY GOD. I left with a twist at the end of the day and because I love my husband, Terry, I shared it with him...but let me tell you: the only thing that slowed down my inhalation of that delicious treat was me feeling the need to exclaim "This is SO good! How can this be so good?" every few bites.

sunny skies and yummy scents!

I don't know if it's because I was nervous or if it was because of the early start, but I worked like a demon and actually finished my painting around 3:15. The winning ticket was drawn just before 4pm, and I'm happy to say that the winner of "Earth Flower" is one of my oldest and dearest friends (and one of my most prolific collectors, too), Tim Molloy! Thank you to everyone who stopped by to see me that day, to Frosty's for hosting me, to everyone who helped to share/promote the event, and to everyone who bought raffle tickets online or in person. Together, we were able to raise $130 for the Cathance River Education Alliance (thank you, CREA, for all your wonderful work)! Consistent, small steps can make a big difference: after five Brushstrokes With Impact (tm) "Paint-a-Thon" events, we've raised over $1000 for charity! Woo hoo! 

"Earth Flower" waiting to go to its new home!


Tuesday, April 12, 2016

nurture nature

In case you were wondering (and even if you weren't), my fifth Brushstrokes With Impact (tm) "Paint-a-Thon" event is happening this Saturday, April 16th! I will be at Frosty's Donuts (54 Maine Street, Brunswick), and I will be painting from 8am-4pm...an early start for me (eek!), but not for the fearless bakers at Frosty's: they will have been there for four hours before I arrive! Anyway, I'm calling it "Every Day Is Like EARTH DAY," and the charity I will be donating 50% of the raffle ticket sales (and 10% of all art sold, excluding magnets) this time around will be the Cathance River Education Alliance! I am a VERY big fan of the Cathance River Nature Preserve trails in Topsham, and I am happy to be able to show my support for what they do. I hope to see you on Saturday...and if you can't be there in person, you can always show long-distance support by purchasing raffle tickets online ($5 each or 3 for $10)! Here's the link: https://www.carii.com/#/fundraising/every-day-is-like-earth-day.

In other news, I was pleasantly surprised to see my work in this month's edition of The Cryer- not once, but twice! Not only are the photos great, but there is a wonderful article as well. Take a peek! Thank you again, Keith Spiro! It's nice to have your help and support.

community & collaboration! 

painting and grooving

Also, here's my most recent post for the Curtis Memorial Library blog...I hope you enjoy it! http://curtiscreativespaces.com/blog/

Friday, April 1, 2016

back in the saddle again

Happy April, everyone! Yes, this blog post is overdue...life got busy, and then I got sick (a rare occurrence)...but I'm back in the saddle again! Here's a recap of what's been going on.

Saturday, March 19th was my most recent Brushstrokes With Impact (tm) "Paint-a-Thon" event, St. CATrick's Day at Wild Oats Bakery and Cafe in Brunswick, and it was a lot of fun! I'm grateful to all of the friends, family, and friendly strangers who stopped by to support me (and to everyone who showed long-distance support by purchasing raffle tickets online, too: Lisa, Amy, Tim, and Julia- thank you). Together, we were able to raise nearly $170 for Coastal Humane Society! If you weren't able to make it, here are some photos of the event:

my setup!

saying "so long" to "Dragonfly Trinity"! 

nearing the finish line (photo by my fabulous sister, Addie Evans)

The tireless Keith Spiro was there for most of the day, documenting the event and promoting away; my sister, Addie, my brother-in-law, Marc, and my nieces, Hayley and Ella, made the trip all the way from Boston; my friend Amy came by to give me an early-morning hug; local musician Lorel Nazarro dropped in on her way out of town for the weekend; and my dear friend Heather Goulette of Monarch Massage and Yoga provided hugs, laughs, and a yummy chai latte! Naturally, my husband Terry was there to provide support (set-up help, hugs, calming my frayed nerves, the usual). Mike Gorzka from Curtis Memorial Library even stopped by to capture some video footage of the event! Can you tell I'm running on adrenaline? Thanks, Mike! I'm grateful to all of you...and I'm grateful to the owners and staff at Wild Oats for hosting me and making me feel so welcome. I must also give a hearty "thank you" and "congratulations" to the winner of "Green Lucky Cat," Kathleen Powers Vermaelen! It's nice knowing that my art has gone to a good home. Yay! Perhaps I'll even be able to visit the little guy one day...

thankfully, the paint on Kathleen's thumb is from another activity! 

In other news, some of you might recall that I've been asked to blog bi-weekly for Curtis Memorial Library. My most recent post is all about my current obsession with Tom Petty and the Warren Zanes book, "Petty: The Biography", so I took a shot and tweeted the link out to Warren Zanes himself. Imagine my surprise when he gave it a "like" and a "re-tweet"! The internet is an interesting place, isn't it? 

this made me happy. 

I think that's about it for now. If you're wondering when and where my next Brushstrokes With Impact (tm) "Paint-a-Thon" event will be, stay tuned...details will be coming soon!