it may not be what it seems...


-------------------------photos by Elaine A. Russell

Some things are like that. Pretty on the outside ... but not so much on the inside; and visa versa.

Yesterday was kind of like a study in contrasts. We drove by Gertrude Zachary's home on 2nd street. It is a gothic castle-like structure... beautiful... yet seemingly very out of place in it's location. Only 2 blocks away is a meth clinic and a homeless shelter. So.. you've got this gothic beauty... and starvation across the street. But all may not be what it appears. The longer you look at the house, the more it seemed empty and cold... and 2 homeless men -- who seemingly had nothing....started talking to me; and were extremely nice and warm and friendly.. and had all the substance in the world.

Life is like that sometimes. The seemingly worst situations turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

glass graveyards, mausoleums and more...

-----------------------Rivers of glasss.........
-------------------------more glass.....................

------------------and the geese ! ........photos by Elaine A. Russell

So today was a perfect day to join friends and go to the glass graveyard to scavenge old pieces of glass for mixed media projects. It was a really pretty day out. Afterwards we drove by Gertrude Zachary's house(cough.. mausoleum.. cough)... and then went to the studio to work on some stuff. A good time was had by all. More pics to be posted soon.... but in the meantime....

the quail are coming ...

--------------------------------------------photo by Elaine A. Russell

When we first moved here... our yard was a mess. There were 13 dead trees on this very small plot of property, tons of dead turf, and rock.

Now, while it would be arguable that we have done anything to improve the landscaping... we have naturalized it so to speak. We took everything that was dead out... and slowly have raked and spread the dust and dirt around to minimize the prickly stuff ( goatheads, prickers, oh my.. ).

Over the years several of our neighbors have pulled up all their cacti.. and rather than see them thrown in the trash, we have a "cactus garden" of sorts just over our wall and into the arroyo behind us.

Now we have a regular little sanctuary out there. It is amazing to watch. We have tons of jackrabbits, a Coyote that has built(dug) his den there, a great horned owl that comes to our cottonwoods at night, and today I saw 20 !!! (yes 20)... California Quail nesting in the bushes out back. I have seen them over the past 2 years cut through our yard... but I didn't realize they had been nesting (and apparently re-producing) so well back here.

I tried to take their photograph... but the little buggers move pretty quickly.

Time's a wastin'

---------------------------------------------photo by Elaine A. Russell
I love this photo. I took it a couple weeks ago, in preparation for the Black Market Goods show. It is a plain old meter from off one of the buildings off of Central, but I just love the way it looks.

It reminds me of the old "time's a wasting... or are you just wasting time?" idiom.

Sometimes the world is so busy ... going here -- going there-- that we forget to enjoy the stuff along the way. I am guilty of that as well. Lately though... I've been making a concentrated effort to pause, and look, and really see....

draggin

---------------------------------------photo by Elaine A. Russell
Sometimes I feel like I am sooo busy -- and I wonder what I have been doing. Today I ran a bunch of errands (Walgreens, Bank, Post Office, birdseed store, etc)...but if you asked me what I had to show for it all.. I would be hard pressed for proof.


I am in the process of going thru our CD collection. It occurred to me that we have all these CDs, and maybe only really love one or two songs on each one. So... after I go thru each CD, my fabulous daughter burns that one or two songs onto a CD for me to keep. Thus, unloading tons of CDs.. as well as building a collection of songs I like.. and maybe I will be able to sell the cds. Oooooh -- cash ! It's a good thing.


Right now I am working on the "jazz" section... Norah Jones, David Sanborn, Lisa Stansfiled, Diana Krall, Renee Olstead, Candy Dulfer, David Benoit, and Billie Holiday were amongst the selections tonight..... yah, baby.....

Angel Alley

-------------------photo by Elaine A. Russell. Artwork by Angel Alley

I do miss the peeps at Angel Alley. They were the ones who first saw my artwork here in ABQ, and encouraged me to show it. They took in alot of my items on consignment, and showed me the beginning ropes on selling things in shops.

Personally, Sean and Kimberly are excellent people; as well as being excellent business partners, and siblings. I wish them all the very best in all they do. You guys are missed.

Shots from the BMG show last friday....

--------------------------------artwork by Blake Krause ( I'll try to get a link for him)

------------fashions by Mara (http://www.indiscretion.etsy.com/ ) and Mia Allee Jumbo

--------------------------accessories by Jamie Fowler-Diaz (http://www.beanbun.etsy.com/)


-------------artwork (left) Renee Adams (http://www.plasticpumpkin.etsy.com/)
-------------------artwork (right) Jeannette Lyle (http://www.peachcult.etsy.com/)


And of course, some fab models... ---------photos by Elaine A. Russell

Things are looking up ?

----------------------------------------photo by Elaine A. Russell
So (finally) my son's depression seems to be lifting a little. He is taking 2 different classes at CNM, and seems to be enjoying them both. AWESOME>

My family is riddled with alcoholics, drug users, compulsive personalities, and depression... I was just hoping it would skip a generation or two. That said, I can certainly give him examples of what not to do....myself included.

He is very much a perfectionist, and doesn't like change... although he is in a position where he WANTS change badly. So.. I am sure it is a very difficult time for him.

That said... I am very happy for him to be enjoying what he is doing again. It's like the sun peaking through the clouds on a stormy day.


Stormy weather




-------------------------------artwork and photos by Elaine A. Russell

"Don't know why .. there's no sun up in the sky..."
Weird weather today. Gloomy and cloudy... rain... sleet... hail... and SNOW.
Then SUNNY, but windy... and NOW it's snowing again.
All in the past of a couple hours.
I love it here.


Here are some photos from the Black Market Goods Grand Opening on friday... just my space.. more phtos to come :)

hold on Dorothy !


Wow is it windy. All my wind chimes have fallen and it looks like I have sand dunes on my front patio and driveway --- plus garbage from who knows where....

According to the local weather... we are having winds to the west of an average 25mph, with gusts up to 36mph.

The dogs are going nuts cuz there's stuff in the trees and they think it's alive.
You can't see the mountains for the dust storms.... wow !

Reminds me of when I was little and we would watch the Wizard of Oz. I was always scared of the Flying Monkeys. Why I don't know. Just the idea that something could randomly come out of the sky and swoop you up I suppose. Plus they were blue -- which now that I think about it, they were really cool.

----yah -- I'm thinking I would like to be a friend now to a Flying Monkey.

an almost full moon

-------------------------------------------------photo by Elaine A. Russell
Normally I would be posting photos from the BMG show last night, but I ended up borrowing a camera from a friend to take photos... and I haven't gotten them from her yet. So... they will be coming. In the meantime... here is a photo I took tonight of the moon from my front patio.

On an aside.. I love the moon. I love to follow the waxing/waning movements. I plant my flowers, herbs, etc by the moon cycles. And I find that my mood is a deep reflection of those cycles as well.

(for friday)

----------------------------------------photo by Elaine A. Russell

I am noticing a trend here. The only days I have missed posting are on fridays when I am doing shows. So ... if you notice no post, and it's a friday.. well, there ya go.

That said. On this particular friday... we (my daughter and I) were showing our art at the Grand Opening of the BLACK MARKET GOODS peeps at morningside and central in ABQ.
About 250 people were wandering about throughout the evening.. enjoying great beer, great art, and a live model fashion show which is a staple of the BMG shows.

I especially want to give a SHOUT OUT to everyone involved in the fashion show, and some of my fellow rockin artists... Mia, Carly, Ren, Jeannette, Josh, Brandon, Blake, Evan, Allistair, Monica, Jaimie and more !
You guys are awesome.