Artist's Choice Update!

Wow, I'm moving up in the world. My paintings are now ranked number 8 and number 15 thanks to all the support I've been getting. This is totally awesome! Here, feel free to vote some more lol.

One painting

And the other

I'm also getting a little further on the viral meter which is great! This whole thing works on how much traffic you can bring to your campaign. I doubt very much it's based on real talent and believe me, there is some major talent in this campaign! I've voted for several people myself who are in the same one...just can't help it! lol

59 Days Left...Will I Make the Cut?

Hi friends,

I've been sick the past three days with either the flu or possibly even pneumonia. I'm not sure which but am improving in some ways and not improving in others. I always get respiratory crud around this time of year and it sucks. But I do have an arsenal of medication so I think I can avoid the doctor and the expense that entails...considering I'm poor! lol

My "Artist's Choice" campaign is going better than I thought possible. I am still ranked fairly high considering there are now over 2,000 entries! I'm ranked 10 on my hands painting, and 16 on my volcano abstract. Please continue to vote and show your support...simply click on the links I've provided above. I think I still have a shot at making it in the next round.

Part of my success will depend on how viral my campaign goes. That depends a lot on you folks out there. If you can pass along my links in your blogs, live journals, facebook, myspace, emailing your friends, etc...I stand a better chance. Also the more comments that are left on my art and the more views I get, the better it will go for me. Judging is done based on these criteria. My viral meter is low even though my ranking is high. So I'm appealing to you all to help me with that and to add comments...even as a guest it counts. You don't have to register!

This could be a very good way to get my art noticed and I'm working so hard to do that. I'm not having any luck finding a suitable job and my spirits are low as a result. I just don't think I'm cut out for the corporate world and am trying to pursue my dreams of earning a living using my creative ability. Of course I still need a day job to support myself but will never give up on my real dreams of making it in the fine arts industry, whether it be through my photography or painting or both. I would love to do commission work and when Sean asked if my painting was for sale, my heart soared! Thank you Sean. And thank you too poodles for throwing in a little competition there. ;)

You are all so wonderful and I appreciate the community that has come to me through this blog. It has become very important and I wish that I hadn't let it lapse for so long, but I couldn't help it. I will blog on and grow in this community and with you all for ages to come. The friendships I've made here are valuable to me and I feel like a very rich person in that respect. :)

Love to all,
Me

My Latest Painting

It's a work in progress but I wanted to post this picture for Jesse. He showed interest in a new technique I came up with. This is a canvas that I poured Gesso all over and then made a design in the gesso for texture and as a guide.

The back lighting is so I can see the patterns in the gesso and I'm going to paint those patterns on the top side. You can see that it is started, but no where near finished. This one is going to take a long time as I plan on using many colors and put in as much detail work as I can possibly cram in.

I believe this will be one of my best paintings to date when it is finished.

It's all Good

I just want to send a very special thank you to my good blog friend Jesse. I haven't known him long, but it matters not. He is a special guy in my eyes and I am grateful to him for reaching out to me.

As you remember, I sent him a painting that means a lot to me, and now he is the proud owner of it and that makes me so happy. He totally gets what I was saying in this piece and why I wanted him to have it. Go check out his blog...it's linked above. He has so many things to show us all, and his readers have all joined in a special community. And in honor of such wonderful people and amazing things in life, here is a short poem I just wrote...

When I find myself in a dark place
all I have to do is reach out to you and I'm healed

I always knew there were things greater than myself
And when I reach out they are revealed

I must always remember what is important in life
and reach out for others too when they appeal

My Paintings are Doing Well!

Thanks to all of you who are supporting me, I'm ranking pretty high still. Wow, I'm really blown away by this. Email me if you have any trouble voting...there have been reports of the links not always working.

Thanks again Friends. This means more to me than you can know. :)

Hugs,
Ginny

I need votes!

Vote Here and Here!

Please go see my new brickfish account and vote for the two paintings I entered in this competition. You can vote multiple times, and I need all the support I can get. The competition is tough! Feel free to pass my plea for votes on to other folks who you think wouldn't mind helping a gal out.

Love to you all! Thank you so much!

If I Could Have a Super Power...

I would want to be able to teleport myself to other places, or anything I can think of to me. I'd be able to teleport others as well. I'd start off with a few known terrorists and teleport their sorry asses into deep space.

If I wanted a rocky road ice cream cone, I'd think of it and *POOF*, it would appear in my hand! Need to go shopping but have no desire to leave my house...well easy...*POOF*, a new pair of shoes and some awesome clothes. I'd leave the money in the cash registers to pay for it.

If I felt like giving money to the poor, I'd poof myself into a drug lord's vault and take their cash and give it to the poor. I'd poof food and medical goods to nations in need and redistribute wealth and achieve balance in the world.

Need a vacation? No problem...*POOF* and off I go to some gorgeous tropical place for an afternoon. I'd take all my best friends with me. Oh if only....

Went for a Walk, Lake Georgetown

Went hiking today with my friend Linda and her friend Kathi. We walked a fast pace for about two hours...probably a six miler. Felt great! I even wore my large pack with some weight in it. Need to get back into backpacking shape. The new shoes are working out great.

Here are pics of my two favorite dogs in the world...they were about the only interesting thing to photograph today.

Angel is pretty beat. They were off leash today...no one was on the trails. It was great.

If there is water, Angel and Mercedes will find it! They have very thick coats.

They're just so damn cute and a blast to hike with.

Congrats Caitlin!

Caitlin just made all straight A's on her report card. Not bad for a kid who missed a lot of school due to illness. She's one smart cookie! :)

Okay Snake Wrangling For your Enjoyment

My tomboy side. "nice snake..."

Wanna Arm wrestle now?

My New Resume...An effort to Network

I am going to scan a copy of my resume today and figure out how to display it here on a permanent basis in an effort to network to help my career search. I am looking for work in the Austin area and if anyone in blog land who happens to read this knows of a job I would be suited for in my area, or people I should contact that would be very helpful.

I appreciate you all who take the time to visit!

Unamed

Jesse I think this painting should be yours. Email me at: happyhiker41@gmail.com with your shipping info and I'll get it right out to you. :)

Btw, it's a little brighter than what the picture shows...you know how it is.

Introducing Jesse

Hi Friends,

I've got a new blog friend for you all to check out. His name is Jesse and he's very talented. It's awesome to make new friends and Jesse is Warm and inviting. So stop on by his place when you get a chance and say hello.

My Most Recent Picture

Another Snake on the Trail

Okay, one more post...

I got out on a real trail today for the first time in ages and it felt amazing! My mood lifted instantly especially when my friend Linda spotted a huge rat snake right at the trail head. I wrangled it of course...I can't resist catching snakes...and Linda got some great snaps of the event. Eventually it calmed down and I let it go about it's business. Rat snakes are not poisonous but they can deliver a nasty bite that could get infected, so I was just as cautious with it as I was with the copperhead.

Hopefully Linda will get those pics to me in the near future so you can see Ginny "Irwin" in action. For the record, I won't be going near any sting rays!

Happy Birthday Lee!

Lee is my youngest sibling and I can't believe how old he is now. I was 13 when he was born...wow.
He is a good guy and funny as can be. Lee and I have had tons of fun when we were growing up and now our lives are far apart. I will reflect on all the times we have laughed till we cried...sometimes at the expense of our other sibling Lynn. Sorry Lynn. :)

Happy Birthday little brother. :)

Happy Birthday Caitlin!

I'm late posting this, but yesterday was Caitlin's birthday. She is 16 and more feisty than ever! This is a girl who knows what she wants and is determined to get it. I hope she uses all that fire and brain power for good not evil! Some 16 year olds are too smart AND too dumb for their own good...know what I mean? Just a couple of more years of teen insanity and we're home free. ;)

She Actually Showed Up!

So Ms. Palin made it to the debate after all...good for her! I still don't like her lol. But to be fair, I thought she did way better than anyone expected. She didn't win the debate obviously... Hmmm, can we even call that a debate? It was the weirdest debate I think I've ever seen. I can't put my finger on why really, but it was odd.

Just an Update

Hello everyone,

I've been looking for a job the past several weeks and so far nothing great has caught my eye. In light of the fact that our coast was ravaged and the economy is in a very precarious situation, I am sure finding work amongst all this chaos will be challenging. I am extremely concerned about the state of our nation, as everyone else is too.

I've been glued to the news and watched the debates carefully. Watching Obama made me feel like I was already looking at our future President. He was genuine, poised, and not afraid of anything McCain tried to throw at him...which btw, were mostly a pack of lies and misinformation. It's quite obvious that Karl Rove is in the cogs of that campaign. It's amazing how quickly McCain had a smear ad out towards Obama after the debate. That seems like desperation to me. What do you think?

I strongly believe Obama will be an excellent leader, and I respect him greatly. I doubt Palin will even make it to the Vice Presidential debate. If she does, I will be very surprised. Biden will mop the floor with her if she is allowed to continue as McCain's running mate. A few weeks ago I figured they would eventually push her out. It will be very interesting to see what happens.

In other news I had minor surgery on my leg to remove a growth that has been there for at least 14 years. Every time I have had a doctor look at it, they were nonplussed and said it was just a cyst and not to worry. Gross I know, but still kinda fascinating considering that thing has been growing larger year by year. I finally got up the nerve to have it removed. Silly that I had to get the nerve to make such a move, considering the risks I have taken out in nature are by far more dangerous...bear encounters, snake encounters, rock climbing, caving, out running raging waters, etc...

It is good to finally get it cut out. I watched the whole surgery and thought it was really cool. I like watching surgeries and think medicine is incredible and what our bodies can do. Any time I have had surgery that I can be awake for, I've watched. I might have made a very good surgeon had I followed a different path in life.

Anyway, the cyst was very deep, close to the muscle, and took a while for the doctor to remove. It was actually not as gross looking as I thought it would be. There was no odor or nasty contents. The doc commented that most of the time they are particularly gross and was amazed at how non-gross mine was, especially since it had been in my leg for so many years.

They will biopsy the tissue surrounding it and part of the sac it was contained in just to be on the safe side. I figure if it was cancer I would have died years and years ago, so am not concerned one bit. I'm hardy and tough and have excellent health over all.

Today is my mom's birthday and I spent a very long time on the phone with her. She had a happy day and that makes me glad! She deserves it. I can't disclose how old she is, but she is kicking and well. :)

Caitlin has been quite sick over the past month. First she had a skin staph infection, and on the heels of that, came the Parvo B19 virus which is a common child hood illness. It used to be referred to as Fifth's disease. Basically it is one of those viruses that if you are older it makes you sicker. Caitlin has been having a very rough time and is so miserable. I wish I could take every bit of her pain away. It could take a while for her to recover completely, and she has missed a bunch of school. She strives for excellent grades and has been worried that this is going to cause her grades to fall terribly. It remains to be seen.

Samantha is living with me and trying to find work as well, while she waits for the spring semester at ACC to start. I am pleased that she is going back to school and believe she will do very well. She is very intelligent and I'm proud of her. Our relationship is the best it has ever been. For a while things were rough, but she has matured to a point where she can better understand the way life was like for me when I was struggling as a single mom. Now that Russell and I are no longer together, I wonder what the single life with a young child will be like again.
I feel stronger now though, and feel like things will work out...they always do for me.

Well that is it for now. I hope everyone stays safe and we all get through these times as a Nation. Our country has been terribly divided and right now we need to stick together as a people. I hope it is possible. Maybe Barrack will bring about the change we desperately need and I think there is a good shot for hope. We sure need positive leadership after having been raped the past 8 years by evil crimminals in the White House.

A Bad Ass Picture

Caitlin was running her horse around the barrels and took this shot. No photo shop editing done and the picture turned out way cool! I'm proud of Caitlin's photography.