Sunday, February 22, 2009

MS Awareness - Art Exhibit at the Upper Arlington Library

Beginning February 25th and running the month of March, the Upper Arlington Library's Main Branch is hosting an exhibit featuring artists with MS for the MS Society's Buckeye Chapter.

If you visit the exhibit, you will see my bio hanging with my work, along side about 20 other Ohio artists who happen to have MS. Below is the bio I shared and the works in the show. A portion of the sales goes to the MS Society.

When were you diagnosed with MS/How has MS affected you?

June of 2007 was when I was diagnosed with MS. I had went to the doctor thinking that I had a bad case of carpel tunnel - my right arm and hand had been numb since March. When I found out what it really was I did not know what to think of it, but I knew it frightened me. My fear was that I would eventually lose the use of my right arm/hand or that I would go blind. My first reaction was to try to get as much done as possible before it took away my ability to do anything. After a while this fear subsided and I began to realize MS is something I could live with and manage. Around the same time I was diagnosed, something clicked in my brain that made me want to create more art. Maybe it was the thought that I had to create as much as possible while I could, but even when my outlook became more positive, I continued to paint and create. My health has improved drastically overall since my diagnosis. My attitude about life has also changed for the better. My passion for art is stronger than ever. I think what I learned more than anything with this is to appreciate what talent I may have, not waste time and do the things I enjoy doing. I am also very thankful for the support of my friends and my wonderful husband, Joe Mintun.
I do participate in many art exhibitions in the area and enjoy being involved in the artistic community, both here in Columbus and online with artists around the world. You can see more about me and my art at www.peggymintun.net.

What is your favorite book?

Because of my background in art and graphic design, I enjoy books that are visually appealing, whether they are art books, graphic novels, or books that pay close attention to the typography and layout of the pages. My favorite book is House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski. It is a complicated tale of a person who finds the remnants of a story written by someone about a photo journalist's discovery of alternative dimension of space and reality. I enjoy the layers of the stories and the layout. And the book will give you quite a workout! You'll have to check it out to see what I mean.

Art:












Pause

Watercolor, liquid acrylic, mica, and silver pen on gesso board.
$440














Violets Are Blue... for Now

Watercolor and pewter leaf
$160

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Personal Obervations from a Seasoned Non-Insomniac

Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Awake...
Maybe I should not have drank all that coffee. Actually, coffee does not keep me up anyway. The only thing that gives me insomnia is thinking of things I cannot have...and there are not many things I cannot get. And there are some things I cannot have back, but even they do not keep me up at night.
The only thing that ever gave me a sense of urgency is the gradual loss of feeling in my hand and arm...and leg when things get bad. Do other things matter enough? Probably not in 20 years. A friend tells me that. And in the world we live in 20 years = 6 months. Personal observation tells me that.

Wake up.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Stream of Consciousness 020709

Okay...my attempt at stream of consciousness..inspired by one of my friends in Cali...

Pearlescent white paint.
Snow and ice.
Petri Dish Deluxe.
I need to clean this room.
Dust.
Is that a Cheerio?
Fernando...you are one strange man.
My cat can turn on the radio by my bed with his ass.
Cough and hack.
Coffee.
OD-ing on Dayquil.
Need to paint.
To Do List needs attention.

Your turn...

Painting....just sent this to Marion, a fine friend in Seattle. He is one awesome dude that makes me laugh. He inspired this one. Sparkplugs on Peyote.