Finally Fall

Finally Fall, my favorite season..
I'm happily posting artwork on Instagram, see it here:
https://www.instagram.com/lisa.lamonica.14

Upcoming events include a booksigning at KD Hallmark in Greenport..
Stay tuned for other events and art...

New Art, New Gallery

I'm happy to be part of the new gallery@chatham, with pieces of my art there changing on an on-going basis.
I'm also close to finishing the new book for Arcadia Publishing; Images of America:Kinderhook.

lisalamonica.com

Hudson Children's Book Festival May 5

I'll be there

with my books and portfolio!
 High point of my year...

Sapphires and Superstitions, Full Moons and Comets.

Turn your broken heart into art or turn your scars into stars. Some people say that anyway

Four days before my first date on Valentine's Day with John, it was Feb 10. Rob's birthday.

He wouldn't want me to mourn forever so I looked at the ring and thought about the interesting stuff going on in the heavens that day. A full moon, an eclipse and a green comet all on his birthday.

Our Halloween first date back in 2001 had a full moon which hadn't happened in 30 years or better, so it was rare. He loved the moon.  

Some people say that if you wear sapphires and they're not your birthstone, it's bad luck. Well, I didn't know that back then, three months after our first date when he gave me a sapphire and diamond ring. To him, the sapphire and diamonds looked like the moon and the stars, and he told me he wanted to give me the moon and the stars.

So that's what I thought about on his birthday with all that stuff going on in the heavens.

I did think about moving on and dating on that day. I did.

And when your boyfriend doesn't come home from work because of a construction accident, you think twice or more about ever being able to hope for that again. You always wonder what the heavens have in store.

I didn't have to wait too many more days and the heavens sent down a lot of snow for me to deal with.

I was pretty grumpy, but it made me reach out to John and he helped me with that. And he took me out for Valentine's Day; something I haven't been able to enjoy for many many years.

Timing. Timing is everything.

It happens when it's supposed to; my mother's been telling me that for years.

And over the past ten years people including my friends, and Rob's friends like Anthony, Peter, and his brother Randy – all have said at one time or another - “you still wear that?”

I do, but it's not forever. Nothing is.

And I know someone else who loved him is reading this too.

It is nice to be dating again and John asking me out when he did is fascinating to me.

How a blizzard brings you a Valentine

The last winter storm bugged me with too much snow. I normally don't mind winter but I felt buried.

I called my friend John for snowplowing and he came over that  day.

 "This is how the big boys do it," he says with a Peter Pan smile while slamming into the high snowbanks, and he had me laughing. All that snow, and it was effortless for him to blast it out of the way. 

Girls like that. At least I do anyway. 

It was really windy that day and we were standing outside talking. 

"How's your little house doing" he asked.

 He's been a good friend over the years and has helped me with some things at my place.

 I know Rob would have been ok with this.

Later that day after John left it was nice to get a text with him asking if I'd like to go to Vico with him for a drink.

O boy. I'm nervous. I haven't dated in a long time. So I'm thinking this is more than being friends. 

Sweating.

 I knew I had to reply. And the truth was, I wanted to go. Dead of winter and it's a snoozefest lately. And I always liked John quite a bit.

The next day was Valentine's Day. "How about tomorrow?" I texted.

to be continued......

Golden Paints

Patti Mollica

copyright 2016
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/lisa-lamonica.html


Accomplished artist 
Patti Mollica gave a presentation about Golden Paints at Friday night's Artist Potluck dinner.
 Her painting samples passed around the room were inspiring to many, and everyone received some Golden Paint samples at the end of the night along with a folder of Golden's offerings and a hand painted color chart.
She explained the many types of products Golden carries, such as their newer line of watercolors, as well as techniques and finishes for painting.
Patti will be giving  painting workshops next year in nearby Greenville.
The monthly potluck gathering brings talented people, music and great food together. The community is lucky to have this regular event and we're grateful to Christine and Michael Hales for hosting.
It was such a treat to meet Patti, and learn more about what Golden Paints offers artists.

Summer's End

Summer's  over, the light is different.

The light is a bit more muted, filtered by more clouds.

Courtesy Stan Jaffee, stanjaffee.com

 I decided to write about endings when a friend said that no one knows how to end things properly, like a date for example.

For me, endings always make me think of beginnings.
Who was I, what was I doing, right before I met that person, started that job, or went to that place, lived in that house.

What emotions are stirred from endings?
 Most of the time, it feels like a grieving process.

That person, that job, that house, is no longer part of your daily life, sustaining you in some way. In some cases, it's final – when someone passes away and you have no choice.

You develop new routines.

When working on creative projects, like writing a book or painting a picture, the ending can be a time of such satisfaction; of achieving.

How do people relate to endings of the seasons, holidays, vacations, or decide to stay or leave the area they grew up in?

Endings of course, are not always a bad thing; rather a sign your journey is going somewhere new. A beginning from an ending.

Endings can accomplish real growth, lessons learned, and achieving all you can achieve from that person, place or thing.
Good luck on your journey.

Stan Jaffee's work can be seen at Cranwell Resort and Spa as well as Stonover Farm; both in Lenox, Mass.

 http://www.cranwell.com 

http://stonoverfarm.com