"Boot the BOOT!!!"

Early fall is full of vibrant colors.  We all enjoy Jack Frost's antics and t's enough to almost overwhelm this artist!  It's my favorite time of year!!

Several days ago, I had welcome news - after a month of wearing  a boot to protect my right ankle
after surgery to remove some old hardware. - I was finally allowed stop wearing the boot and I am sharing a a picture that I took looking down at the contraption!

How very pleasant it is to have my still tender footsie where I can wiggle my toes with ease.  This is cause for celebration!  Still have to keep my foot elevated, and am sternly instructed to "Take it easy!"  Difficult for me - who always like to move from one project to another.

I've almost finished a small watercolor of a barn, and checked it now in the "light of day".  It needs a zing of bright color somewhere vaguely near its center.  Hot pink or orange would do the trick.Maybe even a suggestion of some old dried berries on stalks woodwork..  Kind of like "trimming" a hat or getting dressed up and deciding what, if amy, jewelry to wear.  Always a bit less that you first think!

 I  like to try out little accents on small pieces of watercolor paper - and test by placing them on  the almost finished painting to see how they work, Artistic license!   I'll decide, finish the painting  and try to photograph it and show it to you on the next blog!

LIFE IS ONE CHALLENGE AFTER ANOTHER !

Just over 2 weeks ago, I had surgery on my ankle - removal of some hardware put in over 30 years ago to hold my ankle together.   To my dismay, some of the hardware decided to push through the skin - a health "no-no"!  My protective husband bandaged it almost each day for months while we waited for an appointment with my orthopedic surgeon - now it is fixed, and I am lumbering around with a "Boot" a contraption invented to protect the foot beneath.  It protects the healing wound after the surgery, and the welcome news is that with very good medical care, I am gradually emerging from one more challenge, and am plugging away on paintings "in process", and  have recently finished putting together more popular prints to beef up our inventory.  I remind you that our winter gallery hours are 11 till 5 on Saturdays, and by chance (when you see our open sign out), or appointment when you call us.  I'm still not adept at getting messages off the I Phone, so safer to call us at our home phone 574-842-4350, where we have a very reliable answering service. 

Fall is truly my favorite season.  After our evening meal - whether at home, or in one of our favorite eateries,  Ward drives and I ride along enjoying the scenery, and casing the area for  interesting subject matter.  We have our good camera with interchangeable lenses, etc. and then we also have an I-Phone, also with photo capability - I'm going to try this - as we try to keep up some with new technology.   

We do not have "spell check" on this blog setup, so please excuse me if I goof on spelling.  Ward takes me to the library every few weeks, where I  check out books on CD's - and I listen when I am doing repetitive things , so this listening does not reinforce spelling as well as "reading" from the printed word.   Today, I finished hearing "The Daring Ladies of Lowell" by Kate Alcott.   an exciting mystery about life for residents and  cotton mill workers in a New England town - setting is around 1830.  A good "listen"  my substitute for a good "read". 

34th Wedding Anniversary

It's the 5th of September, and Ward and I celebrated with an exceptionally good dinner at the Cerulian Restaurant located on a canal  off Winona Lake.  We had a waitress snap a photo of us, and I had hoped to transfer that photo to this blog.  Alas - can't seem to get that done.

Yesterday, I had surgery on my right ankle - to remove a protruding rod that was put in almost 25 years ago.  A serious health risk.  Glad that is over, and will be happy when recuperation is complete. 

Am looking forward to getting back into a good routine.  You can count our being open on Saturdays from 11 till 5, but otherwise we'll be here by chance or appointment.  And since I am still not really adept on our I Phone, please email us at info@painterandpoet.com or call us on our home phone - 574-842-4350. 

I have finished sketching in outlines  a number of paintings - and as I finish them, I plan to post them on our blog.   Two complicted originals are almost done - will also post photos of them after they have been delivered to the purchasers. 

Now I'm going to post this (before I heat a wrong key) and will write again soon!

Esther

First Blog of 2012

When we first arrived here - just before Thanksgiving, I was always talking about going back home - which meant Culver.  Now when we are at the Culver house, I find myself saying - "maybe it's time to head back home." 


About a week ago, Darlene came to visit, and she took several pictures of Ward and me, so I am posting one of them.  It was very cold and we are in front of our Winona Lake home, and soon I will post some more inside shots, so you can get a better idea of where we now live.

Randy is working on web site changes, and those will soon be finished.  In the meantime, our phone numbers are land line residence phone:  574-372-6339 and our answering service is working there.  Our Painter and Poet Gallery cell phone number is 574-842-8888.  If I don't return a message you left there, please call me back on our land line.  I confess  -  I'm having trouble learning how to get my voice mail messages.  I know, I know - you say it's easy.  Well, let me remind you - I grew up on a farm where my Dad plowed with a team of horses - and we had no electricity and no running water (and an out-house).  How can anybody expect me to be a fast whiz on a cell phone?  C'mon,  Give me a break!

 

Second Blog of the Day - Our mailing address

Dear "All of You",

Just opened our mail, and there was a nice Christmas card addressed to our Culver address with a message inside that they "hoped we would receive this at our new address", so thought some of you might like to have our new mailing address.  Here it is: 

Ward and Esther Miller
1415 Avalon Court
Winona Lake, Indiana
46590

Back to unpacking just one more box.  Fortunately, we have an attached garage with room along one side for open metal shelving and several roomy metal enclosed cabinets.  Those areas are fast filling up and many of the boxes are simply labeled "memorabilia".  I feel as if it will take us 5 years to sort all of this out, but it is comforting to know that we can take our time, to pitch, save, give away or sell. 

I'll tell all of you a secret (and I guess then, it will not longer be a secret):  Some of the memorabilia boxes were packed when my mother died in 1988 (24 years ago).  Wow!  Our Painter and Poet journey began in 1989, and I've been more fascinated by enjoying our wonderful art "trip" with all of the hard but enjoyable facets of envisioning, then making the painting and poetry come to life, then marketing, traveling, etc. etc., than I was by delving into the contents of those boxes  - they moved along with us -
to our first condo, then to our peaceful log cabin, then to our recent beloved Culver home with attached gallery, and now on to our retirement condo - a peaceful and secure haven.  I'm sure this new spot, without the gallery, the matting and framing, and with other people responsible for many of the tasks we tried to do for ourselves, will give us an easier life with more time to create and to relax.  So the journey goes on..........

Ward hung a Christmas wreath near our front door, and our 45 year old nativity scene (from Marshall Field's catalog) is in its year round place,  an antique commode right next to our front door.  Later this next week, we will put up a few old favorite Christmas decorations. 

from  Esther

Still in the Midst of our overwhelming move!

Hi friends -


Had hoped to be posting by now, but realty has set in, and we continue to pack, tote, and unpack - with an occasional half day off to recuperate.  Shortly before Thanksgiving, I tore a tendon in my left wrist (the good news, -it was not my right hand), so am being careful and doing lots of sorting but very little lifting.  Am in a fiberglass cast (waterproof) and very light weight.  Relatively comfortable.   


We had planned to be moved before snowy weather - the furniture and heavy boxes in our final major load was put in place about 20 minutes before Warsaw's first snow of the season - no snow in Culver.   Excellent accidental timing.


Most people here seem to be kind and friendly.  Our next door neighbors dropped in several days after we began sleeping here - they brought some good cookies, and a warm welcome.  Tomorrow we are going to a Christmas dinner at the community building for Robin Hood Condos - dinner is being catered by Grace College.


My drawing table is still buried in boxes, but our limited edition prints are safely in order on shelves along the back wall of my studio - thanks to expert and careful handling by Chris Chambers.  As soon as that area is in order, I'm determined to get a brush in my RIGHT hand- I can feel it twitching now.  We'll soon take some photos of our condo to share with you.  Trying to port our 842-8888 land line to our "waiting to be programmed" cell phone.  As of now, the safest way to call us is on our home land line - 574-372-6339 - or email  a message to us at  info@painterandpoet.com


After we have our new cell phone set up, we will disconnect the Painter and Poet land line in Culver, and will have the cell phone programmed to receive messages.  We'll then immediately post our correct and active phone number for Painter and Poet.  Thank you all for your patience during this transition. 


Hope you all are on schedule to welcome Santa.  Peace.   from Esther

Saturday evening - BIG SALE is progressing!

We are still having the BIG 50% OFF SALE on all prints!  New extended hours:  1 PM till 6 PM, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat, & Sun.  Our sale will continue until Nov. 12.  The walls are getting more and more empty, but many nice bargains remain.  Christmas is coming!
 
After we move, Gail's Shop here in Culver will be selling our prints.  And we also will be selling un-matted prints on line.  www.painterandpoet.com  


Ward and I are sad to close our little Painter and Poet Gallery and will miss our wonderful friends and neighbors in Culver, an amazing small town.  But we do look forward to our new home at Robin Hood Condos., where we will have a more stress free life and the help we are likely need as we age.   If curious, check out their web site:  www.gracevillage.org 


After we are settled in our new digs, I will be setting up my membership in Daily Paintworks, a  very active site where many artists sell their originals. And I am looking forward to working on many of the commissions some of you have requested - I will have the space and the time to paint, paint, paint!  For the next few weeks, our email address and phone number will remain the same, and we will be posting on this blog www.painterandpoet.blogspot.com to let you know of changes.


Once we are settled there, we will be sending a card to each of you on our active mailing list, giving you our new address and phone number and details on how to contact us.  


Now I must get back to packing.  Looks like many of our "memorabilia" boxes will be unopened and transferred to shelves in our new garage.   To you who have moved in the last few years, does this sound familiar?   


From  Esther and Ward

Working toward our Big Move!

HUGE SALE! Exciting news from Painter and Poet

Change is in the wind!  Ward and I want to let you in on our plans.  We  are 98% sure that we will soon be moving to a condo  in Robin Hood Condominiums, associated with Grace Village Retirement Community at Winona Lake, Indiana- right next to Warsaw.   While we are both "young at heart",  Father Time has a nasty habit of sneaking up on us, and this move will make it easier for us to continue to pursue our creative life and our personal life.  All exterior maintenance will be done by someone else, and our lives will be easier and simpler.  Grace Village is lovely, and a very friendly and helpful place, and we are looking forward to happy, productive and safe years there.  It is very hard for me to leave Culver - I have had a home or property here for 58 years and I appreciate all of the amazing generosity and kindness that people in this town have given first to me and my children, and then to Ward and me.   Grace Village is only 45 minutes from Culver and we plan to return  often!!   

While living in Grace Village, we will not have a retail outlet, but you may purchase our unmatted prints,  cook books and Ward's books  online through our web site  www.painterandpoet.com .  We are delighted to report that Painter and Poet prints will be available  here in Culver at Gail's Shop.  And Culver Academies' Bookstore will continue to carry our Culver Academy Series of prints.  

Ward and I have worked hard and lived our dream  for the last 14 years operating our own small gallery housed in several locations along Main Street in Culver.  It has been such a pleasure to share our artistic work.  We will miss the many customers and friends we've met through our painting and poeting, but all good things (and fortunately also - all bad ones) end, and we look forward to the next chapter.  Our move to Winona Lake will allow me to concentrate on painting originals, and  plugging away on long delayed commissions.  My studio there will be larger  than the one in our Culver home.  And after we are settled in our condo, I will be  joining Daily Paintworks site online and posting small originals on that site.  Fear not - the art gene is still strong and urgent in my innards!   Ward continues with his poetic musings and years back he wrote a wonderful poem called "My Indiana Home" - I am looking forward to finishing the small watercolors needed to illustrate this poem which will then morph into a poster.   That will be my first project after we settle in our new home..  


We want to reduce our inventory before we move, and so are having a whopping 50% off sale only on all the framed and matted prints now in our gallery.   This sale does not include unmatted prints or any of our other gallery inventory.  While we plan to stay open as much as possible, our "for sure" hours will be Fridays and Saturdays from 10 till 5.  To come at other times, check our open sign or call ahead.  574-842-8888. 

We will accept phone orders with credit card payment, and will be glad to mark your purchases and set them aside for pick up.   If you want to pay by cash or personal check, we will mark your artwork,  set it aside and hold it for up to 5 days so you can arrange to pay for it when you get it.  We will accept credit cards and personal checks.  All sales will be final.  Sorry,  because of the confusion of this move we cannot arrange shipping.   More details on how to purchase items from Painter and Poet will be posted later.  We hope to be settled in our new Grace Village home before Thanksgiving.    
As soon as our condo lease in Robin Hood Condos is finalized, our Culver home will be for sale.  I'll blog again and give you more information on our Mission style brick bungalow, a house that struck my fancy for many years before we purchased it about 13 years ago.   We have loved  living in this house and hope the new owners will enjoy it as much as we have.

from  Ward and Esther










  

Painter and Poet's Family Cookbook-fresh from the printer!

A few months back, I wrote about a small edition of this cookbook, which I printed.  Since I am a painter and not a printer, it was a struggle - and also way too time consuming.  About a month ago, we found an outstanding printer  - Brinkman Press in Indianapolis.  They are knowledgeable, careful, and precise in their work - and willing to produce smaller editions.  They were patient with me and helped me through the process of providing them files much better than I could ever have done without their expertise.  The front and back is laminated card stock and the spiral binding allows the book to lie flat - making it easier to read as you search for ingredients.  Also, we have a very good friend in Plymouth, who offered to proof read - and boy oh boy, what a good job she did ! - finding an embarrassing number of goofs made by yours truly.   The bottom line is, we were able to provide a more professional cook book and/or coffee table book, at a low price of $39.00. 

1. "Uncle John's Barn"  The inspiration for this barn rumbled through my  mind, for quite a few years before I finally painted it.  In the meantime, the barn deteriorated to the nth degree -one section after another, until it finally collapsed!  Located on 9th Road, west of Plymouth - the barn always drew my attention  and I photographed it in different seasons, on sunny days and on shady days.  I grew up on a dairy farm in northeastern Ohio, and the small herd of a hodge podge of heifers reminded me of my early home.  So - I finally painted it, and named it in honor of my father, John Henry Scobie.  And this watercolor is on the cover of our cookbook with  over 100 of our favorite family recipes, almost 90 small full color illustrations from a wide variety of my watercolors, and the "icing on the cake" (pun intended) is some nifty poems by Ward.  

Title Page with Ward's verse

Beginning to recover more from an annoying recurrence of shingles, I feel able to get back to active blogging.  And the plan is to include info on some of the individual pages of this book. It'll be fun for me to go back into Memory Lane and share some of the details with you..




Now - let's get on with the show! After the detailed dedication, copyright,  index, etc. etc. etc., here is the beginning page of the first chapter -  Appetizers:

Note:  Colors will vary with different monitors.  They appear very saturated on my monitor, but while bright, the actual colors are not garish.  These balloons are from photos taken at Plymouth's Blueberry Festival at least 15 years ago.  Most of them belonged to balloon enthusiasts living within 60 or 70 miles of Plymouth.  Ward and I used to get up early on the Saturday morning of "Blueberry weekend" and rush to Plymouth's municipal airport, to get there for a fund raising pancake breakfast and to watch the breath-taking sight and listen to the exciting roar of the fires igniting the gases to get those balloons up and away.  Weather conditions had to cooperate and there had to be enough wind to allow them to drift away, but not too much to be dangerous.  What a thrill to watch and listen to all of this.  I still get goose bumps remembering.

Here is a link to our website:  http://www.painterandpoet.com/
Gallery Hours:  10 till 5 on Fridays and Saturdays, and by chance or appointment.  At other times, when we're available, we put our open sign out.  Our gallery phone number is 574-842-8888
Our gallery email is:   Info@painterandpoet.com
Here is a link to our blog address:  http://www.painterandpoet.blogspot.com/

For cookbook orders,  Shipping is $4.00 for the first book, and $2.00 more for each additional book.  Please call or email us to place your orders.   Please don't leave any credit card info on the phone or in your email.  We accept all major credit cards and personal checks.   With varying shipping costs, we can't set up our web site to accept book orders.  If we aren't here, I'll call or email you back.