Messages of Hope

Get Well Card from Sara and Erwin

I have surgery today at 2:30.  I have to be there at 1:00 for Prep.  I am scared because I have read that it's very painful AND THE DOCTOR TOLD ME IT'S VERY PAINFUL.

I have been receiving many messages of hope.  I can't print them all.

There is one above and here is another:


Thank you Mary for sharing. I think that bat story has some parallels for what you are about to endure. Like the bat, you have been struggling for quite some time and your energy is slowing and your resources are stressed. Help is on the way! Like the bat, I know you are scared and unsure what is about to happen but like the bat you will be relieved of your pain and struggle though you will have to endure being held by a giant being who applies tools to your ailment and pulls out a metal hook. I'm sure that bat was really anxious for the rescue to be finished and in fact it was. The difference between us and the bat is that the bat does not think about itself. We on the other hand have vivid imaginations and use them to process information that is new to us. Take your friend's advice and imagine enjoying an early autumn hike at Silk Creek hiker kitty overlook or the "designated campsite" with the sounds of water flowing under a moonlit night. Go there and be there. It is real. It is here and will be here for you when you are past this. You will get past this. Everyone is pulling for you!  From Scott Carter

(gave me a tear or two.) 


Just wanted you to know:

 THE MARY TAITT WELL-WISHING FACTORY 
 IS NOW ON A 24 HOUR SHIFT. 
 ALL CREWS WILL RECEIVE OVER TIME. 

 IF THE PRODUCT IS UP TO OR PASSES THE STANDARD, 
AS JUDGED BY M. TAITT, 
ALL CREWS WILL RECEIVE DOUBLE OVERTIME.

 EVERYONE: G O ! from Pam Perkins Frederick

(gave me a chuckle!) 

I can't find some of the other notes I wanted to add, and have to get ready for the hospital NOW, so I may add them at another time.  Sorry guys.  :-(  

Bat Story #1

Silk Creek in Early Autumn, by me

As we walked down Silk Creek, the water cold and the sun hot, I saw something fluttering spasmodically in the trees, just below a leafy beech branch, dark and somehow at odds to the bright day. I altered my course toward the edge of the creek, headed for the odd jerky motion. In a few moments, it resolved itself into a bat. But why was it behaving so strangely? I had to get another ten feet closer before I realized it was somehow entangled. Nearer yet, and I saw it was on a fishline. The bat had gone for a fishing fly that had been tangled in the branches, cut off, and left there. The hook was caught in its mouth. And even as I watched, I saw that the bat was weakening from its struggles. It had probably already been struggling for a number of hours, since they tend to feed during the crepuscular hours, long gone now in mid-afternoon.

I gently wrapped my hand around the bat to restrain it from struggling and cut the transparent fishline. Scott walked back to his house to get some tools, a small needle-nosed pliers, wirecutters and other things we might need. I sat on a rock with my feet in the creek and waited with Keith until Scott returned. Then, I cut the barb off the hook and extracted the hook from the mouth of the bat.

Bat on a string--looks like a toy
but it's a live animal, injured and struggling
click this image to see all the images larger

extracting the hook

We climbed up the steep side of the ravine and I placed the bat on a tree. It seemed stunned and weak, and I worried about its survival, but when we returned to check on it, it was gone. I hope it flew off to a safer place and was able to rest, revive, and survive after its trauma, trauma caused by a thoughtless fisherman.

the release

Today I am fasting, tomorrow I have surgery (and am nervous and scared (of the pain!)).

Sparhawk Cotton Mill, Yarmouth, Maine

Sparhawk Cotton Mill, Yarmouth, Maine
Painting by me, Mary Stebbins Taitt
Click image to view larger

New Painting, worked on it for four days.

Hospital for surgery day after tomorrow (Thursday at 2:30).  I'm nervous and scared.

Mail Art: Dreaming Fish

Dreaming Fish Envelope
acrylics
Mary Stebbins Taitt

OK, here's the finished front of the envelope for the latest completed Moleskine.  I've continued the dream theme, with a dream, not a nightmare.  In this dream, I was talking to the fish who was dreaming the world.  (Maybe that is a nightmare?  It didn't seem like it, though.)  Fish dream with their eyes open!

I have an operation Thursday, and I may be in the hospital several days and then bedridden for a while--doc says I'll be incapacitated anywhere from 2-3 weeks to 2-3 months.  (?)  That's a pretty wide span.  Meanwhile, I am sick.

I have no idea how these will survive the journey through the mail.

Mail Art: A Dream of Floating

A Dream of Floating
acrylic, envelope

I've finished with the latest traveling moleskine sketchbook and decided to continue the dream theme on the envelope.  I don't know how well it will hold up to the journey.

I am still sick, do not seem to be getting better.  Doctor tomorrow.  :-(

Little Dream Sketches for Aya's Pocket

As you know, I am in a sketchbook exchange program and these are for Aya's pocket.  The pocket is in the back of the sketchbook.  Aya's pocket says, add dreams here (Or something like that).  So even though I had previously done two pocket items, I did two quick little sketches of dreams for the dream pocket.

In my flying dreams, I am not always sure
if I am flying or falling.

Sometimes, I can walk through walls
in my dreams!
Click images to view larger.

These are just little, done with gouche on red-colored card stock.

My Lion Nightmare and other new work

Nightmare:  The Lion
Click images to view larger

Mandala in Earth Tones

Half a husband
1st half of a collab for Mike of Biker Buddy

We have out-of-town company and I am sick.  When they are sitting around talking and drinking, I keep them company in my nightgown doing art.  I have completed my work in Aya's Moleskine.

In the nightmare, which woke me up in literal terror, I was at the coliseum watching the lions about to eat the Christians when one of the lions spotted me in the stands, bounded over the wall and up over the seats toward me.  He was coming for ME.

The mandala was done primarily with pens given to me by Hennie Mavis (Heidi).

Nightmare: When you get him home, he's not what he seemed

Nightmare:  When you get him home,
he's not what he seemed
(Glass eye, wig, wooden leg and silver nose.
Click image to view larger
Faber-PITT pigment pens
+watercolor

I started working in pigment markers, because we have company and I didn't want to get out the watercolors, water, brushes, palette, etc.  They went out, and I switched water color--I have to say, I like water color so much better.

The Moray Eel App Nightmare

The Moray Eel Nightmare
Mary Stebbins Taitt & Andrea Martinez
in Aya's Mole
Faber Castelle Pigments pens
Click on the image to see it MUCH larger

We have out of town company and after dinner, they decided to play poker.  While they were drinking and playing poker, I did art, if you can call it that!

I've been painting so many Moray Eels that I am starting to have nightmares about them.  Even innocuous dreams morph into something terrifying!

Arrove: Aya's Mole in Mary's entryway and Garden

The arrival of Aya's Mole
cell phone shot

This is a cell-phone shot.  The next traveling Moleskine art sketchbook has arrived.  Looking at the pix in the mole as always is such a joy and they are so nice to see in person!

The two last paintings I did of the bison on a bike and the goat and stoat in a boat were pocket items for Aya's pocket, but I did know she had the small size mole.  They were made for the larger size mole and as they are 7 x 10 inches, a good size the bigger moles, they will never fit in her pocket, so I either have to mail them to her directly or enclose in the next mole.

I have to let you know I am still sick AND we are having out of town company for the weekend, arriving today and staying through Monday.  Dunno whether I'll be able to do any art or not, or be online, for the next few days.

Goat Boat Stoat

Goat rowed his boat

With his friend Stoat watercolor, arches 140 lb cold-pressed paper 7 x 10

"Goat rowed his boat

With his friend Stoat" San Cassimally, painting by me, for Aya's pocket.

I painted the boat and the stoat (weasel) with a small koi waterbrush and koi paints from my field kit, because we have company coming and I didn't want to make a big mess, then I got everything out anyway and painted the rest with Windsor Newton paints and one BIG round brush.

I'm hoping to make a kids' book for my grandson.

Our Anniversary today

Silly anniversary Card for the husbter

Early on

the kiss

love

Today is our anniversary, 7 years. I'm too sick to go out, though.  So we're adding anniversary to our list of things t celebrate "later."

Bison bicycled and gave a ride to Shrike on his Bike

Bison bicycled and gave a ride to Shrike on his Bike
words by San Cassimally
art by me
watercolor

I think I get Aya's book next.  This is for her pocket.  Watercolor, 7 x 10 arches paper, Windsor Newton and Turner watercolors, round synthetic brushes and one small filbert.  Oh, and I did the shadow with a chinese bamboo brush, lol.  I'm not overly fond of this, unfortunately.  The calf-bones are too long.  I see now how I might fix it, by making the upper leg larger, but I'd have to start over from scratch.

Decorating the Envelope

Moray Eel
acrylics and soufflé pen
Click images to view larger

detail

Moray eel
acrylics and souffle pen

Ballookey's mole is on it's way to Mike.  I've become fascinated by Moray eels.

Baboon Loon and Racoon

Dropped in a balloon
Click to view larger

I made a second water color for Ballookey's pocket on 7 x 10 Arches 140 lb paper, another illo of San Cassimally's Animal Carnival.  This completes my work in and for this mole, so I will be packaging it up and sending it off to Mike soon.  I did this one with the water brush again, but I will probably switch back to regular brushes.

Juneathon report:  (LOL!):  Yesterday, I did all my indoor exercises and yoga and walked for 30 minutes.  I am laughing because I'm still sick, so the idea of doing Juneathon is sort of a joke.  (Juneathon, for anyone who's not familiar with it, is a challenge for runners and other competitive sports types to exercise daily and report that in the blog.)

Aardvark, Shark, Lark, Ark, Dark: Pocket item for Ballookey

Aardvark with Shark and Lark

Sailed in their ark (in the dark)

This is a pocket item for Ballookey.  It's watercolor on 140 lb cold-pressed Arches paper, 7 x 10.  It was entirely painted with the water brushes that you fill with water.  I got two new ones and wanted to try them out.  One is a fine point Koi that came with a field set, which I'd never used, so I used it last night and in the wee hours this morning when I couldn't sleep.  The other is a Niji flat.  I painted most of the painting with Niji and then added the detail with the Koi brush.

This is theoretically for the series I am doing of San Cassimally's book, Animal Carnival.  However, as you can plainly see, it is in a different medium and different style than the others, so I will probably redo it?  (Or redo the others?)  I really just wanted to play with watercolors.