Alaskan Artist Blog - Elise Tomlinson

Replies: 16 Comments

on Sunday, June 12th, greg said

Ouch! I'm so sorry!! I wouldn't believe such things could occur in congenial Northern Exposure-land unless you said so! I always figured people stuck together in the frontier: my-outhouse is your-outhouse, come-check-out-my medicinal-marigeewanna-plants kinda place! Hopefully that silly Ed kid just borrowed it to take a snap of his Grammer and will return it soon.

Sorry... just trying to cheer you up. ;) Not much is worse than getting ripped off. Hopefully home insurance will help out? ...and you can upgrade to a 4 megapixel, 13x zoom! What was its resolution?

For me, nearly every phase of painting is a struggle, but like you say, that middle part of all the noodling, between the start and the final touches, is rough at times. Especially after seeing where corrections need to be made. At least you STARTED! That one's the hardest part for me, and is perhaps the closest a guy can come to saying "Nine months CAN'T be over because, I dont FEEL like going into labor right now!" (apologies to any mothers out there ... I'm sure my experience pales in comparison to yours)

So ... gonna restart any of 'em?

on Sunday, June 12th, holly said

:cry: I'm sorry about your camera! That really sucks. Believe me, I worry about mine getting pinched in France (but more worried about losing the pictures on it).

About your paintings- relax. You do have time, you will finish them and they will look fine. This is your passion- enjoy it and master it. Don't let it master you, right?

on Sunday, June 12th, Elise said

Yah, there's still a part of me that won't accept it yet. I keep thinking it's going to magically appear and I'll feel stupid for misplacing it and thinking it was stolen.

snif snif.
:(

And Greg, it already was an upgrade, a 5MP 12x optical zoom, it was a $500.00 camera, a huge investment for me and something I love and take with me everywhere so it's a big loss. I just try to think like my mom who always said like "hopefully the person who stole X needed it more than we did". So, that's how I'll look at it.

As for the painting, it went much better this afternoon. I think I finished the one of the woman that used to be a harmonic player.

Now she's kindof taking a nap and she has a book resting upside down on her stomach. Plus, I painted some little shasta daisies, which grow wild here, instead of fireweed, as there was already too much of that pink color. Anyway, I'm happy with it (shocking!)...plus I worked on the woman in the yellow field. I changed the color of the mountains yet again, I added some green and yellow into the section of the painting that's fireweed, and repainted her face to make her smile more...I think it's looking much better as well.

I also started a new, smallish sized painting of the waterpump based on the third photo posted below...I painted the whole thing in a couple hours and it looks pretty good, almost finished actually. Paintings that don't have humans are much easier.

Anyway, I'm feeling a little better about finishing these...some I may not be able to finish, but I'll have enough. Tomorrow night I'm tackeling the red umbrella painting. I'm leaving the umbrella in, but trying to fix the handle so it doesn't appear to be stabbing her in the back.

Anyway, thanks for the encouragement.

Maybe my good luck in painting tonight is some kind of karmic retribution for not getting too pissed off about the stolen camera.

on Monday, June 13th, subi said

:cry:waw! that really sucks about the camera...but for a victim you are one prolific mama! it sounds like you are making Alaskan summer-light like progress! tehehe about the hand comment, just remember, was it number 4, the hands/hand was the perfect hand!!!! keep us posted and borrow a digi-cam weekly if you need to, i want to see how your doing!!! good luck... and honestly i think you need a camera even more than a guitar or kicking bag, so if you have to justify this purchase, do so and lock your jeep and stop being so flaky &trustful, creeps exist, even in Ahhhhlaska :P

on Monday, June 13th, RR said

Really sorry to hear about the camera. I agree, Thieves suck.

on Monday, June 13th, dave from Nebraska said

Sorry to hear of your loss.
Did you contact the police?
I went to bed Saturday night and left my studio door wide open. Everything was still there when I got up but I hate to think what could of happened.
Did ABBA help?

on Monday, June 13th, subi said

since you have a business with the artwork, can't you claim wither the loss or claim it as a necessary 'matrial' to have? /ie, write--off?

on Monday, June 13th, Elise said

Thanks for all the condolences. I wish I had my name or phone number or something on the camera in case the person who took it had a crisis of conscious and wanted to return it.

Dave, I haven't contacted the police, I wanted to wait and come into work today and make sure I hadn't left it here and confused Friday with Sat. somehow (totally wishful thinking)...tongith I'll see if I can find the serial number, then call our pawn shop and file a report with the police.

I'm glad that you didn't have an incident with your open studio...that's really scary!

and Subi, I was able to write the purchase of the camera off for tax purposes but I'll have to check about what to do if it's stolen and needs to be replaced. You're right though, I need another camera...I used that damn thing everyday, took it with me everywhere.

And you're right, creeps exist everywhere, even Alaska.

on Monday, June 13th, Elise said

Oh, and Dave, ABBA helped a lot!

on Monday, June 13th, subi said

hey lisey, hope i didn't come off as bitchy earlier...it was more like a 'damn girl, don't be flakey' i am the notorious flake...having once missed a flight(to Russia!) left my passport on a plane (you were at the farewell party) the list goes on! anyhoo, sometimes realtime speech/inflection is so much better! xoxo.

on Monday, June 13th, Elise said

I didn't think that, I *am* a flake...I'll be the first to admit it! (Maybe we had a little *too* much fun in college? Remeber the arboretum in Seattle and the time Rick and I came and camped out with you and Chris on Kiltchers property in Homer?) So, so, worth it!

As for missing a flight to Russia...were you just passing through or were you going there for a visit? I can't remember...as I'm considering going there next summer you should give me the scoop.

PS. My passport expired in May...I haven't renewed it yet.
:(

on Monday, June 13th, subi said

i did a poetry seminar there...it was when i lived in Homer still...i was in St. Petersbuerg for 2 weeks then traveled from there to prague...what's up in Russia? why aren't you coming here? with ricky!!!!! :confused:

on Monday, June 13th, Elise said

Oh right, I remember that...St. Petersburg is on the list...how did you like it?

And, I'd love to come see you in Switzerland, but I've already been there and though I loved it, I want to go somewhere new and Russia has such a cultural connection to Alaska, there are so many Russian students on campus, vladivostok is our sister city...and the language interests me, though I know it's a tough one...still, Switzerland isn't off the table completely, but who knows if you and Harry will still be there in a year.

on Monday, June 13th, Craig said

Call your insurance agency -- you have homeowner's insurance, right? -- I'll bet your camera is covered.

on Tuesday, June 14th, subi said

alright then, i'll keep rick all to myself! muahahaha! :P and as far as i know, unless we win the lottery, we will definitely be here next year!

on Tuesday, June 14th, Elise said

I'll call my insurance company today Craig, thanks for the suggestion...

06/12/2005: "Thieves suck!"