THE ART OF JUNE

INTRODUCING THE NEW BENJAMIN McTISH

2012-02-27T15:08:00.000-08:00

Here he is, the new improved Benjamin...and the cover of my new book. Yay!!

He's wearing aviator goggles,
and if you read the book you would know this!
I'm working hard on getting the ebook together...
coming soon!

enjoy! xoxo juner

CATCHING UP AGAIN

2012-02-17T17:21:00.000-08:00

So this is just a quick one today...I went down town to pick up some art paper and on the street there was a new meter...I wonder how many cities have something like this?

All the money goes towards helping the transient people
who need help getting somewhere.

Then the window of my favorite shoe store looked like a pink fairy princess and I love it.
Then we had two people, one with a cello and one a guitar singing a modern kind of raspy song, and a few steps away was a lone old hippie singing Bob Dylan, quite well I might add, and then on the corner was a jazz combo, drums and all, and they were great! It's just the cutest little city on the face of the earth, is all I'm sayin!

Then the house projects. Almost done with the new stair rail and posts....got to finish the aging on the gold trim and fine tune the color work, but the idea is almost there. I need to paint the wood rails, top and bottom to match yet...can't wait to have this project finished already.

Then here is a quick sneak peek at the "new and improved" Benjamin McTish. I realized that when I first painted him, it was just a random illustration that had no meaning other than fun, and I gave him a name. The next thing you know I have several illustrations and they all have names and a story begins to brew....so fast forward to today.
I have a completed manuscript, the first book in the series I'm writing about Benjamin and his friends. I'm in the process of putting an ebook together and need a cover and I realize that the original is simply not going to work. He looks like he's from the fifties and he has Harry Potter glass's on...that just won't do. So I've updated him and will be pulling a new illustration of him that relates to the book. Almost done with that, but couldn't wait to get a glimpse of him out there.

The new improved Grandfather Tree..
this one actually has the door.

Benjamin is wearing aviator googles in this one...
it's all in the book if you're interested!!

And the last is a painting I'm working on that has texture and layers and all kinds of things going on...to be continued....

Way more layering going on with this,
but love the colors so far...

I almost forgot the perfect dark bronze/brown orchids that are finally blooming...yay!

enjoy! xox juner

A LITTLE LOST GEM I NEED TO SHARE...

2012-02-07T12:30:00.000-08:00

What Are You Doing New Years Eve?
by Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-L...

Okay, so I know I'm way behind the scene here..but I ran across this by accident searching for something on a blog and I just could not pass it up...I intend to include it in a blog every new year from now on...this is one of my favorite songs ever and they couldn't perform it better...so even though we are way past new years eve, here's a little reminder to feel excited to be with the one you love...enjoy! xox juner

ps. I'm really not looking for you tube videos...just a co-inky dink that I have two in a row...what can I say, they are both good.

SMASHING IDEA

2012-02-06T19:33:00.000-08:00

I just saw this on one of my following blogs, Just Add Glitter and simply fell in love with not only the idea, but the video itself...it's super cleaver and dare I say, inspiring! I'm sure most of you know about this, but for those who are like me....this is simply cool! And if you haven't already, you need to check out Maggi and her daughter Toots...who is beyond super clever and always brings me much joy and laughter......Give it a whirl yourself...enjoy smashing!
xox juner

FEBRUARY BEGINS!

2012-02-02T20:30:00.000-08:00

So getting back into the swing of things. We finished off January with Ray's 60th birthday. The original guest list included 20 people, so we built a big eight foot square table to hold everyone in one place. We had gold framed name placards strategically placed to give everyone a chance to maybe learn more about someone they weren't as close with, none of this sitting couples together...I set up each corner with the perfect four people to occupy...a lot of thought went into this arrangement, it took me hours to do.

We had white table clothes and napkins, and Ray picked out hot pink Roses, with purple Lisianthus and some green mum type flower. We filled the table with dozens of candles and a two tiered rusty cake. I hung shiny star garland in consecutive circles of color around the chandelier that we moved to fit in the center of this humongous table. First teal, then green, ending with cobalt...you won't be able to tell from the photos, but the finished work was spectacular! You felt like you were in a magical special place.

Unfortunately we had eight, count them, eight last minute cancels, so that left our count to 12. Which was still nice for Ray. It turned out to be everyone who lives here and our dear friends, Barb and Mike...so there you have it! It would have been so much better, with the smaller group to have a smaller more intimate table, but in the end we all visited and had great food and played pool and sent Ray into his third phase of his life a happy camper!

Now I'm just attempting to get my mojo pumpin....it's takin me almost two weeks but I finally figured it out. I had to put the paintings aside for a moment...just wasn't working. I redid Michaels shirt collar a dozen times...so I decided to work on another one of my unfinished pieces to get ready for a little local showing...and still...challenges.

So the other night I sat down with my old illustration sketches and realized I had never finished Annabel, one of the main characters in my new book. So, it took me one whole night to get the ideas flowing, since I now had a story line to contend with and not simply something of whimsey to produce without direction. So I sat and brainstormed and the next night, there it was! I went on a roll and I haven't looked back. So here are a couple close ups of the two new pieces I'm presently working on. It's great to feel like I'm finally accomplishing something! Yay!

And speaking of the book...I've had my share of rejections this past month. It's super disheartening when that happens...but all it takes is just one person to say, "yes, we'd like to see more". This process is a long one. Usually all you send an agent or publisher is a quick one page synopsis of what your book is about, and sometimes they ask for a few pages or chapters as well. But you're really lucky to get past the query, usually that's where it ends.

It's a major challenge to explain your three hundred and something page book in two paragraphs...AND hook someone long enough, and big enough, for them to ask to see the body of your work, or to be interested in even going one minute further.

Well I'm happy to say that I finally got someone who wrote back and asked to see more of my manuscript!! Yay!! I think this could be the opportunity I have been waiting for...let's hope!!

So onward and upward into February....we are planting some new fruit trees in our new orchard...and it couldn't feel more like home...xoxo juners

You can really see the different colors in this one...
the teal, then the green
and last in the circle was cobalt

It's difficult to see, but I took some old house numbers made of iron and painted them to look rusty.
I used a rusty garland with stars to wrap around the entire cake...
I also had big brass star napkin rings...
so stars were the unplanned theme.

He looks great...for 60!
(I love how people always throw around numbers,
as is he can't just look good no matter his age.)

Massive table...but we had fun regardless
of all the empty chairs, which are on the opposite end.

Mugging for the camera...
I'm really NOT tan at all, Taylor is simply THAT pale!

Some of the boys...
actually there were only four women...nice odds!

Ray's choice...nice!

Yay! Chocolate cake with
chocolate ganache/raspberry cream and
buttercream frosting.
And a tray of cherry collettes,
(which are AH-MAZE-ING)
and chocolate orange truffles that I
made for the celebration.
Oh, yeah, and home made french vanilla bean ice cream...
I did good for my boy!

A pool game break

An unfinished rendering of Pips's Aeroquatic,
(a plane that becomes a submarine)
The LizzieBelle....ahhh!

A VERY unfinished drawing of Annabel and Pips...
the finished product coming soon...

Michael has a bit of a face now....
this is the toughest painting I've ever worked on!! geez!!
But I'll get it...don't worry.

Some of the red texture in the background of this painting..
I've stepped up my game a bit...it feels good!

Hope to finish this piece this month...
keep your eyes peeled for this one....
if all goes well, it should be my best one yet.

So hope you're all doing well, keep creating! xox juner

MATHILDA WICKCLIFF COME TO LIFE

2012-01-15T13:20:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I promised a special post presenting my perfect gift from Lisa...a whimsical bohemian...She studied the illustration, (from my website) of one of my characters...my FAVORITE character from my new book, "Benjamin McTish and the Door Through The Grandfather Tree" ...and brought her to life for me!

It was super exciting to sit with my family surrounding me on my birthday, Xmas day, with my eyes closed, again, after just being ushered into the dining room with my eyes closed to reveal a perfect snowman birthday cake from Ray...I opened my eyes and couldn't even understand what I was seeing at first...then it hit me...OH MY GOD! It's MATHILDA!

Lisa captured everything about this character from her orange kinky curls to her ballet pink toes. She used a piece of her own orange tree to make the base for Mathilda to sit upon...which represents the Grandfather Tree, with his "Key" in the lock. Then below she pieced specific items that are representatives of different parts of the story...some of you may recall the top hat and balancing ball belonging to Chantilly Lily, and the hook with the star, to represent Finley Heaton the Star Hanger.

I have Mathilda here, with me, on my desk, as tremendous inspiration for me. She makes it all seem so "real", the idea of the whole book and the possibilities. It's so very exciting to me.

I'm working very hard on finding an agent/publisher, to take this book all the way. It's the first in a series and I couldn't be more excited or proud that I have written a good book. I'm working on getting an ebook of it made at present. In the meantime if anyone is interested in reading the book, just let me know. I could use the feedback. Just know that the offer only stands for a short while, as soon I will begin charging for the book...so here for your whimsical enjoyment....

I present Mathilda Wickcliff, as observed by Lisa Oceandreamer....and just in case you are wondering, Yes! Lisa is very open to creating any character from any book, or otherwise, that you find you simply cannot live without...enjoy! xoxo juners

She has Mathilda holding up a copy of the book,
instead of the balloon

She put a tea cup, from Mathilda's tea party,
and a CD of her favorite music, very important to Mathilda

Mathilda wears tee shirts with her favorite singers,
this one being the "Blues Billies"...(a name I made up)

Chantilly Lily's top had and transporting ball

The Key in the lock and the roses from the
"Enchanted Rose Garden",
and a star, for Finley Heaton, the Star Hanger,
and a piece of burlap to represent the pile of burlap covered hay
in the garden shed that Benjamin lies upon to dream.

THIS XMAS SEASON

2012-01-04T20:36:00.000-08:00

Well, it all came an went so fast this year! I'm sad to see it go. I think it felt shorter because we had our little Xmas gathering the weekend before Xmas and it's usually two weeks before. And when it's so early in the month the prepping, and the tree decorating, baking and all of that starts way before, so it's Xmas way longer...got to keep that in mind for the next one. And I must admit, the party the week of Xmas was a bit much, because this year was so big with my family coming to visit for the first time as well.

So it was a constant for my mother and I, running around daily. No two people could have made more trips to as many markets in a day as we did! But it was the best of fun...I really am missing her tons right now.

Not only was this the first ever Xmas that my family has ever been to my home on Xmas day, but it was the first visit for any of them to my new home here with Ray and Case. So it was super special.

So here is the week of Xmas in a photo montage...hope you enjoy! And I hope you all had smiles, and friends, family and cheer during this past Xmas season...xoxo, juner

Our little break on the beach amid the racing of
shopping and cooking

Santa's helpers taking a break as well....only in Santa Cruz!

My little brother and my baby sister...yay!

Xmas Eve seafood tradition
(newspaper lining the table for all the shells)

Lizzie and Mekenzie laughing a lot

My new hand made birthday scarf from Lizzie
that I got to open Xmas eve...

Good baby sister....

Xmas Eve

Xmas morning...pretty packages

What'd he get?

The big blue tree

Simply lovely in person

All the bronze ribbons and purple and blue trim...
I love staring at it.

This was from the smaller red and white tree in the den

You can't get a good photo without the flash...
and it's so pretty in the dark!

Lights trailing along the upper deck and side door in the courtyard...it's really magical.

Vintage snowman and snow woman from my good friend Sue

An amazing antique ornament from Ray's best friend Mark
(who is now my dear friend as well)

Beautiful orange rose(orange roses being my favorite) ornament from my mom,
to commemorate our week together..

And the best is yet to come. I got a very special gift from Lisa...so special that I want to share this with you in a post all to itself. So give me another day or two and I'll fill you in on the details. In the meantime, here's a sneak preview and a bit of a hint....

The rest to follow soon....

The day after Xmas on the wharf (that's my dad)

Loads of sea lions swimming about

They rest up on the dock below, and make quite a bit of honking

It was a really cold, sunny day...
great to spend with my folks and my sister.

The next night was family fun at the bowling alley...
I just observed.

This little rascal kept hitting strike after strike..
his best being 7 in a row!

Fun was had by all...

And this guy never wears shoes bowling!

The girlfriend kept a happy face regardless of her score...
good sport!

Then yesterday a very weird cloud cut across the sky above us and left this very odd red glow around the yard.

It was daylight, but all the xmas lights had a neon kind of effect because of this weird red glow

The entire sky was a vivid blue with this thin solid
red cloud that went for miles...
we thought it might be an alien invasion!

You had to be there to really get the eerie feeling
of the bright glowing neon xmas lights
and this red glow on everything...weird!

Middle of the day, bright lights, red glow...
what more can I say...aliens!

So there you have it...the holidays in one total photo marathon blog post. Like I said, I'll get another post made in another day or two so I can share my very special gift from my very dear partner in crime...Lisa. Hope your new year finds you healthy and happy...safe, dry, loved, cherished, and filled with ideas to create something that sings to your soul...happy happy..xoxo juner

HOLIDAY CHEER!

2011-12-22T00:27:00.000-08:00

So we picked out our trees, had our burritos, and came home to decorate. It took a couple of days, this was a big un! My mother is here for her first visit and I put her right to work baking. We had a small gathering of friends this past weekend. And a couple party crashers that turned out to be tons of fun... Here's the proof....enjoy!

In my Al Davis "just win baby" tee...a Raider fan all the way!

Bodhi's first Xmas tree hunt

This is a huge Frickin tree!!

This tree overhangs a bit above the daybed in the den, and Frankie found his perfect sleeping place right under it. I added a hand made quilted tree skirt my mother made for me, geez, at least 25 yrs ago, to cover the table beneath.

Yes! That's a BIG batch of cookie dough!

Still haven't done the fireplace remodel...it will not be white and will have mosaic
on the panel above the insert. And the white window casings will be gone as well....this has been taking quite some time to re-do the entire house...but we're happy with things so far.

My only true friend...(it's an inside joke)

Tons of blue lights in all sizes and shapes, with some green thrown in to give it some light

Some of the dudes

Some of the ladies

The gal on the right showed up at our back door with her boyfriend looking for a different party...we were right in the middle of "I've got you babe" by sonny and cher...

She fit right in! And her name was Joy...so I gave her an ornament I had sitting on the table of a snowman with a sash that said Joy...too perfect! They eventually left to find their other party, but were sad to leave.

The now completed wall of photos...yay!

I hang strands of mirror garlands above the table..it's really cool!

This one is above the pool table in the den..which I do not have any photos of the raging pool game going on during the party, while people were playing guitar and singing...but I really like the strand of rusted metal stars mixed in with the crystals of the fixture.

Ten foot ceiling in case you were wondering...big tree!

Moms taking a cat nap with Frankie on her lap. I took this photo through the glass windows of the doors to the den.

Well it's been a whirl wind so far and things have only just begun. The rest of the clan is due to arrive starting tomorrow and finishing within the next few days. Then Xmas feast here with the whole family...what a great thing...I can't wait...oh! and just in case you didn't know...it's also my birthday on the 25th! So there you have it....much happiness and joy to fill your happy, healthy lives in the coming new year! xox juner

SOME FINISHING TOUCHS

2011-12-10T12:13:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting to all the trim work and finishing up walls that have sat half finished for months...here are my latest bits of work in progress...enjoy, juner

Guest room door downstairs, this is part of the old french bedroom.
I'll get a complete photo of the room up, it really looks terrific!

This is actually my favorite door so far...it really suits the design in this room

The old antique gold is not aged yet here, but it still looks good

The ivory and black stripe ribbon lined in gold curls around the ceiling..
I'll be adding a small garland of roses at some point

The upstairs guest room inside door

Again with the aged gold not aged yet

The outside of the door, not finished, but close

The upstairs guest room, with soft French country store drapery, I love these

The beginnings of the hall ceiling mural...very beginning stages yet...

Painted out the old white cabinet...this color really pops nicely off the dark moss walls

Again, the gold isn't aged down yet...but it still looks better than what we had before.
All the windows and doors will be blue with antique gold casings.

Finally getting all the layers on the walls, still one more to go, the darker sepia wash,
but again, I like the look of this anyway,

Looking down from the staircase, the brown is the base for the antique gold

Looking up from our breeze way from the master suite.
All the brown will be gold

Okay, so we're off to the top of the mountain to hunt for our Xmas trees today...so check back in a few days and see what we put up...xoxo, enjoy your holidays, juner

A CHAPTER OR TWO FROM BENJAMIN McTISH

2011-11-21T20:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I've finally finished the book! Benjamin, Mathilda and Annabel are ready to meet everyone! So I've gone ahead and put the first three chapters on his blog, (you can link to it from my sidebar) and que sera sera!

I'm actively seeking representation and have copy written this manuscript for protection. AND I've already begun writing the second book...yes, there is a second. And depending on how the story grows every time I write, a third for sure, and possibly a fourth or more... who knows?
So if you're so inspired please check it out and let me know what you think. Remember, the book has not been edited yet and punctuation could be a bit untidy...and the format of the blog messed with the layout of my manuscript, but you will still be able to read through everything and get the story.

In the meantime, I haven't posted anything new in a while as I've been writing non stop and working on the house in between breaths...will be sharing some new photos of all the work we've done around here..it's really looking so nice. My parents and my sisters will be visiting us for the holidays, SO, that should be really exciting...can't wait to share that.

Hope everyone is good and getting ready for the big turkey day..and feeling safe and warm with your families. Ever so happy these days...xox juner

LA WEEKEND

2011-10-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

On out recent trip down to LA, we were hunting around for "treasures" as we like to call them. Ray's daughter guided us through the streets of Silverlake and we ended up in Pasadena. We drove past a 2-3 story brick building a block long. It had gigantic fake topiaries with lights on top of the roof and the name said STATS. So we went inside.

This is what we found.

This was part of the Halloween display

Then we popped our heads into one of the biggest antiques stores we've ever been in. This was an amazing place, two levels and things were crazy expensive...but still fun to look at.

And last but not least, this is a theatre near Mekenzie's house, cool huh?....

We had a nice visit with the family and spent an afternoon with my oldest LA friend, Patrick, (my excentric artist buddy), and stopped by in Ventura on our way home and picked up a couple treasures along the way...oh I almost forgot, this is one we brought home with us from LA...hope you had a great weekend as well...xoxo june

NEW PROJECT UPDATE

2011-10-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

So it's been two months since my friend passed, we're actually celebrating his life tomorrow...I'm still very saddened by everything. I keep hearing his voice in my head. Our language was music. But it's simply time to move forward now.

I went out and visited some, almost all, of my blogging people. It was so nice to see what you have been up to...got some good inspiration, especially from Blue Skies, who did something fun with an old piece of glass. And then As Seen through My Eyes, this woman's broken glass mosaics are mind altering....she's simply the best, and she delves deeper and puts a personal spiritual meaning behind her work. If you haven't seen either of these, go check them out.

Then you may have noticed I changed the look of my blog...this one just suits me much better than the last one. What can I say, I love the black and white thing. I am having trouble scanning to my computer, so the banner is not my best clear piece of work yet...but I'll fix it soon.

We are leaving for LA tomorrow to attend my niece's wedding, so will be gone a couple of days.
In the meantime, this is what I have been working on...minimal as it is. You know I don't like showing my work mid stream...but I need to post something already and get back into the swing of things.

So here goes.

This is a finally framed piece that I bought from Shariyah...not only has she become a very kindred spirit to me...it's so strange how you can hold so much love for someone you have never stood eye to eye with..but such is the case with us. She lives in New Zealand, and I found her through OWOH. I bought another piece from her almost two years ago. Her mother is the one who introduced Ray and I...when I bought a piece from one of her other daughters as well...didn't know they were all related..how strange is life? Anyway, here is the final piece framed. A darker version of Frida...LOVE IT!

Next is my Michael Jackson, that is most definitely in the rough...it's all over the board right now..but the idea is present. I just love the way his hand is coming forward to reach out to you. His big billowy white tuxedo shirt...it's really going to be something when I'm finished. I really want to do something different with the background...I need to up my game on this one..I hope to finish it very soon.

Then here is a little project I've been doing on the side. I saw this somewhere, done to perfection, but thought, well I can do that, why pay someone else. So I'm using enamels, which are hard core on the air and lungs..but I did do the first one with matt finish instead of glossy...who knew that all enamels were not glossy? Anyway, these photos don't show how much blending this really is...and they aren't cleaned up or aged or finished yet...but I do enjoy the color palette...hope you can appreciate that as well.

And the last on my list is our guest bedrooms...this first one is almost finished. I kept it in the theme of old french country. I found the most amazing creamy tone on tone damask that I will be making the drapery from...right now it's just hung there for effect. The canopies are not held back yet with tie backs, which will allow the drape to hang better. All the casings and trim are antiqued old gold leaf. The floors are black plank. I still need two great pillows for the bed's. The drapery rod is funky and old cream, so I kept the shelving old cream as well. There's an old french bombay, cream of course, but you can't see it in this. I found the old french botanicals, hanging above the headboards, on our last trip out...oh geez! I completely forgot about that trip...I'll have to make another post about our one year anniversary of living together trip to Tahoe...great photos of that.
But in the meantime. I am painting an ivory and black stripe ribbon, with gold trim around the top of the ceiling, which I painted a very deep rich creamy/coco..then I'll add a little thin vine of roses sprinkled here and there. I need to frame out the big pictures of art. And of course I aged down the closet doors...

Here's a quick shot of the upstairs guest room/ office...just getting started on that one..will fill in later as things progress...

And last, here is a new...well obviously very old, but new to us, staircase railing...how cool it that?! Then I finally finished my lampshades for the landing chandelier...me and my ivory/black stripe ribbons...can't get enough of those. Oh and the green walls behind the iron are not finished at all..still in stage two of washing them out and aging.

Reminder to self....clean cobwebs before taking photos to share

So thx for all your patience and for sticking around. Oh, and I almost forgot...my book is just about in the box.

A couple more days of intense writing will see the final chapter complete. I am looking forward to sharing...I know a lot of you have been waiting for this...and I aim to please.
Thx again, for all of your support...cheers! june

PATRICK TRUJILLO

2011-10-01T02:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't written or been a part of blogging in two whole months. I came by just now and saw that I lost another follower. That makes me sad.
I haven't brought any new art for you, although I have been slowly working on some new pieces..finally getting further with Michael Jackson.

I have been attempting to put a picture on this post, however, I have not been able to find the photo I wish to share, and that's a real shame as I truly wanted you to see it. When I find it among the things I still can not locate in my new home, I will post it.
It's of my friend Pat, it's the best photo I have of him.

If you have followed me, than you know from the many posts over the past two years of my best friends Nancy and Pat. They fill these pages and are a part of my "family of the heart" And have been for just over five years now.

I'm sad to say that my dear sweet beautiful friend Pat passed away on August 10th. He wasn't sick for a long time or ever had a concern. So when he had the flu and wasn't feeling good for a couple of weeks, and then his wife got the flu, no one thought anything. However, she got better, but he didn't. He was not feeling good and had a few tests and he basically walked into the hospital with stage four cancer and died a week and a half later. It has been shocking and tragic.

We saw each other every single day for the 2 years we lived on our mountain top together. Their house was across on the other side of the property. We could see each others back porch lights.
Pat and Nancy and I would hang out, almost nightly, and play guitar and sing and Pat would cook for us. We would whine, "Cookies Pat, cookies" and he would get up and make the most amazing sweets on the planet. He always made me feel so special and pretty, and more importantly loved.

Nancy has had an extremely hard time of things. She stayed here with Ray and I for a week and hopped around for a month until she was finally ready to go back home. Which is why I haven't been in touch with anyone. I had to go help her settle back in. I painted and redecorated the entire place for her. She got a roommate and is just now getting settled back into her new life...alone, without the man of her dreams.
No two people could have ever been more suited to each other than these two.
They were together in high school and lived together for a few years until youth, and the seventies got in the way...so they went out on their own into new lives with other people. But things were never right for them...so thirty years later, they found each other again and have been together ever since. They had nine great, perfect, loving years before Pat left at the young age of 57.

We celebrated his birthday in June, which is when he started to feel bad, but of course no one even considered it was anything but the flu. Although we come to find that he had some indication from the doc that he had a mass on his colon and several in his liver. So we suppose he was attempting to protect Nancy from the inevitable.

Pat always made a special birthday cake for me every year. When I walked into his party there was MY cake sitting on the table and I got upset. I said, "Pat, what are you doing, that's My birthday cake?" And he said, "Yeah I know, I made it for you." I said, "What do you mean you made it for me, it's your birthday?" And he answered, "I made it for you cause I wanted you to feel special."
I believe somewhere inside of himself, Pat knew he wouldn't be around to make my cake for my birthday this year. I honestly believe this...so does Nancy.

Well, here are two photos of me and my dear dear friend that I miss so very much. I still can't believe he is gone. It's still hard to wrap my brain around it.
The one thing I have taken away from all of this is to let the people you love know you love them...it may be the last thing they take with them...and the last thing you have of them. June

This was us at his last bd party in June, geez,
it's really hard to even look at these now

And this was us three years ago, but it's one of my very favorites.

BENJAMIN McTISH & MATHILDA WICKCLIFF on etsy

2011-07-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

Benjamin in a dream sequence with the Cat fish

Mathilda with Charlie Horse and Amiel the Raven

I just realized today while I was working on my Etsy, that I had never included my illustrations of Benjamin and Mathilda to my shoppe. How could this be? Well, it took me a while to finally finish our hero, Benjamin, and Mathilda has a "mistake" on her and I was hoping to repair it..but it just can't be done. (In the meantime I have given prints of her and no one has complained.) So just FYI, they are available for purchase on my Etsy. Benjamin is looking very colorful, as is Mathilda, who always makes me smile.
Enjoy! xox juner

THE EBB AND FLOW OF SUMMER ( & 50% off etsy sale)

2011-07-07T21:13:00.000-07:00

So I've not posted for a solid month! What can I say, so much to do the minute the sun comes out at all. But here's a quick run down of activity.

First was the graduation from HS of Ray's youngest son Case. That took our complete attention for several weeks before the event even came. We had sister in laws and family who had not been to the house in many years, let alone since I moved in and literally changed everything. This house didn't have a dinning room, just a small tiny kitchen nook that everyone squeezed around the small orchard table to eat. Now we have an amazing dinning space, that once held the pool table and drums. Ha! So a lot to finish off to show our new home together. But of course my kitchen ceiling is still half painted, never enough hours in the day I tell you. Then came the graduation weekend. I had six house guests for five days. Fifteen people for a beautiful hand made ravioli dinner. Then ten for dinner the next night and ten for breakfast the last day. SO, I'm done with that now. Other than I mistakenly erased all my photos from the ceremony...don't ask!

At least I have one from the Prom...cute couple!

The gang on the last night....fun!

Bodhi enjoying the shade under the table...every one loved him to pieces!

Then right after everyone left on Sunday morning we were off to a big birthday party for my best friends husband. I ended up singing with the band for most of the party...but had a really good time.

If I look tired...I AM!

My new favorite top....LOVE it!

Just the three of us at this point...
that's the birthday boy...
and we were singing Congratulations by the Stones.

Next came three days later when we loaded up my car, new puppy included, and drove nine and a half hours to Las Vegas, to visit my folks for a week. Oh, and did I mention that we painted the outside of their home while we were there! It was only ninety degrees that week, so not so bad...ha! But it turned out lovely and they are thrilled. I had made the suggestion the last time I was there that I needed to do this for them...too bad for Ray, he is now a "we", so it became his promise too...but he jumped in gladly and we worked on it for a total of four days. And I played roulette for the first time and hit a hundred pretty quickly, so we have decided that from now on roulette is our game. Although the next weekend my dad went out and hit a jackpot for 2160.00...and before he left he hit another for 390.!! Well done dad!!

no pics yet...will include soon...

Then we drove ten and a half hours home, after making a couple "antiquing" stops along the way and spent the next two days not feeling my best. Unfortunately I had a house painting job beginning on the Monday, so my rest was short lived.
We went to the first summer beach concert and had the best time. We saw Eric Burden and the Aniamls...what a great show. Unfortunately I don't have the photos from that one yet, so you'll have to wait on that one. But take my word for it...he still rocks!

Don't have these photos yet...will get them in soon...too cool

So then I painted everyday for a week and did one of my best jobs ever for a client near by. And in the meantime I am working on a logo design for some one else and it is a very demanding piece. I've been working on it all week and am still not done. I will be putting his web and blog together as well...so no time for anything else today. He's a good friend and he's got a terrific idea and I'll get a percentage..so there you have it!

Before....I ended up doing the mud/texture as well as this base they had was not going to cut it.

After....kinda hard to photograph faux work, it always looks blotchy and the tones don't show through as well as they are in person...but you can get the idea.

This is maybe closer to the final color..it had a touch of green in it.

The texture I did really worked well with the
old French feeling.

Plus we went to another beach concert last week and saw the Family Stone...not as good as the last time we saw them, but still a "get up on your feet and dance" kinda show.
Oh and best of all, we went to see Steely Dan on Tuesday night at the winery...what a terrific show! They are my all time favorite band, starting back from my senior days in school...SO happy to have finally seen them. Even though Donald Fagan looks like he's eighty...it was like being at a party and your uncle joe got up to sing for you...ha ha. Although a very talented and clever uncle joe to say the least. What a talent he is. And Walter was there as well...it was spectacular!

Donald and the girls...amazing backups!

Walter and Donald...Steely Dan

Oh and I forgot, last month we started this whole shindig with a concert at the winery for Lyle Lovette and John Hyatt...WHAT another great show! You would not believe how well these two sing together. It was just each of them and their guitars and they took turns back and forth singing a song and talking. It was phenomenal! It was a great way to begin the season.

These are part of the erased photos...again, don't ask.

But here we are now just passing the 4th hump...the garden is coming along and the walls in the house are getting closer to being finished and I'm exhausted!
Although I have been in a flurry of writing this past month. The book is taking on a life of it's own...it's really exciting. I can't wait to sit down and write everyday, the story is so alive to me. I read my new pages every day to Ray..he says not only is it super visual...but he can't wait to hear what happens next. Yay! I am planning on finishing this first book up by the end of the month...here's hoping. I can't wait to get it out there. I know a lot of you have been chomping at the bit to get into it already....it's close.

And to put a damper on my summer activities I have put on a very unwanted 10 lbs.! You may think this doesn't sound like much...however, I am normally very thin, I have little teeny tiny arms and wrists, ankles, legs ect. So when I gain even as little as 3 lbs, or god forbid, 5 lbs...it really shows up on me. So 10 lbs is insane for me. It's all right in the middle, something I'm not used to. I've always had a tiny waist. And of course the thigh hip thing, what is that already? Why does that have to happen to us? And it's all a response to HORMONES! I had to start taking some estrogen because I apparently had none, causing some pretty serious side effects...then I went overboard with the stuff and boom! Fat every where...I put an inch and a half on my waist overnight! I can't stand it. Someone really needs to warn you about these things...I never saw it coming!

So now I'm back into my daily yoga routine and changing some eating habits that I began when I moved in with the boys here....geez, they can eat! Not enough to put this kinda fat on me, but doesn't help the situation much. So getting back into my natural groove of things. Hope to see the change back to my happy little thin self soon.

And another photo to enter in the how large can we grow vegies in Santa Cruz? I handed Ray a bucket of artichoke...geez!

This photo doesn't even do it justice...this is in a very large (water stained) wooden salad bowl...this thing was MONSTROUS!

So there we are caught up for the month. All except the art thing.
First and foremost...say good bye to Jim Morrison as he is heading off to reside in Florida. Yay!

Off to live in Florida with a very dear old friend of mine...yay!

In the meantime I have put my ENTIRE ESTY SHOPPE 50% OFF SALE to make room for my new stuff.
Everything, prints included...so no time like the present to check out my shoppe if you haven't already.

Well I got to get back to work. Sorry for the long time away. I need to catch up on my blogs that I follow...oh and speaking of blogs, if you are into needlepoint or stitching in anyway, you need to check out my mother's new blog...still in the baby stages, but she is a well known designer and she has a web that really shows off her work. It's all geometric stuff, very cool indeed. And she will be opening an Esty soon as well, where she will sell kits and threads, etc. It's worth the visit if you are into that kind of art.

So like I said, back to the grind...Have a really happy day and keep creating!! oxox juner

PS. I had intended to include a video of the Steely Dan concert, but for some reason it won't download to my blog...that's a real drag, cuz I took it share...oh well, if I figure it out, you'll see it next time.

CATCHING UP

2011-06-07T21:50:00.000-07:00

I really have no news other than I have been so completely busy with the house and garden and new puppy....who is doing very well by the way.

Bodhi is just the happiest, sweetest little bugger there is....we love him to death!

It's just been a whirlwind of busy around here. So I have not done much on the art projects as of lately. Although I did start my Michael Jackson piece. Very excited about that. I really made an attempt to sit down and finish the other pieces....but I just feel so ready to explore my talents and push myself further. I need something more from my painting. I can't explain it, I simply must do it and see where it takes me.

Actually, I have been in a writing frenzy the past couple of weeks. I'm in that part of my book where I know what's happening next so it's just pouring out of me. This book is something else...or I should say, this process I find myself in is very rewarding. I really get lost in this art with words. I have been writing for two and three days straight. To the point where I had just the worst eye ache and my neck, geez, forget about it.

I was thinking it would be so fun to just put some of it out there and see how much interest I could bring in...but something is telling me to just keep writing, find and agent and go for it!

So, this weekend Case is graduating from HS. Loads of people and big dinner party. Some family that haven't been to the house since I moved in and did my "thang". And there is nothing like guest coming and a dinner party that creates the frenzy of getting things done. I'm painting the kitchen ceiling and the laundry room (metallic copper, it's looking so cool) and washing all the hardwood floors...and on and on....oh! and of course I've decided to make home made stuffed pasta triangles, (that would be ravioli to us normal folk). Why do I always do this to myself? What can I say, I love a good dinner party! Here's the last one we had a couple weeks ago....WHAT a great time we had!

My Core Group of Friends

I was playing around with my digital and got the weirdest results

We look good in red

Mike and Pat were beyond phenomenal...great pickin!

This one looks like we had a special guest hangin around...This light is only in the two photos I have of this spot....yikes!

The girls in full voice singing along with, what else....I Got You Babe...here's how this series went.

They just take my lead, how cool are they?

They really are the bestest friends any girl could ask for... ever!

In the meantime I have let go of my weekly catch up on some of my favorite sites, so I apologize for that. I will get back to my peeking in on some of you in the next few days. I really enjoy this. Seriously, I feel like I know some of you in a more intimate way and it makes me feel connected somehow in a bigger way. I really feel like some of you are my friends.

Speaking of friends, I see I lost a follower today...that's too bad. It's so hard not to take that kind of stuff personal. You wonder what could have happened that some one would go through the trouble of actually erasing themselves from your site. Did I say something they didn't agree with or offend someone's beliefs or did I neglect to keep my blog hopping with new and exciting art? What could it be?

You know I've never just posted my thoughts without having a place to go with them and photos to share. (although I went back in and posted a few photos after all).
I'm just catching up with every one again, that's all.

Hope this day finds you feeling satisfied with your work and joyful with your life...much love to all, xoxo, juner

A NEW ADDITION TO THE FAMILY

2011-05-20T16:22:00.000-07:00

Here he is....our new baby....BODHI. He's 8 weeks old, Lab and who knows what else. The shelter believes either boxer or hound...either way he's cute as could be and very teeny right now. Probably won't get too big....too bad for me....I LOVE big dogs. But there was no way I was passing this one up. We have been looking for months. It seems the only dogs out there to adopt are Chihuahuas and Pit Bulls...or a combination of the two, (with a little Rottie thrown in--I happen to LOVE Rotties, but our insurance will not allow them, or pits or sheppards)...so there you have it. So a medium size dog is okay for us right now. In a year we will go find a friend for him and hopefully by then we will find a big one.

At the SPCA on our first meeting

Case and Bodhi's first meeting

Coming home from the vet's after his snipping....ouch!!

Just hanging out under a chair in the dirt

He's already so much fun running around in the yard. Last night when I put him to bed in the laundry room, he cried for ten minutes, nothing to harsh, then went to sleep for the entire night. No accidents, no tearing up of paper, no poo, no pee...no mess what so ever....until I came for him at 7:30 AM. He follows my every footstep, and when I need a break he hangs outside with Ray while he's working....this is just so exciting!!
Have a happy puppy day xoxox june

GARDEN PROGRESS

2011-05-10T01:07:00.000-07:00

Well it's finally coming together enough for me to start planting some things...still gotta a way to go, and it definitely will not be a complete creation this season....but it's still so exciting to see these changes and know that I will soon have the garden I have always dreamed of. The first three shots are a reminder of what this space used to look like. The kids who live in the back apartment we have, built this a couple years ago and it was really sweet. But the posts were loose and spaced too far apart and the mesh netting above was propped up loosely, it just wasn't substantial enough for what I wanted. I originally had planned to reinforce the whole thing, but it just morphed into a whole new area. And we couldn't be happier....enjoy!

Just a simple little garden of whimsey

The deer had free reign

This is the backside after the posts were taken down

This is that exact backside now....a garden shed, which will be covered in wood, as part of the wall

Looking at this from behind to show the expanse of the fence coming up into the back of the yard off the back porch. This area next to the shed will become the firewood cutting/storing area

These are the old posts we used to create our planter boxes....I decided it was easier to use container with the serious issue with gofers. but I really like the look anyway.

My big flower box...it's 5x12 foot.
The compost bin and container is behind

This is on the opposite side of the garden, which is now a
36 foot square.
This is the main veggie container and is 3.5 x 24 foot

I've added birdhouses along the back fence on both sides not only for fun and whimsy, as well as a bird haven....but it adds the height I need to keep the deer from jumping over.
Loads of obstacles out here in the forest.

An over all look....what you can't see is I have strung three strands of very rusty wire a foot apart on the top half of the fence, all the way around. With the bottom about five feet tall, this makes the fence roughly nine feet protected....that ought to hold those dang jumping deer from getting to my roses!

Now all we need to do is finish building a couple more containers...there's one behind the open gate that you can't really see that will be for all the lettuce/arugula/spinach etc and herbs. You also can't see the little fairy tale gate I made in this photo...will have to get one soon, I'm very proud of the cute little thing. And this front wall just out of the photo is going to be the home of my greenhouse...yay!! This has been a long arduous journey. Lot's of delays with the weather and such...but coming along now. Will keep you updated as things grow (pun intended).

xoxo, juner

A GIFT FROM SPAIN

2011-05-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I got a message that I had won a gift from Noemi of "fuego, metal y color" from Salamanca Spain. Noemi has a new esty shoppe full of beautiful hand made bracelets...I advise everyone to go check it out and give her a warm welcome to esty....hope everyone is having a great weekend...xoxo juner

The bracelet came in a sweet little strawberry card folder with a polka dot ribbon, a note card was included and the piece was wrapped first in cellophane then in pink tissue...
it was just lovely to unwrap.

It's tough to photograph, but it is a chain of dark mottled pyrite with a little cubic zircon
hanging from the clip.
I love it!! Thx again Noemi.

OUR FIRST ROAD TRIP

2011-05-02T17:46:00.000-07:00

So we ventured off on down to LA to visit with Ray's daughter who just moved into a new place of her own. We had an extremely wonderful evening with her boss's Donna and Paul. They are eccentric artist who live in a loft full of art and personality...it was the highlight of our trip. We also stopped by for a short visit with one of my very closest and oldest friends Patrick, who is also a tremendous artist as well....and a bit eccentric truth be told. Then a couple days with my baby sister Elizabeth and a dinner including another sister, Cathy,(there are four of us). The trip down was spectacular. The sites were beautiful and lush. We had the best time ever! I know this may be a bit much, but it's a challenge to limit down the photos to share...everything was so gorgeous in this late spring. So enjoy...you'll want to get down further to check out this artist loft, these photos don't do it justice. It was so amazing to sit in this huge room, (15 ft walls) with so much art surrounding us...and the warmth of the small living area with sofa's and pillows under the loft space...what a place to live! xoxo juner

The road down the 101...old mission style California

The little town of Pasa Robles

The coast drive down the 101

Vineyards along the two lane hwy, it's the best drive down to LA

The little old fashion town of Los Alamos

Los Alamos

Nearing Santa Barbara

More coast

LA in the heart of the city

Dinner with Paul, Donna, and Ray's daughter Kenzie...this is just a small shot of a much bigger room. The main space they live in is just off to the right of this, under the loft protrusion.

From the front entry...they have a view of the entire city of lights...it's magic!
Here you can see the space under the loft, with the sofa's and views. The dinning table is over to the left where we sat and laughed and talked the night away.

Paul's art covered every available inch of this part of the loft....there are three floors,
this being the main part of the house.

Paul and his wife Donna are the owners of "The Wizard of Art" a school for children.

Mekenzie...a teacher at the school and very pretty.

Patrick with a couple of his latest mermaid creations to the left.

Baby sister Elizabeth, next sister down from me, Cathy

My sister lives near Valencia....this is where the oranges come from.
great drive past all the miles of orchards.

The little city of Ventura on the Pacific coast

Ray looking very rugged and peaceful here.

The added romance that was part of this first road trip together...
.the rest is for us to remember to ourselves!
xoxox juner

THE BIG OFFER

2011-04-28T16:56:00.000-07:00

Okay....I'm really in the flow of things lately...which is a very good thing.

So to anyone who is interested or knows of someone who may be interested... I am willing to negotiate any offers to purchase my Jim Morrison original painting. I really want him to go to someone who truly loves him. So no sincere offer will be an insult. I am more interested in giving him a good home than anything else right now. It is more important for me to open up the space for my new work...So I would like to put it out there...FYI.

Jim is 3 x 4 foot square...acrylic on 2 inch gallery wrap canvas. He looks wayyyy better in person. It's a very dynamic painting in very bold color. Thx for the chance...june

A NEW LOOK FOR A NEW DIRECTION

2011-04-13T20:46:00.000-07:00

Well in case you haven't noticed I changed up my blog.....still need to work out some of the kinks, so bare with me a bit. I'm an artist, not a tech person and this stuff makes my brain hurt.

So the "new direction" came from me thinking about the Rock Series and what I wish to make of this. It's been a really good learning experience for me...but now I need more. So I'm heading in a more artistically freeing space by not painting myself into a corner...literally!

From now on I will paint the legends as the mood hits me. Instead of grouping things and matching backgrounds.....uuggg! Too much pressure, not enough fun. I want more freedom and flow in my work.
For instance, I have a terrific picture in my brain of a different kind of painting than what I'm used to doing with Michael Jackson as the legend. I just need to explore that area of creativity without thinking, how does it fit into the series? I just need more...that's all I can say.

So after receiving an offer for my Jimi Hendrix piece and realizing I had to break the pattern. I had to let go of the elusive "show" I am planning and think outside the box. I had to let go of one of my babies.....that's a really hard thing to do. Especially when it is one of your best. But all of the sudden I just got calm and instantly I became completely untethered to an old idea.
So drum roll please....the new title of my series is

"ROCK, BIKES & TATTS"

I think that pretty much sums it up.

So here is the bigger news....I sold my Jimi Hendrix painting to a young couple, Willow and Cary, on the upper East side in NYC, thx to their designer Nellie...they are hanging him on a large exposed brick wall....YAY!

And because of this revelation hitting me like a ton of bricks....pun intended...I decided to change all the prices on my original pieces of Rock Art by 35%. So I'm putting it out there that if anyone is interested please feel free to scoop one up as is...or by all means, make me an offer....it's time to make some space for the new series.....here I go!
And remember....ROCK ON! xoxo juner

SUNNY DAYS!

2011-04-07T16:47:00.000-07:00

So the rain finally subsided and the sun came out and all I could do was work in the garden. I didn't want to waste any sun days in the house. That put a little damper getting my art work done. Although I did get in some work on Rod, and then began another project, (geez I'm the worse...can't help myself, when I get an idea I just have to go with it). I have always loved the idea of sculpting. So I finally picked up some polymer clay and started playing around.

It wasn't flowing...nothing. I wasn't coming up with anything unusual or special. So after scrapping my second major attempt, and day of working on one particular piece, I sat there staring in utter frustration...why can't I get out what I clearly see in my mind? What am I fumbling about with? What can I make? Then it hit me suddenly...why don't I do what I know...what I do best!

So that's what I'm doing. Here is a very teeny tiny close up of a very raw, very beginning of where I am taking this...himmmm, look familiar? Of course it will morph into something other than what you see here right now...but Yep, we're heading into another area in the "Rock Series"...you'll just have to wait for the update. Hope it's as fun for you as it is for me.

Next I wanted to give you the updated process of Rod...he may not look that different at first glance, but he is. I completely reshaped his whole profile, his features are more defined and darker..although his mouth has been erased. And his hair has more definition and the neck scarves are starting to take shape...it's getting there. I promise to put more attention onto this painting in the next few days...He needs to be finished already! Rock On! Juners Oh, and here's an update on the garden I'm building.

ROD THE MOD...HE'S GETTING THERE

A ROCK STAR WITH LARGE LIPS..HIMMM...NO NOT HIM, THE OTHER ONE!

THE FENCE IS ALMOST DONE, THE GATE IS ALMOST UP AND THE BIRDS HAVE A PLACE TO HANG
KEEP WATCHING FOR THE FINAL PHOTOS...IT'S REALLY COMING ALONG THE WAY I HAVE ALWAYS WISHED FOR...A GREENHOUSE AND A LARGE FAMILY TABLE WITH A CANOPY ...YOU'LL SEE SOON.

TERRIFIC STORM AFTERMATH!

2011-03-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to catch up with everyone this past week. In case you haven't heard, Santa Cruz got SLAMMED with this latest storm. First the tsunami hit the harbor worse than any other area on the shores of the US. They are still digging around for sunken boats. Then a week later the storm that just dumped amazing amounts of water for days on end reeked havoc with our quaint little community. A huge pipe broke in a mobil home park and it flooded the entire little sea side village of Capitola...I mean the entire village under two/three feet of water. All the lovely beach homes and vacation rentals had to be evacuated, for the second time in one week. All the merchants and restaurants are closed, it's devastating to say the least.

We, ourselves, had several large evergreen trees fall. One that blocked our driveway and took out all of our power lines for 150ft. No water, heat, phones or electricity for several days. Then the other big one landed on my car! That's right, I said my car. We couldn't pull into our driveway because of the big tree and parked my car down further towards the road...I didn't feel good about leaving it there either, but at least it was away from live dangling power wires....but alas, a tree from the opposite side of the canyon that borders our 1/4 mile drive into the forest, decided to fall, through all odds and about thirty other trees, and land on our side. Thank god it was just the upper part of the tree so it was only a foot in diameter, as opposed to the two/three foot base. But damage it did anyway. I will find out tomorrow if they are really going to total my car...very sad for me...I really love my car.

So bare with me another week while I get some things together and can catch up with the rest of you on my list and share the art projects I've been working on. It's amazing how much work you can get done when you have no electricity and it's pouring outside. I just set up my easel by a big window, bundled up with sweaters, gloves and blankets on my lap, and worked on Rod.

Hope all is well with everyone else. Keep dry....and find a way to create no matter what,

trust me, it can be done if you have the mind too...xx, juner

IF YOU CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT AND GO DOWN THE CANYON TO THE WATER LOOK PAST THE TALL DARK STANDING TREE IN THE MIDDLE TO IT'S LOWER LEFT. THERE IS THE BASE OF THE TREE THAT FELL. THE ROOTS CAN BE SEEN ON THE LOWER RIGHT OF THE BROWN STANDING TREE. FOLLOW UP THE SIDE OF THE HILL AND IT KEEPS GOING FOR ANOTHER FIFTY FEET OR MORE TO REACH OUR DRIVE. I GUESS IT WAS MEANT TO BE!

A PIECE OF THE BIG TREE THAT LANDED ACROSS OUR DRIVE...HUGE ROOTS

THE MIDDLE PART OF THE TREE WE HAD TO SAW TO CLEAR FROM THE DRIVE TO PASS. THIS COMES UP TO MY TORSO...WE HAD TO CLIMB OVER IT TO GET INTO THE HOUSE.

MY PASSENGER DOOR, NO WINDOW AT ALL, NO MIRROR, NO ANTENA. THEN THE DOOR MOUNT TO THE WINDSHIELD IS THE WORSE. THE FRONT FENDER IS DAMAGED, THE HOOD, THE HEADLITE, THE BUMMPER...I BELIEVE THAT'S IT.....IT'S ENOUGH!

MY NEW TREASURES FROM OWOH

2011-03-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

I have received three out of four of the gifts that I won from OWOH. I decided not to wait for the fourth gift, hopefully she will send it soon.

In the meantime I wanted to give my thx to the other artist who did sent their gifts. Please make sure you stop by and see what they do, up close. It's definitely worth the visit.

First up is my winnings from the UK and Sherry Edwards. As you may recall Sherry also won on my giveaway and received her poster of Mick Jagger in good shape....So Mick is in the UK where he rightfully belongs. I received a sweet little package that contained the Distressing Inks and pads...VERY happy about that to say the least. Since I'm not a "paper" artist, I had never seen these before and was hoping I would win them to see what I could do with them. Apparently I'm in the dark about these, which worked in my favor, since I REALLY wanted to win them...yay! me.

Next up turns out to be the last blog I visited and is at the top of my list of favorite gifts...no hard feelings to anyone else...but seriously, how cute is this little Queenie? She came all the way from Pennsylvania and Lorraine, who was a part of a group blog that was all about dolls. But you guessed it, I pretty much won one of the very best ones there...seems I got the luck of the draw. I have her hanging in my parlor, which happens to be my painting room as well...Her name is Sprite. She makes me smile.

My next gift came all the way from Australia where Liv Scarcella  does her work. She does scrap/paper art and she sent me the sweetest little charm bracelet. I chose the frog...good feng shui! And here he is sitting on my antique leather tooled chair...seemed apropos for the occasion. Again, you may recall that Liv was also a winner of mine and she received her Janis Joplin poster just last week!...it takes some time to get things to Australia...but home she is.

And last but not least, this is my final win from Sylvia in Illinois...I hope she is alright and will send out my gift soon...this is special, considering it is the final OWOH. So my sincere thx to everyone who not only participated, but pulled my number. And thx to the many new friends I added to my heart.

This was a good year.

THE GARDEN

2011-03-11T17:14:00.000-08:00

So it has begun, the building of my garden. This is something I have looked forward to most of my adult life. And I finally have the space and property to do so. The "kids" that live here in the cottage had a simple little makeshift kind of space they had been using. It was the quaintest little thing...I loved it. However, the sides were falling down and the deer netting was tangled and the silvia was taking over. So I thought I would just go in and beef it up a bit...well, so much for that idea.

The next thing you know I am completely remaking the garden, in both structure and dimension. Ray brought in an old shed he had to become part of the wall and is planning on covering the siding with wood....so here are some photos to show you the process.

Still got a ways to go...but LOVE doing it! enjoy, xx juner

THE GARDEN BEFORE
SUPER CUTE!

LOADS OF NETTING AND HUGE SPACES

THE OUTSIDE SPACE GOING DOWN SOME STEPS AND SILVIA CUT BACK TO REVEAL PLUM TREE
THIS WILL BE A FENCED IN YARD AREA FOR OUR SOON TO COME NEW PUPPY
BEFORE

THE BUILDING OF THE FENCE AND A PLUM TREE NOW VISIBLE
SILVIA CUT BACK BUT WILL BE COMPLETELY REMOVED FOR NEW BUSHESS
AFTER

THE ADDITION OF SHED WITHOUT WOOD SIDING YET

TRELLS I'M BUILDING TO HOLD BIRD HOUSES AND VINES
IT IS TWO SIDED NOW...NEW PHOTOS SOON

ME AT WORK (IN MY MATHILDA TEE SHIRT, HA!0

WORK TO FINISH....IT'S TIME!

2011-03-03T15:32:00.000-08:00

Since my move in here with Ray almost six months ago I have been non stop...literally. I don't even know how I found the time to get out to as many of you as I did during OWOH...Oh!
I almost forgot to say that I am the very lucky recipient of FOUR gifts!
It's mind boggling how that happened, but yay for me!
As soon as I receive all the gifts I will post my winnings and their very talented owners.
So look for that, hopefully, next week.

In the meantime as I was saying, time to get back to work. So after a couple of weeks of messing about attempting some new things, I decided it was time to finish some older pieces that need finishing.
So I thought if I shared them with you it would force me to move ahead even quicker
No one wants public humiliation. So without further ado...
These are the pieces I am about to finish within the next few weeks.
Wish me luck!

Actually I thought it was about time I showed you something other than my doors...

and potatoes...ha ha..!! enjoy, xx juner

ROD THE MOD..Still needs MAJOR work!
And will complete the Union Jack Series which includes,
MICK JAGGER, which you already have seen, and ELTON JOHN
(see below)

So I began this last year, before all the HOOPLA...
I've decided to go ahead
and finish Ol Jessie James here.
His tatts will have all the color.
This is part of my "BIKES, TATTS & ROCK COLLECTION"

This has a banner on the bottom which reads
"40 YEARS OF BAD ASS ROCK N ROLL..COMING TO YOU NATIONWIDE"
This is to commemorate their 40 yrs and Sturgis 70 yrs
ZZ was the opening act at this last year event.
The band was interested in the piece...but who knows?
The jackets still need their embellishments which include
colored gems that fade from black & white
into color, eventually reflecting onto the bumper.
Beards still need detail...chrome girls, etc.

THIS IS A PHOTO OF ELTON THAT I WILL BE WORKING FROM...
ACTUALLY IT MAY BE FUN TO DOCUMENT THIS PAINTING FROM BEGINNING TO END....

I can't believe I'm sharing my unfinished work! This is sooo NOT me...I''m about building a painting..It takes layering of work. THESE ARE STILL RAW...Oh well, I'm doing it now.

If this doesn't get me motivated I don't know what will! ROCK ON!! xx

SNOW DAY IN CALIFORNIA

2011-02-24T19:52:00.000-08:00

I know this may not seem all that exciting to those of you living back east or...well anywhere outside of California actually. However, this is breathtaking to me. This is the main drive through the mountains of Santa Cruz to go over the hill towards San Jose. This stretch of hwy is magnificent all by itself....with the giant redwoods...it's always been one of my most favorite scenic drives.

BUT THIS!....

This was SPECTACULAR!!...enjoy..xx june

AND THE WINNERS ARE!!

2011-02-18T17:33:00.000-08:00

LIV FROM AUSTRALIA
livluvsscraps

SHERRY FROM THE UK
sherrysimpleblog

SANDRA FROM VIRGINIA
thistlecovefarm

Well I have to say this has been some kind of fun...sorry I'm so late today publishing the names of the winners of my giveaway...HOWEVER, have I got another story for you!

Yesterday I received an email from SHERRY in the UK, informing me that I had won a gift from her...AND it turned out that it was something that I had truly wished to have...so doubleYAY! for me.

In the meantime I had waited until later in the day to end my comments and put
the random generator to good use.
I pulled the number for LIV from Australia.

And as it turned out she was very enthusiastic about her hopes in winning my Janis poster,
so I was very happy that someone who truly wished for something from me had won.
Then as I was looking for the next winner, and I hit on someone in England who wished for Mick Jagger...now I had not intended to give out two rock posters but since this person was also EXTREMELY enthusiastic about the chances of winning Mick,
I decided...you know what, I think Mick belongs in the UK!
Then I thought, hey wait a minute...something about this sounds familiar...
Yes you are correct.. this just happens to be the SAME Sherry that I had won a gift from!!
So now I'm preparing to write to Liv to inform her of her winning when I received yet another email informing me that I was again a winner....this time from Australia.
You guessed it!!! It was from LIV!!
THIS IS MIND BOGGLING to say the least! What the heck are those odds?!

So I then went back to the generator in hopes that someone who wished for one of my children's illustrations would hit...and it did.
This time my Mathilda poster will be heading off to the
Appalachian Mountains of Virginia to reside with Sandra.
All of their wonderful blogs can be reached by hitting on their names under the photos above.
Oh and lucky me, I received another message today that I had won a doll from Lorraine at the dollblog. So needless to say, it has been a very happy, successful OWOH for me this year.

Now for my next surprise.
I decided that since hundreds of people came by my blog...and I mean hundreds, yet only a couple hun left a comment...obviously my art only appeals to some. And since those some left me such very lovely, encouraging, and personal comments, I have decided to send them a print of the poster of their choice. These are only the top five....representing the five wonderful years of OWOH.
Their names are:
Tammy of Bonsai Habits
Sheri of Shersheart2heart
Thespa of Vintiquities Workshop
Cecilia of Greenestmermaid
Heidi of Digital Misfits

Thank you all for a wonderful journey and for giving Ray and I such lovely well wishes...
until next year
Love, june

I almost forgot...one special little girl will receive a tee shirt of Mathilda, thx to her grandmother Donna

from visiting beyond borders

POTATO NATION

2011-02-15T12:58:00.000-08:00

So we passed the organic russets in the market and at a glance they looked rather substantial, so I asked Ray to go over and pick a couple big ones to use as a main course for dinner. This is what I pulled out of the bag when we got home!...
His reply when I looked at him with my mouth wide open...

"Well you said grab some big ones!"

I guess that was a redundant request from me, apparently they are all big.

They look like shoes for the love of god!

So the moral of the story...be careful what you ask for...you just may get i!

NEXT TO MY SIZE 9 FRY WORK BOOTS...MINE ARE ON THE LEFT..HA HA

IN A TEN INCH SKILLET

NOT A PROMOTION FOR THE WINE

AND I HAVE LARGE HANDS FOR A WOMAN...DAINTY OF COURSE BUT LONG FINGERS..HA.

THE DOOR HAS TWO SIDES

2011-02-08T17:42:00.000-08:00

Here is the other side of the master bath door that I finished last week and never shared...just a reminder the blue is the inside and the plum/blue is the outside,(and the antique gold is not finished on the door frame outstide. NOT good on the photo color which makes me crazy!

The first shot is with a flash the second without...

the color is more true to the darker one..but you can't really see the work...

This is the best you're going to get from me right now...either way...we're thrilled with the outcome!, enjoy, juner

WITH FLASH...A LITTLE MORE RED THAN IN PERSON

WITHOUT FLASH ... TOO DULL BUT CLOSER TO THE PLUM COLOR

IT LOOKS VERY OLD AND WORN OUT IN PERSON...I PROMISE

REMINDER...THIS IS THE INSIDE DOOR

WITHOUT FLASH

A DAY AT THE BEACH

2011-02-06T23:42:00.000-08:00

We went down to the beach Friday morning to get a quick stroll in and spend a few minutes together before the day got away from us. It was a sunny gorgeous day. This is one of the closest beaches to our home... We're so lucky to have this kind of access to the shore, while still living in the trees. We can make it here in ten minutes...this is some city to live in I must say. This is the lighthouse to the harbor...

enjoy, june

THE DARK BROWN WOODEN STRUCTURE IS THE CROW'S NEST, A LOCAL PLACE TO HEAR GREAT BANDS AND DANCE AND EAT SEAFOOD...

THE HARBOR ENTRANCE AND EXIT TO THE MONTEREY BAY

THE BREAKER WAS LINED WITH THESE STRANGE GIANT CEMENT JAX...REALLY UNUSUAL

THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ ON THE OPPOSITE SHORE

GREAT WAVES SPLASHING. THAT WOULD COVER THE ENTIRE WALK..IT WAS KINDA SCARRY BUT EXHILARATING AT THE SAME TIME (KINDA CHALLENGING TO CAPTURE WITH A DIGITAL)

Then as we drove down the street to head home and these are some of the houses we saw along the way...all on one street...oh course my favorite was the house with the tree sweater...now THIS IS DIFFERENT...thinking out side the box, huh?

HOW FREAKING COOL IS THIS? I MEAN TO TELL YOU...!!

PAINTING IN THE CLOSED UP WINDOW OF THIS SUSTAINABLE LIVING CENTER

YES, THESE ARE ALL ON ONE STREET!

THIS REMINDS ME OF LA

LOOKS LIKE A NICE PLACE TO SEND YOUR KIDS

THIS ONE IS ACTUALLY AT THE CORNER ON THE BEACH AT THE BEGINNING OF THE ROAD...LOOKS RIGHT OUT TO THE HARBOR LIGHTHOUSE...NOT TOO SHABBY HUH?

THIS IS THE ROAD ON THE WAY TO OUR HOME...SO NOW WE ARE HEADING TOWARDS THE FOREST...YAY FOR US!!

SO QUITE THE VERSATILE LITTLE AREA I LIVE IN...OCEAN AND MOUNTAINS...I LOVE IT!

ONE WORLD ONE HEART

2011-01-30T23:57:00.000-08:00

New to OWOH? I have a little story I'd like to share with you.

Last year, my first OWOH, I connected with a woman who lives in Montana, Abigail of Rusted Wing Gallery. I purchased a piece of art from her younger daughter who lives with her in Montana and as life would have it, by chance I happen to also purchase a piece of art from one of her older daughters who lives in New Zealand. I had no idea they were all related. This opened the door for Abigail and I to start communicating with one another. During our first several emails we talked about art, snow, friends and work. Then one day she asked me if I was by any chance single and would I be open to meeting a friend of hers who happened to live here in Santa Cruz Ca. So I said why not... and that is how I was introduced to Ray. We began with a couple of emails and quickly went into phone conversations that lasted two and three hours. We had our first date on February 19, 2010. We will be celebrating our one year anniversary of our first date in two weeks.

Ray and I now share the same address with his soon to be eighteen year old son Case. I have OWOH to thank for giving artist a platform to meet each other and share a piece of themselves. I have met many lovely people and have made lasting friendships. Art is the language we share.

In the meantime my life has been fully consumed with my new family...Ray has two older children, Mekenzie and Calhan... and combining our homes and lives. I haven't produced much in the way of "new" art in my series of work. I have several pieces going all at once and new ideas for expanding my experience of creating. I'm pushing my art to another level and I can't wait to share what I am doing. Since I had such an amazing response to the pieces I shared as my giveaway last year I thought I would continue with more of the same.

So for my TWO giveaways, using the random generator on the evening of February 17th, I will send two lucky people their choice of poster. These are beautiful full color high quality, heavy paper posters. The choices are either a storybook illustration......or for the rockers at heart...well you get the picture.

ADDED TODAY AT ll:40 AM PST..if you would prefer an 8 x 10 print of one of the illustrations instead of a poster just let me know.

Make sure you leave a comment and a way to get in touch with you, (email is best) in case you win. And don't forget to include which poster is your choice.

And I can't wait to meet some new artist and hopefully make some new friends....I acquired some great pieces last year and would love to add to my collection of art from around the world.

Good luck, have fun!

Who knows maybe you'll meet the love of your life if nothing else!

GIVEAWAY #1

FOR THE ROCKERS

Mick Jagger Poster (24 x 36)

This is a photo of the original piece which is 36 x 36

This is the giveaway Poster 24 x 36

OR JANIS JOPLIN (back by popular demand)

Photo of original painting 36 x 36

This is the giveaway Poster 24 x 36

GIVEAWAY #2

FOR THE WHIMSICAL AT HEART

From The Benjamin McTish Storybook Illustrations Poster 18 x 24

If you click on the photos you can zoom in with another click and really check out the detail of these pieces to make a better decision as to which poster you would like to have,

(Mathilda is my favorite, she makes me giggle!)

Benjamin McTish

Mathilda Wickcliff

Chantilly Lily

Finley Heaton, the Star Hanger

MASTER BATH REMAKE

2011-01-30T19:01:00.000-08:00

So I finally have some photos together to show you what I have been doing around my new digs for the past several months. Instead of canvas I'm doing walls and doors and having a great time of it!

So without further ado, here are some before and after shots of our master bath. Remember, lighting is just basic digital camera and is not really true to reality. But you will get an idea either way.

BEFORE...LIGHT CELERY WALLS, ALL WHITE TRIM AND CASINGS

WHITE CEILING WOOD, NO WINDOW TREATMENT

AFTER...ALL AGING TECHNIQUES. ANTIQUE GOLD LEAF ON ALL CASINGS, AGED BLUE WINDOWS AND CEILING WOOD...THE WALLS LOOK LIKE SUEDE UP CLOSE, THERE IS ALOT OF MOVEMENT IN THEM. VINTAGE FRENCH DRAPERY
WE STILL NEED TO HANG UP ART AND HOOKS FOR TOWELS, ETC.

BEAD BOARD ON TUB BASE

BEFORE

AFTER,,,THE DOOR LOOKS SUPER SHINEY HERE, BUT LOOKS AMAZING IN PERSON...VINTAGE FRENCH LAMPSHADES, (which you can't really see here as the light is on..too bad they are great)

THIS IS THE CEILING WOOD ABOVE THE TUB AND TOLET, BUT I'M PAINTING A MURAL ON THE MAIN CEILING OF SOMETHING SPECIAL...WILL SHARE WITH YOU SOONER THAN LATER.

ONE WORLD ONE HEART 2011

2011-01-22T12:47:00.000-08:00

IT'S GETTING CLOSER TO THE BIG EVENT!!

Being close friends with Lisa I get the updates on how things are moving along....this is a TON of work for her physically and mentally. She literally reads every single blog post she gets to make sure everyone is eligible. Then she posts every thing and links everything and fields gillions of questions....I'm one of her closest friends, we speak almost daily and I still don't have a clue how to set up my post!! So it goes to show you how many of you out there could have questions as well....on her behalf I'd like to say just make certain to thoroughly read the many posts/directions she has posted on her site.... and most of all have fun....meet new people and see some amazing art work and creativity from around the globe...it's truly a great event to be a part of...so see you in a few days....loads of fun to everyone...

love juner

OUR FIRST NEW YEARS EVE

2011-01-16T14:02:00.000-08:00

So here are the promised photos from our First New Years Eve together....We got all dressed up and went to the Shadowbrook, a beautiful restaurant built on the side of a hill overlooking the little beach town of Capitola. You take a tram down the side of the hill to the wood cabin like entry into the bar. A fireplace lit, quiet live music and packed. We sat at the bar with a couple friends we happen to run into and had a short visit and an amazing appetizer. We then drove over to Michael's on Main, one of my favorite restaurants/bars that sits on the Soquel Creek. My best friend Nancy, her husband Pat and his band The Road Hogs featuring Cindy Edwards, (grammy nominee and rockin major singer) were playing that night. We walked in to saved seats right on the small dance floor and partied until the lights came up at the end of the evening. We ventured back to our home and continued to enjoy our night until the wee hours....what a great way to bring in the new year!! Hope everyone has a grand and grace filled 2011....success, abundance, music, beauty, health, and love....juner

June and Nancy, (in her new cheetah coat that I gave to her for Xmas)

Nancy has a comfortable seat on Ray's lap

Cindy Edwards and The Road Hogs...Pat on the lead guitar in the back right side

Ray and June "Blue Steel" pose

The girls posing for the camera on the dance floor...we danced all night

One last mug for the camera, pursed lips and all

The first of many New Years Kisses

ATTEMPTING TO CATCH UP!!

2011-01-14T21:52:00.000-08:00

Since I can't seem to sit down for a moment these days and fill you in on everything I'm now going to have to catch up all in one post. So here goes....

The kids are ready Xmas morning!

Lisa giving a toast at dinner

Celebrating my big 55! (I know, hard to believe, (that's a last minute addition of a musical candle!)

Lisa made us all wear party hats and I had a PILE of necklaces on and it was great!!

Dad recovered from accident and looking cute in a party hat

This was a week later the last night with the kids before they went home...this was before Sushi

This was after Sushi and Sake!

This is the top of a building in San Francisco which is were we spent the afternoon on the 30th. The city was bustling and SUPER Xmas and tons of fun!! We plan to make this a tradition...going to the wharf for chowder, what a great way to end the year!

Hope you can see this, it's a Xmas tree the size of all three floors at the Neiman Marcus in Union Square

The Macy's is cool...they have a wreath in every single window for ? (lot's) floors!

Case and his cousin Julius and myself...Alcatraz in the background...ps it was FREEZING that day!

Kids!

Looking out our window at the restaurant down into the harbor...very Xmasy indeed!

I wish you could see how spectacular this looked in person...simply breath taking and exciting...the Golden Gate, lights everywhere, from the buildings to the boats and the bridge, people everywhere, music and family...what a great day!!

And since I still have New Year's Eve to share, which was tons of fun! I will wait until tomorrow to post so you don't get exhausted reading all of this...ha ha....till then, luv, june

First Annual Schneider/Pace Xmas Party!

2010-12-30T00:57:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the photos from my digital taken at our first Xmas party a few weeks before Xmas, there are only a few because most of mine were taken with my "real" camera and haven't been developed yet...but promised I will get to that soon...wanted to attempt to catch you up...or should I say GET ME caught up with sharing the holidays here at my new digs....enjoy! Hope your holiday season has been joyful and happy....love to you all, juner

Greeting from Jim and Sue...(my only friend..inside joke)

Lisa's Birthday Surprise!!! That's me with the cake in case you are wondering.

Very Best Friend for Ray, Mark and a good friend Byron

Later with a little jam session, and what is left of the food..which was none by the end of the night

Dear Friend Duane

Blurry shot of whold room...but like the effect anyway....later

STARTING THE SEASON RIGHT

2010-12-13T18:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, here I am catching up with you again...but this should be the last time I have to do this as everything is finally slowing down to a small roar over here...FINALLY! So I will post two blogs today, the first is my new family and me (an EXTREMELY exhausted, tired and worn out me, but me none the less) searching for the perfect trees...yes, I said trees. We decided to put two up this year as we have a den with a pool table and I pretty much live in there while I need some time to myself to watch a tv show or two...so I wanted atmosphere. So we let Case and his girlfriend Taylor choose a smaller tree...if you can call five foot smaller and then Ray and I...well everyone got involved truth be told...went in hunt of the main tree...a huge ten footer!! So here is our outing up to the tree farm and even though it was cold and drizzling...we had the best day ever!

photo op!

Look at which one?

another photo op

Someone took this photo and it wasn't me...

Watching the Raiders (in my jersey) and trimming the tree...what could be better?!

A beauty from across the room!

BEEN WAY TOO LONG!

2010-11-19T11:33:00.000-08:00

I'm not quite sure how to catch up with you all....it's been way too long! This move in has taken ALL my time AND energy, but it is finally seeing some light.

So to re-cap my adventures for you in a few brief pics and words....

This is one lovely break day at Glass Beach

We ran off to see Willie Nelson...my camera was low on batteries, so all I got was this two second video...what an icon...he was great! just press the arrow, I believe you will see it...

Then we went to the HOT ROD Show down by the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk with Ray's best friend Mark...super hot day...loads of people on the beach and the boardwalk and all the rides and attractions were full to capacity....but again, tons of fun!

And in the middle of all of this I am redoing a clients very tiny kitchen...you will have to wait for the results...just like they are....soon

I found this old Harley Sportster buried away on the property, here at Casa de Schneider/Pace...and am very very happy since I've wanted one of these for as long as I can remember...I am going to refurbish and rebuild the whole thing by myself...of course my dad and a friend of Ray's dad, Julius, who is a Harley mechanic will be on the sidelines...wish me luck.

These are the new walls in our master bath...the brown on the casings will be morphed into antique gold by the time I'm done...it looks like mossy suede up close, I just realized you really can't see the detail in this photo of all the dark inclusions and such, but I'll get that handled soon...can't wait to show you all the befores and afters of the whole house....if I ever finish!!

Oh, then Julius decided to take a face splat on the pavement one day....it turns out that his medication was incorrect and he passed out and landed square on his face...ambulance took him and we spent eight hours in emergency...Julius is 91 and as alert as anyone I know...so no worries, he is back to tip top shape and working in the garage right now attempting to figure out an electrical problem we have...he's the best!

And this is a chandelier I saw one day that I really like...

So as I said...loads of work and fun being had by all....no art work happening right now, although all the special paint effects I am working on for both myself and my client do constitute art in my books....hope to update you all in the very near future on all the work in the house....holidays are coming and I can't wait to share the tree and decorations with you all...thx for you patience with me about my lack of keeping everything up to date...love, juner

SOME LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT PLEASE...

2010-09-26T15:01:00.000-07:00

So it's been a month since I wrote to you all...sorry about that, but moving is all consuming. Things are going along well...soooo much prep work before moving all my stuff in. Nearly there...just wanted to tease you again with a couple photos of some of the light fixtures in the house. Both Ray and I are mad about lighting and sconces...who knew a man could love rusted iron so much?! So for your viewing enjoyment...some of the special pieces in our home together...oh, and once I'm completely in I will start updating you on all the big changes I have made with paint and such....and maybe I will actually get back to my art again...geez!! ps. the top one is almost two foot from tip to tip...it's spectacular!

NEW ADDRESS

2010-08-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

So remember that guy I was introduced to through OWOH and Abigail from Montana, back in the beginning of February?.....Well he, Ray, invited me to come live with him and his youngest son, Case, and I said yes! So we are under mass clean up and painting, constructing, consolidating, and you know the rest....his home was not finished and has been untouched for ten years..needless to say, it needs a little lovin and a woman's touch...and I'm just the girl to do it!...keep you posted on all the changes as we go along....but here is one to pique your interest...this is the breakfast nook off the kitchen..it was yellow, now it is not..ha ha...this will become my studio/room. I've done green and blue stripes separated by antique metallic gold pin stripe, all done by hand, no tape! The white will be gone completely by the time I'm done aging the wood casing and ceiling beams.
The home is French country, with big black barn wood tongue and groove floor boards...I'll be adding my flavor of Tunisia and Morocco and old world Italian with a lot of aged gold wood...ha! that's me, what can I say...eclectic! Oh, and the stone heart is in the center of the pathway leading up to the front door...this place is magic and I'm with the guy who made is so sweet. He and his son have welcomed me with opened arms and it's just the best feeling ever to become part of this very loving family (his dad, Julius is beyond terrific, as are his daughter, Mekenzie and oldest son, Calhan, not to mention his sister Joy and Aunt Bea)...how happy am I right now!

MICHAEL McDONALD AND CHAKA AT THE WINERY

2010-08-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

Well, this was too much fun! We went to the Paul Masson Winery in the lush and exclusive mountain community of Saratoga on Saturday night to see Michael McDonald. I hadn't realized until we got there that his opening act was none other than Chaka Khan!! Wow! What a show! But the place is so spectacular I can't even begin to share. It's the old winery that was built in 1905 as a chateaux... it has these massive doors and the most exquisite building and the stage was built in front of this structure. The outdoor amphitheater holds maybe a thousand or so, would be my guess...and the view of San Jose on the backside of the mountain was simple breathtaking. Too bad I couldn't get a decent photo of that for you...but I do have some of the main attraction...Rock On!! JUNER

A NEW PIECE OF OLD WORLD

2010-07-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

My girlfriend Sue asked me to age down this huge plaster plaque she bought, (yes, those are my toes in the photo, BIG plaque). She wanted it subtle color and creamy...so here's how it ended up....had so much fun with this one, just thought I would share the outcome. It's much more visible color wise, with yellow, blue, green and pink, in person, but you can get the idea from here...the first pic is to show the original look and color before I completely covered it in ivory...then I went to work and here are some close ups of the finished piece...enjoy!

A DRIVE THROUGH CAPITOLA BY THE SEA

2010-07-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

I had an appointment today in Capitola. This is the tiny little beach town in the heart of Santa Cruz. It's everything you could imagine, with loads of restaurants with beach/ocean views. It's super fun in the summer because all the bars with live bands playing and people just walk from one place to the next. It literally right on the sand. There are shops and tourists and it's crowded. The homes are piled one on top of another on small one way streets in a maze of twists and turns in a very little area.
I came out of an appointment today and turned the corner and saw this house...it was so striking in person I took the picture right out my car window...sorry for the phone line, didn't pay attention, but I really wanted to share this....and then I drove down the road a piece and turned around to take a long view of our quaint little town of Capitola....I'm so lucky to live in such a beautiful place...hope you enjoy...juner

THE SILVER BUDDHA

2010-07-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

OKAY, I'M ATTEMPTING TO GET YOU TO GO TO THE ACTUAL NEW BUDDHA BLOG AND CHECK OUT THE NEW SERIES THERE....BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE ALL IN THE LOOP AND I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO MISS OUT ON WHAT'S UP.....
What's up is this is a big four by three foot painting that, naturally, in person is WAY nicer to see the serious details..which are SUPER layered and tarnished silver and scratchy. I wish you could see that here, but it's a good interpretation of the work.....it's how I pictured it in my mind's eye when I sat down to paint...hope you enjoy...remember, www.artofbuddha.blogspot.com

LOTUS FROM ART OF BUDDHA BLOG

2010-06-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

SOME NEW BUDDHA ART

2010-06-27T18:06:00.000-07:00

I've been getting a lot of requests for Buddha art, so I opened a new blog just for this genre of work since it is so different from all my other work. It's www.artofbuddha.blogspot.com.
Here are my two latest contributions to this series...hope you enjoy, love juner...ps. yay summer!!

SUMMER BEGINS IN SANTA CRUZ!

2010-06-20T23:37:00.000-07:00

Every Friday night starting in June, the city of Santa Cruz has free full blown live concerts on the beach, down by the boardwalk/amusement park throughout the summer. It's totally the coolest thing ever! Imagine sitting on the sand with the ocean and the sail boats going by...big white clouds, the sun going down while the music is playing and people are tossing beach balls around over your head...then the second show comes up as it gets dark and the lights are like an old concert hall with the different color cells and people cheering, the confetti canons go off and the rides on the boardwalk are all lit up...it's just summer at it's best.
So to kick off summer this year we started with Peter Noone, and Hermans' Hermit's....May sound silly but what a showman he is! You don't know how many hits until he's singing them and he sounds exactly the same as he did back in the sixties. He's super funny and does a great show...here we are having a lovely evening on the beach in Santa Cruz....don't' be too envious...lot's of love...juners

WOW!

2010-05-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

So I stepped outside for a moment to get a second of grounding, cause that' what I do....my backyard is a super place to just sit for a short time and gather and regroup...so there I am looking at my roses when I see this super neon yellow/lime green spider...ps. how amazing is the color of this rose by the way!? .....enjoy!

LAND OF MEDICINE BUDDHA

2010-04-28T10:10:00.000-07:00

This is the Land of Medicine Buddha up in the mountains a few minutes from where I live. It's the sweetest little drive through the forest in a small neighborhood, with prayer flags hanging across the street on the way up. I took Ray there on Saturday to check it out, he had never been there before. I can't believe I forgot to get a photo of the giant prayer wheel that is outside...they actually have two, but one is huge. So we added our prayer to the good of all sentient beings, as they are collecting a specific prayer of peace and are in the six digit numbers of prayers given so far. The retreat is a center for learning. The Dahli Lama has been here. You can come take class's and hear lectures, it's a very serene setting as you can imagine. This room in particular is so breath taking when you first walk in and the wall of Buddha's hit's your senses. The big sand mandala is encased in glass right now and is truly spectacular to see in person. All the intricate, tiny detail with the colored sand....it's really something to behold. Then the little Buddha that greats you as you pull into the drive with his prayer of

Om Mani Padme Hung...

Shanti Shanti Shanti.....love June

THANK YOU ABIGAIL AND OWOH!

2010-04-20T14:01:00.000-07:00

I'm getting a lot of emails with questions about my new man Ray...it's been amazing the response this has generated...seriously, you people are making me cry with your kind and loving words. My friends and family haven't seen me with some one in a very long time and its' blowing minds to say the least because not many knew. Lisa opened up a whole piece of my life for everyone and its' a bit overwhelming to share with so many people I don't even know. But this OWOH family of friends is like none I have ever experienced in my life...so here goes.

As Lisa mentioned I had a tough time of it at first, letting down some of my very strong reinforced walls...an old love was still situated very deeply in my heart, even though we had not been together in a very long time. Then Abigail from Montana, and Rusted Wind Gallery, whom I had struck up an initial friendship with through OWOH wrote to me about her friend in Santa Cruz, Ray, and thought we should meet. And the rest is now OUR history.

This is the first photo I saw of Ray on his daughters web site, www.worldsoundproductions.com, back in February when we were first introduced... by the way his daughter Mekenzie is without a doubt one of the most amazing artst around, she teaches art at Otis in LA...go check her out, you won't be disappointed.
...So I thought, this works just fine for me..ha ha....I wanted to share this with you because I felt the photo Lisa had was not a very sincere rendition of this cutie! (thx Lisa for the really bad close up angle..not a good idea with a digital) And might I add...Not bad for 58! He's sporting gray/white facial hair now and I like it lot's! and he has more gray on his head but still the same exact face....lucky me!

I just can't thank everyone enough for all your well wishes..it's been an avalanche of reply to Lisa and myself..it brought tears to my eyes and my heart that so many people care.

Thx again for all your love..I'll keep you posted on mine...wouldn't want to let anyone down...we are definitely in the market for a happy ending...luv, juner

A LOVE STORY FROM LISA OCEANDREAMER

2010-04-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

One World One Heart - A LOVE CONNECTION???

LISA OCEANDREAMER WROTE A LOVELY STORY ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP THAT HAS TRANSPIRED BETWEEN MYSELF AND A MAN I MET THROUGH OWOH...IF YOU'RE A SAP LIKE I AM...THEN GO READ HER TALE OF LOVE...IT'S VERY SWEET...AND MAY GIVE YOU A SMILE. LOVE IS OUT THERE IN THE MOST UNUSUAL OF PLACES, IF YOU KEEP YOUR MIND AND YOUR HEART OPEN IT JUST MAY FIND YOU...

LUV JUNER

SPRINGTIME...!!

2010-04-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

I realized I have not been very attentive to my blog and keeping up with everyone. I feel bad that I still haven't gotten to any new bloggers from the list of OWOH...let alone check on everyone that I am following. Although I did get to a few last week...and boy did I see some amazing things! You people are seriously talented out there!
It's been a whirl wind of work this past month. I'm really putting all my efforts in to the storybook project at the moment. Been writing almost everyday. I have tee shirts and posters now. And the last two new characters, Dunston ? the keeper of the books, (still don't know his last name), and Mathilda's older sister, Annabel, are just about ready to share with you.

But the best thing about the past couple of weeks has been the heralding of Spring....I just love this time of year...Autumn is my favorite, so I must love the transition time of the planet. My garden is coming to bloom, the trees and their leaves. This is my first Spring in this home and it's really been lovely so far...sitting on the Veranda Bench with the White Tunisian design umbrella...I'm just loving it!

Hope everyone is well and enjoying the sun and flowers, and the cool sweet air....I promise I won't stay away so long anymore and definitely keep up better with all my new friends...luv, Juner

DINNER PARTY IN LISA'S HONOR

2010-03-22T00:28:00.000-07:00

I had a little dinner party last weekend naming Lisa Oceandreamer the guest of honor...she and her husband had not been to my new home yet, and some of our old group had not visited in a while. The food was French, the flowers, orange and hot pink roses, the wine glasses and vases cobalt blue...red glass candle holders...it was such a lovely evening! No food was left, a couple guys with guitars, singing and dancing, and the last of the guests left by one...This is my element...creating a mood, and having my dearest of friends with me, breaking bread at my table...what a lovely, lovely evening!

Feet, What Do I Need Them For......

2010-03-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

This is the piece that has sung to my heart the most from my adventures through the magic carpet ride. The artist is Shariyah and she is living in New Zealand. The piece is Frida and I had it framed in a very worn out South American wood frame and added a beaded filet to give it a little something more. I had it framed to the edge so it looked more like a painting as opposed to a print...I am thrilled to share this magnificent piece of art with you...enjoy, juner