Back in Action

Hi Guys! Finally back in action a bit..To get you all caught up..Dad went thru his surgery just fine, and recovered just fine..However the test results that came back were not good. Despite the good forecasts and early diagnosis etc. It is apparent that the cancer has spread from the colon to the lymph nodes, outside the colon wall etc. This is not good news, and Dad starts agressive chemo next month. Not the outcome we were hoping for obviously.

Some other sad news, Judy Renee Pope passed away a few days ago. Very sad News, Judy was an incredible Talent in our hobby, longstanding hobbyist, very sweet and wonderful person. The hobby is grieving her loss, and My prayers and Thoughts go out to her family and loved ones.

Due to all the traveling to and fro to My familys home in Corpus Christi..didnt get a whole lot completed these last few weeks..but I was able to finish this little scruffmuffin. He is a commission for Michelle T., also knows as BettyBarBandit : ) He started out as a classic Mustang Breyer, I added a new mane, trying to keep to some extent the original feel of the mold..which I love..the jaunty, windblown feel, so I just basically kept the same form...just added lots of detail, extra tendrils, a few rolling curls etc. Then I removed the old tail, gave him a flatter, more tucked tail, added a lot of hairy and winter Coat texture all over. Very time consuming and tedious but well worth it. Plus, I made it patchy and irregular, so you can tell he is rather in between in his summer and winter coat befitting a range Mustang. I also added feathering, cracked and weathered and lengthened, chipped etc. his hooves. I added some longer feathering and lengthened the feathering. Also did some clean up work on his muzzle, face, forelock etc. Added some more detail to his muzzle, and Gave him a slight roman nose. Also furried up his ears. Here he is once I was finished with his makeover...

Then, the direction we wanted to go coat colorwise was a brown, roany, varnishy, Mealy Appaloosa. It took several layers of pastels (filling in all those hairy grooves was fun..but took some tedious effort..then layer upon layers of washes to create the varnishy look..plus a new approach in a rather dry brushing technique..I think he turned out quite well..He actually looks much much better in person, His coat, and the colors just look more natural in person, you just want to pick up and feel his fuzziness!! His face is terribly endearing, in the photos it looks rather muddy, but in person..LOTS of different things going on..haloes, ghost spots, his muzzle is extremely realistic!! This was really a fun piece to do..I look forward to creating some more shaggy and fun little customs like this! I just love those unruly mustangs!

Another piece that is very near completion is a Bold Endeavor, Blanket App..these are actually old pics from last week....he has some spots now and is just awaiting the very final touches. He is definitely a few spot Appy!

Oh..Might as well talk about Carrot Top while we are at it! This fella is for Lyn Arnold..have had him for ages as he was in pieces...pieces...pieces...My Goodness..But I got him ALL back together like Humpty Dumpty! hmmm..that would be a good name for him lol! He has a bit of a new mane and tail..got his Muzzle and lip resculpted..and those EARS..my My..those ears were in shatters..but he is all together..Now Lyn and I just need to decide on a color for him!!

I have really enjoyed working out in the workshop lately. That is where I do all my dremeling, sculpting, major body part frankensteining etc. : ) Thank Goodness it has an air conditioner..I love my little Artists Workshop!

Hmmm...and ya know while were at it..I might as well share my Studio Too!! This is my Drafting Table..(Clean..rare..i know..lol)..and my little Helper Syd! Notice the bed and Tv by the Window Alcove?? When i get totally exhausted..I love to take a quick nap..I suggest every artist to put a nice nappin Bed in thier Studio : )

Hmmmm....Some other work that was done ..... Got the Trad Ziryab with new forelock in Liver chestnut started, Did some major work on the EJ 2 in buckskin Pintaloosa done, as well as getting things prepared and in order to start some fresh commissins, Including..but not limited to Haute Aire, Lone Star, a custom Valor (Beautiful Job Karenetta!!!) custom Fresian Mare..( Sara if you would..could you email me so we can discuss color?) El Embosco, and a few more that are under wraps! Not to mention lots of pieces that are needing repairs due to a busy show circuit last year, and all the knicks and scratches etc. that come along with it : ) And of course I am still plodding along on some stragglers like Matriarch! Actually..I think I have completed most of my notorious stragglers except for Matriarch!! That is a miracle! Unless I am forgetting somebody!

I am also getting ready to start a little conga lines of the wee ones.. I have a nice little cache of SM resin commissions I would like to set up and begin. You folks that have Sm's with me..why dont ya drop me a line..Due to me switching back and forth between houses..accessing all my prior information is diffucult when I am in CC. A mental refresher would be lovely : )

ooo speakin of lil bits..Forgot about this little Opus..for Gail..He has been mucho more detailed since these pics..but Might as well share anyway! HA! Just now noticed these are all Appies! I must be feeling Spotty : )

Oy! Some really good News! Due to Fed Ex leaving my copy of Pheasant Stomper at an Old and DESERTED Address LOL..I was luckily able to track him down..(Thank goodness the old Property Owners found and kept the box..whew!!) I picked him up a few days ago..and What a Big Stompin Beauty! The exquisite touches on this resin are just Lovely. Really Really beautiful Piece. I am Way behind on bills..So I will be painting him up very similar to Sharron Dunnings Crusher I painted for her.."Alexander the Gray". If you are not Familliar with Alexander..Here is a pic of him..(Top Tenning this year at NAN..YAY Sharron!!) And here is another rather lovely shot of him as well. That second picture..is actually before Sharron and i went REALLY steely on him..I am pondering making PS more like the second pictures..I really like these Dark steel Grays with the lighter face.They are very fun to do!! Speakin of..Sharron..we need to decide what color your Ass is gonna Be..Hee Heee...: )

Well..I hope to have El Stomper finished soon..

Soooo..keep an eye out..I am hoping to have him finished and offer him off on Ebay in the next week or so....or I am sometimes open to pre-sales too..So if you are interested..dont hesitate to drop me a line and we can talk! Also on the Slate is a Parrs Dream Doll...Right now I am thinking Appy..but Who knows for sure..I may just change my mind! And..If you are really aching for a Parrs Dream Doll by Loveless..and You have a specific color/pattern in Mind..I maybe open to selling for around 600 instead of Ebaying him!

Well..this next month is going to be sketchy for sure..actually, I am sure that when Dad starts his Chemo things will probably go Haywire Around here..So i am going to try to accomplish as much as possible. It does definitely Help having one of the Kiddos back to School. Gives me much more time to get things accomplished. Stress like this affects me two ways..I can either get a LOT of work done with my Nervous energy..Or absolutely Nothing. No concentration, no inspiration..Nothin. So far..I seem to be experiencing the former these last few days, I admit I was pretty uninspired last week, Mainly because I just was so worried about getting Dads results. Even though the results arent good..at least I know what we are dealing with and I can try to accept that and move on..instead of speculate. I want to thank all of you who have sent me kind words, emails, cards etc. I really appreciate it..even if I dont manage to get an email back..please know I do appreciate your thougtfulness and concern very very much!

Ciao!!

Finally! Figured out my password here!!! I have it all written down at home, But seeing as I am NOT there lol..not real helpful! I am still in Corpus, have been here since last Wednesday, and what a hard week it was. I arrived wednesday morning, and Could tell mom was feeling bad. Sure enough by Thursday morning we had to rush her to the Hospital with acute appendicitus. They operated, She did fine. but her White blood count was too high to allow her to leave, so she was there thru the weekend. Dad was unable to get his first operation for it coincided with moms operation, and his Blood Pressure went thru the roof. So I have been here helping, running to and fro to the doctors and hospital, plus trying to maintain the house, thier business, and my own kiddos. So nothing at all productive was done this week in the studio. But it did feel good to spend all this time with Dad. We spent alot of quality time together, but I can tell that already he is starting to feel pretty bad. I just dont care for this getting old and sick business.

A friend sent me this photo today, and said cheer up..it could be worse lol..And this photo, lol I have to admit did make me laugh. With the luck our family has been experiencing, I almost honestly feel that there is some menace out there determined to make things go haywire ; P






Anyhoo..just wanted to share what is happening. We are rescheduling dads operation, and it will be in a few weeks. So I am sure I will be doing the Corpus/Hockley shuffle for quite some time. Mom is finally feeling better now, So I should be heading home in the next few days. Oh..be warned..My email at firehorsestudios@earthlink.net is not real reliable here as per usual. At least some things never change : P

Sunday..Bloody Sunday..

Good Bloody Sunday All!! Was this actually a weekend?? You coulda fooled me lol. Been working in Studio full tilt. I think my arse is totally petrified ; ) I think Texas is totally hogging all the rain for the entire Nation. Yes, soggy, wet, humid, rainy, drizzly. Gotta love it. Except the little ones tend to get Cabin fever. NOT a good thing. Tends to lead to fort-making in the living room. OKAY, except when I mean Fort..I mean tear the entire living room apart and make mom do hours of cleaning afterwards lol. Oh well. At least I am accomplishing things upstairs in the painting studio. Got this gal on the block today for Jody who is moving to Costa Rica! Geeze, right now, that sounds like paradise lol! O..and here is her Ebay Link!

http://shorterlink.com/?IGMEKV

She really is a beauty! I have also heard from Gail A., and Texas Playboy, the Fabulous Overo Hillary Hurley Ravenhill may come up for sale soon. I know he is a favorite of many..so You guys interested..remember this guy?? Stay tuned..If he comes up for sale I will definitely talk about it here first!

I think I am at an all time productivity High..as I was able

to list the Strapless auction in under an hour. Usually it is like giving birth to a Rhino, these auctions. I must be getting better, faster, less anal perhaps LOL?? Also was able to concentrate yesterday on all my "Fixemups" and fixed two ears, two legs, a shaggy underbelly, and prepped two pieces. Whoa Nellie! I think my head hurts now. This week I will be doing nothing but commissions, so Christine R. are you out there?? Your final detailing on your Stock Appy is almost finished, just doing the last detailing.. And hey..Who on earth owns the Customized Kitty Cantrell Mule Calliope? I have not heard from you in ages..and the piece is nearly finished.. Your Email no longer works....so please get in contact with me asap! This is about the 4th time I have gone a-looking for you! If I cannot find you I will have to sale our pretty little long ears!

Well..gotta go. The kids are out by the Fire. With Dad, but still..There probably needs a bit more supervision. Kids..hubby..fire..Not good LOL!

Saturday Morning..sometime in July 2007

Ok. I did it. I followed the Masses, Jumped on the Bandwagon, Copied the Cats LOL. I am now a BLOGGER LOL. But it is a great Idea yes? This Blog will not entirely Replace the "In the Studio" pages on my website..Nor will I forever be blissfully Remiss of Yahoo Groups and commission group Updates. I will still have my announcement List and Firehorse Fun Group. But I am going to attempt to use this blog as not only a Dayminder, Journal, To do List, Photos section.. but also a Neat way to track exactly what is going on in My studio, Workshop, Drafting Table..and yes, You know me..I ramble..So here you can dwleve into the Rambling Horrors of Debs mind from the Inside : P EEEK!! I am sure many of you have noticed how terribly way behind my website is. Awful isnt it lol?? Entirely my fault. I just have simply not had the time to go fix it and send the kajillions of completed pieces to my webmistress. I SO Need a Manager!!!

I have disabled the comments section due to The fear of Spam.....but feel free to email me at anytime at firehorsestudios@earthlink.net As I LOVE hearing from You!

And For a quick "personal" catch up..This last month has been rather difficult. We found out Dad has indeed Colon Cancer. He has passed his physicals, just waiting and the last test results regarding how much is actually malignant. Then we he will get the Operation and Chemo. So after losing my Uncle Ray a year or so ago, and his brother a few years before that to the exact same disease..we are all a little shellshocked and jaded. So there will be lots of traveling, Visiting Dad and etc. But I work well under stress and pressure..so I figure I will be churning out some lovely "Strife" affected pieces. However I just dont feel cheery, chatty, or up to my usual standards of emailing and keeping in contact with folks like I usually do. I do apologize for this..I am sure as soon as I get used to the Illness agian I will be back to myself..but right now, if you really need something from me, info, attention etc. Send me an email with the little red apostrophe, I get so many emails sometimes things just get lost in the all hubbub ; )

So... Asides from running down the stairs every eleventyhundred seconds to check on my darling sick six year old..I completely cleaned, organized and tidied up my Drafting Table and Studio so far today (woohooo). I will be finishing up the photos of the Strapless. There are actually 3 nearly completed pieces that were pre-purchased that will soon be offered for sale. Unfortunately, thier owner has to move unexpectedly out of the country..( Fortunately for her though..Costa Rica though..how cool!!!) So since her life is in upheavel, I have given the deposits back and will simply offer them for sale..One..the Gaiety, has already been sold via Ebay (Pic Below) Next will be the Strapless, then a Darling Black Appaloosa few Spot Parrs Dream Doll. So watch out for these if you would like a newly completed, Unshown Loveless Lovely!

Oh..and here is a lovely Custom Cigar I painted for Sandy Lyles so she could take him to Bryerfest!

Today is going to be fix and repair day as well. I have a few customers pieces that have suffered broken ears, scratches, and whatnots from last years show circuit. So today the epoxy is coming out and it is Plastic Horse trauma center today lol!

And finally, the Rush for Breyefest, Nan etc. is Over. So I will be getting back into the Groove of some of my older commissions, as well as some of my "stragglers"! So stay tuned Ya'll!!!

If you have a commission with me, I strongly urge you to subscribe to this blog..It will be much more informative than relying on me (cough) to get that danged commission mail out group together. I just flopped at that didnt I lol??? I am very good at keeping Journals, So I think this online Journal of my studio with pictures and etc. will be fabulous for all of us!!
Have a great Day!