Blog

Morrow Library

I love, Love, LOVE libraries.
Last year when library funding would be cut
if the Cabell County Excess Levy 
passed in the May election,
I made two videos about Cabell County's
EIGHT branch libraries.
Here they are: 
Huntington's Downtown Library
Seven More Libraries in Cabell County

btw: The excess levy failed in May, but it
passed in the November election 
when full funding
was restored to the libraries (and parks)!
*****
Yesterday I had the privilege 
of spending time in Morrow Library


which is open to everyone, 
not just Marshall students.

When you give them advance notice, 
they will have waiting for you
the resources you need:


These boxes were waiting for me.

Morrow Library, opened in 1930, 
was partially funded by Dwight Morrow,
 and named for his father, James E. Morrow, 
the principal of Marshall College in 1872-1873.


Today it contains Morrow Stacks 
which has 2/3 of the campus book collection 
and 
Special Collections with university archives,

rare books, the Chuck Yeager Room,

and other important collections.
The Natural Resources and Earth Sciences 
Department and testing rooms 
are also here.
*****
Since I spent months studying
 today's campus,
I was excited to see this aerial photograph
 of the MU campus (circa 1940),


and under the photograph is this scale model
of the campus from 1967.


Morrow Library exists due to the efforts
of countless thousands (millions?) of people
who have written the books, 
magazines, letters, and newspapers,
taken the photographs, 
painted the portraits, 
built the models, 
donated the money, 
designed the building, 
laid the bricks, 
built the windows, 
cut down the trees, 
worked the help counter, 
organized the volumes...
And we lucky people
get to just walk in
and relish it all.

Thanks for following along,
Linda

The Making of a Campus Map

The last time I painted a map
was in 2021.
I painted a map of West Virginia
with the goal 
of turning it into a jigsaw puzzle.

In March 2021 I wrote about it: 
The Making of a Puzzle
and in May, Rick and I traveled to 
Kansas City, MO to pick up
2000 puzzles.

In June 2021 I wrote this:
One Month of Puzzle Adventures

Well...
when I saw the campus maps by artists online
I decided to take on my next map challenge:
A campus map of Marshall University!
Instead of acrylic paint on canvas,
I wanted to do this one in watercolor 
in a loose sketchy style.
I started practicing
in my sketchbook...

I soon realized this sketch was way too big!
I needed to practice much smaller sketches
 from 1"x 1" to about 3"x 2".
In between photo trips to campus,
I practiced.

I started transferring my sketches
 to little squares of tracing paper.

When I had several sketches
 I attached them with a repositionable gluestick
to a large sheet of tracing paper
 the size of my watercolor paper.
In this photo, 
they're all attached!

The next step was transferring all those sketches
to the watercolor paper
with my homemade lightbox.
I layered the watercolor paper 
on top of the sketches on tracing paper,
and put them on top of my light box.

To sketch each building accurately,
I used my original sketch in my sketchbook (on the top left),
the traced image I could see using the light box,
and a photo on my laptop.
Three days later, all my sketches 
had been transferred onto the watercolor paper.

I had it photographed at this point,
in order to later sell prints 
for coloring or painting.

I painted each little sketch one at a time
 again using a photo from my laptop and my practice sketch
for references.
When I finished...

David at Mayne Frame
photographed it for me,
and I started working on
plans for the reproductions I would make
or have made
to sell to benefit students
in our area
through the
Cabell County Schools Foundation.

Thanks for following along,
Linda

It All Came Together

I love to create.
I've been thinking I'll do another watercolor series
of Huntington locations. 
My last one was in 2015-
30 Paintings in 30 Days
Here's one of those...

Then in February while shopping for drapery panels, I spied this print of a 1928 Paris sketch, and it spoke to me, so I brought it home for inspiration.

The artist used pastels (I think).
I want to work in watercolor and ink...
Hmmm.

Then my sorority sister and friend, Marsha, shared the website of an amazing artist, https://elizabethwadestudio.com/  
who does campus maps like this one:

Elizabeth has many college campus maps (not Marshall), 
plus other cool, creative stuff on her website, and
I found many other artists 
who have their take on campus maps.
I was soooo inspired.

BUT, I needed one more thing... 
no, not more art supplies, though I did
order more art supplies from 4 different websites.
That is a KNOWN DELAY TACTIC when you're afraid.
No, I needed...

Toby.
He's the most encouraging, pleasant, inspirational 
sketching teacher a woman could ask for.
Here's a link to his teaching goodness:
https://www.youtube.com/@TobySketchLoose

I've put all this inspiration together,
and I've started my sketching practice.
This is Freshman South Hall 
from a photo on the MU website.

It's messy, 
but it's a beginning; 
I had fun, 
and I like it.

My plan is to create
 a Marshall University campus map
 of colorful little (very little) sketches,
as well as, larger individual sketch-like watercolors
of Marshall buildings, etc. 
I'm not sure how long this project will take me, or
where it will take me, but
I'm so ready for some FABULOUS ART FUN
as this adventure unfolds.

Stayed tuned for my progress.

Thanks for following along,
Linda

The Old Village Roaster

If you haven't been there, go.
Located on 4th Ave.
just down from the Keith Albee,
Vicky and Pete opened the doors in 1995.
That's almost 30 years ago.
Think about how old you were,
and you realize how long ago that was!!
Pete roasts all the coffee
with beans they order from Hawaii!
They're open from Mon-Fri 6:30-5:00
***
The watercolor above
was part of my first painting series,
30 Paintings in 30 Days of Huntington
that I did in 2015.
That original painting hangs in the shop,
but Vicky recently ordered prints of it.
The man in the blue shirt was the custodian
at the Keith for decades 
and very special to Vicky and Pete.
He passed away a few months ago,
and Vicky gifted his children the prints.
***
I'm in the midst of a new painting series:
Places We Love
The Best Part's Inside.
It took 3 trips to get the right photo
for my new painting of
The Old Village Roaster.

That's Pete talking to his friend
and Vicky filling a coffee order.
Vicky is the sweetest woman you'll ever meet,
and Pete is just precious.
***
I added some colors that aren't there,
but I'm an artist...
***
If you haven't gone, GO!

Thanks for following along,
Linda

Creating a Pastel Painting

Absolutely no one has asked 
how I create a pastel painting.
I happen to be fascinated by the process,
so I thought I'd share it with you anyway.

The first step is to get the right photo, 
and for #1 The Market painting, 
here it is:

That's actually one of the trickiest parts.
It took 4 trips to The Market
to get this shot.
Then I create a pencil sketch
on tracing paper,
and when I've got it right
I go over the lines with a marker.

To transfer this sketch
 to a durable, high quality paper to paint on,
I use this homemade light box...

which was made years ago
 by my husband's Uncle Jack
for my MIL to transfer quilt patterns to fabric.
The sketch is placed under the paper,
the image shines through,
and I draw it again with pencil.
(This is just the way I do it 
when I'm working on a detailed
 drawing for any media
that requires the right perspectives, etc.) 
Before I had this light box, I've used a window,
and I've used a glass top table with a lamp under it!!

Pastel won't stick to slick paper,
so I brush on pastel ground, a gritty paste.
btw: Sometimes I use pastel paper
that has the grit on it.

Once the pastel ground is dry I do the underpainting
 with pastel and denatured alcohol. 
Here's the underpainting
 for the #2 barbershop painting:

To make the painting easier to handle and frame later,
I attach it to a sheet of 1/8" foam-core board
with double-sided sticky paper.
Now I'm ready to paint.

This is a photo I just took;
I'm mid-way through this.
See the purple underpainting on the bottom half.
Most of that will be covered in the final painting,
but some will peak through. 
I use a variety of pastels,
for their shape, softness or hardness,
and color.
It's very messy;
I have absolutely ruined 
the carpet in this bedroom
turned "art studio".
Oh well.

Thanks for following along,
Linda

I’m an Artivist

I didn't coin the term,
but it fits me.
It's a person who combines
their art with their activism.
In my case, I create art 
and give it away to causes I care about,
or I sell it 
to donate the money to causes I care about. 
It started when Trump was elected,
and I painted this:

The original is hanging in my art room,
but I sold prints
 and donated the money (plus more) 
to political candidates
across the country 
who vowed to address (with legislation) the climate crisis.

Then I worked as an activist
on campaign finance reform.
I painted our capitol building in Charleston
in watercolor and pastel...

and gave prints to legislators
who supported our resolution.
In 2020, I had an art show in my front yard
 for Hilary Turner
who was running against Carol F*ing Miller
and sold 30 acrylic florals 
through an online auction,

and was able to donate to Hilary,
the Huntington Food Bank,
and Little Victories Animal Shelter.

Since my political activism was going nowhere,
I decided to focus on helping my community.

To support tourism in my state,
I painted a map of West Virginia
and had it manufactured into puzzles.

In 2022, I held an art show 
of plant paintings in
watercolor and acrylic

and donated the proceeds to Ukraine.

My latest challenge
is combining my desire to help children learn to read
and my love of creating art.

Proceeds from the
Places We Love, the Best Part's Inside Art Show
and Reception
will benefit the new
Huntington Children's Museum Literacy Center.

Thanks for following along,
Linda

A Puzzle Project Update

I've had more fun with my Wild and Wonderful West Virginia puzzle
than I ever imagined. 
Between May and August, 
we traveled much of the state
delivering puzzles to state parks and forests.
We just loved seeing these places, 
most of them for the first time!
I will be revisiting them 
for my TravelWV video series...
(more about that in my next blog;)
While traveling near Blackwater Falls SP
we caught the majesty 
of these awesome creatures...

 We also promoted puzzles to independent gift shops
like Wild Ginger & Spice in Davis.

Crammed full of cool stuff, this little shop
creates some of their items in the back room!

This old bank building's vault
"protects" the West Virginia merchandise.

We've laughed, smiled, and marveled 
at things in West Virginia...
Watch out for landing airplanes
 while driving down this road!

I treasure my mom's old yardstick.
She taught me to sew with that thing.
 This collection caught my eye at C.J. Maggie's in Elkins.

And look at these artisan creations
at
Canaan Valley State Park...

Sometimes it's the small things in life
that make it special.

Of course, there have been bumps along the way, 
like we ran out of puzzles.
We hadn't made it throughout the state, 
plus we were getting orders we couldn't fill.
Instead of just reordering the same puzzle,
I decided it was important to make a 2.0 edition.
About 20 changes were made to my original painting,
a fold-up map and new box were designed,
and then I called Steve, my puzzle guy.
In no time, he sent me this box proof:

And here's the fold-up map
 from Chapman's Printing in Huntington:

But the puzzle production was delayed
because Target cut the line
with a huge order. 
Finally last week, I got the call from Steve
that our puzzles are almost ready!
Rick and I will fly to Kansas City, MO,
pick up our U-Haul truck,
and drive them home.

Stayed tuned for a video production update!

Thanks for following along,
Linda

Davis, West Virginia

Wild and Wonderful West Virginia puzzles 
are now in almost 40 gift shops in our great state... 
like this one...
 at Coopers Rock State Forest near Morgantown.

 
btw... the views at this state forest are unforgettable... 
more about this place to come;)

The List of Gift Shops

When I started in January, I knew we had hidden treasures,
like Audra State Park with creek side camp sites...

where I met this little lady with her teardrop camper...

But I really HAD NO IDEA how fabulous WV is...   
Two video series will start in a few weeks.

In the meantime I’ll share photos and stories 
of wild and wonderful West Virginia. 
😊Here’s one…

 
Davis is an itty-bitty, precious town
with cool shops and little restaurants
 surrounded by state parks and ski resorts.

This house is in Davis… we drove on by.
 Then I told Rick to go back...
he's soooo patient.😊

Artist Delia Wach and her hubby, Martin 
live upstairs and run a gift shop downstairs. 
I recognized her art!
 Years ago at a school where I taught,
Delia had given a presentation
about the books that she and her husband wrote,
 and she illustrated. 
Also her daughter is a nationally recognized artist of birds, 
and she sells her prints… stunning!!

She shared her journaling with me. 
I HAD TO buy supplies from her
 for bullet journaling (which I had never heard about).

 
  All of that and much more I discovered in that little house… 
Oh and she showed us her husband’s garden. ❤️

Thanks for following along,
Linda

One Month of Puzzle Adventures

May 9, Rick and I headed to Missouri
to pick up puzzles. 
We stayed in St. Louis
for two days...

We visited 
the Missouri Botanical Garden
during peak iris season...

and the St. Louis City Museum
which is indescribably fantastic...

We ate THE MOST fabulous Italian food
at Mama's on The Hill (the Italian neighborhood in St. Louis).

On Wednesday 
we rented a 16' Budget truck in Kansas City, MO and
picked up the puzzles.

Two days later, I started delivering to local gift shops...

and later in Charleston...

Behind the scenes,
I've been creating marketing materials,
working on my website design, and
getting the word out about my Puzzle Project.

Last week, my puzzles were ordered 
for 13 state parks and forests...
but they have to be delivered...
in JUNE!

Soooo... this week
Rick and I headed 
to the Fayetteville area and vicinity.
Puzzles were added to 
8 new shops,
including two state parks!

We had a blast peddling puzzles
and enjoying spots in West Virginia,
like the Cathedral Cafe
in Fayetteville,
a very cool breakfast/lunch spot
created in an old church.

The rest of June will be
quick trips to 
get the state park orders filled
and sell to gift shops nearby.
After that,
we will go more slowly...
revisiting favorite spots,
going to new places,
taking the tours...
fishing (Rick)...
painting (me)...
Sometimes I'll take a girlfriend or two...
AND...
I'll be sharing those adventures with you
because I believe... 
once you learn what West Virginia has to offer...
you will grab your husband, wife, kids or friend
and Travel WV.

Thanks for following along,
Linda

Video Creation Has Begun in Charleston

Yesterday,

Videographer Bobby Lee Messer and I

explored J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works, and

Taylor Books…

I can not even tell you how much fun it was…

Getting to know Nancy, co-owner of the salt-works

and learning all about the thriving business she has created

was amazing…

then meeting Molly who was preparing for a bridal shower there, saw me,

and exclaimed, “I saw you on TV! I want a puzzle!”

(Here it is if you missed it;)

We starting chatting and I discovered…

she’s hosting a wedding on her 200 acre family farm in Mason County

today… yes, today, Saturday, May 29…

And then she offered me poppy starter plants from her yard in Culloden!

At Taylor Books (which I LOVE)

I met a FB friend in person for the first time,

(I had asked her to meet me;)

I interviewed Dan the new owner,

then had lunch with new friend, Marilyn and her hubby

at Pies and Pints two doors down,

though I would have been happy eating at Taylor books

with fresh soup made daily!!

Our videos series… and there will be TWO!…

AND…

will be available in the coming weeks.

Puzzles are now in several Charleston locations:

Thanks for following along,

Linda