"Be courageous and be brave, and in my heart, you'll always remain forever young." -Sir Rod Stewart As many of you who follow my blogs and Facebook posts have seen, my friend, Christy, and I have had some pretty amazing experiences at concerts all over the country. We've had a private meet and greet with Reba, a conversation with Harry Connick Jr., and been front row for Fleetwood Mac. We've played blackjack with the Cadillac Three, and Florida Georgia Line has stopped an entire concert to give me a signed guitar from t[...]
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I’m not one of those typical “I work best in a mess” artists. I have too much of my father’s left brain in me for that. When everything is everywhere, it makes me to anxious to work. I like organization – everything in its place where I can always find it. I like my workspace to look clean and uncluttered, even if it is secretly a disaster behind closed cabinet doors. In my art room, it’s especially important that my materials are put away properly because I often have several different people in there hel[...]
As you can imagine, finding an effective way to exercise when you have limited mobility is tricky. It's even harder when if you move certain ways or overwork your muscles, your bones break. Welcome to my world. My biggest problem is that my muscles are stronger than most of my bones, and so when they contract too hard or spasm from overuse, they often break my bones. And that really sucks. Luckily, my mother realized that the best way for me to move is in the water, and she started making me swim (with assistance of cours[...]
As most of you know, I spend a lot of my time lying down. It’s easier for me to function in that position because my back and neck get tired quickly in my chair, and when I’m lying on my side I feel like I’m not having to fight gravity as much. It can be hard for me to lift my arms to do things sitting up, but lying on my side I can use my body to support them while I eat, paint, and type. (And no, I don’t choke while eating on my side. Read more about that here.) You would think that having brittle bones would ma[...]
With as many people out there looking for a job as there are, you would think that finding an aide for me would be an easy task. Let me be the first to tell you, it's not. The ads we place when searching for a new aide for me usually go something like this: "In search of a woman between the ages of 23 and 45 to be an aide/personal assistant to a young lady with Brittle Bone Disease. Your responsibilities would be, but are not limited to, assistance with transfers from wheelchair to toilet and lying down position, help[...]
Let's just get it out there: dieting sucks. Right ladies? I mean, what is better than a hot donut first thing in the morning, a big, juicy hamburger with a buttery bun and a soda for lunch, or fresh pecan pie with ice cream after dinner (maybe with a glass of port or sherry)? I'm drooling just thinking about it! Why is it that all the good foods make us gain weight?! Because I rely on everyone else to move me around, it's important that I watch my weight (as annoying as it is) for the sake of their backs and knees. Also,[...]
This week I wanted to share my last in-home art show in Mandeville, Louisiana with you guys. Since this show took place at a home that is raised thirteen feet off the ground, we chose to have it outside underneath the house on the large carport area. We brought in plenty of tables and had lots of space to spread out. The weather could not have been more perfect, and though the crowd was small, everyone seemed to have a great time. It was a lovely afternoon! If you are interested in hosting a KAK ART art and jewelry show[...]
I think I’m speaking for most artists when I say that we are generally pretty picky about what materials we use when we make art. For example, I only use the Winsor Newton brand of watercolor paint in tubes. I find that it has good consistency and pigment (color), and it goes on smoothly. I do occasionally settle for Grumbacher’s watercolors, but that’s only if I can’t find the color I need in Winsor Newton. As far as paper goes, I prefer cold press watercolor blocks. Cold press paper has a smoother finish than[...]
One of my biggest pet peeves is people who are physically and mentally able that choose not to take the initiative and do something with their lives. Even though I have this "disability" that makes me physically unable to do a lot of normal activities, my parents raised me with the idea that I would DO something with my life one day. I wouldn't be feeling sorry for myself at home on a bunch of painkillers watching TV all day. Pity parties were never an option. Granted, when I broke bones I was allowed to take a few days off,[...]
People ask me this quite often, and the short answer is, it varies. Pet portraits take the longest by far (and are usually the most intricate and stressful) because they HAVE to look like a particular person's beloved pet. People who commission pet portraits are paying me to paint THEIR pet, not some poodle that looks sort of like Fluffy. The colors, markings, and expressions have to be spot on, and that takes time. Depending on the size, a pet portrait can take anywhere between 8 and 25 hours. My wild[...]