Theresa Mather

Meowy Christmas!

2009-12-24T19:23:35Z

A recent piece

2009-12-19T03:32:17Z

I've been meaning to repaint an older black and white piece titled Rail Fan in color for some time but never got around to it. Rustycon's steampunk theme gave me an excuse to finally get it done. I selected an older train than in the first version since it looks more steam-punky, and is more colorful. I'm artist guest of honor at Rustycon, so this image will appear on the cover of the program book and on the T-shirts which are being printed by Offworld Designs. The original black and white version was painted for Chattacon a few years ago, and there were no prints. The color version will have prints made from it, and probably eventually a companion piece. Acrylic on masonite, approximately 7x10 inches.

Red-State Christmas-Warrior-Overload Blues

2009-12-17T01:19:29Z

When I was a kid, it was made clear to me that the real Christmas was specifically a church service honoring the birth of Christ. We would go each year to a midnight service at our church. Getting gifts and decorating and having a tree was just the fun but traditional hedonistic celebration that was essentially meaningless. The term "Holidays" was used frequently and meant the plural of holiday, and the "holiday season" was understood to encompass the period from Thanksgiving to New Years because there were several holidays (plural) during that time.

Now there are Christmas Warriors who insist that the actual worship is done at the holy of holies, the Cash Register, and that while practicing the holy sacraments of Self Indulgence and Consumption, Jesus should be on the lips of all. The most hedonistic self is so important and glorious that the very act of purchasing plastic crap from China by the cartload is holy, and the entire period between Thanksgiving and New Years is now Christmas or you're somehow "attacking" it. This is presumably to prolong the period where one gets to stuff one's face with high calorie goodies and add to one's heaping treasure pile of gifts while thinking one is somehow "worshiping" Jesus while being a self-absorbed glutton. Fun, but meaningless. And I resent the move to force everyone to act like the Cash Register and Altar are one and the same. Elbowing some guy in the head to get the latest electronic crapulator to appease your whining child is not a sanctified act, nor is Jesus the "reason for the season" of trampling people like crazed animals to get a $3 toaster. I guess I resent the dishonesty the most. Go ahead and be as big a self gratifying hedonistic pig as you can afford to be, knock yourself out! Have fun! But do not insist I smile and acknowledge Jesus while you're doing it just so you can feel better about yourself.

Bah! Humbug!

2009-12-11T17:58:50Z

The major storm that's wrecked havoc everywhere passed us over, dumping only 6 inches of snow. We were promised 15 inches to 4 feet and blizzard-like conditions with 60-70 MPH winds, but our weather is generally the opposite of whatever the forecast is. Since we have a forecast for light snow showers starting late this afternoon, we might get a pileup and blizzard this time around.

Meanwhile, a storm of a different type looms on the horizon. I don't have the wish lists yet for half the people I need to buy gifts for. The closer to Christmas it gets, the greater the chance that I'll have no choice but to engage in last minute combat shopping in the malls of Las Vegas or California. I hate malls at any time of year and live 60 miles from the closest one, which is only half-sized. So venturing into the Tuscan style abomination-temples of crass vapid consumerism at the time of year when they are the most overstuffed both with aggressive shoppers and overpriced crappy Chinese made merchandise is one of the last things on my list that I want to do. But we're nearly at the point where I'll have no choice but to ninja-shop along with the grouchy masses.

Update: the storm is here early and heavy grainy snow is starting to fall. Maybe we'll get lucky and get snowed in so I won't have to go combat shopping in California.

Book Lust

2009-12-03T23:19:57Z

As a fan of books, and a fan of golden age illustration, I have to take a moment to just say DROOL!

Especially the reproduction of "Knave of Hearts" illustrated by Maxfield Parrish, previously available only as a very expensive and rare vintage book. But I want them all.

Slow progress,

2009-11-29T19:30:46Z

The snow outside looks like Christmas tree flock sprayed on haphazardly by an overly enthusiastic worker armed with an extra large blower.

I just finished the seemingly endless cat library painting, "Library Lions". Some paintings just eat time, and this was certainly one of those. But it's done at last in spite of copious cat help and I'm happy.

I'm enjoying being warm inside the house on a cold day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T18:38:55Z

From the Packing and Shipping Department here at Theresa Mather Fantasy Art!

theresamather @ 2009-11-20T19:18:00

2009-11-21T02:18:20Z

Since my last convention is mailed and I find myself ahead, we've listed ten rock and feather pieces in my online shop! There are a variety of subjects in all price ranges available. I have more than what's listed so if you don't see what you're looking for, ask! All pieces are matted and framed. All prices include shipping in the lower 48.
I'll start with the most complex and largest of the pieces, Renaissance Angel. I painted her for the show at the Braithwaite Gallery here in Cedar City, where she was on display through the Utah Shakespeare Festival. The painting is in acrylic on stone, with ruby, purple sapphire and amethyst accents. The inside dimension of the frame is 8x12 inches. I really had a lot of fun painting her elaborate dress and exploring the colors already in the stone.

Amethyst Dragon Portrait Here's a vain purple dragon, posing for his portrait, which I painted at his behest on a small slab of fluorite! He's presented in a wooden frame with an amethyst accent.

Dragon Knight
A bold dragon knight swoops on his regal mount across a silvery obsidian sky.

Eastern Fire Feather A fiery eastern dragon guards his treasure well, even though he's only a few inches tall.

Eastern Peridot Dragon
Another eastern dragon coils across a piece of Australain prehnite, and chases after a peridot jewel.

Garnet Thief
This dragon is getting away with a rhodolite garnet. He thinks you don't see him stealing it, but he shows up better than he thinks on a background of shimmery lepidolite.

Jewel Seeker
A very small garnet thief isn't having as much good luck, he's still searching for the rhodolite garnet that lies hidden among the roses.

Moonstone Wolf Arrow
A small white wolf on a jasper arrowhead, in a tiny weathered frame that measures 4x6 inches. he features a moonstone accent.

Spring Unicorn A unicorn painted on rainbow jade, wearing a green sapphire and a spray of flowers.

White Tiger Portrait
Lastly, white tiger on onyx, with blue lace agate and moonstone accents.

Updatery

2009-11-17T23:17:35Z

We celebrated the official sending off the final box of art to the last convention of the year by popping open a bottle of champagne last night, and having lunch at Ninja Japanese Steakhouse this afternoon. Evening will be spent lounging in front of the TV in the company of the kitty boys.

Artwise, I'm currently working on a new library cat piece which will feature the new cats, as well as cats I have known and loved over the years. There will be lots of cats in this library.
If anyone would like to supply titles for the books in the library, I'm open to suggestions.

The new kittehs

2009-11-11T03:42:45Z

Slate Trotsky and Rusty Lenin! (Not the names the pound gave them....)These are their Petfinder pics, taken at the pound,

Both are on me right now, and I'm typing around them, being headbutted and licked by Rusty who is suckling his own paw like a baby kitten.

Home, and I can haz KITTEHS!

2009-11-10T23:02:23Z

Home as of last night from Neoncon in Las Vegas- we had a GREAT time.

Just went to the pound here in Cedar and came back with two extra-large kitty boys! They're exploring the house right now. Miss Kitty would have approved of these big easy going boys. Pictures to follow.

Awake at 3:30 a.m.

2009-11-03T10:48:13Z

Between the Snake River Farms Berkshire pork Basque chorizo I had for lunch and the ancho chili chicken a la Too Hot Tamales I made for dinner, I have an amazing case of heartburn in spite of three maximum strength Tums. The bright-as-day moonlight streaming through the windows doesn't help in the sleep department much either. On the non-moon related bright side, I wouldn't have discovered the parody infomercials Adult Swim is running were I not awake at this hour. Between Icelandic Ultra Blue's "jingle contest" and the cash-for-Nazi-gold bit, I at least am amused.

(LOL spell check doesn't recognize the word "chorizo" and wants me to change it to chorus, chores, Chrissy, Shiraz, Cherie, shores or Cheril's.... and suggests anchor,inch, Sancho, arch, ache, echo or Manchu as what I really meant by "ancho" yet it still can't solve the your/you're there/they're/their bear/bare dilemma. Ain't this stupid world of invasive and time-wasting technology we all use like it's some kind of virtue grand? heh heh)

And now for a commercial interruption...

2009-10-30T20:41:39Z

I don't do a whole lot of commissions during the year, but if you would like something now is the time to ask! I'm done with the work for 2009, and can fit in a few custom pieces before I start 2010, email me at theresamather@yahoo.com

Snow :/

2009-10-27T18:12:30Z

I'm a firm believer that snow, like Christmas decorations and holiday music in stores, should always at the very least wait until after Halloween, and in a perfect world would arrive only after Thanksgiving.
The sky, however, apparently has other plans.

More Miss Kitty.

2009-10-23T16:09:32Z

This morning it's finally time. Yesterday, Miss Kitty followed her regular routine as best she could, waiting for me to get up outside my door, meowing when I took too long, waiting for me to get dressed, escorting me to the food bowl, sleeping in her usual places. This morning she can only stagger a few feet and then collapse, and she's tried to eat but really can't. She purrs when I pet her, but she's in a stupor.
I tried to make an appointment at her vet to have her put to sleep so she didn't have to suffer and they said they are booked today and then the vet is going on vacation. I managed to get an appointment for this afternoon at the other veterinary clinic which I have never been to, but I don't know if she'll make it that late. Hopefully she'll just fall asleep today and not wake up, that would be better than taking her to a strange vet in a place she doesn't know.
I am angry that her vet couldn't fit her in, and I'm sad to be losing my 20-years-plus special and mischievous kitty.

(The picture is from January.)

Miss Kitty.

2009-10-21T18:51:41Z

One of the crapiest and suckiest parts of having a pet is the end. Miss Kitty has put up a valiant fight, surviving cancer for a year and a half at least at the venerable age of twenty-something. Even after she had the tumors removed in January and they gradually came back, she's been a regular little Energizer bunny. The last couple of weeks things have started to go down hill. She eats and eats but her already slight weight has been falling away until she's bony. She quit grooming months ago and as her fur gets so matted it can't be brushed out, I've trimmed away the clumps so she's missing her lush fur ruff. Today, for the first time, she couldn't make it up the stairs. This afternoon when she came stalking after my lunch, her daily habit since she's been spoiled with people food since becoming ill, she couldn't jump onto the couch and I had to give her a plate of her own on the floor. She's spending the day looking off into space on a blanket on the floor. She doesn't seem to be in pain, which has made deciding whether or not to put her to sleep harder- so long as she's been willing to fight so hard to live, I haven't wanted to just stop her short. She may just go on her own now, it certainly won't be long. I guess I may have to make a choice very soon about if it's time to have her put to sleep. I really hate this part of having pets.

Neoncon

2009-10-18T21:55:56Z

We'll be at Neoncon in Las Vegas November 5-8th at the Palace Station. This will be the first year that Neoncon is featuring a dealer/exhibit hall, and that's where we'll be selling all sorts of arty goodness!

Apple bonanza

2009-10-14T00:42:14Z

All the big beautiful apples on my apple tree were thoroughly wormy this year, so I didn't harvest them. But they're certainly not going to waste- there were up to 5 deer at a time this afternoon eating them.

Taken from a second story window looking into the side yard, the gate leads to the vegetable garden and of course is utterly useless at keeping wildlife out.

Anime St. George

2009-10-07T21:59:35Z

This weekend there will be a new anime con in St. George, the closest town to us of significant size. It's a one day event, and we'll be in the dealer's room with a variety of prints, t-shirts, bookmarks and a few originals!

Anime St. George website!

Autumn Colors at Grand Canyon National Park, North Rim

2009-10-03T04:15:13Z

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is much closer to us than the more frequently visited South Rim, so it's where we go most often. It's higher than the South Rim, and heavily forested. The lodge closes for the year on October 16 although the park stays open until the snow seals it in for the winter, or November 30, whichever comes first. We decided to get a final visit in before the lodge closes.
At this time of year, we were expecting autumn color. We never expected to see the elusive park buffalo, which used to keep to the back country, yet there some were right past the park gates. Judging by the number of "chips", they come to this field frequently.

We saw lots of animals, including about 40 wild turkeys, grouse, deer and a rare kaibab squirrel, which is a large charcoal grey squirrel with a black belly and white tail.The regional deer population is teeming- we saw tons of them all the way back from the park.

More autumn gold- the aspens were gorgeous in the miles and miles of forest and field between the gate and the canyon.

You can see the Colorado River in this picture. The elbow of the river is a delta where ancient native peoples lived and farmed in winter, climbing up to the area where the picture was taken to live in the heat of summer. There are traces of ancient structures in both locations, and atop a nearby mesa where an 11 room storage building was located.

This shows how much higher the North Rim is than the other side of the canyon.

The strangest moment had to be encountering the Insane Clown Posse tour bus on highway 89A between the canyon and Kanab, Ut.
A cool stop along the way is at Jacob Lake, where the circa 1920's motel has a nice dining room adorned with outstanding Navajo weavings and other art. The gift shop has kachinas and pottery created by top Hopi artists as well as more affordable gifty things. Plus it's the only restuarant before you get to the canyon, so if you didn't pack your own lunch or eat in Kanab or Fredonia, this is your only choice for a stop. Fortunately, it's a good one- they even bake all their own bread and pastries.
The lodge at the Grand Canyon North Rim is thankfully no longer run by Xanterra. Based on what we saw, Xanterra would lure workers from other countries and essentially trap them and overwork them , and the effects of chronic understaffing and overworked staff rippled through the whole experience. Hopefully they will stay gone as it was so much more pleasant to be served by people who seemed happy to be there and were plentiful enough to get the job done. The restaurant is pricey but is now worth it. The dining room has big glass windows and hangs on the edge of the canyon. If you're really lucky you can see California Condors soaring over the canyon as you munch your lunch.

We had a five mile hike all to ourselves, not seeing any other people the whole time. We set out in late afternoon -Barry insisted that there would be enough daylight. Fortunately, the moon came up and was bright enough that I didn't stumble into the canyon while trying to find my way back. A little more adventure than I planned on, maybe, but all ended well.
Yay for national parks!

My poor tormented cookbooks.

2009-09-29T18:14:52Z

I try to take good care of my books, really I do.
But my poor cookbooks are so sadly abused. Not in a grandly reckless manner like the person I read about who set her Julia Child book on fire by accident when flambeing something (Julia would be proud). No, my cookbooks die the death of a thousand grease spots. Their spines are fractured so they open to my favorite recipes. Did you know that dried red chilis, when rendered into sauce, leave saffron colored streaks across paper? That pages become translucent when infused with enough grease? Splatters and spice flecks and sauce stains and warping from wine and steam and wet fingers, little bits of adhered papery garlic skin, I make a mess of the poor things. I set a plate with a sticky bottom down last night on the "Pork Chile Verde" page of my Two Hot Tamales book "Mexican Cooking for Dummies" (amazingly delicious recipe by the way)and lifted the words right off the middle of the page when I lifted the plate. I felt awful... poor book! (though the recipe, amazingly, is still useable.) I just put more cookbooks in my Amazon "to buy" list and I feel guilty. I'm just going to abuse the heck out of them. I keep telling myself "that's what they're for" but part of me thinks maybe I'm just a hopelessly messy cook. Oh well, as long as the results are delicious, I guess that's just the price I (or rather my poor besmeared and fractured cookbooks) will just have to pay.

satisfying media goodness

2009-09-28T20:14:37Z

I signed up for Netflix again now that I'll be home for awhile to actually use it. It's been months since I spent much time watching TV except when I'm winding down late at night, so there's a lot saved up that I want to see.

So far, I've rented:
"Persepolis" which I enjoyed, having read the graphic novel.

"Night at the Museum", which was enjoyable and fun. The script was written by two of the guys behind Reno911, which I think is pretty funny. I thought their commentary track was extra amusing.

Waiting to be watched is "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", which I haven't seen in years. The song "Comedy Tonight" has been running through my head for weeks, sung by Zero Mostel of course. If you want to experience not getting the song out of your head too, click here.

I watched the first episode of season 1 of the video version of "This American Life" courtesy of the streaming video service part of Netflix. I had heard the radio version of one of the stories, "If By Chance We Meet Again" on NPR before. It was amazing how my mental pictures from listening to the radio version differed from the actual visual ones. For instance, I pictured the tame bull in the story, Chance, to be a regular large bull. But he was actually an enormous Brahma bull, which was even more surreal considering his docility.

Also on streaming video were the first 3 episodes of the 1970 BBC production of the Six Wives of Henry the 8th. I need to watch the rest now. The BBC drama impressed me in that it left you sympathetic to each wife, which is kind of a feat because often things are either pro Anne Boleyn or anti Anne Boleyn, which leaves you either liking or not liking Catherine of Aragon or Jane Seymore. Personally, I'm partial to Anne Of Cleves. I also watched "The Other Boleyn Girl", which wasn't historically accurate but was more accurate than the novel.

I have also come to the conclusion that were I to have to choose between dating any of the members of Dethklok, I would probably have to pick Toki Wartooth

National Parks: America's Best Idea

2009-09-28T05:54:08Z

I enjoyed the first segment of Ken Burn's "National Parks: America's Best Idea" although since I live so close to several of them and go quite often, I do have something to add. Many of the parks out this way are jammed with tourists so it's difficult to get the zen like serenity and communing with nature that was being discussed unless you are flexible about the times you go or are willing to really hike.
For me, observing the behavior of tourists is half the fun (warning, gross generalizations ahead)- for instance, New Yorkers somehow invariably find each other at the viewpoints and loudly discuss New York and which Cirque Du Soleil they're going to see in Las Vegas. I think their brains must overload when they're out of their matrix or something, so they need to verbally recreate it. Germans expect you to get out of their way on trails, even if you would have to jump down a thousand foot cliff to accommodate them. I could go on with the data from my informal research and observations of tourists in their natural habitat, but I'll spare the details.
I do worry about people falling into the Grand Canyon sometimes when they try to get the perfect photo (one of the primary reasons it happens, actually).
I have thought about doing a project where I take a shot of a person taking a picture at a park, then ask them if they could send me the image they took and show them side by side. People are often so busy taking pictures and trying to get the ultimate shot that they seem to primarily see the parks through their camera or phone. One night, I watched a sunset from the north rim of the Grand Canyon at the lodge balcony, glass of wine in hand as a huge clump of people with cameras followed the sunset across the porch, some of them using flash. None of them actually looked at or witnessed the sunset- they were shoving and jockeying for best position as there were clicks and flashes akin to a paparazzi stalking. It was hilarious in a kind of sad way.
But then there's another time where an elderly man approached the canyon rim, found that he could see nothing because it was filled with clouds, asked my friend if she thought it was going to clear up and then started to weep because he thought he wasn't going to be able to see it. There was a story there, I'm sure.
Then there are moments that transcend the horrible Xanterra lodge food and the crowds. It was a totally clear morning though it had rained the night before. As the sun rose and heated things up, tendrils of mist began to appear rising from the rocks and they whirled gently into clouds. In about a half hour it went from totally clear to completely cloudy, and the clouds were all formed right there. It really didn't matter that the New Yorkers next to me were loudly discussing the merits of Cirque Du Soleil O vs. Cirque Du Soleil Zumanity, it was pretty darned cool.

Early Autumn Colors

2009-09-24T03:47:57Z

We took a drive this afternoon up the mountain. Although the autumn color hasn't reached down to 6000 feet altitude in our town, there's plenty of it higher up. The highest peaks in the area hit around 11,000 feet.
This is the road up the mountain you can see from my front window.

Another view from the road up Cedar Mountain, looking toward the top where the altitude is 8700 feet.

This type of lovely plant is my nemesis each autumn. It's called rabbit brush, it's everywhere, and it makes clouds of pretty yellow pollen that make my eyes water continuously when it blooms in fall. Sure is pretty though.

Here I am walking at the top of a lava cliff up on the plateau at the top of the mountains. The peaks are all very high in altitude, but the effect at the top is rolling hills punctuated by evidence of volcanic eruptions. In the summer, ranchers graze sheep and cattle in the rolling hills er...mountaintops, taking them down the mountain later in fall to winter at lower altitudes. We saw several stags and lots of mountain bluebirds today up here.

The prevailing regional color once autumn sets in is golden yellow because of the aspens and cottonwoods and rabbit brush.

These pictures show the early colors. The gambel oaks and many of the aspens haven't even started to change yet. Barring a storm blowing in at the wrong time and taking down the leaves, I hope to make several more trips to this and other local areas to see lots of autumn color before everything turns grey for the winter, which I'm totally not ready for. It's not going to be long now till my own deciduous trees start to turn.

Busy days

2009-09-22T16:40:51Z

No fall colors yet, but I can see them higher up on the mountainside. It may be time for a fall color viewing drive. Summer is exiting like it entered- cool, and with frequent clouds and rain. We didn't really have much of a summer- I didn't take the lighter winter blankets off the bed until June and I'm thinking about putting them back on already.

I baked a loaf of brown potato bread, it just came out of the oven, so the house smells like baking bread. I had to call Barry to corral dumb kitty who seemed intent on jumping into the hot lower oven when I tried to take it out. Silly cat! Since she has had cancer and needs to eat, I've been sharing people food with her and now she knows it tastes better than cat food. So she's way too interested in anything connected to people food. I thought when she had the tumors removed in January, she wouldn't live very long after that. But it's getting to be fall and she's still here, now with a huge appetite for lunch meat, steak, pork chops, pudding, cheese, mayo, roast beef, salad dressing, cake and chicken. And she's pushy and whiny about it too! The interest in bread seems to come from the newly acquired knowledge that lunch meat and bread are often connected, so if you're handling bread kitty starts to get in front of your feet to force you to pay attention while she says MAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUU over and over.

Cat wrangling isn't all there is on my to-do list today. I'm reframing some pieces for a friend, finishing the small originals for October and getting a commission ready to send today.

Yesterday I got a large frame order in, so sorting and putting away things was the order of the day. I selected a few to reframe some paintings I think would look better framed differently. So I intend to clean up loose ends today and tomorrow so I can forge ahead finishing the year's work. I think dinner at Ninja Japanese Steakhouse would be a good way to celebrate finishing 2009! Of course it's just a symbolic goal, because I'll begin work for 2010 the very next day.