Retreat '09

Last weekend was our annual art retreat. This group of women have been going up to work on oil paintings in Wisconsin for a weekend in fall for over 30 years. The salvation army camp for the past 24?? I think...
Anyways, not only do I enjoy these women and an opportunity to set time aside to paint but I also look forward to spending a little QT with my mom. Especially now living out of state it's important that we both set time aside and make efforts to hang out.

Here is a picture of my finished painting. I found the photo in the Oklahoma Living magazine a while back and loved the colors. It's a very 'mystical' scene. I don't know why but painting rocks is one of the hardest things... I think they turned out okay though ;)

It has worked out really well the last 2 years... Mike's folks live about 1/2 hour away from the camp so he flew in to see them, picked me up for a visit and then we had a 12 hr road trip back. Kinda long but not bad... we had plenty of laughs and chats.

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Hi God

Well... I don't think I slept a second until sometime after 4:30 last night... or should I say this morning? I wanted to thank you for the chats... I didn't think I was worried about anything but you reminded me of a couple things.... it's all small stuff... like REALLY small stuff and you're bigger than the human mind can conceive.
Sometimes I think you keep us awake just so that you can spend time with us... so I trust that I won't be too tired on the road today... You know I don't know why it is... but I feel like everytime we start to get close and I get to feel like I can dance with your spirit... the enemy comes in and steals my joy. I am getting sick of the road blocks... please give me strength.
Okay, I gotta get going so I can get on the road.. Love you :) Thanks!

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Kitchen art available individually or as a set:

Apple: 8x10 Checked Charcoal Back Ground... seeds and stem in copper leaf, leaf in silver leaf... remainder in acryllics and stain

Strawberries: 8x10 Plaid Charcoal Background. Featuring gold and copper leafing, acryllics and stain

Pear: 8x10 Featuring copper and silver leaf, acryllics and stain

Ginko Leaves: 16x20 (Silver Leafing) applied over contemporary pattern in a soft gold metallic eathy greens and stain shading.

The past couple days at Kustom Kate Studios have been busy and full of inspiration. Keep our custom artwork in mind for your holiday shopping... custom orders taken.

Tell a freind!

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Kustom Shades

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to find a cute lampshade when you need one? ... there's not many options out there!
Click to enlarge, reptile skin pattern applied for a leather effect... black trim for a "finished" look

Call Kustom Kate with your artistic needs today!

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The Studio.... (inmygarage)

This Week's Project.... (Cabinets)

After just short of a year of living in Oklahoma... this past May/June ; I got really annoyed with lugging my supplies into the house from various storage places to work on samples, and projects. So one day I got motivated, made a list, went to Lowes, and got to work creating myself a work-space. Of course summer came early this year... I spent a little over a week organizing and putting shelves up etc in 105 degrees 'til about 10:30 pm each night. Who-da-thought the rest of the summer would be mild?

Anyways, I LOVE working out there. I have spent many of the summer evenings working, creating, playing and jamming to tunes. My work doesn't really feel like work to me... I CRAVE it... just ask Mike.. I go crazy if I don't have something to paint :)

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Kitty in a box.. Iris has made herself a home in one of the boxes from Mikes Birthday... She thanks my mom :)

Meg's Leaf

A close friend of mine from college, Meg, recently moved from the mountains of British Columbia to a suburb of Vancouver. They've been fixing up and revovating the home they bought and she's been looking for unique artwork for her dining room. She was looking for something with a nature theme but I know she has always had a knack for the contemporary. She sent me pictures of the room and other selections she has made in the house so I could get an idea for color and the direction of style they are taking throughout the home.
When a vision finally came to me and I described it as a leaf "like something a hobbit would drink tea or water from" I knew she was probably a bit nervous. But the final result is not that creepy... it's whimsical but not wierd... at least I don't think so.
I haven't shipped it yet. but I e-mailed her a picture and it sounds like she's rather excited!
This is something I want to be doing a lot more of. If you're stumped on a gift idea for someone or need to fill a niche in your home with some thing unique... keep me in mind! Everything I do is custom :)
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Breakthrough

We moved down here to Oklahoma just over a year ago.. it's been a great year of meeting new people, making new friends, learning our way around, building [or starting over for the 3rd and final time] Kustom Kate, and working on the house and yard while waiting for my marketing efforts to come to fruition :)
The good thing is that the house is personalized (for the most part) and the yard has lots of plants flowers and a vegetable garden! However in the meantime there have been ups and downs and lots of conversations with God asking for revelation and direction. I actually really connected with Third Day's song "Revelation" when they started playing it on the radio.
It feels like just in the past week or 2 things have begun to come uncovered for both of us and I am jumping out of my skin with excitement waiting to see what God has in store for us in this next stage...
We're in the process of getting connected in a church that's doing a great job of making the Gospel: The message of Jesus Christ relevant to today's world.
Mike's working with the 9th and 10th Grade boys... I am looking to serve in some way also... I have a great idea for a ministry I'd like to start and see expand to many cities that I will share later.
We went to our first Community group/Home group/Bible study... whatever you want to call it :) on sunday evening and REALLY enjoyed the people!
Kustom Kate is starting to grow... I have worked hard and invested time and resources into marketing harder than I have ever had to before. Not knowing anyone in a depressed economy while trying to sell a high-end luxury service has really been challenging. I thank God for the strength and perserverance and will continue to need it... Everytime I wanted to give up I thought "What else would I do?" Paint is my passion... that's what I've been given.
And I have been getting into more and more fine art which has been really fun... I hope that continues to grow... I would even be really happy if that's where Kustom Kate was ultimately going... we'll see :) One of my pieces got selected for viewing among other local artists with Tulsa Young Professionals to hang in Gilcrease Museum for a week... I am excited about that. What does it mean?? Nothing really, but it's exciting and something to add to the resume :)
Anyways, it's been an uphill climb and it feels good to have finally reached a plateau... I am going to enjoy this for a while because as we all know... the terrain changes quickly!
"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me" PH 4:13

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