Finding the Light

Lucky Man

I just got back from taking Lucky Man for his daily swim. You remember a few months back I wrote about his tragic encounter with a bullet. In fact that post, "Seeking the Light," has been one of our most popular posts.

Some unspeakable excuse for a human being aimed their gun at the beautiful dog, we have raised from a puppy, and used him as target practice. This is the dog that instead of fetching the stick out of the water would bark at the stick until his buddies brought it into him to snatch away. Lucky Man loved nothing more than to run free in the woods and get on the scent of a stray deer. He never bothered anyone that we can determine, and believe me we canvassed the neighborhood.

Instead of killing Lucky Man, this "Great White Warrior with a .22 caliber gun" shattered LM's left front elbow, altering his destiny forever. When I wrote the post,"Seeking the Light," I was full of despair. Not one to be a terribly demonstrative griever, I found myself on the floor of the stainless steel kennel with Lucky Man, sobbing uncontrollably after his surgery. It wasn't that he was injured, it was that he had to wake in a world where someone would do that to an animal, even one as majestic and proud as he is.

It has taken months, but LM is gradually recovering. We tease him and call him hopalong, but he is strong and determined. But most of all he is humble and accepting of his plight. I have always said, humans can intellectualize what "unconditional love" is, but only our pets can offer it.

Each little advance Lucky Man makes, gives way to optimism that he might return to his former state physically. Emotionally he is a different animal. Once able to run in the woods, he is confined to a leash only. He spends much of his day sleeping, instead of on point. Chili Pepper, our little dachshund who adores Lucky Man has found himself taking up new responsibilities, such as lead watch dog. His companion can no longer accompany him on investigative forays, and roughhousing is severely restricted.

Now when we swim it, is for physical therapy. LM remains on a leash. He is the one getting the stick, and Chili Pepper stays on the beach barking the stick in. This activity requires some swimming on my part as well.

At the point where the vet releases us from such confinement, LM will continue his housebound vigil. Someone clearly has a bounty on his head, and should a breakout occur, Lucky Man's life will surely be at stake.

But, should I digress, this post is called "Finding the Light." We all have that opportunity every day of our lives. It's called gratitude, it's called positive attitude, and some even call it spirituality. All of these names, I relate to creativity. To me creativity is problem solving. It's not what happens to you, its how you react to what happens to you. Artists know this innately. And they are forever taking what they are given, ultimately using their imagination which is of course "a given," and creating something with it. This positive energy flow is what draws me to art, and to the artists themselves. "Finding the Light," for me is everything. How do you "Find the Light?"--Ruth Mitchell

"Flower 8" - kEith kImmell

Pottery Paradise

Faceted Cream & Sugar Set

I want every single thing potter Allan Buitekant has placed with us on the site, but it will be awhile before I can amass such a collection of the North Carolinian's work. Add to that conundrum, the fact that he has some new work fresh from the kiln. His classic clean lines and utilitarian work looks great in any home. Are you listening family? We're really going to need that platter come November. Ah, well, I guess I'm going to have to put it on my wish list.

Buitekant has just been awarded Artist in Residence status at the Silver Fox gallery in Hendersonville, North Carolina. "My work is also to be included in the Asher Gallery in the Houston Center for Contemporary Crafts," he writes.

Thanks for the update Allan, and keep the beautiful pieces coming!--Ruth Mitchell

Don't Let Rising Gas Prices Get you Down

I just read that the average gas price is $3.13 a gallon. That's actually lower than I would have guessed. Still things are changing. According to surveys and even more pertinent, common sense, Americans are getting in their cars less. Thanks to the internet though, they don't have to give up shopping or art collecting. As everyone knows, Memorial Day Weekend is one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year.

If you are looking for bargains this weekend,like millions of American are, then may I make a suggestion. I'm not terribly fond of using the term bargain when associate to art, so let's say value instead. If you are looking for a high ratio of value to your dollar, and you love art, then let me point out two incredible values on our site for you. And there's lots more.

This original watercolor by Arizona artist Judith Gary is priced at $68.00. That includes shipping!


"Intense" - Original Watercolor Painting

Another great value is this giclee by Florida artist Ron Serfass for only $30, and that includes shipping!

"Broken River" - giclee

Much of our art costs in the thousands of dollars, but we strive to provide a beautiful selection of art in a variety of price points. If you're in the mood to do a little retail therapy this weekend, and you don't want gas money to eat into your budget, then peruse our pages. You'll be delightfully surprised by some of the values. Have a great holiday weekend!--Ruth Mitchell

Chance Meeting and Other News

Last night while attending the last performance of the 9th Annual Chamber Music Festival in Heber Springs, AR we happened to meet artist John Wesely Simms, Jr. and his wife Clintina from middle Tennessee, who were in the area vacationing. Simms is a portrait artist who in 2006 was commissioned by Michael and Michele Basha of Arizona to paint several paintings of cowboys. The couple belongs to the Basha family that has accumulated one of the largest Western Art Collections in the world. You never know who you'll run into. Nice meeting you John and Clintina.

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Our own Paola De Giovanni dropped us a note to let us know he just had a selection of his artwork exhibited at the Elysee Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland recently. "I will soon have two prints exhibited in a collection at the J:Akebono-so Gallery in Isesaki, Japan," he says.

Paola lives in Bury, United Kingdom.

"Walking Home I"

Featured Artist Braden Hammond

Glassblower Braden Hammond

Canadian artist Braden Hammond began his journey as a glassblower in 2003 at a Santa Cruz Art and Glass Studio. From that moment, he was hooked on the beauty of art glass and the endless possibilities for its use. Much of Braden's inspiration comes from the many places of untamed beauty that his career as a glass blower has taken him including: Canmore, Alberta, Canada; Santa Cruz, California and Vancouver, British Columbia where he currently has his studio.

Braden creates some interesting art glass pendants. Click here to see them.

Feeling Creative?

Are you feeling creative? Let the juices flow and design a t-shirt for the J.Jill Nature of Compassion Design Contest. Details may be found here.

Non Traditional Weddings

Alex and Erin cross the swinging bridge into matrimony at Point Bonita Lighthouse

The thing about tradition is that it gives you a go by, or in other words it has its own infrastructure and there is a certain safety in that. No where is tradition more honored in our culture than the wedding ceremony. As Americans we tend to be less tied down to tradition than other societies, but we still hold onto it when it comes to weddings. With good reason. When you are trying to meld two families together in one ceremonial gesture to support the bride and groom, it can become complicated.

The day before my daughter was married in San Francisco, she took us to the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. I thought coming out there a few days before the wedding, we might help her with a few errands, but she seemed to have everything under control, and just wanted to spend some time with us.

Wouldn't you know it, we ran into a couple there that was posing for wedding pictures. The bride looked stunning in that delicious traditional gown that made her look like she was swathed in butter cream wedding cake. I might have felt sorry at that point that my daughter wasn't going to be wearing a "traditional" wedding gown, but I wasn't. That had already passed, and I was just delighted to be with her in such a comforting and beautiful place as the Japanese Tea Garden.

Erin had found her own silk designer gown months before in the Haight that everyone knows as the Hippie District of the '60s, but today is a thriving retail district with designer boutiques.

I was sad the day she called and told me she had purchased her wedding dress, because I hadn't been there with her. I don't think she understood that I would have lept at the chance to jump on a plane to go shopping with her just for one day, if that was what she wanted, but she seemed reticent to have my input. I struggled with that, but the good news is that I came to accept it.

I remember when my husband and I went with my daughter, Cecelia, to talk to our spiritual guide when she was planning her wedding. He had some astounding wisdom to share with us. He looked at Cecelia, and told her, "you are happily planning your wedding and you have probably been thinking about it since you were a little girl, but your mother has been planning your wedding, since the day you were born."

Now I never was too much of a "cheerleader mom," as you might suspect is a term we use that has close meaning to the term "stage mom," one of those smothering mothers that is way to involved in their daughter's lives, but I had to admit that Henry was right. Even though I myself had never felt as a little girl that as a "given," I would someday marry, I had indulged in thinking that my daughter would find happiness in such an arrangment because I had.

Two of my daughter's have opted for smaller, intimate weddings, but Erin's was by far the most non-traditional wedding I have experienced, including my own that wasn't very traditional.

Our church for the ceremony was the Point Bonita Lighthouse, a stunning place that like the Japanese Tea Garden, I also had never visited. The weather cooperated for us, we didn't get fogged in, and while the wind was blowing like crazy, it was somewhat sheltered where the ceremony took place. The Golden Gate Bridge served as a backdrop. Alex and Erin wrote their own vows, and various people had been selected as officiants and speakers. It was a very touching ceremony I will not soon forget.

Earlier that morning, the bride had asked us to assist her in selecting flowers from the flower shops in her neighborhood. We walked for blocks and blocks, and finally gathered a bundle of Cala Lilies. Rather than the bride carrying flowers, the single stemmed lilies were handed out to the guests before the ceremony, and then at the end of the ceremony given to the bride and groom and bundled in a beautiful ribbon that was folded into Alex's pocket like a boutinere.

The reception was at a nearby youth hostel, and the young people stayed the night in an all night camp out. Our beautiful meal was catered by a restaurant that cooked shish-cabobs on an open grill. Cabobs have always been one of Erin's favorites. We finished with a wonderful Princess cake that Erin would not cut with her groom in the traditional manner because that would be too trite.

More and more brides are having weddings their way, and I think that is grand. If we place so much expectation on the opening ceremony, and rely purely on tradition without using our own creative input, how will we handle those tough times when tradition fails us?--Ruth Mitchell

Message of Peace

Sometimes we get off the course of the visual arts to explore the art of living. This is a chance for me to share with you an incidental event in my weekend that brought up a reminder of an extraordinary leader, Mahatma Gandhi.

To tell you the truth if the Netflix movie had hit the door, we may have very well watched something else, after a long day of yard work. Instead we ended up watching the 1983 movie Gandhi, an extraordinary film not so much because of the beautiful scenes and the well-written screenplay, but because it was about the life of Mahatma Gandhi. I'd seen the Academy Award-winning film before, and knew that Ben Kingsley, a relative unknown at the time had done an extraordinary job of portraying Gandhi.

There were 350 million Indian people and 100,000 British in India in 1918 when Gandhi ,who was already well into his civil rights crusade after suffering indignities in South Africa, began his work to free India of the oppression of Colonization by Britain. The life and principles of this incredible man have been inspiration for many others including Dr. Martin Luther King.

Among the many quotations Gandhi left us was this one I thought applied masterfully to art:

"As long as you derive inner help and comfort from anything, keep it."
Mahatma Gandhi

I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on conflict resolution with the absence of violence. If you are interested in reading more about this legendary man click here.

Bottle Trees - A Curiosity of the Ozarks

Bottle trees are, more and more, a rarely found delight. What the heck are they, strange looking garden adornments, or much more? One of the finest collection of bottle trees to be found anywhere is at Quigley's Castle in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. A few years ago, I did a gig for Fodor's Great American Vacations, and got this shot while researching the travel info. Pictured above are just a few of the amazing bottle trees on the grounds, and included in the shot are some of Mrs. Quigley's rock sculptures.

Reluctant to visit what I perceived as a second-rate $20 bill catcher, I was delighted by what I found inside the mammoth hedges of this curious place, especially the largest collection of bottle trees I've ever seen. In the Ozarks, backwoods people believed that if they put saved bottles--blue ones were the best, especially if they once carried Milk of Magnesia -- then the spirits would be attracted to the colored glass and they would fly up into the bottles and get trapped.

Hey I'm a believer.--Ruth Mitchell

To see more photos of Quigley's Castle and some of the other attractions listed in the book, visit my travel article on worldisround.com.

Frank Lloyd Wright in Alabama?

Did you know that the renowned Frank Lloyd Wright designed a house in Alabama? I would never have guessed, but he did. Recently I was at the NATJA (North American Travel Journalists Association) Annual Convention in Little Rock, Arkansas, and while there picked up a few brochures and CDs of course. It turns out that Wright designed a house for newlyweds Stanley and Mildred Rosenbaum of Florence, Alabama, in 1939. The house is the only structure designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the state of Alabama, and the only such house in the southeast that is open to the public.

This unique house constructed of cypress, glass and brick, it turns out was built in what Wright refer to his Usonian Style, named for the United States of America. Apparently this was Wright's version of designing for the masses, and with Wright’s plans, a young family could build their own home, fulfilling the American dream of home ownership.

Sitting on a two-acre lot, very near downtown Florence, Alabama and facing the Tennessee River its not clear just how middle-class this family was but the Usonian style house originally contained 1,540 square feet, but when the Rosenbaum household grew to include four sons, the family called upon Wright to design an addition. In 1948, 1,084 square feet was added, containing a larger kitchen, a guest bedroom, storage space and a dormitory for the boys. This seamless addition verifies Wright’s concept of a Usonian house that could grow with the family as it grew. The Rosenbaums were the sole owners and occupants of the house until 1999, when it was purchased by the City of Florence. The house is the only structure designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the state of Alabama, and the only such house in the southeast that is open to the public. To find out more about this unique piece of Americana visit here.

Totally Cool Bank Promotion

Bank of America will pay for your admission (and a guest!) to over 95 museums during the Month of May. All you need is a Bank of America ATM check or credit card, or an MBNA credit card. For more details on this rare opportunity visit their site now.

Also, did you notice? We've been adding more informational links and advertising to our site. And don't forget to check out the article section of the site. Enjoy--Ruth Mitchell

"We Are In Our Cups" Saki Cups That Is

You've heard the expression before, "he's in his cups," which going back to the Bible means drunk. We'll stretch the term a little to let you know we are giddy to find out that out of all the millions of websites in the world, we are number one if you type in "saki cups."

Sssh, don't spread the word or we'll find ourselves competing with the likes of Target or Wal-mart for those keywords, and believe you me we don't have the advertising budget they do.

In the business of selling art online, there are many duties that have nothing to do with art. Like SEO! It's all about bringing a receptive audience to the table, and that means you have to learn about building a site map for Google, advertise, and work on keywords until you dream about them at night as they float before your eyes. Among other things, you have to build links, nurture impressions and seduce rankings so you don't end up spending too much on your CPC or your CPM. I've been doing this a couple of years now, and I learn more every day than my brain can fathom. That's okay, some people get hooked on adrenaline, or drugs or members of the opposie sex, it seems that I'm hooked on challenges that lead to building businesses. In more sexy terms, I'm a hopeless entrepreneur... aah what a wonderful word that comes to us from the French language and thus the sensual tone as it rolls off the tongue.

Don't feel too sorry for me. I get to meet and write about wonderful art and the creators who make the art. And today was a special day at our office, we saw 6 (four at one time) Indigo Buntings. If you've never experienced seeing this bird look them up here. They are an infrequently spotted bird, but today must have been a big migration day for birds because we also spotted a Rosebreasted Grossbeak, and a number of Cedar Waxwings.

So back to the saki cups. We're still in our cups, because while we are not setting records in the retail world due to a small advertising budget, we've done something right to become the world's leader when it comes to looking up saki cups.

Go ahead and try it.

We love you readers one and all, and that's why I'm going to share with you this little tip....Sign up five of your friends to receive our newsletter and we'll give you 10 percent off your next purchase over $25. Just write me, and I'll make it so.

Now take a look at this Saki Cup set by Andrew Jackson Pollack Let your eyes rest on it a minute and take it in. Some of the best things in life are free, but you can own set of saki cups, which is even better.--Ruth Mitchell

The Hummers are Here

Photo by Michael Swaffar

The hummers have arrived and we don't mean those big gas guzzling tanks. We've already had an incident actually. Our garage door was left open for a short while and a hummer got trapped in the garage. He was there for an awfully long time and we tried to shoo him out gracefully, but the little guy was confused. Finally my husband suggested I take one of our feeders and hang it near the door, as hummers can get exhausted rather quickly. After awhile I went back to check and the poor thing was hovering on a shovel. I mustered my hummer whispering techniques and coaxed him out the open door.

We have beautiful birds at our house, but the return of the hummers signifies warm weather and a new season. I have a feeder right outside my office window, and their darting action is very entertaining. On a recent visit to California, I was shocked by how large the hummers are out there. My sister's ocean side garden is filled with flowers, and a virtual circus display of diving, darting and buzzing hummers.

Above is a photograph of some hummers by Michael Swaffar who has been with buyoutsidethebox.com almost from the beginning. Michael has a nice viewpoint of nature and is a very talented children's photographer.

Our May newsletter went out this morning, if you're not on the email list, be reminded that we have giveaway promotions from time to time for our newsletter loyalists and newbies. Robert Nonn of Appleton, WI just won a hand turned writing instrument by British craftsman Nick Child.

Now you can support the arts by using the search ads on our blog page. Almost anything you need, along with the best price available, can be found through our search ads. If you haven't added our feed yet, that's a great way to keep up with our artists and cultural news. And of course we depend on you for word of mouth. Had a good shopping experience with us, please tell your friends.

If you'd like to sign up to receive our newsletter and special offers, please visit our home page and scroll down to the sign up form on the left hand side of the page, or simply click here.

Have a wonderful May Day!--Ruth Mitchell

Hummer Eco Tip: Migration is done according to changing day length or photoperiod. Actually, migrating hummingbirds may be helped by feeders that are left up until at least two weeks have passed since seeing your last hummer.