The Year in Review

No, not the whole year with regards to news, politics, sports, etc., etc. I thought it would be nice to have one last look at the "Artists of the Month" for 2012.  So here is a mini-sampling of  the work featured here and in my Art from the Inkwell Monthly Newsletter.  Click on the links and names to view larger versions of the artwork and visit the respective websites or galleries of all the artists listed.

Forest Jewels

We kicked off the New Year in January with Barbara Keith, one of my FineArtAmerica colleagues. She works in a variety of media, with a wide-ranging array of subjects, although big cats are her favorite.  She draws on just about anything that will give her an interesting effect or texture.  For example, "Forest Jewels" pictured here, was done on sandpaper.  Click on the image to see the full size version.

Dark Eagle

The Artist of the Month for February was Carole Bourdo.  Anyone who knows me, or has followed my development as an artist, knows that on my website, on my "Faces West Gallery" page, there is a dedication to two people who were instrumental in getting me started along this artistic journey. One of those people, I am pleased to say, was Carole Bourdo. She was both friend and mentor to me and a great source of inspiration over 30 years ago, when I lived in Colorado Springs, CO.

Hand drawn portraits by Laurie Morgan

The featured artist for March was Laurie Morgan, a young artist from Risca, South Wales.  She "liked" my Art from the Inkwell Fan Page, and as I was replying to her, I noticed that she had some artwork of her own posted on Facebook.  The link here will take you over to her Facebook Page.

Spinner

The Artist of the Month for April was Carolyn Valcourt, one of my fellow artists on FineArtAmerica.  Carolyn grew up in New England near a horse farm, and has been drawing horses ever since she was a little girl.  She started out by drawing Saddlebreds and Morgans, but most recently has focused on western horses, such as Quarter Horses and Paints.

2010 Oregon Stamp Entry

 The month of May Artist of the Month was Doug Walpus, one of my fellow artists on Etsy.  The link here will take you over to his Etsy Shop:  DougWalpusArtStudio.  Doug was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and spent most of his childhood in Omaha, Nebraska.  Doug is a self-taught artist who first picked up a paint brush in the sixth grade, and has been at it ever since.  Doug donates 10% of duck related art sales to Ducks Unlimited and 10% of all other wildlife related sales to Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency.

Last of His Pride

 I went "International" about this time by joining ArtFlakes.com, based out of Munich, Germany, and wouldn't you know it, my first selection from that association was someone who hails from California!  Marc G Doutherd was the Artist of the Month for June, and his work is amazing. This image is a little fuzzy, so to truly appreciate the detail of his work you need to click through to the large version, and from there, explore the rest of his portfolio.

"Jiggs" in Graphite

The month of July brought me to an intriguing story, and consequently my Artist of the Month:  Corrina A. Thurston.  Corrina is 21 years old, and has only been drawing for about two years.  She has been fighting a number of illnesses for the past three years, including Post-Viral Fatigue Syndrome, which will take her years to recover from.  Due to her illness, she is no longer able to attend college, or be employed, so she took up drawing (and painting) to occupy her time and act as a therapy.

Ocelot Dreaming

 Isn't Social Media great?  Thanks to people "Liking" my Facebook page, and me "Liking" theirs in return,  I was introduced to Lesley Barrett, Scratchboard Artist.  I immediately knew who was going to be my featured Artist of the Month for August.  I think when you visit her website and see her body of work, you will be blown away, as I was!  Seeing as how Lesley lives in Australia, I doubt our paths would ever have crossed without the World Wide Web and this social media thing called Facebook.

Lion

My featured Artist of the Month for September was Scott Woyak, a fellow Pen & Ink artist that I came across at FineArtAmerica.  What I find fascinating is that although Scott discovered that he could draw while in high school, he felt that he was even better at math and science, and that is the road that he traveled. He has a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, and has spent most of his life thinking about numbers, equations and software code, always thinking that he would get back to drawing some day. It took him some 20-odd years to pick up the pen again to start drawing in his spare time, and I'm glad that he did.  He has quite an impressive portfolio.

Pinot Adoration

The spotlight in October was focused on Mark Treick (pronounced "trike", like a tricycle). Mark is another fellow FineArtAmerica contributor, and although Mark works with a wide range of subject matter for his renderings, including pet and people portraits, his lifelike drawings from a wine drinkers perspective caught my eye.  Perhaps that's because Fran & I venture out on a few wine-tasting excursions each year, sampling the fruits of the vine here in Oregon and also in Washington, but I digress. Mark's focus is on the life of wine drinkers, and the wine drinking and wine-making world they work and live in, playing with the images and reflections that creep into his subjects' surfaces.

Water Wheel

My Artist of the Month for November was Sonny Perschbacher, a retired architect; a graduate of Kansas State University School of Architecture in 1967.  Sonny had practiced for some 40 years before retiring in 2008. During that time, he produced numerous residential projects as well as a considerable number of architectural renderings.  Lately, Sonny has been branching out, creating works in pencil, pastels, and watercolors. His pen and ink works have been ongoing for a number of years and he has done several very time-consuming "pointillism" (dots only - no lines) pieces (i.e. trains, clipper ships).

What are you
looking at now?

As I finished out the year, I decided to try something new and different, by delving into the realm of photography for my Artist of the Month:  Mariola Bitner.  Mariola is the new administrator of the Wildlife Group that I participate in at FineArtAmerica, so I have recently become familiar with her work.  I think that her stunning portfolio is a great way for me to expand my horizons, and introduce my readers and fans to a very talented photographer. Photography has always been an inspiration for Mariola, and she strives to capture life's special moments, the happiness, sadness, wonderment, color, detail, simplicity and complexity we see everyday.

Finally, I was not aware of it at the time, but I seemed to focus on my Faces West Gallery throughout 2012.  In fact, I have another Faces West portrait on my drawing board right now, which will be completed shortly, my first piece for 2013. Below are three of my completed portraits of the past year.  I hope you've enjoyed my little artistic walk through the past year and will get a chance to check out some of the artists posted here, and I want to wish everyone a Healthy and Happy New Year!

Buffalo Bill Cody

Geronimo

Andrew Garcia - Frontiersman

Christmas with the Trail Band

The Trail Band
photo by Keith Buckley

'Tis the Season once again, and few Christmas traditions are as pleasant or easy on the ears as spending a night with The Trail Band.  I've written about them in this space before, and that is another tradition worth carrying on. Friday, November 30, was the date of their annual Christmas Concert at the Historic Elsinore Theatre, in Salem, OR.  Fran & I have been attending these concerts for about 7 or 8 years now, and we are always amazed by the talent exhibited. Founded by Marv & Rindy Ross of Quarterflash fame ("Harden My Heart"), I doubt that you will find a more talented group of musicians/vocalists anywhere.

The Trail Band is an eight-piece ensemble that creates an energetic blend of brass and string arrangements of traditional and original music featuring five great vocalists including Quarterflash’s Rindy Ross. Hundreds of public and private appearances across America and Japan, plus seven successful albums have established The Trail Band as the premiere historic music ensemble from the Northwest. Cornet, tenor horn, tuba, fiddles, hammer dulcimer, guitars, penny whistle, mandolin, piano, saxophone, spoons, bones, drums, bass, and recorders combine with their rich vocal harmonies to create a diverse tapestry of sound.

Formed by Marv Ross in 1991 at the request of the Oregon Trail Council to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the trail, the band initially performed music exclusively from and about the era of the Oregon Trail with costumes, diary readings, traditional folk tunes, marches, hoedowns, and Native American melodies. Titled, Voices From The Oregon Trail, this performance has been the keystone of the band’s repertoire for over 10 years.

The link beneath the photo will take you over to their Facebook Page, where you can  see some of the other comments by their fans, and here is a link to their website:  The Trail Band, where you can meet the members of the band, get a sampling of their 11 CD's, and find out more information about their upcoming performances (if you happen to live in the Pacific Northwest).

Introducing Sonny Perschbacher

Old Steam Engine

Well, I finally made it!  I'm all caught up with the neglected posts of the past few months. And while I haven't had anything particularly thought provoking or interesting to report here, hopefully I have presented a nice array of very talented artists and some incredible artwork for your appreciation. This latest entry in my recent "Artist of the Month" selections, which brings us to the current, November artist, is Sonny Perschbacher, a retired architect, and graduate of Kansas State University School of Architecture in 1967. 

Generally, as I start to prepare for each months' edition of the newsletter, I'll start off by checking in on the groups I belong to at FineArtAmerica, and this month was no exception to that strategy.  The membership at FAA is massive, and narrowing the search to my specific groups can still be quite an undertaking, since there may be anywhere from 25 - 1000 artists participating in a specific group.  But there, on the very first page of the "Ink" group, I saw this incredible rendering of the "Old Steam Engine" chugging along through a mountain pass, and knew my search would be a quick one this time around.

Smithsonian

Sonny  had practiced for some 40 years before retiring in 2008. During that time, he produced numerous residential projects as well as a considerable number of architectural renderings.  Lately, Sonny has been branching out, creating works in pencil, pastels, and watercolors. His pen and ink works have been ongoing for a number of years and he has done several very time-consuming "pointillism" (dots only - no lines) pieces (i.e. trains, clipper ships).  As someone who works in ink, using the pointillism technique, I am amazed at Sonny's attention to detail and accuracy.  To fully appreciate his work, click on the images here to see the full-size versions in his FineArtAmerica Gallery.  The link above in the first paragraph will take you to his Profile page, and here is a link to his website as well:  Sonny Perschbacher - Artist
 

Water Wheel

Mountain Home in Watercolor

Introducing Mark Treick

Pinot Adoration

All right!  I'm almost there.  I've been working on some Social Campaigns for my Facebook Fans, and then took a week off to go to Wisconsin for my Father-in-law's 80th birthday, but now I'm back and want to catch up on those previously neglected blog posts.  Back in October, my "Artist of the Month" was one of my fellow FineArtAmerica contributors, Mark Treick (pronounced "trike", like a tricycle), so I'll use this Post to shine the spotlight on him once again.  Mark is a graphite artist, and received his degree in drawing from the University of Central Washington, in Ellensburg, WA. Although Mark works with a wide range of subject matter for his renderings, including pet and people portraits, his lifelike drawings from a wine drinkers perspective caught my eye as I was searching for  October's  featured artist.  Perhaps that's because Fran &  I venture out on a few wine-tasting excursions each year, sampling the fruits of the vine here in Oregon and also in Washington, but I digress.  Mark's focus is on the life of wine drinkers, and the wine drinking and wine-making world they work and live in, playing with the images and reflections that creep into his subjects' surfaces.  Click on the image titles here in this post  to view the full-size versions.  Here is the link for Mark's FineArtAmerica Profile Page. 

Earthy

Pairing

Huddle Before Play

If  you'd like to see more of Mark's work or inquire about a commissioned drawing, you can visit Mark's website at:  Mark's Drawing Portraits.  

My next Post will bring me completely up to date, as I feature the artwork of  Sonny Perschbacher, so stay tuned for that one!

Introducing Scott Woyak

Lion

Okay, it's time for round 2 in my effort to catch up on neglected blog posts over the past few months.  Hope everyone enjoyed the artwork of Lesley Barrett in my post from last week.  Today's post brings us up to the month of September, when my Artist of the Month was Scott Woyak. 

Scott is a fellow Pen & Ink artist that I came across at FineArtAmerica, and I really like his work.  What I find fascinating is that although Scott discovered that he could draw while in high school, he felt that he was even better at math and science, and that is the road that he traveled. He has a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, and has spent most of his life thinking about numbers, equations and software code, always thinking that he would get back to drawing some day.  Marriage, kids, a "real job" and life in general kept him pretty busy, and finally, when he turned 40, he realized that "some day" wasn't going to get any closer unless he took the steps to get there.  So he started drawing again in his spare time, and has been averaging 1 - 2 drawings per month for the past few years.  I believe that he has built up a pretty impressive portfolio during that time, and would like to share it with my readers.  Here are a few examples of Scott's work.  As usual, click on the images to view the larger versions at his FineArtAmerica Gallery, and the link in the title above will take you to his Profile page.  He also posts to Flickr.com and ImageKind.com, and is a regular contributor to the forums at WetCanvas.com.

Piglet

Orangutan

Black Panther

Hello again!

Ocelot Dreaming

Whew! It's been awhile.  Just noticed that my last post was back in July.  Guess I've had a pretty busy Summer. But now that November is almost here and looking out my studio window looks a lot like the background image of this blog, I'll have much more time indoors to work on this sort of thing.  Let's start off by catching up on some of my featured Artist of the Month selections over the past few months.  I think you're going to love this first one - Lesley Barrett, Scratchboard Artist, my featured artist for the month of August.     

Mmm. Are These Legs All Mine!

Lesley is mostly self-taught in the medium of Scratchboard, and is a member of the Australian Guild of Realist Artists and the International Society of Scratchboard Artists. Most of her work features animals, both domestic and wildlife.  Upon visiting her website, it's easy to see that her passion for preserving these beautiful animals is as intense as her talent is in depicting them!  Here are a few examples of Lesley's amazing scratchboards.  The Ocelot Dreaming image is the one that hooked me on her Facebook page. I hope you will take some time to drop by her website and visit with the rest of her portfolio.  I've also provided a link to her Facebook page in case you want to get over there and "Like" it.   

Over the past few months, as people have bee "Liking" my Facebook page, and I've been "Liking" theirs back, I was introduced to Lesley Barrett, Scratchboard Artist.  I immediately knew who was going to be my  featured Artist of the Month for August.  I think when you visit her website and see her body of work, you will be blown away, as I was!  Seeing as how Lesley lives in Australia, I doubt our paths would ever have crossed without the World Wide Web and this social media thing called Facebook.  Click on any of the images to go over to Lesley's website, and there is a link in previous paragraph to her Facebook page.  Enjoy!

Snow Leopard

Penny for Your Thoughts.

Artist of the Month - Corrina Thurston

Here's another chance to check out my Artist of the Month for July - Corrina Thurston.  For those of you who haven't signed up for my Monthly Newsletter, each month, I try to shine a spotlight on the artwork of one of my artist colleagues, through my networks at Etsy, FineArtAmerica, ArtFlakes, and Facebook.  Hopefully, this will introduce my readers and fans to the artwork of someone they may not normally come to find, while at the same time, introducing these artists to a new audience.  As I was scanning through my circles, followers, and associates on Etsy, FineArtAmerica, and ArtFlakes, I was intrigued and inspired by Corrina's story.  Corrina is 21 years old, and has only been drawing for about two years.  She has been fighting a number of illnesses for the past three years, including Post-Viral Fatigue Syndrome, which will take her years to recover from.  Due to her illness, she is no longer able to attend college, or be employed, so she took up drawing (and painting) to occupy her time and act as a therapy.  Her favorite medium is colored pencil.  In addition to her Etsy Shop, she also has a website and a Facebook page.  She updates the Facebook page regularly and that is probably the best way to contact her and keep up to date regarding her artwork and showings. So, here are some links to her various pages, along with a sampling of her artwork. Click on any of the image texts to go over to her Etsy Shop.

Facebook page:  Corrina A. Thurston Studios

Website:   Corrina Thurston Studio

Custom Pet Portrait in Graphite

Ocelot Giclee Print

Custom Pet Portrait in Graphite

Monthly Specials!!!

Well, there's a lot going on this month, so I'll give a little re-cap here.  First of all, there is the Special Offer just for my Facebook Fans.  Click here to find out more about this offer.  Here's a little hint:  Can you say BOGO?   This Special Offer expires July 31, 2012.

Newborn

July Special for Etsy Shoppers - 20% OFF!  Take a break from the heat, and take 20% OFF on all of your purchases through my Etsy Shop this month!   Simply use the COUPON CODE:  LTT904 once you have completed your purchase to take advantage of this offer.  Click here, or on "Newborn" to go over to my Etsy Shop and begin browsing.
Offer expires:  July 31, 2012

Boots

July Special for FineArtAmerica - 20% OFF!  In addition to the Etsy promotion above, you can also enjoy 20% OFF Prints and Note Cards purchased through my FineArtAmerica Gallery. These reduced rates are valid now through July 31, 2012. Use the Discount Code: GDPDBZ upon checkout to take advantage of this offer.  Click here, or on "Boots" to go to my gallery at FineArtAmerica.

Remembering Andy Griffith

Andy Griffith, 1926 - 2012

I'm sure everyone remembers The Andy Griffith Show, where Sheriff Andy Taylor played straight-man to some of the most memorable situation comedy characters of its' time, like Floyd the Barber, Gomer Pyle, Ernest T. Bass, and of course, his unforgettable second-banana, Barney Fife.   Mayberry may not have existed, but it was sort of patterned after Griffith's home town of Mt. Airy, North Carolina.  I even remember the episode of Make Room for Daddy, starring Danny Thomas, in which Thomas' character is stopped for speeding in a small Southern town.  It may or may not have been called Mayberry, and although Griffith played the County Sheriff, he may or may not have been named Andy Taylor.  Those facts I don't remember.  I do remember that when Thomas' character, Danny Williams, wanted to protest the fine, he took his complaint to the courthouse, where the justice of the peace just happened to be Andy Griffith's character.  And when he wanted to take it even further, and write a complaint to the local newspaper, the editor was you-know-who (Andy).  It was a very funny episode, and was received so well, that it ended up being the pilot to spin off The Andy Griffith Show.  Both shows were produced by Sheldon Leonard, who by the way played the bartender in It's a Wonderful Life.  You'll also see him as a villain in many B Westerns of the 40's, before he became one of the most successful producers of early television.  And did you know that the friendship of Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, who played Barney Fife, started way before The Andy Griffith Show?  One of Griffith's early successes was No Time for Sergeants, a story about a country boy in the United States Air Force, which started out as a one hour teleplay for the United States Steel Hour in March of 1955, and co-starred Nick Adams (The Rebel) and Don Knotts.  It was then expanded to a full length theatrical version which ran on Broadway, and earned Andy Griffith a Tony Award Nomination.  Finally, in 1958, it was made into a movie.  No Time for Sergeants is also considered the inspiration for Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., starring Jim Nabors, and was itself a spin-off of The Andy Griffith Show, and was probably also produced by Sheldon Leonard. 

Prior to these successes, Andy Griffith was a monologist in his early career, much in the tradition of Will Rogers.  You can't really call him a stand-up comic, because he didn't deliver jokes.  He told stories.  And they were hysterical stories, like What it Was, Was Football.  Here he's a backwoods country boy trying to figure out what the heck is going on at a football game. It is a classic routine, which ranks right up there with Abbott and Costello's Who's on First? I know, I'm dating myself, and even though I was either very young or not even born when these bits were done, they were two of my favorites growing up.

One Week Left to get Free Note Cards!

Cleft of the Rock Lighthouse

In addition to the monthly specials that I offer through my Etsy Shop and FineArtAmerica Gallery, I just started running some special offers for my Facebook Fans as well.  Click here to find out how you can get Free Note Cards through June 30, 2012.  These special offers will probably be monthly as well, although they may be of shorter duration - probably two weeks, so stay tuned.

Now that Summer is officially here, I imagine everyone has their "projects" lined up for the next few months.  Around here, they pretty much are my full-time job, between mowing the yard (1 day), then weed-wacking the other stuff and perimeters (1 day), tending to the vegetable garden (everyday), maintaining the rest of the landscaped areas and beds (pretty much everyday), walking the dogs, etc.  We just added a new pooch to the pack, so I guess I'll introduce her in a future blog, along with a photo once we get a good one.  Hope I have some time to sneak in a few rounds of golf.

Something to look forward to at the end of the Summer is a trip we have planned to visit family in the Boston area.  One of Fran's sisters lives there, and it will be my first trip to that area, although I grew up in New Jersey, not so far away.  Also, I'll be able to visit a good friend and mentor who I haven't seen in about 30 years, so that is exciting.

Then, of course, Summer training will begin soon, so  Denver Broncos fans (to include yours truly) will usher in the Peyton Manning era with much anticipation.  Since the Rockies smell like rotten tomatoes so far this season, hopefully the Broncos can salvage at least the end of the summer, although that won't make it any less painful to watch the Rockies' season unfold.  Unless, of course, they pull off one of their patented come-backs and get everyone pumped up again.  Ever the optimist!

Introducing Marc G Doutherd

Marc G Doutherd

Rainy Days and Thursdays?!  Well, that's not quite how the song goes, but it does give me some time to work on another post since I can't go out and mow the yard or work in the garden.  This makes three posts this week, which is probably some sort of record.  If I get another one in over the next few days, it will definitely be a new standard to strive for.  I've already had two power outages over the last 15 minutes due to the heavy rain, so we'll have to see how long this session actually lasts.

Anyway, I thought I'd use this post to give another plug to my "Artist of the Month", as featured in the Art from the Inkwell Monthly Newsletter for June.  Now that I've been posting at ArtFlakes.com for a few months, I thought it would be kind of fun to go to that site and add an International flair to my Artist of the Month picks, since that site is hosted in Berlin, Germany.  Wouldn't you know, it but the first artist that really jumped out at me is someone who hails from California!  This month's Artist of the Month is  Marc G Doutherd, and I hope you get a chance to check out some of his amazing work.  Marc can render an image on any surface,with any usable medium. From figurative photo realism and surrealism to interpretational abstract, Marc G Doutherd shows unlimited ability in terms of his creative energy and artistic innovation. His artistic disciplines include lithography, illustration, painting, graphic design, leather work, jewelry making, tanning, sculpture, glass blowing, musical instrument making, and music writing and composition. The link above (click on the photo), will take you over to his Profile Page at ArtFlakes, or you can click on the captions beneath the images below to begin your tour of his portfolio. 

Last of His Pride

Wisdom

June Specials for Etsy and FineArtAmerica

Here's a re-cap of the monthly specials that were posted in the Art from the Inkwell monthly newsletter for June:

Sea Turtle

 Swim into Summer with the Sea Turtle and take 15% OFF on all of your purchases through my Etsy Shop this month.  Simply use the COUPON CODE:  FLH221 once you have completed your purchase to take advantage of this offer.  Click on the image of  Sea Turtle to see the larger version of this image, plus the additional images in this particular package of note cards.  You can also  click on the link to my Etsy Shop to begin browsing.

Offer Expires:  June 30, 2012
Coupon Code:  FLH221

Game Face

In addition to the Etsy promotion above, you can also enjoy 15% OFF Prints and Note Cards purchased through my FineArtAmerica Gallery. These reduced rates are valid now through June 30, 2012. Use the Discount Code: CEBNAP upon checkout to take advantage of this offer.  Click on the image of Game Face to go to that page in the FineArtAmerica Gallery, or click on this link to the Profile Page at my FineArtAmerica Gallery to start your tour.

Offer Expires:  June 30, 2012
Coupon Code:  CEBNAP

COMING SOON!  I'm working on a campaign now that will be exclusively for fans of the Art from the Inkwell Fan Page.  Stay tuned for more details!

Hello again! It's been awhile.

Whew!  I happened to look through my blogs a few days ago, and realized that I haven't posted anything in about three months.  Falling back into old habits I guess.  I was doing okay there for awhile, posting once or twice a week, and trying to keep up with it pretty regularly.  We had a stretch of unusually nice weather during April and May, which generally means that most of my time is spent outdoors tending to the property - mowing, weed-whacking, planting and the usual maintenance, etc.  Throw in a couple of trips - to Florida and closer to home to Seattle and Jacksonville, OR, and before you know it, three months have zipped by.  So here we are in the first week of June, and wouldn't you know it, the rain is back.  Can't complain though. Our vegetable garden has been in for over a month now, and we didn't even get it planted last year until the end of June due to the record rains of March thru May.  So it will be interesting to see what kind of yield we get this year with the tomatoes, corn, peppers, green beans, zucchini, yellow squash, romaine lettuce, shard and cabbage we planted.  That's in addition to the herbs: basil, parsley, oregano, orange mint, lemon balm, sage, and chives which typically go crazy.  This year we even tried a few blueberry plants and grape vines for a change of pace. I'll have to post a few pictures once the crops start coming in.  I think we're expecting rain for the next few days, so yard work will have to wait for a little while, which will give me a chance to make a few more posts.  I'm working on a new western portrait, which is getting close to completion, and there are the usual monthly specials at my Etsy Shop and FineArtAmerica Gallery to post.  Plus, I'll give another plug to my featured "Artist of the Month" from my monthly newsletter.  So stay tuned. More to come.

Hey Rush, Newsflash - Apology REJECTED!

Wow, two days in a row where I've made a blog post.  I guess that's how this is supposed to work.  Oh well. But really, when it looks like you may have a hard time finding topics to write about, or artists to feature, and self-promotion gets a little stale, all you have to do is look in the newspaper, and a blog post practically writes itself.  As is the case here with conservative radio goofball, Rush Limbaugh.  

The pressure has been building for over a week now, and he finally issued a half hearted, sort of apology to Sandra Fluke for calling her a "slut" and "prostitute". And lo and behold, even some GOP leaders like House Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor and GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich have called him out on the carpet and said that an apology was due.  Conservative pundit David Frum even said that his (Limbaugh's) conduct had reached "a new kind of low".

It's been interesting watching the Drugster side-step and try to dance around this issue, where he first said it was a "bad word choice", and then tried to slough it off as a joke.  Well, it was much more than either of those descriptions, and was dragged out over three days, each day the tone of the accusation escalating to out-do the previous days bombast. He attacked Ms. Fluke personally, offered to buy her all of the aspirin that she needs to act as her choice of contraception, attacked her parents, and railed against President Obama after he made a phone call to Ms. Fluke.  And all of that was before the eventual two-step and side-stepping began.  

Naturally, he tried to lay the blame on the political left:  "Against my own instincts, against my own knowledge, against everything I know to be right and wrong, I descended to their level (the political left) when I used those two words to describe Sandra Fluke."  Really!  He must truly believe that we are all idiots. "And I feel very badly about that.  I've always tried to maintain a very high degree of integrity and independence on this program."   REALLY!!!  Now there is the real joke!  Again, we are all idiots. 

It is so refreshing to see sponsors such as John Deere, Verengo Solar, and Stamps.com pull their ads from his program.  If we're lucky, perhaps he will be relegated to the broadcasting netherworld, like his buddy Glenn Beck. Of course, that will never happen (darn the luck), and we will, unfortunately have to listen to his snippets and sound-bites for some time to come.  But hey, at least it will give me some future topics to write about.

SAVE 20% - Monthly Specials at Etsy and FineArtAmerica

Here we go again!  It's time to kick off the Specials for the month of March (actually, I'm a few days late - oops! my bad!).  Let's start off with the March Madness over at my Etsy Shop  This month, take advantage of 20% OFF on any purchase through my Etsy Shop.  That's Prints, Note Cards, or any of the laser-engraved Gift Items.  Simply enter the Coupon Code:  LTT904 upon check-out.

Cleft of the Rock Lighthouse

Maple Burl Clock - Dall Sheep

Click on the captions to visit their respective pages within the shop, or click on the link above or in the Links section to go to the main page and begin your browsing/shopping session. 

Offer expires:  March 31, 2012

You can also enjoy 20% SAVINGS over at my FineArtAmerica Gallery.  Choose from a selection of Prints in many different sizes, or 5 x 7, fully-customizable Note Cards, packaged singly, or in packages of 10 or 25 cards.  Simply enter the Discount Code:  GDPDBZ upon check-out. 

Geronimo

Buffalo Bill Cody

Pictured here are my most recent additions to the FACES WEST Gallery, "Geronimo" and "Buffalo Bill Cody".  Click on their captions to visit their respective pages over at FineArtAmerica, or click on the link above, or in the Links section to go over to my Profile Page there.

Offer expires:  March 31, 2012

New at my CafePress Storefront

It's been awhile since I posted anything here (or anywhere, for that matter) regarding my CafePress Storefront, so I thought I'd address that deficiency right here and now.  Actually, with all the different storefronts and galleries that I post to, it is hard to keep up with all of them.  CafePress was the first one that I opened, and I've now been a member there since 2005, and it sometimes gets lost in the shuffle as I concentrate on the more recent additions to my expanding Internet market.  I've recently been working on my "Faces West" Gallery, adding "Buffalo Bill Cody" a couple of weeks ago, and soon will complete  my portrait of "Geronimo", and thought that now is as good a time as any to update the "Faces West" section in my CafePress storefront.  So, without further ado, here are some of the new images I've uploaded, as they appear on some of the products available.

Buffalo Bill Cody Mug

Buffalo Bill Cody Tile Coaster

Here are a couple of items featuring "Buffalo Bill Cody".  The Buffalo Bill Cody Mug is priced at $14.29, and the Tile Coaster is priced at $5.89. Click on the link to go that page in the storefront to check out the rest of the items available.

Zuni Priest Messenger Bag

Zuni Priest iPhone 3G Hard Case

  The Zuni Priest Messenger Bag is priced at $24.69, and the iPhone 3G Hard Case is priced at $25.99.  This link will take you over to the "Zuni Priest" page.

Trail Boss Kids Sweatshirt

Trail Boss Stainless Water Bottle - 1.0L

  The Trail Boss Kids Sweatshirt is priced at $21.49 and the Stainless Water Bottle is priced at $19.49.  This link will take you to the "Trail Boss" page.

Slim Men's Sleeveless Tee

Slim Large Wall Clock

 The Slim Men's Sleeveless Tee is priced at $20.49, and no, you don't have to be a "slim man" to wear it.  It comes in different sizes.  The Large Wall Clock is priced at $38.99.  This link will take you over to Slim's page.

LT Thermos Can Cooler

LT Tote Bag

 Finally, for now, the LT Thermos Can Cooler is priced at $19.49, and the LT Tote Bag is priced at $16.89.  This link will take you over to the LT page.                        

While you are there, be sure to check out the rest of sections in the storefront.  Perhaps you'll find something that you just can't live without.