Want a Dog?

Went for a walk today with a friend of mine and, it was sad. A dog came out of his yard and followed us. It was a large dog, we've seen it before and it has followed us before. Today, even though it was limping, it still followed us. It seemd glad to see us. But we didnt want her to follow us across the main road, we didn't want her to get hit by a car. We tried to get the owner but no one answered the door. Later on our way back someone was home. The amn put a rope around the dog's neck and she didn't want to go with him, she wanted to stay with us. It broke our hearts. The man said he didn't have time for the dog. He asked us if we wanted it.
I have two dogs already- I couldn't possibly- but I felt so badly for this poor dog- when she was out walking with us she had a spring in her step and she was wagging her tail, sniffing about and exploring the neighborhood, greeting strangers.... we had to keep explaining that is wasn't our dog!
It's so sad that someone would get a dog, and not give it the attention it needs. Dogs are social animals, this poor thing just wanted to be petted, a little attention-she could see I was a "dog person" and I think that's why she wanted to follow me.
it was so sad.
Anyone want a dog?

Local History

For those who don't know, there is a wonderful website out there dedicated to Mastic Beach! (and surrounding areas)
It began with a simple question, and has taken on a life of its own! A fella named Ken grew up in the Beach late 1950's- he records his boyhood romps with his pals and in the process discovers all kinds of things about his boyhood home previously unknown to almost everyone except historians and genealogists. "Who lived in the mansion?" is the question that started the search that landed the author in Newsday and the Community Library last week, speaking to a packed house! You are sure to find something of interest on this site, even if you DIDN'T grow up in Mastic Beach! Check it out- but make sure you have a lot of time because ths website is HUGE!

http://www.spoonercentral.com/knapp.html

Phoenix Fine Arts Gallery

Located at 139 Main St in the Village on Bellport, the Phoenix Fine Arts gallery is a cozy little place nestled right in the heart of town. They offer new shows every month and have about 25 artists exhibiting with them. The current show is their Annual Juried Art Show, which takes up the entire gallery. This show is well attended, and was judged by esteemed local artist Malcolm Morley.
Next up= their annual Holiday Show, Reception on Sunday, December 3rd from 1 to 3 pm
631-776-0811

Student Art Shows

I'm always impressed whenever I go to one of these student art shows- the work is so fresh and exciting- it is totally uninhibited.
I wish I had the guts (or the innocence) to create work like that- oh high school is so far away now.... and I never had art classes in school they way they do now. Their imagination is infinite- they are not afraid to try anything, any medium, any frame, any mixture or combination....
This weekend is the 20th Nita Elder Student Scholarship Exhibit in Bellport at the Community Center- do check it out- its a great show!

Creating a Website

The business aspect of the art world can take up a lot of time- taking you away from your creativity.
If you are like me, you don't know that much about computers and the world-wide web. So building a website is a BIG deal. I don't think I could have done it on my own.
I decided to enlist the help of Hans von der Gruen, a very experienced webmaster, and I'm glad I did. Hans knows how to get around in cyberspace and that's just what I need- a chauffeur! But he's more than that- he's a designer, an advisor, a researcher....he's an expert in his field and he's very patient with all my questions.
There are so many decisions to be made my head is spinning! There's layout, fonts, colors, backgrounds, the actual physical look of the site- and then there are behind-the-scenes things going on that I never even realized until Hans clued me in- keywords and metatags, html and code- this project is bigger than I ever imagined- which is another reason why I'm glad I've got Hans working on it for me.

I'm learning a lot too- which is good! In life you have to keep learning new things! Its exciting!
And with the Web, new things come along every second.

You've come a long way, baby!

I got my first Mac about 3 years ago. It was an older, used one with OS9 on it (just so you know, Apple is ALMOST READY TO RELEASE 10.5) Prior to that, I had had some experience with PC’s, mostly word programs. Now I was ready to start with photos and the internet and all the great things a Mac is built to do for artists.
I ran into a problem because that particular Mac was older, and the internal modem didn’t work and it didn’t have a CD drive that worked either.
Rather than dump the whole machine and invest money I didn’t have into a new one, I called for help- I called Blackorchid Computer Consultants.
Best call I ever made! Not only were my problems fixed, she set up all kinds of short cuts for me This gal was full of excitement and enthusiasm! If she didn’t know the answer, she got on the phone and called somebody until she got the answer (she didn’t have to do that very often)
Now, I do have a newer Mac, as I am in another location... and Blackorchid continues to be there for me. They have helped me learn so much! They’re great, and I highly recommend them to anyone who needs help with their Mac.

call 631-723-1838
or e-mail
blackorchid@optonline.net

Grants for non-profit organizations

Went to another workshop today, this one sponsored by Citibank, in conjunction with the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York, Governance Matters and many other organizations. Part of the workshop focused on making your Board of Directors more effective. The facilitators were great and raised many issues, answered many questions, and we all got a copy of the book:
"The only grant writing book you'll ever need" by Karsh and Fox.
Haven't started to read it yet because I am still wading through all the handouts they gave us.
It was definitely worth the time, and it was free, AND they gave us breakfast!

Check out:
www.npccny.org and www.governancematters.org

I saw a short video on batik and I was hooked. I found myself having so much fun with it I couldn’t stop. Teaching myself the process, educating myself and then learning by doing....has been an incredible journey. Most people are not familiar with Batik. I hope you’ll click on my website (www.cataylor.com) to see what I’ve been up to. I find I go back to batik basics whenever I use other media. There are basics in art, and then there are individaul applications of those basics. This is what makes art so diverse, so subjective, and so exciting. The individaul interpretation of basics plus the experimentation into new techniques and materials. As an artist you go, you look, you listen, you absorb, then you go back and apply. It’s a process, a journey, and an adventure.

Art Resources

Visit the NYFA website when you get a chance- there are tons of things to look at, especially grants!
Its the New York Foundtionfor the Arts, www,nyfa.org
If you have any questions, you can call them, These grants are usually open to artists in all areas, including music, poetry etc.