Tag: Kansas

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The Artist Life: Blessings

Posted on October 7, 2022October 21, 2022 by admin

BLESSINGS

Being A Kansas Native Has Delivered Many Blessings From God

I took this photo in August of 2010 after coming through a particularly strong thunderstorm on my motorcycle.

The photo was taken just north of Topeka, Kansas on Highway 75 looking west. Of all the photos I have taken over the years this is my favorite.

I had dismounted the motorcycle to capture one of the most glorious sunsets I had ever witnessed. I was getting my camera out of my saddle bag when I heard the honking; I quickly spun and shot.

This photo to me represents the true spirit of those who are proud to call Kansas home. No matter what adversity may loom over head the people of Kansas will always have the strength to rise above the storm and move ahead. I am proud to be a native born Kansan and I thank God that he bestowed that blessing upon me.

Because I am a Native Born Kansan I have had many opportunities that would not have presented themselves elsewhere. Being born an artist I can look at the world with an artist eye. With that artist eye I started noticing the beauty of the Kansas landscape at an early age. Noticing that beauty and capturing it on paper led to many doors opening for me.

I had an appreciation, way beyond my age of 5 years old, for the art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. I was able to get advanced art classes at Washburn Universities Mulvane Gallery when just 7 years old. I was personally tutored by famed muralist Harry Roth between the ages of 8 – 10. I was a Free Lance Artist for the Nazarene Publishing House at 17 years of age. I turned down a $50,000 a year 15 year contract with a major greeting card company at 19 years of age because of artistic integrity I had learned as a Native born Kansan. That decision led to my 46 year long career as Kansas’ most experienced Body Artist.

Yes, I have received many blessings because of being born a Native Kansan. At times I failed to appreciate those blessings and acknowledge from where those blessings come. Yet as I have become older and wiser there is not a day that I do not thank the one who created me and gave me those blessings.

Thank You for allowing me to share of myself with you through my art and that gift of talent that God bestowed upon me. I feel truly blessed.

-The GYPSY-

The Artist Life: The Grand

Posted on September 30, 2022 by admin

Art Takes On Many Forms. Some Art Creates Magic Memories.

Once upon a time there was a quaint little village called Topeka in an enchanted land known as Kansas.

The village of Topeka was not remarkable as villages go. The native Topekan’s were friendly people who took care of the needs of their village. Working hard from sunrise to sunset the people of the village had little to entertain them.

One day a powerful Magician visited the village and saw that the hard working Topekan’s needed some way to relax and re-energize their spirit. Picking a large Sunflower from a local field the Magician waved it in the air and in the middle of the village appeared a Grand Palace; a magical and wondrous place.

Brightly colored carpets led to sparkling glass and chrome counters which displayed the most wonderful treats the villagers have ever seen. There were Sweets and Sours, Corn Light as Air and Drinks in all Colors of the Rainbow, Ice that had been Creamed and Beans of Jelly were the delights that the Villagers could partake in.

Within its blue walls lit by orange lights the Topeka Villagers could relax in cool darkness on velvet thrones. Within the soothing shadows the Magician would shine his lantern on velvety, gold gilded curtains that reached to a ceiling so high above that the top of it could barely be seen by the Topekan’s below. And as the lantern illuminated the Grand Curtain it would slowly part and reveal behind it’s secret folds a silvery land wherein the most talented of performers dwelled. There were Nuns who Sang, Eunuchs who Jest, Spies who Dance and Cowboys who Croon. There were Monsters and Madmen, Bears and Mermaids, Kings and Queens, Hero’s and Villains and all would entertain for a small offering of only a couple of shinning tokens.

For years this Magical Grand Palace gave the Villagers of Topeka in the land of Kansas a place to escape and renew their soul yet time moves on and the Magician grew old. For you see the magician stayed young from feeding on the energy of the laughter, the tears, the ooh’s and the ah’s, thrills and chills. Yet the villagers of Topeka forgot to feed the Magician.
As the Magician withered away and died so too did the Grand Palace until one day all the magic disappeared and so did the place that had captured that magic.

The villagers of Topeka scarce noticed that the marvelous Grand Palace was disappearing until it was gone. Then, on that day that the last brick of the magical place was wiped from the earth forever they bemoaned the loss, swearing to never let another Palace as Grand as that one had been disappear from the village ever again.

So it is that the resourceful Topekans strive to keep another Magical Palace alive for within it’s walls lives a strange and rare creature known as a Jayhawk. The villagers have learned that to keep the magic alive you must feed the creator of the spell and they have vowed to feed the Jayhawk.

Yet never again will there be a Palace as Grand as that which was lost to all except those that remember the magic it shared.

-The GYPSY-

The Artist Life: Tall Grass Prairie

Posted on August 19, 2022 by admin

TALL GRASS PRAIRIE

INSPIRATION ON A LATE SUMMER DAY

Sometimes You You Go Searching For Inspiration. Sometimes Inspiration Searches For You.

The road suddenly gives way to dirt and rock. The gravel crunches under your wheels as you shift down and slow your pace. It is a time for caution but also a time for beauty and truth.

You have entered into a world where rushing causes disaster and taking it easy causes revelation. It was easy when the road was smooth. You did not worry as the asphalt sang beneath your wheels. But easy does not last and now is the time to test your mettle.

Something ahead has caught your eye, it lies within the tall grass along side the road. You stop and get off your ride approaching you notice that it is a beer can. Anger rises in you, how dare they trash this beautiful place.

You pick up the trash and throw it into your saddle bag. Mounting up you continue your sojourn into this magical land knowing that you helped it survive one more day.

The tall grass of the prairie surrounds you and soon you feel the need to become one with it. Finding a side path you pull in, off the road and start walking out into the land.

It is late in the day on an Indian Summer afternoon. Gathering clouds threaten rain but you don’t care, time has stood still for you, the air is as it should be.

Your thoughts are silent, not really congealing in any form, yet you know that within this world that you have entered there is harmony. The Tall Grass cannot survive without the Golden Rod, the Golden Rod needs the insects that travel from yellow plume to yellow plume.

Indigo Fire Plants live with Wild Daisies while their neighbors, the Blue Bells, look on. Bear Grass surrounds the Live Oak helping it stand and hold the soil they call home together.

The deep roots of the Cotton Wood Tree seek out water and give shelter to the birds that flit among it’s branches. This is their world and they have welcomed you into it. You know that you can only be a part of what is their home as long as you can live in harmony with the denizens of this land.

The shadows grow long and you know, though you don’t want to, that you must return to your scooter and continue on your journey.

As you top a rise you see a sign up ahead, “Scenic Overlook” you chuckle to yourself, you don’t need to pull over and look, you have been intimate with this world that has welcomed you.

As you pass the overlook you notice a couple of pick-up trucks and a half dozen “Red Neck” types drinking beer and tossing the empties into the prairie. You want to stop and say something to them about how they are trashing what they have no right to trash. But there are too many of them and you are only one.

As they watch you pass you make a mental note to go back that way and clean up their mess. It’s the least you can do for this place that so graciously welcomed you.

As the miles roll by so does the red Sumac and the purple Thistle, keeping the sides of the road marked for you in their dusky colors.

Soon you come to a T in the road and you know this is your turn around point. A sign at the juncture tells you that if you go west you will leave the prairie and head off to a distant town where the highway once again rolls on. Another sign points the opposite direction stating, “Tall Grass Prairie Headquarters”. You make your decision and turn the big bike in the direction your gut tells you to go.

The Park Ranger listens to what you say, thanks you and radios the Sheriff’s Department. As you relieve yourself in the rest room you hear the tires on the big 4×4 turn up the road as the Ranger heads out.

Back on the road again you idle along back the way you came. The sun is hanging low in the west and it is time to go. As you approach the scenic overlook once again you can see the red and blue flashing lights of a couple of Sheriffs cars and the Park Ranger. One of the “Red Necks” is picking up the beer cans and putting them into a trash bag while the rest, in hand cuffs, stand by watching. You travel past not acknowledging the drama.

As the sky turns purple, pink and blue setting the clouds on fire you come upon a herd of grazing Bison. You keep your distance and watch as they do what nature intended them to do. They snort and grunt creating a symphony of prairie music against a backdrop of glorious color.

Your tires have left the hard pack dirt and you are once again on the asphalt, safe back in your world that those, in the Tall Grass world you just left, know nothing about nor will they ever enter.

You will tell your friends of the Tall Grass Prairie and the drunken “Red Necks”. You know you did the right thing, you protected the prairie, you protected the ’Red Necks” from themselves but most importantly you may have protected someone from an encounter with a drunk driver. You smile in satisfaction, this was a good day and a good ride.

-The GYPSY-

We Forgive You Boarded Up Artist Alley Studio Window

The Artist Life: Picking Up The Pieces

Posted on July 28, 2022 by admin

When Your Studio Is Violated Do You Cry Or Do You Pick Up The Pieces?

On Friday July 15, 2022 The Artist Alley Studio Was Burglarized. So Where Do We Go From Here?

Our loss at the studio to the thieves was $8,000+ but it did not end there. The thieves stole papers that contained our home address and a day later they came to our home and stole our car. So where do we go from here? We pick up the pieces. Nothing was ever accomplished by crying over spilt milk.

Unfortunately two things severely affected our recovery from this violation. The first was an event called Country Stampede. This event is a very large event and takes place just down the road from us annually. Last year during the event someone tried to break into our back door at the studio. They were thwarted because it is a heavy steel door that is deadbolted and double barred. This year during the event they threw a no parking sign threw the front window to gain access.

Shortly before the burglary took place the event, due to excessive power demands, caused a “Brown Out”. This is when there is a power surge and your electric blinks and shuts down for just a second. This “Brown Out” caused my security system to shut down. Because the cache was full on the receiver the system could not reboot. The thieves struck while the cameras were down.

The second thing that hampered our recovery was no insurance. Our insurance company had recently dropped our liability policy because “We No Longer Cover Body Art Studios”. We were seeking out new coverage when the burglary occurred. So how have we addressed these flaws?

First and foremost we have obtained a new insurance carrier. We have also increased the security inside the studio and everything of value is now under lock and key when we close at night. But most importantly we have upgraded our security system. We have new cameras with battery backup and all video is saved to the cloud. A “Brown Out” nor a “Black Out” will never have an effect on the studio’s security again.

WE FORGIVE YOU

Though it has been extremely hard to do we have Forgiven the Thieves and have prayed for them. We also pray that they will do the right thing and return those items they stole. We must have faith that God will touch their hearts.

We have picked up the pieces cleaned up the mess and the studio is in full operation. Should you happen to come across items that belong to us or you know who the thieves are please phone Detective Julian at Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office at (785) 251-2551 or (785) 273-2220. If you have information on the theft of our 2001 Lexus please phone Topeka Police Department Detective Division at (785) 368-9400.

Thank you for your help, prayers and positive thoughts. All are appreciated more than we can express. God Bless You.

-The GYPSY and Raychel George-

The Artist Life: Gypsy Meatloaf

Posted on July 5, 2022July 6, 2022 by admin

The Recipe For A Big Life Is Full Of Small Moments

It was February of 2007 and the weather was 60 degrees and sunny in Independence, Kansas. Here let me repeat that just in case you didn’t hear me the first time; It was February of 2007 and the weather was 60 degrees and sunny in Independence, Kansas. I bet that if you think hard enough you will know what I did that day. If you said, “Ride your motorcycle” you are only partially correct.

I cannot tell you how it felt to put the wind in my face. I cannot tell you because I do not wish to explain it. Those, like me that ride, know what it felt like, those that do not ride cannot even imagine. My bike and I got re-acquainted with the road today. My bike coughed and protested it’s awakening from its winter long sleep but I soon had the cobwebs blown out of her. Soon she purred like a content lion as we hugged each and every curve.

In Riverside Park I saw a father blowing bubbles with his son. An elderly woman walked her dog along the road. Big horn sheep frolicked upon icy slopes in the hollow along the road that passes the zoo and all was right with the world.

When I returned home I saw patches of green within the yard fighting to force back the grays and browns that have dominated for so long. I went into my home studio and started on a painting that was inspired by my friend Jana. It will be outstanding when completed because it was inspired. I had been in a creative slump for awhile and it felt good to make my brush do my bidding as it skipped and danced upon the canvas.

I also did some cooking in the kitchen, real cooking, not Hamburger Helper. It had been awhile since I had felt like exercising my culinary skills. I had debated what to fix. I had thought about Spaghetti with a nice thick meat sauce and Asparagus patties (recipe courtesy of my friend Dianna), but I opted instead for something that I had not made for along time, Meatloaf. “What, Meatloaf again, that’s the third time this week!?” For you maybe but not for me. So I rolled up my sleeves and went to work.

I wish that I could give each and everyone of you a taste because it came out fantastic but since I can’t I will do the next best thing. I will give you my recipe so that you can make it yourself and melt into its rich and many layered fountains of flavor.

GYPSY MEATLOAF

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound of Ground Beef
1 can of Rotel Diced Tomatoes with Chili, Cilantro and Lime Juice
1 Can Tomato Soup
1 small yellow Onion
1 7.5 or 8 ounce can of Tomato sauce
2 tablespoons minced Garlic
2 large dashes of ground Basil
1 large egg
1 sleeve of Ritz Snack Crackers
Pam butter flavor spray

Preparation:

Peel and Dice the whole Onion into fine cubes.
Crush the Ritz crackers into an almost fine powder.
Drain the juice from the Rotel.
Combine all the ingredients, except for the tomato sauce, into a round oven proof casserole bowl.
Get your hands into the bowl and thoroughly mix the ingredients together.
Make the mixture into a large loaf and remove from casserole bowl. Place on plate.
Clean and dry the bowl and coat liberally with Pam butter flavor spray.
Place your loaf back into the bowl and gently pat down until it covers the entire bottom of bowl. DO NOT hard pack the loaf.
Place casserole onto center rack of oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove Casserole and drain off grease.
Pour the can of Tomato soup evenly over the entire loaf.
Cook 15 More Minutes
Remove from oven and allow cooling for 15 minutes before serving.

Serving Suggestion:

A large baked potato with real butter, sour cream, real bacon bits and shredded sharp cheddar cheese. It makes a perfect side to my Gypsy Meatloaf. I would also suggest adding Texas toast with Garlic butter to complete the meal. A nice Merlot goes well with this meal. Bring your appetite because you’ll need it.

This is a very moist meatloaf and very flavorful. You will taste it for hours afterwards and will not be able to resist the urge to sneak bites from the leftovers. You can make it dryer by cooking for an extra 15 minutes but I don’t recommend it.

I have other meatloaf recipes and if you like this one I might share the others with you someday.

It was a great day and I got to do three of the four things that I enjoy most in the world. And who knows I still might get to number four before midnight. So how was your day? I hope that it was at least half as enjoyable as mine. And if it wasn’t don’t worry because there is always tomorrow.

-The GYPSY-

June 8, 1966

Posted on June 16, 2022 by admin

I SURVIVED THIS TORNADO

I was 10 years old and was playing on the front porch of our home with my friends. Grandma came outside with Lemonade for us children and stopped in the doorway, she was looking at the sky which had turned a sickly greenish yellow. She calmly said; “Children, let’s go have our Lemonade in the basement.” My best friend Bobby Boyce said that he had to go home. Grandma said; “Run, don’t walk. When you get home tell your parents to look outside and then go and play in your basement.”

Just as we got to the basement the sirens sounded. Grandma rushed upstairs to the second floor where she rented out 3 apartments. She got the tenants to the basement while my Mom got my dog Buster inside. We lived at 7th and Western, 4 blocks from downtown. When mom opened the outside basement door to let Buster in it sounded like a freight train.

As we huddled in the corner Grandma and Mom kept us children calm. They turned up the radio to drown out the outside noise. We listened to a reporter out at Ballard Airport describing the planes being flipped over.

When the all clear sounded Mom escorted my friend’s home. Grandma, who was the Manager of Pelletier’s Department store walked downtown to assess the damage from the storm and to see if the store needed to be secured. One of the tenants, a girl in her mid twenties, walked downtown to sight see against my Grandmas advise, and ended up being the first injury recorded at Stormont-Vail when she ended up stepping on a nail and driving it up through her foot.

In the days following the Tornado Mom, who was a PBX Operator working for an answering service over by Washburn University, put in long hours coordinating emergency calls for Doctors and emergency personnel. National Guard Troops escorted her through the devastation daily as she walked to and from work.
Grandma coordinated food and clothing drives through our church, First Church of the Nazarene. She also worked soup lines with the Red Cross and she urged other Pelletier’s employees to do the same thing.

Before the Tornado I had been taking Saturday Morning art classes at the Mulvane Art Gallery at Washburn University. But now that the roof of the Mulvane was parked in the parking lot our classes were moved to homes of the instructors. I still remember the unearthly feeling of walking to my art classes and seeing what had been being no more.

Our house did receive damage. A maple leaf blew through a storm window in the exact shape of the leaf. Our home got listed as the house that had received the least amount of storm damage. Grandma kept the piece of glass, leaf and article in a frame for years.

I do not think that there was one living soul who was a resident of Topeka at that time that was not touched by this monster in one way or another. I thank the Lord for those that survived and pray that he took those who didn’t into his Kingdom that day.

The days that followed were life changing for me. For the first time in my life I truly understood beauty from ugliness, calm from turmoil and peace from horror. My art in the days that followed reflected this. Even now, all these years later I see things in a different way and it translates into my art.

I have a healthy respect for the forces of nature and never take each day or moment for granted.

-The GYPSY-

“Art Must Evoke An Emotion In Order To Be Art. If It Only Evokes Indifference It Is Not Art It Is Garbage.”

The Artist Life: Rare Circus Art

Posted on June 2, 2022 by admin

Circus Art Is Created To Create Feelings Of Excitement And It Works.

The Circus Poster Hailed The Most Magical Time Of The Year… Circus Time!

I own the two circus posters pictured and a couple of more. Every time I look at them they make me smile and bring back wonderful memories of fantasy, fun and family. But they also represent so much more than that to me; they represent a colorful history and a captured moment in time.

As a child I would wander the downtown streets of Topeka. My mother was the Toy Department Manager At Pelletier’s Department Store and my Grandmother was the Children’s Department Manager at the same store. I spent a lot of time at the store but when I became bored the downtown streets became my playground.

I would walk the streets looking in store windows, browsing the book store for the newest comics and reading the fliers of coming events taped to store windows. When the circus posters appeared on the windows my excitement was untamed. The bright colors, laughing clowns, performers and animals rendered by skilled artists took my child’s mind into a world I wanted to live in.

Little did I know at the time was that many of my people, Romani, had been and still are circus performers. The history of Gypsy circus performers is a long one and maybe my desire to be part of it was something that is within my blood.

I would pester my mother and grandmother without mercy until they would say, “Yes, we are going to the circus.” I had daydreams of becoming a circus clown, making people laugh and yes… creating the artwork for the great posters that fueled those daydreams. But my talents took me down a different artistic path in my life though for a couple of years in the late 1990’s I did become a professional clown.

Where the circus started has been discussed by historians for years but it is believed that the modern circus began in the United Kingdom in 1768. Circuses needed to market themselves as they began to tour and their popularity grew, In the 18th and 19th centuries, circuses were truly the realm of magic and dreams.

Since circuses are often in a town for only a couple of days a sense of anticipation was necessary. The promoters of the circus this and so the circus poster was used to communicate the fantasy and excitement, and the momentary magic of a circus’ brief stay.

Circus promoters used some of the earliest forms of aggressive marketing, like saturation advertising. The urgency was necessary to lure attendees to an event that only happened nearby for one day out of the year. Circuses are not strangers to a little bit of exaggeration and the circus poster reflects this. Headlines such as ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ or “Renowned Great Show”, written in bold type and colorful font were used to entice potential attendees. The circus poster used stylized printing techniques, with the use of lithography, which gave circus posters their vivid, colorful look.

Circus posters capture the color of the circus, animal images and the carnival atmosphere of the circus show. Circus poster are remarkable artform and those who collect them appreciate the unique aspect of the art. I have collected circus poster images from all over the world and from all periods of time but by far, in my opinion, the American Circus Poster is the most colorful and artistic.

The artistic aspect of circus posters help correct misnomers and stereotypes around the circus. Fear of clowns or misinformation put forth by well meaning animal rights groups can all be dispelled by looking at a circus poster. Movies like “Killer Clowns from Outer Space” or Stephen Kings “It” helped nurture a fear of clowns. But how can someone look at the smiling and cheerful face of the clown on a circus poster and be afraid?

Likewise the animals portrayed on the posters echo the actual animals of the circus. The animals show, within the poster, that they are well cared for and loved, so it is with the actual circus animals. American Circus animals, just like American zoo animals, are governed by rules and regulations set up by the Federal Government and closely monitored by the Humane Society of America.

Circus posters lesson the fear of clowns and dispel misinformation about circus animals through artistic interpretation and a high level of integrity. Some of the greatest Circus Posters ever designed were by Ringling Brothers Barnum-Bailey Circus. They preserve and record the history of the circus; animals, clown and performers. Circus posters keep the excitement and anticipation of the magic and fantasy alive.

It will always alive in me and I will always continue to smile and be uplifted whenever I look at the art of the Circus Poster.

-The GYPSY-

The Artist Life: Topeka Spring Eve

Posted on May 19, 2022 by admin

Daffodils and Peonies lift up their scent from the garden below

Through the window their fragrance drifts poignant and ever slow

The sun settles towards the west drawing with it the last light

Shadows creep across the floor chasing the day from our sight

Soft breeze rustles the blinds, music swaying the slats and cord

Wood grain trails from wall to wall changing with each board

Mindless chatter touches the dusty air around the empty time

Coffee, tea and laughter fight on the screens electric vertical line

Images fade to a small gray dot as the oak box is shut off

Cracking, popping its protest as I exit the door of the loft

New leaves wave as I pass under their light green ceiling

Young grass dances upon the walkway blind and unfeeling

Houses of white, gray board and brick fade behind a tree

Structures of granite, marble, and stone loom ahead of me

Car radio blares out Broadway, a street in a city far away

As I step upon broad Kansas a street in this city today

Light glows green, mocking the color of Topeka’s Capitol dome

Autos suddenly stop their engines belching protest as I roam

Lines in a sidewalk try to jump forth and break my mom’s back

I dodge and weave counting steps so I may avoid each evil crack

Old people stare at women where men browse and children play

Searching for the news, fiction or just a thing too important to say

The smell of tomes, newsprint, candles, candy, ink old and stale

Fills the fluorescent glow of the interior where the world is for sale

Casper, Superman, Batman and Wendy reach to me from the rack

Richie Rich, Mighty Mouse, Flash and Spooky beg me from the stack

I flip the pages as the four colors explode into tempting allure

Nightmare, Green Lantern, Black Hawk, or Dot I’m just not sure

My choices are made held secure and close to my heart within one arm

The rest returned to their slant seat awaiting for the next soul to charm

Silvery coin to clerk, butterscotch stick in mouth I leave with my treasure

Turning towards home I direct my step anticipating hours of pleasure

The red and white machine looms ahead wherein the green bottle lies

Dime in the slot, Twist of the handle to hear the slide and out it flies

Cap popped off as the fizz escapes and tiny bubbles fill the dusky sky

Icy cold the syrupy liquid sharp and sweet burns the throat till I cry

In one hand the bottle kept intact for the two pennies it has earned

In the other hand the magic paper whose pages wait to be turned

Red sky turns purple as blue lights high above hum to dull glow

The cobbled walk tries to trip my step as it leads me home too slow

Upon my porch the round orb above casts it’s yellow and hazy light

As moths and their cousins dance and swarm within their endless flight

The brown, rusty springs stretch on the end of the porch swing chain

Screaming their protest as my weight settles in the seat that I claim

Lost with Uncle Scrooge, Huey, Dewey and Louie within a vault

I sail away until mother calls me to bed, until tomorrow I shall halt

But upon the sunny morning I shall again be whisked far and away

As Hot Stuff, Green Arrow and Lottie jump forth and ask me to play

And when the magic has been used up within the pages faint and torn

Again shall I visit the World News Stand where my mind can be reborn

-The GYPSY-

The Artist Life: Gypsy Stew And The Perfect Day

Posted on May 8, 2022 by admin

GYPSY STEW AND THE PERFECT DAY

There is an old saying, “Any day I wake up is a good day.” I totally disagree with that sentiment. There has been many a day that I woke up that I just wished that I would have stayed in bed and slept until the next day. Fortunately however, yesterday was not one of those days. Yesterday was a “Perfect Day.” What constitutes a “Perfect Day”, you may ask?! A “Perfect Day” is a day filled with those things you enjoy doing the most.

For me there are three things in my top ten list of “Things I Enjoy Doing The Most” that I was able to do yesterday;

Ride my motorcycle
Paint
Cook

For those of you that are nosey and are wondering what the other seven “Things I Enjoy Doing The Most” in my top ten list are (and not particularly in this order);

Spending time with family and friends
Volunteering To Help Worthy Causes
Yard work and gardening
Hiking through the woods
Exploring new places off the beaten path
Visiting Landmarks, Zoo’s and Museums
Watching a great show whether it be movie, TV, concert, live or circus

“But Gypsy”, you may say, “You didn’t mention tattooing.” That’s correct, I didn’t and I also did not mention building and updating websites. Both activities, though I greatly enjoy doing them, are my job, not my life. The top ten things I listed keep me a happy and well rounded person. Tattooing and Websites keep me fed.

I started out the day as I always do, drinking my morning cup of Java and answering emails. I then went for a cruise on my scooter and ran some errands all while enjoying the beautiful day we had been given. I then returned to the house and started a batch of “Gypsy Stew”.

Here’s the thing to remember, open air and the feel of the wind in your face and the road beneath your wheels wets your appetite making you hungry for all that life has to offer. That includes good food, why do you think there are so many fat

bikers, me included?! So I came home pulled out the crock pot and went to work;

INGREDIENTS:

¼ cup Worchester Sauce

2 well rounded tablespoons chopped Garlic

1 cup white flour

1 tablespoon Seasoning Salt

1 tablespoon Pepper

1 tablespoon Garlic salt

1 table spoon Cumin

2 packages of Lipton Beefy Onion soup mix

¼ cup of cooking oil

2 pounds beef stew meat

4 Large stalks of celery

4 large russet potatoes

1 16 oz bag baby carrots

1 large onion

1 16 oz bag frozen green beans or frozen sweet peas

PREPARATION:

Combine Worchester Sauce and cooking oil into a large skillet.
In a 1 quart zip lock bag combine flour, seasoning salt, garlic salt, pepper and cumin. Shake well to mix.
Place ¼ of stew meat into the bag and shake well. Place coated pieces into the skillet that contains the oil and Worchester sauce. Repeat until all the meat has been coated.
Turn the burner under the skillet onto medium heat. Brown the meat stirring frequently.
Rinse and cut each Potato into 12 pieces each. First cut the potato in half then section each half by 6. Do not peel the potatoes.
Rinse the baby carrots. Do not cut them up, leave them whole.

Gypsy Stew and Homemade Sourdough Bread

Rinse and cut up the celery. Do not chop, cut into half moons.
Rinse, peel and chop up the yellow onion.
Combine the browned meat, vegetables, soup mix, chopped garlic and eight cups of water into a large crock pot. No not add the peas or green beans yet.
Cook on high for 4 hours. Remove the lid after 2 hours and stir once.
At 4 hours stir the stew again and add the green beans or peas, whichever you decide to use (I prefer it with green beans, makes it heartier). Stir in the green beans and recover.
Cook on high one more hour and then shut off the crock pot.
Leave to cool, covered for one more hour.
Stir and serve with cornbread (Jiffy mix is by far the best) and bring your appetite. Total prep time is 30 minutes and total cooking time is 6 hours. It is well worth the preparation and wait time. It will feed an Army at one setting or just yourself for several days.

After getting the stew started I went to my computer and worked on updating my websites and answered some more emails. Before long however I was in the “Bloody Vardo” (our art studio) starting a new painting.

Right outside the “Bloody Vardo” windows is a very large Lilac bush. Lilacs and Iris’s are my favorite flowers and the breeze was carrying the scent of lilacs through the window. I generally do not paint flowers. Oh I might add a flower here or there for effect within a painting but flowers is not my thing, I leave those to my wife Debbie who loves to paint flowers. But I was inspired so I have started a painting whose main subject is flowers. It is entitled, “The Scent of Lilacs”; Hmmmm, wonder where I got the idea for the painting‘s title. I will share the painting here as soon as I complete it.

Later I did my radio show, as I always do each Monday evening at 6:00. It was a good show and we had a lot of listeners. Afterwards I partook of some of my “Gypsy Stew” and watched my favorite television shows.

I ended the evening by working on “The Scent of Lilacs” a little bit more before calling it a day. All in all it was a “Perfect Day” and I hope you don’t mind that I shared it with you!

-The GYPSY-

The Artist Life: The Scent Of Lilacs

Posted on May 6, 2022May 19, 2022 by admin

Drifting on the breeze
A scent that puts my soul at ease
Lilac fragrance fills the air
Triggering memories of time without care

Delicate blossoms on the sprig
Not long they’ll last what joy they bring
One bush here another there
Signals of spring sight and smell to share

Grandpa loved the flower
In it’s color there laid such power
When I was just a child
The bush he planted grew so wild

Outside my bedroom window
The bush would bloom and ever grow
Never again to be shorn
As each spring its scent would be reborn

Now my paint brush
Tries to capture the fragrant rush
Of my own Lilac bouquet
Whose color and scent hold me sway

And when the canvas
Has taken my color within each crevasse
Then the scent of Lilac
Will be captured and kept intact

And I will have painted
Pure nature, perfect in essence and untainted

A scent that puts my soul at ease
Lilac fragrance fills the air
Triggering memories of time without care

Delicate blossoms on the sprig
Not long they’ll last what joy they bring
One bush here another there
Signals of spring sight and smell to share

Grandpa loved the flower
In it’s color there laid such power
When I was just a child
The bush he planted grew so wild

Outside my bedroom window
The bush would bloom and ever grow
Never again to be shorn
As each spring its scent would be reborn

Now my paint brush
Tries to capture the fragrant rush
Of my own Lilac bouquet
Whose color and scent hold me sway

And when the canvas
Has taken my color within each crevasse
Then the scent of Lilac
Will be captured and kept intact

And I will have painted
Pure nature, perfect in essence and untainted