Anuvue at Night

The exterior signs were hooked up to electricity today and a crew is currently working on the installation of the simple black suspended lighting in the gallery interiors. Mike and I stopped by to take a look at the progress and I took a quick shot while he was staring at the track. The exterior signs appear quite elegant in their simplicity with only the letters lit while everything else fades away…including a very old building and another tenant’s busy new sign. I’m pretty proud of the design. Less is really more and I think it looks wonderful. I’m planning June 21st, a Saturday night, for the grand reception. Lions and tigers and bears…oh my 😉

Untold Story

On this Memorial Day, I am reminded of my Father’s adventures as an Army Scout in WWII (a prelude to the Army Rangers) which made him front runner to alot of excitement and danger. Most men of that generation never spoke about the war but my Father was a great story teller. He would have us girls all mesmerized by his recollections… some funny, some clever and of course many sad ones too.

We actually wrote a book about his adventures and it got into the hands of a person that knew my Aunt and Uncle. The man said he was stationed with my Father and remembered him well for his heroic deeds and honor. My Sister’s and I were very proud.

While he was still alive, my Sister Julie decided to re-collect all the medals he had earned in the War as the originals were long ago gone. She filed all the necessary paperwork with information he could remember and the process began. Unfortunately some of the records from WWII were destroyed in a fire and the process of re-creating such a thing was a long process. The medals arrived 3 months after my Father had passed away.

Julie called me to let me know they had arrived and when I got there, she handed them to me so I could look through them. They’re really beautiful to look at…colorful ribbons and bars. I knew he had 2 purple hearts but had only received one in the mail. But it was the largest Black leather box that caught my eye.

You must understand that I grew up latched onto my Father’s pinky finger and I followed him around through my teens. I was a confident in many of his secrets and I thought I knew everything there was to know about the man…or at least all that he would let on.

When I opened the black leather box… I was momentarily stunned. To be honest… I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. After all those years of stories and all the time I thought I really knew my big hearted, humble Pop…there was a story left untold until that very day…sitting on my Mother’s couch. My Father had received the Silver Star, our Nations third highest honor for Valor…and none of us, not even me…had ever known…

Remember those who came before… and those who carry on…

Anuvue signage

Paying it forward

I am in need of a painter. The gallery has very high pitched walls with a beautiful wooden ceiling. I don’t have a ladder that even remotely will get me to the top…and given 2 Halloween events ago and my “ladder incident”, I wouldn’t even think of it for my poor right ankle’s sake.

So…last evening I got out the “Yellow Book” which covers my entire area. I opened it to the painter section and flipped through. Me being “picky”, I chose the ad with the best looking design. It was simplistic, angled and had good graphic elements applied. Now I realize that most of you out there (who don’t know me) are trying to figure out what the heck an ad has to do with the quality of a paint service. Not a whole lot.

But, as I’ve said before, there are powers working here that are much greater than me. I’m just the one who is putting them into action. So I called John’s Quality Painting and as it happens, John lives about 1.5 miles from me. He came over within 20 minutes to have a look at the area. John is about 22-25 (I’m guessing) and as I spoke to him, I knew a kindred spirit and shared the many details of this gallery adventure. In return John shared his love of Interior Design and Architecture with me and I got to know a bit about him. When John left I felt confident I had found the right person.

I spoke to John today, so I could get his pricing and let him know the color choices I’ve made. John told me over the phone he would accept no money from me for the gallery painting. He wanted to do it as a gift to the cause. I was stunned…still am to be truthful. He just wants to be a part in helping. He said he believes in “paying it forward’ (my own motto)…at that I had to hold back some tears…

I hope to see alot of John hanging out at the gallery in the future. He has a great heart and is definitely my kind of people.

Fisheye Lens on Sale

A friend of mine has a Canon fisheye lens for sale. I haven’t tried a fisheye lens but had been considering one for skateboard shots. While he’s only asking 400 bucks for a 600 dollar lens, it might as well be 4 millions bucks with all the cash I’ve shelved out in the last month towards the Gallery…but I took it for a test drive anyway…just for fun. I gave myself 15 minutes, starting from my living-room, past the cat room, on to Starbucks and back…hey, I still have to have my COFFEE!

We’re getting close…

The official signs will go up next week for Anuvue Studio. There’s no turning back now. My Friend Jim took great care and worked long hours to get the window graphics just right. These photos will join the signs soon thereafter, covering all the front windows, adding some interest to a very old building. I spent the day with a paint brush, SP 75 and large hat, transforming the “Baby Blue”rod iron to matte black so the signs that hang from the front side will blend into the back side and look good from our little balcony view.

It has become a real labor of love getting things coordinated and making sure all the companies involved in various services show up and do what they’ve promised and actually know what they’re doing. I have determined that American workers in general…are a very lazy lot. They are poorly trained and if they are trained, they don’t really offer prompt, knowledgeable customer service that makes you feel confident about what they tell you. They simply don’t take pride in a job well done. Some do, but they are hard to find.

I know what it’s like to work very hard to make sure people’s needs are met…on time and that all the t’s are crossed. I do it day in, day out. I know my job and if I don’t have the answers, I sure as heck know how to get them. I was taught to do things in only one manner…the “give it all ya got and then some more”. Not so with many of the large companies supplying phone, internet, cable, alarm and other type services that we can’t do business without.

Thankfully, I was blessed with a very talented, dependable carpenter, an excellent drywaller, an amazing electrician and brilliant sign maker…the very best people around. Anuvue itself will be a people place… our mission statement is this simple

A new view into the world of Art…

Where creativity, limited only by it’s
creator’s imagination,

joins those who come to observe,
learn and participate.

Welcome to Anuvue

I’ve found some very fine Teachers who will share their many talents with those who want to learn. I have chosen excited, talented Artists, without agendas…that just want to be part of something new and fun. I feel truly blessed. As that sign is hoisted in the air…I plan to stand there with my camera to capture a new beginng. A tear or two may even fall but they’ll be joined by a big smile on my face.

I expect our grand opening mid June, That’s a little behind…but it will be great and i will be sure and share it with all of you.

Vintage Photo

Well, I guess I should have really known, but for some reason I ended up on ebay and found out they actually sell art. They sell everything else… It just never dawned on me! I haven’t had a good ebay battle since the 6th James Bond joined the ranks and I was in a mad battle for his first official photo release with autograph…hey, ya got to collect something! That was when text messaging first came out to let you know you’d been outbid and at 275.00 I finally folded. Heck, even Sean Connery was only 125.00!

Anyway, I found this really cool shot from 1958 of these children on Quemoy Island. Thought I share it with you…and NO, I didn’t put in a bid.

The silence within

Dog Walking

organic cave