New Substack

Apparently, finally, I am angry. So far, I’ve been too stunned and exhausted by politics but the Musk thing has nudged me over the edge. I was thinking about Cassandra as I was painting this new bird, but I’ve used that name as a title before and needed to come up with something with fear and reverence involved. Pythia, who as the Oracle of Delphi, channeled prophecies from the god Apollo, felt right. The name even goes with her gauzy shroud. And I bet nobody blew her off as a hysterical worrywart. In other news, since Americans are now going to need an ETA visa to visit England, I took care of that online this week. A bit frustrating with all the nit picky details and time limit but I’m good at this point for two years. Still can’t stay more than six months, however I’m free to come and go as I please. I planned to go again in January, but the potential government shutdown and its impact on the TSA nightmare that is Logan airport made me rethink my agenda. And although the government situation has been resolved, Newcastle is coping with Metro infrastructure issues which keep shutting the system down, so I’m sticking with February for my next visit. I was back at The Crown and Anchor craft fair this weekend. Had my old spot from last year on Saturday but moved to the other side of the room where there was more heat yesterday. More, yes, but still not enough to counteract it being 6 degrees outside. Again, it’s been all about the greeting cards and mugs but the originals I took with me got lots of attention. And speaking of originals, Auggie, my painting at the AMZehnder Gallery in Wellfleet here on Cape Cod sold during the Salon show. Yay! Auggie, the little owl below, is an angry bird too. Interesting.

this week's Substack

Gideon Or The Wary Eye. Having finished the commission and craft fair projects, I’ve noticed the two recent paintings I did for myself, Atticus from a few weeks ago and Gideon, above, are not nearly as angry as expected. Wary and distressed, yes, profoundly so, but definitely not angry. Perhaps I’m still too stunned. I’m also struggling with how differently I see out of my left eye since the surgery. It’s nice to focus on things in the distance, but I can’t see a damn thing with it close up. Not my laptop, phone, a crossword puzzle, and most importantly, my artwork. The right eye, which still has a cataract, is the reverse so my eyes are not doing the same thing at the same time. I’m told they will work together better if I have the right eye done too, but then I will be completely dependent on reading glasses. What if I end up not being able to see well enough to paint? I have worn glasses since I was kid, but I could futz around the house and read or make art without them. Luckily, I have a few weeks before my surgical follow up, so maybe by then I’ll know what to do. Meanwhile, I had a great time at the holiday market at The Commons yesterday. I brought original pieces as well as the usual merchandise, and I think that helped a lot with sales. I’m there again today and hopefully it will be a big success too. Then it’s back to The Crown and Anchor, where I heard they were inside yesterday. Fingers crossed that holds for the next two weekends, it’s far too cold to be outside all day. And changing the subject, I had an encounter with a coyote Thursday afternoon in town. More accurately, it was one of those wolf/coyote/dog hybrid coy-wolf creatures that has chased off the raccoons and foxes I used to see all the time. I still see the occasional bunny, oddly enough since it would seem they would be easier prey, and I hear the coy-wolves howling in packs at night but I’ve never seen one up close. It was big and feral and very wary as it trotted off after staring me down. There’s that word again. Wary. Vigilant, or hyper-vigilant work too. So, not angry, yet. Onward. https://maureenmccarronart.substack.com/p/gideon

This week's blog from my website https://maureenmccarron.com/blog-1/f/yet-another-craft-fair-location

This week's Substack https://maureenmccarronart.substack.com/p/craft-fairs-inside-and-out