Northerly.

I'm headed off for the next week or so to New York and Philadelphia, so updates here will be few and far between if they come at all. It's mostly a social and goof-off trip, of which John was supposed to be a part... however, given the recent cat-related health crisis, he will stay home with Huey and I will venture forth. I'm hoping to see some art while I'm up there, including a friend's exhibition in NYC and some other gallery/museum shows and so forth... I'll post updates at a later date. Hopefully I'll get some sketching in along the way, like the following sketches I was able to sneak in while passing through the airport in Las Vegas a number of years ago:

'tis the season: les pivoines.

Man, I'll miss our awesome friends/fellow artists here in Raleigh when we move back to California. Some of said friends bought these flowers for ole Huey, having heard of his hospitalization:Very sweet, no? I told Huey that there were flowers for him at home... maybe that's what's speeding his recovery. That, and wanting to get the IV tubes out of his neck.

Speaking of flowers, my head was turned by some lovely peonies I spied during a trip to Whole Foods this weekend. Yay North Carolina peonies! I love peonies – I decided they're my second-favorite flower, a close second to lilacs. Apparently the peonies are in season here in NC currently, so I picked up some local fleurs with the intent to paint them. Naturally I did not end up having the time to do so, but I did manage to get in a little bit of sketching:

And here's a photo of the peonies themselves, lovely little peonies! Wish it could be scratch 'n' sniff, because they have a perfectly delicate scent. Rose-y, but not overwhelming.

Huey update.

So our dear Huey, a newly-diagnosed diabetic who was suffering a bout of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), is actually finally getting better... he went into the vet hospital on Wednesday night and was looking very, very bad for a while there – completely lethargic, to the point of not opening his eyes or moving, really, when we visited him. But he's made quite a turnaround in the past 24 hours, and is even eating solid food as of tonight. Yay! There's still progress to be made in stabilizing his blood sugar levels, but things are looking up. Needless to say, we're relieved. Here he is in healthier times, helping out Emmy with some cleaning (much to Emmy's surprise):

And here he is, reaching out to Emmy, unannounced. Hey.

P.S. Despite appearances to the contrary, Huey does not spend 100% of his time harassing Emmy. Only 80%. He's just full of lovin'.

Lungevity.

Oh by the way, I just donated a painting to a silent auction, part of a fundraising gala event for the Lungevity Foundation, a non-profit funding lung cancer research and support for patients. More information can be found at this link.

Voilà, here's the painting I donated:

bayside, oil on panel, 16"x20", by me, Diane Feissel.

High anxiety.

Two stressful things going on right now - a still unsold condo and a very sick cat. Sigh.

Art recommendation - San Francisco.

If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, you'll want to check out a show opening this weekend at Studio Gallery in San Francisco. Two friends of mine (and superb artists) Sadie Valeri and Chris Leib are showing work as part of a group figurative show on exhibit from May 13 - June 7. The opening reception is this coming Sunday, May 17, from 2-6pm - the gallery is located at 1815 Polk Street in SF, between Washington and Jackson Streets. Go check it out!

Below are pieces that Sadie and Chris will have in the show:

Winged Victory by Sadie Valeri - chalk and charcoal on toned paper, 19"x25".

Kitsch Baby by Chris Leib – pencil on paper, 10"x12".

Studio Gallery is a great place, focusing on San Francisco Bay Area-based artists. I used to show there myself back when we still lived in the Bay Area. The owners are great people, and well worth supporting by stopping by (and maybe picking up some local art!)

Still reminiscin'.

Sigh. This time last year I was spending my last day in Paris... and I haven't been back since. I'm suffering some serious withdrawal symptoms.

If you want to mope and reminisce along with me, click here, or enjoy the following photos from my last morning in Paris:

Very punny poster

Me hanging out in Susan and Linda's apartment in Montmartre

Isn't this cool? They painted over the windows on this house in the 12th, near the Gare de Lyon. Awesome. I'd like to try this at home. Sigh. Paris.