creating is a messy business...

as you know - sometimes you have to make a really big mess to get to where you want to go... and that is what happened in the studio yesterday - the storm before the calm, so to speak...

here is a sneak peek at the new 'baseball' dart board, titled "the game"....

after drawing, erasing and drawing again - experimenting to find the perfect mix of color, not to dark or to light - i was happy with the way this piece turned out...

some of my work screams drama, for i tend to be pulled in by the deeper shades....this piece is a good mix of deep colors, as well as fun colors to make it just pop enough - and after i add the stains and waxes it will be toned down to a warm piece.

i think a good mix of summer days and nights...

it will be about a week or more before the woodwork is completed and i can show the final piece to you....but i will add a photo of the piece when i'm done - and if you would like a piece for your own collection, to commemorate the american past time, or to honor your children in their own times of playing ball - just let me know...this too will be a limited piece, as sadly this time in their lives is limited...

enjoy this most wonderful time of year...

www.dallisongameboards.com

a day in the life....

well really, a half of century of a life...

here's how it all began...there was once a little girl, a town girl, you could say... she played the piano, took strolls to the drug store with her girlfriends for floats while reading the latest magazines...lipstick and pin curls was she...

there once was a boy, a farm boy...he played football, was a life guard and jumped from the high dive...

they fell in love and they did what their parents didn't want them to do...get married....



within 6 years there were 3 babies .... cathy, beth and diane....





over time they left iowa and moved to the tropical paradise of the gulf of mexico...from farmlands to beaches, a child's paradise...

this was the old unspoiled florida....where shoes were not a must...where the roads were dirt and you could dig up sharks teeth...this was the time when you swam through canals and jumped off of bridges, when your hair was knotted from the salt and the water...where we were brown and free...

i cannot remember an age that i wasn't ready to take off...i would say that it kicked in for good by the time i was 12, wanderlust...but i paid my dues, did my time, and the moment i could - off i went....





and went and went and went...houston, birmingham, san diego, chicago, dallas, finally settling in boone 12 years later...

so today i find myself thinking of the now famous 'bucket list', after all 50 is the halfway point to me....hmmmm, so much needs to be done....so i begin my list...i will give myself 25 years for all of these things to happen...for i'm not a rusher of life...and i want to keep my wanderlust dreams....

see the cranberries pulled from the beds

swim with a dolphin and a manatee

watch the turtles lay eggs and watch the babies hatch making their way to the water

stand on the cliffs of the northeast

go to fiji

hang glide off the dunes of the outer banks

see the wild horses

milk a cow and hold a piglet

sleep in a tee pee and a tree house

take honey from a hive

go to africa with my mom

write that first novel

hold my grand babies...and great grand babies....

my site: www.dallisongameboards.com

happy 4th of july...

i wanted to share a few things with you for the 4th of july celebration...

i received this video from one of my sweetest customers in texas....and wanted to share it with you. if any of you are musicians or have one in the family, you know how that life is, and we do all we can do to get them out there and heard...
"This piece was produced by our nephew, Mack Hayes. Mack is a musician in the Houston, Galveston area. I hope you will take the time to watch. It will make you proud to be an American! Be sure and watch the credits." Dorothy....if you remember back a few months ago i introduced the new 'dorothy' checker board with the stars - this is THE dorothy...



and here is what matt says: "I have been very inspired by the courage of everyone in the current movement to stand up for America. Firm, bold, aggressive, and peaceful dissent has always been the hallmark of this country. For this 4th of July I would like to offer my video on YouTube as a salute to them and to all of our Military Veterans for whom we owe a debt that can never be fully paid. If you enjoy the video, please watch the credits at the end for a tribute to two special people and pass it on to as many people as possible."

i also wanted to share these photos with you that my mom sent to me and a video that my dad sent me that i think go hand in hand...for our soldiers in the middle east are seeing things that are so foreign to us....it would be hard to adapt under normal circumstances...

"In the north east of Iran at the foot of Mount Sahand in Kandovan,
the villagers live in cave homes carved out from the volcanic rock. The age of some houses is more than 700 years. One of the most extraordinary sights in Iran must be a visit to the troglodyte village of Kandovan, where people live in cave dwellings as their predecessors did over 1600 years ago. Historians have recently quoted specific geographical references in the book of Genesis as evidence that link the area surrounding Kandovan with the Garden of Eden. It naturally follows that the village of Noqdi, to the east of this Eden, must be the biblical land of Nod."

so many of my clients are part of a military family - whether they are the child of a soldier or the wife...i can't imagine the struggle that you must go through on a day to day basis even though we have talked about it, i think you have to live it to fully understand....so i pray your heart is at peace, your dreams full of hopes and your wait is short...

romantic homes magazine...

ohhhh myyyy....as i was going through my new romantic homes, august issue, there it was in full color....the bullseye game board...! i especially loved the title of the article - 'artist on board', fits my silly personality to a T making me smile. the photos of some of my favorite game boards spread over 2 1/2 pages with a thoughtful interpretation of how i arrived where i am today was written by joanna clay.

i have found throughout the years working with magazines for articles you get a really good 'feel' as to the sort of company they are....jickie torres, senior editor of romantic homes is so kind, open and warm; joanna clay, editorial intern, makes you feel welcomed and at ease during our lengthy interview... they are a company where the players of the 'magazine game' carry the name of their company with grace and ease....

be sure to look for the august edition of romantic homes while you are out and about....in the meantime, here is a peek....

to see more gameboard designs, here is a link to my site: dallisongameboards.com