DJ Geribo's Art Apart Newsletter
Summer 2017
Having trouble viewing in e-mail?
View this e-mail in your browser

Welcome!

Changing Direction


A recent blog article I wrote talks about change being good. I have always been a huge advocate of change, particularly if something isn’t working. Unless you have an iron-clad contract, you can always change your mind or your path in life without too much trouble. And it might even turn out to be something better than what you currently have or are doing. With that said, I recently made a change that was premature only by about three months. I left the LRAA Gallery at the end of August. I was in the gallery from day one and after two years I knew it was time to leave. I was stressing too much each week when I knew that Friday I had to gallery sit. Not how I imagined spending my time, particularly volunteer time.

Sometimes we just need to make a change. If you are walking down a street and a chill comes over you, you can either continue forward or you can turn around and walk down another street. If you are working at a job that you dread getting up for each Monday, you can start looking for another job that you may look forward to getting up to go to  every day. Now, gallery-sitting certainly wasn’t that dreadful, but it was starting to leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. Some of it was political (and yes, it even happens in non-profits) but most of it was changes that are happening in my life.

With so many books to finish back-logged on my computer, I knew it was time to get back to writing and paint only when the fancy strikes me. Or when I visit my friend Shirley and we have an enjoyable day of painting, eating, chatting, and taking a break to relish a glass of wine.  My writing was showing up in my dreams, from ideas for my stories to psychological blocks to why I wasn’t finishing my novels ( fear of exposure was a recurring theme for me).

I also joined an online service to sell my books and have a lot to learn in that area. And so I finish one chapter in my life’s work (or maybe just skip over the footnotes) and start the next, or maybe just revise the next chapter and keep moving forward. I hope you’ll all stay with me as I work my way along my path.

 

Writings & Musings

Beyond Memoir

 

I started writing a new book of short stories. These stories were inspired first by a novel I’m currently writing (and am about 90% done with it, plus editing) and second by a variety of characters I worked with when I was a teenager (pre-college years). As I recounted my life and the lives of those I worked with, I realized that I could imagine their lives and with just a few bits of information about them, I could come up with some interesting stories. They might not be happy stories but they would be real life for people in a certain economic class.

So when I say “Beyond Memoir” what I mean is, search back in the past at a time in your life, maybe a place where you worked or a group of people you got to know fairly well, like college or your childhood, and using your imagination, create a world around these characters based on what you know about the world, or imagine about their world. I think you will be able to come up with some very interesting stories that others will be able to relate to, also.

Although I’ve gone beyond the limitations of where I grew up and the lack I experienced in my childhood and teen years, even into my 20’s and beyond, that is still a part of me, of where I was at one time in my life. I will always have that.  I talked to the people I worked with, I was friends with them, I was in their homes. My home at that time was similar to their homes. So I have some inkling of what their lives may have been like.  So many authors recommend that you write what you know. This level of poverty, of lack, of ignorance, of not deserving, of shame, this was my life, too.

As I sit in my beautiful living room in my beautiful home, surrounded by many luxuries and typing on my laptop, I have to dig back into my memories but the memories are there, they will always be there. Use them.



Link to DJ Geribo's Blog

This is one of the last paintings I worked on at the Gallery. For several days this summer an Oriole visited our back yard. I made sure that I had several slices of oranges waiting for him when he showed up each day. I also took as many photos of him as I could. It was fortunate that I did because after several days he was gone and I didn't see him again for the rest of the summer.

To purchase "Oriole Visitor" go to my gallery.

One of the places we usually try to get to at least once during the summer months here in the Lakes Region area of NH is the Castle in the Clouds. The view is amazing, the food is quite good, and a bonus was a pond stocked with trout and a few ducks. Two males seemed to be fighting over the one female who drifted off by herself, apparently enjoying the ambience as much as we did.

To purchase "Lone Duck" go to my gallery.
My Books
Learning to Market 

Although Jim, my editor, still has not completed editing my next book, he has actually started to edit it, which is a big step in the right direction.  His plan is to get up an hour or two earlier than his usual wake-up time and edit. That has happened several days now so I'm happy about that. He has promised me that the book will be published this year.

There is another reason we aren't going gangbusters right now on finishing the book and it has to do with the most important part of writing a book - marketing it.

About a month ago we signed up with an online-marketing guru. I'm just a little over-whelmed by how much information she has. I can't imagine how I will continue writing and also get to all this marketing that is necessary to sell your book online. Of course, the guru recommends we hire someone to help do some of the minor jobs that need to be done but that don't require any special skills, like research work. I think I might have to check into that.

And then of course, once I go through the program, and then go through it each time I have another book, it becomes second nature. I hope!
 
















Of course, the offer still stands to pre-order my latest book and receive "Eddie Easel and the Case of the Missing Green" for free. We may also decide to offer the book in e-book format at some point. To pre-order "Seven Storied Houses" go to  www.BBDPublishing.com.
All of my books can be ordered from BBD Publishing:
  1. The House at the top of the Trees
  2. Mouse Bound
  3. The Miracle Dog
  4. Eddie Easel and the Case of the Missing Green (FREE with your Pre-Order of "Seven Storied Houses")

My idea of good company is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company.”     
                             
                                
~Jane Austen

Gallery Updates
As I mentioned in Welcome, I'm "Changing Direction" and I am no longer in the LRAA Gallery. Although I am still in the Vynn Art Gallery, I have been a bit delinquent and I am not sure how long I will be in that gallery, either. So where does that leave me and my paintings? Good question.

I did recently bring a few pieces to a local shop, Always in Season, that sells original arts  and crafts as well as a few consignment items. Linda is planning on having a couple of art shows over the holiday season that I will participate in. I am also planning on participating in a holiday show at one of Jim's clients, Renee, owner of In Good Hands Chiropractor. I just finished a commissioned painting for her office and am excited about the upcoming show at her office later this fall.
 

Vynn Art Gallery is located at 30 Main St. in Meredith, NH. The hours are
Wed - Sun, 10-4pm.

 
See more from my Gallery.
Three Cheetah Cubs

I certainly cannot let a newsletter go by without adding a painting of a furry animal, or three.

When I took this photo I knew I would have to paint it. I've done so many animal paintings but I never tire of them whether they are domestic or wild. Each and every time I paint animals is a challenge to capture the uniqueness and special personalities that they display. Unlike humans, they have no hang-ups. They are just always who they are, whether a Pomeranian or a Cheetah.
 

Balance

 

Several months ago my husband, Jim, introduced me to one of his new clients, Renee Tetreault of In Good Hands Chiropractic, located in Wolfeboro, NH. Renee and I hit it off and we talked about me creating a painting for her that represented the Chiropractic philosophy, "Above-Down, Inside-Out". A challenge for me since I was used to painting, usually, from photos with animals as my favorite subject. But I also love painting nature and landscapes and decided that could definitely be a start for a more abstract piece for her. Painting out of my comfort zone, for sure, I began the painting with a suggestion from Jim and then made the rest up as I went along. It took me several months with the majority of my time spent trying out different ideas, even sometimes dreaming about where I wanted to go with this piece.

When I presented the piece to Renee, she was thrilled and the first words out of her mouth were, "I love it!" Exactly the three little words I wanted to hear! Thank you, again, Renee for this very special commission!

See more of my Paintings on my website.

Authistpreneur

author/artist/entrepreneur

Someone who is an author, an artist, and an entrepreneur.  Any person who writes or has a published novel, who paints fine art/illustrations, and also has established businesses using the combination of artistic talents.
                                                                - DJ Geribo

 

What I'm Reading

 

My reading is back on track. I usually do this by driving to the library and taking
out a couple of books. This last time I took out 4 books. I had a list but forgot to write down the authors' names so just started browsing and came up with a few names I recognized and also a couple of award winners. Mostly Tween books, there was also one by John Green. I tried reading his “The Fault in Our Stars” and after several chapters decided I didn’t like nor did I care about any of the characters and put the book down. But I decided to give him another try and took out “Paper Towns” which I found much more enjoyable.

My total books read for the past three months is 9! I usually average about 5 in three months so I’m thrilled to have nine. Sure, several of them were for Tweens, but many were each about 300+ pages long. Here is a short synopsis of the books I read. To find out more about my reading blogs, check out my website under "Art Apart Blog."

The Giver” is  sci-fi type story where one person is given sole responsibility of holding inside all the painful memories that are just too disturbing for everyone else to keep inside themselves. A controlled world that is created to protect people ends up sounding more like a world that is free from all emotion, good and bad.
Sweet Land Stories” is a collection of short stories by E.L. Doctorow. I’ve yet to read his Pulitzer finalist, “Billy Bathgate” or any of the other books which won awards. Although I liked most of these stories, I found a couple of the voices too  “investigative reporting” sounding to me. 
The Grown Up” is a short book from Gillian Flynn, the author of “Gone Girl” that put her name up on Billboards. I think she has a theme and I heard it in this short book. But it does keep you guessing as to who is telling the truth.
“Anastasia Krupnik” is a cute children’s book (no, not 300 pages) that addressed several issues for children, like an aging grandmother most likely afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease and also a new baby arriving in the family. Throughout these experiences little Anastasia grows up and learns to accept the changes that come into her life.
“Nightbird” by Alice Hoffman, the author of "Practical Magic" was a true mystery that kept me reading, wanting to know the answers to why is there a curse on Twig's family and why doesn't anyone know about her brother? A fun book especially when you add a little magic.
“The Thing About Jellyfish” is a wonderful Tween book that I just loved so much that I recommended it to my husband, Jim, and he read it in a day. When a young girl loses a friend she tries to make sense of it through her young eyes.
The City of Ember” is an interesting science fiction read where the author created a world that could become a reality.
“Paper Towns”, my first John Green novel, is ok – I did like the characters, mostly, and enjoyed the story, mostly, although I felt it could have had about 100 fewer pages than it had. A high school senior, obsessed with the girl next door, tries to find her through imagined clues when she disappears.
"Green Angel" by Alice Hoffman is my second A.Hoffman book. I loved this little book and read it in a day (another quick read). It showed how being open to change, even when sadness is all that is in your heart, can bring you back to happiness although it may not be the happy you once were.

 

 

Go to My Blog to See What I'm Currently Reading

I hope you enjoyed my newsletter. If you did, please share on Facebook, Twitter, or Forward to a friend. I welcome your comments!
Share
Tweet
Forward
Copyright © 2017 All rights reserved.