Jennifer Zalewski Studio

I think I mentioned a few posts ago… the depo-medrol shots Mr. Clifford has been getting in his spinal cord area (for the Lumbosacral Stenosis) are no longer working. Sigh. Our next step has been consulting with a local pain management center and looking into cold laser therapy, perhaps acupuncture, and physical therapy.

Our first appointment didn’t go well. Poor Cliff was out of sorts that afternoon and was very upset to be at the doctor’s office. I was surprised, because our therapy room was so ‘homey’ and comfortable- yellow walls, curtains on the window, a table-top zen water fountain, plants, and soft rubber floor with a special quilt just for him. It didn’t smell antiseptic-y or medicine-y like most vet and surgical hospitals. Still, Cliff was very agitated and he ended up having an almost-panic attack? Wouldn’t lay down, paced, panted hard, shook, pooped on the floor twice, and his temps began skyrocketting so we had to cut the visit short.  Our therapist was WONDERFUL though, and did her best to comfort Cliff. We did get a quick Laser Ssession- very interesting and non-invasive- it looks almost like a TV channel changer, that is moved over the affected area of the back and emits some sort of laser lights that stimulate blood flow and the body’s natural pain management (unlike the steroids, which he was getting before).   It’s relatively painless, too.  As soon as that was done, we left the office to cool Cliff off and get fresh air, since he was pretty upset.  Our PT sat with us in the back of the car, making sure Cliff was okay- she was so nice!- and suggested that if he continues to be upset, we might run a power-cord from the office to the outside, and do the lasering in the car. We’d have to see how he progressed.

Our second session of Laser Therapy last week was a bit better. To be sure, I bought a bottled mother-dog pheromone that is supposed to help calm the nerves of anxious pups (this I sprayed in the car before our drive), as well as a bottle of Rescue Remedy- Cliff got a few drops on a treat before we left.  I don’t think either helped very much though (maybe I need to give him some vodka next time, LOL!!). Cliff still was nervous, but because we talked less and got right down to the laser therapy, he was in/out of the office much quicker and didn’t have time to panic, I don’t think? He definitely was anxious, but it didn’t escalate.

It occurred to me this past weekend that since November, the only time Cliff has really been in the car is to go to the vet’s office- or the orthopedic specialist’s- or the physical therapist’s- lol.  He’s always been a bit anxious riding and now that he can’t control his bowels  (i.e., when he gets nervous/excited he poops without realizing it), needs a ramp, won’t lay down and get comfortable, etc- I just avoid riding him around as much as possible. But I feel bad all his recent trips have been to be poked and prodded, so on Saturday we drove to a beautiful city park on the West Side for a little hike.  It was a special walk, just me and him, with even Jack staying home (much to Jack’s disgust, I might add!!).  It was a beautiful spring day and we had a great walk! Afterward we drove to McDonalds and Cliff got a McDouble burger for lunch, which he really liked.

Keeping Cliff nimble and pain-free is a bit more effort now than it was with just the depo shots! He has prescriptions for Gabapetin and Amantedine (sp), and I learned how to do special lymph-stimulating massages (which need to be done 3 times a day). He also has some back-leg exercises (“loading” and “unloading”) which need to be done twice a day, and another exercise involving neck-stretches and small reaches which I try to do twice a day. I have to keep a journal of any skin spasms or irregularities I detect, and diet. It’s almost a full time job!

So far, so good.  Cliff’s next appointment is Monday and I hope to remember my camera to get a picture of the lasering. It’s really neat! I’m also going to try a few new tricks… bring some McDonalds burgers and a peanut butter-stuffed-bone for Cliff’s session… hopefully these will distract him a bit, and help make the atmosphere more exciting (in a fun way!) for him!

Jen

Jack turns 4 today! Over the weekend he got a new toy– a $10 screaming chicken from Petsmart. Best. Toy. Ever.

Tonight he’ll get a car ride and special hike. Fun times!

Humpf. I’ve been trying to keep my blog nice and updated, and here it’s been 2 weeks and no posting! Bad Jennifer, Bad!

After the disappointment of my Lucy reduction woodcut, I decided on a slight change of pace and worked on a few monotypes. I decided to do the additive method this time… basically, doing a complete painting on plexiglass; laying a piece of paper against the wet surface of the painting, and then running it through the press. Unlike other types of printmaking (like linocuts, woodcuts, etchings, etc)… monotypes only produce one print. Sometimes after you pull the print there is a bit of ink left on the plexiglass and you can get a very, very faint 2nd print of the painting–this is called a ‘ghost print’.

I’ve been wanting to start a collection of art based on the Wildlife of Upstate/Northern New York for some time now (read: 3 years), and as I was mulling over ideas I came across photos I’d taken last summer on Canandaigua Lake: herring gulls, mergansers, mallards and even a coot! I used one of the photos of a herring gull as monotype practice.

Here it is, painted on the plexiglass (using Akua Intaglio inks with Blending medium)…

After I was finished painting, I put a piece of Stonehenge paper on the wet surface and ran it through the press. It produced the  monotype  (on the left) but there was enough ink left on the plexi to put another sheet on and run it through again, to pull a Ghost (on the right- this was on some Speedball paper which is nice, thin, no texture to interfere)–

I almost like the ghost better than the actual monotype. Hmmm.

Gratuitous photo of Jack, hanging out with me while I worked on the gull. We live halfway between a large hospital and a fire department. Whenever the sirens and engines fly by, we get in a good howl–I know it sounds silly, but I think it’s  really fun and the boys love it. Out in the wild, you don’t see wolves going around patting each other on the heads and saying “good boy” to build relationships among each other- according to one website I was reading, “One thing is certain, howling appears to be the glue that keeps the pack together and plays a role in the formation and/or the maintenance of strong bonds between other members of the pack.” … Okay, so there is a mighty long road of evolution between the timber wolf and the Greyhound, but I do think it’s still apropos.

Did I just cement my place on Planet Whackadoodle?  Rooooooo–!

Next monotype: Cliffie. Again, painted my plexiglass plate with the Akua inks…

Lay on a piece of Stonehenge, and ran it through the press…

The plate was almost devoid of ink after the monotype was pulled, but I tried for a ghost. Didn’t get much…

(Monotype on the left. Ghost upper right. The plate, after  all the ink has been lifted off, is at the bottom).

So next Monotype, I decided to try my Lucy sketch again- the same sketch I based my most (unsuccessful, wah!) recent woodcut on. Akua Intaglio inks with blending medium… some paintbrushes… wallah!

The plate was a bit too large to put through my press comfortably, so I burnished the paper -to-plexiglass with my $12 marble rolling pin. It took extra elbow grease to get the paint transferred, but it worked. I wasn’t that happy with the Monotype though, and decided to “embellish” it (is that the right word??) a bit with a Litho pencil I had laying around…

I LOVE love, love the litho pencil addition…  I totally do. I think it adds a TON of energy to the piece that was missing in the straight painting and monotype alone. I totally want to try it on my other monotypes but have a bit of… hesitation… about doing it. I really get a bit eeeh-eeh-eeeeeeeehhh!!!! -about  mixing printmaking with other techniques… the mixed media thing… I know.  I am enamored with traditional printmaking. It’s rich, it’s complex, it’s DIFFICULT. The idea of …bastardizing… my print with pencils, watercolors…. REALLY makes my skin crawl a bit although I love when other artists do it and I don’t know what’s wrong with me?? I don’t know why. Is it because I want my piece to be labeled straight-on printmaking? Am I afraid to veer away from traditional printmaking into something more contemporary? Is it a fear of the “mixed media” label and all the hybrid-crafty-collagey connotations that brings up? I don’t know. I’m trying to work through my issues on that one. Hmmm.

Our Mid-Semester critique for my Printmaking class is next week, and I’m interested to see what the other students think of my work. Everyone else is doing “edgy” “graphic”  and  “contemporary” printmaking, with subjects like the paparazzi/Hollywood, controversial subject matter (smoking, s*x) and word-based slogans (all getting great feedback), while I’m doing… dogs… LOL. I’ve already been informed that animals in general are a rather silly and trite subject matter for artists… humf…  so… well… anyway. We’ll see what critique brings. ( I was told that a way to make ‘more of a statement’ with my greyhound art was to visit the racetracks, ask to see the poor loser  euthanized greyhounds, and take their cloth bedding/fur and embed it into the paper I print my woodcuts/monotypes on.  While this is certainly is a, ah, interesting idea- I’m not sure this is the direction I want to take my art!! I don’t think I have the stomach for that!!!!).

So anyway.

Oh, so Jack and I had some excitement. We ran our second road race, 4 miles! And we did our fastest time yet… a 10 minute, 11 second mile pace!

I was very proud of Jack. He handled the HUGE crowds wonderfully, and set a SUPER fast pace. Usually it’s considered rude to run with a dog (or with jogging strollers) but family-friendly races usually are okay with them, and we stuck to the back of the pack to avoid tripping up any of the competitive folks.

Oh and yeah, I do run with a Greyhound-embroidered fanny pack. Lame but… well, the keys and poop bags have to go somewhere.

Then… (dum dum DUM)…all Hell breaks loose and our region is slammed with 13-25 inches of snowfall within 24 hours. Travel advisories, businesses close, the works. My 300- year old hand-me-down snowblower, broken from running over a doggie toy, sat the storm out while I battled the driveway with my measley shovel, with much weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Thankfully, the fickle spring weather returned and began the melting process… it’s pretty much all gone, now. At least in the city. And I heard a robin today… spring is springing!!

Some not-so-great news is that the Depo Medrol shots, which Cliff has been taking for his Lumbosacral Stenosis, aren’t working as well anymore. After consulting with his orthopedic specialist, we’re going to meet with some doctors and physical therapists at a pain management center here at the city’s largest vet medical complex. I’ve already spoke to one of the therapists who sounded wonderful and we discussed acupuncture, cold laser therapy, special diets and massage, etc.– all options to consider.

I was going over the consult with my Mom last night on the phone, and she sounded a bit exasperated about it. “How much are you going to put him through!?” she asked, and it’s a valid question, and one I’ve been thinking a lot about. The reality is that Clifford is in a lot of pain with his back, but his quality of life is excellent… I mean he loves his home-cooked meals (burger stew tonight)- loves trotting his stuffed animals around the house–goes ballistic with joy whenever he sees the leash, LOVES his short walkies, and is generally very animated and happy around the house. He’s always barking for treats, howling with Jack and myself, snuggling in bed and having a great time. If he were somber and miserable it would be another story but… man, I just have to keep trying. I have to. He’s happy. I can’t put down a happy, joyful dog. I hope he tells me when the time comes, but I know in my heart it isn’t now so we have to keep trying.

My favorite local crackhou-I mean art store- has been hosting FREE (ah!) carving studios every Saturday afternoon. Not woodcut carving, no linocut carving but… STONE carving. Soapstone. If you thought that me howling with my dogs was weird.. well… I also collect rocks whereveer. I love, love, love rocks. And I’ve always drooled over the raw soapstones at the art store- shelves of them- and the alabaster too. Rocks are so freaking magical. So… When I saw the store was hosting free soapstone carving workshops… I HAD to jump on it.  And what fun! My first sculpture is a roosting heron- and although the rock I started with was a grainy gray color (Brazilian soapstone), once oiled it’s a rich brown and black. Gorgeous. The rock cuts like butter using files and rasps (it’s amazing how easy it grates away) without any real stress or pain from my carpal tunnel. And the process is so… Zen.

Right now my little heron is wrapped up as the finishing oil soaks in, but it’ll soon be dry and ready for the shelf. And then I will begin my next one (think I will try the Gala Red soapstone next, which is a reddish-pink and looks delectable.  Not to be outdone,  I already have a trip planned to New York City this spring to visit an art store that specifically focuses on stone carving, and has on hand “250 tons of alabaster, marble, soapstone, onyx and granite.” Sweet. I want to get a 20-30 lb. chunk to carve a garden sculpture.

Last, but CERTAINLY not least… Jack Attack’s 4th birthday is this week. It’s very exciting! I already bought him the Greatest Toy Ever, and will upload a video of said GTE soon. It really is da bomb. But right now it’s almost 9 pm on a Sunday and time for bed!

Cheers to all…