Artist Renee Lammers

 

"Lupine Heaven" 8x10 oil on copper 850$ framed in gold or black with gold.

Shipping and frame are included.

 

   I have been working in my studio!  This took me four days to complete. It is difficult

 

to paint if I have taken time off.  I feel like I have my skills back after the first two days struggling.

 

I think it is best if I paint everyday!  

 

   I tried a Rosemary Brush from England.  It is a sable spotter round brush size 3.  It survived this painting.

 

I think it will last for three paintings for 6.48$ plus shipping from England.  I will try a few other brushes.

 

My new white chair is very solid and comfortable.  I love it.  The table is at the perfect height.  I did not

 

have any shoulder pain after painting for 6 hours straight.  

 

  Good night.

 

   Festus was cute. He was laying on his back on a piece of plywood that covers up a soft

 

spot in the trailer.  He was leaning up against the refrigerator with his feet propped up on

 

the Origami storage rack.  He has adjusted to the Florida place.  He probably misses Robert

 

who carries him around the backyard many times a day for hours.  I will try to pick him up

 

and take him outside but he weighs 20 pounds!  Miss Kitty is a Florida girl.  She loves all

 

the Florida vegetation smells.  She spends most of her time in the screenroom searching

 

for her friends.  All her friends are gone.  Life is not easy for outdoor cats.

 

    Doc Adams had an owner the whole time we knew him.  He lived five doors down in the mobile

 

home park.  His real name was Mitche.  I found out this information the last night I was here before

 

we left to come back to Maine. I saw the young lady who once had Miss Kitty.  She was speaking to

 

her Mom.  Her Mom's trailer was destroyed in Hurricane Ian.  She was living in a very small RV trailer.

 

They were talking to each other in the dark.  I went over and asked about Doc Adams.  I knew the

 

young girl spoke English and her Mom did not.  I asked the girl.  At first she did not know the cat.

 

I showed her the video of Doc Adams and she knew it was her Mitche.  She told me where the cat lived.

 

She did not like the mobile home owner and decided to move while we were in Maine. She took the

 

cat Miche or AKA Doc Adams with her.  We wish them well.  

 

   I had a severe allergy/chest cold/sinus issues after we pulled out all the mold/mildew insulation

 

and board from the ceiling.  I took a lot of decongestants and nasal sprays.  I am better now.  I find it hard

 

to be inspired.  I am not sure if I will paint Florida landscapes and birds as I did last year.  I might work

 

from photos I took from Maine.  The market for Florida paintings is very low.  Maine paintings are

 

very desirable.  I think I should stick with Maine landscape paintings.  These are just my thoughts.  Perhaps

 

I might break down and do some plein air Florida landscapes.  Maybe I should not think about this too much

 

and just get to work.  I should not worry.  Painting is an expensive thing to do.  I had a good friend who once

 

told me to think about your actions and then do the action.  Painting without a plan is just not smart.

 

Think..Think...Think..and then Paint.  

 

   Robert is taking good care of the dogs. They are fine.  

 

   Good night.

 

   My neighbor Olga who repairs mobile homes and flips them came to my rescue!  First she

 

brought in all her repair equipment.  Two large buckets were important. She used them to

 

stand on to do ceiling repairs.  First I handed her a plugged in extension cord.  She plugged in 

 

a circular saw.  When she turned on the saw Miss Kitty exited the trailer into the screenroom!

 

Festus sat very close by admiring her work.  He was so fascinated.  His eyes and head followed her.

 

He did not seem afraid of the noise.  She took out the ceiling area where the moldy board and insulation

 

were located.  

 

   My Mom asked me to describe Olga.  I told her Olga is from the Santa Dominican Republic.  She

 

is 55.  She is about 5'6 with a medium build.  She has her hair dyed a bright dark Red.  She keeps it

 

in a pony tail up high.  She wears brightly colored polyester dresses when she does construction.  She

 

wears a lot of make up with bright Red lipstick.  She has large earrings and 1 inch thick necklaces.  She

 

is a very kind person.  She is a hard worker.  

 

   She replaced the insulation.  Then I helped her install dry wall.  She cut pieces to cover the area as

 

needed.  I learned how to do dry wall!  I disconnect the power while she taped off a bad electrical outlet.

 

There was another lightbulb outlet she took out.  We sealed it all up with dry wall. She used joint compound

 

on the seams.  I realized I had no electric in half of the trailer!  Something went wrong.  She called her boss.

 

He was nearby at a Bank.  He does not have a car.  He jogged over to us.  He fixed the electric. He is an electrician!

 

He found out the water heater was 220vt but the electric to the unit was only 120vt.  That is why the water heater

 

never worked!  I replaced it twice.  All repairs are done except the water heater.  My polywood 48 inch round white

 

table arrived!  It is going to be great.  It is solid and fits perfect.  The most important thing is the table's height!

 

The chair has not arrived yet.  

 

 

  Festus had some wet joint compound land on his back!  He said, "This is unacceptable!  Get it off!

 

Get it off Now!"  I quickly pulled the wet clay like mixture off his hair.  I used a comb to remove the

 

rest of it as it dried to a power.  Festus inspected my handywork and approved.  He gave me a relieved

 

look.  I am sure he would not have had this happen if he stayed back from the workers!  But he had

 

to be in there so he could see all the action!  Olga's boss said a lot of nice things to Festus and Miss

Kitty.  Both cats were beaming with delight!  They love attention.  

 

 

   Both cats really enjoy the screenroom.  

 

They are feeling fine once again.  I am so grateful for Olga and her Boss for helping.

 

 I am grateful for the roofer who repaired the roof once he was off work from his day job.

 

 

 

All the roofing repair, ceiling repair, electrical repair, only cost 871$.  I think that is a bargain.

 

 

  A scene from Park Loop Road across the street from the Great Meadow.  

 

Good night.

 

"Autumn In Acadia" 8x10 oil on copper 850$ framed in gold or black with gold. Shipping is free.

 

   Miss Kitty was sneezing, shaking her head, and rubbing her nose with her paw this morning.

 

Festus is doing fine so far.  There was water damage in the place we are staying.  The park manager

 

swears it is not the roof.  He put the roof on himself.  He thinks heavy wind and rains blew

 

water sideways into the window and ceiling.  A carpenter will be coming to take a look tomorrow.

 

The water heater is not working. It is two years old.  I discovered the table is too tall for me to 

 

use.  My shoulder hurts after I paint from holding my arm up too high to the easel.  I ordered a solid

 

White round table and a chair. 

 

 

Here is the new chair.

 

 

Here is the new table coming!  I have been dreaming about both for a year.

 

That problem should be fixed in a few short days.  I don't get to

 

 

upset when things go wrong.  I just change things!  I am considering taking Miss Kitty

 

and Festus to the beach for fresh salt air!  I have the door open to let the air circulate for now.

 

 

Miss Kitty has always played in her water bowl flooding the place!  

 

 

 A new 4$ plastic bowl placed under the water bowl solved the problem!

 

 

     There are plenty of things going well!   The Golden Coral still has great food.  It is less expensive to

 

eat there for lunch than to go grocery shopping. I eat oatmeal for dinner.  The internet is working!  

 

My TV is working.  I have plenty of art supplies.  The weather is great here in Florida.  It was 75 degrees

 

this morning and now it is 81 at 12:00pm.   I have water!  I am grateful for these things.  

 

    

 

Good night!

 

"Otter Cliffs" 8x10 oil on copper  850$ framed in gold or black with gold. Shipping and frame

are included.

 

    I am settled into my Fort Myers studio.  There is a hole in the roof.  The park manager thinks

 

spraying foam will stop the leak.  A roofing company said a roof boot needs to be placed around a

 

vent above the leak.  An amateur put the corregated metal roof onto the trailer without any seal

 

or proper nail placement.  There is about a foot by two foot wet interior ceiling.  There is no smell yet.

 

I removed a small cabinet hanging from the moist ceiling so it did not fall down in the middle of the night

 

and hurt a cat!   The water heater is not working either.  Luckily Florida tap water is warm.  

 

 

   I have never seen Miss Kitty happier.  She was born and raised in Fort Myers, Florida.

 

She wanted to sit inside the screenroom when we arrived home at 10:30pm.  She was sniffing

 

the air and looking down the street trying to see her cat friends.  She loves it here.  Festus was

 

happy he was no longer in the car.  

 

 

    Festus loves to sit in his cardboard box bed and have all his toys aligned.  

 

   Two different couples requested a painting of this scene in Acadia.  I thought I could do one

 

more.  Each painting is different.  This one has more trees.  I spent more time drawing the rocks. I finally

 

captured the S curve in the rock area along the right side.

 

Have a good night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   We made it to Santee, South Carolina tonight.  We drove from 10am till 930pm.  Things went well.

 

Festus often likes to pretend to drive but often falls asleep at the wheel.

 

    I came out of the restroom, walked to the car, and found 6 people taking photos and videos of Festus!

 

Festus seemed to be prancing around in the drivers seat.  Miss Kitty was still laying down in the litter box.

 

I answered all their questions.  How much did he cost?  2000$.  Where did you get him?  Vermont!

 

How old is he?  4.  Who is the other cat?  His wife who he found on the streets in Fort Myers, Florida.

 

Funny how they did not ask how much it cost to feed Festus?  When he was a kitten, 500$ a month.  Now

 

it costs about 300$ or 400$ a month.  Miss Kitty does not eat much because she is a small cat.  Maine Coon

 

Cats are large.

 

    The most dangerous thing I have encountered traveling in the car with a cat is this:  Sometimes Festus feet push the

 

window opening buttons on the side arms of the doors opening the windows!  Sometimes he hits a button where all the

 

windows open at once!  Miss Kitty sees the window open and considers jumping out the window!  Luckily Miss Kitty

 

has not jumped.  The solution is to lock the car from the inside. None of these buttons work.  There is also a window

 

locking button.  Find out how to make it impossible to hit a button to open the car windows before you start the trip.

 

It seems like Festus likes to put his feet on the door when we first start the trip.  The windows are up and down and up.

 

Nerve wracking!  

 

    Today I considered trimming Festus and Miss Kitty's nails before the trip.  This might prevent some scratches.  

 

Festus does this really funny thing:  He faces me with his head about an inch from my face.  Then he puts his giant

 

claws on either side of my neck.  He massages my neck!  Sometimes he really goes to town and one of his nails 

 

breaks the skin!  He seems to enjoy this scenerio.  I think it is very funny.  Sometimes he gives me a lick on the nose

 

when he is finished with my massage.  Robert asked me why Festus does this?  I do not know why.  

 

    Today we were driving down I 95.  Festus faced me, put his big paws on my neck, and was giving me a massage.

 

A lady was passing us, looked sideways, saw us, and laughed.  Yes we must have looked so funny!  I waved.

 

Festus's head is so large I have to look sideways to see the highway.  He gets very offended if I ask him to please

 

stop the neck massage.  He feels I really need this!  I have a lot of scratches and wounds on my neck.

 

    The other important thing I need to mention is how to get a hotel room with cats.  I remember the early days when

 

I would walk into a hotel covered in white fine long fur.  The hotel reservationist would give me a frown, lips pushed together,

 

eye brows together, and tell me no.  I decided I needed to get rid of the hair sticking all over my shirt and pants.  I use

 

a bottle of water, pour it on both hands, use my wet hands to rub over my shirt and pants.  The wet hands gathers up

 

almost all the hair!  Then I rinse my hands. I do this another few times until no cat hair is visible.  I straighten up my

 

hair.  I walk in and request a room. I never lie about not having a cat.  I tell them I have two cats.  They sometimes

 

charge me two pet fees.  That is fine.  They are worth it.  Now I make online reservations with Red Roof Inn. They allow

 

pets and do not charge extra!  I get a less expensive rate by booking online.  I do not need to worry about hotels.

 

     When we are finished with out hotel stay, I put both cats in the car with their litter box.  I clean up after my cats.

 

I bring paper towel and cleaner.  I spray down the counters and even the floors!  I put the litter box in the bathtub

 

to minimize litter on the floor.  When I leave the hotel, I am never charged a fee for damage.  I always leave a tip for the

 

maid.  I am a good cat owner.  

 

Good night!

 

 

 

 

 

    Many people have asked me, "How do you travel with cats?

 

     I will try to describe how I travel successfully with Cats.  Many days before I go on

 

the trip, I have trained my Cats to come running when I yell "Treats!".  I give them a

 

treat after they come running to me.  Every day I do the same thing. "Treats!"  They

 

come running, I reward them with one tiny treat, and put the bag back into the refrigerator.

 

Festus will rip open the bag of treats if it's on the counter.  This step is important in case

 

a Cat escapes out of the car, I can yell, "Treats!"  and the cat should come running.  

 

   First I pack up my car for my trip.  I leave the passenger seat and floor empty.  I put a towel

 

over the floor and another towel on the seat.  This will trap any cat litter.  I will save hours of

 

vacuuming by putting down the towels.  I set the litter box on the passenger seat facing the driver.

 

I put the bag of treats, cat food, cat leashes, and cat food bowls, water bowl on the floor..  I have discovered

 

not to bring a small cat water bowl.  Cats will not drink out of a small bowl because their whiskers prevent

 

them.  They need a flat large bowl for water that is not metal.  Metal smells funny and prevents a cat

 

from drinking.  The bowl needs to be large enough for a Cat's whiskers to get into the bowl.  I also

 

bring a small glass bottle with a eye dropper full of water.  If my cat will not drink the water, I just give him

 

a little bit of water from the eye dropper in the side of his mouth.  He will swallow the water. Why is it

 

so important for a cat to drink at least once a day?  Cats that don't drink water can get a urinary blockage.

 

Male cats are more prone to urinary blockages.  If the cat has not urinated once a day...then it is not good.

 

   I take my cats on short trips, about 15 minutes, many days in a row, before the trip to acclimate them.

 

I do not play any music on the radio.  Cats are sensitive to music. 

 

I do not wear any sunglasses.  Festus likes to look at my eyes and if they

 

are covered with sunglasses, well, he has a melt down.  He has grown accustomed to my wearing sunglasses now.

 

When he was young, he would look at me in the car, see no eyes because I had sunglasses on, and break out into 

 

a pitiful meow.  He did not recognize me.  

 

   The car is packed, the litter box is all set up, now I put a cat harness with telephone number on each cat.  If they

 

escape, the harness will notify any person who catches the cat, and I can be called.  I tried putting a water bowl down for

 

them but after many trips I realized they will not drink.  They wait to drink at the hotel if at all.  That is why I bring the

 

tiny glass bottle of water with eye dropper!  They will not eat while the car is moving.  They do like to eat treats.  I will give

 

them a couple of treats after a few hours of good behavior.  

 

    Festus always sits on my lap for the entire trip.  Wear pants!  Cats dig their nails into bare legs when you put on the breaks!

 

Miss Kitty likes to lay inside of the litter box.  Festus will not use the litter box if Miss Kitty is inside sleeping.

 

This makes me think of the first issue.  Meowing.  Festus will meow

 

as we start the trip.  I keep calm. I do not tell him to be quiet because it will not work.  I stay quiet.  Let him meow.  I pet him.

 

I give him a hug.  He will become quiet. Miss Kitty never meows.  

 

    Eventually you might have a Cat start to meow after you have been on the road for four or five hours.  I usually pull the car

 

over to a safe place.  First,  I make sure the Cat knows where the litter box is located.  I might stick my hand into the clean litter

 

and make a swishing sound.  I pick Festus up and show him where the litter box is located.  He knows but sometimes when we begin

 

the trip he needs to be shown. Festus pretends he is blind!   Usually this is what he is meowing about. If he is still meowing I check the

 

temperature of the car.  Cats do not like a hot car.  My Cats are comfortable when the temperature is 65 to 75.  If the Cat is panting, then

 

the car might be too hot!   Temperature regulation is your responsibility.  Cats don't know how to turn the AC on.  If the car is too cold 

 

Festus will bite me.  Below 40 degrees Festus gets aggressive.  

 

   I don't worry about food or water during the trip.  I usually give both Cats two large breakfasts before we start to drive.  They

 

can't believe their luck!  I think giving them extra food is important the morning of a long journey.

 

    Never ever switch cat foods during a trip!  If you only feed them poultry do not ever try to feed them Beef!  Different proteins will give 

 

your cat  severe intestinal difficulties.  You do not want to travel with a cat who has intestine problems.  Once a fried Pork rind, sort of

 

like a potato chip, fell from my mouth to the car floor.  Festus was so excited.  He ate it.  I did not think it would be a problem.

 

We were all tucked into to a Hampton Inn.  Festus had bad intestinal problems. Our room had no window.  The whole floor 

 

smelled. I could hear a manager outside in the hall.  The smell went away because of the AC ventilation.  I thought for sure we 

 

would be evicted.

 

    The most difficult part of traveling with Cats is getting in and out of your car.  I have fast reflexes. If you do not have fast

 

reflexes, bring one Cat cage per Cat.  Some people keep their Cat inside the cage for the whole trip.  If the Cat meows, pull

 

over, open the Cat cage to let the Cat out, and show him the litter box, and then put the Cat back inside the cage.  This is a very safe

 

method.  There might be more meowing.  You could let the Cat sit in the car without being in the cage.  When

 

you arrive at your destination, simply place the Cat into the Cat cage, then exit your car.  I would not leave a Cat in a car

 

unless the temperature were in the 70s or less.  There are laws protecting animals.  One person should stay

 

behind with the Cats. I only leave the Cats in the car for bathroom breaks.  When I leave the car, I tell the Cats to stay.

 

I open the car door, get out, and watch where the Cats are.  If they start to come out, I put my foot or hand out to stop them

 

from leaping out of the car.  They know I am fast.  I have caught Festus many times in mid air when he was young. He has

 

given up leaping out of the car.  Miss Kitty is an angel but one night she escaped.

 

  I did catch her with the help of a man who was outside taking a smoke.  She just leaped out of the car.  I was lucky she came back 

 

when I yelled, "Treats!".

 

    Taking your Cats for a car ride can be stressful.  It takes training for you and for the Cats to be safe You can be a Cat whisperer.

 

My Cats both enjoy traveling with me in the car.  It is a real bonding experience.  

 

    Today we traveled from Maine to Trenton, NJ.  Things went very smoothly until I was eating a vegan sandwich.  One

 

slice of Onion fell on to Festus's fur.  He meowed very loud. He was mad.  I had no idea the Onion was on him.  I pulled over.

 

I took Miss Kitty out of the litter box.  I showed Festus the litter box.  Nope.  He was not interested.  I turned on the AC.  Nope.

 

I ran my fingers over his hair.  I found the Onion!  I threw the Onion slice out of the window!  I wiped off Festus's hair.  

 

He stopped meowing.  He settled down.  He just did not like that Onion slice near him.  Problem solving is very important.

 

Patience.  Empathy.  Traveling with Cats in a car will make you a better person.  This was part one!  Tomorrow..part two!

 

Good night.

 

 

 

Festus was napping.  I asked him to pose by the two Pumpkins. 

 

 

Festus decided to clean himself but Miss Kitty striked a pose!

 

 

Monet looked nice with the Pumpkins.

 

 

I carved a Pumpkin in the likeness of Miss Kitty.

 

 

   She did a great job!  Grey days here in Maine!  I packed the car.  I am headed to Florida

 

to visit my parents tomorrow. We will take three days to drive to Florida.  Have a good night.

 

 

 

"Colors of Fall at Little Hunters Beach in Acadia" 8x10 oil on copper.  Sold Thanks.

 

   

 

"Silvers and Golds at Little Hunters Beach in Acadia" 8x10 oil on copper.  Sold. Thanks.

 

   I have been working hard at Little Hunters Beach every day later in the evening.

 

I stay home to entertain many different sets of art patrons, friends, and guests in the morning until

 

later in the afternoon.  I am lucky to have people want to visit with us!  I have two trees of pears to gift

 

to my guests.  I gave a brand new Julian plein air easel to a lady who started painting later in life!

 

She was excited to have the easel.  I am impressed with her print making and now paintings.  

 

I was not using that particular plein air easel. 

 

 

"Acadia Looking towards Sand Beach and Beehive" 8x10 oil on copper  Sold.  Thank you.

This one is going to be a surprise Christmas gift from a Mom and Dad to their Son and Bride.

 

   I carefully navigated the rocks to get to this spot to paint.  I knew I was in the right place because

 

of all the specks of oil paint left on the pink granite rocks by hundreds of different artists from

 

over the years.  I wanted to get the Beehive Mountain into the scene.  That is on the left.

 

I climbed that mountain with my nephews a few years ago!  I took all the paintings home and

 

worked on this carefully to refine them.  

 

 

This scene was so pretty!  I parked, walked down the road, took a photo, and returned to my car!

 

Beautiful!

 

Have a good night.

 

 

 

"High Tide 5PM at Monument Cove in Acadia" 8x10 oil on copper sold. Thanks.

 

   I wanted to paint this view but from a different spot. I found a very small spot for one

 

person at the edge of a cliff.  I was very careful.  A young man came up to me, saying "Hello"

 

many times as to not frighten me.  He took my photo.  I loved the results.

 

 

 

I can't say I would ever paint in this very spot again. It was just

 

too dangerous but the view was spectacular.  

 

 

   I was sitting at the edge of the granite ledge.  

 

 

Hulls Cove was a beautiful scene.  The sky was a gold.  

 

 

Lily was washing her Mom's face for a long time. Poppy loved it.

 

 

  Poppy with her Daughter Lily.  How lucky they are to be with each other.

 

 

   Our friend Ted continues to visit us once in awhile. He is at the beach to

 

see Robert with the dogs.  The dogs just love to see him.  He brings us large kettles of

 

chicken, rice, with vegetables from his garden, for the dogs to eat.

 

 

Poppy with Monet.

 

 

Poppy with her Daughter Lily.

 

 

Have a good night!