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Granny’s Favorite Things! Countdown To Christmas -Gordon Lynch and His Wall of Art!

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I and my character Hermiony Vidalia Criony Fiddlestadt (Granny) fall in love with certain artists, companies, places and their products. On my website, Julie Seedorf, I will be adding a page featuring my Favorite Things. I know I am not Oprah and I am sorry I can’t afford to give away some of My Favorite Things. What I can do is share them with you so they can become your Favorite Things and you can enjoy them too. During the end of November and the month of December I will be sharing art, books, artists and other items I have on my list of Favorite things.  Join me in my journey. I will add to the pages on my Blog and website the favorite things I highlight here.
I am starting my journey of sharing with someone I met this summer in Osakis, Minnesota, his name is Gordon Lynch. I can’t resist antique stores and as I wander through them looking to find whatever my eye catches. On the day I snooped in Antiques Osakis what caught my eye was artwork by Gordon. Not only can he draw but uses old records to create stunning pictures of celebrities that complement his drawing. My impression of his is that he is a very humble man. He graciously granted me an interview. Make sure you stop at the slide show and look at a few pictures I took that impressed me.

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Who is Gordon Lynch?
Born Osakis, grew up on small farm near Eagle Bend. Went to Alex Tech for advertising art, worked in Jamestown, ND and Sleepy Eye, MN in advertising. Married Rosemary in 1983 and moved back to Osakis. Built our home while working for Fingerhut and when they closed I went back to college for my Bachelor of Fine Art in painting at St. Cloud State University. Also have degrees in microcomputer and general business. Ran a couple of businesses and wound up as a HR manager for about 12 years until I decided to semi-retire and pursue other interests. We have three grown children. Katie teaches spanish at Strive Academy in St. Cloud; Erin has a post-doctorate position at UC Davis in California; and Zachary is majoring in business at St. Cloud State University.
How did you end up in an Antique Store in Osakis?
Well, my wife started as a dealer there several years ago and after I came up with this technique I’m using I thought I’d display a few paintings there. As a lot of people showed interest in them and they sold I started painting more. That was about 3 seasons ago.
When did you start painting and drawing?
I started drawing early, as a child probably 4 or 5. In those days we didn’t have a lot of toys, but I could draw things like rockets or cars etc. and I drew all through school. In high school we had a visiting artist during my junior and senior year that helped me become interested in art in general and that’s when I first painted with oil paints.
What gave you your idea to create art out of old records?
I really don’t know exactly. But, at least for me, when I’m seriously interested in something it’s always in the back of my mind. That’s when the ideas come along – this one worked – most don’t.
What are the missteps you made along the way to hone your talent?
Too many to mention, I’ve tried a lot of things.
How do you decide your subjects?
I listen to a lot of music and normally paint musicians that I like. I have done a few commisions and will do more, but this is a hobby and a pastime for me so I don’t want to turn it into a job.
What other type of art do you create?
Nothing at the moment.
Where can we find your artwork?
I will be showing them at Antiques Osakis again next season, starting in May. I may possibly show some this winter at Bumbledee’s Antiques and Art in St. Cloud, MN.
Anything else you would like to add to this interview?
Thank you, I appreciate your interest in my artwork.
I would like to thank Gordon for granting me this interview. It was a blessing to meet someone with this gift.

Thankful 365 Days Of The Year

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Grandpa thanksgivingSometimes we should express our gratitude for the small and simple things like the scent of the rain, the taste of your favorite food or the sound of a loved one’s voice.      — Joseph B. Wirthlin

There is always something to be grateful for even in the darkest of times. We may have to reach deep down into our soul to find it amidst the turmoil in our life, but when we do grasp it and hold onto it and keep it close, that glimmer of gratitude helps us get through our days.

I must admit I didn’t quite get it when many years ago Oprah encouraged everyone to start a gratitude journal. But, because Oprah said, I bought a gratitude journal and recorded the things I was grateful for every morning before I left my house to go to work. I would be lying to say it wasn’t a challenge to sit down each morning and take the time to be grateful. I found when I did my days hummed along a little better and my moods were more optimistic.

Through the challenges of life I would put aside my gratitude journal only to return to it months later or maybe a year later. I could look back through my gratitude journey and see where I had been. Off and on through the years I have kept a journal, but during the struggles and the dark times of my life it was harder to write so I would just grasp at words and things that I could find to be thankful for. And some days when I would sink into the abyss of life and busyness I could not find that tiny glimmer. When that happened I would pick up my journal and be reminded that I did have things in my life to be grateful for.

These days, since I don’t leave my house to go to work, I find it easier to start my morning with prayer and gratitude. I find if I miss a morning my day doesn’t always feel complete. I find also it is easier to keep it up because I have friends who I trade gratitude thoughts with each night through messaging, and I also have many friends who share their grateful moments online. It is easier to be grateful and have an optimistic attitude when you hang out with optimistic people. Gratitude changes lives.

This is the week we remember to be thankful. On Thanksgiving we give thanks for all we have.

This year has been a challenging year. There have been losses in our life of family, my brother-in-law Evan and friends. For a few months, funerals seemed to be the order of the week. Loss isn’t always about death. Loss can be health, divorce, friends moving, jobs lost, a way of life diminishing. Holidays can be challenging because of the loss that has happened in our lives throughout the year.

Our Thanksgiving tables may look different because of loved ones who no longer share our holiday because of death, divorce, distance. And on the day we are supposed to be thankful and excited about the holiday, we can’t help but mourn those who are not at our table. Families change, and the change is thought about as we sit down to be thankful for all we have.

My family is no different. We won’t all be here this Thanksgiving. I think back to my childhood and still miss my mother, father, grandmother and aunts and uncles and cousins. Some of my family will be celebrating elsewhere, and others who were here in the past will not be at my Thanksgiving table again because of life and relationship changes.

I used to have a hard time on holidays because of the changes, and I would ruin my Thanksgiving or Christmas by being sad. I chose to not do that anymore. Instead, I chose to be grateful and thankful for having these people in my life for whatever time I did.

I am grateful for those who will be here. I am grateful because I had holidays that I shared in the past with my family and my husband’s family. I am thankful for those people who were members of our family in the past. They will always be cherished. I am grateful for friends who have dined at my table.

Lives change, but this Thanksgiving I am grateful for what has been in the past and what will be in the future. I am grateful to have celebrated Thanksgivings past and present with those who have shared our lives.

In this topsy-turvy world I am grateful to have 365 days a year, not just Thanksgiving to be thankful for something big or small that makes our journey a little easier.

Happy Thanksgiving.