Why I drive.

I come from a long line of drivers. My great-great grandfather drove a horse-drawn Ice truck, delivering ice door to door. My great-grandfather drove an oil truck and on many snowy, icy, cold New England days, when his employees couldn’t get to work because of the weather, my great-grandmother would jump in one of the trucks and drive, too. “People needed heat!” she’d say in reply to people remarking how crazy that seemed. My father drives a semi and spent the majority of my childhood driving food up and down Interstate 95 busting his ass to make it home for dinner. Me? I drive a Subaru and I deliver Art to kids who need help developing their voice so that they can share their knowledge and insights with the world in a positive and creative way.

I work for an Art program that spreads it arms wide in an attempt to counter balance the massive cuts in Arts funding that have happened in the past 20 years. We provide Arts instruction to under-served communities with high rates of poverty.

I use my car to carry the supplies I teach with: cameras, paints, paper, pens, glue, scissors, pastels, clay, photo printers and more to the schools I teach at.  Without my car, I can’t carry my supplies. Without my supplies, I can’t teach Art.

I believe that having Art in school will help a student love school more. Growing up I counted the minutes until my music and art classes started. I’m not sure my life would be half as good as it is without having access to those classes. I want to give that to other kids as they navigate the difficult world of growing up. To paraphrase my great-grandmother; “People need Art!” In the last 6 years, I estimate that I have driven close to 20,000 miles to teach Art, that's how serious I am about it.

Last week, my Subaru blew its head gasket. It’s sitting in a shop in Portland waiting for me to get it fixed, but I currently don’t have the money to do so.

So, being the creative individual I am, I have decided to have a MASSIVE ART SALE this month to help get my Subaru of Love back on the road. If you have wanted to buy some of my Art but have not gotten around to it or because I haven’t made it easily available, now is your chance! Check out my Etsy store and see what I have: teafly.etsy.com.

I have A LOT of new Art, special deals that will last THIS MONTH ONLY and a special incentive to buy more!

If you buy $85 or more by June 18^th, you will receive this limited edition print “Livin' In The City”.  (100 prints total)

SPECIAL DEALS: This Month Only : Limited Quantities

• $100 Custom Holiday Card Design/ Baby Announcement, Printable file, Print all you want, +25 for signed print of ART  (no portraits)

• $100 Custom Family Portrait (up to 4 people, +25 per additional person)

• $70 Custom Portrait (1 person, +25 each additional person) PDF for return address label, Book label, Avatar for Facebook, Note card PDF

Can you help me get back on the road again? I don't ask you to fix my problems, I just ask that if you believe what I believe to help me out. I have art for you to enjoy and share. If you buy it now, it can help get me back on the road. I can keep sharing Art with the world. If you can help, I thank you. Art will thank you, too.

***The photo above was taken by Emmanuel, an 8th grader at Jason Lee School in Portland, OR. He was very shy, and never looked you in the eye when he spoke. When he snapped this pic of me, I knew he liked me. I knew he liked my class. His teacher told me that she was surprised that he took the time to take a photo of me. Not his style, she told me. Art-- it changes what we do in terms of what others expect of us. This photo means a lot to me when I think about that.