maya’s blog

Clint and I spent the past week traveling to Sterling, Illinois, to be with his extended family and Grandpa Jack during his last breaths. It was a moving experience and I wish that everybody had a “BDJ” in their family, and knew the closeness that he fostered among all his kids and grandkids.

The world will miss you!! I’m sorry I only knew you for a few years.

It puts everything in perspective, as people tend to say. I don’t mind living this far away from our family as long as we can take the time to visit them often. I don’t mind working hard as long as my work doesn’t take me away from my husband. Time is short. The days are precious.

Doing artwork and medical illustration is a great way to make a living, and I am very grateful for my job, but it is no substitute for a hug or a meal together.

Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer’s gone, and all the flowers are dying
‘Tis you, ’tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer’s in the meadow
Or when the valley’s hushed and white with snow
‘Tis I’ll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.

Saturday Clint and I started looking at houses in person.  We are looking in the area of the new building site for Orthofix  - my company will make the move in 2010 - since I am in love with a short commute.  This is only about 20 miles away from our current location, but it’s too far for me.  

We are getting serious fast and would like to make an offer soon.  This means picking out a property ASAP and coming up with the cash to close.  An insight into our determination:  we have agreed to NO eating out until we close on a home - probably at least two months of this!  In addition we will need to pick up some extra work and sell some extra items/artwork.   

I am restocking my etsy site and will be painting a few new pieces to put up over the next weeks.    Art for downpayment money!!  You can’t beat the feeling of brotherly love that comes free with every purchase.  

Clint and I were married on September 12!  So far life is amazing and we are very happy.  The only thing I would change is to be retired so we could spend all our waking moments together.  I’m aware of the cheesy factor here, but I can’t help myself!  I’m so lucky to have found my perfect match - somebody with whom I can play word games, read and discuss dorky literature, eat delicious things, and walk!  Thanks to everyone who made our wedding wonderful, especially all our sibs and Sarah, Emily, and Rachel, our parents, Anne Ruthmann, and Jim Mustain.   

Here are some things that make me very happy.

An adorable baby croc

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Thanks to all the fathers out there, especially my Papa.  Thank you for encouraging me.  Thank you for your support even when I wasn’t interested in normal career paths.  Thank you for respecting me as an artist and a quirky drawer-of-body-parts!  Thanks for letting me eat raw spaghetti and marshmallows when Mom wasn’t looking.

I thought I would reminisce tonight and share some work from my last job in Newton, Mass.  While at Argosy, I worked on these pieces for two “coffee-table” anatomy books.  I had a good experience there and remember it fondly!  I will miss the soft-tissue renderings, although I am excited to do the more bony drawings I have coming up.

If you enjoy ultimate frisbee and don’t mind a shorter summer (AND you happen to be an animator) you should check out a 3D animation position Argosy has recently posted!

In February I moved back to Texas with Clint (and of course Ed the cat).   We are now in McKinney, which is a bit north of Dallas, and I work as a medical illustrator at Orthofix.   I’m in the marketing/communications department doing illustrations and animations.  It’s my first time in marketing and my first time with a medical device company too!  The work is fast-paced as always, but a more internally driven kind of fast-paced, and the focus – marketing and documenting the stuff we sell - is different than anything I’ve done before.   My subject matter almost always involves bones, since we make orthopedic, spine, and bone stimulation products.  

McKinney is much more of a fit for Clint and I than Newton, MA was.  The Boston area was fascinating and great to explore, but did not suit our thrifty ways!  Other things we like about Texas are the wide open spaces, warm weather, and friendly people.  And McKinney has a lot of green trees too.   In one year we will be moving again (!) a few miles down the road, because Orthofix is getting a new building.   We’ll try to buy a home in that area.  I never thought I’d be a Texan - and loving it - but I guess I am!

Hello!  This update is long-overdue but here’s a belated thank you to everyone who left me a comment!  I have matched your cyber-donations for a total of $20 which went to the Greater Lansing Food Bank.  I changed states from MA to TX since the last post, and so decided to support my hometown pantry in MI while in transition.  Thank you again for your interest and if you’re having a decent week, take a minute to donate $5 to YOUR local food pantry or give somebody a sandwich who’s not having such a decent week.  Love you!

This is a bit of a different post. I’m asking you to leave me a comment. Any comment will do! Is this because I need to feel less alone in the echoing halls of cyber-space? Well, maybe a little. But mostly this is a way to raise food for hungry peeps. For every comment I receive between now and January 10, I will donate a can of food to my local food pantry! I did not come up with this myself, and I am thrilled to join in the community of artists trying to do a little good. Please check out my awesome photographer Anne’s blog (she’s doing my wedding next year) for a list of other participants - you can leave comments for them too! - and also to see her great work!

I suppose I’ll start with this can, shown here posing as an art supply. Out you go, Mr. Organic Chicken Noodle.

Whoops, I couldn’t wait. Here are the first anatomy (and bird) pendants! Putting them on etsy right now and then… I will likely be making more immediately.