With everyone getting ready to go back to school, I sure do wish I could go back now and do it all over again! I was just pulling up some files up in my external hard drive, and found pix of some old pieces of art that I created when I was in school at the University of Alabama.
These were some of my favorite pieces that I created under the direction of the one and only Dr. Al Sella. Thought I would share in honor of… SCHOOL! I do believe these are all somewhere in the Orange household in Montgomery, AL.
My cousin Miranda is heading to Tuscaloosa this Sunday to move in and start her freshman year at Alabama, and I’m totally jealous! While my numbers may identify something that some would call “getting older”, I promise that I will always be FOREVER YOUNG.
Every once in a while I google my name, or as i’m going to manage this page or whatever… you know; AND recently I discovered as I was doing this modern task, that as you type in “Maxine Orange”, the first thing that automatically pops up says “Maxine Orange is the new Black”… HA, what do you know?!
Now, I know it is not really about me, but I’m making it be about me. Right here… Right now!
So with that being said, I’m offering a little “ORANGE (black) FRIDAY” offer for FREE SHIPPING from any purchase of art from in my etsy shop! I’ve added some new pieces and small items for the holidays. Just use the coupon code ORANGEFRIDAY at checkout.
I’m very thankful for all of my friends and followers, old and new! Thank you for your support of me and my dreams, I love you all and hope to hear from you soon!
So I probably shouldn’t, but I feel that I need to apologize in advance for my lengthy & very “rambling” blog post here. But hey, how else are you supposed to get to know me? Right? I ramble…. And another thing to know about me. No matter who you are, I will be me. Those two people in the photo on the left with me and my nautical bow dress definitely LOVE that about me! The feeling is mutual if I do say so myself, and I’m confident in my feelings of how they feel about me. Now… with that being said, one thing I consider myself is super lucky to have a lot of very good friends. A cute little curly headed jewish girl with a southern y’all-drawl from Montgomery, AL…. No, it does not sound easy, but has worked out ok for me, I think. Being that we had a pretty small jewish community in Montgomery, Alabama (surprise!), our parents provided my sister and I with opportunities to get away here and there to expand our list of friends – something that has had a big impact on who we both are today. We spent amazing summers at a beautiful & special place called Camp Barney Medintz in Cleveland, GA; we went to youth group events across the southeast; trips to Israel; all where we made amazing friends for life. What is the point i’m trying to make here?! Amongst these lifelong friends, some of these friends stick pretty strong. The friendship never fades, and the friendship is like we never missed a beat anytime we are together. Hopefully you also have at least one friend like that and know that feeling. Two of these friends that really stuck are my girls Courtney and Carlyn (as mentioned above). We have been friends for over 20 years of our lives. While Carlyn is a super powerful force in the world (there will most definitely be a whole other post about her for sure!), this story I am trying to get to is about Courtney and her 2 year old son, Tanner.
Just about 6 months after Tanner was born, he was diagnosed with CDKL5, a rare disease that has become more common in recent years. It has a early onset with young children and is linked to the X chromosome, causing a lack of development in the brain. He has a LOT of seizures and can’t function the same way that most other children his age can. They’ve tried many different treatments including CBD & Hemp oils, along with a special diet, to try to find the right combination of effectiveness to cut down on the seizures, and to allow Tanner’s personality to be present as much as possible.
People don’t plan on being special needs parents, but life usually gives you things that you are built for. Maybe it’s your purpose in life, and all along you never knew. Courtney was built to be an amazing mom… she is super-mom to a special child, something you just can not plan on.
Now, Courtney and her husband Brian Froy (another amazing person with super strength) are on a special journey through their lives to teach us about this highly unknown disease, as they try to help find a cure for CDKL5.
Later this month, Courtney & Brian will be hosting an event in Atlanta, the 2nd annual Toasting Tanner event, raising money that will go towards CDKL5 research. I urge you to visit Courtney’s blog to learn more about this scary disease, and if you can please make any small donation that you can, or if you are in Atlanta, go to the event! Looks to be a fun time with some fun people where you can learn something about life and love. I unfortunately will not be able to attend, but I am happy to have shared my donation to this worthy cause through design… when my Courtney calls, I’m happy to deliver.
Hey Friends! Welcome to the brand spankin’ new MAXINEORANGE.COM – a much needed update after about 5 years or more… I’ve been making a lot of new art, and I want to be able to share it with the world, so here we are.
maxine orange art at emerald coast gallery
If you see anything on this site that you are interested in, have any questions about, OR if you and I can create something custom together, just give me a shout. Contact me via email at maxineorange@gmail.com, send me a message on facebook, etsy or instagram… or the contact form below. I love to make new friends, so send me a message, or whatev.
new Black”… HA, what do you know?!
maxine orange 