Wow, I haven’t posted since February! So much has been happening as I try to prepare mentally and financially for my Surgery, the time has just flown by. What have I been busy with? Well, things have been super busy at Zulu Tattoo. I have been neck deep in drawings and planning the numerous Cover-ups that have come my way. I will have a bunch of new cover-up photos for my website to post as soon as I have time to edit them.In my own art I have been doing more pieces for my Kowai Kawaii Yokai series. I have so many ideas I can’t get them all out of my head! It is great to be this excited about my own art. I also added another style to my art arsenal. I have been doing my pop culture pieces in a Japanese Edo print style. So far I have done “The Avengers in Edo period” and “Yokai Busters” (Ghost Busters), and have many more planned. It is frustrating to have so many ideas and no time to do them in. Here are my two Edo period pieces, They are done on watercolor board with Inktense pencils (like watercolor pencils) and ink for the outlines.

All of this is going on while my left eye is getting more annoying. Glare is becoming more and more of a problem. With a normal eye, light goes through the lens and hits the back of your eye like the tip of a cone. With a cataract, the light goes through the lens and is spread all over the back of the eye, it’s like hitting a disco ball. The more glare, the harder it is to see with the cataract effected eye.

Because of this, I have had to shut the blinds when I am tattooing so the glare from the sun outside won’t effect my vision. Also when I paint I have to angle my light differently. As long as I control the glare I can still paint and tattoo, but I am anxious to get my surgery over with. I finally have a surgery date!!! July 25th!!! A little over a month away. I have already scheduled time off from the tattoo shop to get the surgery and to adjust to my new lens.

Cost is the only thing left hanging. I have contacted the doctors office, the surgical center, and the insurance company and I still can’t get a clear answer on how much I will be paying for the surgery, and how much the insurance company will pay. The surgery will be around $8000 to $9000. I have a $4000 insurance deductible. Because the doctor will be replacing my cataract lens with a lens that corrects my astigmatism, the insurance company won’t apply the cost of the basic lens toward the deductible. Because the lens corrects my vision as well as replacing my cataract lens the insurance company considered it cosmetic.  It makes no sense that they wouldn’t just make me pay the difference in the cost. That’s insurance for you these days. I pay my premium every paycheck, and when I need medical attention they try to squirm out of paying for it..  AAAARRRRGH.. it is so frustrating.. They also won’t tell me exactly what they will apply toward the deductible, and then, what of that they will pay for once the deductible is met.

Because of this I need to get as much of the cost of the surgery together as I can.. I have already had some big art sales this year that I have put in savings for surgical costs. I’ve sold a few antiques and have took out another credit card with no deductible to also help pay for the cost.

I’m having a Fundraiser with new art for sale and a silent auction on older pieces. Japan LA is having their 6th anniversary party and have been kind enough to offer me their small gallery area to do my fundraiser during the festivities. Japan LA’s 6th Birthday party is Saturday June 23rd 2012 from 6pm till 10pm.. http://www.facebook.com/events/403918136325407/  I will also have paintings for sale on My website https://misha-art.com/shop/shopmain.htm .If you have ever wanted a piece of my art in your collection, this is the time!