And an interview with the one gone too soon and Mel B.

The inevitable question.

When you write a lot and then you don't, the inevitable question arises. What happened? Well, I don't really know. I don't know if something happened.


I gave the blog a rest while I was writing elsewhere. Thinking other thoughts.
And then, out of the blue, someone asked me what I want to have done by the time I'm 80 (which, by the by, rather far off) and I blurted out, “Well write a book that's for sure!”


So, someone living deep inside me, who I'll assume is an inside-voiced version of me, is speaking up. I'll listen. I'm good at that. Not as good as my friend Lori, who listens so intently and completely I often wonder if she's fallen asleep while I'm talking or has gently set the phone down so she can attend to a project as I go on, but, is really just fully listening.


But, back to me being a good listener.


I am listening, and I'll say based on this, writing has become a goal for the year. This means, I have a plan, or at least I'm formulating a darn fine one, to write every single day of my life for the next year. If some of it goes beyond the morning pages and begins to draw the tale of Ethel and I tooling through Europe with 52 years between our ages, or summons the memories of the first time I laid eyes on my mothers' group and the attendant baby sausages swaddled and lying on the hospital meeting room floor, well, I'll be happy to let that happen. Welcome the reveries which turn ideas into lyrics or stanzas or just fine paragraphs.


I do it anyway. I may as well do it with pluck and purpose. So there.


It isn't a resolution. It's a plan. Kinda formalized.


And again the answer to the aforementioned inevitable question is this: We remodeled the kitchen and for a while, I lost my chair.

Happy 2018.

AdventWord::Simplify

Simplify

A simpler lifestyle can be a way to share with those who have less and a way of returning to them what is usurped by unjust social and economic structures. Assuming a stance of under-consumption can be a provocative invitation to others into a conversation about affluence, poverty and social justice.

-Br. Robert L'Esperance

Home

I'm enjoying my summer of denial.
I'm spending a fair amount of time denying that I'll be back at work full time rather soon.
I'm spending time denying that my boy will be packing up for his first year of college far, far away in a couple of weeks.
I'm also spending time denying that my garage needs a good clean out.

This means we've had days of indoor reorg, cooking, movies and walks with dogs and now, finally, some art.

I'm taking this super fun online class at CreativeBug with the quite wonderful Pam Garrison. A class on Creative Sketchbooking with the first exercises intended to help you free up art ideas. So up my alley.

Here's my first non-dominant hand ink and paint process.

My girlie was sitting along and drawing along with me and she urged me to try a bird like Pam's. I love birds (see blog title) and kinda laugh at the outcome. Fun. Fun. Fun.

I see a bit of influence from the art journal peops I tend to follow. And a lot of me. Leaves and hearts seem to show up quite a bit. And blueberries.

You should try this course! I don't know how I missed out on the VALUE of Creative Bug. Monthly price ($4.95?) and seemingly unlimited opportunities to learn and play
Even the amazing Yao Cheng teaches watercolor. Really how did I miss this?

Go! Find something and create.

The Cavern

I am well aware that I have a penchant for challenges.
But this one, well, it's gone too far.
I tried the Lumosity brain games. Just to, ya know, improve my brain. But I got stuck. I found a game that appeals to my sorting mind and just like the gamers in my life, I bit on the challenge.
I have to say hours of my free time have gone to "seeing if I can get that high score."
Really?
Hours?
Hours.
This morning I was perusing my sketchbook teacher's blog and wondered how I'd drifted from my favorite pursuit. I watched this and remembered that joy is in the challenge, for sure, but the outcomes with art are pure satisfaction.

And then I heard the word.

Duh.

I've fallen into a gully.
I shall now climb out.
Whew.

Keep Practicing!

I have a newfound appreciation for the art of practice.

My very earliest recollections of practice were when I was eleven and a violin was placed in my hands. Initially the practice was just to be able to find a note. Get a sound.

But then, it became about finding a string of notes, a lyric, a rhythm and at some point it became about playing. Oh! The double entendre. Playing. Not so much for me at the time. I was working! I wanted to be really good, I wanted to have my teacher and my friends notice this. But of course, it takes facility. All this practicing wasn't building to one point, it was the point. Somehow either the adults around me never said it, or I just didn't get it.

Practice is exploring.

Practice is learning.

Practice is the path.

It can be that we practice what we love. If we let go, we can fall in love with what we practice. 

Since seeing the movie Whiplash, my son, a fairly talented trumpet player, has taken to loads more practice sessions. He sees the connection. Practice is a path leading to the level where he'll have more freedom. 

Me? I love to write. I have since high school, (which was a while ago). I began, then, filling spiral bound notebooks with words. And poems, and ideas and rants and schemes and dreams. I wrote and write because I love words. I love connections. I love the connections that words allow. Words in my head and words on a page. Strings of words that at some point become a real idea. Many mornings as I get those pages filled, I'm simply exploring -- practicing moving my hand and my mind together.

I've tried to keep this in my thought as I've approached other arts. So, some twenty months ago the words art journal came across my path and I added some art to a journal and then more and then, I, who know nothing about art, was making some art. Gratefully, I could hear my own words -- the ones I'd said to my kiddos when they were little and playing with art:

Art is an exploration.

Today Pam Garrison shared a bit about how important the rhythm of practice really is. Her work is wonderful. Always an inspiration, and because she writes about it in her fabulous blog -- we get a peek into how she thinks and all the joy she spills all over the place. While you go there, just look at all the practice. (It doesn't look to me like she wants her teacher to notice what she got right.)

All of this reminds me of the Ira Glass quote floating around right now. 

Then I remembered, I'd found something similar on the interwebs a while ago and pinned it somewhere. It's important. Oh, and it turns out Pam Garrison put dip pen to paper to share it. 

Here's my take: Practice doesn't make perfect. Practice makes possible.

Oh, and thanks Pam.

All I need is a good book.

Part of both art classes, Sketchbookery and also the Journey of Letting Go, is making an art journal with Coptic binding.

For my first attempt, I worked with Mary Ann Moss's version, a Coptic watercolor book with a chevron binding.

I'm very happy about the process and the outcome. This is the outside view, of course, made with three inner signatures of hot pressed watercolor paper, bound with bookbinding thread and utilizing a book with a perfect cover but expendable pages.

It's an arduous process for sure. Thankfully, I didn't hear the part about not making the book in one day until I was sewing the chevrons through that binding tape. It's probably best that way. Completion is it's own reward.




When I finished, I shared it with anyone who would look. My clan is supportive, with the greatest supporter, my dear husband, who would like to buy one from my store. (I have no store.)


Later, I kissed all my people goodnight as they peeled off to go to bed and when the last was gone, I went into my kitchen studio area (that would be the kitchen table) and put some paint into the book.

I worked from a picture on my iPad taken of my treasured Hebe plants and christened the first page. It's a working book, a place where I can learn.

Hebes & the Hebe Society

Hebes are beautiful. Mine are just about this color with this wonderful vibrant magenta, and some lighter pink flowers. My friend MaryEllen loves them, which made me notice them all over again. Noticing is good.

It was a rather happy day in my happy little art space.

How about you? What are you painting?

Altoids Traveling Watercolor Paints!

Usually I go to the Art Store with my dear husband. He's happy to wander with me supporting my love of supplies. I'm happy to have him there and without saying a word, he's my Jiminy Cricket keeping me from potential overspending.

Well, I went by myself this week. During the day. Alone. And what happened? Well, I ended up with a follower, an artist guy looking for my expert opinion. I kept using the word novice and he kept asking questions. Before I meandered off without my paper he asked if I'd made an Altoids Travel pan. Well, no, I have a little travel set, but I heard him out. Upcycler that I am. Kinda.

Today curiosity got the very best of me and I found that unfinished box of Dark Chocolate Dipped Peppermints (ick - what were they thinking?)

Well, voila! The upcycled travel pan. I bet you could even add six more lids to the top and just close it when they dry. 

So, whadaya think?
Workable?

What are you making?

I'm going back to my balloon page.

Oh, and thank you art guy. Hope you found that paper for landscapes.

Peachy!

In my Sketchbookery class, we did a complete page. What fun! 

I'm reaching back into my pre-kiddos days when I used to lug a sketch pad on airplanes and draw whatever I saw: ice in glasses, table settings, food and when that was over, shoes and feet. 

I'd forgotten I'd even done that. 

My dear reminded me that I used to sit and contour draw on our apartment floor. 

And now there's color. 

Our teacher, Mary Ann Moss, did a fun strawberry study. I'm super grateful my boyo is so very into peaches. I had a whole box to choose from. 

And, surprisingly, all the colors were just, well, there. 

A little pretty for a Sunday morning.

Good morning.













I'm taking a class, very soon, with Mary Ann Moss. So, I've been scooting around her blog and eyeing her vision, when I came across a link to Yao Cheng's 5 tutorials. The link wasn't working, but I loved what Mary Ann shared, so I keep hunting. (Here's a link to Yao's beautiful blog. I think she just got married. Happy Married Life to you Yao!) I finally found the tutorials on the Alison Show website. Here's the first of the 5 Yao Cheng's watercolor tutorials.

Pretty inspiring.
So when I was doing some creative calisthenics this morning (thank you Dina Wakely). This little blossom popped up.

I'm still new and I'm learning about how I love layering. And round sable brushes. I'm also learning that watercolor paper is better than the tags I "work out" with, but practice is what it is and I love the tags for this! (I got my tags for about $32 on Ebay. That would be 3.2 cents each. 30 cents a day. Thank you very much.)

I'm loving this June gloom summer sweetness.
At the table.
With the colors.
Exploring.

Birds and Flowers

It might be time to step up and share the messing around. While studying, working, being a wife, mom, and GSD owner, keeps me busy and happy, so does cooking, writing and painting. For the last two or three years, the writing has been largely kept to the morning pages; three a day every morning in a spiral bound notebook. The cooking has been a bit on the fly and largely undocumented. And, this flirting with art has moved its way into my life. At first it was a gentle call, then tug, a pull, a shove. I feel like God is intervening for the sake of creating.

So it goes. I'm paying attention and taking a couple of online courses. Exciting! I love this one. And am fully dedicated to this one. Signed up for this one, too. Each of them offers a different focus and each is available for a full year or two so I can work as I go and take the space I need in my studio.

Which to many people looks like a kitchen.

I'm open. To being pushed. Pushing. Advancing this long awaited cause. I've collected art supplies and played around with paints, art journaling, etc. forever. So a big dollop of focus and a slug of intent gets poured into the cup and voila. Art. Emerging. Joy, too.

I'll gladly share that Janice MacLeod Lik and her wondrous book, (which you need to read) PARIS LETTERS, provided some pretty big inspiration. Her book seemed to ignite something; combining the lingering influence of a post college Paris trip and all those revisiting references in literature and culinary studies. Once I put the book down, the colors and brushes came out.

Janice once shared that she's beholden to art supplies. Read the post, she might say she's crazy when it comes to art supplies. Her words were like permission. (Hilariously truthful permission.) So, off I went to snag the supplies needed for the block class. I learned all about Dick Blick (who, if we ever really meet, will be my favorite man in the world for a while. Diamonds? No thanks, I'll take art supplies.) and Jerry's Art-A-Rama and finally, the capitol of the world of art stores, Art Supply Warehouse, right here eight short miles from my home. They have everything. Everything. From the right block of beginner watercolor paper to the fanciest single block pans. Every Copic marker color and the paper it won't run through. Everything.
Janice would have a field day.

So now, all seems to be right in the world. I find myself a much happier girl and each day I want to wake up a little earlier to get something on paper before the world calls me into my next steps. I'm learning from words I've said to my lovey kiddos from their first days with color and paper: Art is an exploration.

I'm up for the exploring.

CReATE Studio Fun!

If you're going to celebrate with pumpkins, take a little inspiration from my friend Jemma who owns a fantastic creative space called CReAte STUDIO.
It's in Westlake Village, California. Full of fun and inspiration and things to, well, create!

The space was inspired by a trip to a children's museum where Jemma and her girls had fun in the craft zone. It was on her mind, from that moment on, that kids (and parents) need a place like this, to use all manner of recyclables to make art. Being the get-it-done gal she is, Jemma started her studio business not long after. Her sight has lots of fab kid creations and shows some beautiful Women's Night art, too.

Her Etsy shop is all about a CReATE it yourself project. Go see!


What are you creating?

Grace Coddington - The September Issue

I'm still thinking about the revelation of Grace Coddington in The September Issue - Anna Wintour & the Making of VOGUE. Without going back to the movie, I've been thinking about how real and fabulous and artistic Grace Coddington truly is.

I found this wonderful point of view about her. Though I don't agree at all with the take on Wintour. It's just too easy to disagree with her methods, and miss her dedication and eye.

I'm so interested to learn more about her work, seeing more, noticing more. I found her coffee table book online for $1395. I doubt I'll be picking it up. So now, I'm just looking, looking to take in her work, her view of things, her art.

I'm so inspired by who she appears to be. She's definitely not a Devil Wears Prada clacker, but an aging, been through it and ready for more, down-to-earth professional who understands the facets of the fashion world and has a brilliantly artistic eye and interpretation.  What I love about Grace Coddington is that we see, in the documentary a very real, creative genius who sees the art in fashion and provides us a view to see it too.

February 9 - I Love:: The artist in my midst

Birds on a wire or in a tree set my heart to dancing.
Can't explain it, it's just the way I work.
On the way to school, there's an intersection where tons of birds congregate.
I look forward to seeing them. I comment. I swoon.
So at Christmas time, my girlie made an appointment with an art teacher to provide me with an everlasting impression of the thing I love: my birds.
This is just a piece of the picture.
She brings me such delight.

Mother Daughter Sunflowers

Mother

Daughter

My girlie and I had the great pleasure of taking a little art class in the study of sunflowers in acrylics today. The breeze was blowing in the breezeway path as we listened to the instructor tell us how to do what she thought we were doing well. We loved being spoken to so gently. "That's it. Very nice. There you go." And then when I had a change in direction she helped me switch my focus and light source and I felt like I knew what I was doing. Which is a nice feeling.

We are enjoying the Sawdust Festival in Laguna like never before.

Sissy Sunday

Hi! I am so glad it is Sissy Sunday! This new segment is called Sissy Sunday, as you might have noticed. I am a guest blogger, and I am ten! This week I am going to show you one of my favorite thing that I have ever drawn. This is an abstract piece.  Every week I am going to talk about something that I have drawn. I hope this inspires you. In this piece of artwork, I chose to do, I used only four colors. Black, purple, green and blue! At my school, in art class, we were working on an abstract drawing. My wonderful art teacher helped me to come up with this idea. I have done three of these now. 
Art is my favorite special in my school. I so badly wish that we could have it every day! :D
Next week I am going to tell you about the palm trees I painted! Can't wait!! See you next week!

I Love:: 18 ~ Unexpected Art

Over the Christmas Holiday break we went to the Sciencenter. I thought we would see lots of sciencey things. Which we did. But even better was the surprise greeting in the queue and entry area. These marvelous suspended shining balls. Art. 
I suppose it should be expected. Art in science. Science in Art. But it surprised me in a lovely way.

I love:: Unexpected Art.