wordless wednesday

Pride
(loving my art)



Gluttony
(eating everything in sight)



Envy
(wanting the perfect body)



lust
(hunting for the hidden pickle)



Wrath
(note purple toe)

Happy Winter Solstice

Kissing the long nights goodbye

Workshop mode

Living gifts

these were a great success at the holiday boutique

I made them from my personal collection of succulents

I am currently making all sorts of things that have had to wait.

The holidays are also a great time for me to play with new ideas

I am thinking of looking at fabric next....

Dizzy

I started writing a really long post about the last few days...but it seemed too word laden...so instead I will post a small album of images instead...I am a visual story teller anyways....
I am dizzy from trying to process all that has happened in the last couple of days.

front window as viewable from the street.

When I got my first glimpse I fought back tears of extreme joy and thanks

a lull in the crowd

two people looking at two of my three images at the show

Impressive as they needed to wait to get this view.

the next morning I scrubbed what was left of my mascara off my cheeks

and spent the morning at a holiday boutique at my husbands work.

I sold these little terrariums, necklaces and paper goods

The sea on the way home to two more art openings!

It was so striking, I stopped and took a deep breathe of the sea air and watched the gulls play in the wind

"One Night Stand"

an impromptu one night show of the printmaking from the Inkspots of Ventura

at Project 643 space

Some of the artwork for sale at the VITA benefit

Christmas trees being delivered to Home Depot....

I had never seen this happen before, I always see them all lined up in lots but never right off the train container and to the shop. I was struck by it.

I did it....

I finished NaBloPoMo

I might not have been very interesting but I posted every day for a month!

I am still at work and will be for quite some time tonight.

My brother's machine shop has their ISO audit tomorrow and the final days of making sure all our T's are crossed and I's dotted are in play right now.

The shop is being swept and looks all pretty...

It is a spring cleaning of sorts

In the meantime, we are burning the midnight oil

I knew I would be too tired to post later tonight, that and my brain will be too fuzzy to think.

I will post again, just not tonight.

Adventure Food

Cowboy breakfast



On our little adventure last week, we only stopped a few times coming up the coast so I could pee....we packed some food, but we never seem to pack the right things so when the time to eat comes around we never want to eat what we have so carefully packed.

argh...maybe someday we will crack that code

On the way back out, we left before the sun came up and by the time we were an hour or so out we got hungry...seeing as we only had candy bars and carbonated water and some sadly post refrigerated leftover food ( you know the stuff that has been left in the cooler, then placed in a fridge and now has a funny damp smell) to choose from we stopped for breakfast. We were in cattle land...so we had a choice of Denny's or a "cowboy cafe" we choose the cowboy place, as it was a small diner and we figured it would have more locals and or good cookin'

Our cowboy breakfasts arrived and it was the perfect meal to help get past a hangover.
Sadly, neither of us was hung over so it was simply a greasy spoon.

Giddy up little Tagamet®

Big Girl

The piece that made the show card:
"The warm wind filled the air with dry earth"

I dropped off three new pieces of work to a big time gallery. I awoke early, anxious and excited....but mostly anxious.

I had a short but real questioning with myself about the quality and value of my work...it was a short speech.

I drove into Santa Barbara and delivered my work to a white walled gallery, and chatted with the super nice  lady who changed the spelling of my name and took my work into the back, behind the scenes. I could hear her walk away and feel a bubbling sense of pride with every one of her steps.

I had hoped to get some work into this gallery, I had said a little word....and here I am 1 year later.

WOW

I am still in shock, but have many distractions before Thursday so I think that floating feeling will last for a little while longer.

To ground myself even further, I spent the afternoon making terriaums for the two holiday boutiqes I have coming up this week. Living gifts...life in a cubicle.

Happy

My work is the tractor under the "a"

I was finished framing my work for the gallery today. I like it, there is always this moment when the piece is finally tucked into it's frame and I put the final screws into place...that I turn the frame over to view the image as a viewer would. It is a thrill...It makes it seem real and wonderful. I transport myself into a gallery and imagine it on the wall in front of strangers. Is it straight, is it clean, does it look clean and do I look at the image or the frame?

It is magical and wonderful

This evening I got to see the card for the show too, I was so excited to see the card/ advertising and daydream about and that I am a part of it...that it took the second time around to realize one of my images is on it!!

Wahoo...

I am happy and excited

Busy like a Bee

image from: Riverwalk Jazz

In the next week and a half I am so busy my head is spinning like a plate at the top of a tall pole!

I have two art openings, two holiday boutiques, an ISO audit, open house at the community garden, Hanukkah starts and a photo shoot.

I made a HUGE pot of soup for dinner and sat in front of the TV tonight watching The Wizard of Oz.

I own the movie as well, but can never help myself when it is on TV, I am compelled to watch.

My most favorite part is at the very beginning when the house falls from the twister and all the sound and chaos stops and there is the amazing quiet....

then Dorothy walks thru the silent house and she opens the back door to technicolor Oz.

I feel a little like Dorothy right now, caught up in the chaos and wild winds.

Thank you day

Making Nana & Aunt Elizabeth's Sweet potato puff 

I am thankful every day of my life

I have been taught from a very early age that there is no reason to wait to give a gift,

say what you feel

and

hug someone.

I am thankful for that.

Trippin'

We have just had a wild ride.

We spent 9 hours driving to a location to meet family and spend some pre-thanksgiving

time visiting.

My father in law spent a lot of time finding a place where we could all meet and cook and be warm for two days.

After we had been driving for 6 hours we got a call telling us that there was no electricity at the house and that the family that had arrived was trying to light a pilot to get some hot water.

Well 2 hours later, we got another call that they were leaving and to meet them at a hotel in the town down the hill.

We arrived an hour and a half later, at a hotel in a little goldmine town. Shortly there after our family arrived and were exhausted. They had tried to make the cabin work; there was no power, no heat, snow and ice and no way to make the place warm despite all their efforts!

So we took all our food and shoved it into the mini fridges and headed out to the local grill.

My family, was trying to make lemonade out of lemons.

I admire their efforts, and was sorry that we were still driving to the location while they were shoveling snow and searching for warmth.

I am glad we all ended up together, and spent a whole day visiting before we all headed homeward again.

Hangin with my homies

In preparation for traditional thanksgiving festivities we are doing what many multi-family families do...spending time in with different parts of family at different times of the week in order to spend time with them all.

No hurt feelings, no one left out...

call us the peace keepers

Scenic

We have spent a fair amount of today watching the world go by.

Day trips allow you to recharge your mind and soak in a new vision of the world around you.

Today was no exception; rain showers, rainbows, cattle, vineyards...

it was a wonderful day to fill my mind with new imagery and renew my desire to make new work.

Thanksgiving is around the corner and the week will be filled with family and friends. Sometimes you just need to start the week calmly.

Drama is always a part of thanksgiving.

I have more stories about that, but will save them for this week...

Working

I have been making a few new linocuts for the holiday season...I love carving them and always seem to be amazed that a little pile of shavings can produce such an unbelievable result.

Inspirations from nature once again...but with a little geek undertone.

I will be adding color to them by hand and hope that someone else will fall in love with them too!

Sorry about last nights post, the seduction of the wine and cheese made me swirly and not wanting to talk really. I ended up peeling my contacts out of my eyes and settling into a HOT bath then slid into bed...all toasty inside and out.

I don't do that very often, but might change that up too.

It was a yummy change.

morning flush

I shot out of the house early this morning in order to make the community workday at our garden.

Seeing as water was falling from the sky, lightly...workday was canceled.

I spent an hour and a half alone in the garden weeding our plots and making them look far less wild.

The remainder of the day was spent making new linocut work for my upcoming boutiques and holiday sales before heading out to Fondue with friends.

Currently feeling the effects of cheese, wine and carbohydrates

yummmmmm

Overheard

I LOVE listening to other peoples conversations in public places. When out with hubby we often shift our conversations to match what we are hearing around us....it is a guilty pleasure we share.

Dinner can be even more entertaining when a good conversation is simply a booth over

or

we are in a funny mood.

Today I was running errands and stopped by the local "get everything here store", I was cold and wearing three layers of clothes and I noticed a bundled up couple, snuggling out in front of the store on the bench.

 I love to watch people in love and I was taken by how close and loving this nomadic couple was being.

The woman nestled into the man, she was sitting on his lap, arm wrapped around him. He had his arm around her waist and they were sharing a cigarette. I could smell the smoke and could see that he was softly speaking to her; as I passed I heard the last part of his sentence " you know what I mean man?" to that I heard her response: " Stop calling me a man, I am a woman and it is really not cool"

His response: "Ok, ok I was just telling a story."

I found this a lovely moment and example how we are all the same

222nd post

This is my 222nd post.

When I started this blogging thing I never thought I would ramble so much or have so many things to want to share, discuss or contemplate.

222 posts ago I had left work to gain back my sanity just months prior.
My whole adventure was just beginning, this crazy road was just being laid out.
I often find myself in the course of a day, stopping and thanking my lucky stars.

222 post ago I was just finding my voice again after being the voice for someone else.
222 posts ago I was reclaiming my identity.
222 posts ago I was lost.

222 posts later I am here, present and thankful!

Wordless Wednesday

Plotting

My poor garden, it has taken the back burner for several months now.

I am currently only growing squash and some crazy looking spinach.

Hubby's garden box is overgrown with a combination of volunteer tomatoes and a weed that looks tomato but has little round green fruit on it.

Needless to say, I need to turn the soil and add manure.  

After years of doing it with my trusty shovel and some good old fashion back work, 

 hubby figured out how to use the gardens rusty rototiller.

It was amazing the first time and and it makes the whole thing sooooo much more tolerable.

Now it is simply finding the time to do it.

I don't trust that motor on a stick and so I have to wait until I can get hubby to join me at the garden.

I am still waiting for the perfect time,

every time I think of it the sun has already set, I am exhausted or the garden shop is closed and we can't fill the back of my car with bags and bags of steer poop.

So let's add turning the garden to my long list of desires for the next week.

Our community garden is having an open house in December and it would be really embarrassing to have a boring looking garden.

So I am motivated by shame...and the desire to have some yummy lettuce and snap peas.

Half way thru

Today is the half way point in NaBloPoMo, posting something everyday for a month ...

I am kind of a quiet person so thinking about something to blog about everyday is really getting hard!

I made some new plates and printed earlier this week, in fact I cut myself on a plate for the first time ever!

It would have created quite a boring tattoo had I not cleaned it so well.

I told you this blogging everyday thing was hard!

no you have to suffer with my ramblings....

I got a submission out in today's mail and I need to get more out tomorrow night for a gallery.

I have a growing list of goals before the end of the year, so as this month quickly ticks away I am getting a little nervous that I might be falling off course.

photo of the day

this is why I was willing to spend the whole of saturday baking.

Happy birthday my dear sweet nephew!



Birthday sugar

Handy Manny is the inspiration, so blue hammers it is!

I am making a mountain of cupcakes and cookies and a personal birthday cake just for my youngest Nephew.

I am making everything from scratch and hubby even helped frost the cookies saying under his breath they will sure know which ones the Uncle helped with. I think the fact that the Uncle helped is magical in itself...what a good Uncle.

I will report more tomorrow, I think I am a little buzzed from the vast amount of sugar in the air!

Reflections

With all the Veterans day talk I have been reflecting about past family and their military experiences.

this is the oldest record I have:

My grandmother simply had it labeled "Uncle Phillip"

the picture on the left is his high school graduation picture young bright eyed boy in a new suit.

The person on the right is the same man, but haunted now. WWI uniform, gaunt, changed forever. The shape of his mouth is even different. I wish I knew more about Uncle Phillip, where he was stationed, where he served, even where the pictures were taken.

My grandfathers and great uncles served in WWII, maternal grandfather was in the Pacific...newly changed name as the family rumor was that he was hiding from the mob, after a bad deal.  I have seen pictures of him in a jeep driving on beaches. I do not know where in the pacific he served, Hawaii or beyond.

My paternal grandfather did not serve, he did not pass his physicals...but my great uncles did and they were in Europe with the Canadian Forces, one uncle was in Halifax and parts beyond and others fought overseas. I even know of a family member that was there to liberate death camps....he told me that he had taken photographs of the day they arrived as no one would ever believe what they had seen or how they had treated people....but the military took the camera away, he claims he kept a roll they did not know about.

I guess in many ways they were the original Inglorious bastards.

Western Jews fighting the Nazis.

There are even tales that my great grandmother worked for the OSS, $75 dollars or so to a research librarian in the National Archives can get that validated if we want. I like the idea of her, hunched over listening to conversations in German and transcribing.  My Grandmother and great aunts were in Canada and Stateside, doing their part with the USO and war bundles...in fact my paternal grandmother was rationed food in her home, slowly being starved and to escape that she married my grandfather. My maternal grandmother was working as war bride.

Then comes to my father and uncles, they all came to age during Vietnam. I am told that they knew of all too many friends that died, way too young, in far off places. My father joined to avoid being drafted and he had access to documents and when it was discovered that he was a Canadian he was honorably discharged, but when he wore his uniform to his brothers wedding was called a "baby killer"

One of my uncles ran with soap bars under his arms to raise his blood pressure so he would fail his physical.

I was born while Vietnam was still being fought, by brother as it was ending.

I admire the willingness of this long line of men and women to serve, I have been called an idealist in my beliefs that words can resolve conflicts.

I like the idea that no blood should be spilled and no hearts broken.

I understand that is not the case....but I see now a whole new flood of broken men and women returning home to a broken system of care for them. 

I remember the calls from a friend of my father who lived in the VA hospital; the screams and crying always present in the background. I think of the treatment my father and others received after returning home from Vietnam and newer wars. It breaks my heart. 

Although I might not believe in the war they are fighting, I believe in them.

 I only want them to come home, unbroken in spirit and body.

tired

I am really tired....I have a few big things on the horizon so I am gonna take care of myself tonight and report

more details soon

sorry.

wordless wednesday



Wide open

I am looking at you world, eyes wide open and fixed on making a difference.



Day 8

fashion 1982ish

I have an eye exam tomorrow...you would think that being an artist I wouldn't get behind on those...but according to the doctor I saw last, my last exam was in FEBRUARY 2007!!

It surprised even me.

I have had glasses since 3rd grade...when my grades dropped on stuff I was understanding and my sleuth of a mother asked where I was sitting in class. (they sat us alphabetically, so I was in the last row far far far away from the chalkboard)  I was teased all thru elementary school for the LARGE glasses I wore, then by junior high they were paired with braces and the masterpiece was complete!

Tomorrow I will take an eye exam and I hope to pass...I will look like a rain forest animal; a blind in the daylight animal wearing glasses and driving home.

Crinoline

Racks of crinoline at the Betsy Johnson Store

Last month I went "shopping" with a friend to the nearby outlets. I am not a shopper.
I don't really enjoy the trying on of clothes, the shopping for shoes and the people telling you that "you should totally get that"
Well this trip I was able to avoid all three. I did a lot of shop dreaming instead!

We went into the Betsy Johnson store, it was magical.
I was sent back to my junior high and high school creations!
There was crinoline as far as the eye could see and the shopkeeper was like Annie Potts in Pretty in
Pink except with a lot of deep lines in her face, that made the eyeliner look that much more bold.


Even with the discounts this dress that I totally fell in love with was still $348

although the store was offering a BOGO (buy one get one offer)

My friend wanted me to try it on, just for fun...
 I don't play that game well...if I liked it, I couldn't get it and if I didn't it would burst the bubble of the daydream.
So instead, I wandered and smelled the stiff fabrics and imagined myself one day returning to get any dress I wanted and getting extra crinolines too!


Superficial and shallow I know, there are far far better things to dream about then a dress.


I can honestly say I do not feed this part of the little girl in me often, in fact she is quite forgotten most of the time.
I have almost always had hand-me-down clothes, thrift store clothes and recently clothes my brother no longer wants to wear. The new clothes I have bought, are now several years old and are worn well beyond their $20 price tag.


I really like clothes, I love fashion, I don't understand it sometimes but I admire the thoughts.
So wandering out of the Betsey Johnson store had me swooning over clothes and colors and design.

I have never been to a fashion show, I have watched them on Youtube and TV and read about them in fashion mags at doctor offices...I know that Betsey does cartwheels at the end of her shows.
I admire that....be who you are, dress how you want, dance.

I might not be able to get that dress, but I can have that dream.



Take it easy

bathroom door at the local record shop,
reminds me of my mind right now

Against my better judgement I have been doing things slowly...

I figured the harder I tried to fight towards my next goal thru the haze of exhaustion,

I would not make wise choices.

I took a reality check pill or something.

So yesterday I made a new plate in the Autumn sun, and looked up some competitions. While today I organized images for future projects, ignored the pile of laundry and watched movie after movie.

I have so many ideas I am swirling, and trying to decide which direction to go first.

So I I have been feeding my internal image file...

Alice in Wonderland and  The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

what amazing films; colorful and inventive and dark and moody...I ate them up!

Now I just wait for the dreams to come and bring me the rest.

Maybe it is ok to simply "take it easy", mental health time...very important

Lovely

I have had a couple of glasses of wine and I feel fine...

I am not going to write but simply wish you all a wonderful Friday night!

Love Is Real

polaroid from our group art show opening night

Cinque from the bell tower of Reim Catherdral

Many years ago I saved up as much money as I could make as a video store clerk and plant maintenance person and ate a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and went away to study art, art history, and poetry in Paris and London. I lived on very little and spent my money on art supplies. I was thrilled!

On this trip of a lifetime I met some amazing people, some of which I am thankful to still be in touch with some I let fade away. On the weekends, my roommate would travel to neighboring countries and have wonderful adventures. 

I on the other hand, chose to wait to do my traveling until after the school session was over, allowing me to extend the trip by several weeks. While the dorm emptied out on the weekends a few of us "super cool kids" stayed behind and worked on our art pieces and wandered the city.

Cinque and Tishaun lived down the hall and also spent their weekends working on art and wandering the city, and exploring. We often called each other for critiques and mostly just let each other know that we were there if we got lonely.

Well both these men have continued to make amazing art...in fact Cinque and Tishaun have both completed a series of films for Philip Bailey:

(Philip Bailey )...he enlisted the young multi-talent Tishaun Dawson  and Cinque Northern to follow him on tour in Europe and film segments in three cities: Venice, Paris and London. The film, "Love Is Real," is viewable on Bailey's website. Starring the model and UC Santa Barbara film studies graduate Sherina Manning as a contemporary Dorothy moving through a fashionable Oz, it's a lovely counterpart to Bailey's new music, which is unexpectedly adventurous. *

* LA Times Music Blog

I encourage you to check out the films for the new Philip Bailey work Love Is Real

Amazingly beautiful Sherina Manning stars in all three, the camera work is breathtaking and the music is divine!

I just felt like tooting a horn for all involved, I am so so happy for them!

wordless wednesday

Inchworm

Inchworm

Two and two are four

Four and four are eight

Eight and eight are sixteen

Sixteen and sixteen are thirty-two

Inchworm, inchworm

Measuring the marigold

You and your arithmatic

You'll probably go far

Inchworm, inchworm

Measuring the marigold

Seems to me you'd stop and see

How beautiful they are

I am making small and purposeful moves forward, admiring the views along the way.

NaBloPoMo

I am off to try it again...can I post something of interest for a month strait?

We are celebrating our 8 year wedding anniversary tonight.

We got married on Dia De Los Muertos.

We wanted to make sure that anyone who had passed could still come to our wedding!

So after 10 years of dating,

 Hubby got a wild hair and asked me to marry him!

I was totally fine to live in sin the rest of our natural life

...but I agreed and boy I am glad I did!

I first meet hubby in a pottery class.

I had just come home from a trip to Europe to study art in Paris and then ended up traveling alone for an additional three months.

On arrival home, I was filled with a pure sense of self and "cahones" and was on the prowl!

I signed up to take a pottery class with my mom at the local community college

and had given myself one of my many ultimatums,

I said to myself, self you get no pleasure from creating things in this class, then it is time to pursue another field of study.

Well on the first day while they were taking attendance a few late comers were coming into the room and one of them was this dark haired guy

and

when I saw him the WHOLE ROOM went black except for him!

 I swear to the heavens...I am telling the truth.

It was there and then that I set forth to find out more about this man....

He never had a chance

I think it took another two classes to get him alone in class,

and when I did I handed him a piece of paper with my phone number on it

and said the smooth line

" It looks like you need to talk, call me"

Much to my surprise he did that night and invited me over to his place the next morning for a homemade breakfast!

I didn't know how to cook so I grabbed the chance for a free meal with a hottie....

We ate, we walked in the rain and that was the first day of the last 18 years!

oh yeah, and I am still making art too.

coming back...

This has been one amazing ride...and I know that I have been really bad at posting updates.

I have so much to share and many pics to post...I just took down my show this evening.

I am kind of numb and surprised by how fast the whole thing went.

I will be collecting my thoughts and sharing it with you soon.

in the meantime this pic was taken last night and I like it!

Fantastic

building my nest

To say I had a fantastic day is an understatement....

I am still far out into space about it so I will simply sum it up by saying:

1. I have a new friend

2. I have dearly loved old friends

3. I survived several college critiques in one moment

Today I am hanging around the gallery for Artwalk....a city wide art festival

I simply have to remember to bring the bag of chocolate kisses, and turn off the MP3 player after each use

and continue to enjoy the moment.

Simple enough

wordless wednesday

Silent Sorority

sunset on a weekday



I read a book a little bit ago, that started my mind thinking...I was already on my path of brainstorming about my show and this was the "recreational read" along the way.

I read Pamela Tsigdinos book Silent Sorority and it made sense...I laughed, I was in awe that she had written the same words that I had muttered so many times. I was thankful and passed the book along to another dear friend that was childless not by choice.

Today Pamela mentioned my work on her blog...I am over the moon and so so humbled and thankful.

I wrote her a little note with shaking hands not but three months ago and now we know each other.

The world is a small and amazing place indeed.

Let Love Rule!

FCKH8.com Straight Talk About Gay Marriage from FCKH8.com on Vimeo.

Burgers Like Snowflakes

Two artists from Gallery 255

Emotion In Motion

Four and Twenty Blackbirds
photopolymer etching
featured in BARREN:life on infertile soil

This has been an emotional last couple of days.

Last night was the private showing for my parents.

that alone was awkward and hard.

~

Since I went "public" about the show

I have received letters from women pouring their hearts out to me.

What an amazing gift to be so trusted and so humbled.

~

I feel so honored and so thankful to have been able to make this show happen,

regardless of the path that got me here.

Tonight is the first reception, to be honest, I am a bit nervous.

Hang'em High

the final touches

The show is hung, I add labels and text tomorrow