Monday, March 30, 2009

Just playing away

in my space today. Had an early morning meeting then spent some time tying up loose ends on an 80th Birthday party for my Mom. After that is when a pretty nice day turned sweet! My childhood pal called and we spent awhile catching up. I am still obsessing over the fact that we have reconnected. It just makes me feel good.

Remember when I showed you all the beautiful journal that Randi made for me for my birthday? Well, I've filled it right up. Here are a few of the last pages I've done.

I've signed up for a stencil class with Dispatch from LA, so I thought I'd get ready and lay a stencil on one of the pages. Then, you know how it goes, the next thing I know I'm drawing a black old tree that reminds me of how the trees up here looked after the fire. I called it "the tree of life" because the gift of that awful time has been an ongoing reminder of the tenacity of life. You have to look hard to see what burned, there is so much new growth. The trees that didn't survive have finally fallen down and are disappearing into the earth, food for the next generation.

This page was inspired by a song I was listening to. For the life of me, I can't find it again. If anyone knows the song that starts "when I was born I started to decay" let me know. I also love the look of odd sized pages in a journal all messy and milling around each other.

The top page is sideways, obviously, and I didn't get a good scan of the little poem I wrote on the tape. And, actually I didn't copy my own poem correctly onto the page. Here's how it really goes: When I watch a bird dance, I watch myself dance. No one of us dances alone. When I see you suffer, I see myself suffer. No one of us suffers alone.

A conversation with a special friend inspired those thoughts in me. I don't know if he reads this blog, but if he does, he'll see himself here today.

The bottom page is actually an exercise in gratitude. I was having one of those why-doesn't- anything-exciting-ever-happen-to-me days when I realized that I have had a pretty eventful life.
What the heck is wrong with me, that I keep forgetting how blessed I have been?
That photo is not me. It is the model in the perfume ad sample that I clipped and pasted into the, now, best smelling journal I've ever had. I'm going to do that more often.

And this is today's page. I'm trying to practice drawing each day (not doing very well with the every day part) and I saw a very neat picture of Misty Mawn on her blog that made me get out the pencil and art gum and have a go. She is also responsible for the "what pulls at your heart" idea. She is such a beautiful person inside and out, her blog makes me happy. Of course, this looks NOTHING like her, she is beautiful. I've got a lot of practicing to do!

Last weekend, the husband and I went to Mammoth Mountain with our son and daughter-in-law. We had plenty of snow on our ride home and I took LOTS of photos with my new camera. I love car pictures and it's a 6 hour drive each way. I'll share those next time.

Wishing you all the blessings that come with a spirit of gratitude.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Can you stand one more sunset photo?

One of the best things about California is the sunsets. The light is so magical sometimes.

These lovely ladies hang from the ceiling in the middle of my "studio". (I stumble over that word because this room serves so many purposes). They are papier mache and came from a wonderful little shop in La Jolla. I got them on one of the yearly get aways that Katydiddy and I treat ourselves to. I love the way the light sets them aglow.

And here is some art that I've done recently in a class on altered surfaces taught by Chris Cozen using Golden products.



These two were fun to make and I have plans to turn these into books.



These two were experiments using acrylic paints with gels, mediums, grounds and pastes. Not my best work, but fun.

Today, a friend sent me this link and I feel compelled to share this with art-minded friends. Be sure to look at all three pages. I cannot conceive how anyone can hold this in their mind and make it come out of their hands. Amazing.

The Husband just walked in and flashed a copy of the movie Milk. I'm off to my chair by the fire to enjoy movie night!

Peace and Love to all.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Reasons to keep our brains in working order

I have been grousing about struggling to learn my way around Facebook, and I have this to look forward to!

Speaking of technology, I finally got my birthday present, a new Canon PowerShot SX10IS. My head is going to explode from all of the new stuff I'm cramming in there at once. Here are a few shots from my trial photo safari.

This a small fountain I have placed in front of a piece of my art.

This beautiful little girl enchanted me. I couldn't stop watching her. She was dancing about and at one point put on her Dad's huge shirt and let the wind blow it around her. I'm still trying to work up the nerve to ask people to let me photograph them. I guess I have to see myself as a photographer first.

My pretty new camera catches light and leaves shadow in ways that I only dreamed before.


Playing with settings. I could play like this for days and days. These are inspirations for sketching.


Clearly, I have a lot to learn about night shots. I forgot to set the flash on these but think they came out kind of cool anyway.

And THIS...This is that once-in-a-lifetime shot. I was just clicking away when the photography gods smiled on me.

I've never felt the need to say, please don't steal this, but I'm saying...this is my property!

Getting this photo and locating my long lost playmate today have really driven home, for me, the concept of each moment being perfect. Any moment that seems imperfect is simply a nudge, pushing us closer to the prize for which we'd never dare ask.

A most auspicious day!


This is a great post for my come back. 

Friends have forced me onto Facebook (yes, forced me I tell you) and I have done little more than try to keep up with their messages. This morning I realized that I can actually search for people and I hit the jackpot!
I found my absolutely best childhood pal. 

On my first try!

The above art is a journal entry that I made months ago thinking that I would never find her.

Friends have always been at the top of my list and old friends are like no other. They may not know who you are now, but they know who you were.