winter blues

looking for color is a good way to beat the winter blues and blahs ... let me treat you to some yummy eye candy

letting in the light

I have another happy result to show you from the weekly art class I'm in. We were introduced to color via oil pastels. At first it was an exercise in frustration and I didn't really create anything I was happy with during class time - but discovered about myself that I need to work fast and loose and not overwork or overthink the color.

... the key for me is to get into "little kid mode," use my fingers a lot (ie: get MESSY), stay in the moment, and not set out with a finished product in mind.

The image quickly takes on a life of its own - and begins leading me down a path I didn't plan on.

These three pieces I created at home in the few days since the class. I've ordered a new box of pastels and am tentatively thinking that I may have found my favorite art medium ...

reinforcing

my art journal has been falling apart at the spiral binding

so I took it apart to reinforce the edges

I took 1 inch strips of paper, folded them in half, and glued them to the hole punched edges. Then I hole punched them again.

.... and reassembled the book with the newly reinforced pages ....

... this was my finished page today ...

Art journaling is a wonderful way to put my feelings down in a sort of obtuse code, known only by me. Unless I explain it, the journal entry's interpretation is completely open and flexible.

Today's page is about resisting my automatic role as wife/mother while school is out today - and making myself virtually unavailable for mundane tasks - instead immersing myself in creating. Have I been missed? Breakfast and lunch happened - the dishwasher was emptied - laundry is being done - and none of it by me. 

happy day

it's my Martha craft ... only cheaper and easier ... scrapbook paper. stapler. string. 10 minutes ... woohoo

art workshop

I went to a local art workshop today and had fun busting out of my box ... this is the happy result:

"And I came back to the true story - ready to leave the myth on the branch"

dialing up some sun

when I crave warmth and color and all those good things that come with sunshine, 

I make a little of my own

(it's a garden marker) 

Ingredients: pie tin, Arizona Tea can, tomato sauce lid, tomato paste lid, bottle cap, copper wire

wishing you a little patch of sunshine and warmth on this winter's day

xoxo

thanking steve and ringo

A friend had a post recently with a reference to "marmalade skies" which got me to looking at my "chauffeur" job a little differently. Such as: maybe I really drive a newspaper taxi and spend quite a bit of time waiting for rocking horse people with marshmallow pies. Well, "swag" teens with backpacks. Thank you ringo (and john and george and paul).

And my iPhone has a marvelous camera - with some crazy fun apps - thank you Steve Jobs.

Newspaper taxis appear on the shore waiting to take you away .... Climb in the back with your head in the clouds and you're gone.