Getting ready to teach monoprint class

Whenever I start to plan a new class, I like to do a little bit of research, followed by lots of experimentation. I love asking "What if...?" "What if" I use this instead of that?

The monoprinting class that I am preparing to teach with Marilyn (see sidebar on my blog for more info) is a perfect example. Monoprint techniques have been around for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, but there are always new materials and techniques, that when combined with -- or in place of -- age-old traditions, can yield some exciting results. I can't wait to share our discoveries in class on October 17. Sign up now! Space is limited!!

If you want to see a brief sneak peak, check out this link on Marilyn's blog.

Marilyn will also be giving a brief demo at the Captured Moments open house on Saturday, Oct 2, Her demo is just one of many that will take place that day, so stop by!! The Open house runs from 10 am - 3 pm, and Marilyn will be there from 10 to noon, just fyi!!

More monoprints...

..with some Pitt pen line art enhancements. I am working on a monoprint class (that I'll be teaching with my pal Marilyn). Stay tuned!!

Some monoprint fun.

...and an excuse to use my new camera!!

I am head over heels in LOVE!!!

... with the sexiest thing on the planet...

My camera broke in the spring, and I have finally replaced it with a new and improved version of the same one (in this fabulous green color!!!). I just took it out of the box and charged the battery, but lunch hour is just about up and I have to wait until work is over to read the manual(ugh)and figure out how to take panoramic images and video (oh, and just plain old pictures too!!)

PS -If you were expecting declarations of another kind, I apologize for the tease. That's just about the only thing off limits on my blog!

PPS - But I do have a post in progress to tell of my time on the Vineyard with some really amazing people (not the Obamas!)

I'm the boss!!!

I was recently reminded by a long-time friend (that would be you, Victor) whom I haven't seen in years that I was a totally bossy, uncompromising bully of a kid growing up. -- These are my words, by the way, not his (though I am fairly certain that he would not argue with my choice of adjectives). He merely reminded me that I was "the Boss" of the neighborhood "clubhouse" when we were kids. The "clubhouse" was actually a small shed that my dad erected at the far corner of our property. I believe his intention was to house wood & tools from the elements in the Northeast, but we quickly moved in little chairs and a rusty make-believe kitchen set, and, presto-change-o, we had a clubhouse. I think dad exercised his property rights in the winter, but for several summers, it was our little fiefdom in which to inflict childhood insults and injuries.

It could be that my take-charge attitude stemmed from the fact that the shed was built by my dad on our property, and that I was the oldest of our group of neighborhood kids, and I took full advantage of that esteemed position. But whatever the reasons, I remember now that I liked being the boss. I made and enforced rules, instituted dues, and changed them all to suit myself. I was a perfectly corrupt little dictator, to be sure, but I was also a confident. outspoken, take-charge individual, and this recollection surprised me.

Because somehow, slowly, over the years, in the process of becoming an adult (and a woman) I have frequently abandoned my obvious zest for leadership. In so many of my life's roles, I have taken on a passive or secondary position, even when I would have done well for myself and others to take the reins. Victor reminded me that I was once a force to be reckoned with, and as I (FINALLY) approach the signing of some very important papers that release me to the next chapter of my life, I needed that reminder.