Yikes, it's April 1 already...

And I did say I was going to get my act together and do my Ta Da list for March, so I am sure you're all holding your breath. So. exhale!

I co-taught the second in a three-part series of art journal classes with my friend Marilyn;
I took a class at the Troy Arts Center in carborundum printing;
I celebrated Marilyn's birthday, along with our friend Melanie, at The Pottery Place in Stuyvesant Plaza, where we made sterling silver jewelry pieces out of sterling silver clay (more on that in a future post);
I attended the opening of an art exhibit featuring work by my Art-Round-Town friends Marilyn and Carole Fults at the Jonesville Store;
I taught myself how to tie dye in preparation for teaching the birthday craft at Avery's sixth birthday later in April;
and I had dinner with my friend Debbie, and we brainstormed some ideas for greetings to go with her new line of illustrated postcards;

I also have a lot of half-finished canvasses and a lot of artful messes around my house right now. I am in a bit of a push to get some of them done for upcoming exhibits, and to get others done just because the sun is beginning to shine in upstate NY and as much as I love my art I also love my garden -- digging in the dirt, planting, and pruning; inhaling deeply the fresh fragrances of spring -- the grass & soil, lilacs & rainstorms. And just plain sitting out on my deck in the sunshine with a good book and a glass of wine.
Breathe.

Carborundum print #1, fyi.
A brief explanation Carborundum grit is a fine metal-like sand. Mixed with white gesso & spread onto a piece of matte board, you can "draw" into the surface. When dry, it is an extremely hard, strong and textural printing plate. Apply oil-based printing inks, lay the plate onto a heavy watercolor paper and run through a printing press. You can get several prints of different intensities before re-inking the plate.

Believe.

This is my word for the year. A one word resolution -- or revolution -- as it may be. In the previous two years, I chose first health, and then wealth, and I worried a little when I chose this word that it was not specific enough, not as action-oriented like the other two.

But after 2009 and all that transpired for my niece (and my family),I knew that this word is probably the most powerful of all.

As a result, things are happening that I have been working and hoping and praying for, for a long time. I cannot share them all yet, but I wanted to encourage you to try it...



Desire
Ask
BELIEVE
receive

The universe wants to deliver your dreams to you. Believe it.

My long-forgotten ta-da list

One of my faithful blog followers and long-distance artist-friends Sherry Ellison, reminded me recently that I used to write a monthly ta da list. Anyone who reads my blog knows by my own frequent admission that I am a compulsive list-maker (and checker-offer). Something about this practice makes me feel like I am getting things done, ironically more than the actual accomplishment does at times.

Unfortunately the things on my list(s) are of the mundane garden variety, from groceries, to house chores, to errands. But my ta da list is special. It's a list of the ways in which I have been creative or achieved a goal in any given month because, as I explained in previous posts, time flies by and I often feel like I've gotten everything done except the best stuff - like my art. But when I make my ta da list, I discover that it's my flawed thinking and not reality. In part, it's because I am always adding to my lists -- both creative and otherwise -- all of the things I want to do. So even though I am accomplishing a lot, my lists always seem to grow longer, and this tricks my mind into thinking I am spinning my wheels.

But I've decided that my long lists are actually the evidence of a creative mind (and a touch of OCD,) so I am planning to reinstate my ta da list at the end of every month again! Stay tuned for the end of March - the only thing going out like a lamb will be my wool sweaters, packed away for next winter!!

Journal workshop...so far

I am trying to live in the present these days, and it is very, very challenging for me. I am a planner, a compulsive list-maker, calendar-keeper, a budget-balancer, etc. etc., and all of these things involve looking into the future - at what's next rather than at what's NOW!!!! I don't think I waste too much time in the past, although I do occasionally indulge in the shoulda, coulda's and of course, by it's nature, this blog typically tells the story of what I'm planning (future!!) or what I've done (past!!), so clearly, I'm screwed.

And speaking of the past, (phewf, so glad to be out of the future), here's a glimpse of my journal cover - from the workshop series I am teaching with my friend, artist Marilyn Rock.

Marilyn and I also recently took a class in carborundum printing at the Troy Arts Center, (in the recent past) and our creative wheels are turning with regard to offering our own less traditional variations of print-making. When? you might ask? Well, in the future, of course!! We'll be offering one more local workshop together this spring, and then I plan to take much of the summer off from teaching to enjoy outdoor activities before we regroup in the fall.

I will be sharing some of my carborundum prints in another blog post.

What's new with Avery...

Although I am still walking around with a broken camera (my fault - I hate techie places and I'll have to go to one in order to find out if it can be saved), my sister's camera is working fine, so I thought I'd share a few recent pics of Avery. She has lost her two front teeth and will be celebrating her 6th birthday at the end of April. These are just a few of her thousands of expressions.

My favorite is the one in the bottom right corner. Love the curlers and coffee. Lerleen, is that you???

Blog, sweet blog...

I feel like I've been away from home on my blog lately. One reason is a technological catastrophe -- my digital camera is broken -- I see a weird blur through the viewfinder rather than any clear idea of what I am photographing, and while I can still take pictures, they look like this --kind of like I typically feel after a particularly fun night out...



Anyway, I need to find someone locally who can look at my four-year-old SONY Cybershot and tell me if there's any hope -- or if I just need to start shopping for a new one.

Meanwhile, a funnier story about technology... I mentioned several posts ago that I finally upgraded my cable package to include DVR ability. One thing I still often forget is that I can fast-forward through commercials. So I was catching up on some DVR programs last night and I listened to the weather guy report on the impending storm, and I awoke this morning to clear skies and no accumulation. Now, normally this is because let's face it, the weather people and all of their doppler radar and fancy graphics still have no better idea than you and I about what the weather will be like. But in this case, it was because I was listening to last week's weather report.

So I really want to be able to fix this camera and not have to learn to use a new one. Or else get used to lots of images like this on my blog...

Begin. Reach. Act.

Peace

Series of three.
5 x 5 acrylic, collage & mixed media on canvas.

VD is about to plague us again...

Valentine's Day that is.
I hear very mixed opinions about this holiday. Most of my single girlfriends -and for that matter, married girlfriends- grumble about the potential for disappointment. And the men I know grumble about the fact that they know they are going to disappoint someone. If there is even one guy out there who reads my blog, here is what most women I know say: a well-chosen card, with a few well chosen words inside, is enough. Now, is that true?? Personally, I would also like Chinese take-out and a back rub, but that's just me- still, it's not expensive. I think I can speak for most of us that what we want is for you to think of us, and to give us a little effort - a little time and attention. That's it. And we're more than willing to do the same...in fact, most of the women I know do that every day.

Works in progress...

Started some 5 x 5 mini canvasses this weekend. Not sure if they'll be hearts or something else. With V'day coming, hearts are the logical choice. But art is not logical. We'll see where the muse takes me.

Also a picture of my favorite guy - Max. Playing coy - really just looking away from the flash. He'll be six years old at the end of February. Time flies.

A digitally altered painting...

Always...

Just a little Photoshop fun - wide swings of color balance, a little typography, and some transparent layers. Here was the original painting, in greens and yellows, and below is the altered version.

The beginning is half of every action.

That was in a fortune cookie I had this week, and I think it's pretty accurate. So just begin. And the momentum will propel the next steps.

Speaking of which, I made 30 "have a dream" cards. If beginning is half of every action, I should be well on my way. So why does mailing them always seem like such a chore?

Look what I just bought...

While surfing for some fun new ideas to incorporate into our Art Journal workshop in February, I found these totally cool Japanese washi masking tapes, and my head almost exploded with ideas for using them. The company I ordered from is Ginko Papers. In addition to a wide array of colorful patterned tapes, they have a unique assortment of stationery items and Japanese gifts. And moments after placing my order, I received a personal email from the owner of the company, thanking me and confirming the shipment. I ordered these two colors, along with pink and blue.

Here are a few of the ways that I plan to use them:
* on gifts, like self-stick ribbon
* to decorate the top of a plain brown bag
* for greeting card mosaics
* for art journal borders & bindings
* for attaching things in my journals
* to label things
* as gift tags
* for sunbathing (ha ha!)
* to decorate my dog (or maybe just his collar)
* to share with journal class participants
* to make crafts with Avery
* to make the world a brighter place -- Okay, that's a little gay, but shouldn't all masking tape look like this, rather than plain?? If you were masking tape, wouldn't you want to be this kind?

Have a dream...

I used to love to make and send Christmas cards. For years, decades even, I would plan my cards well in advance of the holidays, with plenty of time to make fifty or more for friends and relatives. I enjoyed the process, and it never felt like an obligation.

In recent years, however, the holidays seem one moment to be ages away, and then BAM!!!, they're over, and with them, so are all of my good intentions to make cards, cook, bake, and find little ways to say thanks and show appreciation for my friends and relatives.

But I've discovered that I love the first weeks of a new year - ALL THAT PROMISE!!- 365 new days to do more and better than before. And of course, to drop the ball way before it drops in Times Square (but that's no doubt a future post). With the holidays behind me, all of a sudden I have time again.

So I started last night. I didn't even know what I was starting. I had bought a few discontinued fabric swatch books in the fall, and the colors and textures have been calling to me. So I began cutting. Hearts. I know. More hearts. But I love them. And they're not done with me yet. And the obvious choice with all these hearts would be to send Valentines, but I'm thinking that I may take inspiration from Martin Luther King, and send Have a Dream cards.

Just a little reminder to listen to your heart.

Fantastic Fabriano Art Journal Workshop I & II

That's the name of the next workshop Marilyn and I will be teaching. See my sidebar at the right for details. It's a two-part workshop (nine hours total)that is jam-packed with techniques for art-journal enthusiasts or anyone who wants to know what art journaling is all about.



Pssst....Participants will also get one of these limited edition notebooks featuring an art print by me or Marilyn on the cover!! Great to use as an idea book or gratitude journal or a super-fancy grocery list!!

One word.

Two years ago, I found Christine Kane's blog -- she explained in this post why new year's resolutions generally don't work, and why choosing a single word to be your guide for the year might be a more effective way of achieving goals and making dreams come true. I have been using this practice for two years, and it has been amazingly effective for me.

In 2008, I chose the word health, and I shed a bad marriage, lots of pounds, and a good deal of mental baggage. In 2009, I chose the word wealth, and while I still have to work for a living, I am in a much better place than I was a year ago, and I am wealthy beyond belief in love, family, friends, joy, gratitude, and good health.

For about two weeks, I've been thinking about what word to choose for 2010. Like Christine, I believe that a single word is more effective and focused than choosing several, so the word I choose is important to what I hope to manifest in my life in 2010.

This morning, when I woke up and began my day, I tried to focus on the most appropriate word. I am a morning person, and early in the day is when I have the most clarity, so I was sure it would come to me. I had it narrowed down to about a half dozen, and as I turned on the coffee pot, made my bed, and bundled up for my walk with Max, I let them pass through my mind, trying them on for size.

When I returned from our walk, I went into my bedroom, coffee cup in hand, and glanced at my reflection in the mirror, holding this cup that I had purchased just a few weeks ago. It wasn't even one of the words on my list, but I was absolutely certain it was the one I sought.

It is the word that has sustained my sister (and our entire family) during every one of Avery's surgeries, and I know it will serve me well in 2010.

I wish you all a Happy, Healthy New Year.

Merry Christmas...

I wish you all a magical, miraculous holiday season. Once again, I thank you all for your prayers, support, encouragement and friendship during this past year. I am blessed beyond all measure.

I don't know when I'll have an opportunity to post again during the next week or so as I'll be off to spend Christmas in Boston with my mom, sisters, and especially, Avery. I am looking forward to waking up to her beautiful face on Christmas morning.

This montage of photos was taken on thanksgiving day this year. Last year, Avery's journey began on Thanksgiving day, and we could never have imagined all that would take place in the next twelve months.

This year, many of my thoughts and prayers will be with the family of Avery's donor, and the angel with whom she shares a heart.

A regal visitor...

I posted a similar photo last year sometime, I think, but these beautiful creatures never cease to amaze me, so I may tell the same story twice. This hawk perched on my deck railing for a good fifteen minutes yesterday morning. There are bird feeders to his left and right, so I suspect that he had either just feasted on one of my little visitors, or attempted to and was just re-grouping before heading off. I know it's sad, but that's the way nature works. And he has to eat too.

Painting as therapy...

I had a bad day at work yesterday. My bad days at work are very few and far between, but nonetheless, it was not one of my better days. At 5 sharp, I left hastily, looking forward to wrapping some holiday gifts, lighting a fire, and watching tv with Max curled up at my side.

When I pulled into my driveway, it was 5:30-ish and dark. I glanced across my front lawn and thought, "What's all over the lawn?" As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I figured it out. It was most of my split rail fence. I live on a main road, and for the second time in less than a year, someone crashed into my fence. The first time, there was just minor damage to one post, but this time, two-thirds of my fence was spewed like matchsticks all over my lawn. This was not the way I had envisioned my evening to begin. But a couple hundred profanities later, I was over it.

I mean, first of all, the person who hit my fence was obviously having an even worse day than me. And according to the accident report, she wasn't injured, which was good news, and a miracle, given the condition of my fence the auto debris that she left behind.

So I walked Max, lit a fire, ordered a pizza, poured a glass of wine, (and then another) and finished this painting, which is a gift for a friend who has been doing some interior decorating. I stayed up way too late, because I was totally in the zone, but it was the perfect ending to a much less than perfect day.

A trip to the city...

Dec 5-6.

NYC to be exact. It was great. I went with my Aunt, Mary (with me, at right), and we were hosted by my cousins, her sons, Adam & Scott. We had three great meals (lunch & dinner on Sat, and then brunch on Sun), as well as fabulous seats to see Wicked. I find musicals to be a bit over the top, and can only take them in small doses, but it was a great show, and the set was phenomenal.

One of the highlights for me was a trip to the MOMA, where my cousins left me in search of a bar with a football game airing. I only had a couple of hours, but I could easily have spent all day. It's an amazing building, and I was awed to be in the presence of such incredible art. And yes, I chose the MOMA over a bar! It doesn't happen often, folks.

When I told my sister Jennifer that I wanted to see the MOMA, she said, "What's the MOMA?"

"The Museum of Modern Art."

And she said, "Seriously!?"

I said, "Yeah, why? Where would you go?"

She replied "Jimmy Choo!"

And I said, "What's Jimmy Choo?"

"A shoe store - from Sex in the City!"

So when we did find ourselves passing Jimmy Choo, on our way to dinner at the Monkey Bar, we had to stop for the photo! Notice the shoes, attached to the half-naked lady in the window. Kind of like the MOMA!

Altered wish...

This is a digitally altered version of a painting I made over the summer. I had some Photoshop fun with cropping and filters to alter it into a holiday piece. Since it's December already (can you believe it??), I thought an altered Christmas tree would be appropriate. My posts this month will probably be few and brief, as I have not purchased a single gift, baked a cookie, or written a card yet. In fact, this may be as close as I get to a holiday card at the rate I am going!

While I love the act of giving someone a perfect and thoughtful gift, more and more I resent the pressure to buy, buy, buy during this season. I realize that this mind set will not help the economy, but I am hoping to find creative ideas for giving that don't always involve a trip to the dreaded mall.

Oh, and I almost forgot...
My friend Marilyn is introducing a new monthly "featured artist" on her blog, and she has invited me to be the first. Here's my interview.