Tuesday Rainy Day Stories

Ok lets see .. sometimes I see stories on other blogs and it makes me think of my own. I was looking over at Jude Hills blog and her beast cloths and recent post about a raccoon named rocky. One morning long ago when I was taking care of some rental property for my parents there was a phone call from the tenant rather frantic that he had a raccoon problem. When we inquired he mentioned that he'd noticed that the sofa in his living room was often found leaving a trail of stuffing coming from it. He thought perhaps there were rats in the house but he could never see or know how that could be. It was something of a mystery and then that morning he took his dog out for a walk and came into the kitchen to get a dog treat from the cupboard over the refrigerator and was quite alarmed to find a fat sassy raccoon enjoying the dog treats. They both sort of froze and then the man quickly closed the cupboard and found a broom to put between the handles so the raccoon couldn't get into the house, this is why we received his call. Needless to say the raccoon needed a new home haha. After a safe trapping he was relocated to a less desirable place and way to find a daily meal. Oh and the sofa didn't lose anymore stuffing after that.

Steamy Trees (above photo) This afternoon when I was taking my two faithful pets outdoors while the rain seemed to have subsided, I was amazed at the temperature outside. They said there is a burst of warm air proceeding the cold front that is on it's way here. It was alarmingly warm actually. I wondered why all the windows were fogged up but that explains it.. It's actually now colder inside than it is outside. Thats right .. because of not having adequate heat most of my house was less than 40 degree inside and now it's like 60 degrees outside. Strange phenomena. None the less I am headed out .. guess I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for tornadoes. I did manage to create some new works. Started some coffee staining on some cotton pieces and a piece of silk. Now I'm just waiting to see how they turn out.. I'm going to give it a day or two. Here are some recent works that I haven't posted. The image below is on a record album cover that I thrifted and added a center tree on a book page and then all painted over with delectable walnut ink.

The image on the left is a discharged tshirt that I did and it has such a photographic feel to it that I may just have to use in another way other than wearing. It's such a eerie kind of branch scene. But I was excited with this result.

Then below is a purse that I painted on. It's difficult to tell but there is one strip of hair there that has silver leaf on it ... I have tried selling some similar purses on my etsy site but I haven't had any luck selling one yet. Although I did do a commissioned purse for someone. I was grateful for the sale. I am always just trying to think outside the box and do something different. The image
on the
right is a
piece of
aluminum
foil tape
that I did
a drawing
on with an
embossing
tool and then went back and filled in with red paint and then the spaces in between are painted in white acrylic. This photo doesn't do it justice. I like the way the white paint looks in the negative spaces. Well I'm off to go to town .. and hopefully won't have to dodge any tornadoes.

Monday Matins

Like the branches of a naked tree my soul feels so exposed.
Just love me.

Work in process

I like M words and so this morning to look for a new M word I looked in one of several dictionaries that I repurpose and immediately found the word above... Matins. This old dictionary give the definition as; Morning Prayers, prayers for the morning, said at midnight. Interesting no? Either way Monday mornings are always kind of difficult for me .. I guess it's because I think of it as a beginning which is a good thing but also that another whole week is gone. I want to work for me now ..(I make this my morning prayer) but I keep dragging my feet on posting everything that I could possibly sell because I need too. Sometimes I just feel like I waste my talent. I wonder sometimes just about giving away the art. Maybe there is someone that would get some great pleasure at having my work. I do give alot away to friends. I remember seeing somewhere .. where people were making some small piece of art and then leaving it in places where someone would find it and then there would be a note attached that said .. something like I"m so glad you found me .. I hope you enjoy this piece of art. I would love to see what that would be like.... I imagine myself finding something like that and it makes me happy. Maybe because I have written it here I will just post my art on my etsy shop .. yes I have one but I haven't ever really posted the link here in an official way because I'm embarassed that I haven't improved it or added things to it. .. and it's strictly for handbags. well i do have shirts there too. I have done so many discharged tshirts its crazy. I must have something like 70 or 80 .. I even have a dress form that I made myself on my own body that was made with duct tape and then I took it a bit further and stuck a lamp pole in it and then used old book pages and decoupaged or paper mache'd it. Then one day when I was out at a thrift store I found a plaster outdoor umbrella base that was broken on the top. The hole that was in the 

Walnut stained napkin, photo taken indoor at night.

One of my discharged shirts on my dress form

center was larger then it should be due to breaking. So I figured for the $5 dollars that they were charging for it I could make it work. I put the dress form stand into this new stand and put things around that would hold it upright and then took a can of Great Stuff (that stuff is great!! ) haha .. and almost filled the base. I knew that it would expand as it dried and that it would be very stiff yet light weight once it dried and I was right!!! I love it. I was going to cover the hole but haven't done that yet. I'm thinking maybe I can take some gauze material and cover the hole. I guess I could post some photos of it. I think it turned out pretty nice. Here is a blog that has recently inspired me to post more because she is quite talented and productive. I know she can't leave a comment here so Arlee, thanks for stopping by to see what I'm up too!!  Check out her great work here: http://albedoarlee.wordpress.com/. I'm thinking I won't wait to have a comment before I post more work. I'm thinking its good for me to be able to see what I'm doing, how I'm doing, and mostly that I AM doing the things that give me the most happiness every single day. Maybe I just have to prove it to myself? Who knows. 

Saturday Sniffles and Stuff

Well it's been a while so I'm posting some new and some old things. I've been sick with a cold for the past several days. I don't like being sick because I don't feel like doing much while I'm sneezing and coughing. Today I had enough energy to make some home made fresh chicken soup. I did this with the help of my pressure cooker which I so love to use!!  Once all the dicing and cutting is done .. and the heat is up enough the time it takes to cook up is just 12 minutes!  I added a crusty piece of toasted bread and it was yummy!  And this I think does work miracles on my nose and head .. and it's great on a cold cold night like we are having here tonight!!  Brrrrrr-r-r.

Below is a work done in charcoal some years ago and it was a wood shelf with wood blocks on it. It makes me want to do more with charcoal. Next is a photograph of some roots and rocks on a nearby road.

To the right is a photo of my most current tree painting. This is done on watercolor paper and is painted with a layer of turquoise acrylic paint then the tree is painted with walnut ink and then filled in with white acrylic paint in lines and dots. this photo doesn't do the original justice.











On the left is aged book pages that are glued onto paper and then the drawing is done on the front with walnut ink and then the white acrylic is painted afterwards. It has a wintery feel to it even though there are no snowflakes in front of the big tree branches.

On the right is a tree that is done on paper also with walnut ink stained and then outlined in more walnut ink and white acrylic and white colored pencil and colors of pencil and dots of white and walnut. I like mixing stain with watercolor pencil pigments.









The work below is a collage of paint and different paintings and drawings that have been added at different times. I guess it's kind of an evolving work. There is a poem in this piece also.

Its very hard to see that the image to the right is on a book page of words. I love the color of this but it's not accurate as the photo was taken indoors at night under warm lights. So there is a more yellowish red cast to the lovely walnut ink there. 

Below are a series of images that are something that I like to do sometimes. I find a book that has an interesting title and I just paint on it and make it my book. I try to use it as a sketch book or journal of sorts. I use the words that are already there and use them to make new words or sentences. I remember the first time I tried this it was really difficult to allow myself to repurpose the book. Somehow it felt like it was so wrong that the book God's were going to strike me down like the keys on an old typewriter or something and I would have letters permanently embedded on my skin. I have done this in various books over time and recently I was going through some of my old books and found this one. Thought it would be fun to share here on my blog. Also on that same day of going through books and such I found another one that I did that I had no decoration to the front and completely forgot that I had altered some of the pages inside. It makes me wonder if I had inadvertently put it into the thrift store bin and then someone purchased it there and found my art in it.. would they be mad or excited about it. I think I would be fascinated by that if I found a book like that. Anyway .. it served it's purpose at the time that it was done. The sketches of people in these images below were of my daughter. The thoughts that were provoked in the writings were where I was in my head at that time. I'm grateful that life changes. Even though the future can bring difficulties there can also be acceptance of the difficulties that were or changes to the ones that had been and it feels better for a time until then next challenge arises. I am also so grateful to have an outlet for self creative expression. This will always give me great joy .. no matter what. 

You can click on any of the images to get a larger view of each image. 

The view on the right is a new sentence that says; 

Home is desired by following seven periods of reading following one or more sessions of an approved teacher within weeks of the 37230.

Don't ask me what it means .. i liken it to stream of consciousness writing. 

Below left is

Contents

Freedom

Glorious

Freedom

Freedom

Freedom

Freedom

Free

Freedom

Freedom

Below is my daughter and photocopy of broken glass that has been torn and glued onto the page and then written in between. 

Wednesday in the Wee Hours

Well .. I went out and had a nice visit and drank several cups of coffee so now I am wide awake in the wee hours of this morning. So .. after readin some of the blogs that I'm following I decided to post some old photos of art that I did some years ago .. just for the fun of it. It's not what I'm doing now but I have found that going back and looking at old work inspires me to create something of a similar style. Funny how that works.

 First for Gilly I am posting my self portrait that she saw on my thumbnail when I became a follower on her blog. I did this about five years ago so I have surely changed since this was done. My hair is however, still long haha. I did this for school. Yes I went back to college over 40. So .. there you have it.

It's funny to go back to the old work but also interesting.

The work to the right was pre college days when I was living in another state. I think what I find interesting is what I thought about myself and my ability at the time. Fortunately, I am so much less critical of myself today. It's a much better place to be.
When I was out in my studio going through a pile of work that I have accumulated over the years I found this little weaving of paper. And I couldn't help but get excited about the similarities to the Spirit Cloth weavings that I have seen here Jude's Work. And also the work of some of her followers as seen here; fabric weavings both of these are fantastic works. Love their blogs even. I was just excited that long before I ever happened on their sites I had done this weaving of paper. They were fun and make me want to do more. Its a great way of recycling works that I didnt like. Or felt they were not working for me.

 I am happy to share the work but I'm finding that it's similar to doing a show. It has a tendency to make one feel vulnerable. Ahh well .. I'm putting it out there. Below are also works done several years (5?) ago when I was in school. All figure studies which I really loved doing. There is a great value in studying the human figure. 

 So thanks to all of you who look and leave a word or two. I am doing what I can to move in a forward direction .. this is just a look back. Thanks for indulging me.

Thursday Bluesday

I haven't posted in a while. I did have fun writing the story and many nice comments were made. Since that time I have had lots going on and as with all things there are ebbs and flows of creativity of emotions, and some days it's like riding a sea of ideas, waves of creativity come crashing into my brain and other days I am overwhelmed by the reality of my life living in a shack in the woods. As with anything life has its ups and downs. I suppose I can just come here and post that. None the less, I have been creating inspite of myself. There are so many things pulling at me sometimes I just become stationary and unmovable. So here is my attempt at creating a forward moving enertia. The top photo here is a painting I did of my grandmother on a square of fabric. I am such a thrift store junky and its always a surprise what will capture my attention. I found this square and about 2-300 more of them with these wonderful swirls and i have thought of just sewing them together to make a quilt but that just seemed to easy. Not that quilting is easy at all .. it's quite amazing. But I have been doing a series of paintings from some old photos of my grandmother. This one is one from about five that I have done. Below that are some soft pastel drawings that I did with color. For some reason I had a color infusion into my trees. I have been really taken by trees lately and it will just get more interesting because all the trees here are losing their leaves with the fall and coming winter. The backgrounds were done with watercolor pencils and walnut dye. I love the mutedness that the walnut ink gives to the color and then there is a wonderful contrast to the straight pastel colors. I love the bright green and blueness of some of the trees. and the strokes are indicating the breeze or wind blowing around the trees that we can't see but we know that it's there. And again there is a little character.. i love them for some reason.

I have taken the photos on top of one of my walnut tree paintings. Below (bottom photo) you will see another tree painting with no color just walnut dye. This one I painted for my best friend and it is about 24 x 36 and will oddly enough be cut in half and put on either side of her fireplace in her beautiful living room. I also sold two of my other walnut tree paintings to another friend. It's nice to have friends that wish and have the means to support my artistic endeavors. All the color trees are small about 8 x 10 and smaller. I have just torn the paper.. i always love the torn edges. Kind of like enjoying the edges of fabrics that are stringy.

The last thing I have added here is a little bag that I had sitting around the house and it just seemed to call out to me to paint on it. So one morning I actually sat in bed and painted it before doing anything else.. haha. Funny how I do those things. I enjoyed so much the way that the paint sort of was sucked in by the fabric and left this kind of glow around each stroke .. so it has a very moody feel to me. I love it. The bag is about 4 x 5 inches. So cute!!  Not sure I'll be able to part with this one. Isn't it always the way ... ? I'll have to work on that.
Ok hope you've enjoyed having a peek into my creative week. and moody madness haha.. There will be more to come hopefully sooner rather than alot later.

My Wrapped Trees Story

This is a story that I wrote for the blog that I am participating in for Tree wrapping.. if you check my profile you can see the blog there and link to it. Hopefully you can read this and it's not too small and I'm no english major so hopefully you won't be expecting that haha.. just my story. Love to know what you think. Thanks for stopping by. : )As with all work on my blog this work is copywritten by me Oct. 2010.

Monday Moodness

Seems I always end up posting on Monday's and Fridays. I've been away dancing for three days .. such fun times to dance with good people and visit with good friends. I always leave in physical blissness... and inspite of laying in bed exhausted I still had this yearning to paint something. So I did another little illustration with a bit of a change. I'm enjoying the walnut ink in so many fun ways. She seems like she's standing in front of a big moon. In front of a harvest moon or this is looking through a key hole. I love how it feels to me. It's a bit mysterious.



Sometimes my life feels mysterious.

Also there are a few other walnut images that I have done earlier last week. Love them too.