Hideous!

I thought a flower with petals and a face in the center would look nice. But really! Maybe it's the color or the face or ???? But it's hideous! It's in the July art journal and will stay there! Yikes! I like the face and I shaded it nicely. But other than that it's disturbing. All right! Onward and upward! We can only hope!

New art

Today I had a plan to paint the flat flowers and also to sew them. The painted flowers were less than successful. I'm not sure why, but I didn't like them. But the sewn flowers I like! I cut fabric circles as usual and then sewed the fabric on prepared watercolor paper. I used purple thread and zigzagged the flowers on. Then I straight stitched the stem. I like this a lot but it is labor intensive for me. And one mistake and the paper will rip! I will try something else for a background.

On another note: I went to Zumba Gold class and I liked it. I think I will try it for a month. I need the cardio and this is actually kind of fun. For me to use fun and exercise together is an anomaly.

Trying to be my own artist

This weekend we welcomed Amy home from Africa with a barbeque at my house. What yummy food we had! Dan is a barbeque demon! Wow! I provided ice cream and Fresh and Easy corn (the best!). We saw Amy's pictures of her time in Uganda and heard her interesting tales of life in the third world.

Before that I had been suffering with my gall bladder. I took the gall bladder cleanse tea and that helped a lot! What would I do without herbs?

I watched a video of another artist and decided to "copy" her technique for an art journal page. As soon as I started I realized I hated, hated, hated what I was doing. I can't do the (for lack of a better term) grunge look right now. It just doesn't make sense to me. I need to make collages that have more organization (?) to them. I have to be my own artist. Hard reality!

Walking the dog and toddlers

Some days it's all I can do just to get the motivation to walk the dog. I would soooo much rather be in the studio making flat flowers or touching up the art journal entry that I feel needs a tweak. But I do try to get out with the Stan. Walking with him is like having a small toddler who, instead of wanting to touch everything, wants to smell everything. And he has a tremendous sense of smell! He can smell things a mile away! And everywhere in between! And he's excited to be out to smell it all. I honestly don't know how long it will take until he gets used to the smells and settles down for the walk. Maybe never? I'll give it some time and maybe he'll calm down. I hope so. The good thing about toddlers is that they grow up. With Stanley, well...

Flat Flowers Monday

Yes, more flat flowers! This time the backgrounds are in pastels. I like the pastel effect. So I think I may have done enough for a while and will now begin the flat flowers with petals. Let's see what those look like.

On a serious note. my grandson's great-grandmother died in her sleep today. She was in her 80's and was in ill health, but it was a shock nonetheless. She was such a nice person! Matt is staying with his grandmother while she is getting things ready for the funeral. I am so sorry that the family had to lose her!

More Flat Flowers for Sunday

Today I scanned the flat flowers I did yesterday and I started some more. I can't seem to move on from flat flowers yet. I have been trying to find something to make the stem and the outline of the flowers stand out more. I tried fabric paint, which I think is too dark and heavy. Let's take a look at them and see:

In other news, Stanley and I walked around Kuns Park four times today. We are getting good at the walking. I did forget to buckle him in on the way back, so unfortunately he was his obnoxious riding in the car self. There are days when I really, really, really want him to find a good home elsewhere.

Crafty Saturday

Well, usually, I like to do something "crafty" on the weekends. I decided to make fabric rosettes. I found a tutorial at A Day in the Life blog (http://anna-nichols.blogspot.com/2011/07/rosette-tutorial.html). Looked easy, but I didn't have burlap, so I tried fabric. As you can see, these are less than successful. I really hated the red one. It ended up in the trash.

So I went back to my flat flowers. I painted backgrounds and made four pictures. They are drying since I used fabric paint to outline them. I guess I need to stick with something other than flowers for Crafty Saturday.

Tuesday

Today I finished a flat fabric flower collage. Actually, I had done the background months ago and then put it away. I decided to do flat flowers in the foreground. I like the look. I worked on another "collections" collage, but didn't finish. I saw this collage as an organized collection of random things that when put together would mean something, I have most of the collection items, but ran out of steam today.

It is cooler here now and at night it's downright chilly! So I am catching up on the sleep I missed when it was so hot at night.

I heard from my daughter today. Glad she's okay.

More art tomorrow!

Sunday Art

There was no Saturday Craft Day this week. I felt I was so far behind in my art "practice" that I just worked all weekend. Well, I did take a little time off to take the dog to the groomer. (Pictures tomorrow!)

I have been working in fabric--trying to construct collages with fabric and playing around with design elements and contrast. The latest of these is totally fabric. And while I was working I was watching two Shakespeare plays "retold." The first was "Much Ado about Nothing." and the second was "Macbeth." In "Much" Beatrice and Benedick are former lovers who now work together as local news anchors. And in "Macbeth" Macbeth is a chef. Both were excellent retellings. They retained the whole plot but put it in a modern context. Loved it! Thank you Netflix! So far I've seen "Love's Labors Lost, " "Much," "Macbeth," and "As You Like It." My art may not be improving, but my mind is!

Friday

An interesting Friday for me: First a long conversation with a friend. She and I bought blue hybrid tea roses at the same time and mine had a bloom! She doesn't have one yet. Then I told her my plan to buy the Black Baccarra rose for a reward for being on jury duty. So she asked me to buy her one too. She has had a couple of tomatoes, as have I. So when we got done comparing gardens, it was time to get ready for the dentist. I love my dentist and his whole clinic. The Western University Dental Clinic is sooooo fabulous! I asked Dr. Lee how long this procedure would take and he said about 30 minutes if it was good news (the metal bridge needed to be fitted) or 2 hours if not. But it did. Dr. Lee is going to the movies to see Horrible Bosses because it has Jennifer Aniston as a dentist (?). I then picked up Matt and we had lunch at Legends and then went to Armstrongs to buy the roses. They were on sale for $19. The picture makes them look black, but really they are a dark, dark red when they are in full flower. I sent my friend a picture just to make sure that she still wanted the rose bush, but she said she did. So right now on my patio I have TWO Black Baccarra rose bushes! Wow!

Then Matt helped me put up the white board/bulletin board/calendar that I bought months ago and couldn't hang on the wall by my self. Then Matt and I hung out and had popsicles and watched old re-runs of CSI. I just took him home--well, Nana's house, since tomorrow he is getting haircut.

This was a goooooooood day!

Jury Duty!

Yesterday I reported for jury duty at the Federal Courthouse in downtown LA. I took the train in, which, in the morning, is like taking a rolling cocktail party (without the drinks of course). There was one case and about 50 potential jurors. We had to fill out a 10 page questionnaire before we were individually interviewed by the judge, the plaintiff's and the defendant's attorneys. And I wasn't chosen for the jury! They didn't like me! They really didn't like me!

And as an added bonus, because I reported I got a certificate to show the County Courts so that I can be excused from County jury service, which I am supposed to have at the end of the month. I love it!

It's very hot and humid so I have done little art. I did try the handstitching on paper from a tutorial at NewHouse Projects. (Here's the site: http://newhouseproject.com/2011/06/30/idea-for-hand-stitched-card/). And here's her picture. Mine doesn't look so good. Try, try again! Love the idea!

Tomatoes for the Fourth of July

Yes, I have tomatoes for the Fourth of July! Three actually. I can't wait to have them in a salad for dinner with my corn on the cob and my grilled chicken! I am soooo proud of myself for actually getting something from my garden!

Happy Fourth of July.

The Blahs

Did you ever have one of those days where you just wanted to sit in front of the television and watch old reruns of Law and Order and not do anything? Well, that was me today. Although I did do some stuff. But I wasn't productive or energetic or positive or...

I have always wanted to be an artist. And now that I am I am finding it hard a lot of the time. It's hard work! I realize it's not digging ditches, but it's difficult and there's always a critic looking over your shoulder saying that the work isn't good--it's not appropriate---people will hate it.

I think it's time to find the next level of my work. Either showing it or selling it or both. And no more Law and Order!

A free day!

Today I tried to do a paining in the style of Matisse. But I quickly realized that like a lot of talented people, Matisse made it look easy. For me, the negative space in a Matisse painting is just as important as the positive space. And the heavy fully loaded brush strokes. Does mine have that? Well, no.

I finished an art journal today and so titled it and put it on the shelf. I have another one ready. And I watched Kenneth Branagh's version of "As You Like It." This is by far one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. And one of the best. It's on my top eight now. I love Netflix! What a variety of movies they have! I can see all the odd ones and foreign films that never mind it to the local theaters.

What a good day!

My top eight favorite movies:(subject to change without notice)

1. As You Like It

2. Love's Labor's Lost

3. Much Ado About Nothing

4. Grand Canyon

5. A Chef in Love

6. Midnight in Paris

7. All the Godfathers

8. Citizen Kane

Rosebud!

No Jury Duty!

...Well, for this week. I do have to call back on Monday, July 4th to see if I need to report for the next week. Keep fingers, toes and anything else crossed that I am not needed for United States District Court.

Today I got everything ready, anticipating that I would have to serve. I ironed and I planned my wardrobe. I went to fitness and seniorcise thinking I better get a workout in because I would be sitting all day for days on end. So all is prepared. And that means that tomorrow is a whole free day for me. I can work on projects all day long!

I worked in my art journal today for a little while. I am finished with that altered book. So maybe tomorrow I will start another? I don't like to think of the art journal taking away my energy from actual art pieces. But it does help to have a place to construct drafts of thoughts. So I will continue to use an altered book as an art journal, but I want to first and foremost be "doing art." Not journaling about it.

Eight things I am happy about today:

1. No jury duty

2. No jury duty

3. No jury duty

4. No jury duty

5. No jury duty

6. No jury duty

7, No jury duty

And Wait for it----

8. No jury duty!

Different!

For the past several weeks, I have taken the weekend "off" and I have started something fun and weird. I call this Saturday Craft. Last week it was a kit from the thrift store that had Set-A-Color fabric dye. The dye is brushed on cloth and then you put objects on it and set the fabric in the sun. The sun sets the dye and leaves negative space where the objects (in my case, leaves) were. This was fun and could have been messy. But the directions were very good and I followed them (surprise). One week I made bows out of magazine pages. This week was going to be paper making. I got a kit from the thrift store to do that. (I love the thrift store!) But instead I helped my daughter spray and dry her clothes with mosquito repellent. She is going to Uganda next week and will be working with a clinic there for two weeks. I also made her a sort of sheet envelope with a queen sheet. I folded the sheet lengthwise and then sewed the bottom and the side-half way up. This will be like a little sleeping bag. This will prevent bed bugs (we hope). So the Saturday craft was different even for me.

Besides that I am getting ready for jury duty. I mean I am staying busy and not trying to have anxiety about my anxiety over jury duty. I have served jury duty before but this is the federal district court in downtown Los Angeles. A forty mile drive one way! I am trying to be positive and all but mostly I am not happy about this. The court is right downtown and it is very crowded and ugly and there are homeless and crazies. Yuck! I can get that in downtown Pomona and not have to drive so far!

Yuck!

What do you do all day?

Today I went to have a facial and the esthetician was complimenting me on my skin. She said I would never look old. I like her! I have been fortunate to have good skin all my life. I've had very few break outs. I don't know why that is. I am giving credit to my parents and grandparents. So here's 8 things I got from my parents and grandmother:

1. The ability to sew. My grandmother and mother both could sew and taught me on a treadle machine.

2. My art ability. My grandmother had a talent for crafts and art and she inspired me.

3. My resourcefulness. Growing up we were not always flush with money and my mother and grandmother came up with some resourceful ways to stretch our money.

4. My story telling. My father and his twin brother were story tellers and gave me that ability.

5. My honesty. My folks were VERY honest people.

6. My social skills. I was taught how to behave from an early age.

7. My sense of humor.

8. My anxiety. Thank you Grandmother!

Oh and my great skin!

Here's some art I am working on, so you can see where I'm going.

I'm Back!

When I retired I wanted to be an active blogger, but I have been an active retiree since then! My new career as an artist is taking up some of the time and the other "career" of making myself healthy is taking up the rest. Then there's Stanley, the Wonder Dog, who is healing from his abandonment issues and developing more trust.

So I will bring you up to date with my art and the rest of my life.

Rachelle Mee Chapman writes about taming her Monkey Mind by starting out listing 8 things. I have been using the 8 Things approach to organize my thoughts. So let's start with 8 things I did while I wasn't blogging:

1. I had plantation shutters and new carpeting installed in the living room.

2. I had the living room painted.

3. I substituted at an elementary school for a part-time resource teacher.

4. I took a class on parents of estranged children.

5. I have been going to a personal trainer for 11 months.

6. I started going to a senior exercise class.

7. I planted tomatoes, pumpkin (1), cilantro, spearmint, basil, lettuce.

8. I am growing roses.

And that's not all but that's 8! Thanks Magpie Girl for the inspiration. More tomorrow!

More Fabric Books

I have made three more fabric books! I love the idea of using them for journals!
The Green one is entitled "Another thing I need to remember."
The Multi-fabric one is entitled "Questions I don't have the answers to--right now." The questions are from Rachelle Mee-Chapman.
The house one is entitled "Sweet Shelters." The quote is "Regard your home as sacred--as a golden opportunity to experience nowness. Appreciating sacredness begins very simply by taking an interest in all the details of your life." Chogyam Trungpa
Again, I want to thank Chasity at Belle and Burger for the inspiration.