Creative Spirit

Making videos - Not your Grandma's Video camera!

2011-08-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

... well, at least not MY grandma's camera. We're having so much fun editing the footage I took at the wedding, and Will has already cleaned up and added sparkle to some of the dark, wobbly pictures I took at the reception. It was a fun, fun event, and even though we are still recovering, it was so very worth it.

I really am enjoying the graphic quality Will brings out, and I'm already trying some of the effects on some of the stills I took.

Pictures, pictures, woo hoo!

2011-08-11T08:25:00.000-07:00

I got a video camera for my birthday last month, and used it some at my daughter's wedding last week... now I'm learning a complex program that will let me do many things... many, many, many things!!! to the video and photographs. Maybe a dvd for Yuletide would be fun? If so, what do I want to include?

I'm finding this fun, and think I'll enjoy learning more about the process.

Inspiration all around me

2011-08-07T15:13:00.000-07:00

I take so much for granted, that did not exist when I was growing up 50 years ago - I've been watching Hubble telescope footage, a show about the biography of the earth - with lots of subtle and realistic computer graphics that help to explain complex ideas.

How can I complain about lack of ideas to start up my own creativity? It is easier to become discouraged by the volume of other people's past creativity, and question the worth of your own ideas. I have amazing access to so many images and ideas, from all of history and nature, information from many cultures other than the one I grew up in... wow! How easy it is to become numb to the bombardment of information, and how difficult it can be to see that one's own creativity is a contribution to something, rather than just a re-iteration of what has already been done. Even the commercials are so complex, artistic in many ways, and culturally revealing. How do you start, when you feel like what you may have to say is insignificant?

My own answer is probably different than everyone else's... but also much the same? You make something that comes out of yourself, or helps you understand something new. It's your own view on the world, or something that just feels good to your inside self, or a reaction to events you are watching around you.

I don't know why I'm drawn to a number of different methods of creativity, but I seem to have a hard time resisting something new that intrigues me. I know that some of my beadwork is really a form of meditation, with repetition, color, and tactile factors. I know that some of my painting and drawing is a way of expressing emotions that I don't seem to be able to vent as well in any other way. I used to use singing for healing, and I find myself doing that again, even though I'm no longer singing in public at all.

I love the tactile nature of quilting, and the results are useful, usually, and color and form allow a lot of self expression. I used to enjoy short story writing, and I still like to write if I have something I want to say in a clear or careful way. I find fabric dye and paint a joyful medium, and later I get to cut it up and use it in something wonderful. It can be hard to make myself cut some pieces up, though, because I like them too much. I'll admit to a weakness for costuming (playing dress up for adults! lol!), and I sometimes don't know when to stop with the beading.

So, what to do with all this? How do I prioritize, choose what I'll enjoy doing the most, or what I'll be happy with when I have a result? I need this place to work out my journey, maybe a bit at a time is the best way to approach it all.

I just need to be cognitive and patient. NOT my best talents, but that's part of my process, it seems.

Playing with new toys!

2011-08-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

We took some photos and video at the wedding last weekend, and now I'm learning to play with them, I mean, clean them up and make them fun to look at... not in the same way as Will, just a basic program to start with. I'm hoping to collect other people's photos and have lots to enjoy learning this new skill. It is related to other artistic skills I continue to try to develop, so maybe I'll learn lots from it.

Any of you who have photos, either of this event or other family photos or video, please send them to me!!!

Pretty please? With sugar on top?

Such a beautiful day today, it makes me want to go to the beach or the little duck lake, and make more videos to play with... but we're both too much in recovery state to go out and do it. Yet!

Maybe I should Blog more?

2011-08-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

We are recuperating from a trip to Walnut Cr. for Susie's wedding, and we are both pretty tired. The trip went very well, we planned and took what we needed, and were pretty organized, but hauling ourselves and our luggage all over two airports, meeting lots of new and old friends, participating in rehearsal and wedding, too much fun for us!

I was delighted that my clothes were a good match for the wedding site in a garden, and that it was not super hot. Everything went exceptionally well, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and Will and I even danced a bit - so we are still recovering. I thought that Susie's friends were great - but I always liked them, so no surprise there. Nik's wonderful family were so nice, I wish there had been more time with them, but I enjoyed meeting extended family and friends that were family, really.

Merrie liked her jewelry, the quilt arrived at Nik's work, Susie's friends liked their matching earrings, also the pearl and crystal sets, so all was really smooth, on my small efforts towards the event.

We took some photos and videos, and I'm really hoping to get photos from some of the other camera wielding guests, as well as the professional who seemed to be doing a great job. Most of my photos came out pretty dark, but I can play with them and make them better. Both of the evening events were not bright enough without my flash, but I didn't want to be distracting.

The good news is that Quan Yin's tumor is not the big "C", it's a lipoma, so no problem. I know she's getting older, at least 14 I think, with lots of grey in her orange eyebrows, but she seems pretty well except for some arthritis.

We will be much more rested shortly, and will be out and about on more adventures in the big world, as well as time staying at home being creative, playing all kinds of music, doing computer "things" like playing with our new video camera and the results, some art, quilting, beading, cooking, swimming, taking a class or two at OLLI and generally enjoying life!

I'm pretty sure that I should be Blogging my creativity results, at least. I was looking at my photos and videos and finding myself freshly inspired to paint and draw, and also to learn more about the computer applications for art. I guess the reason I want to blog about it, is to share the journey, and keep moving along. Besides, it's probably good for me, nobody has to read it, unless they feel like it!

Priorities, people and learning to cope

2008-12-30T16:39:00.000-08:00

I try to be cognative about my priorities, I work on it daily, and try to put my energies into what is the most practical and valuable thing I am able to do at that time. I also try not to overdo it, and that can be discouraging because I have to say "no" a lot (especially to myself!), but does result in more times when I'm able to do what I really I need to do, and lets me have more time that isn't severely painful, or when I can't do anything at all.

I've come to terms with it, most of the time, but occasionally I find it very difficult to deal with. I find that it helps to verbally acknowledge both the desire to do something, and the emotions, and then the fact that it's not such a great idea. I'm trying NOT to be my old Wonder Woman self, act like my body is a "tank", and then pay for it later with excessive recovery time.

This has some mixed results, and lately is partially responsible for a rift with someone I thought was a close friend, who has some major physical challenges of her own. She has gone into a big denial phase, for many reasons, and I remind her of my reality too often to be comfortable for her... so we've pretty much gone different ways.

It's a pity, but I am comfortable with my choices for now, and I'm convinced that denial just does not work for me at this point. When I act on denial, I end up even more limited for a time, and miserable, so what's the point?

This makes me wonder if reminding other people of their vulnerability, and non-immortality, is what makes it so very hard to be disabled, physically ill, or otherwise different in this society. I have been treated pretty rudely in public by strangers, and it reflects a great deal of fear, I believe.

So many "dear friends" from my past have dissappeared abruptly as soon as I had obvious physical limitations.

Are most people that afraid? It's a terrible thought, because most of us will eventually have some physical limitations to deal with, visible or not, and whether we choose to admit it or not... it's real, and I think coping with it, and adapting as much as possible, is much wiser than hiding from it.

Speaking of being a bit indulged...

2008-12-27T13:53:00.000-08:00

I feel very loved, and though of, this Yuletide. My dear stepdaughter, who means the world to me, took time from her insanely busy life to find and send me a killer lavender bathrobe, a bit small, but so pretty! It was definitely the thought that counted, here, because she called us three days in a row, just because she had a chance and wanted to talk to us. She is so amazing! There's a magic frame, too... I mean computer frame, and I can put digital pictures in there, and use them to paint from, as well as putting them in a place where they can change and we can enjoy them! I have an idea about that...

My beloved husband went a bit nuts and not only got me the sewing machine I desperately needed, he got the very best we could possibly afford, because he knew I'd enjoy it. I had earlier asked for some special painting dvds by Don Andrews that I wanted very much, and/or some paints... but when my sewing machine was going, I thought he'd get it INSTEAD of the painting supplies.

Nope, they are here, too, and I've already seen one of the dvds and it was very much better than I would have thought it could be! Plus, he got me the paints... best of the best brand for my style and purposes, special ingredients, and they were not cheap! I can paint with them for months!!! Very special stuff, with ground turquoise, tiger's eye, other gemstones for heavy granulation, and I love the textures I can achieve with them, that are not possible with "standard" paints.

I love things I can use to make something else, use with my creativity, or learn something I'm interested in. I also got gadgets to use my Sandisc in the car, new headphones which I needed that retract, all things that I can use in my daily life.

Stuff isn't love, but being thought about, and cared about, and sometimes seeing that reflected in stuff, is love. I need to know I matter, and today it feels like I really do matter, even though I can't do everything I want to do.

I'm Very Happy about my Sewing Machine!

2008-12-27T13:39:00.000-08:00

I got a new, gorgeous, fun fun fun Janome Memory Craft 9500 for Yule! I got a lot of other fun and great stuff, because I am spoiled, but I'm so happy about the sewing machine!!!

My old beloved Janome Memory Craft 4000 that I got in 1998 had many, many sewing and quilting miles on it, and has been leaking oil, squeeking because things are worn, badly worn, and has even been overheating and threatening to freeze up and never go again. I've had to turn it off to cool very often, and oil it/clean it thoroughly every sewing hour. I am not complaining, it has made many curtains, gifts, quilts and clothing items... but it is definitely ill. I am going to take it down for an evaluation to see if it is worth keeping as a backup, with a bit of repair... maybe, and maybe not.

In the meanwhile, all the special attachments I have for my old machine, fit and work on the new one. I have some familiarity with how it works, PLUS the new one has computer capability of some sort (still learning) and does some fancy embroidery, if I can learn how... ok, WHEN I learn how. Woohoo!!!

Christmas Eve in So. Cal.

2008-12-24T10:47:00.000-08:00

This is just down the street, taken the other day when I was out painting in watercolor. This is really a beautiful climate, no matter how much I complain in the hottest parts of the year. I wouldn't mind more rain, or more cool days, but we just don't have blizzards, or ice storms, just heat and winds, but you CAN go to the beach, or probably find some air conditioned refuge. There is no refuge from an ice storm, if you have to go get supplies or run an errand.

I don't dream of a white Yule, not for more than a visit, I'm already in a paradise, with roses in my yard, Right NOW, in December, and plumeria still blooming a bit in front, they make leis out of them in Hawaii, and my herbs grow all year around. I could use a little more rain, but I'll settle for gorgeous Southern California!

Watercolors from this term... progress, I think?

2008-12-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

I should take pictures of some of the others... these were on the wall for the class review and critique, and the ocean was really praised. More photos later!

Quilt pictures for this Yule

2008-12-23T11:09:00.000-08:00

I got four !!! quilts completed, lap size (plus one for Susie that I didn't take a picture of before it got away), and we're going down to San Diego to set them free in their natural habitat - and I really hope they are enjoyed!

First, for my Niece:

Second, for her Grandmother:

For my Sister in Law:

And for my Brother in Law:

Looking Forward to Olli

2008-12-21T11:50:00.000-08:00

I sent in my $215.00 in to Olli - Cal State Fullerton, for a whole Year of fun, learning, and challenge. It's my job to pick my battles, find the things that will work for me, and not over do it. I see that they have a weekly Wednesday afternoon watercolor class, also there is a Plein Air class at the university side, but I need to know if they paint on the grounds, or go off campus to paint... also the art buildings are on the opposite side of the campus from the Olli building, so what should I do about parking?

I will have full access to the gym, and I need to find out what they have that I might be able to use - pool? jacuzzi? how hard is it to get to it all? What's the locker setup, can I leave things there, or must I bring it each time? Is there an arthritis aqua aerobics class by chance? It would be so nice if I could manage it, but there are some things I may be able to participate right at the Olli building, as I feel able.

I'm feeling enthusiastic about this, but I need to remember it's a challenge, and I'll go and check the place out physically and think about my strategy to make this a success.
How hard is it to get to the library?

OLLI at Calstate Fullerton

2008-12-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

It looks like this older adults program is tailor-made for me! It starts back up after January 17th, and I'm planning on going by and checking out location, parking, accessibility issues before then. I talked to their office, and classes I'm interested in will let me audit them for sure, space allowing.

I'll be able to work with a variety of University level art professors, take some other interesting classes at my mental level, as well as participating in the program classes I'm interested in doing, like joining the knitting/crafts circle for hanging out and getting a few projects done, the Watercolor Workshop on Wednesday mornings, and maybe some drawing or working on my Spanish, which would be helpful.

When Will retires, there are things he'll like, you get full access to the P.E. equipment, pools and stuff, there are philosophy and religious studies majors he would want to audit, as well as a lively and active computer school including opportunities to teach at the older adults program if he wants to.

You even get parking passes and full student status - access to the huge library, discounts on plays and shows, I'm so there! My only concern is getting around the huge campus, but the OLLI program is in a special building on the edge of campus, and as I get familiar, I can work it out... there may even be some transport available... sure wish I could still bicycle, that would be ideal!

They are sending me all the information they have so I can make plans in advance, and overcome some of the difficulties by anticipating them. I really can't wait to try it out!

When you run into a wall...

2008-12-11T21:21:00.000-08:00

...it's time to feel around for a door.

I searched the Cal State Fullerton website for a rumored program that has educational and creative opportunities for someone like me. And, I found it! For about $200/yr, I can basically participate in any of the senior activities they have going on, plus if I can get permission from the instructor, I can audit any of the university courses I want to!!!

Wow!!! I have to check this out, will be going to see the building they have soon, then see about maybe painting with them, or attending the knitting/needlecraft group, just to get a feel for what is available.

Right ankle train wreck

2008-12-10T17:06:00.000-08:00

I have an ice pack on my ankle. I went out of the classroom today, ironically to leave a message for the disability office with my cell phone, and coming back in I hurt myself on the wooden object being used to prop the door open, because it blended in and I couldn't see it. I would have fallen all the way down, but caught myself on a nearby desk.

Of course, my right knee and ankle hurt, but I thought it wouldn't be too bad, and I was interested in the last class today, and the demo the teacher had arranged. Of course, it started swelling up, hurt worse than I expected as my pain meds wore off, and by that time they were filming the demo and I didn't want to interrupt. It escalated to a pain level 8 or 9, and I ended up clutching my ankle, tears running down my face a bit. As soon as it was over, I was given some ice in a bag, I had taken some more pain meds and they had started to work, and two students went to my car with me and carried my stuff.

What am I doing wrong? Maybe I should rethink something about my classes, but I know I can get hurt anytime this way... but somehow it's more embarrassing in a class full of people in their 20's, who don't have my issues at this stage in their lives.

The ankle will be ok in a few days, but the situation will come up again, and again, so what to do?

Access brainstorming

2008-12-10T16:51:00.000-08:00

I've been taking a highly rewarding watercolor class at the local community college, and this term has been challenging because the teacher that uses the room previously, I'm not sure how much earlier her class ends... does not make the effort to get the classroom straightened up before she leaves.

This results in the "accessible" desk and chair for me, with the lovely signs on them, being crammed together in the back of the room along with anything else they want out of their way, including heavy cast iron easels, extra seating, spotlights... even loose trash, papers, pencil shavings, all over the place.

I have been asking for, and getting, help from my fellow students, or the kind teacher if he is around, but I have asked him to talk to the other teacher. He didn't do it. He "forgot", and finally last week I went to the art office and told the secretary there to tell that teacher. She did confirm that the teachers have a class at the beginning of the year telling them what they are supposed to do. I still don't think anyone has talked to this teacher, and my teacher came and told me honestly that he "forgot" to do it, and it's really too late now (today was the last class) to bother.

Results: This teacher will be continuing as usual, her students will not become more sensitive and responsible, and whoever comes to her classroom after her next term, will have the same problems, if they have physical challenges... including me, of course, since I'm continuing that class, in theory.

hmm. What to do?

'Fessing up

2008-12-06T09:57:00.000-08:00

I haven't been posting to my blog. I ended up abruptly quitting the oil painting class I was taking, just right before the end of the term, when the teacher's cumulative rudeness, intolerance for my disabilities, and some good old fashioned anger at being humiliated in public, made me decide it was not where I chose to spend my time.

I waited some time, then decided that the situation needed to be addressed, and I wrote and dealt with it... but it was several months before I could make myself pick up a paint brush again, and I still really haven't worked in oils since the disastrous parting with the class. I'm trying to go back into the oils, but it just hasn't happened yet.

I did sign up for a watercolor class in the Fall, and I've been enjoying it, but still having to fight with myself to get my creative side to cooperate. So, I've not been painting enough, and I have been producing a lot of unappealing work because I second guess myself and tighten up.

Starting last month, I decided that painting outdoors on Friday afternoons for a couple of hours would be a way to inspire myself and free myself from some of the negative results of the other class, so I have made it a point to go the last three Fridays, and I'm beginning to feel more inspired by nature and outdoor lighting... and letting myself relax more. I started a Yahoo group for any of the students in my class who want to do this, too, but I'm doing it for myself, first.

Ysabeau

Life Painting class in Oils

2008-03-26T16:31:00.001-07:00

I've been struggling with oils all term, and this is everything I've done so far. I see myself progressing, but each assignment has been a struggle, getting the desired textures, using only the colors allowed by the teacher for each assignment, painting myself without avoiding looking clearly at myself... these assignments have been really tough. The Spring break is over and Friday we start doing some new exercises. I need to remember that it is ok if I'm not happy with the limitations, because this is a learning experience, not about creativity. B*B, Ysabeau

Challenges and point of view

2008-03-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

First of all, it's a stunningly gorgeous day here, 75 degrees, skies bluer than a sky blue crayon, some light breezes doing a wafting thing with the leaves, and twittery birds here and there. It looks like something out of a happy childhood dream.

I've been dealing with a flu bug, but I was enticed out into my patio, with my book, coffee, and happy little dog. One thing was bothering me... I wanted to lift the patio cover up (it was dropped down to shelter from winds a few days ago), and that's a little tough for me. I sat there a while. I read and sipped coffee. Birds were in the pepper tree in our yard, and I couldn't see them... so I decided to raise the canvas cover. It is important to realize that I was doing this as a compromise because I wanted to take the dog to the Dog Park but thought this would be less difficult.

Putting the cover up, involves pulling each leg up to a certain height so it can click into a fastener, and is uneven until you get them all done. One done, no problem. Two done, ok so far. Three, oh, oh, not so good, have to slide along the side and support it until I can get to the last leg. I have to shove the glass table out of the way with one hip, step over some bricks to put pots on, carefully.. and my bad ankle chooses this moment to give out, with no way to catch myself.

I fall slowly, hard, my ankle wrenched because of an old metal piece fastened into the concrete that my shoe caught in, down onto my bad knee, I can feel things tearing a bit in my abdomen, block some of the force with slapping the concrete but can't get a good hit, and hurt my left wrist and palm when I come to rest, but that's no big deal. My bad knee has a palm-sized purple mark, in spite of long pants, so I iced things down, sat in my chair, and cried with pure old anger and frustration. It seems like I just can't do anything, without making a mess of myself.

This is why I have to be so thoughtful and plan out my adventures, and still expect some time to recover. In early February, I was trying to clean up the patio so I could use it, and ended up getting bit badly by one or two of the immature black widow spiders I found, and was killing with a stick. I didn't know I was bitten until later, because I can't feel my skin on a lot of my abdomen, and I had fourteen (I counted) bites in that area. I was pretty sick, but they are almost gone now, just little red marks and small lumps under the skin. Last term I was walking across a classroom, stepped on a cluttered ramp and my ankle just went and I really hurt it, if I hadn't had a cane I'd have fallen flat, and I was so embarrassed when I made a hurt sound, and everyone in the classroom heard me and people tried to help, and I couldn't keep from tearing up with the pain.. very frustrating!!! and it hurt bad for over a week, and slowed me down a lot.

I have a list of things I need or want to do, and I work away at it, but always much slower than I think. I want to do reasonable things, I try to be patient, but it is not easy for me. I like to keep our home up, cook for us, make things, and learn something. I see myself as a tough, resilient, intelligent person, and I try to break tasks down into smaller bits so they are more manageable, but I am not so perfect, and I lose my patience, my sense of humor, and don't always handle it well.

So, right now, I'm going to sit down and have a yogurt, drink my coffee, read a silly book, and put some happy or bluesy music on Rhapsody. I am going to accept my challenges, as much as possible, and try to keep my balance, because I love my life and it's a more than half full glass, all the time. I'm probably not going to go to the Dog Park today, though.

Whew!

Ysabeau

Outdoor painting and rain

2008-01-24T15:48:00.000-08:00

They don't go together. The wind keeps blowing my sunshade over in the back yard, and it's chilly and damp. Maybe I could paint out the windows?

Ysabeau

Just more pictures!

2007-12-12T10:36:00.000-08:00

My class is coming to an end for the semester, and as usual, the last part of the class is the best. Then, when you start a class next term, you have to start all over and get familiar with the other students, get them used to you, get a learning rhythm going, and just when it gets really good, POOF! it's over.
B*B, Ysabeau

Thinking about painting

2007-11-28T23:07:00.001-08:00

Here are two more of my figure studies.
Unfortunately, the next couple of pictures I need to have ready to frame, need to be colorful, not figure studies, and a fair size. Some of what I have done is pretty small, and many of the larger ones are figure studies, so not suitable.

I am working on a high desert/red rock landscape with a water reflection, but my first attempt just isn't quite what I wanted to do. It's just going to take a little thinking... maybe something with an ocean view? Some flowers? We'll see. B*B, Ysabeau

We get a few male models, too...

2007-11-18T23:47:00.001-08:00

I'm finding it more difficult to express the men physically, just need more practice, I guess. Sometimes they pose so stiffly that I end up just doing a practice drawing with an effort to get their proportions right. We did get one who had a lot of experience, and he made it a lot easier. B*B, Ysabeau

Just keep on painting...

2007-11-18T23:40:00.001-08:00

It seems like the mood I'm in affects the pictures even more than what the model does. Sometimes, no matter what I do, I think what I do isn't any good... other times, it seems to flow much better for me. B*B, Ysabeau

Ladies in watercolor

2007-11-18T23:32:00.001-08:00

I've been trying to capture something special about each of the models we have been using in class, and some of them are right here...

B*B,

Ysabeau

Watercolors are complex

2007-11-18T23:18:00.001-08:00

The first picture is an abstracted landscape of a river and sky, and my teacher asked to have it because it reminded him of a trip he made on the Amazon. The woman in the hat took a lot of layers and glazing, and I think of her as a goddess of creativity, and the last is a large nude I did from a model, which just seemed to flow when I did it. I loved the way the colors merged and blended in the simple lines I used to try to describe the model.

B*B, Ysabeau

Figure studies

2007-11-11T13:47:00.000-08:00

I've been enjoying working in watercolor in my Life Drawing class, and I feel like I'm making consistent progress, even though there are days when I just don't see anything happening. Some days I complete a bunch of small sketchy things, and other times I only do one or two larger pieces, but it's an exploration.

I need to just be patient with myself to make progress at my own pace. It takes time. BTW, the green one was claimed by one of my fellow students before I could get it out of the classroom, but I managed to get a photo.

B*B, Ysabeau

Just thinking

2007-10-10T07:25:00.000-07:00

My friend Judi suggested that I need to be helping other people, which will help me, in theory. I wonder if by pursuing my creativity, that might be enough? I've been trying to be as real and honest as possible with my artistic endeavors, and have as much fun as possible while doing it. I've also been making playful, interesting, and thoughtful things to wear or use, and in a way I hope people will get a smile or a good feeling from them.

I just don't feel like going out and trying to find a niche where I can help other people with their lives and their choices. I have tools I've developed, learned, or adapted, sure. I don't know if what works for me, is really what will work for everybody else. I have a relatively low amount of energy, and a chronic pain level, and I think it would be extremely easy to get in over my head and make myself really miserable. I'm also really unsure that I know as much about their lives and choices as they do, and I think that people have to respect their own selves.

Maybe if I can just manage to heal my own life, that is the main thing that I am supposed to do right now.

B*B,

Ysabeau

Reality Check

2007-10-04T01:25:00.000-07:00

Usually when I post on my blog, I have just taken some pictures, or have something new going on, but sometimes I just need to think out loud about my priorities, and what is going on in my world. I have not been able to make it to a couple of art classes, and I won't be going tomorrow, either, partly because I'm doing a friend a favor, and partly because I haven't been feeling so hot. I know it's partly physical, and partly mental, but that's just the way it is. I've been doing a lot of beading, partly for gifts and partly for myself, and one of the good things about it, is that I use it for a form of meditation, it's creative, and I can do it with my feet up when that is necessary, like right now.

I haven't been having many "spoons" lately, partly fighting off some kind of virus, and it's really discouraging when that happens. What I need to remember, is that most of the time I can use one of my strategies to make happen, what needs to happen and that is alright. I don't have to do it all, everything I think of, or want to do... I can space it out, or do part of it now, and part of it later. I have had to stop doing some things, but I can use my excellent brain to work around the blocks to do what really counts, and it is ok to take some of my prescription pain medication when I need it, I'm not just being weak.

I have had a few disappointments lately, for instance I thought that I could participate in the local Art Association, but found that for now, the one I joined just doesn't work for me. Perhaps in a larger group, maybe with a more diverse membership, I can find a way to participate that works better for me at this time. I tried to do the Newsletter for the Brea group, and found that the group had an intense "control issue" and really just wanted things to stay the way they were done a long time ago. Since I spent a lot of time and energy trying to do what I had been told they needed, that was pretty intensely upsetting and disappointing.

I've been realizing that I have too many unfinished projects around here. That tends to happen to me when I'm feeling down, and when I don't feel focused. I'm going to box up some of them, and see if I have anything I don't need anymore, then I can work on things as I want to, with more space to work in comfortably.

Anyhow, this is just what is going on right now. We have two new chairs, and mine is very comfortable, which is great because I'm spending a lot of time in it right now. We rearranged the living room, and I think it is going to be much more pleasant to sit in now, with a little more light, and some new curtains as soon as I get them made.

I stopped going to the quilting class a couple of years ago, since it conflicted with the other classes, and we don't quilt in there, we just show whatever we've been making, and get involved in more, and more, and even more attractive but unfinished projects. It's basically a three hour lecture, and not even time to socialize, either, just a short break somewhere in the middle.

I'm taking my second semester of Life Drawing, using watercolors in addition to the usual drawing materials, and I feel like I'm making some progress from time to time, but my drawing is still pretty iffy. I was enjoying the oil painting last year, maybe I'll take that next term, but right now, one class seems like plenty. One factor is that it takes a while after you get to class, to get your stuff set up, and get your painting or drawing to flow, and just when you get it really going, class is over and time to stop. I need to think about this, maybe do some oil painting at home now that Autumn is finally here, and now that I have a stable easel for oils.

I think it's a good time to have a finishing up of outstanding projects, and organizing myself so I feel better about my working space, and about what I do there. Right now, I'm having a hard time valuing my work like I should, and I think it's important that I work through that! B*B, Ysabeau

Finishing up some lingering projects

2007-08-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

Some of the jewelry I finished this Summer, I had started last year. Sometimes I'm just in the mood to work on the base, design the shape, and come back to it later in a different frame of mind. The beading repetition is a great way to be in a meditative frame of mind, and get some internal peace. I also do crochet, hand sewing/quilting, and painting and get the same effect, it's fun and creative, and I end up with really pretty objects for myself or for special gifts.

B*B,

Ysabeau

Jewelry design this Summer

2007-08-22T10:02:00.001-07:00

These are just a few of my designs that I made this Summer. I made some wonderful simple flowing pieces, and some fun complicated designs, all one-of-a-kind, and now that school has just started up again, I'll probably wind up most of the jewelry supplies until later.

The pieces range from simple pendants and earrings, to bracelets and necklaces in sets. I worked in peyote stitch and right angle weave for the bases, and went as crazy as I wanted to, from there. I love the way the right angle weave is so flexible it almost feels like a heavy supple fabric, and while single stitch peyote is slow, you can make structures that are only limited by your imagination with it! I also am working with some polymer clay making pins with character. That is interesting because I can combine beading, wirework, painting, even a little quilting or fabric embellishment.

B*B,

Ysabeau

Brea Art Association

2007-06-23T23:19:00.001-07:00

I recently joined the Brea Art Association and attended my first meeting. I may be helping them with some work on the newsletter and I put up a blog for them, just basic with some information. It's definitely a work in progress, not done yet, but better than the absolutely nothing they had before on the web. There are some very talented people there, wonderful artwork, but just not that many are comfortable with computers, like they are with their other mediums. The group has been around for quite a while, but right now is quite small due to the natural cycles that groups go through. Anyhow, they now have a blog! Maybe some of the members will want to get together and paint outdoors, which sounds like such a lot of fun to me.

B*B,

Ysabeau

Believing in myself

2007-06-10T00:02:00.000-07:00

My husband bought me this easel set for Christmas several years ago. To me, it meant that he believed in me, that it was worthwhile for me to spend time painting, and learning to paint. He suggested (over and over, I resisted!) that I should think about taking a painting class at the local college. I finally did, and it was a great idea, but very hard for me to start doing it, I felt selfconscious and fearful that nothing I did would be any good. I was terrified, but I wanted to learn.

I found teachers that encouraged me, other students that were kind and fun to paint with, and more ways to play with my painting. I need to remember to believe in myself as much as possible, and not get stuck in fear or in the past.

B*B, Ysabeau

Student Art Show 2007 Fun!

2007-04-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

Here I am blurrily receiving my unexpected award, the Marciano Martinez Scholarship, for the abstract watercolor below, called "Days of Chaos".

Here I am with my two pictures, and my friend Andres who won a special award for his oil painting portrait of a young woman.

Here is my finished "Building Trust" oil painting that took me about five weeks, the picture somehow doesn't show the colors well, but I really enjoyed doing it.

Submissions to the Student Art Show this year

2007-04-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

This one isn't very large, but I liked the abstract quality and the depth I was able to get while still using lots and lots of color. When I matted it and framed it, I was pretty happy with it.

I saw a lot of the entries, and they were very good, so I don't have a great deal of hope that mine will be accepted, but I feel good about entering. I love seeing all the diverse pieces that everyone has done, we have so many talented students at school that you never know what you may see.

I submitted two more that I don't have pictures of yet, one was finished at the very last minute, but it was interesting so I managed to mat and frame it up, and it's there to be counted! Four pieces was the maximum you could submit this year.

This one was really hard to mat, I ended up centering it in a longer frame, which worked out pretty well.

B*B, Ysabeau

One of my Friendly Spider-eating Lizards

2007-03-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

He posed for me, I took half a dozen pictures, and he'd move just a little bit, so I could get good pictures of him. I like my lizards.

B*B,

Ysabeau

Oil painting class

2007-03-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

This is the underpainting for a painting I'm working on right now, with people working together to rebuild a footbridge across a damaged ancient stone bridge crossing a fast river with rocks. It's further along, now, and I'm having some fun with the individual people holding the rope.

The big stone hand is being carved - just a hand (?!) by the sculptor they hired for the annual visiting artist program. Last year it was a wonderful painter, who did an oil figure study, but I'm not wild about the stone hand. It's just weird... they are saying it will be a statement, but I don't understand what kind.

I'm really enjoying my oil painting class, of course learning a lot, and getting a lot of time putting paint on canvas, so eventually I hope to develop some skills. So far, I've done a waterfall, this bridge still in process, a glacier in process, and one that I just put some color on, and left it to dry. I like the texture and adaptability of oil, but like everyone else, it's hard to be patient with the long drying time of 2 days to 7 days, depending on how much paint and which color and brand you are using. It's slow, but very interesting, and I want to work on glazing techniques to finish this bridge one, because I think it will really enhance the light in the picture. I am reading what I can find on oilpainting, but one thing I am already discovering - everyone has a different opinion about what to use, and how to use it. They don't agree about anything. The advantage of that, is that I can try different techniques and see what I like to use.

I'm hoping that I can just keep learning and playing with oils, acrylics, and watercolors and enjoy them for a long time.

B*B, Ysabeau

Southern California Springtime

2007-03-21T02:05:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year, the weather is wonderful, flowers are everywhere, and my local hummingbirds show thier young ones how to eat from the feeders and where the best flowers can be found, and I get to watch!

My hollyhocks are very happy this year, and I want to paint them.

In fact, I'm enjoying painting everything, in oils, watercolors and acrylics, figuring out what works for me in each medium and playing with color and texture. Today in class I worked on a middle stage on a picture involving a collapsed Roman bridge being rebuilt by a community of diverse people. Of course, it needs lots of work still. I also started a smaller picture that will probably end up as a sunset over water, but it's at a very early stage. Happy Springtime, everyone! B*B, Ysabeau

Setting boundaries and limits

2007-03-07T10:57:00.000-08:00

Today, I'm taking care of myself. I'm realizing that it is so easy to be pulled off my own course by other people and their needs, wants, and manipulations, and so hard for me to put myself first.

When I do something nice for someone else, and don't think anything of it, some people come to me again and again and assume I'll do other things for them. I don't know how to easily tell them NO, and if I do what they want, I don't always feel good about it.

I have a wonderful art teacher, who is chronically disorganized, and who wants me to do secretarial work for him. A little bit is ok, but that's not what I'm in class for, and I really do have limits. I gave someone some art supplies that I saw that they needed, and that I had replaced because they didn't suit me. Now that person is offended because I won't take my personal time and tutor them in art, and I barely know them. A dear friend says I "attract needy people", and I don't know how that can be, but she had a couple of examples, and she's probably right, so I'm trying to be more aware of it. I know I looked "useful" to my ex-husband, my parents were very demanding, and I was the oldest of four and had to take responsibility early and often. One of the other students in my oil painting class (a very mouthy and usually funny guy) was teasing me that I ought to get a job as a teacher instead of taking a class.

B*B, Ysabeau

Gorgeous Hike

2007-03-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

When I was in my teens and living in Portland, Oregon, going to Multnomah Falls was one of my favorite hiking places. It's a pretty strenuous seven mile hike all the way up above the falls to Skyline Ridge, and part of it is without any real trail. After one of these hikes, I'd be really tired and muscles would ache.

Now, I feel that way after a much smaller adventure, but I wanted to remember that everyone has limits, even when you are young and healthy. My limits are just different now, but limits are not a new thing, it's just a matter of adapting to reality, and being creative with the abilities I still do have. B*B, Ysabeau

Window Boxes Full!

2007-02-24T20:11:00.000-08:00

This morning we put in pansies, poppies, dianthus, and stock in the windowboxes for Spring! Variegated big and little pansies, lots of color, this was so easy and it will be really pretty. When they get tired out, we'll just replace them with some other annuals. What a plan! B*B, Ysabeau

Painting and Focus

2007-02-21T17:08:00.000-08:00

So many of our early Spring days are beautiful, and my hollyhocks are already five feet tall and blooming, so why aren't I painting outside, even with new music speakers?

I have a whole room for a studio, so why haven't I been painting there, even with my new DVD player?

I have been sewing a little on a quilt, I have been beading a little bit, and I have been going to my classes, but I'm still working on my first oil painting, and I've been making progress, but I'm feeling pretty impatient.

Typical of me, I'm afraid. I'm in a hurry to learn, then I'm in a hurry to do "it", then I'm in a hurry to do it "well". Very Silly and not very productive, I know. It is a process, and I need to Focus and let it happen as slowly as necessary. Take a deep breath. One step at a time. Relax.

B*B,

Ysabeau

Priorities - Not Easy!!!

2007-02-16T18:26:00.000-08:00

I want to do a lot - but I have to pace it, so priorities have to be set. That's not so easy to do sometimes!!

I want to clean the house, and keep it that way all the time.

I want to prepare all the meals for us.

I want to run all the errands and do the shopping.

I want to organize the garage and move things around as needed.

I want to grow pretty flowers and fresh herbs, and do necessary gardening for upkeep of the yard.

I want to be able to go places and to do things with my husband, and with friends. I want to feel like I can go to the beach, and go swimming in the ocean, or go to museums and gardens and walk all over them and take photographs.

I want to make quilts for our beds, make gifts for special occasions, and make some blankets and such for donation.

I want to take classes in art at the local college, and keep on learning and doing new things, and keep my supplies organized so I can find things when I need them!

Plus, I want to do a lot of things that I haven't even thought of yet! So, thinking about what is the most important to do FIRST, is really important. That's my job right now.

B*B,

Ysabeau

Going with the flow, creatively

2007-01-11T09:46:00.000-08:00

Setting priorities and boundaries

I've been having the Winter break between classes, and I thought I'd get soooo much done! Well, I have gotten a lot done, but not even close to everything I hoped to do. I have done most of the highest priority and most urgent items, but still, if I had another whole month, or three, I still probably would not have it all done.

I've been trying to figure out why that is, and it seems that most of it is because every time I complete first priority items, either lower items move UP, or new ones are ADDED at the top of the list! So, rather than thinking it's all hopeless, and I'll never get it all done the way I want to, I have to come up with creative ways to cope with it. I have to think, WHAT are my goals, and WHY are they important? Then, I work towards a balance, so some housework, some creativity, some errands, and an occasional outing, and if I consistently remember to do the most important items FIRST, I should be pretty much ok. It helps to keep a sense of humor, and be flexible about which things I do depending on how much energy I have, so there is no way to be absolute about it.

I find it to be really difficult to have patience with myself, but the fact is, there is no reason to panic if I can't do it all, like I used to feel that I had to. That results in never feeling satisfied with what I did, never being able to value my creativity because it's not "perfect", and mentally putting myself down because I'm never really finished with all that I want to get done. Let's face it, a lot of what I do takes a lot of time and patience, and I enjoy doing it, but there are only so many hours in the day.

So, I need to be patient with myself, and work on balance, that's always a challenge for me.

B*B, Ysabeau

Creativity in the Patio!

2007-01-08T02:28:00.000-08:00

I took this photo (and a bunch of others!) on our trip to La Jolla last week, and painted outdoors, and had a wonderful visit with my nice brother and sister in law, and spent time with my husband that I truly enjoyed, but... I got really chilled while we were at the beach, I ate restaurant food that really disagreed with me, and I'm STILL recovering a bit from my fun.

I know a lot of my artistic friends and teachers advocate painting on site, but I always seem to be a bit wiped out from the experience. A more practical approach seems to be to take a lot of pictures, pay attention to how everything looks and feels to me while I'm there, and remember as much as I can from observing, and doing the painting part of it at home. I have a wonderful walled and shaded patio, with hummingbirds, flowers, and now it has outdoor speakers (Yule present from my husband!) so it's hard to beat for inspiration and comfort.

I enjoy painting "en pleine aire" or at the location, but I burn, freeze, have stuff blow over, need to have basic facilities that don't always exist, and pay for it later physically, so a lot of the time I'm just better off and more able to be creative if I do some or most of it right at home. B*B, Ysabeau

New Year's Post

2007-01-01T04:09:00.000-08:00

All over the world, many people are making "New Year's Resolutions" or hopes, dreams, and even decisions that will cause big, sweeping changes in their lives. This isn't about that. This is about little, every day problem solving, and figuring out strategies that work for me. I've been taking art classes, and I really enjoy them, also sewing quilts, making jewelry, a little gardening, taking a few pictures, some crochet, some finishing of UnFinished Objects, too much bad tv, and a bit of cooking, cleaning, and keeping our home up. I have not been going anywhere much, even right here in the neighborhood. I am not very organized, and I need some structure. I have plenty of art supplies, but I need the energy to use them, and a positive spirit to enjoy doing it.

Trip to La Jolla

2006-12-31T01:27:00.000-08:00

We went on our usual Holiday trip to see my husband's brother and his wife, and we decided to meet in La Jolla this time, since it is so beautiful there, and they like it, too, and it's not too far from their home. I asked for some time near the ocean to do some outdoor painting, and I got to paint for about three hours, until it got too chilly and we had to leave.

I couldn't get to it, but there was a sea cave and hollowed out rocks down below, when the tide came in the water was swirling in it, I really wanted to go down there, but instead I watched the children, they loved it, some of them were at least 30 or 40, lol!

The sea cliffs were so polished by the waves that the harder stones looked like seal shapes lying on the rocks by the ocean. This is one of the few areas that has a rocky coast instead of sandy beaches on the Southern California coast, and it's particularly gorgeous.

It's a nature preserve, too, and these pelicans were happily sunning themselves a few feet from all the children jumping up and down and pointing at them, and they seemed to pose for the cameras. Every once in a while they would take off, one after another, find a snack, and cruise back to perch in the sunshine.

The high tide came in and washed over the whole cove that the swimmers had been enjoying all day, in spite of temperatures in the high 50's or low 60's all day, and a brisk breeze off and on. They looked kind of blue, and I know the water was chilly. So gorgeous, I wish I could have spent more time there. B*B, Ysabeau

Winter Ramblings

2006-12-26T00:08:00.000-08:00

It has been a very busy few weeks around here, with a lovely early visit from our Susie for Christmas, a lot of finishing of projects for gifts, and sending off handmade cards for the season. I've been kind of busy... plus the computer service changed from Adelphia to Roadrunner, and has resulted in no service much of the time for most of December. Now, it seems that they are starting to get it straightened out, so to catch up, the Fall term of classes finished up, and I'm preparing for a beginning oil painting class in mid-January. The weather has been so pretty, I'm going to be spending as much time in our little patio as I can, and my dh gave me outdoor speakers for Yule, so I can have as much music as I like! I will really enjoy the music, and will be serenading the neighborhood and painting to the music, woo hoo!

I got my little dog a huuuge bone for her stocking, and she has been carrying it around and successfully trying to make a dent in it, she's a rat terrier, so this twenty pound dog is just right for the bones for the eighty pound dogs. If she can get her mouth around it a little bit, it is going to get eaten!

Fun and Games! Ysabeau

Planting flowers

2006-11-03T23:52:00.000-08:00

Today I found the energy and, with help from my dh for lifting three huge bags of dirt, planted some low-water flowering plants in a dry spot in the front yard, sloping land, near the street. In this part of the country, this is a good time to plant, because they get a chance to get well started before the extreme heat comes back sometime in late Spring. There will be little feathery purple flowers on one, apple red petals on the other, and they should spread out well and cover the area I need covered.

I love gardening (I ended up soaking wet, filthy, and with mud on my face, woo hoo!) but I have to really be careful because it's so easy to overdo it. I'm really tired now, but didn't hurt myself, and it cheers me up to think about the flowers, plus they will be very easy care, which is a priority for later. The neighbor's incompetent gardeners that come once a week to blow leaves around, cut back my big pretty rosemary, and it's dying and will have to be removed, as well as my mature lovely pink geraniums. Neither does well after being weed-wacked, but we've enjoyed them for several years, and I'm making progress in cleaning up that area. I really enjoy all my gardening results, but doing it isn't as easy as it used to be. B*B, Ysabeau
I really enjoy all my gardening results, but doing it isn't as easy as it used to be. B*B, Ysabeau

Huntington Beach, California

2006-10-28T20:53:00.000-07:00

When I started having problems with my mobility, I started realizing how many of the places I had taken for granted, have problems with access. There may be a way down to the beach, with a ramp, but I didn't see it! It was all steps and bars, down to the sand. Then, of course, it's a distance walking through sand to get to the ocean. I always have loved the ocean, but at least on this day, I couldn't get to it, even though the weather was beautiful. B*B, Ysabeau

George James workshop last Saturday

2006-10-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

I overdid it Saturday, but it was worth it! I went to a George James workshop all day, took lots of notes, while he demonstrated watercolor technique, then gave a second demo on Yupo synthetic paper, with lots of ideas about how to use it to get effects you are just not going to get on regular paper. I don't know if all the watercolor contests will allow this stuff, but it looks like a lot of fun to try, and a way to express things that you can't get any other way. Woohoo! she said, with ice on her ankle, missing her Monday classes... but it was worth it! B*B, Ysabeau

a busy week!

2006-10-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

These are some of the paintings I did in watercolor, all in the last couple of weeks. These are in the school display case right now, along with wonderful paintings by my fellow students. I feel really honored to have my paintings up for other art students to see, and some people have told my teacher they like them. In fact, one of the teachers was really enthusiastic, and had my teacher introduce her to me, so that was nice, because she seemed to see what I hoped to put into them.
B*B, Ysabeau

Creativity resistance!

2006-10-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

I have spent many fun hours doing immersion dye on extra-high quality cotton, comparable to the tightly woven fabrics used in Batik work. I have washed, dried, pressed, and hoarded my results, and gifted a few special people with a piece here and there, for a birthday or special event... but I have had a terrible time using any of it myself!

I used a bit of my early pieces to make some small items, bags, but I just couldn't bring myself to slice it up into parts for a quilt, so yesterday I started cutting pieces for some Seminole style strips to put into a quilt. There are glowing shades of yellow, turquoise, green, cobalt, purple... and wonderful muted tones with streaks of magenta or crimson, and I'm just wacking it into strips of 2", 3", or 4", which should be adequate to play with the patterns in my Seminole book, and the advantage is that since I intend to machine quilt it myself, I can work up the quilt one strip at a time, and hope to manage the super-Cal-King on my home machine.

Why is it so hard to cut the fabric? Do I feel like I don't deserve to use it? I have no problem cutting the fabrics I don't really get the big charge out of, so why not use them on my projects when I'm going to spend lots of my limited time and energy, so my results will be as good as possible. Hmmm.

B*B,

Ysabeau

...but wait, there's more!

2006-09-24T17:21:00.000-07:00

Watercolors everywhere!

2006-09-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some bits of what I've been working on lately, and I tried to take pictures, but lighting is an ongoing challenge.

I enjoyed painting them, so I hope you enjoyed looking at them. B*B, Ysabeau

Acrylics are driving me crazy!

2006-09-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

I've been struggling to get a feel for really painting in acrylics. How much medium to use, which brush for which technique, and it dries before I can quite get it. Here is an attempt at some fruit and flowers that I managed, and a version of the Cycladic scupture "the Harper". Patience! Please just give me some patience. B*B, Ysabeau

Adventures in Oils

2006-09-12T05:27:00.000-07:00

We went to Mother's, a local health food store, and I wanted to find some more amber perfume, since it's my favorite, and I was running out of the tiny bottle I had been streeeetching out for months. They had some that had a good fragrance, but it was very diluted, so you almost couldn't smell it, and a tiny bottle was about $15.

So, I had a thought, and I went to the incenses, and found a couple of chunks of amber resin, one "golden" amber, one "spicy" amber, for $3.99 each, and a pint bottle of expeller pressed almond oil. I got out my trusty mortar and pestle, and a few minutes later, voila! A full cup of very wonderful, concentrated perfume that will do me for at least a year, and I can use it as often as I like.

Funny how I don't think of these things until I can't find what I expect to find. B*B, Ysabeau

Went to Huntington Beach

2006-09-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

On Friday, and it was such a beautiful day, sunshine and light breeze, not too crowded because it was a weekday! We walked up the pier and I took some pictures, and we saw a family of dolphins swimming by the end of the pier, ok we just saw Part of them when they surfaced, but it was still exciting. I haven't been able to enjoy an outing like this for a while, so I was so happy to be at the ocean. We had a cup of coffee at the Ruby's restaurant at the end of the pier, people watched, and tried not to get too much sun. I didn't feel too bad the day after, either, but we were pretty careful not to overdo.
My only real problem was that I still have to get used to the thought that "going to the beach" does not necessarily mean I get to go in the water, or play in the sand. sigh. But, the air was fine, the water was beautiful, watching everything was really fun, and I was able to walk down the pier, so that's enough for this trip. B*B, Ysabeau

Q is for...

2006-09-10T13:03:00.000-07:00

Quinn
Quit
Quiet
Quill
"Q" from Star Trek Next Generation
Quince

P is for...

2006-09-10T12:59:00.000-07:00

Peace
Peach
Penis
Poach
Pariah
Please
Pinch
Prude
Pouch
Pieces
Pink
Particolor
Plow
Partridge
Pneumonia
Pistol
Portrait
Pint
Pickle
Poodle
Ping!
Priority
Pill
Puce
Power
Pal
Pale
Pell
Pool
Pile
Palooka
Pride

O is for...

2006-09-10T12:55:00.000-07:00

One
Only
Oil painting
Oil blending
Ocean
Ochre
Oasis
Ore
Onion
Ouch!
Oestre
Old
Obi One Kenobi
Open
Odor
Oats
Omen

N is for

2006-09-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

Nasturtiums - I've been growing them every year, and they are so easy and pretty
Neighbor - My neighbors run a tutoring class in their garage, and it gets loud, plus the teenagers waiting for class right by my front window get tiring
Neverland - give me some fairy dust and I'll be ready to fly!
Now - the most important time for everyone
Null - empty - void
Nag - am I nagging, or reminding? It's all in the viewpoint
New - is overrated, but sometimes interesting
Nurture - yourself as well as others, you are important too
Nature - affects me more than I want to admit sometimes, but I'm very connected
Narnia - my favorite fantasy world as a child
Noodle - I used to eat way too many cup-o-noodles, because they were really cheap!
No - I'm practicing saying "no!" when I need to, instead of saying "yes" and regretting it
Nacre - pearlescence, layers of beauty in a pearl
Nickle Song - ... they only put in a nickle and they want a dollar song...

That's some "N"'s!

B*B, Ysabeau

M is for

2006-09-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

Moon rises in the East, I can see it from my bedroom window, and I open the curtains and let the light come in through the crystals in the window and cast moon rainbows on the walls and bed and people...
Miracles happen every single day, but we tend to take them for granted
Maybe, If, Perhaps, Almost... all those "in between" words, that sort of end up keeping situations in limbo and unresolved
Mince herbs into food and skip most of the salt, and people will wonder why their food suddenly tastes so wonderful! I grow my own herbs, mostly in pots, and tuck a sprig of fresh rosemary in roasting chicken, or French tarragon minced into eggs, fresh marjoram in chicken soup... and the aroma adds a whole new dimension to the food.
Mink is a beautiful color, but I don't want to rip the fur off the beasties and wear it, that's a turnoff and not practical. If I'm not going to use the whole animal, I'd never kill it for the skin, and minks aren't on my menu.
Murky motives behind recent politics have me avoiding the inflammatory propaganda that passes for the news
Millions of grains of sand on the beach, I love the crunchy/soft feel of it on my feet, but I don't like some of the places it tends to gather later
Munchkins are strange little people, when I saw the Wizard of Oz the first time, I thought they were scarier than the witch!
Metaphysical teachers can't agree with each other any more than art teachers, I guess it's usually a "YMMV" situation, and use what works for you
Metabolism - what's that?
Mehta practice is a wonderful exercise in seeing yourself as part of a larger picture in the world
More is not always better, even if it's quilt fabric or art supplies!
Minty fresh - that's better than dragon breath
Mule skinner's blues
Misty - sung by Carmen McCrae - is a golden classic
Mother should be a nurturing connotation, but that's not always so
Marciano Martinez is my wonderful Watercolor art teacher at school. A good teacher and a good friend, I'm learning a lot and enjoying it.

That's most of the M's for me, of course, I'll think of more later, but oh, well!
B*B, Ysabeau

Art Department asked me for a picture!

2006-09-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

I got a surprise yesterday... the head of the school's Art Department asked me for a picture to use on their website. They needed it right away, and a certain size, so this is what I came up with for now. I feel honored, and also feel like this picture wasn't good enough, but it is all watercolor techniques, and due to the small size they needed I didn't want too much details, and this is simple.

They wrote back and said it was ok, so I feel relieved, but I know there are much better artists in class - but it's nice to be included!

B*B, Ysabeau

L is for...

2006-08-30T02:09:00.000-07:00

Leora, that's me! Named for my grandmother, an old family name that goes back to Helen (Light), and a very popular girls name in Israel, meaning approximately "my light"
Libraries, favorite places to "be" for me, all my life
Lima beans, I love baby green limas, and butter beans... and my lima bean soup is wonderful
Lemur, aren't their eyes fascinating?
Leo, my sun sign is in 3 degrees of Leo, with Libra rising, moon in Gemini
Languages fascinate me, and I had a little Latin, German, some more Spanish, and French in school, and enjoyed the windows into other cultures that brought
Lyre is a type of harp, always looked so pretty and interesting
Lists, I'm a sucker for lists, can't you tell?
Lotus, so much beauty and fragrance coming up out of darkness and muck
Lint, what I've got in MY pocketses, precious!
Llama, an obscure Monty Python reference that I couldn't resist adding (also, the Larch!)
Lunar for the Moon, a big influence for all women
Lorien, the name of my baby daughter who lived one day, but was a big influence on my life
Licking, that would be my dog's worst habit, she likes to sneak up on me and lick my face to make me giggle
Limitations are so hard for me, I keep pushing my limits because I somehow feel like if I just keep going I can do anything I have to... but that's not always the BEST thing to do
Landing - on my feet, like a cat!
Links to friends, to community, to learning from the past to make a better future
Llewellyn - lot's of "L"s! and fun to say
Laura, a song, a movie, and what people wanted to call me in school, because my name was "different" and Laura was more familiar (or Leona, sometimes!)
Light is what I try to capture in my watercolors, and use to say something special
Legionnaires, I used to want to run away and joing the Foreign Legion... why do they wear those funny hats? and, do all camels spit? maybe I won't join, after all.
Little details can make all the difference
Latin, I studied one year of it in high school, and really enjoyed it, especially the times the teacher let me go off to the park by the Rogue River, to read a book
Lowlands and Highlands, someday I want to see Scotland
Lancre is a really interesting Terry Pratchett place I often visit
the Lottery - a short story that really affected me in school, helped me to understand people better than I did
Lyrics of songs are poetry, and I love to sing a song with beautiful lyrics
Lentil bean soup - my soups are slightly famous
Larkspur - a flower for July, my birth month
Loser is a label I don't really understand... nobody "wins" all the time, and when you win, what does that really mean? I'd rather be a consistent "B+" than an "A" in only one area
Lime tree in my front yard has beautiful ripe fruit right now, so wonderful to cook with
Lemonade especially Pink, is a favorite for Summertime!
Limberness, something I've always taken for granted, which is slowly deserting me. I do stretches to try to keep it (hatha yoga style).
Long Beach, CA is one of the closest beaches to where I live, and I enjoy going there
Love, that's the big one, all we need is Love, right?

So many L's so much time... I guess I should break down and post this, right? B*B, Ysabeau

Back to School!

2006-08-21T22:34:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of classes, and I know I'm going to enjoy them. My watercolor class is short a few students, but the teacher is trying really hard to fill it, and we are all asking friends if they are interested, so I hope it will work out. I felt so excited about art class starting, I swear that I felt like I was in grade school again, in a good way. I hauled my stuff around in my new purple bag, which really helped me, but it was a little hard to get it in and out of the car, so I need to stay aware of the weight of anything I put in there. Lockers will be available Wednesday and that will help because I can put the heavier things in there so I don't have to bring them back and forth.

I got all carried away and started painting like mad, but it was really fun. I finished a small seascape, did a beginning layer of a woman's head and shoulders, wax resist and background on some pale flowers, and first layer of a balancing figure with ocean behind... just felt very free with color and layers. I like watercolor a lot, and I hope acrylics and oils turn out to be as interesting.

I've been making some other things, but I haven't been painting much this Summer, so it's very nice to have time set aside to paint again. It's not that I have so much talent, there are so many more talented people in the world, it's more that I just get a special kind of satisfaction from watching the colors move around on my paper, blending and feathering, and making something that is a unique expression - even if it's true that the picture I'm doing isn't very good, just ultimately going to be just a step towards improving, it's still something special to me.

So, I'm tired, and achy, and happy. B*B, Ysabeau

Progress not Perfection

2006-08-06T02:05:00.000-07:00

I have a long list of things I want to get done, and a short list of energy, and physical strength to do it with. The frustration is that I know how to do a task, my mind is ready and willing to do it, but my body just can't keep up right now. I'm not sure if it ever really kept up, but I'm much more aware of it than I used to be. I try to break tasks down so I can do them a little bit at a time. I try to be patient with myself, but patience is not, and has never been, easy for me. I also have trouble being organized, and tend to get sidetracked, or do too much and hurt myself.

K is for...

2006-08-06T01:55:00.000-07:00

Kwan Yin, Kwanin, Quan Yin - my favorite goddess of mercy, compassion, and generosity
Kids are so much fun, but such a challenge to keep a balance with them. I like to borrow them, then give them back, all spoiled, at this point in my life
Karma is a wonderful concept, as long as it isn't used to punish people who are already being hurt by life
Kkkkaty ... an old song
King me - used to play checkers very seriously with my grandpa Claude when I was a kid
King Kong - only the original classic for me, thankyouverymuch
Kismet - oh, the lavish Hollywood musicals! Bad Costuming, bad Dialog, but wonderful singing!
Klutz Kits - a fun way to try something new and a little weird, that's how I learned to do a little bit of macrame
Kiddy Karz - I loved them, thought I was really truly driving when I was six
Kiss me Kate - another chauvinistic script, but I keep being drawn in by the staging and classic style
Katherine Hepburn - a personal favorite, and a real class act
Kudzu - would you believe that the local city PLANTED IT all over the freeway walls, and WATERED IT?!!!!! It is self seeding and migrating all over the area, eating trees and yards as it goes, but they planted it because it's easy care.... oh, my.
Kathereen Mock - a dear old friend of mine from Canada, I miss her sweet face
Knee - mine hurt
Knead - fun to knead bread, but what to do, I can't eat it any more!
Krab (not Crab) imitation fake seafood that sneaks into my food
Kangaroo - what has it got in it's pocketses, precious? I think they are really fascinating, but I have no urge to get one for a pet!
Kilamanjaro just sounds so exotic and foreign, someplace I'll never be going, like Kalamazoo
Keen, neato, swell - acceptable exclamations when I was a kid
Kansas (I don't think we're in Kansas any more, Toto!)
BB King plays the blues on Lucille, says why should he retire, when he's having fun!
Knitting, I've just learned the very basic stitch, but so far I prefer to crochet, but once in a while I try it again.

I'm slow, but having fun with this wordplay list - B*B, Ysabeau

J is for...

2006-08-06T01:48:00.000-07:00

Jazz music is great to listen to especially live. I've done a little singing in that genre, and had a great time with it, but prefer the vocal type of Jazz (and Blues) as a rule. From Ella to Billie, Al Jarreau, Joe Williams, Etta James, Willie Nelson (yes, he's done Jazz and Blues... and Reggae!) it's gooood stuff.

Jasper is a stone that comes in many colors and shines up beautifully. I love to work with it because it is inexpensive for the lovely quality you can get, and it is so durable, as well as being so colorful to make designs with

Jets, (Benny and the) was a hit song when I was in college, along with Rocket Man and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and I'd hear it played over and over while I studied in the Student Union (at University of Oregon)

Janette is the name of my next younger sister who is about 9 years younger than I am. My, she was a bald little baby, but she has glorious blonde hair now. She grew up to be an artist, a writer, and an English teacher in an inner city school... why would anyone have five Masters degrees?

the court Jester - Danny Kaye plays a wonderfully silly role, it's one of my very favorite movies to watch, it always cheers me up when I worry too much or lose my sense of the ridiculous. I like all the Danny Kaye movies, but this one is hard to beat, with costumes from all over history, and the Pellet with the Poison is in the Chalice from the Palace.

Jingle Bells is Not my favorite Yuletide song, but it can get stuck in my mind because you just can't avoid hearing it, and then you can't get rid of it!

Joy - I love to use symbols for joy in my home, rainbows from crystals, hummingbird feeders to attract the flying jewels along with flowers that they like, which happily come in joyful colors and scents that I can enjoy, too.

Journey - every day - one foot in front of the other on a path towards the future. "The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began..."JRRTolkein

Junk can be treasure, it just depends on your viewpoint, and what you end up doing with it. A little paint, a little sandpaper, and Voila! ready to use once again

Juror - I love the movie "12 Angry Men", and I think it should be REQUIRED viewing in our schools because it teaches a lot about jumping to conclusions and human errors

Judge - "...I'll be Judge, I'll be Jury, said cunning old Fury, I'll try the whole case and condemn him to death..." L. Carrol - So important not to judge too quickly or too harshly, yourself or others, because it's often not your best choice

Jenga is a fascinating game of balance and steadiness of hand and mind

Jasmine grows as a perennial in this climate, and I have some star jasmine vines as ground cover, and trained up on supports so you can really see the white star shaped flowers with their rich scent on warm evenings. It's really tough, but looks delicate.

Jewelry design has been a semipro/hobby of mine for over twenty years, now, and while I was very burnt out for a while after producing large quantities of one-of-a-kind designs for several "one woman art shows" of my designs, which seemed to involve repairing everyone's broken jewelry as well, I'm enjoying it again as long as I don't fall into the trap of trying to do too much at once, or letting someone tell me what to design.

Jealousy is something I've seen destroy people. There's all kinds of jealousy, but whatever the cause it's like an acid, destroying friendships, relationships, and setting barriers between people for no good reason.

Justice is important in daily life, being fair to oneself and others, but Not Revenge! Justice.

Jerusalem has been desired by many people, and caused wars to be fought over it for religious beliefs, with crusades, deaths, and ruin. Maybe it could be set up as an area that NObody owns, and the wars could cease, like an International Park/site? I don't know, just seems like there should be some compromise that would work and stop all the nonsense.

Jar - a good tool that I've used in the past is a "fun jar", with outings and fun projects written on pieces of paper, and then you draw one to do when you have a free day! Great for motivating groups, kids, and adults who can't decide what to do first.

I think that's all the "J"s I need... B*B, Ysabeau

New dolly for my art supplies!

2006-07-20T23:14:00.000-07:00

I found this at Art Supply Warehouse on sale for about half price!!!(of course, I ordered the purple, didn't like the green, my usual color choice) so I'll have something really practical for hauling my art supplies to school, for my classes next month. The dolly I used last year was much less practical, and is pretty worn out, too, so I was delighted to find this one. I ordered it and it will be on its way soon.

Since I'm taking (oil and acrylic) beginning painting, as well as continuing my watercolor class, it is really nice that this will hold the heavier supplies and liquid solvent and mediums I'll need, then I can just use them right from the organizer. I won't have to pull everything out, if it turns out I don't need it all that day. I can strap my paper or canvases to the handles, and I can also have a "set" of oil, and a "set" of acrylics, and just drop in the container I intend to use that day. I'll get a locker, but I know it won't all fit in there, and I'll probably use that for the watercolor supplies and extra paper and canvases.

I think it's going to be a great way to make the painting classes more accessable, since parking is going to be a real bear (with construction expected for at least two years taking up over half the adjacent parking). I have limited ability to lift and drag my equipment and may have to transport it quite a distance some of the time, and I've been concerned about it. Woo hoo! Ysabeau

I is for...

2006-07-12T02:18:00.000-07:00

I is for I, simple and complex me, myself, and I

Iris, the colors and textures are really so fascinating, I participated in a quilt block swap of appliqued irises, and each person showed a different perception of them - also goddess of the rainbow, and looking at all the colors in my photos of them, that's appropriate

Ideas, my head is stuffed with them, some good, some, well.... debatable

Ink for writing, drawing, painting, stamping

Ice, really popular with everyone in the Summertime! It's 100 right now, more ice please! Ice tea, Ice cream, Ice coffee...

Ivy, ancient symbol of healing, reincarnation, growth

Illusions, trying to keep the good ones is a challenge

Indigo, one of my favorite watercolors to experiment with, and perhaps more flexible than black for showing tones and shadows, I did some figure studies that were satisfyingly expressive in indigo

Ill, I hate to be ill and I'm a lousy patient, always think I should be "all better right Now!" but the fact is, maybe I'm not... but every day I'm better and better

Isis, a very ancient goddess of protection, healing, mercy - spreading her wings over us

Intelligence, I have survived and thrived in difficult circumstances mostly due to the fortune of having a high level of intelligence, which has helped me to adapt, learn, and grow in the face of overwhelming odds in my environment

Irridescence, chatoyancy, that elusive quality of shimmer like scales on a fish, surface of moving water, subtle, but that makes me want to look again

Igloo, have you ever wanted to go live in one, when it's really hot in the Summertime?

Ignorance, which is NOT bliss, not by a long shot, and which causes a lot of the trouble in the world

Igor, (not eeegor, of course)

Ok, out of I's but of course, I'll think of five more the minute I hit send!

B*B, Ysabeau

H is for...

2006-06-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

Herbs, I grow rosemary, French tarragon, lavender, chocolate mint, thyme, cilantro...

Hands, busy doing so much that I want them to do

Hollyhocks, I grow them every year, pink, white, fuschia, red, and all variegated and mixed, wonderful old fashioned flowers

Headaches, I get migraines, but not as often as I used to, and not as badly, either. I do have one right now, lasts several days, but milder than it could have been

Heart, as in willingness to keep on trying in spite of obstacles, also had a bad heart murmur when I was born, now it is just loud but no physical problems any more, guess I grew out of most of it

Hiccups, I used to get them pretty badly, sounded like a dying chicken or something, my mom said that I used to get them before I was even born

Hobbies, I tend to learn to make all kinds of things, and make stuff with my hands, especially anything to do with color

Harmony, I tend to see things in terms of balance and harmony, and love to listen to all kinds of vocal harmonies, from the Carter Family through gospel, blues, folk, jazz... and strive for harmony in my relationships

Healing, health, and a healthy mental attitude are all a big focus in my life right now, healing from three surgeries, dealing with health issues like diabetes and arthritis as well as old injuries, and overcoming anxiety and depression on a daily basis

Home, I love to spend time on my home, fixing it up, gardening, making food or seasonal decorations, even cleaning when I'm in the right mood, all towards making it a wonderful place to share with my dear, wonderful husband, and to enjoy myself, and I'm sad that I can't do as much as I used to in that direction, but try to take it in small steps. I'd rather spend time here, with it fixed up as well as possible, than go on a big trip somewhere else, does that make me a Hermit? I hope not

Haven Hearth, the name we gave our home with a hand painted sign on the mantle

Hope, there's always hope and I really think that I've developed a talent for finding it, and can usually find silver linings around even the darkest clouds, even if they are a little bit tarnished

Higgledy-piggledy, technical term for the condition my studio is in

Hallowe'en, or Samhain, always was my favorite holiday, I loved dressing up and going trick or treating, the last year I went I was 19 and in college, using my younger siblings as an excuse, er, I mean REASon to go

Hair, I used to wear mine really long, down to my knees, but I'm not really sure why it seemed so important to me at the time, just vain I guess

Himalayas, one of many places I visit online in photos, but will never go to

B*B, Ysabeau

Completely renovated bathrooms - never again, I hope!

2006-06-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

Everything raised up higher for 6'5" dh, tiled, replumbed, new fixtures, new sink and marble countertop, medicine cabinets, lighting, tub...

too much fun.
and never again, I sure hope! B*B, Ysabeau

Can't work in my studio... Why?

2006-06-27T12:23:00.000-07:00

My 11'x11' studio area is stuffed and disorganized. In spite of attempts to tame it, it still bulges at the seams and snickers at me. Oh, deary me! and probably Lawks! I shall have to take stern measures and a large trashcan to it, that should teach it to behave better.

B*B,

Ysabeau who is Losing It a Bit

First Acrylic paintings

2006-06-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

For our eighth anniversary on June 26th, I painted a picture for my dh on the theme of the "Navajo Prayer", walking in beauty (...beauty is before me, behind me, etc.) and for a first real attempt, with a very limited palette of paints to work with, just a basic set of reds, yellows, one blue, brown, black, white, I'm surprised it turned out as well as it did. Before this, all I had done so far was this little 4x4" seascape:

Roof! Roof!

2006-06-27T11:51:00.000-07:00

OOOOOooooold roof!!!

NEW roof!!!!!

So Tired of Contractors

2006-06-23T00:08:00.000-07:00

This is a rant. They don't call when they aren't coming, come when you aren't expecting them, do whatever they want to, and if you give directions to the "leader", he probably won't tell the others so you have to do it all over again when you find them doing it wrong. They don't have common sense, when cutting materials, they drop sharp metal pieces in the grass that will become projectile weaponry when you mow it, and if you ask, they tell you it was too much trouble to drop it in the trash. They don't close the doors after them, over and over, so you get to air condition the outdoors in 100 degree heat, plus you get to chase the family pets around the neighborhood.

They wash out their paint buckets and dump the water on your fast dying lawn, so you have odd pale purple patches, tromp around with paint and concrete on their shoes, and they vent their compressors rusty steam either on your cement patio floor, or use it to kill your hollyhocks. They promise deadlines they have no intention of keeping, then say you heard wrong, or blame the city inspector, the plumber who didn't return their calls, and/or their suppliers.

They leave large sharp machinery in your side yard for weeks after that part of the job is finished, and show no interest in retreiving it, since somebody went on vacation. In Las Vegas. They leave paint buckets on new light colored tile so the condensation causes rusty circles on new tiles, then when you move the buckets and point out the problem, when you come back, they have carefully repositioned the buckets to hide the rings.

They thump and bang, and smell, and borrow things without asking, like using your small shop vac to pick up wet concrete bits, coating the insides of your machine with concrete, and wiping up on your good towels... doesn't come out. You give them huge amounts of money, then have to remind them, follow up on them, and make them do what they said they would... and after they are paid, they get very slow about finishing the work.

it's like LIVING WITH TEENAGERS!!!!!!

Then they have the NERVE to ask when you want some more work done!!!!! aaarrgh!

Ysabeau

F is for...

2006-06-11T23:46:00.000-07:00

Friends, some come and go, others come and stay, but all give something wonderful and share a unique part of my life

Findlater, my last name, from Scotland, castle "fin de la terre", corrupted over time. Dh's grandparents immigrated to Montana and had a sheep ranch

Finesse, a way of approaching challenges in my life, right along with Panache, I hope

Fortunate, I feel like I've been fortunate in many ways, meeting wonderful people, at key moments in my life, really

Feelings, no, not an old song, but something about myself that I sometimes have real difficulty keeping in proper perspective, without blocking them or hiding from them

Freedom, so amazing to finally have so much freedom of thought, free time, and free choices that I never had before

Foolishness, I try not to lose my sense of humor, and play often to stay healthy and happy, and highly recommend some silliness as regularly as a daily vitamin

Food, I had three stomach surgeries, and now food and what I do/don't, can/can't, should/shouldn't eat is a daily challenge

Fulfilled, I sometimes have a feeling that I am doing what I need to do, when I need to do it, and that seems fulfilling at a very deep level

Foreshortening, very challenging to draw especially if it's a Figure drawing, I know "how" but the actual doing of it really isn't easy for me

France, a place I always wanted to visit, but probably never will. I took five years of French in HS & college, very out of practice, but really had hoped to go and be a silly tourist there (but I have been to San Francisco, which was almost as good, and had Fun there!)

Flowers, so much more important to me than I ever expected. There's just something so rich and decadent about taking little scissors and just going outside to look at them, and maybe cut something to bring indoors

Fresh, the herbs I grow, the flowers blooming outside, and the breeze this afternoon from the direction of the ocean a few miles away

Frankincense, an old incense resin that smells wonderful slowly burned

Fantasia, built out of the fabric of imagination

Fish, I need to eat more fish with Omega 3 Fatty Acids, but not Fried, unfortunately

Future, challenges and all, it's so bright sometimes "I've gotta wear shades"

Finished, I probably have enough "F's" here, although I seem to always think of things I should have said much later... but I don't want to go on Forever! B*B, Ysabeau

Sutter's Gold roses and flowers inspiration

2006-06-04T15:50:00.000-07:00

I love my little garden. I planted two Sutter's Gold rosebushes several years ago because I fell in love with the range of colors and their lovely scent, and they never dissapoint. The single fuschia hollyhocks are from "heritage" seeds, a friend brought them back from her great-aunt's yard in Boston, and they seem to be really adaptable. You wouldn't think they would do so well in Southern California, but they grow higher than the house walls and bloom all Summer. Whenever I'm feeling down, it always cheers me up to go outside and look at them, maybe paint a bit, cut a few to put in a vase, or just trim off old blooms. I love the way the rose blooms vary on the same bush, and the hollyhocks have mixed with the other seeds I got, so there are double fuschias, creamy white streaked with pink or fuschia, even dark burgundy streaked with fuschia in my yard, now. So pretty and "country garden" feeling. I grow herbs around the roses, and most of them bloom too, lavender, marjoram with tiny white blooms, rosemary with blue blossoms, and you can cook with them, too! B*B, Ysabeau

I really love colors

2006-05-29T00:31:00.000-07:00

I have had some watercolors that I started in class, and after I started most of them, some paints I ordered from Daniel Smith in Washington state arrived. I've been finishing them a bit at a time using the new color, and having so much fun with them, since the vivid colors really bring out more of what I wanted to express. It is so nice to have really wonderful fresh colors to draw on for glazing and layering. I experimented with doing some life drawing with them, and I think I can really grow by using what I have bought, in new ways, for me.

There will be contractors here again working on the house on Tuesday, and roofers starting to strip the shingles off the roof Wednesday, so it will be pretty much impossible to work here on anything. I'll be looking for safe and relatively comfortable places to spend the rest of the week, complicated with needing to take my somewhat traumatized service dog with me, and stay close enough to be available as the contractors call me with questions and requests. I am so grateful for the long weekend, because I've been so tired and stressed because this has been going on for almost three weeks, or forever.

I just want to be someplace with a bathroom available, safe from excess sunburn or windiness, ok to bring the dog and have her relatively comfortable, and me relatively comfortable, within fifteen minutes of the house, preferably selling coffee for me! This has been harder to arrange than one might think. I've been wishing I could just curl up somewhere safe, and hide out. B*B, Ysabeau

Oil Painting - Butterfly box... READY!!!

2006-05-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

Several of my friends all sent me the advertisements on a "butterfly" painting box, and I looked at it, and drooled, then the Art Supply Warehouse sent me an ad for it, at $29., and I just caved in and bought it to put my new oil paints in. The brush racks will be perfect for the oil painting brushes I've been acquiring, and then I don't have to search all over for my stuff, but can be all organized to start with. Just set the box down, open the wings, flip up the brushes, and you are ready to go!

I've been reading up on oil painting, and watching a few painting demos, and I think I'm going to like it, although it is the opposite end of the painting spectrum from my beloved watercolors. I think I'll transition to acrylics, then into oils, then it's just a matter of lots of practice. Each one is so different in how you do it technically, but color is color, I hope.

B*B,

Ysabeau

Investing in myself

2006-05-21T15:20:00.000-07:00

Since I won the watercolor award, and sold one picture also in the gallery, I've decided that buying myself a set of oils to try in my painting class this Autumn is something I give myself permission to do. I was going to get one of those $19. sets with student grade paints, which would probably be adequate, but I'll enjoy using something with better color and texture, so I've decided to get myself a high end student/low end professional set, to start with. With some discounts it's still four times the cost of the other set, but my experience with watercolors is that there is a real difference in the results when you use better paints, and they do last a while, so instead of trying to get good results with the cheapest pigments, I'll be trying with better stuff, and it may have the side affect of giving me more confidence.

I also got a starter acrylic set to play with, but they were much less expensive and will probably be ok since they are a name brand, and I already had some of the brushes and mediums accumulated to try with acrylics, so I wasn't starting from scratch.

It's always so hard for me to try something new, especially something I've been told over and over that I "can't" do, so having a class with others also trying new things, is a great place for me to attempt new skills. It helps that I know the teacher, and feel like I can learn comfortably with him. B*B, Ysabeau

E is for...

2006-05-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

Exhausted - with art classes winding up for the Summer, both bathrooms torn up and contractors bopping in and out of the house, having to take time away from the house to avoid noises, dust, chemical smells, and to take a shower... then trying to figure out what we can or can't do about our old roof, cost, practicality, and my dh being really unhappy which I hate, picking up some of the stuff to be installed... - I'm wiped out.
Enthusiastic - I'm low on enthusiasm just right now, but usually I have lots to be enthusiastic about, art, gardening, quilting...
Erg - a unit of energy, which I am out of
Encaustic - an art medium I keep hearing about but haven't tried yet, I'm getting a little curious
Essence - part of staying focused is to remember to see the essence of what is going on
Entice - Spending the day painting near the ocean is beginning to entice me (see Escape!)
Ergonomics - I want my dh's desk to have better ergonomics, and I have to remember to be careful with my painting, quilting, and reaching so I don't hurt myself as often
Eagle - I was gifted with three "properly obtained" eagle feathers by my first teacher Pushnataha, a Lakota. Properly obtained = snatched from the live bird, at 96 he still had the scars from the birds. Do not try this at home.
Entertainment - Making things, learning, books, music, nature, movies
Esthetics - with Libra rising, I can talk about color for waaaaay too long. Most people find this unappealing, but I try to be good. Watercolor is a great outlet for this problem for me because I can mix and layer to my heart's content
Enchanted - I have always been a person who enjoyed fantasy, stories about enchantment and beauty and hope, and I see my everyday world as enchanted in a real way, with beauty in little things and new discoveries everywhere
Evergreen - living in Southern Oregon part of my childhood, I love the scent of the forests, nothing like wet evergreens
Eager - I try to stay eager to learn new things, never too jaded to try something new
End - this is the end, I'm wandering around
B*B, Ysabeau

Getting ready for new media, mentally

2006-05-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

Next Autumn, I intend to sign up for another watercolor class, but I'm also working up to trying the next media, which is acrylic painting. The class covers acrylics and even oils, but I want to try acrylics THEN work up to oils, so I'm expecting to have six hours of painting on Mondays and Wednesdays, instead of three hours each Mon, Tues, Wed, and Thurs. This is partly because parking is going to be a mess with the parking lots torn up, so less times parking is less stress and wandering around, and partly because I've been working myself up to trying Acrylics.

I have acrylics for fabric painting, so I'll play with those over the Summer, and sun printing, plus I invested in some "heavy body" acrylics to try, because they just look SO interesting. The heavy body acrylics can act like their own gesso, you get actual textures if you want, and they are great for palette knife work, which I really want to try.

The biggest problem is that I put obstacles in my own way when it comes to trying something new, so I have to sort of slip up on new things from the side. I have to get supplies, look at the unopened boxes and bottles for a while, read a bit about how it's done, watch somebody else do it or any related shows on tv, tell myself I can't possibly do it, tell myself "what's the worst that could happen if I try?", look at the stuff some more, and then put on some of my favorite music, make sure nobody can see me, and, and, and....
TRY IT!!!!!
whew!
Ysabeau

D is for...

2006-05-05T11:49:00.000-07:00

Desert, amazing colors, plants, and animals
Dessert, mostly chocolate when available
Daring, trying something new and challenging, something you aren't sure you can do
Doggie, Quan Yin is my rat terrier
Dandelion, my lawn is a little haven for them
Darling, Willie is my Darling
Dreams, happy creative ones, and nightmares, all healing in their way
Drain, everything I do seems to be more of a drain than I expect it to be
Dance, I like to square dance, but haven't done it in years, and I love belly dancing, especially the Turkish and Indian style music to dance to
Dirt, nothing like playing in the dirt and planting seeds and plant starts for real mental health
Dye, fabric dye is fun stuff, especially if I twist and tie and fold the fabric first
Dogwood, there's just something about the way the blossoms look that I like, and I associate them with my Grandma Rachel who loved them
Dragon, I like the Wisdom connotation, anyone else read "Tea with the Black Dragon"? one of my favorites ever
Dentists, one of my very few phobias
Dress-up, I really still love to play dress up, but don't get many chances any more, it was my favorite part of the SCA, to be really honest, especially the ornamentation and anything with lots of veils and floaty bits... but I did make myself a purple crocheted artist's beret to go with my hand dyed purple scarf from a friend, and I wear them!
Doormat, what I'm NOT any more
B*B, Ysabeau

C is for...

2006-05-04T09:25:00.000-07:00

Creativity, create, creative, creating, verb "to create", noun "creation" - a big word in my world
IthinkI Can, IthinkI Can, IthinkI Can - IknewI Could!
Car, very important in this area with very little public transportation
Cartoons, I confess, I do watch them, from classics from Disney and Warner Bros., to Corneil & Bernie, about a talking dog, and the Tick, Kaput & Zosky, and my personal fav, Pinky and the Brain - but can't seem to get interested in Anime
Conte crayons, I've been struggling to draw with them
Charcoal, messy and fun, but I can't seem to get the lovely results some of my friends get, mine are dark and streaky
Carol Duval, a guilty pleasure, still resisting polymer clay, though!
Coffee, my favorite indulgence, even more than
Chocolate, but it's a close race! Chocolate coffee? Coffee chocolate? yum!
Color, maybe my very favorite thing in the world to play with. Color is my friend.
Cooking, I like to combine creativity and cooking, and see what results!
Chili, I make absolutely killer chili, fresh ingredients, and it's even healthy
Coral, symbolizes fertility, including creative fertility, and I love to wear it combined with shell for nurturing and protection, and the sea, or turquoise, a traditional native combination
Chant, talking and singing... The ocean is the beginning of the earth, all life comes from the sea...

B is for...

2006-05-02T22:45:00.000-07:00

Bonkers, sometimes I go a little bonkers when I try something new!
Binky Patrol, one of my favorite charities, giving little quilts and blankets to traumatized children, I like to donate to them
Breakfast, I get a protein shake every morning
Barbie, I never did like the dolls, but the accessories were so mysteriously tiny they were fun
Bananas, I don't like them
Branches, so symbolic of choices and decisions
Boats, pretty but I'm not a good sailor, but I enjoy painting them if they are NOT under me
Beauty, it's everywhere if you look for it - Navajo prayer - Walking in beauty
Beads, Beads, Beads, one of my favorite creative materials
Bands, I love to hear live music, particularly if I get to "sit in"
Barter, more fun than money
Beginnings, every day is a new one
Butterfly, symbol of transformational changes, and so beautiful to watch
Boulders, really BIG beads
Brown, a really under estimated color, so many lovely places and things are mostly Brown, like bears, tree trunks, earthenware, some people, animals, rocks, wood... many shades of lovely browns from pale sandy browns to deep rich woods, I love them all

"A" is for...

2006-04-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

Amber, I love the perfume and the stone/petrified resin
Anger, something I was taught not to feel, but I'm working on it
Art, Artist, Artistic, Artful - but never "artsy"
Anachronism, Society for Creative Anachronism, I spent almost twenty years participating and it was certainly a growth time for me, and sometimes I do feel like I'm in the wrong time or place
Anatomy, mine is giving me some grief right now, but healing
Arbitrary, I really hate it when I have to deal with arbitrary rules or people... tend to ask Why?
Assimilate, trying to assimilate all my past and come to my future a more whole person
Activities, love to participate, hate being left out
Answers, always looking for new ones, in addition to the obvious
Armor, learning to live without mine as much as possible
Antipathy, just a little Alice
Archery, I used to shoot a little recurve and crossbow, badly
Above, one of the seven directions
Abilities, still exploring mine, love to encourage others in theirs
Alchemy, personal transformations
...And...
Autumn, one of my four favorite seasons!

Woo Hoo! I won a first prize!!!!!

2006-04-29T17:13:00.000-07:00

My ocean picture with the BIG splashy wave, which had more details done after the photo, final photo to follow (my camera died and now I have to develop film, which I haven't done in YEARS!)...

Won First Place - Watercolor! I got the Milford Zornes watercolor award, which is quite an honor, plus $150. prize money, which I already spent on a mat cutter, and sheets of mat paper, so I can do a better job of framing my pictures. I thought that was appropriate!

!!!!!

B*B, Ysabeau

Student Art Show - I got in! and some beadwork

2006-04-25T16:34:00.000-07:00

In fact, FIVE of my six entries got into the show!!!!! Woo hoo! ... and rumor has it that one of them may have done more than just get in, but I have to wait for Friday to find out more, all I know is that my teacher told me to attend the awards presentations, for Sure, on Friday... B*B, Ysabeau

Here is a hair ornament I made for myself with tiny beads on a polished stick, and the circlet was something I made for a friend's wedding, with amethyst, moonstone, crystals, rose quartz, it came out really lovely for my first ever attempt at wire work. B*B, Ysabeau

Possibilities and opportunities

2006-04-22T00:52:00.000-07:00

It's funny how things happen. I went to a local craft store, Tall Mouse, a fairly large independant store that has been in the area for many years. They have classes in some techniques to use what they sell, and they are putting in a larger upscale beading sales area. I was purchasing wire and the clerk was telling me what was coming in, when she suddenly (and I can't think why) decided that I needed to talk to the store manager for the classes, and possibly teach something.

I don't know if I want to, how hard it would be, if it would pay much of anything, but I'm going to have some free time over the Summer and I do love beading, and sharing creativity. The manager wants to see some samples of my work, and I'm going to take a look at what I have ready to show her. B*B, Ysabeau

Student Art show part II

2006-04-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

I put these two into the Art Show, too, after I did a little finishing work on the left hand one...

The left one "La Jolla in Spring", is 16X22", I think, and the right one "Stolen Time" is 11x14" size, I just realized that I probably didn't sign them (if they accept them into the show, I think I will have to take them apart and sign them)... oh, dear. and probably lawks... well, I'll just be really happy if one of the six I submitted gets juried in, and even if NONE of them do, at least I did try, and I will try again. B*B, Ysabeau

Student Art show

2006-04-21T02:05:00.000-07:00

I did put in three pictures, the "Gateway" one shown

on another post, a large abstract floral that is large and

very wild and mostly purples, I called it "Easter Parade"

as a joke, and a smaller picture of a small girl and smaller

boy with pails on their way to the beach, called "Big Sister"

that for some reason, I personally liked.

My teacher said -

WHY didn't I include one of my seascapes... reason is I had no

frame that would fit it, so I took the hint, picked up a couple of

likely inexpensive frames at Target on sale, and I'll try to make

one or two of them fit, and turn them in tomorrow.

B*B,

Ysabeau

Overcoming Trepidation

2006-04-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

I have the opportunity to enter the annual Student Art Show at my college, and I've been encouraged to try by my professor, as well as fellow students... but my block is that it is a "juried" show. So, the ones they don't accept won't be in the show. It is only $3. per item to enter, and I have that... but I don't have anything matted and framed the way they want. Time to enter is "by" this Saturday, starting today. I tried to get my dh to say it wasn't a good idea, last night, but before I could get it all said, he was saying Yes, enter! Go buy matting or whatever you need! oh, great, no excuses there.

So I'm venting my total fear here, and I'm going to go find something that I can cram into a frame, and take that to class with me today. Wish me luck.

B*B,

Ysabeau

Birth data ideas

2006-04-18T23:33:00.000-07:00

I was thinking that it might be fun to try using symbols and colors from my birth data in a collage, or a multimedia quilt style wallhanging, or combine some of the aspects in a piece of jewelry, or other wearable art. So, just brainstorming, I could take the Lion for Leo as an obvious focal point, and have a streaming mane with other symbols hinted at, here and there, maybe give the Lion (or lioness!) ruby-like eyes, or put a miniature symbol of fire like a reflection in the eyes. Colors and lighting could influence the mood of the piece, joyful or sad, meditative, whatever I wanted, and I could use lots of texture, visual and tactile, to make it more interesting.

Another idea would be to combine symbols for my sun, rising (Libra), moon (Gemini), and perhaps midheaven (Cancer)... or make a pathway or map collage, symbols along the journey...

B*B,

Ysabeau

Birth data on me - thinking I can use some of it Creatively?

2006-04-18T00:41:00.000-07:00

Your date of conception was on or about 2 November 1953 which was a Monday.
You were born on a Mondayunder the astrological sign Leo.Your Life path number is 7.Life Path Compatibility:You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 1, 5 & 7.You should get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 4 & 22.You may or may not get along well with those with the Life Path number 9.You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 3, 6, 8 & 11.The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2434949.5.The golden number for 1954 is 17.The epact number for 1954 is 25.The year 1954 was not a leap year.Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/3/1954 and ending 1/23/1955.You were born in the Chinese year of the Horse.The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 18 April 1954.The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 25 April 1954.The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 3 March 1954.The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 6 June 1954.The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 13 June 1954.The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Tuesday, 28 September 1954.The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Sunday, 18 April 1954.The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 2 March 1954. As of 4/18/2006 3:35:19 AM EDTYou are 51 years old.You are 621 months old.You are 2,699 weeks old.You are 18,894 days old.You are 453,459 hours old.You are 27,207,575 minutes old.You are 1,632,454,519 seconds old.Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 7.39491193737769 years old. (You old hound dog, you!)
There are 99 days till your next birthdayon which your cake will have 52 candles.Those 52 candles produce 52 BTUs,or 13,104 calories of heat (that's only 13.1040 food Calories!) .You can boil 5.94 US ounces of water with that many candles.
In 1954 there were approximately 3.6 million births in the US.In 1954 the US population was approximately 150,697,361 people, 50.7 persons per square mile.In 1954 in the US there were approximately 1,667,231 marriages (11.1%) and 385,144 divorces (2.6%)In 1954 in the US there were approximately 1,452,000 deaths (9.6 per 1000)In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.Your birthstone is Ruby The Mystical properties of Ruby
Ruby is said to open one's heart to love.Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)
CarnelianYour birth tree is
Cypress, the Faithfulness
Strong, muscular, adaptable, takes what life has to give, happy,content,optimistic, needs enough money and acknowledgment, hates loneliness, passionate lover which cannot be satisfied, faithful, quick-tempered,unruly, pedantic and careless.There are 251 days till Christmas 2006!There are 264 days till Orthodox Christmas!The moon's phase on the day you wereborn was waning crescent. Copyright © 2006 Paul R. Sadowski (http://www.paulsadowski.com)

Felted Wool bags

2006-04-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

These bags were made from tapestry wool, cut lengths tied together and then crocheted, then felted by running through the washing machine and dryer several times on HOT, then embellished with beads, silk, shells, and whatever I could get my hands on. They were a lot of fun to make, no patterns just forming them as I crocheted. I love the textures! B*B, Ysabeau

2006-04-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

These are three quilts I entered in the Indelible Spirit challenge, and my dh who didn't want his picture taken (isn't he cute!). I won a "judges choice" for the one he's holding, which was the only one large enough to qualify for that contest.

There was some confusion in the process of dealing with entering things, but that was a good experience for me, in the long run.
It was enough to just get the quilts done, send them out on time, with labels, hand done sleeves (which turned out to be different from the requirements, which was frustrating) entry fees, and make the committment to believing in myself that entering something I made by hand entails. It was harder to do than it sounds. B*B, Ysabeau

looking for a way

2006-04-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

I kept thinking of different ways to approach creativity while I was working on this large watercolor. I tried to use as many of the techniques I had learned as possible, including using resists of tape, wax, commercial resist, different salts, glazing, layering, lifting out, and it was a lot of fun, and even though it is quite dark, I liked the way it turned out. It has meaning for me, even though it's an abstract, it looks like an old stone wall and arched gateway, with light coming through, stones, trees... it was fun.

B*B, Ysabeau

Watercolors are fun, fun, fun!!!!!

2006-04-15T13:11:00.000-07:00

This is probably the nicest piece of work I did last term in my firstest ever art class. I went back to college after thirty years with a lot of trepidation, but I was really interested in learning more about painting... so I gave it a try. I got really lucky, finding a teacher who is generous with encouragement and information.

B*B,

Ysabeau