I'm still here, honest.

Original image can be found here.

I KNOW.
I KNOW.

Really, I do.

I haven't posted a darn thing since just before I left on my vacation- which was awesome- and I can't even tell you why, except to say that maybe I left a big chunk of my mojo back in Puerto Rico, or that the mojo I tried to find or recapture in Puerto Rico was out of my reach. I guess I lost my map.

Regardless, I've had a less-than-stellar Winter, and have some thoughts that have permeated my brain, made me re-evaluate things, made me remember that ultimately, I am just a passenger on this Universal Life Ride, despite my co-dependent control issues. 

I'll share soon, promise. Until then, I'll keep looking for my map. 
Keep giving, friends.

30 Days, Days Three Through Eight

That's right: My Little Pony Princess Celestia. 

Now that I've posted the third of three parts about my retreat, as promised here's an update to my 30 Day Creativity Challenge project. I'm not sharing everything I've done (but have listed the dates/day number/topic), especially the bits I've written; some things I think I'll only share with my cohorts of this challenge, and other bits I might not share at all. I welcome your comments, always. Enjoy.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012- Day #3= Tablescape.

I had a bit of trouble with this one as I kept thinking about food, which led to me remember that I don't really have a table at which to eat; I mostly sit at my DIY counter top bar, and weather permitting I sit outside on my tiny dollhouse deck in my red plastic Adirondack chairs, or I'll often just stand at the pink Formica counter top. So I walked around my tiny dollhouse, looking for a place to stage my food for the day (um...trail mix, coffee. That's it.), when I spied my journal on the bedside tabletop. See what I did there? 

Probably more important to me than food right now, my nightly bedside journaling has proven to be an immense and comforting outlet for me. So it seems only fitting that my books and journals be my image for this day's challenge.

This is what I see every night before I try to sleep- that beat up table, that stack of books, that lampglow, that plainly dressed bed.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012- Day #4= Best Friend(s).

This is where I wish I had curated the list of challenges a bit more harshly. "Best Friend?" What am I, twelve? Ugh. I was feeling incredibly low and frustrated that day, and while I had friends to use as sounding boards, I couldn't pick just one to call "best." I also didn't have the words to explain any of those people without sounding like Stuart Smalley. So I went for a run to try and get some headspace.

I ran through the park, along the shore of Lake Michigan, legs pumping faster than they needed to be, music helping set the tone of my thoughts and the pace of those legs. Sitting outside after my run, I was drinking coffee from a treasured mug from a "best," and it dawned on  me that my Best Friends that day were all right there: music, running (with my favorite threadbare socks, even), and strong, hot coffee with cream. Those are the items I needed that morning, those are the items that helped me get dressed and go to work, those are the items that gave me a bit of strength. If that doesn't describe a Best Friend(s), I don't know what does.

Thursday, September 13, 2012- Day #5= A Favorite Place.

Another hard one! Challenge, indeed. I though about my favorite places- my little rental dollhouse, my parents' house, the beach-any beach, anywhere with my friends and laughter, or anywhere that made me warm all over and brought me joy. As I added more and more places to my list of favorites, I quickly came to the conclusion that my favorite Favorite Place was a feeling of joy and contentment rather than an actual, physical place on a map. And so I decided to describe some moments or scenes that, when I have them in my present thoughts as either memory or fantasy, I am transported. But the picture I'm posting here to go with these words is someplace I recently fell in love with, despite it literally being my back yard for the past 16 years.

A Favorite Place

The warmth of the sun on my bare skin, the sound of the water breaking on the shore, the stillness of the air.

The smell you catch in the grocery store that has you looking around for your grandmother, or mother. It is a certain perfume, or a mixture of garlic and coffee and dish soap from the kitchen, or (I don't know what other words to use).

The darkness of a navy-black sky, with swarms of stars punctuated by the brightest, closest constellations.

The sound of a laugh or a cough or the baritone of a voice you swear is your father’s, but it cannot possibly be, because he is five hundred miles away, asleep in his recliner or out fishing the Hennepin Canal for blue gill and crappie and bass and solitude.

The happy, floating, invincible feeling between a first and fourth vodka gimlet.

A lover’s arm across your body, or the linger of a kiss from their mouth in the crook where your shoulder and neck meet.

The smiles captured in a photograph when your children were smaller, happier, and unconcerned.

Three weeks ago, your Life swirling around, when you had no reason to be anything other than unconcerned.

A song that links to a memory of a place and time and another life and a person you used to be and whom you are grateful to have grown from because it means you have become who you are right now.

Friday, September 14, 2012- Day #6= Favorite scene from a book.

Saturday, September 15, 2012- Day #7= Favorite scene from a movie.

Sunday, September 16, 2012- Day #8= Self Portrait (#2 of 3).

I love this photo for a number of reasons: 1) It is my favorite part of my body, my neck/collar bones, shoulders, decollete; 2) I had just had a day so profoundly needed that I didn't want it to end, and so I love that this is a memento of that day; 3) I love the coloring of this shot, the way the flash of the camera illuminated my body and the room and caught all the right angles to highlight.

I gotta tell ya: even though I intended to use this challenge as a fire starter for my visual imagery/art, my writing has been front and center in my head, making my hands ache from wanting to scratch out the words on legal pad yellow paper before transforming them to computer bits. I've dug out books from my library that I haven't touched in years because of this challenge, and they have helped me focus and write and re-write; reading good writing helps you become a better writer, I'm convinced. The margins of my pages are just as filled as the spaces between the blue lines. For reference, some of those books are : A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman, Where I'm Calling From by Raymond Carver, The Woman Lit by Fireflies by Jim Harrison, and Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro. Although I've always loved a well-crafted novel, short stories are my favorite things to read. 

I'll post again soon regarding this challenge, something I've written, and/or maybe even something I've drawn. Until next time, friends: read, draw, doodle, write, daydream, DO.

Renovation Dirt Can Look Cool, Too.

Top photo is some dirt that was behind the old cabinets in the kitchen. The cobwebs and shadows give it that abstracted look. The bottom photo is the same photo as the top one, just with some iPhoto filtering. I like 'em. I'm always tempted to give art as a gift, but its just too personal of a medium for me to impose on someone as a gift: "Look! I created this, and I want you to treasure it as if it were my first born!" I just don't think its practical- and if I'm anything, I'm practical.

So, I'm thinking of creative ways to not spend mountains of cash on my friends this holiday season. My ideas so far include: 1) cookie exchange; 2) my W.T. recipe collection; 3) knit hats and/or scarves; or 4) handbags all around. In all actuality, it will probably be a bit of each of those.

And if you don't know what "W.T." is, then you get a hat. Knit out of icky acrylic yarn.

I'm So Happy I Don't Have To Move To Canada

What a surreal night last night. I found myself wanting to be transported to Grant Park with all those people I used to curse at during the Taste of Chicago. And then to wake up this morning and realize I wasn't dreaming and Senator Obama had become President Obama...bliss with my morning coffee.

I planned ahead, though. I took the rest of this week off and left instructions with the rest of the staff at work: Do NOT call me. We'll see if they remember. I thought that I might have to start packing for my new life in Toronto, but since the election came out the way I had hoped, I'll be staying put here in Southern Canada.

What else? Well, Mr. Fix and I are going to a wine tasting with Fast Jessica and the Fast Doctor tonight. The food is being done by a woman who used to cater in Napa, CA and our hopes are high for a tasty evening.

Tomorrow I'll be attending the opening for the Northern Exposures exhibit . Both Mr. Fix and I had pieces selected for this juried show (me= "Glance (David)" and him="Media Generated Viruscape"). Mr. Fix will not be attending, just me and Tha Doctah (not Fast Doctor) and some of our "hippy-dippy-post-menopausal" friends (that's what Mr. Fix likes to call the staff at the arts center). Cash and prizes are handed out at this shindig, so maybe I'll have something more to report on Friday.

The rest of today will look like this for me: eat Greek yogurt with strawberries; drink more coffee (good, hot coffee- not the reheated stuff. Mr. Fix left his thermos here this morning...); paint the trim in the kitchen (my way of "helping" with the renovation); go to the YMCA and workout a little; finish knitting my sweater (see picture below); get dolled up for my date night; have Mr. Fix drive me home and put me to bed (because I'm a lightweight).


For all of you knitters out there, I couldn't afford to buy enough Noro yarn for the entire sweater when I started this project (um...about 18 months ago!), so instead I bought Lopi Lite wool in a heathered plum color (its actually got a bit of red undertones to it) for the body and sleeves, and bought Noro's "Kureyon" in color 148, which is a variegated yarn with the same plum as the Lopi, but with some purple, maroon, magenta, olive green, and black. I'm using that for the ruffled edge trim on the front of the cardigan, plus edging on the sleeves. I'll for sure post pics when its complete.

And now, I'm off! Its a beautiful day today- again, temps in the upper 50's/low 60's- and the sun is shining. Have a fantastic day!

A Couple of Pieces

So, every year our local arts center, the William Bonifas Fine Arts Center, hosts a juried exhibit of Upper Peninsula artists. I entered three pieces this year, and well, we'll see what happens. The first piece (above) is from late 2006/early 2007 and is felted wool. It's title is Glance (David).

Next up is a piece I titled Roots or Wings. Its a collection of smaller pieces that I intend for viewers to "read" from the top left to the bottom right, like a person would text. I know its hard to see all of the individual frames, so I've also included a detail shot. The medium used for this piece is a mix of some watercolor pencil, acrylics, embossed stamps, and machine stitching.


The last piece I entered for consideration is titled Happy Little. It is hand embroidery at its most detailed and labor intensive (for me, anyway).


As I mentioned before in a previous post, I'm working on two new pieces. I'm also trying out a new handbag pattern, with the potential for a craft show with my pseudo sister, Hanukkah (she makes fabulous jewelry , and in her spare time, teaches junior high art in the Chicago area), and my actual sister, Katie (yes, she of the "dragging my feet to the finish line" school of marathon training). It's tempting to commit, even though I'm busy as all get out. For one, they are two fantastic ladies, and we have a blast doing this show; two, I'd get in a visit to the fam before the holidays; and three, I'd get to meet Baby Grace. I'm 80% there...

In a bit of spousal bragging, I'm also posting pics of the three paintings Mr. Fix submitted to the same juried exhibit. For your viewing pleasure, please to enjoy (top to bottom): Media Generated Viruscape, Avocado CP3PO, and SOTA.001. All three are acrylic on panel, and are pretty big compared to my baby fiber pieces.




And lastly, I'm not forgetting, but I am still thinking about Project Runway and how the final three panned out. I guess I knew the judges/producers kept Bipolar Stupid Kenley around for a reason, but boy oh boy did I wanna see Jerrel's designs walk the runway! Did you see those gowns? So much bling! So much shiny shiny to attract a magpie Sagittarius like myself!

Well anyways, my money is still on Leanne. That wedding gown was just gorgeous. Makes me almost want to get married again. Almost. Check it out below.


The photo doesn't even begin to do it justice- it was striking. The other designer to make it to Bryant Park was Korto. And as I have been in the past, I was a bit underwhelmed. Didn't like the wedding dress, but loved the bodice of the bridesmaid's dress. Lastly, Leanne has an Etsy account/store! The Devil forwarded me the address, and I'm more than happy to share it with y'all. Go here .

Now, I'm off to find some nourishment for myself and Daughter #2. Have a great weekend.

New Art

So I had a brainstorm idea last week about two new pieces I'd like to start on, but first a word about my "artistic process."

Many times I'll have certain imagery in mind, or a series of images that I link together to make sense to me, or sometimes I'll think of words- something akin to what Jenny Holzer did with her "truisms" - and then the image will come to me. Its this last type of process that I've used to come up with two new pieces of work. I'll only tell you the titles, and you'll have to guess at what the imagery will be. Correct guesses get a _______!

#1: "Its easier to kick the dog than it is your husband."
#2: "I Don't Belong Here."

Maybe you think that I'm putting the cart before the horse, what with giving out titles before having the completed images? Well, listen up non-artist-blog-reader-types! The images are alive in my head!!!!!

Crazy? Maybe. Have a nice rest of the week. Also, if you don't know who that is in the photo above, you're really not an artist! Hmmmph!

Watch This

Okay, so I was visiting one of my favorite sites, Ninja Please , and this was posted. Effing awesome, indeed. Note: not for kids!

Rube Goldberg

Okay, so the premise of these things is: 1) You have a simple task to perform; 2) The process is super elaborate to complete the task. There was even an episode of Mythbusters where they made one, and I'm planning on having the youth I work with make them this summer.

Thanks to Katie for this site . Enjoy!

Creativity Calls

Okay, so a few days ago I said I'd write about my new art projects. Well, here's my plan:

In the past few years, I've made pieces that fall into one of three categories: 1) clothing items made from maps; 2) small hand-embroidered versions of photographs; and 3) needle-punched/felted images that are usually more somber than the other two types of work.

So I'm going to make a series of images now, and I have an idea for each category. Category #1 all relates to my life, in the autobiographical sense; #2 relates to family (and by this I mean the people I'm related to AND those people I choose to call family); and #3 are 99% the result of dreams.

These categories are really just a pattern I recognized in past work that I'm now using as a basis for future work. Does this make sense to anyone besides me? I hope so. Look for progress reports in the next few months, but for now I hope you enjoy the photos of past work (TOP: "Baby's Toys" 1993,oil on paper. BOTTOM: "Glance" 2006, felted wool.).