Daily Roles

wife, mother, friend, traveler, sub contractor, maintenance manager, bookeeper, family caregiver, memory keeper, meal planner, chef, poet, hearth keeper, tax prepareer, painter, journaler, wanderer, photographer, nurse, blogger, gardener

Our many roles add to the richness of who we are in this world.  

As the list became longer and longer, I began to appreciate the multidimensional 

aspects of myself and others.  

We humans are amazing, aren't we

We are fortunate at the wealth of online art offerings out there to stretch our knowledge.

I already mentioned Kelly Kilmer's Revel in the Moment collage and journal workshop and 

Misty Mawn's mixed media Open Studio.  

In March Judy Wise is offering a mixed media workshop.  If you have not taken a workshop from this generous instructor, you might want to do give yourself a spring gift.   

Currently Strathmore is offering a free online workshop series.  

Traci Bautista, the January guest instructor is teaching Doodles Unleashed.  

You might ask why take so many workshops?  Don't they all go over pretty much the 

same information?  Can't you create on your own?  Won't you find yourself adapting to the instructor's style and not to your own unique style.  Good questions.  I ask myself the same things and will be addressing my answers in future posts.

Do We Really See Ourselves?

I started a quick self portrait from memory with markers.

You would think that the few minutes each day spent in front of the mirror

applying make up would give me a working knowledge of my own face.

I mean, we're talking about years.

But this drawing could be anyone.  

One of the participants in Misty's online workshop

said she layered her piece until she loved it.  I love this statement 

and have adopted it as my mantra. 

I layered and layered with markers, Caran d'arch crayons, pencil, acrylic.

Was ready to toss in the bucket several times but reminded myself 

to layer until. . . 

I love it.  

But to answer the question do we really see ourselves?  

I think we all do but at different times through different 'lenses.'  

To be honest, sometimes I see myself and only see imperfections, my short comings 

come through in front of everything else.  At other times I am more neutral and on rare occasions I see the me I'd like to believe I am, the person with a kind, soft heart blessed 

with a vital energy, curiosity and creativity, a seeker and searcher 

who loves deeply and loves to connect with others.

A Year of Journals

Just out of curiosity I pulled out journals from last year

and surprised myself at the volume.  These pages represent 

my life for the year, what I did, where I went,

who I saw,  how I felt.  I write in my journal 

daily because. . .  well, because I need to.  

It is a part of me like brushing my

teeth when I wake up. It makes 

me happy and I feel whole.

Often I  discover what I think 

and what is  important to me.

What motivates you journal?

Maybe I should add journaling to this page.

Walking down the street and inspiration hanging from a tree found me.

Have a creative weekend,

XXO

Practice, practice, practice

Faces are endlessly fascinating to me.  Each unique whether from

a photo, a drawing, a sketch.

The slightest detail gives them personality.

Practice, practice, practice is my new mantra.  I drew her from a magazine photo.

She looks nothing like the model but turned out to be 

another person completely.  

I like that.

I Am Here Finding A Rhythm

After a necessary detour, slowly, slowly 

I am getting back to my art.  Finding my rhythm.  

I have joined Kelly Kilmer in 

Revel in the Moment collage workshop.

 and Misty Mawn's Open Studio.  

This is my first sketch.

I Am Here

I am here, a late comer to the 

ether of the art world when fully inhaled.

I am here, up at the crack of dawn 

flapping my wings, waving to all of you 

like-minded souls from my perch here

on the California coast.

I am here, in my silent corner, pen in hand

dodging the inner critic who so readily and

willingly can usurp my excitement.  

I am here longing to exercise my art muscles, 

rusty after a long period of time between rounds of

caregiving for family members.  Here with full knowledge

that there is only one moment and each moment is precious.

I am here, I carry with me in a pocket, so to be 

easily fingered, that which inspires and fortifies me~

my Japanese ancestors~ a samurai warrior, a painter,

a photographer, community organizers.  I feel

their strength encourage me when I falter.

I am here, an inner quiver, a rumble threatens to 

overtake me, to hijack my soul and deliver me to

the blissful land where creativity reigns.

I am here a willing hostage armed with pencils, 

pads, paints, brushes.  The door open, the path 

revealed.  A community awaits.  

I am here balancing that which life presents.

I am here right now in this moment.

I am here longing for that which feeds me 

I am here.

Boxing up 2011

No matter how hard I try not to have a new year resolution,

 January is a month of reflection, evaluation,

and new goal setting.  Tomorrow I will

be presenting a project to my 

experimental art group

that will reflect 

new beginnings.

It is this 

Exploding Box

of 2011.

We will be using our 2011 calendar as a springboard.  All of us touch 

our calendars daily.  It is a part of our daily ritual. On it is recorded the events 

of our lives, births, deaths, appointments, lunches, dinners, 

entertainment,  all that we do on a daily basis.  Instead of 

tossing the calendar or putting it in a box and never 

looking at it, we will look at what we did, where

we went, who we saw. 

When the lid is taken off, 

three graduated sized

panels spring open.

This is how the panels look before they are glued together in the center.

I placed post-its on each panel for the 12 months.

The supplies for this box are:  scissors, pencil, pen, glue stick,

photos, 4 sheets of 12" x 12" scrapbook paper, though any 

heavy paper will work, and decorative tape.

For this sample box I decided not to do a year in retrospect.  Instead I used photos I took of 

a collage my son made on poster board when he was in elementary school.   

The collage told the story of  his life, his passions, interests, fears, goals at a 

young age but is was collecting dust and we did not have a good place for it.  

This little box was the  perfect solution to preserve his memories.

For the actual project tomorrow we will be using  2011 photos, words

 and memorabilia to tell the story of our year.  

I think it will be fun.

Juggling

This past month has required me to spend most of my

time helping my husband recover from surgery

(he is doing extremely well).  I am finding a balance~~

doing a little collage, dabbling in paint 

and even making a fun project that 

I will show you soon.

Wondering if there are any new Quirky Girls.

Has anyone seen them?

On 2011

At the End of the Year

The particular mind of the ocean

Filling the coastline's longing

With such brief harvest

Of elegant, vanishing waves

Is like the mind of time

Opening us shapes of days.

As this year draws to its end,

We give thanks for the gifts it brought

And how they became inlaid within

Where neither time nor tide can touch them.

The days when the veil lifted

And the soul could see delight;

When a quiver caressed the heart

In the sheer exuberance of being here.

Surprises that came awake

In forgotten corners of old fields

Where expectation seemed to have quenched.

The slow, brooding times

When all was awkward

And the wave in the mind

Pierced every sore with salt.

The darkened days that stopped

The confidence of the dawn.

Days when beloved faces shone brighter

With light from beyond themselves;

And from the granite of some secret sorrow

A stream of buried tears loosened.

We bless this year for all we learned,

For all we loved and lost

And for the quiet way it brought us

Nearer to our invisible destination.

~ John O'Donohue ~

(To Bless the Space Between Us)

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