I stopped doing NaNoWriMo a few years ago, but I still can't shake the idea that November is the time to do something a little crazy. When late October arrives, I find myself looking for a project or challenge with which to make myself a little bonkers, but in that totally good way.
To be honest, this year I do not need to add another thing to my plate. I'm up to my eyeballs with things that need to be done, ought to be done, want to be done, and aren't getting done. I also know that it's times like these when it is necessary to carve out some time for not-work. I've started going to tai chi and qigong class again, and it has been great to have an excuse for saying, "Time out - I need to do this for Me."
I've been reading about the importance of using habit, as opposed to discipline, to encourage creativity. Nano does that, to an extent, but for me and my slow-typing fingers, it goes beyond habit into punishment. By the end of the month, I only want to stop the madness, not continue on.
Over at the Creative Every Day blog (a philosophy I heartily support in principle, if not actually in practice), November is Art Every Day Month. That sounds doable, right? Especially when the extremely loose "rules" say, "I mean art in the sense of anything creative, whether that be painting,
drawing, knitting, sewing, cooking, decorating, writing, photography,
clay, jewelry-making or whatever!" Add spinning in there, and you've got all of my creative bases covered. Yeah, I think I can give this a shot.
Did you see the beautiful, almost-full moon tonight? And on Halloween, no less. Here's a highly suitable song for both occasions. It's also good for slow dancing, or just snuggling up with someone under a cozy blanket.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Old dog learns new trick
I went to my first presidential election when I was 3 1/2 years old. My mother took me with her to the grade school gymnasium, and I remember standing in the little booth with her while she marked her ballot with one penciled X after another. Even as a tot, I somehow understood that this was An Important Thing that grownups did.
When I grew old enough to vote, I was always engrossed by the whole voting experience - the locations, the people, the changing technology. I'm so fascinated by it, in fact, that I never had any desire to vote by absentee ballot, even when they relaxed the restrictions so that you didn't need a reason to ask for one. Voting at the dining table, in my jammies, would not feel like real voting to me.
This year, though, we have early voting - live, in-person, early voting - and one of the polling sites is just a couple of miles from our house. T voted there, since he has a long shift on election day, and voting would be inconvenient for him. Yesterday, I decided I had pretty much made up my mind about everyone, so I voted, too.
The polling location was in a strip mall, next to a grocery store. Two young people stood outside with "Vote Here Today" signs. When I got out of my car, they yelled across the road, "Have you voted yet?" I pointed and said, "That's where I'm headed." "Good" they yelled back. The actual voting had all of the things I expect, including a wait in line with a variety of citizenry, which did my heart great good. The volunteer workers seemed very professional and by-the-book. There was even an infant there with her young parents, experiencing her own first election.
Early voting: Glad I tried it, would do it again.
You're going to vote, too - right? RIGHT? Don't make me come over there!
I was going to sing us out with the song from Grease about Sandy, in honor of my friends who are waiting for the hurricane. Then I remembered that I don't like that song. Luckily, YouTube offered me some other Travolta songs, and this one is perfect. Plus, Chris Walken singing! He was on CBS Sunday Morning today. Did you know he has been married to the same woman since 1969? No wonder he could be so convincing with these lyrics.
When I grew old enough to vote, I was always engrossed by the whole voting experience - the locations, the people, the changing technology. I'm so fascinated by it, in fact, that I never had any desire to vote by absentee ballot, even when they relaxed the restrictions so that you didn't need a reason to ask for one. Voting at the dining table, in my jammies, would not feel like real voting to me.
This year, though, we have early voting - live, in-person, early voting - and one of the polling sites is just a couple of miles from our house. T voted there, since he has a long shift on election day, and voting would be inconvenient for him. Yesterday, I decided I had pretty much made up my mind about everyone, so I voted, too.
The polling location was in a strip mall, next to a grocery store. Two young people stood outside with "Vote Here Today" signs. When I got out of my car, they yelled across the road, "Have you voted yet?" I pointed and said, "That's where I'm headed." "Good" they yelled back. The actual voting had all of the things I expect, including a wait in line with a variety of citizenry, which did my heart great good. The volunteer workers seemed very professional and by-the-book. There was even an infant there with her young parents, experiencing her own first election.
Early voting: Glad I tried it, would do it again.
You're going to vote, too - right? RIGHT? Don't make me come over there!
I was going to sing us out with the song from Grease about Sandy, in honor of my friends who are waiting for the hurricane. Then I remembered that I don't like that song. Luckily, YouTube offered me some other Travolta songs, and this one is perfect. Plus, Chris Walken singing! He was on CBS Sunday Morning today. Did you know he has been married to the same woman since 1969? No wonder he could be so convincing with these lyrics.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Gingerbread Day
Today was chilly and rainy. I wore a sweater today, and made gingerbread tonight. By my standards, that means it is now officially autumn.
This year, I passed by the usual Pillsbury/Duncan Hines/Betty Crocker gingerbread mixes, and went to the health food section. There I found Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Gingerbread Mix. It was dark and moist and pleasantly dense. I liked it, and even T, who is gingerbread-neutral, sneaked back into the kitchen for a second piece. Thumbs up.
Yesterday's video was so energetic, I thought something more mellow might be in order.
This year, I passed by the usual Pillsbury/Duncan Hines/Betty Crocker gingerbread mixes, and went to the health food section. There I found Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Gingerbread Mix. It was dark and moist and pleasantly dense. I liked it, and even T, who is gingerbread-neutral, sneaked back into the kitchen for a second piece. Thumbs up.
Yesterday's video was so energetic, I thought something more mellow might be in order.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Prosit!
When I was a kid, we had the World Book Encyclopedia, and it was my favorite book. I loved how at the end of articles, it would suggest other articles on related topics. I could spend hours jumping from one topic to the next, sometimes following a logical thread, and sometimes just reading everything on a page until something caught my attention.
In some ways, the internet offers that same experience (although not so kid-friendly.) Get me set up with IMDB, Wikipedia, and Youtube, and I can entertain myself for hours. That's exactly how I came up with today's video. I had to poke under a few rocks before I found what I was looking for.
In this number, the late, and brilliantly talented, Michael Jeter, plays a terminally ill man who is treating himself to a fancy vacation on his way to the grave. This number opened the Tony Awards show, in 1990, I believe. I was blown away then, and I still am.
I also clearly remember the acceptance speech he gave a few minutes later when he won the Tony. You can see that here.
In some ways, the internet offers that same experience (although not so kid-friendly.) Get me set up with IMDB, Wikipedia, and Youtube, and I can entertain myself for hours. That's exactly how I came up with today's video. I had to poke under a few rocks before I found what I was looking for.
In this number, the late, and brilliantly talented, Michael Jeter, plays a terminally ill man who is treating himself to a fancy vacation on his way to the grave. This number opened the Tony Awards show, in 1990, I believe. I was blown away then, and I still am.
I also clearly remember the acceptance speech he gave a few minutes later when he won the Tony. You can see that here.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Autumn art
Autumn has been working its way toward us a little earlier than usual. I think the trees were just worn out from the drought, and at the first sign of cool weather, they said, "That's it, we're done." We've had some gloriously beautiful fall colors, but the end is clearly near.
I found this mostly perfect leaf by the door this afternoon. It was still soft, and felt like a cross between leather and paper. Like the colors, a leaf does not last forever, either, so I made a leaf rubbing.
Do you remember leaf rubbings? I didn't, and had to look up how to do them when an artist friend mentioned them. It's pretty darned easy. Put a piece of paper over the leaf, and rub the paper with the side of a crayon. I didn't have any normal kid-crayons, so I used Conte crayons, and they were fine.
Here are a couple of outstanding artists, both of whom I had the honor of seeing perform live, with their own tribute to Autumn Leaves.
(Want a more traditional treatment of the song? Famous Iowan Roger Williams plays his well-known version here.)
I found this mostly perfect leaf by the door this afternoon. It was still soft, and felt like a cross between leather and paper. Like the colors, a leaf does not last forever, either, so I made a leaf rubbing.
Do you remember leaf rubbings? I didn't, and had to look up how to do them when an artist friend mentioned them. It's pretty darned easy. Put a piece of paper over the leaf, and rub the paper with the side of a crayon. I didn't have any normal kid-crayons, so I used Conte crayons, and they were fine.
Here are a couple of outstanding artists, both of whom I had the honor of seeing perform live, with their own tribute to Autumn Leaves.
(Want a more traditional treatment of the song? Famous Iowan Roger Williams plays his well-known version here.)
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
Word or pictures?
Before it was even October, and before I was reminded about blogging challenges, I heard about 30 Days of Get Your Art On. This one is just an artist challenging herself, and inviting others along for the ride.
I've also been following the book release party/blog hop over at Snowball Journals. I took the Imaginary Animals class online last year, and it's fun to see other artists' animals. That lead me to Cranky Birds. What would you call the cross between Art and Fanfic? That is what I want to do with the Cranky Birds. Their creator, Dar Hosta, even provided a tutorial on how to make them.
Let's have a little musical nightcap, shall we? It's a couple of days late for September, but the leaves are golden here, just like the man says. And if you know the song from its many, many popular interpretations, I bet this isn't the version you know.
I've also been following the book release party/blog hop over at Snowball Journals. I took the Imaginary Animals class online last year, and it's fun to see other artists' animals. That lead me to Cranky Birds. What would you call the cross between Art and Fanfic? That is what I want to do with the Cranky Birds. Their creator, Dar Hosta, even provided a tutorial on how to make them.
Let's have a little musical nightcap, shall we? It's a couple of days late for September, but the leaves are golden here, just like the man says. And if you know the song from its many, many popular interpretations, I bet this isn't the version you know.
Monday, October 01, 2012
Wait, what happened to summer?
A lot of things, that's what, most of which don't bear repeating on a public forum. Things have been better, but things have been worse.
It was May, and now all of a sudden it's October, the traditional month [n.b. traditions happen fast in internet time] for posting on your blog every day.
Honestly, I don't know if that will happen, but just in case it does, I don't want it to be ruined because I couldn't be bothered to write anything on 10/1.
There are also some art challenges going on, but, as interesting as they sound, I won't pretend that they are going to happen. I still noodle around with art supplies for fun, and when I can figure out what is wrong with the scanner, I may show off a thing or two.
Anyway, I will try to crawl out of my own head occasionally this month, and say Hey.
Hey.
It was May, and now all of a sudden it's October, the traditional month [n.b. traditions happen fast in internet time] for posting on your blog every day.
Honestly, I don't know if that will happen, but just in case it does, I don't want it to be ruined because I couldn't be bothered to write anything on 10/1.
There are also some art challenges going on, but, as interesting as they sound, I won't pretend that they are going to happen. I still noodle around with art supplies for fun, and when I can figure out what is wrong with the scanner, I may show off a thing or two.
Anyway, I will try to crawl out of my own head occasionally this month, and say Hey.
Hey.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Paper dolls
Granola bar box, gesso, water-soluble oil pastels and crayons, pencil, pen, pastel - I think that's it.
Little sketches
This week has been art-challenged. Real life, don't ya know? But last week, I made some little sketches for my daily art.
I am off work next week, with no plans to speak of, so I hope to indulge myself in some more fun projects.
I am off work next week, with no plans to speak of, so I hope to indulge myself in some more fun projects.
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
May 1 (Every Day in May)
I sketched a little bit. I spun the silk on the tiny spindle a little bit. Then I sketched the spindle sitting on the sketches.
That's an 8.5" by 5.5" sketchbook. by the way, to give you some scale of how small the spindle is.
That's an 8.5" by 5.5" sketchbook. by the way, to give you some scale of how small the spindle is.
It's May!
How do YOU plan to go astray?
A few years ago there was a thing called Every Day In May, where the idea was to create something (wait for it) every day in May. Sand and I talked about doing something similar this year, but unaffiliated with any groups or rules.
Stay tuned.
A few years ago there was a thing called Every Day In May, where the idea was to create something (wait for it) every day in May. Sand and I talked about doing something similar this year, but unaffiliated with any groups or rules.
Stay tuned.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Protector
I was born long before fathers were welcomed into the delivery room. That didn't stop this big guy, though. At six feet, six inches tall, he was able to peek over the transom and see his baby daughter's arrival. He wanted to make sure the doctor was doing it right.
When mom and I were still in the hospital, she heard the phone ring at the nurse's station one evening. Shortly after that, a nurse breezed into the room and opened some windows. "She said it was to let some fresh air in," mom told me, "but I knew your dad had called." Sure enough, there had been a tornado warning, and the one thing every Kansan knew to do in tornado weather was to open their windows (to reduce the risk of damage from sudden air pressure changes.)
And look at those hands! You would think a huge man with a gravelly voice would scare little kids, but they loved it when he scooped them up with those big hands and let them touch the ceiling.
My brother and I still have conversations that include declarations like, "Dad would have like that." He's been gone ten years today, but we never forget that he is a big part of who we are.
When mom and I were still in the hospital, she heard the phone ring at the nurse's station one evening. Shortly after that, a nurse breezed into the room and opened some windows. "She said it was to let some fresh air in," mom told me, "but I knew your dad had called." Sure enough, there had been a tornado warning, and the one thing every Kansan knew to do in tornado weather was to open their windows (to reduce the risk of damage from sudden air pressure changes.)
And look at those hands! You would think a huge man with a gravelly voice would scare little kids, but they loved it when he scooped them up with those big hands and let them touch the ceiling.
My brother and I still have conversations that include declarations like, "Dad would have like that." He's been gone ten years today, but we never forget that he is a big part of who we are.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Katie x 2
I showed this little painting to T, and he recognized who it was,, so I rate this one "good enough".
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Snack time
I wanted a snack, and I decided to draw it first, and then touch it up with some paint. I usually do pen sketches in a sketch book, where they stay monochromatic, so it took some courage to do one in a watercolor book. I would like to point out for the record that part on the right, where it looks like I lost track of the perspective? That IS what it looked like.
My needs for courage are rather mundane, unlike this guy. [Edited to removed embedded video. Man, I hate it when they start playing on their own.]
Thursday, March 08, 2012
Learning to swim
In my ongoing quest to incorporate more art - creativity - fun into my life, I signed up for a class on Watercolor Sketching. Aser signed up for it, too, AND called me out on her blog, so now I can't weenie out of doing the lessons.
I spent the first week painting color samples and whatnot in a tiny notebook, which is a nice reference, but hardly sketching. The other night, I told Aser I was afraid that if I combined my marginal drawing skills with my marginal painting skills, it would bring out the worst of BOTH skills.
Of course, I instantly realized the problem with that idea. My mother told me that when she was a child and they went to a lake, she was not allowed to go in the water because she did not how to swim. Because I was young when she told me this, she also stated the logical hiccup in this idea - "How are you supposed to learn to swim if you don't go in the water?"
Indeed. If you want to learn how to do something, you have to do, and be willing to screw it up, and be willing to try it again tomorrow. And let's face it - screwing up art is not nearly as scary as screwing up swimming.
This is all a long-winded way of saying, "Look what I just did!"
It's not perfect, but I think you would be able to pick this item out of a line-up. I am especially pleased at how the yellow background makes the candle stand out.
I tried to find a video of "Candle In The Wind" for our musical nightcap, but I didn't see one that especially turned me on. I found another Elton song, though, that I had not heard in ages.
I spent the first week painting color samples and whatnot in a tiny notebook, which is a nice reference, but hardly sketching. The other night, I told Aser I was afraid that if I combined my marginal drawing skills with my marginal painting skills, it would bring out the worst of BOTH skills.
Of course, I instantly realized the problem with that idea. My mother told me that when she was a child and they went to a lake, she was not allowed to go in the water because she did not how to swim. Because I was young when she told me this, she also stated the logical hiccup in this idea - "How are you supposed to learn to swim if you don't go in the water?"
Indeed. If you want to learn how to do something, you have to do, and be willing to screw it up, and be willing to try it again tomorrow. And let's face it - screwing up art is not nearly as scary as screwing up swimming.
This is all a long-winded way of saying, "Look what I just did!"
It's not perfect, but I think you would be able to pick this item out of a line-up. I am especially pleased at how the yellow background makes the candle stand out.
I tried to find a video of "Candle In The Wind" for our musical nightcap, but I didn't see one that especially turned me on. I found another Elton song, though, that I had not heard in ages.
Monday, March 05, 2012
Lucky Seven?
It's March 5, and it's my big brother's birthday. Cute little scamp, wasn't he? And dig that wallpaper! Don't blame our mom. It was a rental house.
It's also the seventh anniversary of starting this blog. How about that? I realized with some embarrassment that I did not post at all last month. Since I try to steer clear of work and politics, and the winter weather has been remarkably unremarkable, I guess I just haven't had much to say.
Here's some random dude with a birthday wish for my brother.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Bread time
I stopped by the grocery store today to get some chicken for dinner. Of course, I had to go to the back of the store for the chicken, and I returned to the front via the baking aisle.
Bernie and Sand have been carrying on for awhile now about Bernie's new-found bread baking skills, and that, plus the drizzly, foggy weather today, gave me a hankering for home-baked bread. I haven't seen the magazine that is fanning B's bakerman flames, but I was a 4-H-er, and I know a few things about bread.
I ended up with a nice, dense loaf. I think a little kneading might have lightened it up a bit, but it is good and edible just the way it is. I can't wait to slap some butter and jam on it tomorrow morning.
Also at the grocery store, I saw Girl Scouts selling cookies. Girl Scout cookies in January. What is the world coming to?
Off the top of my head, I don't know any songs about baking, but I do know one about someone named Bernie. The video doesn't really have anything to do with the song. Just close your eyes and enjoy the genius that is Dave Frishberg.
Bernie and Sand have been carrying on for awhile now about Bernie's new-found bread baking skills, and that, plus the drizzly, foggy weather today, gave me a hankering for home-baked bread. I haven't seen the magazine that is fanning B's bakerman flames, but I was a 4-H-er, and I know a few things about bread.
- You can make bread with just yeast, sugar, flour, and water.
- And heat.
- Yeast packets have recipes on the back.
- Each box of yeast packets will have a variety of recipes, not the same one on every packet.
I ended up with a nice, dense loaf. I think a little kneading might have lightened it up a bit, but it is good and edible just the way it is. I can't wait to slap some butter and jam on it tomorrow morning.
Also at the grocery store, I saw Girl Scouts selling cookies. Girl Scout cookies in January. What is the world coming to?
Off the top of my head, I don't know any songs about baking, but I do know one about someone named Bernie. The video doesn't really have anything to do with the song. Just close your eyes and enjoy the genius that is Dave Frishberg.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
The best kind of Saturday
T and I were both off work today, and we had no particular plans. It warmed up enough that I could chip the icy gunk off the steps. And yes, today, January 14, is the first time I've had the snow shovel out this winter. I used it for about two minutes, and put it back in the garage. Weird winter we're having.
I messed around with some artsy stuff, including these two pastel faces. No great shakes, but I have another class coming up next week, and I may as well refresh myself on the "outside of your comfort zone" feeling.
Our chanson du jour was brought to mind by tonight's Lawrence Welk Show on my local PBS station. (Yes, I sometimes watch Lawrence Welk. Shut up.) The theme was songs from Broadway, and Norma sang "Till There Was You" from The Music Man. Considering how much I love old movie musicals, I did not manage to see this one until I was grown. I was surprised to learn that this lovely song was from a musical, because as far as I knew, it was just one of the filler songs on my brother's Beatles album.
I messed around with some artsy stuff, including these two pastel faces. No great shakes, but I have another class coming up next week, and I may as well refresh myself on the "outside of your comfort zone" feeling.
Our chanson du jour was brought to mind by tonight's Lawrence Welk Show on my local PBS station. (Yes, I sometimes watch Lawrence Welk. Shut up.) The theme was songs from Broadway, and Norma sang "Till There Was You" from The Music Man. Considering how much I love old movie musicals, I did not manage to see this one until I was grown. I was surprised to learn that this lovely song was from a musical, because as far as I knew, it was just one of the filler songs on my brother's Beatles album.
Sunday, January 08, 2012
This week in faces
This week, I took Carla Sonheim's online art class, Faces 101. Carla is the author of Drawing Lab, and the class utilized several of the projects from the book, with the goal of getting you to draw 101 faces during the week, using different media and techniques, before you realized that you had done something you were sure you could not do. (That's my interpretation of the goal, not her words. She says it is about trying lots of things and discovering your own personal style. But chacun son goût, and YMMV.)
On the Tuesday, I was tooling around the web, looking for interesting portraits I could used as inspiration for that day's project, and ran across a lovely picture of Sarah Bernhardt. From that, I created this:
When I saw that finished picture, I was completely hooked. I'm still sort of stunned to realize, "I did that myself!" I've been drawing and painting and pastel-ing every spare moment since then. Some stuff came out well, some not so much, but it has been fun trying new things. You can see more of my creations here.
I've already signed up for the Imaginary Creatures class, coming up in a couple of weeks. Until then, faces, faces, and more faces.
Speaking of being amazed with myself, and of faces... Anyone remember the group that Rod Stewart was with in the early 70s, before he went solo? Here are the Faces, covering "Maybe I'm Amazed". (See what I did there? Oh, yeah.)
On the Tuesday, I was tooling around the web, looking for interesting portraits I could used as inspiration for that day's project, and ran across a lovely picture of Sarah Bernhardt. From that, I created this:
When I saw that finished picture, I was completely hooked. I'm still sort of stunned to realize, "I did that myself!" I've been drawing and painting and pastel-ing every spare moment since then. Some stuff came out well, some not so much, but it has been fun trying new things. You can see more of my creations here.
I've already signed up for the Imaginary Creatures class, coming up in a couple of weeks. Until then, faces, faces, and more faces.
Speaking of being amazed with myself, and of faces... Anyone remember the group that Rod Stewart was with in the early 70s, before he went solo? Here are the Faces, covering "Maybe I'm Amazed". (See what I did there? Oh, yeah.)
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