A Little Inspiration Give Away.......

Well, I can't actually GIVE that to you, but I can give away two books that might be of help!

And WHY, you might ask, are *we* doing this?

Well, I wanted to do a give away at 700 posts and it slipped right by me. Poof. Gone. Into the ether.

Also, anyone who has stuck around while I have been extremely absent from the blog deserves a little perk....and these are little! LOL!

Both books are nearly new---as in, "Anne read them once and that was it"~~I am having to thin down stuff. Covers and spines are in excellent condition, no marks (that I recall....and if you find any money in them, please send it back) or junky sticky stuff. 

That I'm aware of. *wink*

Probably better than some of the stock on book store shelves.

Just leave a comment; I'll keep track of them really good, I promise.

One caveat~~I will ship to the U.S. or Canada. The last time I tried to send a package overseas from our local P.O. it was THREE TRIPS IN and no one knowing how to process it.....no joke. I was close to a nuclear meltdown on that one. I guess I live too far in the boondocks for International Mail.....

Both books to the winner; I will choose from the comments left up thru Oct. 3rd and announce on Oct. 4th.

Now get busy and leave me some words, people!

Pax....

The Tools Of The Inner Artist

Poor book......I'll have more scribbles than the actual text....*sigh*

I had mentioned in my previous post about working the Artists Way book.
WORKING.
Not just passively reading.
Sometimes, just like our cars, the Inner Artist needs a tune up; a little fresh oil, a part or two replaced and the bugs worked out. Bad stuff flushed out and new clean fluid put in.
Occasionally it takes an almost abrupt creative stoppage for me to see this and do the work. I think that frequently there is so much input from the outside world that we, as creatives, take this all and hold it internally until there is no room for new ideas, dreaming, growth and refilling that well. We are exposed to so much media that it is almost impossible to shut it all out, and I suspect it accumulates within.
Then there are the other obstacles of life; trying to work out the business end of art, dealing with the bumps and stalls unique to that aspect, attempting to do so with grace and not become a floor mat. We are not here to have whatever squeezed out for free, we have a voice and deserve respect.
*sigh*
For the good old days when a persons word was their bond.
I digress. The work at hand requires TIME but is not unpleasant. Before my studio day starts, I do the inner work.

Words flow, thoughts perk, and of course I love BRIGHT so that is an enticement to keep on with the tune-up! 
Things remove themselves, decisions become clear, old issues still lingering and festering must be faced head on......it's an interesting journey.
Affirmations are read daily, and I pull them from one of the little blue and white Oriental cups.
Today's seems to sum it up for me....

I am.
I really am.
And by whatever name you call this divine spirit, I ask~~~
Are YOU???


Pax....

A Quick Pop In....

.....and boy that last post was FUN!!! (which we all need now and then~~too little in this world)
I have been busily working on these:

....which I *finally* completely yesterday. (and for some reason Blogger is squishing the width dimension of this photo....Lord save me from this beast! ACK!)
The look of the finished pieces is not telling of the amount of work involved; it was hit and miss the whole way trying to get them done, done right, and looking GOOD. I spent the evening doing a sloper for stole padding, which I have just eyeballed before, but not this time. I need the cardboard to get the pieces cut right as the construction is different and I have one shot at getting it all right.
 
THE FIRST TIME.

There is the normal hesitation/excitement factor, and I have learned to work with that long ago. I am seeing the construction come together in my head which means it is time to go to the fabric.
That also means I tend to get blog scarce unless I am super quick or decide to share photos along the way.
Either way, you know where I am...in the studio....doing my sewing thing!
I'll pop back in with more when I can.
Working through Julia Cameron's "The Artist's Way" for a recharge of creative juices too, so my time, as always, seems to be used up before feet hit the floor. (for anyone who has NOT worked this book---and it is not just reading but active effort---I highly recommend it to relight lost creative flames, or fan the fire to a blaze...)
Here's to a good weekend, and of course,


Pax....

What Is This Blog.....Continued

Well....that makes a visual bang, yes?
After the previous blog post, and the wonderful and thought provoking comments left (thank you everyone!) I felt that I wanted to make a statement, and at first I wasn't sure what.
It turned out simply to be the above.
This IS where I create.
It's not just the art, or the sewing, or words or tutorials....it is the thought and the photos~~the time to find just exactly what I want to help articulate semi-formed thoughts.
Sometimes it is easy to write a great post and other times it is like wringing water from a stone. Everything is inside ready to burst forward but the door is locked. Nothing happens.
I sit for days thinking.....what do I write of value to my readers? Will they still be there? Am I worth their time? Is it worth *my* time?
Doubt wanders through and makes a mess of things....leaving a muddy trail behind that I have to clean up.
Sometimes I am so busy with the other artistic aspects of life, the blog has to go dormant. But ultimately, this is where I create. The ultimate goal being a product with which I am happy, and something you respond to.
There are no blog police here; between my colorful (and I do mean COLORFUL) background and sidebars, my jazz and *that header* I so love, they know that they are dealing with a rebel! Scream and run away now~~it will save you time later.
And when did it become en vogue to police blogs anyway??? Who are these White-Paper-Bloggers? Pale and colorless, with little to say but to nag about someone else's blog. This is what really stumps me....since it carried over from the previous post! LOL! You knew it was coming.....
I had one person who *LOVED* my blog one week; full of compliments, good following, etc. and in the following week told me it was unprofessional and basically, in not so many words, *not good*. It was *this, that, the other and NOT WORDPRESS*. (and you know what? it never will be because I have tried that beast THREE TIMES and I am leaving it to wallow in it's own pool of blog-folk.....)
WOW.
Be still my gastritis.
Again, I want to say, "THIS IS WHERE *I* CREATE". This is MINE.
That is exactly what YOUR blogs should be too. Where you create what you cherish, what you open your hearts to share, what you love. It's YOURS. It should reflect YOU. It should not be a carbon copy of someone else.
You write it, therefore, it should BE YOU.
Without apologies or question.
The moment it loads onto a computer screen, the person looking should know it is YOU! They have arrived, and they're ready to read, look, laugh, cry, share, love.
At the end of the day, and the post, what more could any of us ask for......
Think about it.



Pax....

A Bit Rusty Around The Edges.....

I will admit it right here---I am a RUST FREAK. I love all things rusty.

I am the odd duck that stops in the middle of a busy street to pick up a rusted bottle cap. I love the patina rust gives to metal, and the instant feel of story and age.
Therefore, I am always on the look-out for easy ways to rust things without getting extremely toxic. I know there are compounds, but I go for the simple things I have at home. Or *close* to home.
Like this:

I have lived on this property almost 20 years and it just hit me the other day that on our southern-most acre there was old, torn up fencing. And that old fence RUSTS. I hot footed it down there with work gloves and tin snips and got myself this lovely lasso! Yes, I have a plan for it. We'll discuss that at a later date....
And then there was a recipe for rust that seemed too good to be true; cheap paper clips, a glass jar, bleach to cover and a piece of rusted metal.

 
This is after almost 24 hours. Two types of clips--one better quality than the other so one is crusty-rusty and the other is rust stained! COOL!

I am ready to dump them all out and sort. I also threw in some metal staples I had been cooking for a while~~their stewing juice was vinegar and salt. Boy, did it kick-start the bleach and metal! Whooo-hooo!!!
I can't wait to try some of these items in an art application.....
One word of caution if you decide to try either recipe; do NOT have where small children or pets can get near, into, or spill the solutions. (or husbands...ya know, just sayin'.....) And take great care in handling. Even though rusted from household products, these liquids can do a number on eyes or skin or even breathing in the fumes.
Is it any wonder I come up with paint combos like Crypt Corrosion???

Time to go knock the rust off the edges of my creativity now that I have corroded goodies to play with!
Have fun.....go make art! (or rust, whichever makes you happy!)


Pax....

ART--vs--ARTIST--vs--ART........Blah, Blah, Blah........

The endless battle....in which no one wins....

One of the things I have always wondered about is why there are sooooo many fights in the arts community. Generally, they revolve around what *is* or *isn't* art, who *is* or *isn't* an artist, on and on, ad infinitum, ad nauseaum. Sometimes, there seems to be so much energy expended on the fighting about art that I wonder what gets it started in the first place. Is it insecurity? Is it the fact that there is a certain amount of dollars to be spent on art and everyone is fighting for the limelight? Is it from people who feel unrecognized? Is it from gallery owners who felt they need the fuss to sell?
Over all, I find it a self-strangling circle. This has to have been going on since art began; somehow I get these visions of cavemen whacking the daylights out of each other with rocks for *prime-cave-wall-space* and others critiquing their drawings there-on. I mean, you know something like this happened, unless cavemen were more civil than the current art community...  ;-)
(maybe so....oooooo.....ouch!)
While this was all going through my head on and off a few weeks ago, I was reading an article about a University that had expanded their gallery and truly, they had a broad representation of art (in all forms) in their collection. I ripped the pages from the magazine and quickly retreated to the studio.
I kept seeing the printed word *art* over and over through the article and began cutting out the tiny words, until I had enough for what I wanted to do.
And then the phrase popped out at me from the text: various forms of artwork.
That was a saver.
I wasn't in the humor for big art, so I grabbed some ATC stock, inks, etc and began tinkering. Just something small to play with this perpetual idea that any one person or style holds the TRUE meaning of ART or ARTIST.

That we might have wings to fly from repetitive controversy on art, which is a HEALER above all else....

During the work, when I was waiting for elements to dry, I grabbed an old dictionary and looked up *artist* just for the heck of it.
See below.

This covers a LOT of territory.......it is not confined to something shoved safely in a little box....

The second definition brought even more meaning, depending on how one takes it.
"Thou art" means "You are."
YOU ARE. (did the archaic definition have much more meaning and substance than the modern?)
And that says more than all the bickering and yapping and sideways remarks.
That this WORD that causes vocal wars has two meanings that are the same for an artist; WE ARE.
I AM.
YOU ARE.
THOU ART.
ARTIST.
And one other thought; art is not the chattel of the rich, nor highly educated, nor the social snob~~art is the voice of ALL.
Don't be intimidated.
Go make art!!!



Pax....

Welcomes! and A Peek At My *Doodle~Time*

First things first; we have a few new followers at El Milagro and I would like to extend big and hearty WELCOMES to them! You never know what will be found on these pages; it is about as mixed up a media as you can possibly get! LOL!

Second, I have to thank Roberta at rcs creations~just a girl and her art for the inspiration to start this project. The link above takes you to the page of her journal project.

I had never started an art journal for many reasons...one being I really do not sketch, two being everyone else is doing them (which means I have to dance to the different drummer), three was I had seen so many that looked alike I was utterly discouraged with the thought of it. Roberta's project changed my mind. And that's not easy!

Well, we e-mailed about it, and I thought, hmmmm, I should be able to paste papers into a book, just to clear my head and also use some of the POUNDS of scrapbook paper I have acquired. (dirty little secret.....I love the stuff! I love all paper; that's the problem!)

But when I sat to start, I just stared at that blank journal page and nothing at all happened.
For several days.
Finally one evening, in a fit of pique (or just a good old FIT!) I took a couple of drawers of paper junk, slapped it on the floor, started cutting and tearing and somehow, out of some dark recesses of this thing I call a mind, I made the piece above.
I have called it "Creation" due to the fact that with the Hebrew writing, I was immediately struck by the text in Genesis about the creation of the world and the seperation of light from dark. And that was how I felt getting it done; I had created something and stepped from the shadows back into the light. Click on it to enlarge it to see a bit more detail.
This is not "ART". This is *art*. No pretense, no planning, just letting the creative mind wander and see what it comes up with.

What I used in this:
♦ glue sticks
♦ prismacolor pencils
♦ permanent markers
♦ gel pens
♦ assorted papers (save everything!)
♦ a foil candy wrapper that looks like a coin
♦ a die that cuts the rounded corners like the journal pages

The beautiful thing about a small project like this is there are no rules. You can use tidbits, you can plan if you really feel you need to---I don't. You can experiment with color combinations you like--or ones you normally don't like. You have no obligation to fill the book, though once you start, there is a delight at a page being done and then those scraps for another.....and another.....and another!
If you are in a state of creative block, this is a good, relaxing, nonthreatening way to get the artist skills awake and moving. It let's you attain *the zone* without a lot of effort. It really is a meditative process.
And, it is FUN.
Just plain fun.
So why not give it a try? I dare ya! Go ahead.
HAVE FUN. (and let me know if you do!)

Pax....

Breaking Rules

I have found, with both photography and creativity in general, it is not in following the rules, but knowing what they are and breaking them.

1. One does not shoot photos into the sun.

2. Lens-flare is bad.

3. There are rules to proper composition.

4. Photographing the perfect flower is preferable to photographing one less than perfect.

5. Realistic color is best.

And every one of those would have yielded a lesser picture. In fact, I was shooting in an atmosphere so humid, I had to keep wiping the haze off the lens with my shirt.
I broke every rule I could think of on this shot.
And I love it! Because it captures the true feel of the moment. I think we are in an age of creativity without bounds; only our own, self imposed rules that perhaps should not be there.

Now go find something creative that you have been taught is *always right* and break a few rules.
You have my permission!

Pax....

7/21   P.S. My computer puked on me this morning....I was able to post comments, but Google and Blogger tag-teamed me and I was at a loss for what happened. I apologize for a *group* reply. Everything froze, things in my Windows program changed, I could not exit anything, could not access Blogger.....you name it. Had to go back in and restart from scratch, and luckily my blog is still here!
I had moments of doubt....thanks for bearing with me. Grazie!

The Generosity of Nature

Admit it; if you have a Maple of any sort in your yard (or anywhere in your AREA) you have lots of these---little maple keys, seperated by the wind from the tree, spiraling downward to land with their little tails up and the seed portion ready to put a root into the ground.

Before the great weather blast the other day, in fact as it was coming in, I was out hurriedly gathering these out of the grass, one by one, watching the sky and hoping my *Bionic Hip* was made of some metal that did NOT attract electricity, especially since I was doubled over and *it* was pointed skyward......not a pretty visual. Sorry!  ;-)

So why would I run out before an electrical storm to gather these?

Because when I picked one up, it got the creative juices flowing. Then I picked up another and compared shapes and veins. Different. And then another, and the whole color was slightly different. Then I thought of all the unique things they could be used for in mixed media......the lights were on and for once, somebody was home!

Thus, in an effort to reclaim some of my drawing skills, this was produced last evening:

It is an ATC, (standard size of 2.5"x 3.5") textured black card stock with Prismacolor Pencil and a bit of white gel pen for highlights. More or less a soothing meditation from a hectic day. I can see trying a couple more of these on different grounds, maybe keeping the colored pencil medium consistent through out; not sure yet.
But the point of this is simply to be aware of what you normally walk by, and don't hesitate to collect.
I am trying each day to look differently at things provided from nature and see what they could provide when placed within the art realm!

Pax.

The Flitting Creative Muse

With everything going on of late; transitioning from sewing back to art, trying to rearrange and clean this thing I laughingly refer to as a studio, doing the Wonder-Wife jobs and trying to find my art muse again---who I am pretty sure has decided to head off to Tahiti and is leaving no forwarding address, in a moment of *why-do-I-even-DO-this???* I came across this video, which is 19:32 long, and worth all of it.
It speaks to the creative process, how it has been looked at through the ages, how it is looked at now and what we can do to help ourselves not end up in the bug-bin.......glassy-eyed and filled with a sedative!
I would recommend if you have the time, to watch....or come back and watch later. It is funny along with being informative, and for any artist that has felt like they are in a wine-press, having the creativity squeezed OUT of them drop by drop, it is a good release and laugh, and gives us the impetus to keep moving forward, in a semi-sane fashion.
With humor.
Of course!



I may be scarce for a few days; I am on a bit of a roll in trying to catch up with a years worth of house type things and will have to plan something for Easter so I am calling this my week off. Off my rocker, off most of my work on the computer, off in la-la land......Just OFF! :-D
Maybe mext week I will be a little better organized and full of oomph and pith and ready to go gung ho at the world and the blog again!
In the meantime, enjoy and hopefully I have this properly installed so it plays.
Otherwise, this is going to be one DULL post! LOL!!!
Holiday Blessings to you all.......

Pax.

Hearts, Blogs, Music & Creativity

(click all photos for more detail)

Finally, after too long off, I was able to get back to some of the heart pieces and finish them up. It seems, of late, that once I get behind on one project, then it is a case of falling dominoes....everything goes and I get to try to figure out where to restart.

("Love among the roses")

These two 4"x4" pieces were not hard at all....they were those delightful types of work that seem to make themselves, where it is a joyous journey and the whole comes together without thinking much.

I have to admit, I like those. It seems I have more of the other type that I wrack my brain on and get nowhere fast.

A slight tilted view of one of these to show the depth and crackle from the heavily applied finish. The hearts on both are made of stamped and cut Paper Clay and painted with fluid acrylics. The edge is some acrylic color added to a gel medium, then dipped into a tray of Budgie Grit. It gives a nice earthy finish to something from a garden print paper!

Then I had two pieces similiar to what I have mocked up below:

I sat looking at these until I thought my head would pop. Somewhere between starting, being distracted, and coming back to them, the original idea had gone bye-bye. I liked the ones I had done in the smaller size (pictured here) but it did not translate into the 4"x8" canvas board.

Oh. What to do.

I pushed them aside as I sewed, cleaned, designed, went to the doctor. It wasn't until I was shoveling out the table the other day that I took a good look and thought, "You have to do something", so I immediately ignored the voice in my head and checked the Blogger Dashboard for any new blog updates to comment on! I happened to be at yoborobo's, drooling over some of Pam's new work when I decided to check out some of her links on the side of other blogs she reads. (this is called *serious avoidance* folks....)

Well, I happened to click onto, yes I'm right--just checked, Bone Head Studios, and this haunting and chilling and delicious song begins to play! WHO IS THIS???? It is seductive, eerie, beautiful.....reminds me of the evenings walking the streets of the French Quarter, just as the cool of twilight descends and purple shadows fall long across the narrow streets. It was a complete sensory overload...sufficient to send me romping to Amazon to buy two Jill Tracy CD's, as that was the chanteuse this amazing voice belonged to!

After the impulse purchase, I was flooded with vision on what I wanted these two stubborn pieces to be.....I certainly did not make them, the music made them.....

I wanted that feel of decay in the background, the rust of aging metal, the crackle of paint, paper that has seen brighter and and more pristine days.....and then the hearts and wings. (though it does not show, the wings on both have a light coat of the interference paint, making them glow when held *just so* under the lights)

The edges are finished in the fine German glass glitter in black, the crackle glaze did odd things on here; I don't know why, but it is fine for the pieces!

I still have to coat the hearts and wings with a final varnish, but here is the point that all these words are leading to:

Without the blog music, I would not have come to finish these in a manner I love and am most happy with.

There is much to-do about music and blogs. If your blog is strictly commercial, well, then you have a decision to make. But if you have a blog that is an expression of you,  just think what that music adds to it! And for heaven's sake, if you don't care for music on blogs, just turn the volumn down on your speakers before blog-hopping. Don't chastise the blog writers; those who have worked so hard for real expression.......maybe, just possibly, you might be inspired.

And find something that you can't live without.

And that makes your work sing too.

Can it get much better???

I think not.

Pax.

Color Abounding--Hard Crops of the Studio Flotsom, and WELCOMES To New Followers!

First off, before I become lost in this post, which is completely possible with my swiss-cheese-for-brains state...LOL!!.....  WELCOME to my new readers! Hope you have a good time here; jump in, comment, ask questions, or if you have something you want to inquire about privately, click the *more about me* (or whatever it is on the side) and e-mail.

Happy to chat, happy you've found the studio! :-)

Yesterday, after working the amount I felt safe with doing and not having myself in deep *You-Know* with both DH and the upcoming visit to the Surgeon, I took a quick look around the studio and realized that right under my nose was all this color.

You have to understand that I can walk into a wall and not pay much attention to it if my mind is in creative mode, which thankfully it has been, so I knew the studio had a lot of *stuff* out, because I had been tripping over it and shoving it from pillar to post, but I was not looking at it.

Seeing, but not looking, is the greatest sin of the artist, or anyone who wishes to put more creativity into their lives. I don't care what you do, what medium you work in or what you would like to try, learning to see is vital. Basically, unless you live in a white cube, there is always something of visual interest about you. It is a matter of honing in with a different view.

One of the simplest things you can do, and it's fun, is to take a piece of cardstock and cut two *L* shaped pieces (about 2" thick strips), hold them so there is a hole in the center and there you have it; your own private viewfinder to the world! It is a simple tool, fun to use, and let's you rethink the overlooked in your personal space.

Thank heavens for cameras and computers to crop our photos with! Above are pieces I had tossed into my scrap basket during one of my emergency table cleaning escapades. Just sitting and waiting......Suddenly the mundane becomes sublime. You start looking. You start seeing. Life gets interesting!

Everything I have photographed was out in the studio, photographed as is and the only manipulations were to move a piece of junk if it was obscuring the frame or to go in and crop. That's all.

That means I have a lot of junk out in here---a lot.

A LOT.

I discovered that the Christmas bows I had not put away were extremely difficult to focus with an auto-focus digital. The abundance of color made up for the lack of clarity and sharp edges, so this one snuck in..... I know, I know; I should have tougher standards but I am not a professional photographer, and I don't think the *photography police* are going to pay me a visit! (and if they do, good luck getting in the door....HA!)

A simple close up of a cigar box shrine I made several years ago.....I happened to look only at the bottom...cropping everything else out mentally and decided I liked the possibility. I really am fond of that little segment, all by its self.

Last, and certainly not least, my pencils and markers on the table. This was both a close up and hard crop to remove a lot of distracting items and leave the sharp focus of the implements and the nice soft focus of color and pattern in the background. Also, the matte covering on the right container shows nothing, but the glass holder reflects pattern around it.

Maybe I should have recommended sunglasses at the beginning of the post, or put up a dislaimer of my love of bright, intense, saturated color!

I'm hoping you'll forgive me......

Now go make art, or at least take a walk about and try and look at your surroundings a little differently!

Pax.

How I Spent Black Friday....And It Wasn't In A Store!

First off, I do not leave the house on Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving is a day for me to recoup and do things here, with DH, or in the studio. I cannot take the crowds, the traffic nor do I want to end up with a cell mate called "Large Marge"..........nuff said there.

And so, the other day when I was digging--and I do mean DIGGING-- for the instructions for my felting machine, I came across this apron pattern I had purchased in the dark ages and for whatever reason, put in the plastic bag with the machine gizmos.

So I looked it over and it seemed to be a pretty quick sew, and my old aprons have or are currently rotting from age, therefore........

I dug through my scrap bag and pulled some of my favorite pieces, exiled there because I haven't quilted and could not bear to part with them. Also, one large piece that was never cut into for fear of the *Fabric Cutting Police* paying a visit to the studio.......ahem! Any others out there like that???

And, a few hours later, this is what I ended up with! A happy, bright and lively apron, that I made without consulting the instructions for the most part, so there are some things that are different......

I must, absolutely MUST, have a pocket on an apron and I pieced a scrap of batik to make it wide enough to cut the piece, then lined it with a vintage light blue flowery fabric. Yum! The flounce was to be cut as one piece but that took a LOT of fabric, and if I accordian-folded the pattern, I could cut multiple fabrics and have an extra bit of ZING at the bottom! (yes, all those pieces were hemmed with the rolled hem foot first, then pinned with the hem edge matching......and my rolled hem foot hates me, for some reason......I mean, reeeeeally hates me......)

Even the facings and neck strap were made from different favorite leftovers; I wanted all the apron to be special, and definitely *me* when worn, or just hanging in the closet! And best of all, I was able to use up or put a dent in fabric I had lying about. That made me very happy! A scrap apron that just rocks....  :-)

I have to admit I have not sewn for myself in a long time, and eventhough this did not require bodily measurements (thank God!!!) it was sort of odd doing something strictly for me. I had to allow myself to make the apron. I mean, that is NOT right! LOL!!!

Then, I sucked up all my courage and threw one old apron in the garbage and brought the other out to the studio, to try and see if I can cut a pattern from it. Then it goes. Honestly. I promise. For real!

And yes, for those of you wondering, I do have fabrics MUCH BRIGHTER than these.....I was trying to keep from glowing in the dark...well, I do have glow in the dark fabric too, which might have uses for candle lit evenings......

And then there are all the psychedelic prints.....and the skulls and Dia De Los Muertos fabrics.....it is not a bland studio, to say the least!

Hope you've had a few creative minutes yourselves over the holiday, and I am going to have to get the house tended to for Christmas really soon, as my life will get interrupted. Pooey.

Now off with ye, and have a creative day, whatever you get into!

Pax.

Wrapped In The Quiet Of Fog.......

......both literally, mentally and physically.

I took a day off.
The emotional upheavals of the past week have been more than enough; DH is better thankfully (and thank you's to all who wrote on his behalf sending spiritual help!) but still on the mend, I am okay as things go, and finally gave in and decided a day of total rest was in order. And possibly another today. As of this moment, it does not appear I have contracted whatever he has been coddling and incubating.......*it* has stayed at bay.
It's amazing what a few good nights sleep and some down time during the day can do for the body. I might want to try this more often....though I know it won't happen. ;-) I was sitting thinking of all the things I could be doing, but the body refused to move.....for once, it really did know best.

Sometimes wrapping yourself in solitude is a good thing; you think things out, you get creative problems solved, you have the opportunity to catch up on small busywork while the mind wanders freely, not that mine doesn't wander enough.

My musings have traveled to the possibility of an Etsy shop for small things I make, how I want to simplify the Holidays, being truly thankful for what we have and that includes everyone I have met through this blog this year, and getting back to a pace where I know where the year went instead of almost being in tears that it's November.

I have been thinking also about what projects to take on next year, when my current committments are complete and whether to continue in that same path, or choose something more managable. I certainly am not getting any younger and trying to fight the weight of 12 yards of fabric going 20 different directions is beginning to lose it's appeal. (and my ability to manage it)

And then, as I said, there is that niggling idea for the Etsy shop, to put a few small things *out there* and see what happens.

And mostly get back to a point where I am making art and not killing myself.

I would like to revisit some of my mixed media fiber art and the time has not allowed that. There is more I want to do with my current series of canvas pieces. I made the mistake of assessing the amount of yarn I have in the knitting basket last evening and decided I could knit tights for Giant Octopi for the next twenty years and not get that stash lessened much.....

So when does one start change? At what point do you say, no matter how much I enjoy parts of the work I do, the whole of it is too much for my body, eventhough it does pay? When do you become more stingy with time and talent and focus smaller and for what your own artistic soul is telling you to do? And where do you start?

It should be obvious, after this post, why I don't take much time off.

I tend to THINK.

I am not always sure that is a good idea, though this time, there have been some good questions that have bubbled to the surface.

As an aside for humor:

My blue budgie has figured out how to open his cage door. I went to cover him last evening and there he sat, giving me *the eye* with the door wide open and him inside. That bird soooooo belongs in this household--ornery in every little ounce! From here on in, I will have to watch him cautiously.

I am thinking, mostly, it is because I have paid more attention to DH than the *Boys*. (Joey, the green one, has been quite GOOD......)

Men.

With or without wings...........  ;-)

Pax.

A Retrospective Of A Portion Of This Years Art

I have to do this sometimes. I get busy and forget what I have done during the year. Naturally, I assume it was *nothing*........then I start looking through images of items I have completed and posted at different times on the blog, and wonder why I can't remember past whatever the current project is in front of me. Maybe that's how it is supposed to be......to keep me pushing forward.
But I'm also posting this so later on in the year, when I can't get to the wet studio, I can reminisce about the lovely box canvas pieces that I made.
Follow along and just enjoy the images! No text about them......just some nice eye candy!

Pax.

(all photos copryright Anne M. Huskey-Lockard 2009)