Jo's Christmas Present

"Bittersweet Beauty"
8" x 10" ink and watercolor on 140lb Arches
Shhhhhh! It's a secret. Jo hasn't seen her Christmas present yet. But since she doesn't read my blog (I don't think she even knows I have it) or any other blog for that matter, I'm pretty sure the secret will be safe from her. Jo is my dear friend with whom I spend most of my Wednesdays. We get together every week to paint in her studio. This year I wanted to give her something a little special. And what is so special about this painting? Well, I become very attached to my paintings and don't want to part with them. The only one that I've ever let go was a Christmas present for my brother and sister-in-law, very special people to me. This will be only the second one. Jo is getting the original, not a print. This one is a little different than my usual style and it is breaking my heart to let it go!! But if there is anyone who will love it like I do, it will be Jo since she is also an artist. I loved painting this. I could just let myself go with color and since reds, yellows, oranges and golds always make me happy, I was a happy girl playing with this. And, of course, I have scanned it in so I can make myself a print anytime I want!!


Joy Journal: Beautiful true color from my new printer.

Creating is Messy Business

Creating isn't a neat and tidy process, at least not for me anyway. And I have to confess, these pictures were taken AFTER I had cleaned up a little bit!!! But I had to take the pictures. Those bright blue pieces of paper just sing to me. I love them!!

Saint Gene and I went on our first cruise last May on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas. And we loved pretty much every minute of it. We splurged and got a junior suite and I'm SO GLAD we did!! It was fabulous to be able to sit out on the balcony and watch the ocean go by. The clouds were particularly impressive one day and I took a lot of pictures of the incredibly blue sky with the white clouds in their diferent formations. I took lots and lots and lots of pictures on this cruise and they have been sitting on their little DVD just waiting for me to do something with them. So now I am. I'm making a star book to memorialize our cruise and using some the many, many pictures I took. And I'm using the sky photos as backgrounds. Saint Gene and I both marveled at the beauty of the changing colors of the sea and the brilliance of the sky away from land. And when I saw those beautiful blue papers I knew immediately I had to use them to make a book.

I had forgotten in all my painting absorption how much I enjoy working with paper. My little Caribbean Blue Star Book is really a labor of love. I'm thoroughly enjoying myself.

Joy Journal: A warm bed on a cold morning.

Life Interferes Sometimes!

Have you ever noticed how life has a way of interferring with the plans we make? Plan for a picnic and it rains, right? But I'm not complaining. Really, I'm not. If life were all that predictable it would get kinda' boring. And while I'm not an adrenalin junky in any sense of the word, the situations we face that stop us in our tracks also make us grateful for those days that slide smoothly along.

So what have I been doing? My brother was seriously ill and that took up two full months of the summer. He's doing very well now so it was definitely worth it. Our polymer clay guild had a retreat that I was responsible for and it turned out fabulous. So all my hard word there payed off. I entered one of my paintings in an art show and was a "featured artist" in their advertising. Didn't win an award but that's ok - my painting is hanging in their exhibit right now and other people are getting to see it. You should be able to easily tell which one is mine in the photo above {grin}. Saint Gene had extremely risky surgery on an 85% blocked carotid artery. The surgery was very successful and he's doing great. A big relief. Next up is arthroscopic surgery on my left knee. I'm 'kinda, 'sorta looking forward to the surgery (though not the recovery process) so that I can get full use of the knee again. I miss being able to walk around for an hour in my favorite craft store!! The knee also kept me from getting out with my camera and capturing the fall color. But overall life is good. And I'm grateful for that!!!

Joy Journal: The roast in the crockpot smells wonderful!

Already?

It's hard to believe I'm already seeing Fall leaves in the trees. I've been spending so much time indoors lately and it really felt good to be able to be outside today as much as I wanted. My brother is in the hospital and we're staying with him so that means lots of time indoors in a tiny little ICU room. Today was my "day off" so I took full advantage of it. The beautiful red leaf above was seen on my way in to a fun lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings, followed by some time at Sam's Club, JoAnn's Arts & Crafts and Kohl's. It was tax-free weekend here in the Atlanta area so there were lots and lots and lots of people in Sam's and Kohl's. Now I'm going to sit in front of the tv and catch up on my TIVO'd Longmire and Major Crimes and enjoy being in my recliner instead of a poorly cushioned, metal ICU room chair.

Joy Journal: Sleeping late

48 Years Ago Today

Forty-eight years ago today at approximately this time (12:50 PM), I was a nervous wreck. Putting on the beautiful dress that my mother handmade for me, putting on my makeup, trying to make everything perfect. My brother would walk me down the aisle, my father would perform the ceremony and a handsome young Airman First Class would be waiting for me at the altar. My two wonderful cousins, Roxie and Libby would precede me down the aisle as my junior bridesmaid and flower girl (their mother did the reception for me). And Saint Gene and I would start on the 48 year journey together that brought us to this day. And the love story continues.

Joy Journal:

Classy

On March 17 & 18 I took a polymer clay workshop with Dan Cormier. Dan and his partner Tracy were in Atlanta in connection with Synergy3, a conference sponsored by the IPCA and I took workshops from both of them. Tracy's was a non-project workshop but Dan's included making a finished bead. As is usually the case with me, I didn't get completely finished during the workshop but I managed to finish it at home. I'm very happy with the way it turned out and plan to expand on what I learned as I continue working with the technique.

Joy Journal: Ebony

My Friday Thoughts

1. I've been retired for almost two years and Fridays still feel special.

2. If the weather would settle down I would be planting my garden.

3. Bright yellow and white daffodils will always make me smile.

4. A warm bed on a cold morning is a wonderful thing.

5. Who knew painting keys could make me happy.

This weekend will bring trips to Wal-Mart and Ross, presenting a polymer clay demo and lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings with a $5 off coupon.  Let's "Git 'er done!"


Joy Journal: Oatmeal - I love it.

Plain and Simple

"Old Keys" 9"x12" watercolor on Arches 140 lb. watercolor paper

After the less-than-succesful watercolor class I recently attended, I needed to do a painting that would bring me some happiness. And this painting did it. It is really quite simple, no background, no shadows, nothing but the keys. But it's colorful and it makes me happy so I consider it a very successful painting. While cleaning out my mother's house to get it ready for the estate sale, I came across this ring of keys and also another, larger ring of keys (which I intend to paint some day). I have no idea if these keys had any special meaning to her or if they were just old keys that she liked. Having a fondness for old keys myself I can easily understand her having them for that reason.

Joy Journal: A big compliment from my polymer workshop instructor.

Confidence is Fragile

I took a beginning watercolor class this past weekend. Big mistake. I left the class feeling defeated and unhappy. I lost all confidence in my ability to paint. After the instructor called me "Little Miss Detail" for the third time I pretty much gave up and tuned out. Don't get me wrong, the instructor was a nice person, he didn't single me out for abuse or anything like that. But his teaching style was absolutely wrong for me. He wasn't intentionally trying to be mean, he was just trying to get me to loosen up my way of painting a little. And I had been trying. But the result he got from his remarks was the exact opposite of what he intended. I froze. For a span of time my brain refused to order my hand to put any paint on the paper. I did finally somewhat finish the painting but there was no joy in it, no sense of accomplishment. And consequently the painting is quite ugly, looks like something I would have done in third grade. The class was two days and I almost didn't go for the second day but decided that maybe the second day would be better. It wasn't. I guess the instructor realized he and I were not really "simpatico" and he pretty much ignored me the second day, which worked out much better for me. I didn't really like his demo paintings and he was dishing out "facts" which I disagreed with (to myself) so I just sat quietly and played with my ugly painting. Which remained ugly. But the experience left me in a bad place emotionally. I struggle enough with confidence in my abilities without help from others. Yesterday I couldn't make myself do anything creative, the desire just wasn't there. As a matter of fact, I pretty much sat around and moped all day. But this morning I decided to kick myself in the rear and "reboot." I went back and looked at the paintings I had already done. I liked them. So I've started a new, "my style" painting and hope to put paint to paper this afternoon. This new painting is also a new subject for me. A boat. But as is my style, it's an old delapidated boat. Showing some detail. Should be fun.

Joy Journal: A little warm cuddly dog.

Just Simply Super

Joy Journal: A nice, long nap

All I Can Say Is....

WHY?

Joy Journal: Mini Van loaded for retreat

So, What Have I Been Doing?

So, what have I been doing with myself over the past few weeks? I've been playing. I needed a little break from painting so I've been playing with my polymer and, in particular, with Bettina Walker's Pixelated Retro Blend Cane. Such cool results from a really simple technique - and it uses my scrap clay!! This is just a small sample. Lots of the items I made have new homes - they were Christmas gifts.

This coming weekend I'm attending a small retreat that our local polymer guild is sponsoring. It will be a lot of fun gathering with like-minded artists and playing with our "stuff". We're renting a 5-bedroom cabin on a lake about an hour south of Atlanta. I don't usually sleep very well when I'm away from home but I'm sure I can survive two nights with little sleep. After all, I managed with almost no sleep for a week in Boone. It's so invigorating spending that much time being creative. I've been typing up a packing list of polymer stuff to take and, goodness!, I might have to rent a UHaul!!



Joy Journal: Good light for taking a photo.

Christmas Painting

"Garden Pots" - 16- x 20-inch watercolor on 140 lb Arches paper


No, this isn't a painting of Christmas - it's a painting FOR Christmas. This is what I gave my brother and sister-in-law for Christmas this year. She had been wanting one of my paintings of old cars but I didn't think the old cars theme would work for their living room (I already knew where they would hang it). So I painted one especially for them that I thought would fit better. My very first signed painting. And also the first one to leave my house. I find that I'm very attached to my paintings and want to keep them all!! Anyway, both my brother and my sister-in-law seemed to be very thrilled with it. I hope they genuinely liked it. I did tell them that if they ever decided to part with it, it had to come back to me. I didn't get it scanned before it was framed - ran out of time - so you can definitely see some glass reflections in the photo I took but they aren't terribly obvious. Well, except for the doorframe and the outline of the photographer, that is.

We had a quiet Christmas this year. We spent Christmas Eve and exchanged our gifts at my brother and sister-in-law's house followed by a meal of home made soup (made by ME!) and baby cornbread muffins. Very tasty and relaxing. Then we joined my brother and sister-in-law and their kids and grandkids Christmas Day for dinner. The following morning we came back to our house. It always feels good to be back home. I really miss having Christmas with my mother at her house. It just isn't the same anymore. During her long illness we had our Christmas here at our house and my brother and his wife came up on New Year's Day. Next Christmas we might take a trip someplace, maybe a cruise.

.

Joy Journal: An old favorite song on the radio.

New Year's Resolution

Joy Journal: Divinity Candy - hey, it's not Year's Yet!!

Three Clay Pots

Three Clay Pots - 16"x20" Watercolor on Arches 140 lb. paper In September I went to Boone, NC to take a 4-1/2 day class with Linda Baker at Cheap Joe's. This was my first painting class and I had a wonderful time. I did two paintings simultaneously - work on one, while the first one is drying work on the other one - and managed to get both of them almost completely finished. I finished the final touches on them after I got home. The one I like the most is shown above. Linda is a very warm, engaging person and was very, very encouraging about my work. She even suggested I start entering some competitions (!!) but I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet (if ever). The weather was gorgeous and we sat outside each day to eat lunch. And I must say it is almost too convenient to have the workshop space located in an art suppy store. And a wonderful workshop space it is!! Cheap Joe's is a class act all the way around. Boone is in the North Carolina mountains and I would love to be there when the leaves are turning colors.

I'm finding a lot of joy in my painting. And I'm beginning to get a little more confident in my abilities.

Joy Journal: Getting a small painting framed.

Getting Ready for the Big Move

I'm moving!! I'm moving!! Ok, so it's just from one room to the other but it's a big move for me. My studio/craftroom/warehouse is moving from a small bedroom into a big bedroom. I've finally given myself permission to take over a room that was formerly the guest bedroom. We don't have guests. Almost never. So why was I reserving a room for guests we don't have? Now I'm not. I've been undergoing a big "stuff" purge recently and I've decided to reward myself with the move into the bigger room. We got rid of the guest bed, two dressers, a vanity, etc. Completely emptied out the room. The photo above is my to-scale layout. It looks like a huge space on the layout. But with the large table, bookcases, etc. in place it really isn't as large as it looks on the layout. The room is 12' x 12'11" and I'm loving it already. It even comes with a bathroom. I'm not completely moved in - I still have some purging left to do - but I'm already using it and loving the new, larger, much better organized space. Now I'm off to paint - in my new space!!!!!

 

Joy Journal: Sleeping late on a riany day.

My, How Time Flies

The saying above has long been one of my very favorite sayings. I've often felt that I'm a square peg in a round world. But I've realized over the years that most everyone feels this way at one time or another.

I was really surprised to see how long it had been since I've posted here. Guess time really DOES fly when you're having fun. And I have been. But I've also been lazy, too. Which is fun in itself.

Joy Journal: The Falcons beat the Saints!

MY iPhone Photography

I'm trying to improve my iPhone photography so during the past week when I've had a break from staying at the hospital with my brother I've been playing around. As I did the last time my brother was in the hospital I've spent some of my break time in the Rosehill Cemetery and the Riverside Cemetery in Macon, Georgia. Both have some of the most beautiful statuary and scenery but I don't seem able to go there when the light is right. It's either much too bright and the light is directly overhead or it is overcast and the light is washed out. Cemetery statuary is usually grey and is often marked with a dark (probably algae) growth. So this photo has several Camera+ filters added to it to give it more of a sense of mystery.

I know I have been mostly absent from my blog. My brother's health issues have been escalating and my attention to other things has been sporadic. But I haven't given up on blogging. While I don't have a lot to say and certainly nothing all that fascinating or important I do want to continue with this blog. So I hope you're willing to hang with me. If not, well, I understand.

 

Joy Journal: Small signs of improvement

The Old Red Car

Believe it or not, I finally finished another painting. I struggled a little with this one. But I finally made it through and am now satisfied with the way it turned out. Now I just need to get it over to Fed Ex Kinkos and have it scanned in.

I really enjoy painting these old cars and trucks. They have such interesting grills and fins and taillights and insignia. New cars just don't have that kind of appeal. They may be great to drive (I love my Honda Accord) but they are boring to look at. They all look alike. But the old cars just have more character. Maybe one day I'll get tired of painting them. But not yet.

Joy Journal: Sleeping Late

The Dogs' Adventure

We had hiked a little longer than usual and we were all ready for a rest stop, even the furbabies. They stretched out on the cool dirt and then all of a sudden Tisa perked up. What caught their attention? A group of riders who were heading back to the trail head.

We're still continuing our early morning hikes. Sure hope it's doing me some good since I really don't enjoy getting up early. The park trails are shared by hikers, cyclists and horseback riders. So far it hasn't created any crowding and it's fun to see all of the different individuals and groups. I jokingly asked the riders if they would give me a ride back to my car! I haven't ridden in years but it sure used to be fun.

We had our monthly polymer guild meeting this afternoon. It's always so much fun to be with other creative people and today was no exception. One of the members and I plan to get together in the next few weeks to play with wire work using some of the items I've made but haven't yet turned into completed jewelry pieces. It should be fun - she is pretty much an expert at wire work and we should be able to come up with some fun jewelry.

 

Joy Journal: Fresh green beans