Yesterday the latest of the CreativeTherpy Catalysts was published. I participated, so stop over there to take a look at my response to this week’s catalyst, if you haven’t already! It felt so good to draw again and to pick up the watercolor pencils! I’m trying to work ahead on some other catalysts so I can be ahead before I leave for our trip and so I can be prepared for the health stuff that inevitably happens along the way.
I spent the early part of last week working on finalizing plans for our France trip. We ordered lots of travel things from Magellan’s, so we can have what we need to be safe and comfortable. Since I will have my walker with me, I needed a slash-proof backpack to use while we’re there. Better safe than sorry. We’re taking all the precautions we can to be safe and comfortable during the trip. Thank goodness for Chico’s Traveler’s line. That will be my wardrobe during the trip and I love that it is wash and wear and non-crinkle! We are not bringing computers on the trip. We don’t need the extra weight, especially with airlines charging for checked baggage these days! I’m only planning to bring a small journal, some Pigma Microns, a Koi water brush, an eraser, two dozen Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils, a pencil sharpener, and a graphite pencil. Not much, but things that easily fit into my backpack, and are easy to take out in a small area and don’t take up a lot of space.
If you can’t tell, I’m really getting excited about our trip! It’s going to be a blast! 
June 2nd, 2008
Posted by
Fran |
Creative Every Day, Uncategorized, art, health, life, living with chronic illness, shopping, travel, watercolor |
2 comments
Today I didn’t have much time for drawing. I went to meet Angie for coffee this morning. She’s getting ready to leave on vacation for a week and we were both in need of a visit! Then I had a meeting with a woman who was interested in seeing the Baha. We met at 10:30 and I didn’t leave until 12:30. It was a long chat, a lovely one, too. We, of course, talked about
more things than just the Baha! One of my favorite parts of meeting people about the Baha is learning about them and their lives. During our conversation, I realized that there was a lot that the woman I was meeting with had in common with my MIL and FIL. So, I asked if I could connect them. I’m happy to say that they have connected and will meet for dinner and dessert Saturday evening! What a lovely way to spend a few hours!
After that, I stopped at a quilt shop I’ve been eying for a long time! I haven’t taken the time to visit in a while, but it’s also been a while since I have bought fabric… So, I went ahead and treated myself to some fun fabrics I couldn’t live without! They’re to the right! YUMMY!
And today’s drawing is an EDM Challenge. It’s Challenge #2 - Draw a lamp. It’s the lamp from my art desk. Monochromatic, because the lamp is a brown and white antique-looking Ott Lite. I like it and it’s my constant companion on my table.
That’s all for now. Back to doing some other projects I can’t share until after Mother’s Day!
May 8th, 2008
Posted by
Fran |
Baha Implant, Creative Every Day, EDM, art, drawing, fabric, shopping |
2 comments
Late yesterday I returned from a lovely trip with Angie. We went away for our first (of what we expect to be many!) girls’ weekend. Prescott is about 90 miles north of Phoenix. It’s a fairly easy drive and there’s some great views. Before we got on the road, I pulled a bag out of my back seat for Angie. I had finally finished her birthday present (just a few weeks late!). This is why you haven’t seen much from me artwise. I’ve been working on this and I did not want Angie to see it until I presented it to her! The image is hand painted on linen and then quilted onto a quilted bag. I did not use a pattern for this. I made it up as I went along. It was a lot of work, but it sure was fun.
And, best of all was Angie’s squeal of delight on her street as she opened it. The coloring of the portrait. along with the shape of the face and features, is inspired by Angie herself! Inside the bag were two smaller pouches - one for her camera and the other had some of Angie’s favorite Pigma Micron Pens in various colors and sizes. I also added a small watercolor sketchbox for Angie to use on our trip, included was a waterbrush.
Angie and I decided not to take too much with us when we went out to Prescott. We banned make-up (not that we wear it when we’re together most of the time anyway!), chose casual clothes and vowed not to dress up. We stopped at an antique shop along the side of Rte. 69 that Angie had seen many times before on her trips up there. As this was a weekend for us to do whatever we wanted, we stopped and walked around the store for at least an hour. It was a cluttered shop, filled with all sorts of treasures. We found hand-embroidered napkins, crocheted pieces, and other antique fabrics to share. Angie also found the pieces for a model bank in a rusty metal and some barbed wire. I found a rhinestone bolo that I will likely use at a bar mitzvah we’re attending at the end of the month (the theme is cowboy formal!).
From there, we suddenly realized we were both hungry. So, we were on the lookout for an interesting place to eat. We noticed a small Chinese restaurant and decided to take the risk. We were pleasantly surprised. The food was good, not greasy; the restaurant was warm and dry. And the break from the foggy and rainy driving weather was a welcome change for me. One thing that struck me, however, was that they had a fan above our table and on the decorative fan were some leaves with some fake insects. I had to take a photo (left).
After the meal, we got back in the car and drove straight to where we were staying. We were lucky with that. Angie’s husband remembered that a friend of theirs had a guest loft above their garage. He called and we were blessed with a lovely two-bedroom one-bath loft with a kitchenette. We had both brought snacks with us, figuring we’d be doing a lot of art and who wants to head outside each time you want coffee or something to munch on? The fireplace was controlled by the thermostat and the floor in the bathroom was heated! Very cool!
We chose our rooms, both of which were decorated in a relaxing homey cranberry red and white. We unpacked and I took some photos of my room because it was just so cute! To the left is the chair that sat in the little nook around the window. The upholstery matched the pillows and the rest of the bedding. It was a lovely Americana decor and there was also come Christmas decor that matched. We felt very at home there immediately and could not believe our luck.
Then we sat and started to paint almost immediately! To the right is my favorite page from the weekend, but you can see more in my Flicker Photoset. Because it was so rainy out, we decided that, instead of wandering around town shivering, we’d paint. We painted things in and around the loft. Angie and I have very different styles, as she is a very detailed watercolorist and I’m more impressionistic about it. This was Angie’s first time watercolor journaling, and her training in watercolor shows. Hers are splendid, so do take a moment to check out her blog where she has shown her artwork, as well.
One of the greatest things about the weekend is that Angie and I can sit in silence together without it feeling uncomfortable. We do often sit in my studio and talk forever, it seems! But we were not rushing for time, so we were able to relax and just be one with the art. We did, of course, talk a lot! We just do. We finish each other’s sentences, change the subjects to the same new subjects out of nowhere, and we laugh a lot! Unfortunately, Angie’s kids were sick and back at my house, Dave’s dad was just released from the hospital, so we left behind quite a bit of stress. We both needed the break, but we did have the cell phone to keep in touch when we were needed.
The three days passed far too quickly. The rain kept us in until Sunday when we went antiquing and gallery hopping to see what Prescott had to offer. We found some treasures and both felt as if we’d had enough at the same time - about two hours into the excursion. So we picked up some soup from a small lunch shop and went back to the loft to pack up and head out.
The ride home went far too quickly, but we were lucky enough to beat the weekend traffic. Angie was home at 4 pm and I arrived home by 4:30. It was a lovely weekend and one we will repeat in a few months, I’m sure!
December 3rd, 2007
Posted by
Fran |
art, fabric, friends, fun day, journaling, life, painting, shopping, travel, watercolor |
4 comments
Quick health update: I saw my doctor yesterday at 7 am (yes, that’s “7:00 in the blessed a.m.” as Colonel Potter used to say on M*A*S*H!). My hearing was tested and I was examined. Apparently, my hearing is at one of its best levels. And, well, there’s nothing that they can do for the hyperacusis if my hearing is fine. I just need to figure out how to deal with it. I’m working on that.
I started by continuing with my plans for yesterday. Angie and I met with Lynn, a fellow artist, for shopping at The Creative Quest and lunch. It was a lovely day, and, since I’d been up since 5 am, I was quite tired. Angie had the boys at her mother’s house, happily busy, and she really needed to pick some things up at D&I Beads. So, we stopped at Starbucks for some caffeine fortification and then went on to D&I. It’s huge. We spent about 45 minutes there and both found things we couldn’t live without (no surprise!). Then we went back to pick up the boys. And I went home. I was tired. So tired that I went to sleep at 8:30. I clearly needed the sleep! I slept straight until 5:45 this morning.
So, this morning I woke with much more energy. I was determined to get some art done. Angie was bringing the boys by in the afternoon to swim and watch movies - and for some art time. The boys were so good today! They didn’t argue much, fight much, and they followed all the “rules” of the pool.
I did get a lot done, but I need to finish up tomorrow morning and then I’ll do my best to post photos. Really. I know. I’ve been bad. Please hang in there. I will get some photos out tomorrow. Now I am off to sleep!
July 12th, 2007
Posted by
Fran |
art, friends, fun day, health, life, shopping |
one comment
Well, dear readers, you have not heard hide nor hair of me for a week now. Why? Well, on Monday I ran several errands. And the problems started when I was getting ready to leave my favorite fabric spot, SAS Fabrics by the Pound for some trims and buttons, I started to have some issues with balance. I figured the heat, their lack of a/c, and the overwhelming amount of interesting fabric, trims and notions was enough to have caused that for anyone. I headed home, stayed in the studio, and hoped it was just a temporary thing. No such luck.
On Tuesday, I started having trouble with my balance in the house - falling over to one side, walking into walls (I swear to you that they do move!), and vertigo when I laid down. By Wednesday, the problem was fairly unbearable, so, instead of waiting until my scheduled July 2nd treatment, DH worked his magic and got me in on Friday, June 29th. I spent a lot of time between Tuesday and Friday staring into space, trying to clear off the studio table and have some space to do whatever I felt like. But for the most part, I didn’t do much. This is why, my friends, you have not heard from me.
What I did spend quite a bit of time doing was taking things out of my multi-drawer storage
unit and into small jars I received from a fellow freecycler. They’re much easier to use, look prettier to look at, and they were fun to put out there. Here is a photo of what I did with the jars. There are still about 10 jars left. Yes, they are baby food jars. Since I have no children, I’ve never had these lovely little jars before. I’m happy that they were freecycled. I’ll be watching for more! (Photos to come in the near future. I’m not near them right now! :))
Oh, and there’s the not-so-fun thing that happened on Sunday that neglected to mention. Do not, under any circumstances, close a door on your iPod Nano. Ask me how I know… Yes, I was getting in my car on Sunday after meeting my MIL and FIL at a restaurant between our two homes. I *thought* my iPod was inside my purse. No. I had made it easily accessible by hooking it into one of the D-rings of my purse. Not, it turns out, a good idea. And the saddest part was that this new iPod Nano was my little present ot myself with my American Express Rewards points. I had just received it and fallen completley in love with it about six weeks before. Now it will become a part of a sculpture, for I cannot just toss it. And “squishing in a car door” is not a covered event on the AppleCare plan. A new Video iPod was purchased and is on its way to my home, along with a hard case that will withstand the abuse of the iPod being in my hands!
On Monday, I think, I worked on a piece for my Joggles clas. It’s an accordion book that uses dyed mulberry bark for the cover of a concertina book. I like the project; however, my finicky body did not enjoy the mulberry bark. I had to put this project into a sealed baggie and the leftover bark into a separate one. I think Angie will get the finished project (which is not in perfect order, sorry Angie… The allergies got the best of me!) if she’s not allergic to it. One of my fellow classmates, Rosaland, will get the rest of the bark, since she is here in town.
Tuesday through Friday, while I spent time at home, avoiding the car and staying on terra firma, I did the rest of that third lesson for my Joggles class.
Or at least I tried. I painted a silk cap with Dye-Na-Flow paints. I put it outside to dry and then I started to split it to turn it into a vase like Sue Bleiweiss shows in the class materials. To do this, however, you must use a product called Paverpol. I was excited to try this product; however, with my allergies being what they are, I was leery. I decided to open the container to see how I reacted. Well, let’s just say that I will not/should not use this product. My eyes started running, my face itched. It was all I could do to close that container and walk away. So, I did not finish that third week. I am still figuring out what to do with the silk, and I’m considering a padfolio. I hope to play with that tomorrow.
And on Wednesday I was the lucky recipient of a swap package by Mikki DuChenne (who, alas, has no blog!). Look at all the LOVELY delights from Mikki! I opened the box in the den with DH next to me. I apparently kept shaking my head and gasping. I really was amazed by all the amazing, fun things Mikki found for me. Mikki’s generosity is astounding! Now to make something with the goodies!
At 8:00 on Friday morning, I went to get my treatment. It was fairly uneventful, and I started on a different anti-nausea medication that definitely kept the nausea at bay. I am now, Sunday evening, starting to come out of the foggy fatigue I get after the infusion. I hope to leave the house tomorrow. But, at the least, I do plan to do some art in the studio.
July 1st, 2007
Posted by
Fran |
art, classes, health, life, organization, sewing, shopping, swapping |
2 comments
- I read this quote yesterday in The Artist’s Way“>The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron:
“Our bodies communicate to us clearly and specifically, if we are willing to listen to them.” Shakti Gawain
And it holds so true. Especially for someone like me, with a chronic illness. Despite the fact that my illness is mostly, thank the Universe, controlled in comparison to how it used to be, the treatment for it does take a lot out of me. And over-extending myself also takes a lot out of me. I need to watch my spoon count.
This week I had many visitors. I love having people over and I really like getting out of the house… don’t we all? I know that it is important to maintain friendships and to remain active outside of my studio. But at the same time, it exhausts me. This past weekend was busy with friends, their kids, and family. This weekend, we have friends and their kids coming in from Boston. We love these friends. And I want to see them and spend time with them, but I don’t want to overextend myself. And I don’t want to pay for it all next week, which is the week of our 15th Wedding Anniversary.
So, in preparation for a lot of intense public/group time, I decided I needed to take care of myself today. I stayed home, with one small exception of time, when I went to JoAnn’s for some sewing machine needles and some time just browsing and went to pick up my medications from the drugstore. I came home and ate lunch. And then I sat down in my studio. I ignored the phone, ignored almost everything and made today about JUST ME. I couldn’t think of where to start here in the studio. So I picked up my watercolor journal and I started scribbling with my Caran d’Ache Neocolor IIs. And I kept coloring and adding Matte Medium to set each layer. I added some journaling; I added laser-copied pages from other journal pages. And I creatd the journal page to the left. It’s 9″ x 12″ and it’s called “‘Today,’ she said, ‘It’s All About Me’.” And today, it was. It felt good to have a day just playing in the studio with no specific direction, no project to focus on, just focusing on me.
And I also wanted to share with you the third of my series of black and white doodle drawings I’ve been working on while watching TV with hubby. It’s pretty self-explanatory, I think, that she’s supposed to be a stylized angel. But if now, now you know what she is! LOL
I think it’s time to get back to just having some more all about me time. But before I do. I wanted to address the Create a Connection “Getting to Know You” question of the day:
If you could have a redo moment in your life, would you do it and what would it be? Not changing history drastically-it’s all just a what if.
And to that question, I answer, “nothing”. I would change nothing about the decisions I made. I have chosen to live my life without regrets and I have become the person I am from who I am and the decisions I have made. I may not always make the best decisions in the eyse of others, and my decisions may not feel good to some of the others around me, but they are the right decisions for me. And they help to define me. No regrets here. No re-dos. No do-overs. I’ve learned that we have but one chance to do things and get them right and that happens by living in this moment and following our intuition.
And with that, I will sign off for this lovely Wednesday.
May 23rd, 2007
Posted by
Fran |
CaC - Create a Connection, art, collage, health, journaling, life, shopping |
2 comments
It’s Friday and I’m so excited to let you all know that i have listed some more of my art in my Etsy Shop. Here’s what you’ll find:
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This is a mixed media collage using laser copies of hand-decorated papers and various acrylic media on canvas. It is 5″ x 5″ on gallery wrapped canvas. This piece was finished several months ago, but until recently, I wasn’t sure it was finished. It’s called, “Push & Pull”. This represents inner and external struggles we all deal with. You can find it here if you’re interested in purchasing it. |
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“Mirror, Mirror” is the title of this mixed-media collage. All the images are from my art journal, laser copied and then pulled into a collage. When making this collage, I was thinking about the self-evaluation we all do. At some point, we all ned to “look in the mirror” and be realistic about who and what we see. If you are interested in purchasing this piece, you can find it here. |
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“Sedona Sun” was created with some old text and images from my art journal, laser copied and then pulled into a collage. When making this collage, I had recently returned from a trip to Sedona, where I was inspired by the reds. If you are interested in purchasing this piece, you can find it here. |
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“Cup of Life” is the title of this mixed-media collage. All the images are from my art journal, laser copied and then pulled into a collage. When making this collage, I was thinking about all the elements that make up a life and a composition. In this case, the composition includes an “xo”, signifying love as part of the cup of life.If you are interested in purchasing this piece, you can find it here. |
I also went to some thrift stores today. I was able to pick up a vintage tea cup and matchign saucer for this swap on flickr. I had so much find looking for them, because my grandmother had a vintage teacup and saucer collection in her breakfront. And I admired it SO much. Each holiday, she’d pull them out of the breakfront to use them for coffee and tea after the meal. There was this one black tea set that I absolutely loved. It was so different from anything I had ever seen before.
Unfortunately, none of these teacups never made it to me. I know it’s silly, because they’re just things, but they held so many memories for me: the smell of grandma’s chicken soup, the day she taught me how to make chopped liver (the BEST in the world!), the day she took me to buy the comforter for my college dorm room (which I still have), and lots of beautiful holidays and family gatherings. I had coveted that one teacup and saucer set, but it’s not in the family any longer. So it was fun for me to go on this treasure hunt.
May 18th, 2007
Posted by
Fran |
art, collage, group projects, shopping, swapping |
4 comments
As I mentioned in my last post, I received quite a bit of fabric from Angie. As a result, I needed to find space for it in the studio. Since I have been using more fabric it makes sense to add a whole section for it. This, of course, required moving some things that were in the space where the fabric was. So, I moved out some things that I haven’t used in a while.
And I placed my vintage linens from my MIL in this new area. I found some old business process books that need to go to the used book store, some spray paints, which I never use, but received to do a project with (I’m sure I’ll find someone who wants these), and I reorganized my acrylic, watercolor and goauache paints and acrylic mediums so they are easier to get to from the easel. Now, however, I see that there’s still quite a bit of clutter in other areas from the displaced items. *Sigh* It’s an ongoing battle.
I’m determined to do some art today, so I need to clean off my table (where things to sort end up) and to get dimensional objects where I can find them. I’ve decided that those displaced items need to go in clear shoe boxes so I can sort one box at a time as I find a moment. 
I’ve been putting things in boxes to get them out of the way for projects all week. I have scraps of paper that I’m not just putting in piles any longer. I’m doing what Teesha Moore suggests: I’m putting things I like into my art journal just wherever! It’s working for me. I’ve cleared out several of these boxes already, in just an hour this morning. Once I get some more done, I’m headed to SAS to pick up some sequin waste for some friends. No, I will not buy more fabric!
I have been doing my walks, though. Yesterday I went for another walk in the neighborhood, and I was able to go at a faster pace and further than last time, so this is progress that I’m quite pleased with. I took some more photos, but this was the best of them. I’m planning to take my real camera with me in the future.
Oh! And next week, on Monday, I have my treatment. Even more reason for me to get this place organized today. I’m almost there, so it’s ok. And on Thursday of next week, we are headed to Hawaii. Yes, you read that right! We’re going to Hawaii. Dave and I do a lot of travel for his medical conventions, and those tend to require him to work. This trip, however is pure VACATION! We’re both excited and we need the break from daily life. We’ll be on Hawaii (The Big Island) for 5 days and then in Kauai for 5 days. When we’re on Kauai, I will get to meet one of my online friends, Connie, who lives there!
OK… Time for me to finish up my morning things so I can get out to SAS. More later!
March 7th, 2007
Posted by
Fran |
fabric, friends, organization, shopping, travel |
5 comments
Yesterday my friend Angie came over and we tried to get the soldering iron to work. It didn’t work. I’m going to re-tin the tip later today and if that doesn’t help, I’ll be heading back to the stained glass store tomorrow. I’m bummed, but it will all be OK! (edit: read more below!)
So, I switched back to doing some encaustic wax work, since that had worked for me. I did a few backgrounds, which are not yet ready to show off, but I did some more work on two canvases after Angie left.
The image to the left is one in which I tried to add more detail than I usually do in my landscapes. I think this has potential, but I’m not sure it’s done yet. On the other hand, I may have overworked it. I’m just not sure yet. Comments are more than welcome on this one! It’s not going up on Etsy just yet. I need to let it sit for a while first… I also wonder if this might not have done better on a smaller or even a rectangular canvas rather than a 10″ x 10″ square one. I just felt like expreimenting, so I’m glad I did. Again, just not sure what to make of it for the long haul! lol
The next encaustic I worked on, I feel MUCH better about. It’s called, “Fiery”. It started as green and yellow and became red and yellow and orange with black and yellow decorated papers in the background. I like this one. I like that the red on the yellow side sort of looks like people dancing in the flames. I spent a *long* time on this piece, and it’s available here, on Etsy, either, but when I do, I’ll post here.
A few nights ago, I started to create the background papers that I use for these collages. I thought you might want to see the papers I created that have just dried. They take about two days to make due to drying time, so really, every collage I do takes several days to create. You all get to see the final views, the “finished” papers that I completed last night and they dried today.
I started to write this entry this morning but a friend, Barbara, came and we did shopping today! Old Navy is having a 50% off clearance items, so I now have some long sleeved jerseys to wear in the studio, along with some cool stuff to alter. And we did not neglect our arty side! We actually went to a bead store today. You know how sometimes you’re in a store and you get absolutely no help? Well, that was NOT the case here. They were so friendly and willing to help, but also understood the need to browse! LOL They were friendly and supportive and well, I can’t help but be pleased with my purchases!
Finally, the art for today: I actually got my soldering iron to work. As I mentioned earlier in this post, I have had a bit of a battle with the danged thing since I bought it the other day. Well, here is what I found out: my iron was too HOT and I needed to bring down the temp with the rheostat. Then I needed to re-tin the tip with sal immoniac, since I had burned the tip by running it too hot in the first place. The important thing is that i did it, and I did not give up easily. The pieces in the photo to the left aren’t perfect, but they’re a start. The two at the bottom are scrap decorative glass I got from the stained glass store and then I created a piece with some original mini-acrylic paintings (you see one side of it in this image, as well!). I still have a lot of practicing to do before I feel like it’s where I want it to be artistically, but again, it’s a start! And, today it’s counting as ART!
November 10th, 2006
Posted by
Fran |
art, art challenge, collage, encaustic/wax, painting, shopping, soldering |
3 comments
