Top Five Photos from Katie's Birthday Weekend - April 24, 2010
No. 5 : Bave does Groucho
No. 4 - Kristina and Her Boy
No. 3 - Kate is a Monster !
No. 2 - Momma and Her Chicks
(Me, Nat, Mom, Kristina clockwise from the top left)
And the Number 1 Favorite Photo is ....
Auntie Love.
There was lots loving, laughing, playing, snacking, fine wining, hugging and kissing over the weekend with the family.
Such a sweet time.
And for me,
what life is all about.
Time with the people I love.
Today is Wednesday.
It is cold outside (only 40 degrees) and raining with snow mixed in at times.
Yup, it is the end of April but feels more like March.
Yesterday, before the cold and rain came in, I went and cut this bouquet from my gardens outside.
It has to be one of my favorite bouquets of all time.
The lilacs smell so heavenly and the colors of the tulips and azaleas popping off the white is so girlie and perfect.
I am thankful to have this taste of Spring in my studio with me today, in spite of the crappy gloom outside.
Here is my latest journal page :
I read this quote from the marvelous and always inspiring Kind Over Matter blog this morning.
Beautiful and true words from the incredible Maya Angelou :
As I worked on the page, I began to feel pretty good about myself.
I think I can say that the connections that I make with most people in my life are positive ones
and that I am pretty good at making people feel good, respected and/or loved when I interact with them.
That is a practice in my life that I am truly proud of.
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Looks like the next few weeks will be really busy around here.
The ta-da list includes some exciting things like creating art for possible publication,
a weekend away with a group of new Arty Friends,
a 65 birthday party for my Mom,
an updating of the Rock My World project with some help from a sweet benefactor
(more on that soon)
and
a new look and specially designed banner for the blog.
I was lucky enough to win (yes, I do seem to be on a nice streak there !) a banner design from Beth at "be yourself , everyone else is taken" in her recent giveaway so I am looking forward to working on that with her.
And the Computer Geek Hubby extraordinaire is also giving me a hand to spring things up around here.
Now I just have to gain the energy and momentum I need to move through all this excitement!
I am starting the energizing with a late-afternoon art journal time with my pal Colleen who will
be here soon,
followed by a supper for three with some yummy Oyster Bay Chardonnay.
Rain-Shpain !!!
Go Blow, Snow !
Kimbo is making the most of this Spring day anyway !!!!
In honor of Kate's 2nd birthday, I thought I would share her favorite song and video with you. Strangely enough, my sister Kristina, Katie's mom, is kind of sick of it. ;)
Kid's got good taste in tunes though !
I hope you take the chance to tell someone you love how grateful you are for them today !
So yesterday evening was Meditation Monday. I drove to class as always through a busy part of town, at about 5:30pm. My path takes me right in from of part of the UNH campus and there is often a lot of hustle and bustle there at this time of the day.
As I drove carefully through the cars, crosswalks and pedestrians who pop out here and there, I glimsped something unexpected out of the corner of my eye . There, on the side walk, were two young women, sitting cross legged, their foreheads touching and their hands up, palms pressed flat against one another.
(art journal page - Connection - April 19, 2010)
My first thought as I slowly by was "Is there something wrong ?" "Do they need help ?"
My second glance told me that there may be some sadness going on but no distress or emergency of any kind.
I continued my own path towards my class.
As I drove I thought
what would have happened if I had stopped the car,
parked (a challenge in that area),
walked up to the two women and placed my hands on theirs ?
Would I have disturbed their moment ?
Would they have rejected me ?
Would they have felt comforted by and connected to me ?
Could the two in that moment of what seemed like prayer and connection become three ?
And then I thought what if some other open-hearted souls then saw us three and joined in...
How big of a circle of prayer and connection could somehow grow
if it was given the energy, calm and love of a few more people?
I didn't turn around and go back to join those two girls on the sidewalk.
I went and sat in my own powerful circle of prayer and connection in my meditation class.
But their image and their inspiration floated in and out of my meditating mind as well.
And into my journal this morning.
I have an experiment in mind...
What if I were to sit in a park with a friend in the same position as the girls
but include a sign that welcomed people to silently sit down and join us.
Would people abandon their fears of looking silly or touching a stranger
and take a risk and join in for whatever period of time worked for them ?
What connections and miracles could a prayer circle like that create ?
If you came upon such a thing in your park, would you join in ?
Or would you volunteer to be the friend who starts the circle with me ??
So the funny thing is that even though both Kims are avid photographers (Though the Chicklet is far superior in skill, I think), the cameras never came out !
There are no photographs recording the wonderful time shared by the Queen and the incredible Bodhi Chicklet but there are many great memories of the event.
A few years ago I was lucky enough to learn some very cool lessons in a week long workshop with the awesome mixed media artist Lynne Perrella. The number one thing I came away from that workshop with was to "look for the sweet spots". Lynne had us create a frame with our fingers and pass it over our art work in order to locate those spots in it that really "work" for us or that touch our artist soul. I have been using this trick in my art making ever since. It may not all be beautiful, but every piece has a "sweet spot" to savor.
I shared that lesson with Kim this past weekend when we played at art making for an entire day with our multitude of juicy art art supplies. Yeehaw, was that fun !!!
As I reflected on the time we spent together this morning after my return home, I realized that lesson can apply to our life moments as well. There were so very many "sweet spots" from the three days I spent with Kim, Riley and the doggies at her home that are framed and living on in my memory.
This morning, I took a few pictures of some the pages that I created during our play day. We used a whole series of art journal prompts that I have gathered from a variety of sources (Sarah Ahearn, Sarah Whitmire , Judy Wise and yours truly...) and filled a couple of pages each. Such fun, paint and ink a-flying, lots of sharing and story telling, color galore, no judgement, lots of support both ways...who could ask for more from play time ?
"One Song" (in progress)
One Song sweet spot...
The Queen's Progress (in progress ;))
the sweet spot...a passage cut out of "Sage Women" magazine that fit so well...
"The Bird's Plan"
Birdie's sweet spot.
"Kim's House" - finished piece and my favorite!
"Kim's House" sweet spot...
So not only do I have a ton of sweet spots in my memory after three days spent with my art-making friend,
but Kim, the Bodhi Chicket extraordinaire, has a big sweet spot in my heart as well !
I made sure to :
So here's to a fun Monday in the afterglow...
Keep looking for those sweet spots, Beautiful Ones !
So a couple of days ago I showed you this Falling Girl drawing that I did with Inktense Pencils on a Golden Fluid background.
I added a red umbrella to the piece.
And then while digging through my many piles of bits and pieces of ephemera from all over, I found a page from a play called "The Red Parasol". I know I have had that piece of paper for at least three or four years and here, all of a sudden it reappeared just when I needed it.
I took a plain 9X12 canvas and covered it with pieces of old dictionary pages, then white washed over it to create a frame for my drawing.
I think "The Red Parasol" is pretty much a perfect title, don't you ?
I need to take some more photos of the piece or scan it it more. I just love the colors.
Check out what it looks like with crazy contrast settings...
I am thinking of putting this piece in my Etsy shop (my poor semi-abandoned Etsy shop).
But man, it is hard to give up pieces that you love...
This art journal page was inspired by a great blog that I came upon recently.
Susanne from Be Like A Pencil writes wonderfully and I am often left very thoughtful after visiting her.
I like how this page turned out even though it is more like other art journalers I admire than my own usual stuff . I am kind of lost in my creative endeavors right now, but feeling the need to get whatever I can out.
You know that whole thing about if you want to be a writer, write!
That's what I am trying to do. Keep creating until the flow returns...
Plus as the quote says, it is about being whole, not perfect, right ? ;)
I am heading up to Montreal to visit with my Blogland and Real Life friend, Kim (the Bodhi Chicklet). This visit all came about because Sherry from Everyday Possibilities proposed getting together with the two Kims in Montreal but she unfortunatelycouldn't make the gathering in the end. Kim and I decided to have our time together anyway. A couple of days full of friendship, a little art making probably, lots of chit-chat and probably several glasses (bottles ?) of wine are all on the agenda !We will have a toast to Sherry too and hope that she can join us at a later date.
Funny thing...I have always had a lot of other Kims around me in my life but have never had a close friend named Kim, and neither has Kim. We are liking it a lot though !
Not sure when I will be back in Blogland to post - mostly likely next Monday.
I hope you have a great rest of the week and that you find ways to make yourself feel whole...
Our Spring Walkabout Story begins in the studio...
So you know it is Spring, right, Kim ?
In Spring, everyone feels energized. They feel like there are new plans to be launched, new growth that needs to happen, bright sunshine warming up those creative juices, etc...
How you feeling, Kim ?
Not quite like that, eh ? ;)
You wanna try and do something about it ?
Good. This is your one juicy, sweet life. Let's go live the Spring !
Deep breath, and we are off...
Here's what Kim saw, smelled, felt and heard on her Spring Walkabout - around the pond at Livingston Park...
The ice is gone, the buds are bursting,
the air was filled with that muddy mucky, still water smell along with sweet green-ness...
I even met a tree who seemed to be all ready for a date with me.
See his ruffled tuxedo shirt ?
First we got to know one another, shared a couple of secrets...
and then I slept with him...
Just joking, I am not that kind of girl at all !
We did share a few smiles and laughs though...
Then I wandered on.
I came upon a noisy spot.
The three or four huge pine trees were filled with birds of all kinds making a racket!
There was a house that sits on the edge of the pond where they have hung many bird feeders.
Hence the racket and the multi-bird hangout.
I only caught this one flying away with my camera...
Spotted this wickedly witchy looking bush, still waiting for its buds to pop...
And further on I saw the evidence of that crazy winter storm that knocked down
so many of the trees in our area.
The city just chopped them up to clear the walking path around the pond...
Doesn't the sap look like paint drips...cool circle...
On the far side of the pond, it is quieter. The wind dies down and
the sun's warmth started to hit me...
I could feel a change come over me...
Maybe it was the Vitamin D, or maybe it was just the power of Spring...
I felt that I had finally taken the time to
And guess what ?
I was fortunate enough to hear an answer when I did!
Now I just have to take that answer to heart,
give it some love,
and let it take me where I am supposed to be.
I will get there...
Spring told me so...
Big LOve to you, Beautiful Ones.
May Spring hold some answers for you too!
(The wonderful Leah at Creative Everyday has proposed exploring the theme of the senses this month. Go and checkout the inspiring stuff happening there.)
