Uh-oh… Looks like Arty Life took a little vaca-shun this week. Like, you know, I forgot to write any posts.
I’m. NOT. Kidding.
Seems I got me a serious case of the summers. Long days. Sun addled brains. Lazy girl panties with ‘Arty Life’ embroidered on the butt. Languid afternoons floating around the crystal clear pool…the blue diamond sparkling pool of clarity, sippin’ G&Ts and readin’ ro-mance novels.
Bwahahahahahah…. In. My. Dreams.
Aside from the day job, aside from painting the walls and ceiling of the new! improved! Studio-Grande-under-construction, aside from scrubbing winter pond scum from the algae green depths of the pool where the mer-trolls dwell (after the day job when I could’ve been writing. Or painting.)… ASIDE FROM ALL THAT…it seems I ignored you, my sweetums. My best beloved readers….
But NOT on purpose. Swear to big G in heaven above. Really. Really really really REALLY. Not. On. Purpose.
Now I’m back. And I have much to tell you. Like about today. And how it was a jumping up and down clicking my heels together kind of day.
Today was the day Catholic Girls Wear Plaid went to her forever home with new friend Betty.
Aren’t they a lovely couple? Betty fell in love with CGWP a few weeks ago when I posted a work-in-progress photo. Every painting should come into the world so appreciated.
Betty and I have known each other on-line since taking a hot wax class with Judy Wise. But we’ve never met in person…until today. We live a little more than an hour away from one another and decided to meet somewhere in between. We decided to meet at High Hand Nursery, a combination conservatory, restaurant and art gallery housed in historic fruit sheds in the hills outside Sacramento.
And since Betty is a member of the RANDOM ACTS OF ART group on FaceBook, well, it was only natural for our meet up to include some RAA. RAA rules are simple…make a little arty something, leave it in a public place for someone to find, take a photo of the hide and walk away. I call it spreading the love one arty token at a time.
We share our photos in the FaceBook group. Check it out. If you like the idea, ask to join. We’re friendly folk and you don’t have to be an artist to create RAA. Really. I just make heart rocks. They’re easy to make, easy to have on hand, easy to hide.
High Hand is the perfect place for RAA. Gardens. Old buildings. Art. Ahhhh…..
A garden bench.
A little old lady frozen in time.
A hanging candle holder.
And my favorite, because I get all kinds of giggles hiding RAA in galleries…
In the gallery on the pedestal with an assemblage sculpture.
Those were some of my RAAs today. Not all of them. And Betty has some of her own which I’m sure she’ll post on the FaceBook group. Watching her position one of her little watercolors in the gallery and take a photo looking for all the world like she was supposed to do that…oh man, it was like watching my kid graduate…it was that good!
So go on over to the FB group and check it out. And come back here on Monday. I’ll be back, I will. I mean, I can’t keep forgetting to post now, can I? So I’ll be back and I’ll have some interesting photos to share. Monday it’ll be all about texture.
Yumm…I loves me my texture!
Ohhhhh…and I loves me my comments too! In other words, don’t be shy. Say hi and join in the conversation.
It’s SPRING girls and boys! Calendar says so. Look out the window. Beyond the snow. See? Forsythia!!! And daffodils!!! And peepers and mud and snow…
And it’s WEDNESDAY. At least in this hemisphere. But no matter where you are it’s time to spread the luvvvv with…
RANDOM ACTS OF ART!
Time to hide little bits of art where they can be found by unsuspecting strangers. And share the evidence of your creative deviousness here. With moi, the Random Acts of Art Fairy. No…make that Random Acts of Art BUNNY! Because this is a blog hop, right? And because this week I hopped around hiding Random Acts of Art over at my day job. After hours, when no one could see me. Like the E. Bunny and the hard boiled egg stash.
I am the Rabbit. Koo-koo-ka-chu….
For those of you who don’t know, I teach art at the MOST magical place in the universe. A program for adults with developmental disabilities. If you’re brave enough to stumble around cyber construction you can check out our soon to be launched NEW website here.
Back? Okay. So you know it’s a pretty cool place. Some of my students know I’m painting rocks and might figure things out. But not all of them. And none of the other classes do. I started thinking why not hide them there? This way I’ll get some reaction from the finders. Or at least hear about it.
And maybe this will take on a life of it’s own. Become a perpetual game of re-hiding, like the eggs on Easter day.
First I put one in the weaving department. I’m fond of chenille. Really, who isn’t? Oh, and look. It’s not a heart. Susan is branching out. Imagine that!
Next I headed to the wood shop. Ohhhhh, lots of good hiding spots here. Like this one. Tucked next to a bicycle, of sorts.
And nesting in the wire brush. Or whatever it’s called.
Then I went to the snack bar. This one I super hid in an empty coin roll. Tucked in the drawer where these things are kept. Better than money any day. Which is a good excuse for a song, don’t you think?
Take it away boys!
Okay, that was fun. Any excuse for the BEATLES. Now back to business…back to hiding arty tokens.
This one is in the kitchen. In plain sight…if someone looks. And since classes take turns doing the lunch dishes someone is bound to find it.
The last one is in the clay room. In the hands of Mr. Action Figure. Handsome fella, eh? Barbi thinks he’s H.O.T. But what does she know? She’s sooo plastic.
So now it’s your turn. Got any Random Acts of Art to share this week? If you do, post the link down below where it says “You’re next…Enter here” The link stays open until Saturday 11:59 PM California time (PDT). And if you don’t have a blog but have a some photos to share send them to me and I’ll post them next week.
I was talking with sister Marjorie Ellen today. On the phone. Her life path took her to Norway after art school. Mine took me to California. Sisters by birth, sisters of the heart and yet for most of our adult lives, sisters by telecommunications. That’s just the way it is.
Fortunately I’ve found an uber cheap phone plan. PennyTalk. At two cents per minute we could talk all day and not break the bank.
Both of us are artists. Of course we talk family, jobs, weather, health, politics, all manner of things…but most of all we talk ART. What we’re working on. What we want to work on. New materials. New ideas. In other words…we talk shop.
Today Margie said something that really hit home for me. She talked about making art from the heart. Being true to what you really want to do. Which is what I’ve been doing ever since I began painting again last summer. Experimenting. Playing. Parking my ego at the door.
But it’s not easy. I have a degree in art. I have training. And an employment history as an illustrator and art teacher. I knows me the rulz. And I know there’s good reason for a lot of them. Like balance. Proportion. Contrast. Fill in the appropriate term here ____.
But…and this is a BIG but…THEY. CAN. BE. BROKEN. Yes indeed! Stretched. Bent. Twisted every which way…if only I’m brave enough.
Which brings up another question. Can I be brave, can I be bold and STILL be financially successful as an artist?
I’m saying yes. In fact, I’m shouting YES!!!
I’m putting my intention out there. I’m putting my heart out there. My big, brave BEAUTIFUL heart that’s willing to take a chance and create the life I want.
Now here’s your assignment. Assignment? Yes, really. Go to Jennifer Richardson’s blog and read her yummy luscious beyond WONDERFUL poem Dear Heart of Mine. And check out her Etsy shop while you’re at it. Because she’s got some good stuff and you should buy it.
Then come back here. Yes, come back here. It’s all part of the assignment, remember. Come back and join in the conversation about being brave hearts. There will be a conversation, right? Because you are the best of the best, my sweetums! Every one of you. And I can’t wait to see where this goes.
I’m sorry. So sorry. Please accept my aplooooooogy….
Sunday night/Monday morning. You know what that means….TaTa…It’s time for Show & Tell. Time for construction photos of The New. The Amaaaaaazing. The Soon To Be Finished STUDIO GRANDE II!
Except, umm…not today. (Hit it, Brenda!) The weather was fine. Mr. Spouse made progress. All the outside walls are up now. I can (and did) walk around inside and actually get a feel for the size. For how I want to arrange things. Got a lot to think about, you know. Work space. Storage. A comfy corner to sit and think. Did lots of brainstorming about that with Mr. Spouse and then I left him to his carpentry while I went down to the soon-to-be-decommissioned Studio Grande to paint.
I painted away the afternoon. Painted away the daylight. Painted away the chance to get a photo or three. So no construction pics until tomorrow.
And no art pics either. Because what I painted sucked. Bummer. Forgot to check my ego at the door. Stupid ego started talkin’ when I was working. No no no no no!
Tomorrow, tomorrow I PROMISE pretty pictures. Of the studio-in-progress. Of paintings. Pinky swear.
Meanwhile, because I KNOW you want a visual, here’s one of Precious Man Dog. Enjoy!
Oh, what a lovely list of bliss this week. It was my birthday, you see, as trillions GAZILLIONS of my not-so-nearest but definitely DEAREST best friends EVER posted greetings on my Facebook wall. Ah, I am still basking in the luuuuuuuuv, my sweetums. Positively glowing. In fact I’m glowing so much we don’t even need the lights on tonight.
Now that’s bliss.
And so is this. Portebella ‘burger’ with roasted red pepper, melted cheese. Brie? Brie? I do not recall but IT WAS DELICIOUS. Beyond delicious. It was BLISS ON A BUN. And the salad dressing was some sort of garlic attack in the most goodly of ways.
And of course there was puppy love. There is always puppy love on my list. Count on it. This week the puppy really is a puppy. Just a baby.
Awwwww…Look at that fat little belly. Soft little puppy hair. PUPPY BREATH! Don’t you just want to pick him up and kiss him! And kiss him! And kiss him!!! And snuggle him against your shoulder and KISS his little head and make silly little sing song noises like a completely besotted fool.
Don’t you?
There is NOTHING that brings your blood pressure down better than a puppy. Especially a sleepy puppy. Nothing.
My co-workers and I are lining up to love on the newest perk at work…BUBBA. Not to be confused with the late, great Bubba mine. Who was the best dog ever, RIP. May baby Bub grow into the next best dog ever.
Speaking of work…ta ta…a collaborative painting by two of my favorite students. Two of my absolute favorite people who just happen to have Down Syndrome. This photograph doesn’t begin to do the painting justice. Layers and layers of jewel tone glazes make the underpainting POP. And it’s for sale. The artists get 60% of the profits. The rest goes towards purchasing new supplies for the Neighborhood Center of the Arts. You can read all about this place here. And if you’re interested let me know.
And if you could see these guys paint…oh man, it’s even better than puppy breath. And how do you top that??? They LOVE to paint. They LIVE to paint. Totally focused, totally into it. No inner critic on their shoulders. They just PAINT. And smile and laugh and sing and dance.
And what would a week be without chocolate? This week’s yummiest bliss is the. most. DECADENT. brownie. EVER!!! It’s baked in the local co-op, in their own little bakery. And oh my, I cannot eat more than a smidgen at a time. It’s that rich. I had about a quarter of it over two days and gave the rest away to three other people. And it’s only maybe three inches square, total.
It’s. That. Rich. Which bears repeating…so I did.
Those are all good things. Happy feeling making things. But the thing that came beyond all that, beyond even puppy breath and chocolate, the thing that sent the Bliss-O-Meter over the top—
ahhh… the absolute KNOWING that this space, this studio-in-the-making, is the right place at the right time of my life.
I’d love to hear from you. What rocked your world this week? What made you smile? Share it in the comments section below. We all want to know.
