My Latest Work of Art...

Here are some photos of my newest piece of artwork.  It took me about a week and a half to finish it.  I was inspired by various images I found while looking through a 1968 Esquire magazine that I had purchased last week at a used bookstore.  I decided I would quickly flip through the magazine and find one element from each page to sketch on my sketchbook page.  I found hair, quotes, numbers, faces, symbols, buildings, figures, etc.  It was a cool exercise that helped me to not think too much about my decisions ( i tend to over-analyze, which paralyzes me in working on my art).  Made me concentrate on the elements (line, shape, texture, etc.) within the images.  So, that is what originally inspired me... I was also inspired by my feelings about my week at work.  There was a bad fight at school, between two teen girls, blood and all.  After the fight, brass knuckles were found hidden in one of the seats on their school bus.  This fight really affected me.  I work in a tough school, where fights are not uncommon, but for some reason, I was really bothered by this one.  So, I've been thinking (and feeling) about violence and compassion and how to teach peace.  I added a fist, brass knuckle (top left) lotus flower, and heart to symbolize all of that experience this week.  I had fun playing with my oil pastels and also scratching the oil pastel layers with a thumbtack, to draw lines and show color underneath.  This isn't a favorite work of art of mine, but it is meaningful and I really enjoyed the process.  

Sunday walks...

Went on a beautiful walk today in Valley Green (Wissahickon Valley).  It is quite an amazing place, being that it is considered a part of Philadelphia.  I thought my husband was going to take us (myself and the kids) on a nice, easy walk through the (flat) gravel path through the park... Nope.  We parked way above the park and never ended up even seeing any gravel path.  We hiked down along the mountainside and all over the place... It was mud-covered ice with some wet leaves thrown in there too.  Not the easiest "stroll" with a 5 and 7 year old, but we all did great.  It was almost like being back in Maine... I saw no litter, heard hawks, and leaves rattling against each other.  Clean, crisp, sunny air, with the smell of mud and melting ice all around.  It was great.  Now I am exhausted from all of that crazy climbing.  Hope you enjoyed some photos from our adventure!

How I felt today...

Aren't these great?  Speaking of things burlesque... This is a very interesting photographer/company, based in Austin, TX  (who says great things can't come from Texas?)  It is called 666photography    The website:  

http://host.pappapak8.com/

Dreaming awake...

I just want to stay up all night and continue to work on my art.  It feels frustrating to have to stop and go to bed because I have a full-time job in the morning.  I should just feel grateful that I have a job.  What would be YOUR dream job?  Here are some fun ways that I would like to earn a living:  Selling my art through galleries across the world, Making documentaries of everyday people in diners across the country, being a horse rancher in Montana, being a donut-maker in Colorado and skiing off the donuts on my 4-day weekends, being a hip hop dancer for videos, being a veterinarian in the country and making house calls, designing and building playgrounds in Haiti, being a bee-keeper, being a midwife, being an animal behavioralist, being a shaman, being a pro-surfer, opening a year-round camp for kids AND adults, being a fashion designer, being a singer for a band and touring around the world, writing and illustrating a children's book or a book of poetry, being a gourmet food taste-tester, being an burlesque dancer, being a photo-journalist, being a make-up artist, etc.  Hopefully my life is long enough to explore quite a few of these... I plan on it.

Hearing voices...

What do you like to do on your day(s) off?  I feel most happy when I am creating... painting, collaging, journaling, drawing... My challenge is to not get too distracted by the voice in my head that tells me that I should be doing "more productive" things, like cleaning, organizing, calling people, searching the web, making lunches, pretty much anything but creating.  I think that my "productive voice" is made up of a combination of people and experiences...  The gooey shame slime that seems to seep out of my brain from living with Attention Deficit Disorder... Whether or not I want to label myself with the "disorder," I definitely have always found myself having to dance with this distractive force throughout my life... I don't consider it a completely negative thing... I think that it also harbors some of my creativity, spontaneity, patience, empathy, and silliness.  Those things are all important to me... So, I take the challenging with the easy!  I just need to be aware of my easily entertained and overly stimulated noggin, to be intentionally "productive" in the ways I need to be... So, I will forge ahead, to create today, on my day off!  

P.S.

REALLY hoping for a SNOW day tomorrow!!!