Artful Adventures

New Interview with Misty mawn

If you've been following along and reading the MMCA Marketplace blog, you already know that there's been a series of interviews which have been very well recieved, and most recently there's been the addition of free digital images for you to download and use in your art, so check in often to be sure not to miss any!  Today, there's a new interview posted with the wonderful Misty Mawn, so if you'd like to know more about Misty and see more of her art (and who doesn't?) hop on over there and get a dose of inspiration to start off your day.  Enjoy!

Buried Treasure-Part 2

Here's my offering for Seth's second round of Buried Treasure, over at The Altered Page. The project that you'll be reading about is still going on, so it's not too late to participate. Sometimes it takes awhile to actually unload some of the bagage that we hang on to, and these darn jeans are a perfect example! They're still sitting in my studio, waiting patiently for me to stick notes in the pockets, telling my story & send them on their way, but for some reason I just haven't been able to let go yet. "Yet" being the key word, as they WILL be mailed out, and I'll be having a party when I hit that point in my life where I can actually do it, let go and move on. Bet you're wondering what's with the picture of a tag in a pair of jeans?  Let me explain, once upon a time these fit me.  And once upon a time, I was hell bent on losing all the extra weight that I'd been hauling around for my entire life.  This time was going to be different, this time I'd lose ALL of it, not just some.  This time I'd keep it off.  This time I'd be skinny and all would be well with the world.  I did lose it all and then some, to the point that size small was sometimes too big, no matter that I looked sick to some people, and who cares if my hair fell out by the handfuls about half way through (thank god that stopped!), I WON, I was----drum roll please----skinny-for about 5 minutes of my life in the grand scope of things.  The grand finale of this whole process was spending hours shopping for that perfect pair of jeans, a name brand in a single digit size, I thought I had found heaven.  But really nothing had changed-except for the fact that I didn't recognize myself in a mirror anymore-seriously.  The people in my life that mattered, were going to stick around no matter what the scale said when I stood on it.  And those that were suddenly my new best friends, did I really want them in my life anyway?  Nope!  Stay with me here, there's a reason for all of this.  The other day, I was visiting Tammy Vitale's Blog, and happened to click on a link for another of her websites-why didn't I ever notice that before?  Anyway, it led me to a site called Body Politics, when I clicked to find out what it's about I was intriqued, you will be too-go back & click on that last link:)  This one sentence says it all: "A woman’s spirit, her sense of confidence and self-worth, may be broken by repetitive messages that tell her she isn’t good enough the way she is —" wait a minute, that's my life, that's how I grew up!  Oh there are stories to be told, but not here.  They'll be put into notes & stuffed into the pockets of those skinny jeans, and maybe even written onto those jeans, but it's time that I (and maybe you?) get rid of all that baggage, along with those "skinny jeans" that we all have stashed away somewhere.  The dream of both Tammy & Heather are for people to send them their jeans & their stories, that eventually it could become a traveling exhibit.  This is a project that most of us can participate in, and maybe make a difference, change this idea of self worth being determined by how closely we match up "to standard ideals of beauty".  Please, please, please, click those links, read about this project, click on the interact link, and lets help them get this going!  Put it on your blogs & spread the word!  Speaking for myself, I'm ready (after being horrified at the thought of getting rid of those jeans at first) to dump this baggage, get on with my life, I am who I am. Good by, Calvin Kleins, good by to the only size 8 jeans I've ever worn, and hello to a new life!  Oh, and if anyone's interested, I have a closet full of small clothes, and I do mean full-I'll trade you for some art supplies:)

How's Summer Treating You?

How's the summer treating you?  Are you enjoying it, looking around you to see what might be hanging around for just these few months?  If you're not, you'll never know what you may be missing that could be right in front of your eyes.  Here in WI, the summers are short and can go by as fast as a blink of the eye.  And all too often, myself included, I've seen folks so very busy, focused on a task, worrying, working too hard-----insert any word or phrase that fits, and then stop & think-----is that you?  Or me?  Or those you love?  Slow down then-just long enough to look around, drink in what nature's offered up for us, breathe in-then out-then in again-do you feel better?  Don't get me wrong, I know we all have responsibilities and can't ignore them for months on end, but we do all deserve a break now & then, a well deserved break, the kind that you don't feel quilty for having taken.  Life's just too short!

For instance, even though I'm terrified of spiders, here's something I've never seen before-a ball about the size of a ping pong ball that was a mass of baby spiders, probably hundreds of them, but I wasn't about to get close enough to count:)  They were hanging on a fern frond, and would travel around to different fronds, but stayed in a group and always ended back up in that ball shape. 

And look at what this peony looks like, up close & personal.  The parts are so intricate and grow so quickly, but the entire flower is spent & gone before you know it.  Even though the flower as a whole is beautiful, look closely next time at your flowers, they're really pretty incredible!

A butterfly that stopped for a rest just long enough to snap this picture, I think most of us are used to carrying a camera around, but if you're not, try it-you won't regret it.  Having been limited this summer as to where and when I could venture outside this summer because of my surgery, has renewed my appreciation and passion for nature.  Funny how when something is taken away from you, it becomes something that you want more than ever.  For me this year, I spent the beginning of the summer in my studio, non stop, getting ready for my show,(still time to get there, it's at Off the Wheel Pottery until Aug.22) and then had surgery 4 days later.  With this all planned months in advance, everything for the remainder of the summer was planned around all of this, including choosing classes at Valley Ridge Art Studio forgoing early classes for late summer/early fall classes, making sure I'd be able to travel.  But the one thing I hadn't factored in, was just how much that wonderful little slice of heaven has become an integral part of my summer-like I said before, take it away & you want it even more.  It just feels "wrong" to not have been there yet!  But the wait will be worth it, my first class will be Nature Inspired, taught by Tracie Lyn Huskamp, and I can hardly wait!  Not only is Tracie a sweetie, but she's combining her class with the debut of her first book, Nature Inspired: Mixed-Media Techniques for Gathering, Sketching, Painting, Journaling, and Assemblage , and she'll be throwing a party!  So come join us, Gary's taking the class along with me me (he's not missing out on this one!) and help Tracie celebrate her book release, and help me celebrate finally getting down to Valley Ridge!  I know that money's tight, but some things are just so worth it, and a
Valley Ridge experience is one those things, something that I truly wish you all get to experience at some time.  Another thing we haven't been able to do enough of this summer is get over to The Flying Pig for a dose of inspiration and some good company.  But now that it's getting much easier to get in & out of the car, and I don't need the walker anymore & am back using a cane, it's easier to get around, making me feel like now I can start my summer.  Watching the sunset at Red River Park, sitting around a bonfire, watching fireflys, listening to the night sounds, watching the landscape change as flowers come & go-some more of the things that define summer for me.  What's yours?  I'd love to hear what your favorite summer things are, favorite summer memory, favorite summer anything-if we'd all share something, we may end up finding a new & favorite thing to do.  Are you game to share?  I'll bet you are!  One last picture, 3 families of geese down at Red River Park one night with all of their young ones-that sight made a favorite summer memory.  See how easy this could be:)

Watching Roy paint-A Buried Treasure

Lately, you've heard me speak about Roy Bedward quite often, here, then again here, and you can read his own words here.  If you haven't been following along, those links are your chance to get caught up to date:)  This past Saturday afternoon, we had the unique opportunity to spend some time with Roy and watch him paint.  Thanks to a lot of cooperation and planning, Roy was brought up to The Flying Pig from Madison, enabling him to be able to see his own exhibit, which ended the following day. 

From left to right, we have Susan of The Flying Pig, Ariel, (he & Roy share a house, he's such a gentle soul!), Tish (a staff member that drove both Roy & Ariel up), Jeremy (my son who has worked with Roy for about a year now), Roy, and Alli with her baby Penelope.  Alli & Susan were the driving force behind making this all happen, and she's the one that sees to it that Roy gets time in his life to paint.

Jeremy kept Roy company, while Roy was taking in the atmosphere inside The Flying Pig.  This is actually his second trip there, and although he can't speak, using a facilitating communication device he typed out "I love it here", and he certainly appeared to.  But then we all love it there!

The easel was set up outside, underneath a cedar grove in the greenspace for Roy to paint.  I learned a thing or 2 while watching him set up!  He squirts whatever paints he wants to use in glass jars, a jar & a brush for each color-brilliant!  No washing out brushes everytime there's a color change, an idea that I just might try myself. 

In no time at all, 2 hours had passed and Roy had completed 2 paintings.  For the most part you could have heard a pin drop within the crowd of us that were watching him, now that would have freaked me out if I had been the one painting in front of a crowd, but he just did his thing, and did it well! 

I don't pretend to know a lot about autism, but I did learn a little more about it on that day with Ariel & Roy.  There's a lot going on inside their heads, they just have a rough time communicating it.  Never take advantage of the fact that you can speak, or type by yourself, or live on your own, or do any of the things that we all take for granted each & every day of our lives.  And be grateful that there are folks out there like Jeremy & Alli, and all the families that live this life, that care enough to help them, to help make a difference, to be there to celebrate their successes and get them through the rough patches.  I'm truly grateful that I met Roy & Ariel, and am so happy that Roy is willing to share his gift of art with the world. 

More Show Report

Several of you have asked for more of what's become known as "the Show Report", so here goes:)  The show runs until Aug. 22, at Off the Wheel Pottery in Egg Harbor, up in Door County.  The gallery itself is one end of an old barn that's been converted for gallery use, but not in the traditional sense of the word.  There's this one white wall that's been installed to section off the gallery space from the rest of the barn.  The other walls are still the old barn boards, complete with the open spaces between the barnboards that let the natural light come streaming in.  I was in such a panic getting ready, that I remembered that wall being endless, and was worried I'd never have enough to fill it, and actually ended up bringing too much!  Bet that'll never happen again:) 

When you walk in the door to the gallery, "The Girls" are straight ahead, front & center!  Those are each 2'x3' , just to give you an idea of the size of the walls, and they're hung quite high  with displays of Renee's pottery beneath them-worked out perfectly. 

It's hard to see on here, but Gary built a jewelry display case that's hanging just to the left of the door.  He made it out of an old window that he hinged for the front and built a box type structure on the back to attach it to.  Not the best description, but you get the idea.  There's more jewelry in Renee's studio, and if you happen to get up there, make sure to go into her studio to see her work-you'll fall in love with it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Besides wall art & jewelry (now why is this text all underlined?) I brought along some journals that I made out of the pages of nature prints that I did last year after reading LK Ludwig's book, Mixed Media Nature Journals.  If you don't already own this book, treat yourself and get a copy, it's a great one!  No blank white pages in these books-these 6"x12" books are loaded with color & various leaf prints from foliage around the yard.  Time consuming, but well worth it!  Try it, you'll be hooked!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to the opening (and apparently the underling is here to stay also!) it went just fine!  A steady flow of people that were all so nice, and I was a nervous wreck for no reason! I knew I had done work that I felt good about, so it was all fine, really.  Funny part though, I had ordered some clothes to wear from Oh My Guaze, wanting something to wear that was a little funkier.  I waited til the last minute to order, and as a result I got them at the last minute-just a few hours before we left for the show!  Someone was looking over me on that one-they fit, were comfortable, and was just the look that I wanted-whew!  There's actually more to this story about the show and how it all came about, but that'll be for another day.  Starting tomorrow there's another blog event you won't want to miss out on!  Seth Apter of The Altered Page is hosting an event that he's calling Buried Treasure.  All participants are asked to repost at least one of their favorite posts from their blogs, a way for bloggers to get to know each other better, and read something special in the process.  Something you won't want to miss!  Since I'll be participating, I'll see you all tomorrow!

Just a quickie little note---

Before I call it a day, just wanted to make sure you all have the chance to go read Linda Warlyn's interview over at the MMCA Marketplace Blog.  While you're over there, go grab some free images to work with, and read some of the other interviews that have been posted lately-the place has been hopping lately!  More tomorrow-stay tuned:)

Checking In & done w/surgery!

Two weeks ago today, these 2 feet actually got out of those automatic compression sock pump things (technical terms!), got into shoes, got me into the car, then into the house, and have been carrying me around ever since-with the help of a shiny new hip and a walker.  The healing power of the human body can be amazing.  Would you believe that the day of surgery & the following day, that I never even napped?  Seems like all I've been doing since is sleeping, but what a great start!

Since this was the 2nd attempt at this procedure since December, the nurses made sure to welcome me back on the board straight across from the bed.  And I reminded them with my comment on that same board, to keep the coffee coming:)  The staff was great, and all celebrated with me that this time around the surgery was a success-went off without any problems at all.  But because of the blood clot I had last time, now I have to give myself Lovenox injections in my belly twice a day and wear those godforsaken compression hose that go from my toes to the top of my legs-on BOTH legs-they're not taking any chances.

And from day 1, there was another board with a schedule for my entire stay there.  I never did find a space on there that said "sleep"!  They woke me up every 3 hours, round the clock for pain meds.  Although I hated getting woken up constantly, they knew what they were doing & kept ahead of the pain nicely.  So now I'm home, sleeping in a hospital bed in the living room, doing my exercises, napping most days which is very odd for me, still icing the incision, and am almost ready to transition from the walker and back to the cane already.  They've had me walking me on this new hip from the day of surgery, putting as much weight on it as I can tolerate, and since it already feels better than before surgery, I think I'm really ready for that cane, at least part of the day.  So there you have it, the update:)  Have had lots of thinking time while sitting here at home, am about to start "arting" again.  Thanks to all who have kept in touch these past couple of weeks, it's meant a lot to me!

And I loved being able to pop in from the hospital to say a quick "hello" here & there.  You know, we really are spoiled with all this technology!