It is all a process

Here is a close up of the memory picture I am working on with my Dad. Sepia photo with pastel and glitter experimentation-probably taken too far (less is more)- -I am learning to combine media and work with what happens and this was an exercise in some frustration for me. At different times I liked what was happening, but then other little accidents became not so happy for me.
So I just let it go in a lot of ways to learning and feeling and trying new things. It's weird because when I get away from it and return to it -I think it will be better - but it really isn't, for me anyway.
My Dad died when he was only fifty years old and I was fifteen. I had a perfect childhood until that day. He and I were two of a kind in our little family-therefore the bunny ears we wear. Entitled "Sometimes I really miss him..." every season within. It is not a sad deal anymore so much , as I am past the age he was when he died, but I still have bittersweet remembrances and wonderings of "what ifs" as our family generations grow and go on-- with his true spirit in all of us. Thanks Dad.

Everybody do the New Year Blog

Last year's snow shoes, on the porch of the house we sold on New Year's Day 2007. That was fortunate and weird to sell a house on January first, but here we are one year later- in an old/new house in a much happier and productive space. Thankfully.
So as I am cruising around the blogs- I am overwhelmed by the New Year activity and inspirational thoughts and ideas for 2008. I am not in full swing of such thinking as of yet, but I have a few more "off" days and hope to have some reflective dream time incorporated within that time. I have been doing some creative activities in the studio- painting a bedside table for self and an alter like collage in remembrance of my father--but as I work on them I feel like it is not what I truly want to be doing- but because it is in front of me and immediate- that is what I do. That there is something on the edge of my mind and person within that I could be doing? or maybe it is just guilt about not cleaning up the studio space! whatever it is - it is all OK- as I have a core feeling of OKAYedness about this year and what it will bring- personally-financially -spiritually-professionally--and communally.
So-- 2008 is here and so are we- much to be thankful about and look forward to.

the mind's eye

Looking through sketchbooks. This is a drawing I did after the "fire". It is a memory drawing of a composite piece I did for Dr. Kiley, who I met when I first moved to Portland. He had written some children's poems and was looking for someone to illustrate them. This is not as "tight" or colorful as the composite was, but was a recollection of what I had done before and liked and lost. I don't really like the random, stream of consciousness "stuff" inside , but like the general concept and layout of the reflecting aspect and when I was playing around with the image's contrast and such , I discovered another small face in the cheek area that was sort of like an engraved image of another drawing that I had drawn on the prior page of my sketch book. I get a kind of serene, madonna like feeling about it. What do ya think?

Happy Halloween and El Dia De Los Muertos, tomorrow and Friday. I am the lone skeleton this Halloween, all the family peeps are gone- Europe-Tacoma- all the exotic places! Anyway I was looking at pictures and found this one of 'dem bones in a museum somewhere in Mexico when we were there. Like it -thought I'd post it. So there it is.

Fascinating Kalie

Here is the fabulously, fascinating feline, Kalie. Everyday you can hear the people coo with sweet adoration for Kalie, the Kween of 37th and Hawthorne. "She looks like my old kitty..." or "...I had a cat one time that looked just like her."
I wonder what the fascination is much of the time..but I am from the farm and cats were cats when I was growing up. Now they seem to be almost human or at least hold the majestic and mysterious power that once was worshiped by some Egyptians.
Kalie can certainly stop the busiest of pedestrian that strides by our house in an "I need caffiene, now!" blur to get a Starbucks by just delicately sitting on the fence by the sidewalk while licking her petite little paws. Halting in their tracks with shrieks of delight..they immediately stop and say,"Oh, look- it's a KITTY. You are sooo-oooo cute."
How lucky they are to be allowed to touch and pet and be apart of Kalie's life. After all, she is the Kween.
Oh, yeah--and remember the lady who wanted to buy this version of Kalie- she still hasn't picked her(the painting) up. So she (the painting) is available again for anyone out there who understands the Kalie-cat phenomenon.

el dia de la calavera

So here are some quick shots of a few things at the show--however not so representative of the artwork, but more the process of skullifying things. Here is lovely Brenda from the Detour restaurant, putting on the sugariness of skulls on those delectable guiness chocolate cupcakes. Needless to say there were only four out of three dozen left!
Then there was the tin skeleton man who greeted you at the door -with bandanna and pepper lights to guide your way.
I got enamored by my shoes- as I used them in conjunction with a pen and ink piece I did of three little girl skull heads. I put the piece on the kitchen step stool and my shoes on one of the steps. Then I started taking pictures of my shoes--thinking I would like to use them somehow in a logo for square II studio.
Last weekend we opened the doors to the House Gallery because the weather was just too beautiful! We had some visitors and one lady who wanted to buy Kalie, the cat, (the painting). She wanted it because it reminded her of her cat -that had died....alas she didn't put any money down ( cash only downfalls) and the lady hasn't come back for Kalie!

calavera cupcakes

The second Thursday at Square II Studios went well. These are the delectable and delicious guiness chocolate cupcakes that the Detour restaurant made and Brenda sugared--(with an original stencil by me.). They were a big hit along with the shrinky dink skull necklaces. I will post more pictures later of the gallery and how it looked. My husband, Tedarling, was instrumental in being my representative in negotiating sales and actually sold a substantial piece that I have had for awhile. We had to hold onto the piece until 9:30 for the couple who bought it to pick it up...so in the meantime some neighbors and folks from our "hood" came and played some music on the front porch until they showed up for the painting-that was fun. Our new brainstorm for Christmas is EGGS! We're egg-cited----NOOOOOOOO--ohyeah.