A Cat in the Window

Art Every Day Month

2011-12-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

I finished the month by painting every day, including the new painting which was a wacky take on Worcester's "Turtle Boy" statue. I got the original paintings done and packed up, and they are now installed down at The Bean Counter on Highland Street for the month of December. Phew! And ever since then I've been continuing to do "art every day" but for my clients and to stock the stores who carry my items. It's a busy time of year!

AEDM#24 - Stacked cups

2011-11-25T09:23:00.000-08:00

I saw an image (photo) like this on a magazine recently and was really taken by the shape of these stacked cups. So I drew my own version of it for yesterday's "Art Every Day Month" entry.

AEDM#23 - A city, simplified

2011-11-23T18:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's city turned out a little wacky. So I decided to try a simplified, more streamlined version.

AEDM#22 - An attempted city

2011-11-23T18:25:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when you are utterly sleep deprived and try to do a doodle on a small pad of paper held in the lap first thing in the morning, while an adorable yellow cat tries to sit on your lap at the same time. My buildings are falling over!

AEDM#21 - Butterflies and other flying things

2011-11-23T17:57:00.000-08:00

You can sort of see when I am in a period of inspiration or in a period of "I have to do art today for Art Every Day Month." I don't care too much for this one.

AEDM#20 - Flowers

2011-11-19T07:19:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when I am really tired of doing the daily AEDM doodles. I just phone it in. (Hmm...telephones would be a cool theme for an upcoming daily doodle.)

AEDM#18 - Clocks

2011-11-19T07:17:00.001-08:00

Time is such a big theme in our family. For me, it's whizzing past at an alarming rate. My child is growing before my eyes, turning into a long, lanky bean. For him, time is nonexistent. There is only the present. It shouldn't surprise me...he loves watching physicist Brian Greene on Nova, going on and on about new theories of time and space. Now, if my son could just get ready on time and clean up his space, I'd be happy....

AEDM#17 - Books

2011-11-17T10:42:00.000-08:00

When I heard that Occupy Wall Street had a wonderful library, and that it had been taken down by police (the same guys who destroyed their tents), I was so sad. Libraries are so special. It inspired me to make today's doodle about books.

AEDM#16 - Clothes

2011-11-16T14:16:00.001-08:00

I did this while at the YMCA, sleep-deprived, watching my son take his swim lessons today.

AEDM#15 - Pots and Pans

2011-11-16T14:15:00.000-08:00

Why I'd do art of stuff from the kitchen is a mystery to me. I don't like being in the kitchen much.

AEDM#14 - Letters

2011-11-16T14:13:00.000-08:00

I have always regarded letters as little bits of art.

AEDM#13 - Fruits and veggies

2011-11-16T14:12:00.000-08:00

Today's doodling consists of fruits and veggies. Some look pretty scary; others, not so much.

AEDM#12 - Kept working....

2011-11-13T04:55:00.000-08:00

On November 12 for Art Every Day Month, I chose once again to keep working on my newest painting. I made significant progress, too. I don't know if one is supposed to create a new and complete bit of art on every day of AEDM; I hope not. With all that I've got to do, I don't always have time to do art for pleasure (AEDM) and art for business. Business usually wins that battle, as I have this odd need for income.

However, I will say that having made a public commitment to AEDM is helping me have the discipline to make art every day. You might think that doing art every day is natural for an artist. It may well be, but when the artist is a homeschooling mom with another day job too, it's easy for that to be put on the back burner. I am thankful to AEDM for keeping me on track. I know that this painting will be done before long and I can return to my adorable doodles, or perhaps some 5x5 paintings that I can turn into card designs. Thanks for listening.

p.s. I am not including a photo of my painting-in-progress here because I want it to be a surprise.

AEDM#11 - Not a doodle, but a painting

2011-11-11T17:12:00.001-08:00

For "Art Every Day Month," (AEDM#11) I was not inspired to do a doodle today. Today I came up with an idea for a new painting, drew the pencil sketch for it, and started the painting. I've got it sort of half-covered in this photo because I don't really want to reveal what I've got planned

AEDM#10 - Clotheslines

2011-11-10T10:44:00.000-08:00

When I watched a recent episode of Boardwalk Empire ("Peg of Old" - Episode 19), I was struck by the pattern of clotheslines spanning an alleyway in one of the scenes. Hence today's doodle.

AEDM#9 - Chairs

2011-11-09T14:46:00.001-08:00

Or maybe I should call this one "things to sit on," as my son pointed out that there are some things in here that are most certainly not chairs. :-)

AEDM#8 - Windows

2011-11-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

Here is today's contribution for Art Every Day Month. Windows.

AEDM#7 - Leaves

2011-11-07T10:15:00.001-08:00

Appropriately for fall.

AEDM#6 - Lamps

2011-11-06T07:27:00.001-08:00

Shedding some light on Art Every Day Month. Lamps!

AEDM#5 - Coffee cups

2011-11-06T07:26:00.001-08:00

Java!!!

AEDM#4 - Fish

2011-11-06T07:24:00.000-08:00

Fishies!!

AEDM#3 - Gifts

2011-11-06T07:22:00.000-08:00

Presents!!

AEDM#2 - Cats

2011-11-06T07:21:00.001-08:00

Kitties!

Art Every Day Month - AEDM#1: Houses

2011-11-06T07:03:00.000-08:00

I haven't even bothered to find out if there is such a thing as "Art Every Day Month" or whether it's a figment of FB friend Aimee's artistically wonderful mind. But with so many of my friends doing NaNoWriMo, I felt that if my homeschooling friends can work on their novel every day with numerous kids and household and work duties, then I can churn out a doodle-type drawing each day for AEDM. (Truth be told, I have never committed publicly to one of these things before.)

So, I guess I will catch up on my postings. (These are all small pen & ink doodles, from my 3x5 sketch pad. That's the size of daily art I have time for these days.)

So much to catch up on

2011-08-24T08:49:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in a while (That's nothing new.) But it doesn't mean that I haven't been busy. For one thing, I am happy to report that I'm finally art-blogging. Nothing fancy, mind you, but I bought one of those mix-media journals and I carry it with me now, everywhere I go. It's got big, wide pages, and I use my portable "Koi" watercolor set and water brush to add color to my entries. I am thrilled that I finally got the courage to venture into this somewhat intimidating new activity. The entries are delightful to go back and read; not because they're such compelling writing, but because of the illustrations.

I credit Connie Hozvicka and all the artists at "21 Secrets" art journaling workshop with helping me get past the blocks that kept me from trying this before.

Featured in a kitty blog: All About Cats

2011-02-04T08:12:00.000-08:00

Today I was contacted by the person who writes this blog: All About Cats which has a tagline "this blog is all about cats, crafting, Etsy, Etsy Sellers and my All About Cats Etsy Shop". She included my laminated magnet in her blog.

This Beware of Cat Kisses design is one of my favorites and a great seller. It can be found in my Etsy shop.

Mixed media fun

2011-01-23T17:11:00.000-08:00

I decided to try my hand at mixed-media this weekend. I'm in an inbetween-place, between wanting to keep the best of what people liked about my formerly predominant kind of art (the acrylic kitties) but also venture out into new territory that *I* find personally interesting and creative. There will be much experimenting in the coming weeks.

On alone-time

2011-01-22T14:27:00.000-08:00

I have been alone all day (husband and son went to Grandma's 24 hours ago!!) and I realized today that it takes me THAT long to get to any productive thoughts or ideas. I can, of course, dash off little doodles or thoughts in a found moment here or there, but to get anywhere BIG, to solve a problem or break through an artistic block, I need HOURS. In a row! It takes me that long for one thought to lead to another, to another, and 5 hours later, a solution or an inspiration happens, and then I've still got some time to act on it.

I have got to find a place to send my son! Darling boy, I love him so much, but because we homeschool, he is omnipresent. I drive him to classes here and there that are two hours long but that's not long enough to come home and create in my own space. I work in coffee shops or learning center waiting rooms, out of a backpack that contains all my art supplies, or a computer that lets me work on my paid job. I work like a refugee.

I am not whining. It's just the truth of it. I need to come up with a solution.

List-It Tuesday - Jan. 18, 2011

2011-01-18T13:09:00.000-08:00

Aimee has just indicated that she's done hosting List-It Tuesday. Which just reinforces my belief that my timing is impeccable. I started it last week for the first time, and ka-put. It's gone! Well that's OK. I was too busy to get to a list today anyway. (see last week for reasons)

This week finds me in the midst of an artistic crisis. All my artist friends seem to be surging forth into success with their art. And I, knee-deep in homeschooling lessons and a part-time day job, can't seem to get paint to canvas half the time. Why is it that I expect myself to excel in all aspects of my life, at all times, all at once? (Do I have a red cape and tights hanging in my closet that I don't know about?)

Sometimes the kitty knows best

2011-01-15T07:18:00.001-08:00

Every so often the Inner Critic gets going and PK has to talk a little sense into me.

List-It Tuesday - Jan. 11, 2011

2011-01-11T16:40:00.001-08:00

OK, Amy Myers Dolich at the Artsyville blog has this thing called List-It Tuesday, where you make a list and post it. I hope I am understanding this right. I don't have time to create anything artistic to go with it. It's just a list! After you see it, you'll know why I have no art to go with it. I'm lucky I got it down on paper! :-)

Thank You

2011-01-07T10:44:00.000-08:00

I always get the greatest Christmas gifts, and then I am lax about sending out Thank You cards. As an artist, I get caught in that trap of "oh, why buy a card when I can make it." (Well the answer to that is, because if you buy it, it might actually get sent sometime this YEAR!) In any case, today I finished this cute one that I'm going to use, and finally get my thank-yous out.

Oh, and I should say that if these drawings from the past few days look like those from Aimee Myers Dolich, then that's because she is inspiring me at the moment. But I won't cross the line and add these lovely little creations to my work that I'm selling. I need to get through the new ideas inspired by others and BACK to my own style, or onto a brand new style of my very own that has yet to be fully developed. These are just baby steps along the way.

I'm back! Redesign is on the way

2011-01-06T06:41:00.000-08:00

I have been away for a long time. This blog is about to have some new life breathed into it. The first order of business was to get rid of the brown and beige color scheme (what was I thinking?!), and soon I will be redesigning the whole thing. I hope you will be patient with this multi-tasking, homeschooling, artist, work-at-home web moderator mama.

Newbury Street Gallery!

2010-08-04T07:08:00.001-07:00

I was recently contacted by a Newbury Street art gallery called L'Attitude. They are putting together a large exhibition of paintings by Worcester-area artists in a brand new building going up at UMass medical complex. It will be the cancer infusion center, and word has it that it will be a "green" building. Very cool.

L'Attitude commissioned me for two 18" x 18" paintings for that project, and I am happy to say that they were pleased with my work and have just commissioned two MORE for different UMass medical buildings! I am thrilled to say the least.

At least someone's solved that vexing problem!

2010-06-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

I love this blog post by a fellow Creative who calls herself Scoutie Girl. She is taking her stand against the guilt that plagues so many artists who are also wives & mothers: the feeling that we somehow have to do it all (hint: she doesn't even try!):

Click here for the article

Two great quotes from Ann Lamott

2010-05-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

Ann Lamott is one of my favorite writers. Her book, Bird by Bird (about the process of writing)is a DELIGHT to read. Here are two quotes that I enjoy in particular:

"It helps to resign as the controller of your fate. All that energy we expend to keep things running right is not what's keeping things running right. We're bugs struggling in the river, brightly visible to the trout below."

And

"Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft." (which, Ann explains, is important and unavoidable first step in writing)

I've started art journaling

2010-03-23T13:09:00.000-07:00

I like to go to Barnes & Noble on my free nights, and have a coffee (or caramel latte) while I read inspirational artsy books. One recent visit took me to a publication in the magazine rack. (It looked and felt like a soft-cover book, but it was in the magazine rack, so I guess it's technically a magazine?)

Anyway, the publication is called Art Journaling, published by Somerset Studio. There are a lot of books and magazines out there about art journaling, altered books, and collage, but this one spoke to me so powerfully and directly that I just had to take it home. It has been a wonderful resource, and I think it's because it not only talks about the technical side of doing art journaling, but also the emotional side. It addresses for me the stumbling blocks that had, until now, kept me from diving into collage or mixed-media art.

I will try and see if I can put it into my little store (the one here on the blog), but if I can't get that going, here is a link to it:
http://www.stampington.com/html/art_journaling_w09.html

What is amazing is that when I Googled "Art Journaling Somerset Studio," I got the page I just shared with you. And THAT wasn't even the book I bought! So apparently there are MORE ISSUES of this amazing book! Oh my. Somebody stop me before I spend all my money....

My first public poem

2010-03-07T12:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, out in front of the art museum on a gorgeous sunny Saturday with spring starting to make itself known, I started to wish I could write poetry. But I always seem to have this blockage. And suddenly it dawned on me. My wish has always been to write poetry....not to write GOOD poetry! LOL!! It's just been my perfectionistic voice that put up all these barriers to my attempting it. A familiar feeling that "others" can do it but not me. What garbage! I am the wordsmith! Always have been. So I decided that if I didn't really care if my poetry was any good, but that instead I wanted to honor and play with words and let them OUT of my head,then I would declare myself a poet. So today I declared myself a poet. And then wrote a big long poem and didn't care if it was a "real" poem or any good or anything. It was just what came out. Here it is:

"I am a wordsmith,"
I always say,
boastfully.
But a wordsmith wouldn't abuse her words
by keeping them so tightly under wraps.

I always keep the gate up
like they're going to gallop off
and embarrass me.

I wait until they're lined up
like prim girls in party dresses,
legs twined at the frilled ankles,
patent-leather shoes shining, squeaking uncomfortably as they rub.
Little halo-crowns gleaming on their
little-girl heads. The words are me.

Do you love me now?
They ask to the empty room,
the audience having died,
the clothes no longer fitting,

the lonely emptiness being the most palpable
and important thing that's left.

(Ashamed but only seen by herself, she
takes off the ill-fitting shame.
Drops it in a heap. Steps out.
Brushes off. Throws open the window and leans out,
squinting at the brightness.)

In the beginning was the word
and the word was good
and the word was God.

Below the window, the little girl sees
the words of others gamboling down the street,
shining and twirling and establishing themselves

for the words are our thoughts
and they must be free
because thoughts
and words
are what we build lives with.
It's what the world is made of.

Without my words,
I'm not quite real.
And without air and sun my words die.
And so will I.

(So the little girl ventures
down the steps of the empty house.
Out the front door.
She reaches into her pocket
for a handful of tattered, rumpled words and

triumphantly
flings them to the wind.....)

3.6.10

Writing myself a new day

2010-03-03T06:40:00.000-08:00

Today has within it the seeds of possibility.

A blank canvas, my day can have an image of great beauty painted on it. My day is a white journal page, and the thoughts I write on it can speak of miracles.

But fears bay at my doorstep like eager hounds.

I want them to go away, so I'm tempted to let them in and give them something.

They're louder and louder. My legs and hands go numb as I think of the mistakes in my past, the mistakes built into my family system for generations. Like a tiny rocket, I need powerful boosters to escape the downward pull. The atmosphere here is heavy with regret.

But then I remember my metaphor of The Footbridge from an article I'm writing:

"Imagine crossing a footbridge. It’s not so hard, really. You just put one foot in front of the other. Even if it’s as old and ratty as the one Indiana Jones always seems to be crossing, you hold on. You worry, you persist, and after a little creaking and swaying, you get there.
Now imagine you’re crossing a footbridge that doesn’t yet exist. You’re building it as you walk. Each plank appears only as you step down. You have to take it on faith that the bridge will be there when you shift your weight with each footfall.
Now imagine that you don’t even know if the other end of the bridge is attached at the destination you’ve chosen, or whether you’re going to step off it to discover you’re ten miles south of where you wanted to be.
That’s how it is to try and be the good mother you never had."

I realize it's not just a metaphor about parenting. It's about creating a life when I have no clue how.

A thousand metaphors sing to me from faiths of others: "leap and the road will appear; a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; today is the first day of the rest of your life..."

My heart aches, wondering if I can be forgiven for my mistakes. Wondering why I should believe I deserve second chances.

But that's a story for another day.

As the words flow from me this morning, I realize it's suddenly quiet. The hounds are gone, at least for now.

Time to pour my coffee and start the day.

A creative approach to life through Law of Attraction

2010-02-28T08:14:00.001-08:00

Creativity isn't just pen & pencil or paint. Since my last post here (can you see how busy I've been? It's been a long time), I was exposed to an idea called Law of Attraction. It's fascinating to me, and I have found that discussing the ideas of it at length with others on the same path is very valuable. So I will now include posts that include my thoughts on that subject here in my "Creativity Blog." Because if a creative approach to life doesn't belong on this blog...nothing does! Here goes:

=================================

Looking out the back picture window on a Sunday morning. Dave and Nate had just left for church, and I awaited their driving by. To beep & wave at me in the picture window is our custom.

They were taking a long time, so I was able to look around at leisure. Suddenly a chipmunk popped up out of the ground and sat there in the snow, looking around. A chipmunk? I thought they hibernated all winter. Does this mean something? It sat still as a statue for the longest time. I wondered why; its behind must be getting cold sitting with its rear end in the snow like that. It occurred to me that it may have seen my movement in the window. Sure enough, as soon as I moved it disappeared quickly into a little hole right there in the yard!

My eyes swept the snowy lawn, and I noticed the tire tracks left by the car. Dave drives into the yard every time there's music equipment to pack or unload. The members of my husband's band do, too. We've been taking care not to leave the yard by doing the usual 3-point turn. I mean, I don't know why Dave doesn't do the 3-point turn. Speaking strictly for myself, I stopped doing it as soon as Nate started making his "trails" in the snow and caring what happened to them. So I back out, reusing the tracks I made coming in, and I'm not very good at it. I nearly wiped out that little fir tree that one of the Bonedogs ran over last summer. At the time, we had all been encouraged that the little tree wasn't killed by that act of carelessness. But this month I noticed that the small and valiant little evergreen was not actually green any longer. It is brown. I was tempted to think that it's dead, but I don't know that for sure. I don't know what's going on down there in its depths, or what Mother Nature has planned for it. I was tempted to do something, to prune it or some stupid move designed to "help" it, and then I remembered that it is precisely that sort of action that gets things all wrong.

First of all, Nature doesn't really need my help. Moreover, my helping sometimes just wrecks things. I will never forget that giant insect I found in Illinois back in the 90's. I had been pumping gas on a busy suburban street. The bug was sitting on the concrete, right next to the pump. I had looked around and saw noplace that the thing could go. No green plants or grass anywhere. I was sure it would just sit there, helplessly, and get stepped on. Why I didn't think it would fly away escapes me now; maybe it was a wingless creature. In any case I had picked it up with the intention of bringing it to the tree-lined college campus where I was going. I no longer remember the reason for the errand. But no sooner did I put it on the dashboard than it feel down into the vent between the dashboard and the window, never to be seen again. I was crushed. The bug would have been better off without my help. As vividly as I remember that incident, it took many more instances of helping and meddling in everything from nature to interpersonal affairs to my own career before I finally realized that none of this is my job.
As I looked out the back window I thought of the new philosophy I am studying, called Law of Attraction. What excites me about LoA is the way in which, as I listen to Abraham or other LoA teachers, I hear echoes of philosophies and wisdoms of all kinds, which I've heard all my life. It's like they are all being tied together now, suddenly making sense. It reminds me of those trick pictures that you can get where you stare at a supposedly abstract design long enough, and suddenly you can see an image.

I thought about the little brown fir tree, and started to think about it growing. I wanted to send out vibrations about it growing. But you know, there's a fine line between believing that wishing something will make it so and trying to pre-pave for a desired outcome--as Abraham calls it--with our thoughts. A conundrum, this fine line is only fine in the visual sense. It's so fine one can barely see it, but with discernment you can see that it's actually wide as the ocean. Another illusion! The difference is this: with wishing something into being, you act as though the locus of control is still with YOU. With Law of Attraction, on the other hand, your thoughts are sort of preparing the way for something to happen, but it is not really you who makes it happen. Here's another echo that came to me as I typed this. That old song I sang in high school: "prepare ye the way of the Lord." Picturing a road, with Jesus riding on a donkey, people putting down palm branches which serve no practical purpose at all, but yet they were pre-paving the way for him. But therein lies the difference and it just came to me this morning. With wishing, it is still YOU thinking that YOU are in control of how things go. But that's not the way it is. The Universe (God? Reality? Spirit?) is in control, and I think just wants us to admit it. Once we do, it's surprisingly generous. Reminds me of a parent.

Too little time

2009-10-16T08:01:00.001-07:00

It can be a curse to be creative. Take, for example, the Print & Pattern blog that fellow artist Karissa Chase recently shared on Facebook:

http://printpattern.blogspot.com/

This blog is a delight to look at, but at the same time it gives me a crushing headache and the desire to hide under a piece of furniture. How can this be?

I'll tell you. I want to be able to take my art "out there" someday to the licensing world, and in particular this clean style of illustration (for lack of a better term....whatever IS it called, anyway) is something I don't know how to do. Something tells me it is done in Illustrator. Being self-taught and not having enough money to buy Illustrator, I am not yet up to speed on that program. Not to mention the time it would take.

And as I mentioned, I am trying to write.

And market my cat art as it exists in its current form, which is acrylic painted, primitive in style.

And mother, and homeschool, and once in a while wave a mop at my house in hopes that I can make it look a little less like the Munsters' home.

I am whining, I admit it. But I just don't know what to do. Sometimes it is easier just to blog and forget the whole thing. A nice online version of water-treading that gets me absolutely nowhere, not the slightest bit closer to my goals.

Pulled in too many directions

2009-10-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

It may seem, at first glance, like things aren't that well in my creative life. After all, I have not blogged here in months! The truth is, I've been doing too much to blog.

Some time within the last month or so, I have decided to take my writing seriously. I've been writing personally for as long as I can remember, and have a trunk full of journals to prove it. But I recently became too fed up with sitting on the outside looking in for it to continue one more day.

It's one thing to suspect I probably should have been a writer, when all the writers I know of are strangers, far away. They are mere names at the library, or on the bookstore shelves, or sitting on Oprah's couch on a book tour, smiling blankly at me from book jackets. But it became altogether different when my friends and fellow moms revealed themselves to be writers. Real people--right at arm's length! Human beings! Mortals, juggling family responsibilities just like mine! Oh hell, I can do this, I thought. I ought to get in the game and stop stalling, stop waiting for that perfect world where someone's paying my bills for me and I have 8 hours each day in front of a sunny window, coffee cup in hand and cat in lap, before I start pushing myself to stretch. Not just to spill into a notebook, but to go back, to edit, to improve.

[Mind you, I don't do much of any of that in my blogging. Who has the time? I am lucky I get to speak here at all, but I digress.]

I just knew it was time, not only to work on my non-fiction essays, to polish them up and send them out for publication, but also to tackle the age-old question: why don't I ever write fiction? Personality-wise, and in the way I think and observe the world, I seem so much like so many writers out there--fiction writers. So the other day I bought a copy of The Writer's Digest Guide to Creativity, and started to try their fiction prompts. What fun! And I've also begun to take the advice of every writing book or article I've read thus far: read, read, read. This is where I have historically fallen flat, and could be why I have never been drawn to fiction.

Meanwhile, the daily responsibilities of my life continue: housewife, homeschooling mom, freelance artist....so blogging sometimes has to wait. It's worth it.

Found an old sketch pad tonight

2009-08-12T17:52:00.000-07:00

I was clearing out an old corner of the basement tonight and came across one of my old sketch pads. I am so glad I opened it up to take a peek, though I must say it was rather jarring. Inside this modest 5x8 sketch pad was a glimpse into my life in the year I first met my husband. The sketch pad is full of--(get ready for it)--sketches!

You may wonder why that sounds weird, but let me tell you that eleven years later, sitting here typing at 9 pm with a 6-year old still chattering to himself in his room when he's supposed to be asleep, the idea of having a sketch pad and the kind of time to not only DO a ton of fun stuff but then DRAW it all as it happened.....it strikes me as breathtaking. Nowadays, I can't even sit and read for five minutes without some interruption or some duty, beckoning. But I digress. Let me share with you one of the things I wrote in the sketch pad. It's a favorite of mine.

When You Walk, You See the Cats - 4/24/98

"I have lived in this neighborhood a week or two already, and every day I've looked at it through the window of my car. I zoom to and from work or errands, only fleetingly aware that this section of town exudes history and elegance. Old colonial houses, set amid giant trees at least the same age, speak of a time gone by, and I am usually too harried to listen. Today I decided to do what always must be done--set out on foot.

"When you walk, you see it all up close. Slowed down, you can hear it all--every kind of bird, every child's voice, every strain of music drifting through an open window. You can smell the food being cooked, the barbecues, spring's new flowers and the fallen buds that cover the ground fresh from last night's rain. And walking is when you see the cats. In windows, on steps, curled on porch chairs and baking in the sun on the driveway.

"A cat lover, I enjoy knowing where the neighborhood cats live. I don't know what good it really does me to know such a thing, but it makes me smile to pass them by, to see their tranquil, smile-like gazes. Outside, a cat is king or queen of the kingdom. You can see it in their body language. And they are so beautiful against whatever backdrop, especially this one. Quiet, fragrant, alive with spring getting under way. Beneath this blue evening sky, these grand old houses, these are my new neighbors. I am glad I walked tonight."

"Baby books" for dogs and cats

2009-07-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

Pet owners, I need to hear from you. Word has it that serious pet owners would enjoy having a "baby book" to commemorate the events of their pet's life. Not to mention it would be a great gift to give a pet owner who just got a new puppy or kitten (or ferret, or chinchilla......)

So tell me, what kinds of pages would you like to see in a baby book for a pet? To get started, I would guess:
--a page for the day the pet first came home (and photo of course)
--a page for his favorite places to go
--a page for his favorite animal friends, if any
--a page for the favorite toys
--a page for silly destructive things the pet did (like the day the dog ate the couch stuffing or pooped out little Johnny's long-lost ping pong balls; that sort of thing)
--a page about the pet's grooming experiences

...now, mind you, there are pet books out there, and I could look at them, but I am trying to be original rather than copy someone else's format.

Thanks for any input!

Mini Journals

2009-07-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

I am so happy to say I can finally make & bind my own journals!! So far, they've been featuring my kitty art, but the sky really is the limit. The hardest thing seems to be narrowing down my options. Kitties? Doggie "baby books"? Scrapbooks, journals, text, patterns.....? Oh my.

Hand-painted stool, ready to go!

2009-05-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

OK, so my husband the professional photographer should have been the one to take this photo, but I could not wait one more day to put it up here on the blog. The nightstand is finally done, and looks way better in person. (It has a kitty scene on both sides)

This nightstand will hopefully soon be available at the colorful, whimsical gift shop called "Serendipity" in Hudson, Mass. I have an appointment there next week to show the owner some of my latest creations.

Recipe for peace - at least for today

2009-05-08T17:33:00.000-07:00

I've been struggling lately, with the need to create art in order to earn money for my family, versus the fact that I am utterly devoid of inspiration at the moment. I'm floundering, also wondering what medium would help me express myself should anything worth expressing suddenly make itself known. Do I want to be using acrylics forever?

Sometimes the best thing to do is just back off it. I took out a few books about Buddhism from the library yesterday, as I knew this philosophy would contain just what I need right now. With the last several weeks careening from the economy, straight up to melting ice caps and down to swine flu, I needed a little coaching in the feet-on-the-ground here-and-now. A little advice on learning to live with the reality that I can't control a damn thing and no one gets out of here alive anyway. And I was so right! The Buddhist readings set me on a better path. Today I took the day off from worrying about income or art. I headed to the kitchen and cooked.

Now, if you know me, you know that the fact that I am opting to cook is really saying something. I am a person who always joked, "sure I can cook; I just follow the directions on the box." Though I am eating more healthily these days and avoiding boxed things bearing instructions nearly 100% of the time (mac & cheese being our downfall), it's still not often I spend more than a half hour in the kitchen. But today I decided to make Indian chapatis by hand (actually, is there any other way?). With the help of my wonderful Indian food adviser, Aastha (yes, she is really from India), I added a few ingredients to make them taste good. (Methi powder--aka fenugreek--fennel seeds, salt, pepper and sauteed minced onion, to be exact). Then I made tomato soup from scratch using vine tomatoes, salt, pepper, sugar and sauteed cumin seeds. I also made sugar roti--or at least one version of it--which is basically chapatis with sugar folded into them. My son, who benefited from my peaceful approach today by lolling about in his PJs till the afternoon and making molecules out of clay, enjoyed the sugar roti dipped in honey.

I was so pleased to offer these handmade foods to my family! I did a little laundry, too. All in all a wonderful day. If I keep this up, the art will be happening naturally in no time flat!

On creativity and contentment

2009-04-23T17:43:00.000-07:00

I was riding around in the car today with my six-year-old son, thinking. (Oddly enough, despite the many distractions including other drivers, my son's chatter and nonstop NPR, my car is the place where I do some of my best and biggest thinking.)

Like so many other days, today I was noticing that a great many people look just plain miserable. I look at them as they walk down the sidewalk and navigate the parking lots. Grimaces and frowns sometimes seem the default facial expression--people burdened by who knows what assortment of woes. Horrible shoes, old age, heavy bags, 50 extra pounds or, these days, plain old existential dread. I think how easy it is to fall into that trap of just reacting in a miserable way to everything...hurrying to beat the clock, cursing the driver who just cut us off while yammering on his cell phone, reflexively looking at our watches in line at the post office (as though someplace else is more important than where we are)....and how much of that reflexive unhappiness is so very unnecessary.

This is where the creativity comes in. "You know, honey..." I say, raising my voice so it can be heard in the back seat. I look in the rear view mirror at my little boy, whose eyes are gazing out the window. "It's important to question everything." And then I make my usual futile attempt to explain what I mean. "...So many people are so unhappy, and they don't need to be. We don't have to try for so much. We don't have to need and want so much. It's OK to be happy with simple things."

That doesn't sound particularly creative. But it is, because from sunup to sundown we are bombarded by things that tell us to be dissatisfied. The news, for one thing. Advertisements. Arbitrary authority, like schools, which lock us into thinking one way--one way which just happens to put us on a crazy stressful rat-race track that starts with high-academic kindergartens and ends with MCAS and college admissions. We're homeschoolers (unschoolers, mostly) so I am able to keep my son's life very free, very unstructured. His creativity can soar nonstop and nothing gets in his way; no one tells him to close that book, change the subject, get up, go out, sit down, study this, think that. It might sound like I am digressing, but I'm not, really. Keeping him free--his body, his mind, his spirit--for as long as possible is my way of arming him for that world out there, where corporations or institutions tell us what we should buy all day long, but whose products clearly don't deliver what we all seem to desperately need: an unshakeable, detached contentment from whatever it is they're trying to sell.

If we had that, I think I'd see a lot fewer furrowed brows out there as I run my daily errands. Mine included.

Wooden-tile gifts

2009-04-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

I am having fun today working on wooden-tile magnets, pins and pendants. They don't have the biggest profit-margin, but I can't resist the solid feel of the wood and I love how they come out. And we all know it's important to have fun creating!

These wooden tiles are from a wonderful supplier on Etsy called TheGeneralStore. He sells them in different sizes, and he's so prompt! The tiles are bigger than Scrabble tiles. I know Scrabble tiles are all the rage, but I like my pins and pendants to be slightly bigger so the art can be seen better.

I leave some of them natural, some are painted white, some painted black. It all depends on the colors in my design.

Mother's Day cards for moms of animals

2009-04-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

Last night I finished my latest card design. It's a Mother's Day card for mothers whose kids just happen to have 4 legs and fur.

This used to be a plain wooden box

2009-04-07T07:12:00.000-07:00

It had been a pale wooden box that I picked up from the recycling center, just 5"x7". Now I love it! The red felt I put inside really complements the colors in the design, I think.

Good dog vs. bad dog

2009-04-06T17:44:00.000-07:00

A local pet supply store suggested I do a variation on the good dog-bad dog theme. So I had a little fun with these today. It's fun doing art that is not serious.

The nightstand that wouldn't take No for an answer

2009-04-04T11:43:00.000-07:00

Today I was out scavenging thrift stores for furniture to paint. Do you know how it is when you see something and it just says "Buy Me"? I spotted this little narrow nightstand and immediately ran over to it. I didn't much care for the price, but by the end of my shopping trip it was in my basket anyway. I kept going back to it. Solid construction, a lovely shape and size. I'll be lucky if I can part with it once it's done. (The idea is to paint it and sell it. That's the whole point.) Even in its funny yellow color, other people noticed it in my shopping cart and commented. I picked up a few smaller things, too--a picture frame and small recipe box. I am having a lot of fun. No idea yet how and where I will sell my new creations. I'll figure that one out later.

Creative impulses running wild!

2009-04-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

Trying to focus my creative impulses is like trying to herd cats.

If I got paid for making a variety of cool, creative things, I'd be doing pretty well. For instance, the other day I created some earrings out of paper. Dictionary pages, to be precise. (A friend has borrowed all my jewelry findings, but once those are back I will put up a photo.) I've got numerous wooden decor items (furniture, frames, etc.) in various stages of transformation into colorful works of art. My desk is covered with little tiles of wood being turned into pendants, pins and magnets. And I've been reading Photoshop tutorials so I can improve my digital coloring process, which should benefit my card business. At night I read up on Art Licensing and from time to time I tweak and rearrange my wholesale offerings on www.wholesalecrafts.com

Really. Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, all this stuff was just fun. It's still fun, of course, but the small voice whispers more loudly when I'm not following a certain, direct line between art and money. Bills beckon.

Hand painted stool - the finished product

2009-03-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

I am so pleased how this came out!!

A hand-painted step stool: the "before" image

2009-03-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

I bought this today from Salvation Army for just a tiny price. It looks drab and awful, right? Well I am going public with a promise to transform it into something lovely. (Speaking the commitment in public helps make sure I actually DO it!)

Stay tuned, for the "after" photo. :-)

Wide-Eyed Owl

2009-03-26T16:28:00.000-07:00

Here is another pen & ink with digital coloring. This is SO cute as a magnet and pendant. I will put them up on Etsy as soon as I can.

Mermaid Magnets

2009-03-26T13:01:00.000-07:00

Pen & ink has long been a favorite of mine, but doing simplistic pen & ink illustrations and coloring them on the computer is a relatively new thing for me. I like the clean, flat color I can achieve. Here's a mermaid I just did. It looks awesome decoupaged to a little wooden tile, and embellished with a little sparkly glitter!

Welcome to my new blog

2009-03-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

I am a creative person. I'm also an artist trying to make money with art. This has a built-in conflict, and lately it's been taking a toll. My purpose in creating this blog is to have a place where I can share my art, my writing, and other creative ideas, without the self-censoring need for it all to "fit into the business plan" (such as it is) or conform to a certain medium or style (to fit in with the "body of work") before being shared with others. This has ben a stifling influence, and my inner artist wants to be heard. So...

My cat is in the window, the coffee's fresh brewed. I'm up to my eyeballs in scraps of paper and craft supplies, paints and recycled items awaiting repurposing. My 6-year old homeschooled child is playing happily on the floor, in a little "world" he has created out of Legos, Tinker Toys, modeling clay, a rock from outside, a folded blanket, a discarded foam square ("the aircraft carrier), wooden chess board (a "dock") and various pairs of my shoes (i.e. "boats"), populated with beanie babies, plush sea creatures, small die-cast vehicles and transformers who are in the midst of non-stop drama and intrigue, from the sounds of it.

But before I can get creative, I have to go out back with a bow saw and hack away at some more of the trees that fell last December. And complete the order for the store who may buy something this Friday. But my printer's not working today, so I have to FTP a file to the print shop and zoom over there later....

....I digress. (which technically could be the title of my memoir if I ever write it)

Thanks for stopping by. I look forward to sharing this creative life with you.