#126 Poop.

Computer is in the shop so I 'll be away until I get it back sometime next week.

It would seem I'm receiving some sort of Celestial Guidance, or at least a huge HINT, to get to work on the studio.

Poop.

#125 Baby steps...

I actually went to Lowes yesterday and got a gallon of joint compound. And a soft wire brush to try and see if it helps clean off some of the muck stuck on the exposed bricks. And I had Dean carry the shop vac up from the basement to the studio.

Then I got out my pigment micro pen and colored pencils and spent the rest of the day drawing and coloring. Such a nice way to spend the day!

And here's one of the drawings I did:   

Still Life With Lemon

I did another drawing, too, but haven't scanned it in yet. I'll try to get to that today in between some badly needed house cleaning (youngest daughter Emily and boyfriend Dave are coming tomorrow!) and lunch out with some lady friends whom I haven't seen in quite a while. A nice, quiet Friday; just the way I like it!

#124 Houston, we've got a problem...

I have a bit of a moisture problem by one of the windows so ripped out a section of drywall that I'll replace after I use some bleach on the mold and caulk the leaky place. Here's a shot of what I exposed:

This is the mess - a sideway view.(The lower edge of the window frame is right ^^^ here.)

And here it is after I finessed it a bit in Photoshop:

I like the color, texture, and abstract nature it has. I can see it printed large and framed, can't you?

I've GOT to get to Lowes now to buy some materials to make repairs. It's supposed to start snowing any moment...

#123 The Get 'R Done Project Begins...

If you look to the column on the left you'll see the link to my "moving the studio" pictures that I took, um, well, last December 10th. As in 10 December 2008.

Okay, so I'm a bit slow in getting some things started and finished. I'm retired. It's expected, right?

Well, wonders never cease it seems because I've been hit by the "get 'r done" bug and have begun the (immense) project at long last.

I took some pictures of what my studio looked like on Monday. I shot the evidence of a two week intense spurt of creativity which, if my Creative Muse had her way, I would still be indulging...anyway, that explains the topsy-turvy mess of it all. Have a peek:

Yikes.

Yikes.

 

 Yikes.

And here (drumroll please!) is how it looks now:

 Hooray!

 

  Hooray!

 

 Hooray!

 This is everything (most of it, anyway) stacked out in the hall - in, on, and around the antique standup desk that my dad let me have.

Today will find me washing walls and woodwork and tomorrow I'll be addressing the brick wall in the corner we exposed; it needs to be wire brushed and re-pointed some, then sealed. Oh joy. Anyone want to come do that for me????

#122 Necklace and pins and...

I've been honing my skills in the studio this week. Because that's what I do when I'm supposed to be straightening up and clearing things out so I can paint. But there comes a point when I just have to give in to the urge and get going on trying out all the ideas that have been floating around in my head:

 pin

 

 pin

 

 pin

 

  funky long tube pin

 

 necklace with fabric bead

 

business card case

back of case

Note: I'm going to help my Mom celebrate her birthday this week (her day is actually today!) so I'm going to forsake the blog for a week. When I get back I'm determined to get the studio where I want it; cleaned, painted and organized. I'm so looking forward to having it done!!! So - have a great week and I'll see you soon!

#121 Just for today...

I practice Reiki regularly, but sometimes I need to remind myself of Usui's gentle guidance:

Just for today...

Just for today do not be angry.
Do not worry, and be filled with gratitude.
Devote yourself to you work and be kind to people.
- Mikao Usiu 

Aaaah. I feel better now! I'm planning on having a wonderful day - hope yours is just as you plan, too!

#120 Remember this (again and again)

Work to please yourself.

Be hard to please.

- Robert Genn

#119 Can you hear me now?

Last night I was applying gold leaf to the edges of the two paintings on MDF I had painted a while ago and looked at the smaller one (a teensy 3"x5") from a new angle: upside down. It was obvious that this was the way the painting wanted to be and, further, it wanted some teensy yellow dots added because it wanted to be a painting that suggested the magic of stars falling from the heavens:

So...I experimented with placement by loading the image into Photoshop and playing around with various ideas. This is the final go and I'm happy with it.

The painting finally feels right and complete. I hadn't been satisfied with it before, but was content to just put it aside for a bit until it let me know what it needed.

A lot of my work requires good listening skills...

#118 Home is where the heart is...

I'm working on a series of drawings - illustrations, actually - for a site I found that's in the development stages.(What is it? I'm keeping it SECRET!) I like the idea they are working on and think this work might fit in...But if not, I'll consider putting them together in a book/s to self-publish (or send to publishers if I'm really happy with it) or selling prints on my Studio @ Lillehus Etsy shop. Okay, so I haven't put anything for sale there, either. At least I'm consistent! Sheesh!

Anyway, these are digital drawings that I did on Photoshop just using the touch pad to draw with. I like the whimsical, naive quality it gives the work. What do you think? The work captures the travels of the little house (always its the heart chimney smoke and daisy). I'm trying to work toward having several sequences of little stories, but some I'm doing out of order because I can't wait to get the idea down on paper! I need to do at least 15 to start with, so I've got a way to go!

(four together)

 

Rainy Day

This is the drawing that got me started - I wrote about it a while ago. Something about the little house on the left made me want to see where it would go if I set it free to follow it's heart!

#117 Let's un-beige the world, shall we?

A thought that clicked with my own today:

You make something white or beige because you are afraid to use any other color--because you don't want to offend anybody. But by definition, when you make something no one hates, no one loves it. So I am interested in imperfections, quirkiness, insanity, unpredictability. That's what we really pay attention to anyway.  (Tibor Kalman in 1996)

I'm pleased to see that shelter magazines and catalogs are moving away from the Boutique Hotel Look that has been popular for (in my book) waaaaaay too long. The beige and grey and cream with minimalist designed dark wood furniture. It's everywhere. IN every magazine. It's the look that home stagers insist is the only look that will get your home sold. Quiet, yes. Restful, yes. Imaginative or unique? No. Enough already! 

What is making a comeback (hallelujah!) is the opposite. Farmhouse Style is the way it's described on the cover of the newest Pottery Barn catalog and on it's website. Quiet, yes. Restful, yes. But with the cozy comfort of real life thrown in. What inspired the new collection? From their website:

Find comfort. Appreciate beauty. Care for the things you love and want to last. Live thoughtfully and enjoy your home.

So...for those who need it (not me!) it seems we've been given permission to surround ourselves with things we've inherited and collected. Things that surround us with love and memories. Things that say something about who we are and where we've been. And when we need a change? Well, then we can go to the big city and check into a boutique hotel. The contrast will be amazing and we'll love it because it's different. Different is good; we need contrast in our lives. But the Boutique Hotel Look does not a home make. Instead, the "imperfections, quirkiness, insanity, unpredictability" that Kalman wrote about are words that describe the look of homes I'm most drawn too. They describe my home to a "t"! 

Glad the boutique hotel look "moment" is coming to an end!

#116 Bits and Pieces...

Thought I'd post a few pictures of what I've been working on the past couple of days; some brooches, necklaces and framed "quilts" that I've been making. They are composed of bits and pieces of fabric that I've sewn on a felted backing which was formerly a wool sweater I scored for the purpose at Salvation Army and felted in the washing machine. I like sewing the grid - very meditative work. (And, believe it or not, getting really into the work completely relaxed the three day muscle spasm I've had that even meds didn't touch!) I like that the grid imposes a sense of order to the "chaos" of the fabric pieces. And I enjoy the feeling of sewing the fabric on the felt and the way the felt reacts to being sewn. There's more there that I want to explore.

I'm still playing around with how best to photograph the work, testing out backgrounds and lighting. I'm not happy with it yet...partly the camera, partly the photographer. I'll get there eventually...

And yes, at some point all of this will result in having something to sell in my Etsy shop.

"Really???"

Really!

 

 

 

(detail)

#115 In the deep midwinter...

I'm deep in the dark doldrums of this midwinter. Can't quite figure out why these shorter-than-summer days seem so long.

Longer than long.

Tediously long.

Mind-numbingly long.

The gray. The cold. The quiet.  From where I sit today it seems certain they'll never end.

Ever.

What's that you say? They will? Really???

Okay...maybe...eventually...

Wake me up when Spring comes, okay?

#114 And so it begins....

A new year - all bright and shiny with possibilities! I seem to be especially excited this year - the start of my 6th decade! -  and look forward to all that will unfold.

I'm not a resolution person, but I did spend the last days of 2009 reflecting on things I might change for 2010, and realized that all those things have to do with: Kindness.

I would like to be kinder in all I do. I'd like to truly take time to consider the impact of what I do and say before I act or speak. That's a hard one for me as I'm rather spontaneous. A bit more thoughtfullness will require a concentrated vigilance on my part, that's for sure. But I think it's worth my time to give it a go.

The most significant and kindest change I've made (on December 27th) is to commit to being a vegetarian. The transition has been long in coming and has been, happily, quite easy. Meat, I realized, has for a long time been nothing more than an  plate "accessory" and sauce carrier for me. It bears little resemblance to the meat I remember as a child, and I came to the conclusion that it really isn't necessary to consume something that doesn't satisfy me physically or emotionally. No one was more surprised than me to discover the immediate - I mean immediate - sense of relief and peace I felt when I decided not to eat meat. Who knew I apparently harbored deep feelings of angst and guilt about it? But I guess I did.

What I feel now is calm and peaceful and, well: Kind. Being a vegetarian, I've realized, is kind to me, to the animals, and to the environment. And there's a wonderful satisfaction that comes in having my actions in harmony with what is in my heart.

One step closer to being the person I want to be; the best me.