Tag: art

The Last Day of the Year

2023 has been a strange year for me. In many ways it has been productive in creativity as I have seen advances in skills I have been focused on. In other ways it has been limiting, too, when focus is more in one area than another. I am the kind of person who is interested in too many things but who does not seem to excel at any one thing in particular. That can get pretty frustrating.

And then there was The Fall. Breaking my left arm was pretty traumatic in a lot of ways. The esposo is still trying to recover from it because the vacation we had looked forward to, one of relaxing and traveling and visiting new places and seeing old friends, turned into several weeks of taking care of me and schlepping me here and there. His time off never really happened, so there is the mental and emotional repression that ultimately does no one any good. He has taken the next few weeks off, and I hope that will help ease things and take off pressures which are there. At least I can get here and there on my own, although we both fear another fall. I have broken 3 bones in the last 5 years because of falls.

As far as myself, I am really bored with my ongoing fear of falling, and the self-assignment for the next several weeks is to watch YouTube videos about balance and strengthening muscles, taking a “How to Walk” class if possible, and moving into forcing myself to do things that frighten me. I have a dislike of being out of shape and incapable of independence so hopefully this will motivate me into a more active approach to these things. For the first time in my life I have felt old, and normally I am emotionally and intellectually about 12 . . .

Creativity, too, needs some sort of order! I keep saying “schedule yourself” - and by this I mean making deliberate choices for time to do all the different things which interest me. Let’s see what happens! I want to do more photography, travel, sewing, knitting, gardening, and of course drawing, painting, learning. My own personality is set toward doing the daily chores and drudgery before having fun, and that is okay as it weighs me down if I know a pile of something needs to be done. 

For example, since August, I have not really addressed paperwork as I usually do, and that is because my daily life was filled with exercises, occupational therapy appointments, dental appointment, doctor appointments, and home health care appointments. Yesterday, I pulled out all the things I needed to sort through. I sorted them and shredded until the 20+ year old shredder up and died. (New one arrives today.) I logged expenses and so on. Fortunately, it wasn’t a horrible process as I have kept up with the daily stuff quite well, but the paper stuff needed sorting and discarding. It feels good to have that done before 2024 shows up! And I have a bog full of papers still needing shredding, so I can practice on the new shredder, and see if it works. What fun!

And so, it is New Year’s Eve. We will be going to the Descanso Gardens to enjoy the Enchanted Forest of Light. We did it a few years ago, and I thought it a lovely way to end a year. I hope that 2024 is not as rough, and realistically, while tough in many ways for my immediate circle, it is far easier and pleasant than it has been for many. I hope that changes, but sadly, I do not think it will.

Life on the Veldt and the Victorian Lady Gets a Parrot

Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.

Sir Walter Scott, 1808

We keep hearing how AI can create some rather disturbing images, much like the removal of people from days of yore to create propaganda or beauty, such as in a fashion spread. Above is a sad day, below is a lucky lady who got a gift from the friendly, neighborhood pirate.

You can see the originals below, before doctoring.

What is truth? What is a lie?

30 Days in 30 Days

Awhile back, I started a 30-Day drawing challenge. The goal: Create 30 small drawings, value studies, to see shape, value, and ultimately a focal point for a painting. The last means thinking about how you want to lead the viewer into the picture and keep him there – it’s a compositional element I am still learning to implement. I have benefited in the arena of shape and value, so now the focal point is becoming another element to work on.

But, I blither. Here are the 30 pictures.

Today is the last of the Zoom meetings until the next class begins. I have already enrolled in it, so expect to see a few things as time goes by.

You can see more of my artwork, if you are interested, at Journey By Paper.

Another Look Back

I try to paint every day, and in general, I seem to accomplish this.  I have been working mostly in gouache and watercolor.  There are times when I make studies – try to copy – the works of people I admire, or do an exercise in a “how to” art book.  You learn from both.  Other times, I just make something up or interpret something I have seen.  Landscapes are always my favorite subject.  These are some of the things I have done over the last two months, not in any particular order.

Thoughts Before the Big Blow

Politics, weather, pandemic.  I think it is all making me even crazier than before.  We can expect 40 mph winds on Tuesday.  The temperature will be cooler than the 90F of yesterday, so hopefully less chance of fires.  It’s like the end times so many look forward to, but not me – I like my life!  Still, there is an interesting bit of stress going on that I can only equate to living in a war zone of some sort.  We just don’t know what is going to happen.  I wonder if what I am feeling can be equated to what people and families went through when WW2 was beginning – a sense of unease and that the fabric of life is not what you think it is supposed to be.  It’s a very strange feeling.

So, the Big Blow.  Some areas are going to get 80 mph winds – not quite hurricane strength, but certainly strong.  People in the midwest have gotten those just recently along with a lot of snow.  That doesn’t sound pleasant at all.  Can you imagine your roof flying off?  I know that several years ago parts of Great Britain got them and villages were cut off and food supplies and other stuff needed coptering in.  At least here we have a lot of things, and the stores are open.  And no snow.  Even further back, upstate New York had horrific blizzards, and livelihoods were lost amongst the farmers, especially dairies.  Cows died because they couldn’t be milked without electricity.

I’m just blithering around thinking about things.  Nothing profound, but I have finally had a few minutes to sit down to reflect as I have been really busy today.  We had to get some tools for Josh’s car project, so we looked at plants and bulbs and seeds.  Then I talked with Am, our aunt who has been working hard in the hospital caring for Covid patients.  She is doing really well despite it all, and it was good to have a chance to hear how things are.  Then, off to buy some computer stuff – our keyboards are worn out, and as I had to replace my old computer last week, I am still catching up with it, installing software on it, coordinating printers and scanners.  It is a pain but now that things are sorted, this is my first post using the new computer, keyboard, mouse, etc.  No new monitors as I got those awhile back for my birthday.  Luckily, I know a fair amount about computers so it is not challenging, just time consuming.

The studio, though, has been the scene of upheaval.  Computers need cords and such, and while you are down there sorting things out, you better get into the dust and debris that lurks under the desk.  I did, and while it wasn’t awful, it was good to sort stuff out by vacuuming and untangling cables.  Now I need to place things back where they belong so I can find a paint brush or a camera.  Finally, sewing – the new space is working out well.  I’ve made an apron and two pairs of jammy pants for Josh; time for me to get something!

Despite all the external upheaval, things are pleasant around here.  We are fortunate to have good family and friends and good health.  Not much to gripe about at all.

Time to get out on the bike for the next adventure!