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March 31, 2006

Things I love Thursday

I love paint. I love it's attributes, it's texture and color. I love the flip top lids and the impossible to screw back on screw top caps. I love squishing the tube from the middle, I like thwacking the bottom of the bottle to get the glob at the bottom. I love sticking my brush right on the edge and blending it around. I love taking a big ole brush and grabbing a wad of it and smearing it on good and with no restraint. I love painting with my fingers, with pieces of paper, with the end of the brush. And I love puff paint. Hmmm, so many other things to go on there.

I have painting class tommorow and my painting Celebrate Beauty is in a sorry state of disrepair. I have worked 3 days on this painting and the thing is driving me batty. I'm going to have to give it another vacation and not look at it for a little while.

Here's why I love paint, my small success Metro 3:

Ok, waaaay tired. Catch you guys after class.

I love Thursdays | By | 12:42 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

March 27, 2006

For Andrea

I saw this on one of my treks to downtown ATL and I thought of Ms. Hula70 who had a small but fulfilling post. Sending love through thr bloglines for her visions.

And might I send a thanks to my fans who gave me much support and some insight to my traumatic Chuck Close experience. I will be going to the High on Thursday to fill a felt shoes order and hopefully SEE the WHOLE exhibit this time WITH the kiddos. Here's some of the comments:

we went to this exhibit with the kids on saturday. the high has a family audio tour with the exhibit, and there were numerous kids around. perhaps it was just chuck himself that did not want to meet with kids?from Amy.

Mr. Close hates just about everyone as far as I can tell. I was once on a security detail to pick him up from the train station to recieve his complementary doctorate from the art school. and he was as unpleasant as could be. But, he is also in a wheelchair and may be in great pain.from Molly.

Is that Chuck Close in the painting scowling at the kids?
Just don't get yourself arrested........from Daddy-O.

Props to my college buddy AndyM who took this lovely shot of my other college buddy Erin. Check out his whole set to see more folks and Jerah and Matt's beautiful boy Perrin.

community | By | 9:37 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

March 26, 2006

Chuck hates kids?

I got kicked out of the Chuck Close exhibit on Thursday. I went for toddler activity and was told by the front desk that the preview for Chuck Close and Gee Bend Quilts was opening for members and I should check it out. We did our normal activities and I asked Josiah if he wanted to see some art,"Sure" he chirped. I hit the 3rd floor and we cruised on into the permanent collection. I had to quickly grab Josiah's hand so he wouldn't touch anything even though some of the paintings look alot like the walls at the Chick-fil-A playground. We went through the first room of Chuck's work and I realized that there was Chuck! Talking to a newspaper chick. Very interesting, I thought. We went through the second room and beign sneaky I took this picture. The guard approached me and I said,"Oh, I'm sorry, am I not supposed to take pictures?" "No pictures and no kids." he says. WHAT! my whole being was completely shocked! I was so embarassed, and then the guard adds, " I'm sorry it's his rule." It's Chuck's rule?! Wait, I saw him on Sesame Street a little while back. We walked back to the permanent collection and talked with the guard there who we made friends with walking in. She apologized and advised us that we should talk to guest services and tell them what happened. I was so upset though. I felt like crying. I definately wasn't rational enough to talk with guest services. I was being persecuted for having children. I am an artist, an art student, a member of a public, learning facility for the arts, and I will probably never see the Chuck Close exhibit because I will never make the trip without my kids to the High. It's not that important to me. I was so outraged. I'm not one to butt heads with authority but I definately will be talking with guest services to ask them if there is a way I can ever see the exhibit. I mean, at what point are kids not kids? 7, 12 years old? Is a class of 20, 7 year olds better supervised than my 2 children (one of which is strapped down)? I just need to figure out what that guard meant. And when I do. I'll let y'all know.

fine art | By | 11:22 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

March 23, 2006

Coming Soon!

On Saturday, come eat some yummy lunch at Pangaea and check out my class' art. Some is good, some is OK, but there's free wine! I mean wine at 1pm, that's what art is all about. My pieces Metro 1 and 2 will be there for sale. Here's the back of the invite, you can check out the names. Pangaea is located at 1082 Huff Rd Atlanta GA 30318..

fine art | By | 9:35 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

March 21, 2006

Self Portrait Tuesday

Self Portrait Tuesday is about time, so here's my AM and PM in the hall bath. The bathroom where little potty lives and many bath toys are strewn about. The bath where towels belong on pegs not bars and the linoleum tile is the cheapest that the hardware store has to offer. It is here that I chopped my hair off this morning. I didn't mean to chop it so much, but it had to be even and hey, it's just hair. It'll always grow back.

Here's that bath after Eden has a peaceful dip in the sink (I can't believe my 10 month old can still fit in the sink). And we have a good hairbrushing, Tylenol dispersing, and snuggle before we nurse and sleep. My hair's not so bad, it's been this short before.

Self Portrait Tuesday | By | 11:08 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

March 18, 2006

Dot Com

I have a website! Pretty Simple right now, but it'll do for my class show. Hopefully something prettier for the future. But for $10 a month, I'll use it until I can afford the time for more work with html and learning. But it's more pro than giving out my blog address to potential clients who really don't want to see pictures of my cute daughter.

fine art | By | 11:30 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

March 17, 2006

Things I Love Thursday

I took this picture by accident the other night and I just love my little bit of blonde. Of course, I am not naturally blonde much at all. I have some self streaking help. But my whole life I've had the "light" characteristics. I have fairer skin than my brother. The blue eyed freak in my family and I have light brown hair rather than dark. Mouse brown. I like that I can lighten it just a bit. I did like the John Freida product called Sheer Blonde that highlighted in the sun and it was gel so unlike the unholy Sun-in, you could control where and how much. Commiting to hair coloring has been painful for me. I enjoy my little blondes, but not how much I've done. I have to wear my hair certain ways to hide the boo-boos. I bought some henna from Harry's and I might just brown out for the next few months and get my hair warmed up for the spring/summer so it can come back out and play blonde again all healthy and fresh.

I wanted to have something more fun but there's plenty of Thursday love to spread around for all eternity!

Chek out the group here.

I love Thursdays | By | 12:04 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

March 15, 2006

A Sunny Day at the Thrift Store

The Pods go marching on and on Hoorah, Hoorah! Here are my paper pod series livening up my kitchen window sill waiting for frames and better light. Check them out on my flickr. I need to make an IKEA run and get some frames for these guys. Chances are these will be a tad more expensive because they have more love in them. I like them because they are more mixed media and have more ethnic flair to them (like Pier One--HA!).

Found some booty at the thrift store today. I mainly was killing some time before meeting Joel for lunch outside. Still a bit too windy though. Found too many purses. It's sad that I long to be hip yet my hippy side jumps up and bites me in the tookus all the time.

This little 3 some was fun. It's orange, I like that.

Pattern is gaudy and I kinda like that. It's lined with plastic which makes me think I might make the straps waaay shorter and use this group as a vanity set. It's got a lined coin purse and a kleenex holder, heck the bright green kleenex was still in there!

The next purse I found was a cool little gap bag that was itching to get snatched up because of course it's too small to be the bag I need it to be, but it goes so well with my new Walmart shoes!

This is where the grandma/hippy came out of me. I liked the homemadeness of this bag. I like the wooden buttons, the red trim. This bag might have to become a diaper bag one day.

But this is my favorite because it did not come from A-Z thrift store it came from Emma, my Swedish sister! She remembered me and sent me this cool double sided coin purse. From a country that uses a lot more coins than ours.

OK enough about fuddy-duddy quilted purses. Here is my latest in progress Metro III. I am wishing to have it done for Friday. That, and a website. I love the image, I just have to force myself to not rush the oils, they muddy so quickly.

Thrifting and Gifting | By | 4:04 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

March 14, 2006

Self Portrait Tuesday

This months theme is time. I have searched for a description of the time theme on the SPT blog but haven't found one, so I'll do my own thing with the idea of time.

Josiah asked me what was on the tree. The buds on the dogwood have been getting bigger and more noticeable. I pulled the branch down for him to see. He asked what they were and I said they would become flowers. He then tried to pull at the sides of the buds to get to the flower. It teases you with it's bumpy center just whispering that it's there. No wonder Jos wanted to pull back at the shell. I found myself saying, "No Josiah, you can't force it open, you have to let the flower grow." There are so many things you can allude to with that phrase. I could reflect on how I want to get moving on our dreams faster, how I can't stand this waiting period. Although I must say the spring weather makes your brain hurt a lot less about change. I could reflect on art and how it takes time to produce mature work. I feel I have just barely scratched the surface of being a mature artist. Sometimes I create great works. Most of the time I create OK works. And some that never get seen, or never get sold are bad works. I could remember that art is something that takes time and it can't always be pushed into a deadline. Even though some of my best art has come from a healthy pressure. I could reflect on my children and how I have to let them grow. I have to challenge them along with myself. I have to give them my time to become the people they need to be. I have to give them knowledge of Our Savior through not just my silent prayers but with my public worship. I have to be intentional about their learning things like letters, numbers, sounds, how to relate, how to respond, and how to create things without destroying. And there we make a full circle, "No Josiah, you can't force it open, you have to let the flower grow." But it's a message to me too. I can't force things to happen I have to wait and enjoy the journey everyday. Every single day.

Some lyrics from one of our familys favorite albums these days, House Party by Dan Zanes:

the trees are my friends
they offer up their limbs
to shade me from the sun
and whisper with the leaves on the wings of the breeze

Continue reading "Self Portrait Tuesday"

Self Portrait Tuesday | By | 5:22 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

March 13, 2006

Fire

In celebration of the warm spring weather and the fact that the Perkins won't be with us much longer, we got together and burned stuff in our backyard. Two Christmas trees, about a dozen long cardboard boxes, and all our boxwood bushes that Joel hastily chopped down a while back. We burned until 1am. And boy those Christmas trees went up with a bang! Very pretty. Something about sitting around a fire reminds me that I can be still, quiet and what words I do say get absorbed in the orange flame.

The next day was so beautiful, but I can't say I did much enjoying of it. Joel was hacking kudzu vines off the fence and I tried to poison the new fire ant hills and rake rocks off the horrid landscaping in our front yard. I met the little girl next door who is a Katrina refugee. She asked me if I was from New Orleans too. Her family seems pretty broken up since the hurricane. She grabbed a shovel and helped me load rocks into the radio flyer.

Josiah found some fellow destructors in Luther and Marcus. They managed to throw every ball that still held air out of the window without screen in our screen porch into the spikey yucca plant. Oh well, now we have a bunch of deflated balls. He had so much fun though, what can you say.

I have sold all my pods! They were living so happily on my windowsill wondering where they were going to go. Heck I was wondering that myself. I think they are so cute, so fun. There is something so rewarding about having a small original piece of art that you can put up over your desk, in your half-bath, or around a corner. You can glance at it and grin that it's the only one and it's yours. Three are still waiting for Austina. But 4 were purchased by NCF friends Greg and Amy Bagby. I'm thinking maybe it's for a birthday present or something for Amy. No worries though if you wanted a pod but just couldn't commit. While burning on Friday night, we found a good batch of blocks from the hardwood floor. And I already started some paper pods. Basically just pods painted on top of cool paper scraps.

I'm hoping to make progress to create one last Metro piece by Friday. Sheesh. It's not large at all, so hopefully I'll have a jolt to put more on canvas. It's all in the image. Contrasting glowing blues and haloing oranges. Whether it's blurry or not who cares. But I have this buzz in my bonnet that maybe I could get 3 paintings voted into our class show. That would be fun.

I have lots of thoughts and feelings mulling around in my head. I need some music and song to get it all in one flow so I can paint. But the clutter of the weekend and unaccomplished tasks piles up around me can I justify escaping it and painting. Sometimes I just can't ignore it, sometimes cleaning is that music to flow by as painful as that might seem.

house | By | 4:19 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

March 9, 2006

Things I love Thursday

I love kid pictures of my husband! He's on the far right. He's with his brother Nathan at their adventure across the west with their grandparents back in 1986? I love seeing what he wears, how he smiles and all the lovely little kid goofiness in between. This whole set is golden, check it out and laugh!

I can't wait to continue to see how Josiah looks like his dad as he grows up. Everyone we know pretty much thinks he's a spitting image of his dad in certain areas. I'm sure that Jos will be taller although 6ft(that's how tall Joel is) is pretty tall already.

I love remembering all the stories that Joel and his family have told me about how Joel was as a kid. What a spit-fire he was (and is). I think that if we had met any sooner we would have fought like cats and dogs. And if we had known each other in highschool we would have had a love/hate relationship. I probably still would have nursed a crush for a long time. I think my husband is obviously destined to be handsome from these little pictures. Both Joel and I look younger than we are. No one would ever guess we're pushing 30. I wanted to wait until Joel's birthday(the 28th) to post any "I love Joel's" but these pictures just have to be shared. Enjoy all the western fun. This one is another favorite. So funny!

Thanks to Joy who started all the love. Check out the flickr group here!
BTW I have Jana up on ebay again with a reserve of only $400! Check it out and bid if you dare!

I love Thursdays | By | 4:22 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

March 7, 2006

Self Portrait Tuesday

Me and my girl. I am so blessed to have a daughter. She makes me reflect in so many different ways than my realtionship with Josiah. She's growing up so fast, before I know it she'll be 14. She's a beautiful girl, I won't be shy about that. She has her Papa's eyelashes and clear blues. I love just putting her in a snuggly sweatshirt and pants. But something is also so glorious about baby thighs in tights too! I have this wonderful sense that my relationship with her will be so much of a friendship. I feel her independance from me so soon. I have treated her this way. There will be a time when I wish she had clung to me even more, but now as she is breaking in tooth 3 and 4 I enjoy the snuggles (not so much the crying). I love to show her things, feed her new things and watch her interact with her brother even though he knocks her over again and again. She reacts like a girl, sees life as a girl and I hate to say it but she gets the attention of a girl. what a look into her future. I guess this post isn't so much about me, but in a way my kids are always a little about me in the end. Thank you Lord for my pretty Eden B.

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March 6, 2006

The Grump

There's this episode of Sesame Street where they have a grouch character called "the Grump", a spin-off of Trump and the Apprentice. Oscar and his female friend Grouchetta are competing for all the Grump's trash and Elmo is there to be a good helper and he gets all the questions right. But since the Grump is a grouch Elmo doesn't win because he is helpful unlike the grouch mentality. I feel like that grouch today. Not just because I cleaned out my Camry and found enough peanuts on the floor to put back in a box and sell back to Harry's, but because I am just that, A GRUMP today. I kept praying that God would give me patience with my children. My daughter just didn't want to be entertained at all just held, held and held summore. Oh my. I just wanted to be independant from them today. As I made Eden wait until her naptime to be nursed to sleep, I harumphed under my breath, "baby girl, I just can't make you happy every moment you want to be!"

and with that I was brought ever so low, to curl up in my Father's lap and know that He put that in my brain for me. All at once that peace came and I sat down. All business aside. My car can stay dirty a few more moments so I can help my daughter feel secure, loved and comforted. I thought on these days when my emotions take over my reason that I wish I could just get knocked unconscious and wake up feeling better, whole, not anxious. As I laid my sleepy daughter in her bed and saw her curl up, sigh and curl her lip out I remembered once again how beautiful it is to be a mother and how precious it is to be a daughter. All my needs will be taken care of even the things that seem unreachable.

I laugh as I think of what a display we were at Kroger. Josiah asked me if I was crying and I wasn't, I was laughing at myself. Ugh. How humbling it is.

I have been telling myself that God will provide us a minivan soon. I'm serious I've been thinking it's just going to happen! Now I"m realizing that it gonna take more work than wishing and proclaiming. I checked some sites for a Previa (the only Jap van we can afford) and I just can't believe that we can afford it either. They're great cars but old and always have high miles. I'd really love a Honda. Always wanted a Honda, but no way. They're probably closer to 12K. See, we buy cars. No payment plans for us. Why? Cars can be bought right out these days. But I need the faith that it'll happen and at the perfect time. I am thankful for the cars we do have. Little or no probs and great MPG. I need to sell some art so I can feel better about what I do. I have paintings in a stack in my garage and they need to be bought. I had Jana on ebay for $500. That's the lowest I can go for that one. I know selling art on ebay is a chance, but it was worth a try. I hope that I can get more than one piece into our painting class show at Pangea in a few weeks. The two Metro paintings together could get me 700-800 bucks.

My folks are coming down tommorow to help us with some house repairs. I'm going to finally tile our kitchen backsplash in a pretty cobalt tile. I will do it! And it will rock! And I also will get some laundry room shelving. Yeah! It might make me want to stay in this house through the summer! And we are getting a new dishwasher from IKEA sice the one that came with the house (miracle it worked this long) is leaking and our pergo floor is warping.

But I also am wondering. How clean can a mama of two kids 3 and 10 months keep a 1700 sq foot house clean enough to be acceptable? Am I insane for feeling depressed that it's always gross? I didn't want to become this way, it just happened! I thought I was an orderly person but, no more! I am feeling the slobness creep in ever so slowly. Wasn't fair that the house was dirty and under construction when we bought it.

Whew! I got a bad case of the Monday's! Too bad because it's way to pretty outside! I'll go vut me some daffodills from the front yard, have some coffee and a sandwich and instead of clean watch some art 21.

the spirit within | By | 3:26 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

March 3, 2006

Metro II

I took it to class today after working madly after church last night to make it prettier. The thing was suffering badly. I just cannot paint with a muted pallete! Unheard of! It needs a few small tweeks, but I'm feeling good and ready to start another Metro piece. Celebrate Beauty got some good critique. Mostly the kids just ask me what I use to do all the funky things to my canvases. I got some fresh eyes on it and some nice art studio light *smile*.

fine art | By | 3:53 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

March 2, 2006

I love Stencils

"Things I love Thursdays" entry I wanted to share my love for stencils. I can hardly not use them, they are in stacks next to my paints. When they get to worn out, I fix them to my canvases. Some are the pricely art store kind, some are the $2.99 version from office supply places or Target. I moved on to stencils because I was screwing up my rubber stamps by painting them with acrylic. Quick way to destroy your alphabet! I used foam letters made for kids but they just didn't hold paint opaque enough and when they did they didn't wash out. I used to just use them with paint but I started using them with tile caulk so know the letter stick out even after I paint over them. It's a great mixed media technique and another great way to put subliminal messages in my work. the next time you have a chance to see a Katie Ward Knutson painting up close look down the side and you may just see a bunch of nappy, gnarly letters telling you something! Here's a shot of the Funky T. Destined for greatness that letter T.

I love Thursdays | By | 3:58 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

March 1, 2006

Intellegent Design

Joel and I usually agree on everything, but recently we have have this debate on egg harvesting. Not chickens, women. I mean they pay like 6 grand for you to give them some of your eggs that you would menstrate anyway right? I mean I could get myself a nice used Japanese minivan of my choice for that amount! But I don't like the idea. I feel a responsibility for where my eggs go. I don't like the idea of a child that is made of half of me running around and me not knowing them, or knowing how they will grow up. As a Christian, I have no problem with all the procedures to have natural children, but I find it is more honorable and an amazing challenge to be a parent who adopts an unwanted child. It's full of difficulty that a parent of natural children do not experience and I have seen many ways that God has blessed parents that have adopted by giving them several natural children after they adopted one. I also know parents that had natural children and realized the importance of adoption and adopted children after their natural children had grown up. But what does that have to do with egg harvesting? I mean is their anything morally wrong with selling your eggs? Is it silly for me to think I have a biological responsibility for my egg? I think there is something to it. What if the child grows up in a non-Christian home? What if their family breaks up or they are abused? Am I crazy to feel some sort of connection to that? And am I wrong to think that adoption is an option that brings more than just a precious life to your life, but also humility that those of us that have had children naturally have not experienced (at least not the same way). Joel's argument is basically not in his defense because it's not like he thinks egg harvesting is a great idea, he just likes to sit back and shoot down my thinking. He also says with my logic, we should never have natural children and adopt first to give homes to those who need families. Well, we are commanded to take care of the widow and orphan. And I don't think that just because you can't ovulate doesn't mean your the only one who should do that. I would adopt but adoption (like medical processes to fertilize and implant eggs) costs alot of money. I don't have money. I may adopt when I am 40 and experience that beautiful way to parent. I have don't have a huge problem with the fertilization of anothers egg in order to have your own child. I just have a problem with it being my egg. And the more I think about it, I just think adoption is the BEST option. Not the only option. I can't be completely unbias on this issue because I have had natural children and I don't know the feeling of not being able to have your own. It must be painful, disappointing, and like I said, there is humility involved that God honors. Sacrifice of self to take a child that is not biologically yours and may not look like you at all. The stigmata is harsh in some parts of this country. Not everyone gets it. I have grown up with many children that were adopted. It makes me weep with joy every time I hear that a family adopts.

I'm sure I'm missing some major loop holes, I am not a debator, I just speak what I feel. I may be concentrating on a bunny trail instead of the real issue. But I do know that I will not be putting my feet in stirrups for 6 thousand dollars. I can wait for that Honda Odyssey

| By | 9:48 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack