A rainy Friday pick me up.

Okay, we need the rain. I know we need the rain. We need buckets of it. Despite this fact I still have issues with performing my Friday Domestic Goddess duties in the rain.

I don't like the rain drops on my glasses.

I don't like being fully dressed and feeling like I'm standing in a cold shower.

I don't like the fact that other people apparently lose their minds because it's raining and completely forget how to operate their vehicles in any way resembling a safe manner.

I don't like carrying in the groceries while it's raining because those aforementioned rain drops on my glasses make it hard to see and I always end up tripping up the back steps trying to get in the house.

I don't like the way Creepy makes a mad dash out the door (open so I can carry in groceries) but upon discovering it's raining her claws become anti-lock brakes and she whips a 180 U-turn as soon as those paws hit wetness on the steps and thus frantically scrambles back inside just as I'm trying to walk through the doorway laden with bags of eggs and breakable stuff.

It all conspires to put me in a rather irritable mood. Thankfully, there is really cute stuff at CuteOverload to make me smile ......

You set the NeverLost right?

Set it to go to Inspiration Point! Vaminos! [Chihuahuas peel out]

Lights, music, smoke and water ...

Okay, I just know y'all are asking, "So what do these things have in common?"

Answer - painting.

???

Yes, painting. Working in the studio. Making art.

Lights = Ott Lites at my drafting table. I love my Ott lights. I have two of the floor type lamps, one on either side of the table. My studio gets West light from a single window and it sucks. As most artists will tell you, North light is best because it's even, cool and helps show colors more accurately, yadda, yadda, yadda. Considering my lack of North light, the fact that I paint a lot at night, and such things as cloudy, overcast days when the room gets almost no outside light the Ott Lites were a good investment.

Music = 5 CD's in the stereo playing nice tunes to paint by. I like having the variety and also not having to get up and change the CD every time one ends. Today's selection is: Melissa Etheridge Skin and Breakdown, Van Morrison Tupelo Honey, Boys On The Side soundtrack, and The Bonnie Raitt Collection. I have a fairly extensive collection, somewhere in the neighborhood of 380+ CDs. It's quite varied in style of music as well. Everything from Classical to Country.

I like having music to fit whatever mood I may be in. Sometimes I'm feelin' all old school and need a little Steppenwolf or Golden Earring. Sometimes I'm feelin' a touch retro and plug in The Ramones. Occasionally I get my girl freak on an listen to Tina Turner or Carole King. Then you've got mellow days and it might be something like England Dan & John Ford Coley or Simon & Garfunkel. New age tunes with 2002, Enya or Ottmar Liebert is sometimes the flavor of the day. Once in awhile I break out with Latin music or Reggae. Pretty much whatever I want to hear, I've got somewhere in my CD library.

Smoke = incense filling the room with the scent of Fern & Moss by Maroma. I love incense and this particular scent is just too freakin' yummy for words. I get this one at GreenLife grocery in Asheville. Last time I was there I bought all of if they had. I am the kind of person who buys incense in quantity. We're talking $60+ worth or more at at time. I found a website a couple of months ago, Mystic Unicorn, which carries another brand of incense I like, Escential Essences, and I got a boat load. My mailman said it was the most fragrant package he'd ever delivered ... :)

Water = watercolor painting. Today I'm working on one of the "secret art project" images. I think I already told you I've gotten two of them finished, one watercolor and the other in acrylic. This current one, and the next two, are perfect images for watercolor work. Plus, I've done so much more acrylic work of late that I feel the need to use my watercolors again. I love the way they flow and how the brush feels on the paper. Acrylic is nice and I do like it, but watercolor is my first love. The way this particular painting is going I'm thinking the watercolors like me, too.

I use only one brand of paper, that being Fabriano Artistico Extra White 300lb. Soft Press. I've tried several others and they just didn't work for the way I paint. Too thin and I had to pre-soak and tape them to a board. Too rough and I couldn't get fine detail. Too smooth and the paint just puddled on the surface and I couldn't fight the hard edges. Then I found the Fabriano. I love it. I am a dedicated fan. May this stuff be around as long as I live. As a matter of fact, I just ordered 20 more sheets of it today. Yee ha!

As for paint, I have a variety; Daniel Smith, Old Holland, Lukas, MaimerBlu, Da Vinci, Holbein, and Windsor & Newton. Different brands produce many of the same colors but how those colors look may be very different. For example, the Windsor & Newton Raw Sienna isn't the same as the MaimerBlu Raw Sienna. How each brand performs is another issue as well. Take the same W&N vs. MaimerBlu example and one Raw Sienna tends to be more grainy than the other. Lots of technical reasons for that, but the fact still remains, they aren't the same and each one will produce a different result in a painting. I could also go into all the dozens of other reasons for using a variety of brands, but I won't. Suffice it to say, what I do works for me ... if you paint with watercolors I'm sure you understand. If you don't paint with watercolors, anymore explanations will bore the socks off of ya'.

My brush of choice is the Raphael 8408 Marte Kolinsky. I love the #8. The 8408 is well balanced, somewhat short handled. The tuft is average size around the ferrule, but the belly is narrow so that the side of the tuft continues the tapering line of the ferrule without any visible widening. The brush hold a good charge of paint and releases it very evenly. The tuft is somewhat soft (rather like ABS brushes) and quite responsive, it snaps to a needle point - which is so lovely it's almost orgasmic.

Back when I sold my very first painting I bought a set of Windsor & Newton Series 7 brushes ... supposedly the best, preferred by professional artists and all that rot. Ha! NOT. I didn't like them in the least. I tossed them in a box and didn't use them again until I started painting with acrylics. I like them for that well enough. For watercolor work I kept using my old, cheap brushes until I came across the 8408 in a DickBlick catalog. A whopping $80 bucks for a brush. Kind of freaky, yet I know the old adage of "you get what you pay for" and "always get the best materials you can afford" applies to art stuff. I bought the #8 and fell in love from first time I held it and painted the first stroke. *sigh* I loved it so much that as soon as I could afford it I bought two more and the sizes #0-6 as well. I don't use them often because the #8 is so incredibly versatile. I can use it for nearly everything except large washes. It's a damn near perfect brush.

So this is my day today, all day, maybe all night. I love it. Now, back to work ....

Namaste y'all ...

2007, your days are numbered and my List isn't finished ...

Today is December 26st. Gah!

What happened to the time? Seems like yesterday was January and I was getting started on my Carol's List Of Things To Do for the coming year. I don't do New Year's Resolutions. I do a To Do list. I had some success this past year accomplishing some of the things on the List. I finished Paul's quilt. I was accepted into all the Art Societies I wanted to be a member of. I got work published in a magazine (actually 3 magazines). I sold more prints off my website and through a third-party. I had some of my art displayed for sale in a store. I got back in touch with some old friends. I paid off a few bills. I started the Kriya Yoga course. I read a few books on that never ending books-to-read list. I did my final Reiki attunement and am at Master/Teacher level. I did some other things of a personal nature I won't list here. All in all, I got some stuff done.

There were also things that happened that weren't on the List. I started a Reiki clinic with my friend Paul called Open Hands Reiki Natural Healing. I made a couple of new friends. I taught art classes at the local college and privately. I came up with a redesign for my website (yet again) that I really, really like this time. I developed to a stronger level spiritually with my Tarot readings. I was contacted about a great art project which could be very profitable - and am working on it now - have two paintings done and three more in progress.

But, ya' know, a sad number of things on the List didn't get crossed off.

Damn.

Y'all know what that means, don't ya'?

Oh yeah.

I have to tack 'em on to the List Of Things To Do, 2008.

Damn.

I guess it's a good thing I plan to live until I'm 102.

So I went to bed last night thinking about the List. What, besides the leftovers from 2007, will I add to the List for the coming year? Hmmm, let me go get a cup of tea and think about that for a minute .....

_________________

Carol's List Of Things To Do 2008

This is what I've got so far ....

1) Do more art. Of course, this means just exactly what it says ... Do.More.Art. I would like to attempt to do a minimum of at least one painting per month. This doesn't include some other things I have in mind, which leads to ...

2) Do more small art. Get busy doing things like my greeting cards, ornaments, bookmarks, and so forth. I enjoy doing them and they don't take a lot of time to do. It's like a "quick fix" when I feel the need to create something but don't have an idea for a full size painting ... or when I'm stuck on a work in progress.

3) Cafepress. Time to get that ol' Cafepress account dusted off and fix the files for having t-shirts, coffee cups, journals, etc. available on my website. Getting all the image files sized and such is time consuming and yeah, I've been a slacker. But I think it would be a really good addition, like the aforementioned small art items, to the shopping area of my website.

4) Get new website design complete and published by end of January. That's a daunting deadline. When I think about all the work needing to be done I cringe. Yet I know the new design is a good one, it really fits me and is so much more suited to the way I want my online presentation of my work, and my self, to be. In the long run, the amount of work will be well worth the effort.

5) Work on children's book. Oh how this weighs on my shoulders. In my mind's eye I can see the book completed. The problem is getting it worked out on paper. Sort of in a stuck spot with it. My muse isn't being very helpful.

6) Make quilt for bed. Actually, this is more of a part of my plans for redecorating the whole bedroom. Drives the husband crazy that I take so long to make up my mind when it comes to decorating. The bedroom decorating had been several years in process because I just can't settle on the colors. After all, considering the time it takes to make a quilt, which will be the focal point, I want to get it right. I want to be able to walk into the bedroom and sigh with satisfaction.

7) Work on snuggle quilt for best buddy Kasey. This project has been a long term work-in-progress. Kasey has a lovely sense of style, is particular about color and fabric design, and I want to make a snuggle quilt she will love snuggling with. So, collecting appropriate fabrics is taking time.

8) #6 & 7 means I need to get some more fabric collected.

9) Submit art to art shows. Now that I am a member of several large art groups like the National Watercolor Society and the International Acrylic Painter's Society I want to submit work to their shows. It's all juried, so being a member doesn't guarantee acceptance into the shows. But if my work was accepted, it would travel around and gain exposure for my art.

10) Spend more time with Zachary, my Godson. I can't help it. Kids just wig me out. I love tiny babies but when they start crawling or walking and can start getting into stuff it makes me a nervous wreck. It's that three-four year range when you can't take your eyes off 'em for a second or they are stuffing everything they get their hands on into their mouths or pulling anything breakable off into the floor. They can't talk so you don't know what the heck they want, which usually leads them to a minor, sometimes major, meltdown.

But Zachary will be four this coming year. He can talk and communicate his needs. He understands "Don't touch that." He knows how to "behave" long enough for me to go to the bathroom without fear he will be choking to death or fracture his skull while I'm out of the room for 30 seconds.

11) Spend more time with all my friends. 'Nuf said.

12) Get camping gear out of closet and re-waterproof all my stuff. Repack backpack. GO CAMPING! I love camping. I love camping alone. I miss camping. I haven't gone in a couple of years. That's bad. I really need to go camping.

13) Take a real vacation, maybe two vacations. When I got the keyboard desk for the husband this year the agreement was that I, in turn, could take a solo vacation in 2008. I'm still slightly undecided as to destination, but that's okay. Most likely it will be the beach because the husband doesn't like the beach and it's not a destination he would enjoy. Dragging him along wouldn't be much fun.

But he and I are due for a real vacation somewhere. It's been a couple of years since we have gone anywhere. Last trip was to visit his mom and step-dad in New Mexico. Maybe we'll go to see his brothers and sisters in Texas this year. He owes me a real cowboy hat from San Antonio. Shoot, I might even wrangle me some boots from Houston, too! Yee haw!

14) Advertise Open Hands Reiki Clinic. Paul and I opened the clinic at the end of September but, as things often go, I didn't get to spend as much time promoting the business as I wanted, as needed to be done. I think this area is desperate for alternative healing resources and Reiki is an excellent choice for anyone and everyone. Thing is, people here are old school and need to be educated as to what Reiki is, and that it is available.

15) Make all my Christmas ornaments for next years' tree. I wanted to do that this year. Yeah. Well. Didn't happen. Because it didn't happen I ended up not even bothering to put up a Christmas tree at all. For those who know me that's a biggy. I LOVE Christmas trees and for many years (until I got the monster tree I have now) I put up two trees. I don't care if I don't have any other decorations as long as I have my tree. Alas, this was the very first year that I can recall not putting up a tree. I suppose it was because I have in mind my "dream tree" and I knew, even though I love the tree I have, I love all my ornaments I've collected or been given over the years, it wasn't what I truly wanted. The tree I envision having is specific; I want all hand-made ornaments, very organic and earthy, and pagan in theme. Yep, I'm going to have to make making my ornaments a priority for the coming year.

16) Blog every day. This is tough. Weekends will automatically be out of the running 'cause the husband will be home. I know it's weird but I'm just not comfortable writing my posts when he's home. He likes to come see what I'm doing and I while I don't mind if he reads it I don't like having him lurking over my shoulder while I'm trying to compose the post. It gets me all out of kilter. I need quiet and alone time to write all this crap.

17) M.E.B. (private and will not elaborate on that)

18) Garden. Ever since we moved into this house I've wanted a real garden. Both flowers and vegetables. I want to be able to grow tomatoes and can my own sauces. I want to fill my big freezer with stuff. I want fresh herbs, and to be able to dry them for later use as well. Unfortunately, this is something that has always managed to find a way to the back burner. There are various reasons, but it's a List item that gets carried over every year.

19) Redecorate the living room. Now, the first few months we were here in the new house we had 'donated' furniture from my Aunt Zelda. We were still what you would call newlyweds. I had sold everything I owned when I moved back home the year before. The husband lost what little he had in his divorce from his first wife. Combined, we didn't have much. Aunt Zelda had moved from her house into an apartment and was stuck with extra furniture ... we gladly accepted the hand-me-downs. Anyway, after awhile we were finally able to afford to buy our own stuff for the living room and dining room. So, technically, those rooms are already decorated. Thing is, I'm sick of the look of the living room. The husband, on the other hand, could live with it for the next 50 years and still be content. It's taken me a couple of years to nudge him into being okay with a redecorating venture. I won't be changing the big stuff like the sofa and chairs (which he promised I could have reupholstered in 10 years after we bought them 'cause I wasn't crazy about the upholstery to beging with - I've still got three years to wait), but I will change the curtains and such. A few small changes will give the room an entirely different look.

20) Shopping. I tried to get this organized last year and only partially succeeded. The game plan is to go to the grocery store once a month for the major stuff and once a week for small stuff, like the fresh strawberries and bananas the husband thinks is a must have for his sundae/movie watching fests. Sadly, strawberries don't last a month.

The part I did manage to get working into monthly (or less!) is the Wal-Mart shopping. I don't like Wal-Mart. I don't like going into Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, in a town as small as where I live, there aren't many alternatives. It's the only place which sells some of the things we use on a regular basis. Believe me, I've looked everywhere else in this town and it's a no-go.

21) Health care. Generally speaking, I'm a healthy person. I'm still working on making the complete switch to being Vegan, but I began that process knowing I would do it slowly, therefore less traumatic and problematic. I got the treadmill from Mother and have been walking for at least 20 minutes a day, five days a week. But I do need to get outside and do things in the fresh air more. It's sometimes difficult when I'm working in the studio all day.

The health care areas I'm talking about is stuff like going for an annual physical exam. I'm pretty slack about that. I also need to truck myself to a dentist's office. Haven't been in years. I've got some ancient fillings that probably need to be replaced by now. I would also like to check into having the fillings replaced with something other then these amalgam of metal filling which are composed 50% mercury. Scary. I would like to have the alternative, white resin fillings, if at all possible. Heck, we pay for dental insurance ... why not use it???

22) Working in the studio. Here's an area I've tried to get going for a couple of years. Another carry over to the List. As much as it shames me to admit this, I'm not as dedicated to being in the studio on a regular basis as I should be for a full-time artist. My goal is to work in the studio, on whatever, for at least eight hours a day, just like a real job. Don't answer the phone. Don't zip into town for a quick errand. Don't sit down and watch a movie 'cause I'm stuck. Don't do anything until after I've been in the studio for the day.

It doesn't have to be militarily regimental, but it does need to be regular. Done with dedication. If I want to do the things up at the beginning of this list, then time in the studio is a must. If I want to seriously make a good living with my art, then time in the studio is a must. Granted, there will be time at the computer because of the website redesign, and that's okay because it's still in the "art" work spectrum.

___________________

I'm sure this List will expand. It always does. Heck, by the time I hit the "publish post" button and walk away from the computer I'll probably have twelve more things to add. While I'm in the shower, hair full of shampoo, I'll think of more.

Yep, it's a darn good thing I will live to be 102.

Namaste y'all ...

The Real Story of Christmas ...

Kinda' takes the fun out of the holiday, but here it is ...

The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world. Centuries before the arrival of the man called Jesus, early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. Many peoples rejoiced during the winter solstice, when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight.

In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule from December 21, the winter solstice, through January. In recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home large logs, which they would set on fire. The people would feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. The Norse believed that each spark from the fire represented a new pig or calf that would be born during the coming year.

The end of December was a perfect time for celebration in most areas of Europe. At that time of year, most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter. For many, it was the only time of year when they had a supply of fresh meat. In addition, most wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking.

In Germany, people honored the pagan god Oden during the mid-winter holiday. Germans were terrified of Oden, as they believed he made nocturnal flights through the sky to observe his people, and then decide who would prosper or perish. Because of his presence, many people chose to stay inside.

In Rome, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north, Saturnalia—a holiday in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture—was celebrated. Beginning in the week leading up to the winter solstice and continuing for a full month, Saturnalia was a hedonistic time, when food and drink were plentiful and the normal Roman social order was turned upside down. For a month, slaves would become masters. Peasants were in command of the city. Business and schools were closed so that everyone could join in the fun.

Also around the time of the winter solstice, Romans observed Juvenalia, a feast honoring the children of Rome. In addition, members of the upper classes often celebrated the birthday of Mithra, the god of the unconquerable sun, on December 25. It was believed that Mithra, an infant god, was born of a rock. For some Romans, Mithra's birthday was the most sacred day of the year.

In the early years of Christianity, Easter was the main holiday; the birth of Jesus was not celebrated. In the fourth century, church officials decided to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday. Unfortunately, the Bible does not mention date for his birth (a fact Puritans later pointed out in order to deny the legitimacy of the celebration). Although some evidence suggests that his birth may have occurred in the spring (why would shepherds be herding in the middle of winter?), Pope Julius I chose December 25. It is commonly believed that the church chose this date in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival. First called the Feast of the Nativity, the custom spread to Egypt by 432 and to England by the end of the sixth century. By the end of the eighth century, the celebration of Christmas had spread all the way to Scandinavia. Today, in the Greek and Russian orthodox churches, Christmas is celebrated 13 days after the 25th, which is also referred to as the Epiphany or Three Kings Day. This is the day it is believed that the three wise men finally found Jesus in the manger.

By holding Christmas at the same time as traditional winter solstice festivals, church leaders increased the chances that Christmas would be popularly embraced, but gave up the ability to dictate how it was celebrated. By the Middle Ages, Christianity had, for the most part, replaced pagan religion. On Christmas, believers attended church, then celebrated raucously in a drunken, carnival-like atmosphere similar to today's Mardi Gras. Each year, a beggar or student would be crowned the "lord of misrule" and eager celebrants played the part of his subjects. The poor would go to the houses of the rich and demand their best food and drink. If owners failed to comply, their visitors would most likely terrorize them with mischief. Christmas became the time of year when the upper classes could repay their real or imagined "debt" to society by entertaining less fortunate citizens.

In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way Christmas was celebrated in Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the return of the popular holiday.

The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast, in the Jamestown settlement, Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident.

After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Congress was in session on December 25, 1789, the first Christmas under America's new constitution. Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.

It wasn't until the 19th century that Americans began to embrace Christmas. Americans re-invented Christmas, and changed it from a raucous carnival holiday into a family-centered day of peace and nostalgia. But what about the 1800s peaked American interest in the holiday?

The early 19th century was a period of class conflict and turmoil. During this time, unemployment was high and gang rioting by the disenchanted classes often occurred during the Christmas season. In 1828, the New York city council instituted the city's first police force in response to a Christmas riot. This catalyzed certain members of the upper classes to begin to change the way Christmas was celebrated in America.

In 1819, best-selling author Washington Irving wrote The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, gent., a series of stories about the celebration of Christmas in an English manor house. The sketches feature a squire who invited the peasants into his home for the holiday. In contrast to the problems faced in American society, the two groups mingled effortlessly. In Irving's mind, Christmas should be a peaceful, warm-hearted holiday bringing groups together across lines of wealth or social status. Irving's fictitious celebrants enjoyed "ancient customs," including the crowning of a Lord of Misrule. Irving's book, however, was not based on any holiday celebration he had attended – in fact, many historians say that Irving's account actually "invented" tradition by implying that it described the true customs of the season.

Also around this time, English author Charles Dickens created the classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol. The story's message-the importance of charity and good will towards all humankind-struck a powerful chord in the United States and England and showed members of Victorian society the benefits of celebrating the holiday.

The family was also becoming less disciplined and more sensitive to the emotional needs of children during the early 1800s. Christmas provided families with a day when they could lavish attention-and gifts-on their children without appearing to "spoil" them.

As Americans began to embrace Christmas as a perfect family holiday, old customs were unearthed. People looked toward recent immigrants and Catholic and Episcopalian churches to see how the day should be celebrated. In the next 100 years, Americans built a Christmas tradition all their own that included pieces of many other customs, including decorating trees, sending holiday cards, and gift-giving.

Although most families quickly bought into the idea that they were celebrating Christmas how it had been done for centuries, Americans had really re-invented a holiday to fill the cultural needs of a growing nation.

_____________________________________

So, with that, I'll go watch my How The Grinch Stole Christmas DVD and drink a nice cup of hot peppermint tea ... my own traditional way of celebrating Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas ...

and, of course,

Namaste y'all ...

What would life be? ...

Chocolate arrives in Switzerland.

Heinrich Escher, mayor of Zurich, was introduced to chocolate in Brussels in 1697 and brought it back home, where it was discreetly consumed at the feasts of the various guilds which ruled the city, until the Zurich Council banned it in 1722 as unfit for virtuous citizens. (It had a reputation as an aphrodisiac.)

The Swiss in general had to wait several decades before wandering Italian "cioccolatieri" brought the drink to Switzerland. The first chocolate manufacture was set up around 1750 by two Italians in a former paper mill near Bern, the Schermenmühle. It was not a great success: the locals did not take to it, and the mill was soon given over to producing flour instead. Nevertheless, before the end of the century other factories appeared in western Switzerland - Vevey, Morges and Lausanne - and in the Blenio Valley in canton Ticino. The first chocolate shop in Switzerland opened in Bern in 1792.

________________________________________________

Ladies, can you imagine life without chocolate???

The thought gives me visions of thousands of women screaming, hysterical, running down the road in their p.j.'s with tin foil wrapped around their heads and fluffy bunny slippers on their feet.

Makes me want to rush out to the store and buy a giant size bar of Hershey's Special Dark and eat it right there at the counter.

But it also makes me think of things we take the ability of having for granted. Ordinary, every day snack food kinds of things.

My list: Breyer's Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. Blueberry muffins. Cheetos White Cheddar Cheese Puffs. Fritos Corn Chips. Tiramisu. New York style cheese cake. Celery stalks with peanut butter. Pico de Gallo and tortilla chips.

Although I don't have this stuff very often, I like knowing I can jump in the Jeep and zip to the store anytime a craving hits. Or, if I have the ingredients at home I can make stuff like my Grandmother's gingerbread, old fashioned sugar cookies or a host of other delectable edibles to satisfy my snack monster appetite.

I wonder what kinds of things would be on y'all's list of "Edibles I Can't Imagine Life Without". I'd really like to know ...

Namaste y'all ...

Strange days indeed ...

Odd things happen to me. Some nice, some not so nice. And then there are the just plain odd. Saturday's thing falls somewhere between the nice and plain odd. It's just the way my life goes. I'm kind of used to it.

Here's the story. The vacationing husband is kicked back on the sofa watching a movie. I'm in the kitchen fixing Manicotti for dinner. Phone rings. I answer.

Male voice says, "Is this Carol?"

"Uh, yes, it is." I reply.

"Used to be Carol Snedeker?" as yet unidentified male voice asks.

Now I'm feeling a little hesitant, but curious. Who is this? Where's this going? I say, "Well, yes. Who are you?" Only fair he identify himself.

"Graylin." he says.

Okay. I'm certainly surprised by that. I know only one Graylin. I ask for clarification. "As in Martin?"

He laughs, sounding sort of uncomfortable. "Yeah."

We're both silent for a moment. Like we both need to let this sink in.

Graylin Martin was my high school sweetheart. Almost three years together. I worked hard to get him and in the end couldn't get rid of him fast enough. Long story, complicated and I won't go into details. Not a great ending, I might add. I confess, I still harbor some resentments.

"What do you want?" I ask as politely as I can. Lots of ideas running through my head. Is this a joke? How did he get my phone number? Has someone died? Is he insane and stopped taking his medication?

Pause. "Uh, are you still married?" he questions.

"I am." I reply. "Why?"

Another laugh. Another pause. "Well, I was hoping you weren't and I was going to ask you out."

What the Hell???

I almost dropped the phone. Could have knocked me over with the proverbial feather. This guy is married, too, to the girl he dated before me - and had an affair with while he and I were dating. It was my turn to laugh. "Now that is certainly not something I expected, from you no less. Why in the world did you call me for that?"

Amazingly, what followed as about a 30+/- minute conversation. He told me he and his wife, Vickie, had separated around eight months ago. Apparently he, though he didn't elaborate on the details, screwed up somehow and she said, "Had enough and I'm outta' here." He's now feeling the need to look for someone to start dating. Companionship and all that.

He thought of me.

Go figure.

He took a big chance when he dialed my number.

Suddenly, I didn't feel angry with him anymore. After all these years. It wasn't that I was flattered he had thought of me, I really wasn't. Truthfully, I was kinda' weirded out by that part. But I felt sorry for him. Here is this guy, at the holidays, alone and lonely. His 20+ year marriage is kaput. His children are taking his wife's side and not having much to do with him. He doesn't have any friends because he's focused all these years on just his family. And he's lonely enough to take a big flying leap into the abyss of the unknown and call me. Brave. And really pitiful.

Of course, even if I weren't married, it is not within the realm of possibilities on this plain of existence or any other that I would have agreed to go out with him. Not going down that path again. Oh no. There's a definite unpleasant history with this guy. I might forgive, but I don't forget. Yet I can't bring myself to be cruel or unkind to him. I simply can't summon up the old hostilities enough to do that. I would at least talk to him on the phone. I would be nice. Empathetic and understanding of another person's pain.

So, the conversation ended on a easy and relaxed tone. I think we were both still rather surprised to even be talking to each other after all these years. Just the same, I'm pretty sure I won't be hearing from him again. At least I gained a little peace with that part of my past. A lesson in compassion. That's always a good thing. An odd occurrence to be sure, but nice gift to me, for me at the holidays.

Namaste y'all ...

Cat Nappin'

Folks, if this isn't an excellent example of some serious cat nappin' then I don't know what is!

Seems like a perfect image to share with you on a Friday!

And yes, image was snitched from CuteOverload.com

Namaste y'all!

Not home alone ...

Four short days until the husband is home for vacation. Thirteen days off. Two days back at work and then five more days at home. I'm not sure one of us will survive, though which one is still undecided at this point.

Don't get me wrong. I love my husband and all that. It's just I have a hard time being with someone, anyone, for a lengthy stretch of time. I'm used to being alone all week, the husband coming home late Friday night and gone at the crack of dawn on Monday morning. Sure, he calls and we talk every evening. I get phone calls from friends. I even go out into town a couple of times during the week. But, for the most part, I'm alone. I like it that way. I'm a solitary kinda' person. Introverted. My main interests and pursuits don't require interaction with others. So being around someone 24-7, even the husband, gets on my nerves.

Thus, thinking about the impending vacation time is causing me some stress. I'm hoping he will go out, at least a couple of days, with our neighbor-friend Phil and help him work on the plane Phil is building. Maybe have nice enough weather to do yard work or clean the vehicles. Maybe spend lots of time in his studio working on his keyboard. Anything to give me "space" and time alone.

Why don't I go out somewhere on my own? Good question. Thing is, I've got projects in my studio to be working on. And too, even though it may sound completely crazy, I don't like to leave the husband home alone ... and he really hates to be home alone. The way I see it is like this; he works all week, driving a truck and being away from home - the one place he wants most to be - so that I can be a stay home wife and artist. I have to say I think it's a small sacrifice on my part to be here with him when he is home. Tit for tat. Quid Pro Quo. Whenever I leave him home alone, especially since I get so much time to myself during the week, I feel guilty.

Sure, he can find stuff to occupy himself. It's not that. It's the fact that I'm absent. My presence isn't in the house. And it's being near me, even if not in the same room, that makes him happy. He likes knowing I'm close by. I can understand. I don't begrudge him that. So it's a rare thing for me to go out when he's home. Yeah, sometimes it makes me nuts, especially during times like the upcoming vacation ... but that's the art of compromise. Ya' what ya' gotta' do.

I have to come up with a plan for surviving the vacation. For not chopping up the husband into little pieces and burying him in the compost pile.

There's the studio/project work. Of course, almost anytime I walk into the studio and pick up a paintbrush he's looking over my shoulder, watching. Like a fly to honey. He likes to watch me paint, watch the work evolve. Nothing abnormal about that. Everybody loves to watch someone paint or draw - like it's a magic show. Shoot, I could watch someone else paint for hours. Guess that might not be much "alone time".

I've got the website redesign. Not much to hold his attention with me making new buttons and resizing images on the computer. Doing the "grunt work". Although, come to think of it, he does love to watch me work in Photoshop. He's a basic computer user. He can check his e-mail. He can surf the internet. He can meander through ebay. Photoshop is way past his computing abilities, and therefore, when I'm in design mode it's interesting to him, somewhat like watching me paint. He once said watching me work in Photoshop was kind of like actually getting to watch how my brain works. Weird comparison, but okay. Website design might not generate much "alone time" either.

I could start on the quilt I'm planning for my bedroom. Washing, drying and ironing fabric, cutting it into strips and squares, stitching them together ... yep, that would be not so interesting to him. Thing is, I don't have all the different fabrics I want collected yet. Darn.

Knitting. He does like to watch me knit, but he will lose interest after a bit. I have several things I would like to start knitting. I even have a scarf on the sticks right now that I've frogged and restarted, oh about twelve times already. It's Bernat Bamboo Natural Blends in Water, a wonderful pale blue yarn that is too soft and lovely for words. I could eat this stuff it's so nice. I want a scarf and matching hat - the whole Pumpkin Hat thing got me feeling brave - but I've had trouble deciding on the stitch to use. All I know is I would like it to be in a rib stitch, but I haven't got the right knit/purl ratio figured out yet. Might could spend time working on that.

House cleaning. Good old fashioned kind of spring cleaning. Might send him to his studio for hours on end with that going on. I'd get a nice, clean house to boot. Possible.

I guess we'll just have to see how it goes and what else I can come up with.

For now, I'm going to go watch a movie and not think about it.

Namaste y'all ...

Vicks DayQuil, you are my friend ...

It doesn't escape my notice that Vicks DayQuil very courteously supplies you with your own "shot glass" for knocking back a nice dosage of medication. Between my morning shot of drugs, a strong pot of coffee and some Reiki, I'm actually managing to function somewhat normally today. I'm not dancing a jig around the studio by any means, but I'm at least sitting upright and not curled in a sad, whimpering little puddle in the middle of the bed. That's progress.

While I'm waiting for some paint to dry I dabbled around in Photoshop and created a new masthead for my blog. I like it. It fits me. I am a continual work in progress with my art, with my whole existence for that matter. I've come far but still have farther to go. I'm okay with that. Better forward than backward, ya' know?

But back to the masthead. I like the lighter colors, the softer feel. I think it will go well with my website yet stand on it's own as a blog page. The two are integrated, but separate. I think they need different looks, different names, a different tone to each. I'm even considering changing the name of my website as well. I'm not sure what it will be. "Art Magic" worked for me in the beginning but as the focus of my art changes, the direction of my life changes - which is reflected in my art - the current name just doesn't seem to fit anymore. I don't like it.

Any suggestions?

I did manage to have some foresight and plan ahead in regard to the site address, keeping it simply my name. I know me well enough to know I like to change stuff around too much. Slapping an "art magic dot com" up there would have left me stuck with that dot com. Couldn't do that to myself. Anyway, someone else already had it.

Since the "internet art theft incident" the redesign of the site has been weighing heavily on my mind. I've got an art project in the works that will be taking up much of my time. An old friend also contacted me yesterday about doing a new logo for her boyfriend's business. More time taken there. A couple of other things on the burner snitch up more time. So the question comes ... How do I work it in? It's a massive undertaking, designing and/or redesigning an entire website.

Even though this would be Version 6 (Ack!) and I'm more experienced with what to do, it would still demand a lot of work, a lot of time at the computer. Other stuff just doesn't get done when I'm off somewhere in Photoshop Land. And at present, I only have a preliminary splash/front page done. There would be hours of creative/design work to be thought out before the site itself would undergo any change at all. It's in playing with Photoshop that I can burn up some serious time ... too many options! This looks good! Oh wait, this looks better! Ah, that would be cool! Maybe a tweak here. Tweak there. Shift the type up a smidge. No, nudge it over there. What about this type style. Maybe that one. I could emboss this. I could use this filter on that. On and on and on and on .......

Fortunately the basics are already there. I won't really have to do much with setting up new pages except for the additional galleries and such I intend to add. But all of the images have to be re-worked and some new images added. New thumbnails and new buttons to be created. Meta tags and page descriptions. New links and old links redone. Etc. Etc. Etc. Then checking and rechecking. And checking again after it all get uploaded and published. Then making corrections. Oy! Makes me squirm just thinking about it. The upside is I can make all these changes and publish the new version all at once. I don't have to worry about the current version of the site being disturbed or "under construction". This is a good thing.

Speaking of good things, if y'all will excuse me, I do believe I have a lunch date with a bowl of chicken soup and a grilled cheese sandwich ...

Namaste y'all ...

The mind is willing - the body says, "Ain't no freakin' way!"

The Common Cold.

Menace to society.

Harbinger of an ill wind wrought with sickness and miserable body aches and pains.

Sneaky. Devious. Insidious.

An uninvited and unwelcome guest to the party of life.

Do ya'll hear the whining? Do y'all hear the pathetic and pointless plea for the good health I was carelessly enjoying just a few short days ago? Oh yes, Mr. Acute Viral Nasopharyngitis has come to call. I feel like I've been hit by a truck, all achy and sore, back of my throat feels like the hide has been scraped off, can only breathe out of one side of my nose. It's not pleasant.

I'm supposed to be in the studio creating art. I want to be creating art. I've got so many ideas for a Can't Elaborate On The Details Of Just Yet project in the works but ...

I'm going have a cup of tea, take some drugs, then have a nice nap.

Namaste y'all ...

Internet art theft ... violation or flattery?

Celtic Rose, painted canvas on hand-quilted panel.

Copyright infringement. It's a risk you always take when you put your work on a website and post it on the internet for all the world to see. Now, some people will actually contact you and request use of your art for certain purposes. I've had that happen. Some people are ignorant and don't comprehend the meaning of copyright. Some people don't give a rats' butt. With the latter two, your art gets taken and used for their own whim. Most often, you don't ever even know about it. On occasion, you are told by someone who sees it, or, you stumble upon it yourself.

Happened to me this past weekend. I stumbled on one of my images with an unknown internet address while doing a Google search. A mysterious individual had used my Celtic Rose as a "card" in a comment on their friends' MySpace page. Tracing it's origins I discovered six more mystery people have it in their Photobucket accounts. Lord only knows where the Hell else it's gotten whisked off to.

Y'all, this kind of wigs me out.

I did a bit of checking on the Photobucket site to see what can be done about copyright infringement and it's a bit of a process to pursue. I do intend to follow through with the process even if it will take awhile, and it may or may not garner satisfactory results. I feel it's necessary. It's my art and I worked hard on that painting. I've posted plainly on every page of my website all artwork is copyright. It's not for anyone's use accept my own unless someone contacts me and requests use of it. My art is how I earn my living ..... how would they like for me to come take the car they use to get back and forth to work?

On the other hand, I will honestly admit there is a certain amount of flattery in that these mystery people liked it enough to put it in their Photobucket account for use on their MySpace pages, blogs or whatever. It's not a high enough resolution image to use for anything else - I set that when I uploaded the images to my own website. It also shows my signature fairly clearly in the bottom right corner. Could prompt someone to check out who "Carol Snedeker-Martinez" is, ya' know? Ta Da! Take 'em to my website ... but hopefully not to steal more art images!

Anyway, if you look at their Photobucket accounts you see immediately these people have spent some time searching the internet and are collecting other images from other artists they like. 99% of them are those aforementioned ignorant people who just don't get the meaning of copyright ... they don't think they are stealing! They really believe because it's on the internet it's fair game for them to take if they want it. Stupid, but true. They aren't being malicious, they are being stupid.

What's to be done?

For starters, I'm going to have to put copyright seals on all the art images on my website. I've seen other artists do the same and yes, I even considered it when I first built the site. Why I didn't do it then is mainly because it takes away from the image. It's hard for many people to look at the work and "see" it without that ghosted copyright seal plastered over the top of it. Even if you post clearly on the page that the final print will NOT have the copyright seal, that it is for internet security purposes only, they don't understand. Again, people are amazingly and incredibly stupid sometimes.

I had also hoped the low resolution I uploaded the images with would deter theft. No matter what software you have, no matter how much of a Photoshop Wizard you think you are, you can't make a low 72 dpi resolution image print like a high 300 dpi resolution file. The pixels simply aren't there. You can't fake it, you can't re-create them, you basically can't do anything with it other than use it on the internet. If one of those image thieving mystery people tried to print it they would only end up with a fuzzy, pixelated piece of crap.

Obviously, I was mistaken in thinking no one would steal my stuff.

Wow. What a pain in the ass.

Guess that website rebuild is closer around the corner than I thought it was going to be. Gah!

Okay then, let's take a quick breather and a pause for a cute, make you feel all warm and snuggly photo from Cute Overload ...


Ah, that's really nice.

Namaste y'all ...

A labor of love ...

It all started when my buddy and Reiki Master, Paul, attuned me to Reiki Level III. Typically, you pay for the attunements just as you would with any other such thing. Service = Payment. But at the time, quite honestly, I didn't have the money, just a strong desire to move to Level III. I think I've already established the fact I'm a fan of good, ol' fashioned horse tradin'. Fortunately for me, Paul isn't apposed to horse tradin'.

I tossed a few ideas around in my head. At first I couldn't come up with what I felt would be a fair trade. What, after all, are my skills?

I can cook. All well a good but really, a meal is a one time thing. Even a nice batch of Pico de Gallo only lasts so long. Then you've got nothing but a handful of empty jars to wash.

I can paint. Been there, done that. I painted his portrait for Level II. Besides, Paul is a better artist than I am so what could I possibly paint that he couldn't paint for himself, and do a much nicer version of?

I can sew. Hmmm. Yeah. I could make a quilt for Paul! I proposed the idea and he accepted.

Quilts are something meant to last, meant to comfort, a gift of love, made with hands and heart. Right away I thought of a traditional Scrap Quilt, like your Grandma and Great Grandma would have made. All kinds of fabrics from all kinds of things pieced together into an age old design like Log Cabin (my personal fav!) , Nine Patch or Pinwheels. I spent several weeks searching through my quilt books, my quilt magazines and online, looking for "just the right pattern", and coming up zero.

Then another thought hit me. Although Scrap Quilts are indeed, in my humble opinion, the absolute best quilts in the world. My own Grandma used to make that kind. Thing is, I didn't have the right kind of fabrics ... those being ... Paul's favorite shirt from the sixth grade; a piece of his mother's apron from when he was in high school; a scrap of his dad's Sunday Best shirt, etc. to add to other fabrics I could purchase. I couldn't really make it personalized in that way, and having concluded a quilt was the only thing to do for the trade, I had to figure out another way to personalize it.

As my quirky brain often does when faced with a art/craft dilemma, it stalled and then went into 'mull it over' mode. Somehow, way back in that little niggly intuitive section of my brain, I knew just any ol' quilt pattern wouldn't do. I realized that was why I was having trouble even deciding on the 'right' pattern. It needed to be something special, something non-traditional, original, custom made specifically for Paul. It needed to be an "art" quilt. And it needed to represent what I see in Paul, relating the wonderful aspects of the person he is to me.

Mulling it over.

Mulling it over.

Mulling it over.

I decided to sit down and make a list. Lists are good. I love lists. Post-It-Notes are a fabulous invention and I have stacks of 'em, in lovely colors ..... oh, I digress.

One thing that came to mind was Paul inclination for abstract art. Odd thing about this ... Paul loves abstract art yet doesn't himself create abstract art. If he did, I'm sure it would be so beautiful it would bring tears to your eyes. (Hint hint, Paul, if you're reading this.) I see this hesitation to create abstract art as a part of himself that Paul has yet to "free" and embrace. Some subconscious level of control he still clings to. I won't get lost in all the psycho-babble about that statement. Moving on.

Of course, there is the Reiki thing. Paul is my Reiki Master/Teacher, as previously stated and he has a very simplistic view/practice of Reiki. He tries always to apply the Reiki Principles to his life in an honest and humble way. It helps me to look at my own life in an entirely different way. So, somehow incorporating Reiki symbolism into the quilt seemed like a logical idea.

If you Google Reiki you will come up with Upteen-Gazillion-And-Three websites for almost as many different types of Reiki. I won't get up on a Soap Box about that, but suffice it to say, I don't believe they are really Reiki - they are just someone's way of putting what they hope to be a New! Improved! Mine Is Better Than Yours! New Agey twist on Reiki and therefore attempt to make it more "special" and thus more profitable. Through Paul, my own initiation into, and understanding of, Reiki is bare bones, to the point, simple. I venture to say it is what Reiki, and the practice of Reiki, is really supposed to be.

Paul has an Asian aestheticism to himself and his life. Streamlined, simple, practical and yet ever mindful of the beauty of things, of life and the world around him. He can find perfection in a broken sea shell or in one minute of the warmth of sunshine on his face. His approach to nearly everything is this way. In considering this, the quilt needed to be simple, understated as in being practical yet be visually pleasing.

Color was extremely important, too. Though Paul is an artist and is attracted to colors running the gamut from black to white, the quilt's colors needed to reflect the nature of the person I know Paul to be. Unequivocally and unquestionably, the first color was Blue. If you want to hear a grown man sigh and goo like a girl with a sparkly new piece of jewelry just show Paul something in vivid Turquoise or a deep Prussian Blue. Hand him a nice piece of Lapis Lazuli to hold and fondle and you'll see he eyes almost glaze over in bliss. Yeah, Paul likes blue.

But lots of blue, especially bright or intense blues seemed wrong somehow for the quilt. I felt it needed to be accented, not dominated, with blue While thinking about this I remembered how Paul loved the Whole-Cloth-Quilts sometimes displayed at the Art Council gallery during the local Fall Festival. Whole-Cloth-Quilts are stunning pieces of work. Generally done with one/two large piece(s) of cotton, linen or muslin fabric in white, ecru or solid color. The actual quilted design is the feature of the piece. Considering this, I decided on the colors of unbleached muslin, soft shades of tan/brown, shades of gray and a touch of moss green. I also wanted to do a part of it in Whole-Cloth style. Quilting the Healing Hand symbol seemed appropriate.

When looking at different Asian art, much of it is bordered by, or incorporates, black. I knew black was the "punch" color for the quilt. I studied abstract art and found works by a few artists that were somewhat in the Cubist style of Picasso and Braque. Paul likes squares and rectangles ... which, of course, is great when making a quilt. I love to quilt, but I'm not proficient with piecing circles and triangles. Paul's a natural/organic-y kinda' guy, so it all needed to be cotton, linen or muslin. The batting also had to be traditional cotton. Now, after "mulling it over", I had a basic game plan and colors.

I found 100% cotton batting at Asheville Cotton Co. But rifling through my fabric stash I realized I didn't have very much of the types and colors I wanted. Thus began the process of collecting fabric. I made trips to different fabric stores here and in neighboring towns. I searched online. I even shopped at thrift stores for shirts and things I could scavenge the material from.

After collecting the fabrics I tried several times to work the design of the quilt out on paper. I never could get it to come out in a way I was satisfied with. For reasons I can't even begin to explain, I felt like it just had to come together much the same way it works when I'm actually painting an abstract or a collage. I began with one large piece of muslin as the focal point. This was the piece I designated for the Healing Hand symbol. I started cutting fabric in a variety of squares and rectangles and laying them out on the floor of my studio, switching pieces around, adding smaller ones, larger ones, and visually working out the structure and balance of the overall design. It was a lot like trying to put together a puzzle without the picture on the box to go by.

I had to take my time in cutting all this fabric up. The old carpenter's rule of thumb, "measure twice, cut once" was my mantra. Somewhere along the way the idea came to me to incorporate the Reiki kanji symbols. After all, I was going with an Asianish theme + Reiki, so it seemed to fit. Unfortunately, I didn't have any fabric with these symbols already printed on it and certainly wasn't very likely to find any.

Skill = Painting. It was supposed to be an "art" quilt, so why not?

I cut out five rectangles of the plain muslin, one for each symbol, wet them and laid them out flat on plastic bags on the kitchen counter. I used acrylic paint and blended patches of tan, blue and a hint of sage green on them as if I were doing watercolor washes on paper. After they were dry I used black acrylic to paint the kanji symbols. I left them to dry completely for a couple of days. To set the paint into the fabric I put each one between pieces of cotton and pressed them with medium heat and the steam setting on my iron. To be sure they wouldn't totally screw up I tossed them in the washer, gave them a nice hot whirl in the dryer, then ironed them one more time. Worked like a charm. I now had my Reiki symbols.

Time to sew. Because I had squares and rectangles to work with I was able to construct it in sections. These sections were connected, and in places accented - such as "framing the Healing Hand piece, by black strips. Sometimes after sewing a section I would decide I didn't like how it worked and would have to either rip a seam and replace a piece, cut out a piece or add a piece. Again, I still had to be careful not waste the fabric I had collected.

Top completed, I added the layer of batting and the backing material, then pinned it all together. Now it was time to quilt. I started with the Healing Hand symbol. I had used a light tan watercolor pencil to draw the hand, spiral and radiating waves onto the muslin before I pieced everything together.

Oh yes, I'm all about getting the top pieced on my sewing machine. It's a lot faster, and given the time hand quilting takes, a big plus in the whole process of quilt making. Now, I certainly have appreciation for machine quilting. I've seen some that were really stunning, with impressive and intricate designs. But I love the look, and tradition, of hand quilting. And I do lap-quilting - meaning it's all piled in my lap while I sit on the floor or on the sofa. I don't have a quilting frame, nor do I have room for one. Armed with my tiny quilting needles all pre-threaded and ready to go, I started. I stitched. And I stitched. And stitched some more.

Two stitches at a time 'cause size 11 quilting needles are only about 1" long.

I'm also a thimble-less quilter/sewer. I have never been able to use a thimble for more than a few stitches when sewing anything. They just get in my way. I can't "feel" what I'm doing and it drives me nuts. Sadly, the tips of my fingers are repeatedly pricked and poked by the point of the needle and after extended periods of sewing/quilting they look like hamburger. And yeah, it feels worse than it looks. Touching anything is, in a word, painful. I can only endure it for so long before I have to give the ol' fingers a breather and let them heal up awhile. Then, I jump back up on the horse and do it some more. Crazy, but the result is worth the effort.

And, I believe Paul is worth the effort. I respect him. I admire him. I treasure him.

He is my friend.

So without further adieu, here is the end result of a two year process ...

Published art ... and this time it looks really nice!

You may or may not be familiar with SageWoman Magazine, but if you are you might have noticed the article entitled Mother Aphrodite in current Issue 73, The Mother, has three of my illustrations! One illustration is on the Table of Contents page. The other two are on pages10-11 and page 12. Yee Haw, y'all. And they look pretty good, if I do say so myself.

The first go 'round with BBI Media, publisher of SageWoman, PanGaia, The Blessed Bee and newWitch magazines involved my doing illustrations for Issue 72 of SageWoman and being the featured artist for all of Issue 46 of PanGaia. I was pleased with the images printed in SageWoman, but I was really disappointed in what was published in PanGaia. Photoshop filters were used and in most cases, in my opinion, it really detracted from the art I worked my butt off to create for them.

I was kind of embarrassed by it, to know it was what people who read that publication would believe was representative of my art. I could only hope they might venture to my website and see it wasn't. I did a total of about 25-26 images and several of the best ones were not even used. Only one of them was actually printed pretty much like the original artwork submitted. In the end, the thrill of being a featured artist for the first time ever ended up being an unhappy experience. But that's the nature of the beast in Graphics. Once the art goes to the publisher it's often out of your hands in how it is printed. And, of course, once it's in print and on store shelves it's a moot point.

Seeing accurate reproductions of my illustrations in the current issue of SageWoman felt good. Of course, seeing any work of mine (as all artists feel) in publication (except when it's printed badly) is a thrill. It means that someone likes my work enough to put it in print. It's the same thrill I get when someone orders a print from my website and yes, even when someone asks for a commissioned portrait - despite the frustrations associated with doing them. It's a pat on the back ... and admit it, we all like those.

The work that has been published in these magazines was done in graphite on paper. Due to time constraints of the deadlines I had, and because the magazines are printed in black & white, except for the cover, I chose graphite as the medium to use. The drawings/sketches produced are nice art, graphite scans and reproduces well, and because using watercolor or acrylic would have just taken entirely too long. But having this stack of illustrations got me to thinking ... I really should create a section on my website to show them and the other graphite work that I sometimes do. Hmmmm ... I'd have to make room for another "button" on pages that are already symmetrically set button-wise. Then I started thinking about putting up an Intuitive Tarot page, a Reiki page, my "pagan" Christmas ornaments, the T-shirts and some other stuff I've got in the works.

Rattling that idea around in my brain, as y'all can probably surmise, kicked me off on the idea of leaping into yet another website overhaul. Version 6. I seem to have some sort of death wish when it comes to redesigning my website. Sometime I'll reprint my Y360 post about my website dementia for y'all to read. Probably about the time I'm wigging out in a major way over the stress of it all. Lord knows, I can't leave well enough alone. Ideas. Ideas. Ideas.

So, yeah, with all the other bazillion things on my To Do List, I'm cooking up yet another site design on the computer. Sheesh! What a glutton for punishment. Y'all do realize that before it's done I'm going to need either serious therapy or, preferably, sedation.

With that lovely thought ...

Namaste y'all ...

Sharing art and a rant ...

I would like to share some art with y'all. This image, entitled Persphone, is by Linda Joyce Franks, an artist from New Orleans. Her website is Nimbvs.com and I highly recommend you giving it a visit sometime. I think her work is beautiful.

The reasons for posting this image are 1) because I like it and 2) because, despite my ramblings about vacuum cleaners and such, this blog is really supposed to be about art. Now, one would immediately jump to the conclusion that this "art" should technically be my art. And yeah, that's a great theory. But I'm not cranking out artwork fast enough right now to keep the blog current with stuff .... thus I ramble on about aforementioned vacuum cleaners and other people's art I am inspired by.

So what about this one???

Well, I've been working on a Kwan Yin. Progress is being made but something (that elusive, mysterious something!) is just not clicking. I suppose I should post a "work in progress" photo. I'm not going to. Still too early in the game. Which, of course, means that what's on the canvas today may very well not be there tomorrow.

Every artist knows the miracle of gesso can cure many a painting dilemma and/or woe.

"You have a woe?"

"Yes, Virginia, I have an artistic woe."

Part of me is resistant to gessoing over what I've already spent lots of hours painting. Despite not being "inspired" by what's developing on the canvas I know if I persist I'll end up with a nice painting. Thus comes the woe ... I don't want just another nice painting. I want a Wow, not a Woe. A wow would require a couple of coats of gesso and a restart. More specifically, a redesign of the whole image. Here is where the featured artwork of Linda Joyce Franks comes into play.

Y'all knew I'd get to that eventually, didn't ya'.

There is something about the layout of this image, the texture on the canvas, the two-part imagery of the concept of Persephone, one part soft and the other almost a vintage technical illustration which appeals to me. It's more than just another painted face on a canvas. There's more going on, visual interest. I like it. I like it a lot. I want to do that, too. I want to do it with my Kwan Yin.

What holds me back from rushing down the hall into the studio and simply having at? Ah, another interesting question with a sadly lame answer. Dread. Yeah, you heard me. Dread.

Whenever I start a painting the husband, or someone else, likes he tends to get fixated on it being Just That Way, no deviation to completion. This is especially true when I'm doing portraiture, as the is case with Kwan Yin. It's as if the reference material I'm working from is a stone tablet straight from the hand of the Divine. I'm not supposed to change anything lest thunderbolts of lightening come raining down from the Heavens and blast me into the abyss.

Even in the process of working, and the painting still very much in the early stages, he's come into the studio, looks over my shoulder, and says stuff like, "Aren't you going to do the hair like that?" or "I thought you said you were going to paint the shirt white ...." Etc., Etc., Etc. It's incredibly stressful and confining to my spontaneity, my creativity. It's the same when he comes into the studio and says, "I don't like collage (or abstract) .....", ending the statement with this big, hanging pause as if he's waiting for me to suddenly stop doing it just because he doesn't like them. It usually happens when he knows that's exactly what I'm painting right then.

I really hate to hear it. I dread the thought of the 20 Questions Game of Why which will most assuredly occur when he comes home Friday as sees I have suddenly and irrationally decided what I was working on just isn't working for me.

I guess the bigger question, Virginia, is why do I let it bother me at all? That's not so easy to answer. It involves self-confidence issues as an artist. It involves feeling second-guessed, as if I have to ask permission to do what I want to do. It involves absolutely despising the feeling of having to explain or justify the work I do for myself to anyone, period. (Commissioned work is another beast altogether and somewhat exempt from harassment by anyone other than a client.) It involves issues of someone being in my space while I'm working. It involves breathing. It gets complicated. It's an artist-mentality thing.

Truth is, I don't care if he likes it or not. I've even told him that several times. It's just that I don't like being "cramped" when I'm working and that, very often, is exactly how I feel when he, or anyone, makes comments such as "Why didn't you ... ?" or "I thought you were going to ... ?"

"Scuze me, but I'm an artist, and I'm female ... I change my mind. As a matter of fact, I think I even have a Divine girly-girl right to do so ...... so leave me alone, Thank You Very Much.

Now, critique I can handle. Bring it on! Love it! Helps me grow as an artist. Too often I can look at the same painting too long and lose perspective on it, so to speak. Having a fresh eye, or two, can - and has many times - helped bring a painting I was struggling with to a good resolution. I learned critique to be valuable way back many moons ago when I was a first-year Graphic Arts student in college. It's not a personal attack, it's meant to help you create better work. If you can accept it as such then it's a great thing.

But the husband's comments, and some others, aren't in the critique category. What I realize is it is somewhat like going to the freezer to get the carton of vanilla ice cream, reaching in to the place where the vanilla ice cream is always kept, has been the routine storage spot of this favored vanilla ice cream for all the time you've had the freezer, but when you reach in some has replaced your vanilla with chocolate. Now, chocolate is pretty good, and you may very well enjoy chocolate, but your taste buds wanted vanilla, they expected vanilla, and the substituted chocolate sort of violates the whole vanilla ice cream experience you were all geared up for.

I understand that, I really do.

I like vanilla, too.

But I like chocolate, strawberry, mint-chocolate chip, peppermint stick and even raspberry sorbet. Sometimes I want vanilla, but when I get to the freezer and see the other flavors I can change my mind and have strawberry instead. And, sometimes I even like more than one flavor in my bowl. I'm radical like that. I can be adventurous and daring with my ice cream.

The husband likes vanilla, stored in the same place, the same spoon and bowl, served the same way, every time. To upset this routine can cause him to not even bother eating the ice cream at all.

Thus, he likes for me to paint portraits of pretty/attractive women, using acrylic, on canvas, exactly as I've planned from my reference materials. This comes from the result of the first one I painted, which he liked, a lot. His theory is this ... If I can paint that, then why would I paint anything else? IE: collage, abstract, watercolor. (I'm sure y'all can guess my response to that theory.) Just this evening while he and I were on the phone and I was talking about how the Kwan Yin wasn't working he says, "Yeah, but that's the way it was when you were working on Preordained and it turned out to be one of your best paintings."

In other words ... "Do it anyway because I want you to because I think it will be like the other one I like and that's what I want you to paint."

Oh really?

When I get home from art class tonight I believe I will be introducing Kwan Yin to gesso.

Namaste y'all ...

The death of the Fantom Fury ... praise be!

Seven years ago I temporarily lost my sanity and allowed the husband to talk me into the purchase of a Fantom Fury vacuum cleaner for our new house. I stood there in the store and listened to him raving about how the one he and his ex-wife had was just fantastic, couldn't get a better vacuum cleaner for the money, etc. The Fantoms aren't cheap, just so y'all know. And wouldn't ya' know it, I have regretted that purchase ever since. Oh yes, folks, how I have regretted it. The Fantom and I were destined to clash and it became an ongoing battle to see who would outlive the other. It's been a long, tough war.

I, the Domestic Goddess, am victorious!

The bastard has finally bought the farm. Kicked the bucket. Vac'd it's last 'cuum. And I was not sorry to be witness to it's final sputtering, wheezing, gasping demise. No indeed. I went the very next day and bought a new vacuum cleaner to celebrate. Hoorah!

Women and vacuum cleaners are a delicate combination. Kind of like women and closets or kitchen cabinets. Just any ol' vacuum won't fit the bill. Each and every woman alive has her own individual requirements, needs to be satisfied, functions and frills check list. It must do X, Y and/or Z; must have A, B and/or C. Like a man buying a John Deere tractor, features and functionality are important components to the relationship between woman and machine.

The Fantom had strike one before we even left the store ... it was an upright.

I was raised with canister vacuum cleaners. Actually, we used the one that belonged to my grandmother (father's mother) until it finally died. I don't recall the brand name but that sucker lived and worked like a champ for 30+ years. We mourned it's loss for a long time. Mother was never able to replace it with anything nearly as good.

After the loss of the old one we would often borrow my other grandmother's Rainbow vacuum. Another champ. The entire family fought over it. Rarely did you actually go to my grandmother's house to get it ... nope, you usually had to go over to one or another of my aunt's or cousin's houses to snatch it from them. When my grandmother went into a nursing home a few years ago that Rainbow was probably the only thing in her house the family tussled over. I think my Uncle Dale won the battle.

Well, over the years I've had several different vacuum cleaners. Most always a canister type. I did once own a red Dirt Devil upright that wasn't so bad. Still, my wee domestic goddess heart loves dragging a canister around the house. Uprights are typically, for me anyway, awkward and bulky. I can't just slide them under the bed or the sofa. Rarely is the hose attachment very long or very powerful (Well, that sounds kinda' pervy ... *hee*) for getting under stuff. Nope, using an upright means you've got to move all the damn furniture around to vacuum under it.

Then you've got the other issue of maneuverability. Uprights are basically designed to roll forward and backward. Period. Getting the thing to move around stuff is just plain and simply a pain-in-the-butt. Lord help you if it's a heavy model, as was the Fantom.

Functionality. Of course, I haven't tested all the uprights out there on the market (and Heaven knows there are thirteen dozen of 'em) but with those I have used I find that if it does carpet reasonably well then you can be assured it won't do a damn thing on a bare floor, like say the kitchen or laundry room. They tend to blow the dirt around, not vacuum it up. Why do double duty with a broom & dustpan if you can get it with the vacuum cleaner?

Attachments. Nine times out of ten the hose attachment on an upright (as previously stated) isn't very long, nor very powerful. I like to do my dusting with the vacuum cleaner and I have yet to find an upright which does this with ease. As for the attachments, they are usually stuck on stupid plastic pegs on the body of the upright ... and aren't very secure. Bump the wall, the crevasse tool falls off. Bump the sofa leg, the upholstery attachment falls off. And because the hose is weak, these attachments are pretty much useless anyway. The attachments to my Fantom have remaind in a box in a closet since the second time I used it.

Then some idiot invented the "bagless" upright. Excuse me if I offend someone here but, I swear to God, it must have been a man. And ladies, we all know men don't vacuum. Do they not realize how nasty a bagless vacuum cleaner is? Do they not grasp the concept that I don't want to have to poke my hand up into the vacuum cleaner to scoop out that accumulated dust/dirt stuff around the vacuum port? Do they not see that in doing so dust/dirt flies out all over the place, not to mention getting all over my hand and arm? Do they not comprehend that having to bang the container against the trash can creates a cloud of dust/dirt in the kitchen or where ever you empty the thing? It's disgusting. Yep, smart guy, that jazzy Heppa filter sure does the trick, Thank you so very much.

Give me a canister with a bag any day. The cord is always a mile long and retractable. The hose can usually suck the chrome off a trailer hitch ... and the attachments are both fully functional and nicely tucked away inside the body of the vacuum when not in use. It maneuvers beautifully under and around any and all furniture. The bag, when full, is easily lifted out and disposed of cleanly. They do both carpet and bare floors like a dream. Dusting, no problemo. Oh yeah, I'm a canister girl, yes I am.

When I told the husband the Fantom died, rather gleefully I admit, he was immediately concerned. He knew what was going to happen. He even dared tell me I was making a mistake. Butt head. He's only vacuumed this house three, maybe four times in seven years. 'Nuf said about that.

I told him, right after using that Fantom the very first time, as soon as that son-of-a-bitch died I was getting a real vacuum cleaner. (I want a brand new Rainbow but I can't afford it.) Despite the gazillion uprights out there you can still get a nice canister vacuum at a good price. So when the Fantom launched into it's death throes and expired on Monday I was all but skipping to the store before it's last gasp to replace it with a canister model. On Tuesday, at Sears, I purchased a Kenmore Progressive. Took it home and used it immediately. Love it.

Naturally, the husband had to go through the whole 20-Questions routine.

Husband - "Does it have good suction?"

Me - "Yes, Dear."

Husband - "Yeah, but does it have a beater bar to fluff the carpet?"

Me - "Yes, Dear."

Husband - "But it doesn't have a Heppa filter!?"

Me - "The bags are Heppa filter bags, Dear."

Husband - "You still have to move the furniture though."

Me - "No, Dear, I just lay that wand flat to the ground and go right under every piece of furniture in the living room and under the bed, too."

Husband - "But it's a pain to drag around."

Me - "No, it's got super slick wheels, 360° swivel hose at the base, the vacuum head is feather-light with edge-to-edge cleaning, the power cord is 12 ft. long and retractable - I can plug it into one outlet and vacuum the entire house, which I couldn't do with the Fantom. It goes from carpet to floor setting with a thumb switch and the beater bar shuts off so it vacuums instead of blowing dirt around."

Husband - "Well ........ "

Me - "Well nuthin'. I like it. I'm happy with it. I'm keeping it."

Husband -



Smart fella', knows when he's beaten.

As for me, I think I may just go vacuum the carpet .....

Namaste y'all ...

Can't resist cute cat photos ...

This image was snatched from Cute Overload.com

So, made the final entry in my Y360 blog last night. I really enjoyed the Y360 community for awhile. There was so much more interaction between all of us there than what you get (unless you're a top blogger in the blog world like the Yarn Harlot) on a blog page such as this one. Then things changed. Not much going on, then Yahoo announces a big change coming. Everything is shifting over to an as-yet-revealed new formated site. Y360 as we knew it will be shutting down sometime in the next few months. Maybe I'm a rat jumping ship; maybe I'm being too resistant to change; maybe I've lost faith in Yahoo ... ?

At one time I had a MySpace page, along with my Y360 page. I didn't like it at all. It was irritating to "decorate", and worst of all, was the gazillion messages to be "friends" with some of the most strange creatures I've ever come across. Now, I'll be the first to admit to my own weirdness, but some of those folks make me look simple docile. And why choose me when there was absolutely no commonality of interests between us? Were they looking for just another friend to add to their friends' list and make themselves feel popular? No clue, but I wasn't interested in having my own friends list bulging with people I had nothing in common with. Then I read about all the nasty viruses and such being embedded into MySpace pages and got out of there in a skinny minute. Click page - get virus. Well, no thank you. Bye. See ya'. Outta' here.

I'm somewhat sad about leaving Y360 and the nice friends I made there. Hopefully, they will come visit here sometime. But on the other hand, it's done and it's a kind of relief. One less thing to keep up with. Been so busy that I've had trouble even keeping up this page let alone two blog pages.

Moving on.

I've been trying to work on the Kwan Yin today. Nasty headache is messing up my ability to concentrate and focus. I can't get the paint to move around on the canvas the way I want it to. Frustrating. Maybe I should just kick back on the couch with Creepy and watch a movie?

Yeah, that sounds really good.

Namaste y'all ...

Down and dirty with mixed media ...

"Leaves Are Tears", Mixed Media on canvas, 22" x 28"

As of this evening I have only three more classes to go with the acrylic painting class I'm teaching at the local college. We have finished the ornaments (craft acrylic) and the greetings cards (acrylic used like watercolor) and are now ready to embark on the technique I've been most looking forward to - mixed media, or "collage".

At the beginning of the classes I explained the different techniques we would be doing and had the students start thinking about their idea/theme. I told them to start gathering things they thought might be appropriate to creating their collage; IE: scrap-booking papers and cut-outs, magazine pictures, photos, ribbons, leaves, twigs, fabric, buttons, and all other such notions as might be representative of their idea and potential incorporation into their painting. Tonight is the night we get down and dirty and start working on them.

It will be interesting to see what they've come up with. Collage, as I explained to them, is usually very personal in it's creation. An artist typically begins with an idea. theme, emotion, memory, story, event or such that has meaning to them or their life. The above image is my own collage relating to the sadness I feel in Autumn. So, as I said, this evening I will get to see what my students have decided to do with their own painting ... should be very interesting.

I know one student, my neighbor Joyce, will be dedicating her collage to leaves. She loves budding of the leaves in Spring and the change of their colors in the Fall. She loves the shapes and textures of leaves, hearing them rustle in a breeze, seeing sunlight filter through them on a bright day. Not a bad thing to love, if I do say so myself! I know she has fabric with a leaf print on it from a quilted wall-hanging she made for a friend (she showed me the quilt the other day) and plans to use some of it in her collage. She's pretty crafty and I can imagine she'll come up with something nice.

Another student mentioned liking butterflies. In talking over her idea with her I mentioned how nowa'days you can find umpteen gazillion things with butterflies on them. Cards, wrapping paper, sew-on patches, scrap book stuff, coloring books, books about butterflies, etc., etc., etc. You could see the ideas churning around in her head while I was talking, her eyes lighting up with the possibilities of stuff to start collecting. Like Joyce's collage, I'm looking forward to seeing what she brings to class tonight.

In addition to the cut-and-paste part of the collage we will be doing textures and a sort of faux-finishing style technique with the acrylics. This is the part I really like about doing collage ... it's tactile and creative. It still amazes me that mushing some paint around in different ways can be so damn much fun. There's no limit to the possibilities, no right way and no wrong way. It's all about what appeals to the individual artist and simply enjoying the process. I think most of my students have also been looking forward to this part of the class, too. As a matter of fact, one student in particular, Lorrie, signed up just to do the collage. Can't say as I blame her one bit!

Part of the way I teach the class is to bring stuff I've done as "Show & Tell". Another part is live demonstration of the technique being done. We will be working with a relatively small canvas, only 11" x 14", so it won't be so overwhelming for them to start, nor will it be excessively time consuming. While I have the above image to use as my Show & Tell, I've been having to think about the creation of a collage as my demonstration. What would be my own "idea"?

For several weeks I've been kind of stumped. Then, this past weekend, I decided on an oriental theme. I love Chinese Kanji and I have a wonderful book about writing it. I also have some lovely oriental fabric and some carved beads I bought several years ago. I'm thinking a nice Buddha quote would be a good addition as well. Keep the whole thing very simplistic and Zen-like. I'll post the final image for y'all to see when it's done.

Speaking of that, I guess I'd better get myself back into the studio and collect all my stuff for class ...

Namaste y'all ...