The Start of A New Year

photo courtesy of Ward Conway.....

Montreal River Harbour, Ontario

So here we are at the start of 2010.........

Another opportunity to be kinder to others, read books that fascinate us, do yoga, stretch not only our bodies but our imaginations, eat chocolate, listen to music really loud, dance in our studios and not care if anyone is watching, give to charity, create, love unconditionally, practice gratitude, read something inspirational that resonates with you,  soak in a hot tub, try something that scares you,  hug someone, be a good listener, breathe more deeply, learn to meditate,  dream and then make it happen.............

another free trip around the sun.....

This & That

Haven't been posting all that often lately as there just hasn't been much to say. I've been off and on steady in the studio working on some larger pieces for the show I'll be doing at Ridge West Gallery sometime this year. I'm also in the middle of working on a few small 6"x6" paintings in acrylic. One is of my nephew and if I don't completely screw it up I'll probably give it to his parents as a gift.

I've also been crosscountry skiing with my friend Joan during the week. She's writing her thesis so is home most days around lunchtime when we head out. Nice to have someone else to ski with.

My friend Steve the abstract artist and brilliant singer/songwriter was over last week and we had a blast. He is such a fun guy, knows so much about art and is simply "good people". He is really spontaneous when it comes to painting and I admire that trait. I, on the other hand seem to be too tight and controlled. He was desperately trying to get me to throw some paint on the canvas when he was there but I was hesitant. I emailed him later that day to thank him for his time and he emailed back...."have you started yet?" Nothing like a good friend to keep you on your game.

John and I took a walk in the park yesterday. Although it was cold the sun was out and I desperately needed to get out of the studio for awhile. Sundays just happen to be my favourite day to work and listen to CBC but then again I listen to CBC everyday while I'm in the studio. Another post for another time which I shall entitle "Me And Jian Gomeshi"...... don't ask.

I'm digressing again!

I'll sign off with this picture I snapped in the park yesterday of a little dog named Stella wearing a pink coat and fur collar. Just had to take the photo because how many times do you see a French Bulldog wearing a get up like that.

Long Time Coming

Well there's not much I can say that hasn't already been said about the historic moment that took place yesterday. I watched on and off (thank god for Tevo) from around 10 in the morning until 11 last night..........yeah, I'm televisioned out but just couldn't miss out on witnessing an event that I never thought I'd see in my lifetime. The girls watched part of it with me last night and couldn't get over how much his dancing style resembled their Dads.

I've been a big Obama supporter since I first heard him give the keynote address at the DNC in 2004. Believe it or not I have watched all of the Democratic National Conventions since Jimmy Carter. I think somewhere on this blog I've mentioned what an American political junkie I am. So I'm not going to blab on and on rehashing what has already been said but here's my two cents worth "Barack Obama has inspired and restored a sense of hope and promise for not only Americans but for the world. He embodies everything it takes to be a leader who leads by example...........someone who walks the walk not just talks the talk. Enough said!

So as you can see my computer is up and running. John worked some sort of magic with it and voila here I am. Ok, maybe not magic since he had to stop in at Future Shop and buy a new router as ours was fried but at least, unlike me, he knew what to do.

Lately I've been quite pleased with myself as I've been keeping up with my promise to sketch something small every morning. I'm working on my compositional skills and in just a short amount of time have noticed a considerable different. Practice does make perfect or something like that.

Speaking of creativity, tomorrow my friend Steve is coming over and we are going to throw some paint around in an abstract sort of way. Yes, that does makes me nervous. Steve is a painter (loves abstracts) as well as a talented musician. We got to talking at a party in the village just recently and I mentioned to him that I had this huge canvas which I think is about 60"x24" in my studio. I also told him how it had been sitting there for what seems like years due to the fact it totally intimates me. I work on such a small scale that I've never attempted anything that big and white. So Steve kindly volunteered to come over tomorrow and we'll take a crack at it together and we see what we come up with. Maybe I'll post it................

There Were No Balloons or Cake at This Party (ok there was cake)

So yesterday when I was in my studio storing my art away I decided to have a little party for one.........a pity party. You know the "poor me" kind. Where you neglect to look at all the great things you have in your life and just concentrate on the crappy ones. The rain outside didn't help much as it has been a constant the last six days. So I'm organizing my art on shelves and thinking "why aren't I selling more?", why am I not the famous artist I think I am in my own mind?". Well all that pathetic whining does get tiresome after awhile so after getting some great advice and general cheering up from my "amazing" blog friend artists, I went and made some homemade chicken soup(really good) and then ate a big piece of banana cake (that wasn't so good, at least for the waistline).

I'm smart enough to realize the career path I've taken is not an easy one. Maybe I should have been a psychologist. I had seriously thought of that at one time but ruled it out in the middle of my Psych 101 class after I had drawn throughout my entire notebook as well as over some of my notes. Tracy said to me yesterday "Maybe you should just stop making art". I know what she was trying to do and I thank her for it. It made take a good hard, long look at what it would mean to "stop making art" and to realize that would not be a possibility. I'm driven to get into that studio everyday not because I think I'm going to get rich but because it is such an integral part of who I am. So...............I pick myself, dust myself off and get back at it. Then I started feeling really guilty about being so self absorbed when there are so many other tragic things going on in the world. I really am so very blessed. My life is a good one, a really good one and I'm grateful.

I've got this great guy who loves me (ok I know this is a line straight out of Jerry Maguire but it's still one of my fav movies. Long before Tom was jumping on couches and married "Free Me" Kate.) I've got great kids (granted they think I'm a little weird but hey, they are teenagers what do they know...in 20 years they'll think I'm cool but I won't hold my breath). I live in an "arts" supporting community and I do get to work in my studio every day.

Sometimes you just have to venture into the dark side for a short period of time to realize how bright everything truly is. May sound corny but it's true.

Just A Bunch of Random Stuff

Waterwings.......Work in Progress

Yesterday I spent most of the day in the studio playing around with paint and canvas sheets. I'm finding that I much prefer wood panels than canvas at this point but canvas was what I had on hand. I didn't feel like getting my sewing machine involved even though I should be as the Purple Hills Studio Tour kicks off September 28th. Lately I've been trying out Golden's new Open Paint and am quite liking it. So much so that I placed an order with Island Blue Art Supplies in Victoria for a few tubes (ok way too many tubes) and am anxious for them to arrive. Although they are acrylics they stay "open"(hence the name) for a much longer time then regular acrylics allowing you to blend for an extended period of time which I really like.

Just finished reading James Frey's "Bright Shiny Morning" which Kelly so generously lent to me. If you remember James Frey, he wrote "A Million Little Pieces" which was the book that Oprah chose for her book club. It was discovered his memoir wasn't totally accurate and the guy was lambasted in the media. You can read about it here in an excellent article that Vanity Fair did in May 2008. Regardless of how you feel about him and what he did (I personally don't care) there is no denying he is a great writer.

Next week I have to take the girls "Back To School" shopping. They both have their lists made which at some point today I will have to take a good long look at. Anything that mentions any type of electronics will be getting erased. I have asked them to look at what they already have and go from there. Not buying more jeans when there are a couple of pairs sitting in their closet. I think this whole line the advertising world has fed us is just another way in which to get our wallets opened so we can continue to be good little consumers. How much stuff do our kids really need and why do they have to go out and get it all before school starts? What about picking up a couple things now and then a couple things in October or November. Just my little rant for the day.

Hope your having a good one.............

A Visit From The Plumber

I had great intentions yesterday of getting many things done but instead spent two hours with the plumber. Last week my oldest daughter mistakenly (I don't know how you can do this mistakenly but she did) flushed the toilet paper roll down the toilet. You know the plastic cylinder that the toilet paper roll fits over? She said it slipped out of her hand while the toilet was flushing. Huh? I spent days trying to plunge that thing thinking I could save myself some cash and perhaps begin a new career but it finally dawned on me that I was making no headway with the toilet. The plumber arrived yesterday and tried to push the thing through the system with something he called a snake but that didn't work either. For some odd reason, he too, kept calling me Mel.

He finally had to take the toilet off and set it outside on my deck while he used a coat hanger to try and get that dreaded plastic roll out of the toilet. At one point he said he had gotten one half of it but the other was jammed in there and we may need to think about getting a new toilet. I could see the money I had made at the show on Friday night going toward buying a new toilet and it didn't make me feel very happy. He said he would keep working on it. Tick tock, tick tock...$$$$$$$$$

After another ten minutes he finally removed it from the toilet, raised it above his head and said proudly, "Mel, I got it". Surprisingly enough that was the highlight of my day yesterday.

Here's a few new pieces.... work in acrylic paint and thread

Purple Fields

Red Tulip

In The Distance

The Perils of Driving in Bad Weather

John took my work to the Carriage House Gallery this morning after I spoke with Stu to let him know of it's arrival. Carol and Stu are just about the nicest people you would ever want to meet. I am so going to enjoy being a part of their gallery.

So funny the other day when I was blogging about my terror of driving in bad weather. Last night I had to pick up my oldest daughter and Kelly's daughter from play practice and by 4:00pm I could see the blowing snow and grey skies and yes, I did begin to feel a tad panicky. By 4:30pm when I hit the highway the first thing I see is a major collision in the southbound lanes. Cars in the ditch, cars smashed up, ambulances, etc. etc. Ok, so now the little bit of panic I was feeling has expanded to full panic. Dry throat, rapid heartbeat ....you know the drill. But I am driving slowly and am saying a mantra to myself "you are a good driver.....just go slow" over and over again, maybe that is why my throat was so dry. By the time I arrived at the school the temperature had dropped and all that wet snow had turned to ice. Yikes!!! It was a white knuckle drive home and extremely silent in the car. A drive that normally takes 10 minutes took 30 minutes. Kelly called when I got home to see if I was alright. I just love good friends especially when they know all your "wierdness" and still love you.

I am back in the studio today finishing up another piece and last night was playing around with acrylic on canvas......

Hope everything is good in your part of the world

The Beauty of Abstracts

Started working on a larger than usual abstract this weekend which I must say is coming along quite nicely. I started out thinking of doing it entirely in various shades of blue but I really do use too much blue in my work. So I used almost every green I had with just shots of electric blue and some warm orangey browns. It is composed of wools, silks and at least 20 spools of thread and I haven't even begun quilting it yet.

One of my favourite artists whom I had mentioned before in one of my blogs Tracy Helgeson had an art opening of her newest works at the Enderlin Gallery in Roxbury, New York on Saturday night. I'm sure it was an resounding success. I am in love with her painting "Pink Road with Shadows" Check it out on the gallerys website

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend. We picked lettuce, radishes and green onions from our garden this weekend and had our first "homegrown" salad of the year Yes, summer is finally here.