After feeling incredible pressure to be creative on a time schedule and sharing my thoughts (not often enough) with my cyber support team, I feel like I've had a breakthrough. I stopped looking at my library of "how to" books and just started working on images to use in my project. I don't know why, but I had an epiphany about the next step this afternoon and am ready to crank! I'm going to use a new technique (OK, I got the idea from one of my books on paper cloth, but I haven't looked at it for months). I'm actually looking forward to the next few days.
What a relief.
October 7, 2010
September 29, 2010
My Inner Critic is Yelling
Oh double ugh! I look at what I do and wonder about why I do it, and think and think and criticize and think some more. I have to take ownership of squashing the fun of being creative. Next, I have to figure out how to knock it off. I should remember to play, whether it's playing with paint or clay or the sewing machine. Maybe I can find a good old fashioned coloring book. That takes the pressure off.
September 23, 2010
Being a Mom Stinks Sometimes
When my daughter was still home with us, she and her little brother used to tease me about being like that mom from the TV show, "Malcolm in the Middle." They'd sit in the back of the car singing the theme song under their breath and laughing. I am definitely not that bad, but I do have a creative mothering streak. For example, I find the air horn to be the most wonderful device for stopping a child from sassing, talking back or arguing with me with little more effort than a little press of the finger.
My charming teenage son has a very short and reasonable list of daily chores. The list has been the same for years now, so imagine my lack of sympathy or understanding when he tells me that he didn't do one or more because he "forgot." This week he "forgot" to take out the trash when it had shrimp shells in it. I told him while I was making dinner, again while we were eating dinner, and yet again when he was clearing the table that the trash needed to go out so that the house didn't smell like a neglected fishy funeral home in the morning. He fussed about possible encounters with the skunk, at which point I reminded him that we have "Skunk Off" should the need arise.
The next morning I took the little beast to school, came home and stopped in the kitchen. I noticed a distinct eaux de old shrimp debris. He didn't take out the trash. Now I was mad, particularly given that this was a repeat offense. So I did the only thing any ticked off mom would do. I took the trash can down the hall, into his room and shut the door. It was a particularly lovely and warm day here, so it got pretty good and ripe by the time he got home from school.
Now he was mad. That was OK with me. I pointed out that since he didn't mind the stench, I was happy to confine it to his little area of the house. After much fussing and spouting, the trash was taken out, the fan was whipped out and a LOT of air freshener was used down the hall. I don't think he'll "forget" the trash again.
I pointed out that he should keep in mind the challenges the cats will have accessing their litter box under his bedroom sofa if he "forgets" that task as well. It could get messy.
Mom wins!
My charming teenage son has a very short and reasonable list of daily chores. The list has been the same for years now, so imagine my lack of sympathy or understanding when he tells me that he didn't do one or more because he "forgot." This week he "forgot" to take out the trash when it had shrimp shells in it. I told him while I was making dinner, again while we were eating dinner, and yet again when he was clearing the table that the trash needed to go out so that the house didn't smell like a neglected fishy funeral home in the morning. He fussed about possible encounters with the skunk, at which point I reminded him that we have "Skunk Off" should the need arise.
The next morning I took the little beast to school, came home and stopped in the kitchen. I noticed a distinct eaux de old shrimp debris. He didn't take out the trash. Now I was mad, particularly given that this was a repeat offense. So I did the only thing any ticked off mom would do. I took the trash can down the hall, into his room and shut the door. It was a particularly lovely and warm day here, so it got pretty good and ripe by the time he got home from school.
Now he was mad. That was OK with me. I pointed out that since he didn't mind the stench, I was happy to confine it to his little area of the house. After much fussing and spouting, the trash was taken out, the fan was whipped out and a LOT of air freshener was used down the hall. I don't think he'll "forget" the trash again.
I pointed out that he should keep in mind the challenges the cats will have accessing their litter box under his bedroom sofa if he "forgets" that task as well. It could get messy.
Mom wins!
September 21, 2010
Distractions, Distractions!
A few weeks ago I joined Weight Watchers. Thank heavens, my husband joined with me. After years of struggling with my weight and making excuses, I've had greater success in sticking with it just by virtue of the fact that he's doing it with me, not asking, "Can you have pizza on Weight Watchers?" in the second week. The problem is that my art is suffering. I'm so absorbed and distracted by this decades-long battle that I'm having a hard time fitting everything in to my daily routine. I got a friendly poke from my beloved cyber buddy today to remind me that I can't let the art go by the wayside.
A few days ago, I started to sketch out some ideas, mentally and on paper, for the next figurative piece. I thought about internal structure and decided to head to Home Depot for some materials. It was quite amusing that with all of the times that I've been there and could actually have used help finding something, the one time I go for "art materials" is when I have someone asking me every two aisles if they can help me find something. One guy heard me talking to an offerer-of-help when I was having a tough time finding a particular wire and he took me to exactly what I needed. It was on the very end of the very last aisle I'd checked and in an area I would have avoided entirely, so thank heavens for eavesdroppers!
Tomorrow I get out the wire cutters, clay and crank up the iTunes. Thanks, Debbie, for the teeny poke/reminder. You help me more than you know. I need to focus on what makes me happiest, and I've been losing sight of that lately.
A few days ago, I started to sketch out some ideas, mentally and on paper, for the next figurative piece. I thought about internal structure and decided to head to Home Depot for some materials. It was quite amusing that with all of the times that I've been there and could actually have used help finding something, the one time I go for "art materials" is when I have someone asking me every two aisles if they can help me find something. One guy heard me talking to an offerer-of-help when I was having a tough time finding a particular wire and he took me to exactly what I needed. It was on the very end of the very last aisle I'd checked and in an area I would have avoided entirely, so thank heavens for eavesdroppers!
Tomorrow I get out the wire cutters, clay and crank up the iTunes. Thanks, Debbie, for the teeny poke/reminder. You help me more than you know. I need to focus on what makes me happiest, and I've been losing sight of that lately.
September 12, 2010
I spoke too soon
Never give up! At least not when that many hours have been put into a project. I tweaked, used acetone, tweezers and more paint and saved the piece! I was inspired to add more detail to the clay face and hand that made a huge difference in the final product. What a happy accident!
Tomorrow I'll make the gizmo for photographing the piece in outdoor light (thanks for the web site, Debbie) and post pics. My photos never show the detail I'd like, but it's fine for documenting the save!
Time for piece #2.
Tomorrow I'll make the gizmo for photographing the piece in outdoor light (thanks for the web site, Debbie) and post pics. My photos never show the detail I'd like, but it's fine for documenting the save!
Time for piece #2.
September 11, 2010
Ruined Art
Big sighs. I put on the final touch to the first of two figurative pieces for the fundraiser/auction, and I think I've ruined it. I tried too hard to make do with something I wasn't thrilled with and ended up making a right-up-front mess that I don't think I can fix. I suppose I should focus on the fact that the only part I did like is salvageable - the head and the wire piece around the throat. But the body is now wrecked because I just NEEDED to attach that clay hand to the front and the only thing I could think to use was E-6000 adhesive. I suppose it wouldn't have been a totally moronic notion if the hand had been flat and if I'd not looked away and let my own hand slip and smear goo on the front.
More big sighs.
Back to the drawing board. That and a glass of wine. Two points, here I come. My fellow WW'ers will know what that means. ;-)
More big sighs.
Back to the drawing board. That and a glass of wine. Two points, here I come. My fellow WW'ers will know what that means. ;-)
Publish Post
September 10, 2010
Cat Barf-o-Rama
Do we capitalize the "R" in "Rama?"
This week I realized how close I am to the deadline for the art due for the Boys & Girls Club holiday auction. However, I've been a bit distracted by my cat Sox's barf fest. After 24 hours of yacking (over a holiday weekend with no vet available for less than the price of a small child), I managed to shove his feisty behind in the (smallest EVER) cat carrier. The vet suggested that considering everything else is fine - he has no fever, the plumbing isn't backed up - he may have simply consumed a "bad spider." What's a good spider? I'm sitting there thinking the cat earns his keep by eating spiders, crickets and other flying and jumping kitty croutons. Who is this vet to suggest that any of these items is inappropriate for kitty consumption? Clearly, he's just mad as a hatter and lacks ANY sense of humour. Sense of humour should be an aboslute prerequisite to admission to vet school. My backup vet is not my favourite guy in the world.
So I spent two days with the carpet cleaner, sucking up cat yack. I gave up on the inadequate carpet shampoo and loaded that puppy with Tide and Clorox II. Mission accomplished. I now have weekend time to pull off a miracle and whoop up some impressive art in just a few days.
Dumb cat.
This week I realized how close I am to the deadline for the art due for the Boys & Girls Club holiday auction. However, I've been a bit distracted by my cat Sox's barf fest. After 24 hours of yacking (over a holiday weekend with no vet available for less than the price of a small child), I managed to shove his feisty behind in the (smallest EVER) cat carrier. The vet suggested that considering everything else is fine - he has no fever, the plumbing isn't backed up - he may have simply consumed a "bad spider." What's a good spider? I'm sitting there thinking the cat earns his keep by eating spiders, crickets and other flying and jumping kitty croutons. Who is this vet to suggest that any of these items is inappropriate for kitty consumption? Clearly, he's just mad as a hatter and lacks ANY sense of humour. Sense of humour should be an aboslute prerequisite to admission to vet school. My backup vet is not my favourite guy in the world.So I spent two days with the carpet cleaner, sucking up cat yack. I gave up on the inadequate carpet shampoo and loaded that puppy with Tide and Clorox II. Mission accomplished. I now have weekend time to pull off a miracle and whoop up some impressive art in just a few days.
Dumb cat.
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