I’ve uploaded some photos of the house finally, and that’s about as artistic as I’m getting today with laundry to do and bills to pay! If you are interested in looking, they are in the gallery in the album called "photos of my life." Enjoy!
Day 17 – Another background
Another background sitting on my art table drying, waiting to be used for…?? Who knows what. This is kind of a terrible photo, but what can I say, we don’t have too much lighting in here yet. I was really in the mood to draw tonight, but ended up just making a big mess instead. It felt good. And now I’m going to go eat a twix bar right before bed. Yum.
Day 15 – Canvas Background
This is my art for Day 15 – twenty minutes of play on a 6" x 9" canvas. I have no idea where I’m going with this, it was just important to feel paint squishing under my fingers again. This is the first art thing I’ve done since moving and I feel totally off-kilter. I thought I’d just work on some backgrounds and hope that inspiration hits later. This one is comprised of layers of "caveman" monoprinting and stamping with acrylics, plus some gluing down, scrapping off, coloring with watercolor crayons and pastels. I need to scrape off more of the paper, or glue something over it, as I don’t like how it looks so plainly obvious. It sticks out like a sore thumb to me. Other than that, it’s got some great texture and color – we’ll see what ends up living on it someday!
I worked from home all day today, plugging through yet another salary survey that had my brain reeling in numbers and numbers and more numbers. It was so nice to be able to work in a quiet relaxed environment with no interruptions disrupting my concentration. Consequently, I am ending my day feeling totally chilled out instead of completely wound up. Doing this sort of thing in the office wouldn’t be so bad if I actually had some privacy to allow to me to focus on what I’m doing, but unfortunately my desk is situated in sort of a "hub" area, and my fun-loving but often annoying co-workers don’t know when enough is enough – when I ask for quiet, that apparently translates to "please be even more loud and annoying, because what I’m doing really doesn’t take any thought at all or really even matter, and while you’re at it please also make fun of me for asking." Sigh. I love them dearly, but they can really get under my skin. Kind of like family, I guess!
Right now, the sun is setting, I can hear the trains going by, and my neighbor’s children are outside playing some sort of game that involves a lot of delighted screaming and running. The breeze is carrying the irresistible spring scents of lilac, flowering trees, and freshly-cut grass into my window to tantalize my nose – they’re saying "please, come outside and draw me!" I hope I can kick my art brain back into gear before spring is gone and summer is here!
New art photos
Just a quick note today to say that I’ve uploaded a bunch of photos to various albums in my gallery today. Feel free to take a look and see what I’ve been up to lately! I’ll write more later – for now I’m busy enjoying this gorgeous day doing laundry with my own washer that doesn’t require quarters, doing dishes in front of the kitchen sink with a view of wisteria, lilacs, birdies, and the river, and trying to unpack my studio.
Getting to Know You
A fun survey I did yesterday for a yahoo group I am in…
FULL NAME: Janene Tindall
I LIVE: Western Washington
MY PEDIGREE IS: Pedigree? I feel like a dog. 🙂 Not sure I
understand this question. If you mean heritage, my maternal
grandmother was German, immigrated as a baby to the US in 1901 from
what was Poland at the time but is now in the area of Russia. My
maternal grandfather moved from Sweden. My paternal grandparents
were both born from English parents.
IN 5 WORDS I AM: I am who I am (that's five!). Just kidding.
Sheesh, what a hard question! Off of the top of my head, not
thinking about it too much:
1. Detail-oriented.
2. Introspective. (at first I put curious, but my friend gave me the
right word, and it was introspective – I wish there was a word for
the complete lack of ability to find the right words for things, as
that would be on my list).
3. Ok, I don't know the right word for this – I love SO many things,
with great interest and passion – I love God, I love people, and I
love tons and tons of things, big and small, I think they are all
just so COOL – is there a word for that? Loving? Loveful? Full-of-
loveness? Crazy? Maybe passionate is the right word…
4. Colorful
5. Silly or Playful
Did I mention I over-complicate things??
HAPPINESS IS: being in a big, bubbly, hot, claw-foot bathtub with
fresh air, candles, and a good piece of chocolate. Or maybe a
rocking chair with a good book and cup of tea. Hm…that's more like
serenity or contentment. Happiness is a little bigger…hmm…that'd be
more like that feeling that you are in the right place at the right
time in your life, doing what you should be doing and going where you
should be going, even if you aren't sure where that is and even if it
isn't always easy, but you aren't alone, and the people that you love
love you back.
I WISH: I wish I had a piano. I wish I wasn't so afraid sometimes.
I wish I wasn't at work right now, but at home enjoying our new house.
I'M MOST INFLUENCED BY: On the good side – God, nature, creation,
and really cool people. On the bad side – my own fears.
I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO: Sing and dance.
I WANT TO BE: Me. It sounds silly, but I really do. I'm not very
good at it yet, but I'm getting there.
MY CURRENT ART PROJECT IS: Moving into my new art studio! That's
really it right now. But when that's done, I really want to make
some jewelry using etched copper, and to draw and paint some spring
flowers.
I LOVE THE SMELL OF: Nature – freshly cut grass, spring flowers, saw
dust, the rain, etc.
MY BEST MEMORY IS: Honestly, any memory I can actually remember that
is more than a year old! You know, the kind of memory where you can
still smell, hear, feel, and taste everything about that moment. I
don't have many of those, I just don't have that great of a memory.
Um – well, today is the 8th anniversary of my relationship with my
husband, and I do remember that first kiss 8 years ago. It was a
very lovely moment. 🙂
MY CURRENT OBSESSION IS: My new house. It's only rented, but I
still get to live there. 🙂
I LIKE: my life. Hmm…I love so many things, it's hard to think of
what I just like. Um – my day job, bus rides, mustard on my
hamburger, cleaning bathrooms.
I DISLIKE: mayonnaise, people that are whiney or self-absorbed,
doing laundry.
MY FAVORITE FOOD IS: any food I don't dislike! I love food.
Favorites are homemade soups and bread, and anything with fresh
tomatoes, whole-milk mozzerella cheese and basil on it.
SOMETHING I AVOID AT ALL COSTS IS: spiders
FAVORITE VACATION SPOT IS: Of those choices that I can actually
afford to go, my current favorite is Whidbey Island here in WA.
MY FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD: the pond out back behind our house and
all the critters I found in it. Otherwise, it was art supplies and
legos.
MY FAVORITE TOY NOW: If I had a pond out back, it would still be my
favorite toy! Otherwise it is honestly still art supplies.
CURRENT FAVORITE QUOTE IS: Success is not the result of spontaneous
combustion. You must set yourself on fire.
Reggie Leach
Day 3 – More pen doodling
Today I worked on the first page of my little art journal. More Pitt pen drawing, with some water-soluble pastel and twinkling H20 watercolor paint added. It is easy to just do a quick doodle as my daily art when it is late and I’m tired!
Day 2 – Another Doodle
Another doodle for today’s installment of the Daily Devotions Challenge, using a Pitt pen on a page in my journal. Notes are from a class I took at Artfest from Keith LoBue.
Day 1 & Mirrormask
So tonight, despite the hectic day and the late hour I finally got home, I did manage to do some art. We wound down late this evening by finally watching Mirrormask. We have been waiting to watch the movie until we were in just the right mood, in case it was really bizarre and weird instead of just imaginative and cool. The last thing we want to do when we sit down for some relaxing entertainment is feel like we’ve just spent two hours letting someone mess with our heads. It turns out we both enjoyed Mirrormask very much. Yes, it was weird, unexplainable at times, and wildly fantastical, but it was very artistic, creative, and had a lot of fun and mysterious character. I’m having a hard time believing that Teesha & Tracy Moore didn’t do all the drawing! (Check out their websites, and you’ll see what I mean – www.teeshamoore.com www.zettiology.com). Anyway, it really put me in the mood to draw, so I spent the latter half of the movie doodling all around a previous written entry in my journal.
I think I mentioned in a previous post that I signed up with a group that has committed to do something creative every day for a year. It can be anything – doodle, write a poem, do an ATC, an entire painting, whatever. Unfortunately, shortly after I signed up I had two classes and exams, a vacation, house hunting, packing to move, yadda yadda yadda, so although I did bits of art during much of that time, it was in no way consistent or even tracked. I don’t do well with commitments like this unless I have some sort of system or routine, and a way to track my progress. I considered starting a separate blog just to list what I’ve done each day, as many people have done, but then I thought why wouldn’t I just add that to my blog now, and use the title of the blog entry to indicate the entries that are speaking to my daily art…thing. I don’t want to be regimented and legalistic about it, and make it more complicated than it is, but I’d like to be able to look back at everything I’ve done, what I created during certain times in my life, and how far I’ve come. So, I think I’ll consider tonight my Day One.
Chris says I need to blog
Chris says that I need to blog, so here I am blogging. The problem is that whenever I’m really hit with good thoughtful, interesting things to say (well, at least I hope they’d be interesting), I’m nowhere near a computer, and by the time I get back in the studio to write, I have either completely forgotten everything I so brilliantly thought of before, or I have so much to write about that I’m completely overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin, so I don’t write anything at all. Adding a third complication to the mess, I just read the blogs of a couple of my bestest friends in the world, and although I had so much fun reading through all the entries (they are talented writers and gifted storytellers, which I am not), I am feeling not only forgetful and overwhelmed, but now also really boring. Yet here I am writing anyway, so I suppose that is a start.
This week I juggled work, a class and exam, unpacking and settling back in after a 9 day vacation, and packing up to move in one week – all in the midst of the afterglow effect from Artfest and Coupeville, of course. All very good things, but in happening all at once, it does feel a bit stressful. But just think, in one week from today, I’ll be in a new home of our very own (well, via a lease, at least) with a door that doesn’t open into a balcony or hallway, where all 4 walls (plus the ceiling and floor) are ours and shared with no one else. Instead of rush hour traffic and noisy neighbors, we’ll hear the distant sounds of the train, the mill, and the river. And I’ll have a studio – oh, I’ll have a real live art studio! With a sink. And a walk-in closet. Sigh.
Every time I sit down to write or do art, all I ever seem to have on the brain is the house, and I just keep reliving it in my brain, room to room. So, I apologize if this is like the 50th time I’ve mentioned all these details, but I’m just very very excited.
Well, the more I write, the less interesting this blog seems to be, so I’m chalking it up to having wrapped china and packed boxes for 10 hours today and then I’m putting myself to bed. Have a lovely Saturday evening, world.
New Home and Other Good News
I haven’t kept up on my blog this week, mostly due to complete insanity this week – my whole routine was thrown off and apparently I don’t do well with that because I’m being sort of a nutcase. Where do I begin? I attended a class and exam this week and thus wasn’t at work, I received my incredible purchases from ebay that just about made me fall on the floor, my Claudine Hellmuth class and Artfest is only a week away, and the biggest thing was (drum roll, please) we found a house to rent! Words cannot describe how wonderful this place is, I’m still waiting for the bubble to burst, to pinch myself and wake up, for the punch line, etc. How do I describe this place?
Ok, so it is a historic home (I think built in 1900) located about a block from main street Snohomish, a beautiful little mill town north of Seattle. I am a stone’s throw away from antique shops, country stores, tea parlors, a bakery, a homemade candy store, the Snohomish Arts Center, the mill, the Snohomish river, and gorgeous farmland. It’s the kind of place where it is seems like there is a legal requirement to display carved pumpkins on your porch during Halloween, to go caroling from house to house during Christmas, that sort of thing.
The house has all the original woodwork, light fixtures, and wallpaper – much of which we wouldn’t select ourselves if we were building the house, but the history of it has a charm of its own. It has four bedrooms, two bathrooms (one with a clawfoot tub – GASP!), full basement and attic, hardwood floors, tons of cupboards and drawers (including those vintage flour and sugar drawers in the kitchen which I have only ever seen in the house I grew up in). It has updated wiring and new double-paned windows for efficiency, an extra mudroom & sun room off of the kitchen, and the garden area surrounding the house is chock full of iris, daffodils, wisteria, huge camellia and rhododendron bushes, and a plum tree. Our bedroom window looks out over the mill, and my art studio has a big sink and tons of cupboards in it, including a huge closet. It’s like I’m in a movie, not reality.
Assuming the previous tenants (owners of the local artist’s gallery/store in town) are out in time and the landlords (which turned out to be the landlord of our store in Country Village!) can do the things they need to do before we can move in, we’ll officially be living there on April 15th. I will have a full kitchen, art studio, washer/dryer, garden, porch, a place to grow herbs, and a bedroom that fits more than just our bed. Considering I thought the world ended when our previous house find fell through, I see now that God knows a lot better than I do. I should listen to him more often, it would save me a lot of time and trouble.
Anyway, I’m starting to go crazy again with all the goodness and excitement going on, so I am going to close for now and write more later. Today I have to shop for my last few Artfest needs, get busy finishing up my trades, and start putting some inventory up on my website. So far I have some awesome vintage/antique buttons from an old button factory, old skeleton keys, printer’s blocks of all sizes, antique glass buttons that I’m REALLY having a hard time parting with, and a couple pieces of original artwork. I bought some gorgeous paper at Daniel Smith on Friday to make some journals for sale, and the paper is so lovely I’m afraid to work with it. Once I get over that, I’ll have some various handmade books up for sale. Then, as soon as I get my back-end business stuff sorted out, I’ll have all kinds of artsy mess-making supplies up for sale – inks, paints, pens, ribbons, glass glitter, and more! Oh dear, I’m starting to get way too excited again…