... perfectly peculiar ...

Happy Halloween ...

2010-10-16T06:12:00.006-04:00

Oh, hello. so very nice to see you again! Won't you please come in ...

Oh, yes, it's been very quiet here lately.

After last year's unpleasantness, I've been keeping quite to myself ...

What was that noise? It's scared Pierre. We must have another visitor. I'll just go see ...

It's just the piano tuner. I've invited him in, I hope you don't mind.

What did you say? There's something behind me?

Well that was uncalled for! Now look, my dress is getting stained.

I think you should go.

I'm glad he's gone.

No, no, not you. Don't go. Please stay.

I'm so glad you stopped by, it's been such a lovely day ... I do hope you'll stay for dinner.
In fact, I insist.

I'm quite suddenly feeling

very

very

very

hungry ...

Tarot Reading Giveaway!

Click on the image below to go to my raw food blog for Halloween recipes and to enter the tarot reading and ebook giveaway ...

Thank you to Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist for hosting yet another smashing Halloween party!

A Fanciful Halloween

2010-09-30T23:00:00.004-04:00

It's that time of year again ... time for a Fanciful Halloween party.

Last year, I was a in a bit of a mess, I admit.

I'd had my heart broken.

But things are really looking up this year. I can't wait to tell you all about it ...

Saturday, October 16

See you then!

Where I Create

2010-06-19T09:46:00.001-04:00

I create wherever I live ... wherever I am.

Right now, I am here ...

... any surface that can hold a canvas and some paint usually does. This table has been with me for a few years and wears many layers of paint splotches.

I don't have bins or buckets or shelves or drawers ...

but I have some colors ...

and I have me ...

and that's enough.

Progress

2010-06-10T23:56:00.002-04:00

progress

a movement toward a goal

going on; under way; being done; happening:

to grow or develop, as in complexity, scope, or severity; advance

Works in progress ...

"sight" 10" x 10" x 2.5"

"she's a rainbow" 12" x 12" x 2"

7" x 7" x 2.5"

"shh" ... 12" x 12" x 2"

24" x 24" x 2.5"

"allie and ledger - life size" 24" x 24" x 2.5"

Stretch

2010-05-21T05:49:00.002-04:00

stretch

to draw out or extend (oneself, a body, limbs, wings, etc.) to the full length or extent

to extend, force, or make serve beyond the normal or proper limits; strain: to stretch the imagination

"he taught us drawling, stretching, and fainting in coils" ~ lewis carroll

Several years ago, we built our own house. I don't mean we acted as a subcontractor and paid someone else to do the work, I mean we built it with a hammer and nails and saws ... with our own hands.

Even so, I was ridiculously intimidated when it came to making a frame for canvas and I put off even trying until a couple years ago. Artist Jane Kenoyer has some excellent canvas building tutorial videos which I've posted here previously ... and they were very helpful in convincing me to give it a go. I'm glad I did. It's less expensive, especially for very large canvases, and I'm able to choose the ground rather than try to work around what was put there by a canvas manufacturer.

To start, you need wood for the canvas frame. These pieces are for a tiny 5" x 5" canvas, and are about one inch each way, but usually I use 1" x 3".

The canvas doesn't rest on a wide piece of wood. Rather, it's held up around the edges by just a thin strip of wood. To get that edge on any canvas frame, I bevel cut them with the table saw.

The corners are cut at 45 degree angles on a miter saw.

I nearly always use 1" x 3" pine, or 1" x 6" that has been ripped in half to make it 1" x 3". Sometimes I splurge for the clear stuff, but I've also found good solid, knot free wood in the less expensive types.

I work on one corner at a time and coat each mitered edge with wood glue. A corner vise holds them together at a right angle so they can be nailed with 1 1/2" finish nails.

Larger canvases will require cross bracing where needed.

Once I have the frame built, I tear a piece of canvas that is just slightly larger than what I need to stretch across the front, around the sides, and over the back where it will be stapled. I make a small cut and then tear the canvas. It's much easier and more accurate than trying to cut a straight line.

I buy my rolls of canvas online, and get 11.5 ounce raw canvas. "Medium weight" canvas commonly found in art stores is quite thin (7 oz, usually) and I've found isn't nearly sturdy enough for a wider canvas frame. It's also more expensive.

To stretch the canvas, start in the middle and staple opposite sides, pulling the canvas as tight as possible. Then go to the other two opposing sides and staple the middle. Work out from the middle, pulling tightly and alternating sides so everything is kept evenly taut. There's a tool called, appropriately enough, canvas pliers, which is basically a very wide pair of pliers. I haven't gotten around to getting one and use a regular pair of pliers when needed. It took making a few canvases to develop a feel for what worked best for me.

Once the sides have been stapled, the corners can be made.

Making corners is difficult to explain. It's basically like a hospital corner.

Once everything is stapled down, the canvas can be primed with gesso or whatever is preferred. I use a few very thin layers of gesso thinned with water, which leaves the canvas quite porous and suitable only for acrylics and not oils (oils will degrade fabric, so a heavier coat of gesso is needed).

Regardless of size, all canvases are basically made the same way. Below is a nearly 4' x 6' canvas I made recently. There are cross braces because the span of the sides is long enough to bow without them, but the corners of the frame are made the same way. The canvas is stretched the same way as well.

A 4' x 6' canvas can cost as much as $350 or more. I put this one together for less than $35.

Now ... if I could just decide what to put on it ...

Begin

2010-05-15T15:51:00.002-04:00

begin

Old English beginnan "to begin, attempt, undertake," form of onginnan perhaps, "to open, open up" (cf. O.H.G. in-ginnan "to cut open, open up," also "begin, undertake"

to proceed to perform the first or earliest part of some action; commence; start

to originate; be the originator of

to come into existence

Do you ever have trouble getting started? Beginning?

I do, sometimes. Many times, I wait until something is fully formed in my head before I start putting it together. I think I miss out, though, when I don't just go ahead and start with whatever glimmer of an idea I have and see what happens ... or even begin with no idea at all. Because, no matter how I begin, the idea - in the making of it - will almost always

transform

change in form, appearance, or structure; metamorphose

change in condition, nature, or character; to undergo a change in appearance or character;

become transformed

It's never exactly what it was in my head.

"Too often, we are so preoccupied with the destination that we forget the journey ..." ~ anonymous

"... let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before." Let your soul take you were you long to be ... Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before." ~ Erich Fromm

fly

flit, flutter, hover, soar

clever, alert, wide awake, first recorded 18th c, reinvented in 1990s

to rise

In making these three small paintings, I used mostly the techniques I've done here before ... some resist with pastes and glazes, a bit of silk screen, some relief and embossing, etc.

To a turquoise and lime green background, I added some titanium white stripes and magenta spots. To make the spots, I cut out a stencil of watercolor paper (I ran out of acetate, but this worked better than I expected), and did a thin wash through the holes.

This is a product I find handy. It's called EZ Screen Print. It's a light sensitive sheet coated with emulsion that can be exposed in sunlight and then used as a screen without a frame. At $10 or more a sheet, it's a lot more expensive than regular silk screening supplies, but it's convenient and works well on a smaller canvas like this. I can't ever seem to use products in the way they were intended, so your mileage may vary as they say, but I just used straight from the tube acrylic paint and pushed it through the screen with a palette knife ...

and added text with permanent ink.

See you next week!

Impress

2010-05-01T02:56:00.007-04:00

impress: 1325–75; ME <>impressus ptp. of imprimere to press into or upon, impress, equiv. to im- + pressus ptp. of premere (comb. form -primere) to press

to press (a thing) into or on something.

to produce (a mark, figure, etc.) by pressure; stamp; imprint:

to apply with pressure, so as to leave a mark.

I love art journals. Or, rather, I love the idea of art journals. I've never been able to keep one. I get a few pages in and mess up a page or look back and want to change things around. But I need a place to put sketches and ideas ... So, this is a flexible art journal that can be added to and changed at any time.

The covers of this journal are made of 1/8 inch thick, double sided masonite. I like this as a foundation for small paintings and it's thin enough to work for covers, about the same thickness as book board and very smooth and sturdy. I've cut two pieces of this to approximately 5 x 7 in and drilled three holes in both to fit rings.

I covered most of the masonite with a thin coat of light modeling paste. This will hold impressions made with stamps or anything else. The depth of the stamp will determine how thick the modeling paste should be.

After letting this dry for about fifteen minutes or so, until it was just starting to harden on the surface, I used rubber and metal stamps dipped in water to stamp into the paste. Here, I've made this a quite subtle effect. But any stamp or any size can be used and thicker or thinner layers of paste.

Once dry, I sanded the impressed modeling paste and painted a few thin washes of magenta and turquoise, masking off the stripes with tape.

On a small, stretched canvas, the effect is more obvious because I've used larger stamps and a thicker layer of paste. The technique is the same ... I used a palette knife to put on a thin coat of modeling paste (which will also act as a resist), allowed it to dry for fifteen minutes or so, then used stamps dipped in water.

Once fully dry, I sanded lightly and did a thin wash with quinacridone magenta.

Added some lime green stripes ...

... and a silk screened moonflower.

I use this technique on large canvases to add text ... and imperfection makes it unique.

What kind of impression will you make?

Karen Valentine, from My Desert Cottage, is having a "Where Bloggers Create" blog party. What a fabulous way to get to know the other bloggers out there! If you'd like to participate, stop in at her blog for the details.

April 22, 2010 ... Resist

2010-04-23T12:02:00.004-04:00

resist: 1325–75; ME resisten (v.) < L resistere to remain standing,
a substance that prevents or inhibits some effect from taking place

I really like a textured looking background, but I paint in very thin washes, which isn't compatible with the thicker and more opaque layers that are usually seen in mixed media. Putting down some kind of resist before I add color helps create some dimension and interest.

I start with a very lightly gessoed canvas that is still quite porous. Too much gesso will make the canvas too slick and not porous enough. I also experimented on a lightly gessoed Moleskine page, and bare watercolor paper.

For the resist in my projects today, I used a regular glossy gel medium, an ultra heavy glossy gel medium, and modeling paste. Anything that makes a mark that is less porous than the canvas or paper will work as a resist. There are several different ways to put the resist down. Any kind of handmade or rubber stamp lightly coated with gloss medium can be pressed into the canvas or paper. A palette knife can be used to spread an imperfect coat of modeling paste in places on the canvas ...

Using an old brush, glossy gel medium can be flicked in spots at random over the canvas.

Screens, stencils, silk screens and anything else with an open pattern can be used to press modeling paste or gel medium through.

Once the different resists are down, I add thin washes of acrylic paint. For this project, I wanted a subtle effect with the resists, so I made them fairly thin. The more porous canvas will soak up more pigment than the resist leaving an interesting design.

I wanted pink stripes and used masking tape as something of a resist. When using tape, the paint can't be too watery, otherwise it will seep under the edges of the taper. That can actually be an interesting effect, but I didn't want that here so went with a drier paint ... in pink!

My pink is made of Liquitex Quinacridone Magenta mixed with Titanum White.

I decided to use a silk screened image over the stripes ...

and added some moonflowers ...

This works the best on canvas, for me anyway. The effect is usually more subtle on paper.

Products used ...

Liquitex

Ultra Heavy Gel Medium, glossy
Gel Medium, glossy
Modeling Paste, light
Vivid Lime Green
Yellow Light Hansa
Quinacridone Magenta
Titanium White
Cobalt Teal
Turquoise Deep
Sap Green

April 15, 2010

2010-04-15T23:56:00.000-04:00

When the moon blooms
Like a flower in the night
~ Mark Heard

I've always been fascinated with moonflowers ... they're evening/night blooming flowers. Unfortunately, I've already killed my moonflower seedlings for this year. I let them get chilled. They have to be kept really warm. I'll have to settle with painting them.

This is a 6" x 6" hand stretched 11 ounce canvas with 2 1/2" sides (I'll put up a tutorial on how to make these soon). I love the chunkiness of it. I lightly gessoed the canvas. Too much gesso and any watery paint will just pool on the surface. This way, the canvas stays matte and a bit porous and it's more like working on watercolor paper.

I made this for our new neighbors. We live in the country and have been smack in the middle of 40 acres for years. We finally have a neighbor, almost within shouting distance ... a nice family with little kids. Anyway, this is on a 5" x 5" hand stretched 7 ounce canvas with 1" sides. I kind of like working small sometimes.

It needs ... something. It doesn't seem finished. The spiral shape is also know as a golden spiral ... It's on a 12" x 12" hand stretched 11 ounce canvas with 2 1/2" sides. I've used tinted and untinted gel medium as a resist here.

Three on Thursdays

2010-04-08T11:30:00.008-04:00

I've been away ... playing with fairy angels ...

and making things in the kitchen ...

I've been blogging elsewhere ... at my Raw on $10 a Day (or Less!) blog ...

and even written a book ...

I've also been thinking about making art again ...

So, I'll be showing up here regularly now. On Thursdays. Like clockwork. With something to show you. Three pieces of art, I think, is a good goal. Yes, three. On Thursdays.

We've been talking about art, over at Gary Reef's ning site (which is a great site and wonderful group of people, btw) ... Gary asked the question, "Is tracing really drawing or is it cheating?" ... This was my response ... what's your opinion?

These conversations that become "this is art, but that isn't art", or "that's just craft," are always interesting.

Art is the idea. It's a noun.

Craft is a verb, it's whatever one does to make ideas reality ...To make something is to "craft" it ... we don't "art" things,we craft them. So the act of drawing or tracing or making stencils or using images or found objects is craft ... the idea as well as the final result is art ...

Kiki Smith is one of my favorite artists, and is highly respected in the international art world. She can't draw well. She can't sculpt well. She can't paint well. And she doesn't even try. She's not a craftsperson, she's an artist. One of her works is a limited edition of a big clear glass egg with a golden yellow yolk inside. She conceived the idea, and then paid crafts people to make them, but SHE is the artist of the work. She never even touched them as part of their making, but it was still her idea that made them come into being. The idea that being skilled in a craft is actually what art is all about simply isn't true. What's important with her art is what she's saying.

Also, the point isn't to make sure everyone knows how hard we slaved over a particular piece. In fact, it's the opposite. Once we become conscious of how this was done or that was done (especially if it looks like it was difficult for the artist), we've moved onto the craft part and have forgotten the art.

There's always such a difference between a drawing by someone who can't draw and who obviously labored over it, and someone who does abstract drawings ... a lot of the time the very same "deficiencies" are in both, but the abstract was intended to look that way and appears effortless. (They're both art, but the one is saying, at least in part, "look how hard I worked on this!")

If tracing is cheating, than so is using images in collage. I've always been able to draw well. In school it was my "trick" ... everyone had their thing they could do, and I could draw. But there wasn't necessarily art to it because many times all I was doing was trying to imitate what I was seeing. I wasn't saying anything. I thought it was "art" at the time because it looked good. As I became a little more sophisticated in how I think, I realized that wasn't necessarily true. And I've never been able to paint very well and have always struggled with technique, especially with acrylics, but still that's nearly always been my chosen medium, and I'm only just now bringing some more extensive drawing back into my things ... but only because it serves my purpose in what I'm trying to say.

I'm working on something right now where I had the models lie down on newsprint and I traced around them and I'm transferring that to big canvases. The paintings will be life size. Does that make it not art or cheating? Of course not. The whole point of the art was to preserve their actual shape and size in a painting.

When I look at art as art, I really don't care how it got made, I care how it makes me feel and what it says and means to me.

But the question wasn't "is it art? ... the question was actually "is it drawing?" No, tracing isn't drawing. Drawing is a specific skill and craft. Tracing is a specific skill and craft. Painting is a specific skill and craft. We don't confuse painting with drawing, right? We know which is which. The same is true for drawing and tracing. They are both skills and crafts, but they are not the same.

See you next Thursday.

Don't Let Go - a Musical

2010-01-06T14:26:00.001-05:00

my cousin caroline's most handsome kid is in this short film ... awesome music, too ... a must see :)

An Update on Heinz and Ruth

2009-12-02T04:38:00.008-05:00

I was able to contact the family of the woman who I though may have been the wife of Heinz Wertheim. Despite the extremely unusual last/maiden name (I could find only 1 in the US), and that the two women have similar birth dates, are from Germany, went through Westerbork, and survived the Holocaust, they are not the same people.

One of my next options is to contact Yad Vashem. I'm pretty sure the right way to look is to Israel, which is where the records say Ruth emigrated in the late 1940s.

As well, the family of the other woman is also being very helpful (after all, they share a somewhat unique last name with Heinz's wife). I'll be talking with them further and may find out more. It's actually been quite a powerful experience to be able to hear some of this other family's experience. Theirs is also a story of magnificent loss, survival, and triumph.

I just wanted to give an update. Things are rarely as simple or cut and dried as we would like, and certainly to locate someone 65 years later may not be easy. I will continue to look for Ruth and/or any of her relatives or descendants, or any relatives of Heinz. I do believe this postcard rightfully belongs to Ruth or whoever may survive either her or Heinz.

happy halloween :)

2009-10-31T18:26:00.003-04:00

a reluctant angel

and happy jack-o-lantern

xoxo

Halloween Winners!

2009-10-24T20:20:00.005-04:00

Thanks to everyone who stopped by :)

The winner of the tarot reading is Annabelle from http://pastoraldreams.blogspot.com/ Annabelle, contact me for your reading.

and

The winner of the key scavenger hunt, and a print from my etsy shop, is Julie from www.tlc-parenting-advice.com

I think the scavenger hunt was quite a bit more difficult than I'd intended, so kudos to those who found all five. Julie, contact me to claim your print.

I hope you all have a wonderful Halloween!

xoxo

A Fanciful Celebration!

2009-10-17T05:01:00.003-04:00

It's time ...

for a fanciful Halloween celebration!

Won't you please come in?

It's so lovely to have company again ...

... it's been terribly quiet around here lately.

Oh, yes, just let me tidy up ... it seems I've made a bit of a mess here.

Oh ... him? Thank you ever so much for asking, but he's ... gone.

He broke my heart, you see ...

... so I broke his.

It was an accident, of course. Quite tragic, really. You understand, don't you? Yes ... I knew you would.

My, you're really quite charming. And, if you don't mind me saying, now that I look closer, you're very attractive as well! Perhaps we should get to know each other better? May I give you a flower?

To be honest, I like you a great deal ...

In fact, I think ...

I

could

love

you
...

... to death.

TAROT Reading!

I'll be giving a tarot reading to one of my readers. Just leave a comment asking to be entered in the drawing. On October 24th, I'll be drawing a name at random. The tarot reading is genuine and in-depth. I've usually found them to be scarily accurate. I'll do your reading by email and up to three questions can be asked. A reading can sometimes be more productive if the winner supplies a birth date, even more so with a time and place.

Scavenger Hunt! Find the keys!

I've hidden five keys somewhere on my blog, in my etsy shop, or elsewhere. Find the five keys, and the words on them, and you could win a signed print of your choice from my etsy shop. I'll be choosing from the entries at random. Please send your words in an email to lisacole690@aol.com ... Winner will be chosen on October 24th.

A Recipe!

Pumpkin Ice Cream
(a raw vegan recipe from my other blog
Raw on $10 a day (or Less!)

1 cup raw pumpkin chunks ($.10)
4 bananas ($.45)
1 cup nut milk ($.40)
1 cup carrot juice ($.10)
1 in piece ginger, peeled
2 tbsp raw honey ($.30)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice ($.05)
1/2 tsp cinnamon ($.02)

Plan to make this at least a few hours ahead of time. Juice 3-4 carrots, plus piece of ginger, to make about 1 cup liquid. Add the carrot/ginger juice and pumpkin chunks to a blender and puree until smooth. Add bananas, nut milk, spices and honey. Puree until smooth. Process in an ice cream maker and then store in freezer, or pour into bowl and place in freezer, stirring every 20 minutes or so until firm.
Optional: to make a nice soft serve style ice cream (or a very thick shake), or to make the process go more quickly in the freezer, start with frozen bananas and frozen pumpkin.

nutritional information (per serving):

calories: 363
fat: 4 gr
carbs: 80 gr
protein: 3 gr

Miniscule - Halloween Paranoid from Bluebird on Vimeo.

Thank you for visiting! While you're here, take a minute to look over the party list (it's on the left!) and drop in on the other participants.
xoxo

halloween celebration

2009-09-29T09:25:00.001-04:00

there's frost on the pumpkins ... well, maybe not quite, but there will be soon enough ...

meanwhile, there's a halloween celebration to be had ... hosted by the lovely valencia at a fanciful twist ...

the fun begins october 17th, so stop on by ... i'll be having some spooktacular giveaways here (did i just say spooktacular?) ... maybe even a tarot reading?

xoxo

a pumpkin story

2009-09-29T09:00:00.002-04:00

cut pumpkin in half or into wedges
bake at 400 f for about an hour along with 2 or 3 onions
remove seeds and scrape pumpkin flesh and baked onions into food processor or blender
add water or vegetable stock
add salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper to taste
puree

The Name on the Postcard was Heinz ...

2009-09-24T19:28:00.008-04:00

I emailed back and forth with a very helpful researcher from Westerbork, who couldn't find any record of a Henry Wertheim ... so I sent a copy of the postcard, and it turns out that the first name on the card is actually Heinz.

They were able to tell me that Heinz Wertheim was a shoemaker apprentice who was born on June 26th, 1921 in Bremke, Germany. He married a Dutch girl named, Ruth Sara*, and they lived in the Netherlands and were sent together to Westerbork. They were so young ... he would have been 22 and and she just 21.

In Westerbork, on May 6, 1943, they had a baby and named him Paul Freidrich.

The baby died six weeks later.

I just noticed that the postcard was written on May 5th 1943, the day before the baby was born, and postmarked May 8th, two days after. Perhaps they got money from someone outside Westerbork because they were expecting a baby (the postcard said, "Many thanks for the money you sent.") ... and I imagine Heinz wrote the card on the 5th, then was busy with the new baby and didn't get a chance to mail the card until the 8th.

Shortly after the baby died, on September 14, 1943, Heinz and Ruth were sent together to Auschwitz.

Heinz died at Monowitz, which was a labor camp at Auschwitz, on December 12, 1944, after surviving there for more than a year. He was 23. His wife, Ruth, survived Auschwitz and was sent to Ravensbruck and then Malchow, a subcamp of Ravensbruck. She survived the death marches from Ravensbruck before being liberated in Neustadt. She eventually emigrated to Israel.

There's one more thing.

I think Ruth may still be alive and that I've possibly located her. She would be 88 now. I have probably the only thing that still physically exists that her young husband touched ... all those years ago, right at the same time their baby was born.

So, do I leave well enough alone, or try to contact her and ask if she wants the postcard?

*During the Holocaust, Jewish women were made to use the middle name "Sara" to state their Jewishness. I don't know if this is her real middle name or not.

CoSM trailer ...

2009-09-21T23:25:00.002-04:00

trailer for alex grey: chapel of the scared mirrors ... netflix has it right now as a "watch instantly" ...

xoxo

miss clara et ses merveilles en papier

2009-09-20T20:04:00.000-04:00

Découvrez Miss Clara et ses merveilles en papier sur Culturebox !

xoxo

corn salad

2009-09-19T11:25:00.000-04:00

6 ears corn, cut off cob
2 onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
green or red pepper, chopped
salt
pepper
1-2 tbsps olive oil

toss

a postcard from henry

2009-09-17T08:11:00.000-04:00

i bought it from an antiques dealer … a slightly faded postcard ... from a man named henry … sent to herbert hirsh …

it was sent from westerbork … (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westerbork_concentration_camp) … a transit camp for jews and others during world war II … 107,000 people left there on trains destined for auschwitz-birkenau, sobibór, bergen-belsen and theresienstadt … 5,200 of them survived …

“many thanks for the money you sent”

i’ve contacted westerbork for information on henry … to see what happened to him … and, perhaps, discover who he was …

canvas frames

2009-09-14T22:45:00.000-04:00

the large canvas is one i built (overbuilt) from 1 x 3 pine ... it makes a nice, big edge that i really like ... much better than the smaller, purchased one ...

these videos by jane kenoyer are excellent canvas building tutorials ...

putting by

2009-09-14T10:09:00.000-04:00

live before you die ...

2009-09-13T02:04:00.000-04:00

Live Before You Die from Dreamtime Film on Vimeo.

happy birthday, bread

2009-09-12T00:30:00.000-04:00

yes, this bread is a year old ... we decided to keep it and see what happened ... a year later, it's about the same, except for some dehydration ... it's been sitting on top of the fridge since this time last year ...

even mold won't touch it ... which can't be a good thing

summer blue dress

2009-09-11T08:16:00.000-04:00

tree swallow eggs and sunflowers

2009-09-09T10:35:00.000-04:00

And in this nest there was an egg,
The prettiest egg that you ever did see ...

They leaned to me, the sunflowers
And whispered, long ago^__

summer song

2009-09-06T10:37:00.001-04:00

summer breeze

summer long

I'll sing to you

my summer song

change the world ...

2009-09-06T04:18:00.000-04:00

i first saw her at the state fair when i was 16 ...

and :::sigh::: she's still one of the most awesome women
ever ...

Change The World

It ain't mine
It ain't yours
But I'm here
I ain't goin' anywhere

It ain't his
It ain't hers
It's for all
Is that somethin' we can learn

It's time we stop all the hatin'
Let's start today
Go find a way

To change the World
Gotta change the world
Go change the world
Gotta change the world

Well do ya care
Bout what's fair?
It don't matter
As long as you get your share

Now I see
Disparity
What needs to be
Hell it isn't charity

It's time we stop all the fightin'
Let's start today
Go find a way

To change the World
Gotta change the world
Go change the world
Gotta change the world

I dare ya are ya scared?
I dare ya are ya scared?

It's time we stop all the hatin'
Let's start today
Go find a way

To change the World
Gotta change the world
Go change the world
Gotta change the world

To change the World
Gotta change the world
Go change the world
Gotta change the world

Time-lapse of Butterfly Lifecycle

2009-09-05T16:45:00.000-04:00

only you ...

2009-09-05T01:29:00.001-04:00

xoxo

scanner art

2009-09-05T00:54:00.000-04:00

scanner art ...

xoxo

gray reef's site

seeing stars

2009-09-04T03:37:00.000-04:00

xoxo

Frank and the Dining Room Table … or, what is up with the Nazi name calling?

2009-08-20T08:38:00.000-04:00

It’s been said that the moment you resort to calling someone else a Nazi, you’ve lost your argument ... a point lost on this woman from Massachusetts.

Woman: “Why do you continue to support a Nazi policy?”

Surely she knows that Rep. Braney Frank is both Jewish and homosexual, which would have made him doubly targeted by the real Nazis?

Barney Frank: “You stand there with a picture of the President defaced to look like Hitler and compare the effort to increase health care to the Nazis. By answering you, as I said before, is a tribute to the first amendment that this kind of vile, contemptible nonsense is so freely propagated. Ma’am, trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table. I have no interest in doing it.”

Woman: “I don’t like your answer.”

Hey, Dining Room Table Lady, I don’t like your question.

Strangely enough, in a diametrically opposed sort of way, in Las Vegas, a woman against health care reform shouted “Heil Hitler” to an American-Israeli man, then went on to make a “cry baby” motion with her hands.

"Shame of you," he said ...

Shame of all of us, I say ...

yixazi's sketchbook

2009-08-03T05:19:00.000-04:00

this is a video of my youtube friend yixiazi’s sketchbook … i’m always just enthralled with how well he draws …

this is a sketch he did of me a while back … which i think may be the first portrait anyone has ever done of me …

xoxo

garden 2009

2009-07-27T09:13:00.000-04:00

our garden ... this year we're growing watermelon, winter squash, canteloupe, banana and jalepeno pepper, peas, beans, corn, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, onions, lettuces, chard, spinach, kale, etc ... i love it ... we hardly even grocery shop from now until frost ...

how's YOUR summer going?

xoxo

parallelostory by impactist

2009-07-05T20:07:00.001-04:00

Parallelostory from impactist on Vimeo.

This is what we have to work with

2009-06-11T01:49:00.000-04:00

xoxo

Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home

2009-06-03T16:24:00.000-04:00

Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home

xoxo

2009-05-10T17:08:00.000-04:00

i'm very fortunate to, at almost age 45, to have my mother and grandmother still with me, and to also have a daughter and granddaughter ... it doesn't get much better than that ...

did you know ... that when a woman is pregnant with a female fetus, that fetus has all the eggs she will ever make in her lifetime? ... so, at some point, we were all eggs inside our mother, who was a fetus inside her mother ... like russian nesting dolls ...

is it just me who thinks that's awesomely cool? ..

the continuity of life is what i seem to be thinking about this mother's day ... i had a good day with my kids and grandkids and i hope you had a wonderful day too ...

Mothers and daughters
Were daughters and mothers
Not so long ago.
We give and take
And take and give
Along time's endless row.

Love is passed
And love received
To be passed on again:
A precious heirloom
Twice, twice blessed,
A spiritual cardigan.

I'll put it on
And treasure it,
The me I have received,
And when the roles
Reverse again,
I'll have what I most need.

So may our love
Go on and on,
A hundred thousand years;
Mothers and daughters,
Daughters and mothers,
Through joys and other tears.

xoxo

The Art Cooperative ...

2009-05-09T13:32:00.000-04:00

The Art Cooperative

all this stuff with the ning groups has finally inspired me to really make one myself ...

one that will be a true cooperative ... where everyone is an equal member ... where no one is leader, no one is guru, no one is follower ~ we're all leaders, we're all gurus, we're all followers ... a place to be teacher AND student ... and where it's not about following or emulating one person or idea or style, but is about discovering for ourselves who we really are and then sharing that with others in our own unique ways ...

my vision is a place where people can come to learn and create in whatever way they feel is right for them ... where they're respected and nurtured and supported in whatever their creative path is ... to create relevant and active groups (i've always wanted to actually finish the artist's way!) ... to teach if you have something to teach, and to learn from fellow members ...

i may be teaching some classes ... portraits, figures and landscapes are what i do best ... what about you? ... do you have something to share, too? ... i'll definitely be inviting some people to have some classes ... art, writing, poetry, journaling, real goddess study, whatever there is an interest for ... and you can set up your own class as well ... we ALL have something to teach and we ALL have something to learn ...

i just now set it up so it's totally bare ... i haven't even put a pic on my own profile ... and while i've started this, i'm also a member like everyone else ... and i'd like YOU to be involved in creating it with me, right from the very beginning ... i think that together we can create great things ...

so, if you wish, please join us at ...

The Art Cooperative

more narrative self portrait ...

2009-05-08T10:42:00.001-04:00

more from marie's clay self portrait class ... i think i'll experiment with different clays including kiln fired clay ... this is just terra cotta oven bake clay, which turned out a lot better than i expected once it was baked ... working on finishing it now with paints and things ...

xoxo

life is good ...

2009-05-07T02:47:00.000-04:00

life is pretty darn good ...

It's true that we don't know what
we've got until we lose it, but it's also
true that we don't know what we've been missing
until it arrives.

what if ... you could make a difference?

2009-05-06T04:36:00.001-04:00

what if ... this was your home?

what if ... this was your city?

what if ... this was your child?

what if ... these were your neighbor's children?

what if ... this was your granddaughter?
what if ...
you could make a difference?

these are children who live in darfur ... darfur is an african country bordering chad ... in a nutshell, lots of political stuff and war and so on has happened there in the last years ... and as always, the women, children and elderly are the most affected ... and now almost three million people are displaced and vulnerable ... many are starving ...

and it just got worse for the people who live there ...
the humanitarian organizations have been kicked out ... so, the situation there is even more precarious ...

here's the thing ... your voice counts for more than you may realize ... every phone call to a government office or official is assumed to reflect the feelings of 10,000 people ... so, when you act, you have the power of a small town behind you ...

what you can do ...

go to www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/

this is an e-mail form ... it takes about two minutes to fill it out and send

or call the White House comment line at 202-456-1111

this also takes about 2 minutes to leave a comment

or, do both (less than 5 minutes of your time)

your message can be as simple as "help the people in darfur" ... or, you can ask that your elected officials:

Make a concerted effort to get the needed amount of aid back into Darfur for the displaced civilians.
Complete the Sudan policy review in order to move forward with a comprehensive and coherent policy on Darfur.
Ensure that Special Envoy Gration has the support he needs from the State Department.
Bolster UNAMID in all ways possible.
Bring other key players in the international community into the foreground, especially Europe (including Russia), in order to further discussions about a no-fly zone, increased sanctions, and enforcing the arms embargo.

more information is at

http://www.theirc.org/media/www/where-is-darfur.html
and
http://www.miafarrow.org/
and
http://fastdarfur.org/

you can also twitter and blog and facebook and send this information to your email contacts ... feel free to copy this blog post as well

and, there is always the option of fasting in solidarity with the people of darfur (and anywhere else in the world) ... but fasting isn't necessary ... calling and writing is ...

there is no "they," ya know ... it's always been just "us" ... and if there's a child on the other side of the world who is dying it impacts every single one of "us" ...

and "we" can make a difference for "us" ...

photos used with permission

A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. ~ Margaret Mead

copyright stuff ... or, much ado about nothing

2009-05-05T09:05:00.000-04:00

there has been some talk about “copyright infringement” relating to art lately ... which is an interesting subject in itself ... but it's also something that can unnecessarily divide people ...

i’ve never been accused of copying someone else’s style … i’m not sure if that’s good or bad, but for the most part I think my work is unique/weird enough that it’s never been an issue ... and probably for the same reason, i’ve never really run across anyone who was trying to emulate my style ... but it wouldn’t have mattered if I had ... because ...

here’s the thing ...

... no one can copyright or trademark a subject or even a style ...

if someone copies someone's style, including my own, i can think you're unoriginal and uninspired ... but I can’t come after you with an attorney screaming copyright infringement ... actually, i can get an attorney to come after you with a cease and desist letter, but it’s meaningless and wouldn’t hold up in court ...

so what is copyright infringement? ... & what is copyright? ... each individual art work anyone creates is automatically protected by copyright law from the moment of its creation, regardless of whether it's ever registered ... there’s implied protection … this applies to music, and writing as well ... it’s easier to defend a copyright if it has been registered officially, but the protection still exists even if it’s not registered ... so, every painting anyone does, and exact copies, are covered by that copyright protection ...

(btw, if you sell an original painting to someone, you still retain the copyright to that work and the right to make and sell copies… and you keep that right until you expressly assign it to someone else ... in part or in whole)

here’s what i can’t do ... i can't take someone’s paintings and copy their image files and send them to the printer and then sell those as prints ... i can’t take pieces of their image files and try to sell them ~ that's absolutely copyright infringement ... but, if i wanted to, i could look at their work and then paint something inspired by it, or even something that was pretty much the same (excluding a direct forgery) ... that's NOT any kind of copyright infringement ...

i also can’t paint something and claim it was painted by someone else and try to profit from that ...

as for faces, which i really don’t include much in my paintings unless it’s specifically a portrait ... there is a very narrow set of measurements and dimensions that we will look at and recognize as human ... so there are only so many ways one can make a human face ... even if it’s stylized ... no one can copyright eyes or faces or a technique or whatever ... you can copyright a painting of lips, for example, but copyright protection only applies to that one painting of lips ... it doesn’t extend to all paintings of lips you may make ... (although each painting of lips, or whatever subject, has its own copyright protection as an individual work) ... and it can’t prevent anyone else from making a painting of lips ...

aside from actual copyright law, i personally believe there is something about truly original art that comes from a person’s own heart and experience that will make it something special ... there’s a certain deadness to work that someone has simply copied ... even if it’s almost exactly the same, it’s just not the same ...

the important part is missing ...

it’s a corpse, the soul isn’t there ... as well, work can be very, very similar and still be an authentic and original and alive expression ...

here’s my opinion and unsolicited advice, don't worry about copyright ... yours or that of anyone else (as long as you're not stealing the actual image and trying to sell it) ...i worked in publishing for years (mostly written work and photography, not visual arts so much), and the only people i ever heard seriously worrying about copyright were very new ... with a little experience, they calmed down about the whole thing ...

paint what you want to paint ... paint because you have something to say ~ and we all have something to say … tell me YOUR story with your art … because no one is going to do it exactly the same way ... and YOUR right to paint (or draw or write or ) whatever you want is also protected ...

xoxo

playing for change ...

2009-05-04T07:26:00.000-04:00

i love this ... there seems to be an increasing desire to connect to the larger world ... to let the the illusion of our separateness fall by the way side ...

http://playingforchange.com - From the award-winning documentary, "Playing For Change: Peace Through Music", comes the first of many "songs around the world" being released independently. Featured is a cover of the Ben E. King classic by musicians around the world adding their part to the song as it travelled the globe.

here's looking at you, miss nolly posh

2009-05-04T04:30:00.000-04:00

all the cool kids are doing it ... how about you? ... show me your peepers :)

xoxo

working the shadow ...

2009-04-23T04:40:00.000-04:00

"... if i can see god in my shadow, i'm going to see it in yours ..."

xoxo

my narrative self portrait

2009-04-22T22:44:00.000-04:00

i've been taking marie's narrative self portrait class ... it took forever to get the plaster stuff so i was late getting started ... but, i wanted to show you just a little of what we're doing (and the class is still open, btw) ...

xoxo

the last sunset ...

2009-03-19T22:34:00.000-04:00

this is the last sunset of winter ... from my backyard ... the sun moves into the constellation aries tomorrow morning at 7:44 am est and that's the spring equinox ... happy spring everyone! ... xoxo

bruiser died this afternoon ...

2009-03-02T21:15:00.000-05:00

my dog died this afternoon ... it wasn't unexpected, he was older and hadn't been feeling well ... but it wasn't expected ...

he'd been abused horribly before he came to us ... someone had even cut up his ears ... he never fully recovered from all that, he was nervous sometimes ... but he was just a really nice & loving dog ... i'm always amazed how dogs remain loving even after being treated badly ...

i probably could have done better by him ... i feel like i could have, but i think he knew i loved him ... i hope so ...

xoxo

Enough!

2009-03-02T15:53:00.000-05:00

Just a thought …

There is enough …

Yes, really, there is enough for everyone and everything in every way.

We live in an endlessly abundant Universe that provides bountifully … when we choose to see it that way and to receive that bounty.

We can be expansive and live in a big and bountiful Universe … or we can contract and live in the small one that usually includes lack of some kind. Either way, lack or abundance, the world we live in is the one we create for ourselves.

When I wobble in that belief of an abundant Universe, and I think I may have lately, things don’t feel so … abundant. It’s not anything monetary, but where the synchronicity I usually notice reflects bounty, I’ve been seeing more and more the idea of lack and scarcity.

So, today, I’m working on staying expansive …

trying not to contract 

What about you? What does your Universe look like today?

XOXO

VEGAN. For the People. For the Planet. For the Animals.

2009-02-23T21:16:00.000-05:00

xoxo

hands & heart blogoversary giveway

2009-02-19T16:48:00.000-05:00

stop by monica zuniga's hands & heart blogoversary giveway ... she's a totally awesome artist in mexico ... her work is lovely ...

xoxo

v is for valentine ...

2009-02-14T20:38:00.000-05:00

xoxo

self love & the green smoothie challenge ...

2009-02-13T00:37:00.000-05:00

Jen, from RawDevotion, is a totally awesome raw foodist who’s made AMAZING changes in her life … And she’s thrown out the idea of a green smoothie challenge … starting Friday, February 13 until February 27th …

Watch Jen’s video and she explains about the challenge and how to make smoothies … I’m going to be doing almost exclusively green smoothies during the challenge.

So, come on and join the green smoothie gang!

xoxo

Lori Andrews has Watercolor Classes!

2009-02-08T07:32:00.000-05:00

Yay, it was so "warm" here yesterday ... above freezing ... maybe as warm as 45 at times ... snow was melting, I saw grass ... and it smelled a bit like spring. I realize we have a ways to go before it's really spring, but a little whiff of things to come was wonderful.

I wanted to tell you about Lori Andrews. She's a super talented watercolor artist ... and she's getting some online classes together. The first one will be on Stickam on February 28. As a live class, it's kind of different from many out there. It should be interesting for sure. Lori is sweet and very knowledgeable ... so if you're interested, check out her .ning group as well as the video below ...

xoxo

portrait video ... nek1555

2009-02-07T00:27:00.000-05:00

ken is one of the nicest guys on youtube ... and i did his portrait ... i guess at this point, these portraits are something of a project :) ... anyway, take a look if you get a chance ...

xoxo

portrait 14 ... Amanda Delight

2009-02-04T15:55:00.001-05:00

Hi! I hope everyone is keeping warm. It's supposed to get up to a balmy 45 degrees here this weekend ... I'm looking forward to it.

Amanda Delight is a super talented portrait artist who puts her work on youtube. She's so talented, so it was totally intimidating, but i did a portrait of her ... the video is below ... (youtube pixilated it horribly) ...

xoxo

veggies are sexy ...

2009-02-02T03:36:00.000-05:00

xoxo

portrait 13 ... annspade

2009-01-29T18:00:00.000-05:00

xoxo

music i love ...

2009-01-22T16:51:00.000-05:00

this is a friend of mine … I think he’s awesome and very talented … I like him very much … maybe you will too … xoxo

Old Haunts

2009-01-18T16:40:00.000-05:00

This probably isn’t going to make much sense to anyone but me. But did you ever have a seriously melancholic need to examine your past? Maybe in order to figure out where your future is headed? I think that's what this is.

Quite a while ago, I lived on the East Coast: Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey, etc. Recently, I realized how much of an impression that time of my life made on me. There were some very good and some very bad experiences there, like anywhere else. I got married in Philadelphia, and had a miscarriage in Pittsburgh. I stood out on the beach every single morning to watch the sun rise in Lynn, Massachusetts. I went to Atlantic City with a drug dealer friend named Laz. Everywhere, I fought and made up with the man I loved at the time. I saw amazing art at so many galleries and museums. My beagle was stolen in Elizabeth, New Jersey. I still worry she was sold to the horrible animal experimentation lab just north of there.

In the grand scheme of things, it was a short time out of my life. But still … there was the impression left.

I feel changes coming up and needed to look back. I colored my hair today. Very dark brown. It doesn’t suit me, but I like the change.

Images from my past … in no particular order …

XOXO

A Home For Louie

2009-01-17T23:53:00.000-05:00

Louie was my turkey. He wasn’t rescued in the traditional sense, but I bought him as a day old chick almost 2 years ago. He’s been with me ever since.

But, turkeys grow up. And Louie’s a tom. And he weighs about 45 lbs. And was the only bird here.

So, with the help of Farm Sanctuary, we found the most amazing woman living very close by who wanted a turkey. She’s awesome. She’s vegetarian but has always wanted farm animals. She has some chickens, a wonderful barn, and now a big tom turkey, named Louie.

I was very sad to see him go, but I think he’ll be very happy there. (Thank you, Sharon)

XOXO

kreative blogger ... awesome :)

2009-01-17T17:48:00.000-05:00

Julie-Ann, from HeavenlieghArt, gave me this super awesome blog award! Thanks for thinking of me Julie-Ann!

Julie-Ann's art is just beautiful, btw. She does primitive angel paintings.

Six thing I love are:

1. I love my family. My two children and my grandchildren are the lights of my life. My parents, who've been married 54 years, well, they've known me all my life :). And I'm lucky enough to still have my lovely grandma, who will be 94 this year. I have more unconventional family as well ... people who have become family through long association. And I love them, too.

2. I love art. What a little word for such a big world. I think art & creativity are the foundation the universe rests upon on, springs from ... and includes all the senses. I love visual art, music, dance, all of it.

3. I love the wonderful people I've met here online. There's an openness and generosity that has enriched my life immensely. For me, it's always been difficult to find that niche where I felt I fit. By having access to so many people all over the world, I've found there really ARE people like me out there!

4. I love animals. People usually think I must be a "health nut" because I'm vegan. But that's not at all the case. I'm vegan because I love animals and the world we share, and I believe in every fiber of my being that all animals have the right to their own lives and they exist for their own sake and not that of anyone else. They're each a unique & beautiful expression of the creativity of the universe.

5. I love spring air. Here in Michigan, we only have a few of those damp, warm, breezy days that smell absolutely heavenly, but they're wonderful.

6. I love gardening. I love growing plants. Indoors, outdoors, in pots, in the ground, in baskets. I love flowers, Lilacs are my favorite. But what I really love is growing food. It's awesome to eat what you helped to grow and just as awesome to feed it to others. Last year, there were 2 or 3 months that I ate almost exclusively out of our garden. This year, I hope to increase that to several months or even the full year. As well, we'll be cooperating with a local food pantry to get fresh produce to people who may not be able to get it.

7. I just love that I'm part of this amazing and wonderful world.

Now, I need to nominate 7 other people for this award.

1. Renee aka PaintedSkyWoman is a talented painter and awesome person. She's very generous with everything she does.

2. Morna Crites-Moore is an awesomely talented textile artist. Her creations are just stunning.

3. Gigi is SO supportive to everyone.

4. Amanda is an awesome person who is on a raw journey to vibrant health. She creates an amazing life every day and that's awesome.

5. Anne does just about everything. Photography, painting, etc.

6. Leslie is fabulously generous and contributes in some way to so many worthy causes. She's a true inspiration.

7. NollyPosh ... omgosh, what can I say about Nolly? I'm totally crazy about Nolly. Her writing makes me laugh, makes me cry, makes me think, feel, see. She's amazing.

8. (yes, I need 8!) Elizabeth Ruffing is an artist and illustrator ... I love her work.

Thank you again, Julie-Ann!

xoxo

playing catch up ...

2009-01-17T01:43:00.000-05:00

i'm madly in love with my grandkids ... i know it probably gets tiresome hearing me say it, but it's true ... they're just the coolest little people ...

last night it was green smoothie mustaches ... for

alexandria

and ledger both ...

someone special gave me a star for christmas! ... there it is ... right in the claw of the constellation cancer, which is very fitting ... at least i think it's the claw ... it's in my birth constellation of cancer anyway ... and i LOVE it ... i didn't think i would, but i do ... i feel like the little prince ... i have a star i can point to :) ... and it comes with this nifty map ...

and a very official looking registration certificate ... it may not hold up if i wanted to, say, go stake a claim or something ... but it's still cool nevertheless ...

i've joined so many ning groups ... i can't resist ... they're all so fantastic ... the people i've met there are awesome ... i know i'll forget some but ... milliande has a WONDERFUL creativity class for women, suzi blu has the whole beautiful goddess crew over at her place, and my buddy marguerite has started a new class called red balloon to the moon ... & i keep up with my raw friends over on raw fu ... check them out if you get a chance and are interested in those sorts of things ...

each group has a blog thing for all the participants ... which i've been seriously neglecting ... but i really feel a need to stay connected ... so i'm going to be blogging all over the place ... so if you see repeat posts, that's why ...

omg, i twitter now ... today was my first day of tweeting at my peeps ... who would have twought it could be so addictwive? ... seriously ... it's hard core intwernet crack ... but it's motwivatwing in some twotally tweird tway ... i feel like i have to do sometwing sometwhat meaningful with my day, just so i have sometwing to tweet about ...

and what is this cousin it looking hideosity? ... this is me ... yes ... this is what i look like after sleeping with alexandria (she spent the night last night) ... i swear she's going to be a weaver of some sort when she grows up ... she rubs my hair to go to sleep, and i think most of the night, and i wake up looking like buckwheat and don king's love child ... :)

ok, now why did i start writing this blog tonight? ... oh yeah, i'm busy doing some commissions and i'm going to be putting some originals in my etsy shop ... i have one listed already ...

this is the video of the making of ...

how is YOUR new year going? ... let me know!

xoxo

winter/new year/holiday giveaway WINNNERS

2008-12-31T23:34:00.000-05:00

i hope everyone's having an excellent new year's eve ...
i picked the winners of the giveaway and they are ...

1st prize ... PaintedSkyWoman
2nd ... Collette
3rd ... Melanie Moreno

congratulations!

please e-mail me your shipping info and what your print choice is ...
just send it to ...
lisacole690@aol.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

xoxo

my winter/new year/holiday giveaway ...

2008-12-20T19:55:00.000-05:00

brrr ... it's cold here!

even the wild turkeys think it's nippy!

i hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season ... it's been a mixed bag here ... lots of folks here are down with that cold that's going around ... including me ... still! ... alexandria and ledger too ... i swear i've never see so much snot in my whole life ...

did i just say "snot" in my holiday giveaway post? ... i guess i did ... but at least i didn't tell you about the stomach flu everyone had ... :)

so, it's that time of year ... giveaway time ... actually i'm a bit late in doing my holiday giveaway ... but anyway ... i'm going to have

three prizes ...

first ... the print of your choice from my etsy shop

second ... a small print of your choice

third ... mini print of your choice ...

all you have to do is leave a comment below that is something i can recognize you from ... of course, i'd love it if you followed my blog ... but it's not required for the giveaway ...

i'll be drawing the winners on new year's eve at midnight ...

good luck, much love, happy holidays, and a fabulous new year to you all!

xoxo

rawfu impromptu giveaway ...

2008-12-14T20:35:00.000-05:00

ok rawfuers ... just leave a comment & name of some sort so i know who you are ... and i'll do a drawing ... the giveaway is the print of your choice from my etsy shop ... xoxo

addendum ... i drew a winner this evening just before midnight ... and the winner was leslie ... congrats leslie! ... xoxo

ancestors ...

2008-12-08T23:32:00.000-05:00

national geographic has the coolest program ... you can send in a cheek swab and they will tell you where your ancestors came from (you're contributing to their genetic database by participating as well) ... in the case of women, it's a matrilinial geneology ...

national geographic will check the mitochondrial DNA (mDNA) when testing women ... mDNA is what is passed down exclusively through women ... for example, i have the same mDNA as my mother, my mother's mother ... my maternal grandmother's mother, and so on ... my daughter and my granddaughter alexandria, as well as my son and grandson, have this same mDNA ... alexandria's children will too ... but my son's and grandson's children will have the mDNA of the mother of their children ...

oops, sorry, did i put you to sleep? ... i'm totally sick with a cold and i think it's made me overly pondersome :)

here's another cool thing ... a female fetus has all the eggs she will ever make ... so ... at one time, we were all an egg ... inside the ovary of our mother ... who was a fetus ... inside our grandmother ... kind of like ...

russian nesting dolls ...

speaking of ancestors ...

i've been restoring some old photos (still working on them ... i need photoshop!) ... and i thought i'd post them here ...

this is my grandma ramey's mother on her wedding day in 1911 ...

my great grandparents together

my father in korea

my mother at about 12 (about the time my dad met her lol) ...

i think sometimes it's fun to look at where we came from ...

national geographic's genogrographic project

she talks with angels ...

2008-12-02T18:06:00.000-05:00

she talks with angels ... not TO angels, but WITH angels ... see the difference, yes?

i found this angel in a piece of wood ... her heart was the center of a knot and her wings were growth rings :) ... i thought she was beautiful ...

she's in my etsy shop ...

xoxo

... first steps ...

2008-11-24T22:06:00.000-05:00

i'm participating in the 3 week challenge over at http://3weekchallenge.ning.com ... it's such a wonderful group of women ... and i have the best buddy ever over there ... she made me think of this song ...

'cuz you gotta start somewhere ...

xoxo

hmm ... go figure :)

2008-11-20T22:58:00.000-05:00

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

... she let go ...

2008-11-16T12:41:00.000-05:00

“She let go.

Without a thought or a word, she let go.

She let go of the fear.

She let go of the judgments.

She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around in her head.

She let go of the committee of indecision within her.

She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons.

Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.

She didn’t ask anyone for advice.

She didn’t read a book on how to let go.

She didn’t search the scriptures.

She just let go.

She let go of all of the memories that held her back.

She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward.

She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.

She didn’t promise to let go.

She didn’t journal about it.

She didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer.

She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper.

She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope.

She just let go.

She didn’t analyze whether she should let go.

She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter.

She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment.

She didn’t call the prayer line.

She didn’t utter one word.

She just let go.

No one was around when it happened.

There was no applause or congratulations.

No one thanked her or praised her.

No one noticed a thing.

Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.

There was no effort.

There was no struggle.

It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad.

It was what it was, and it is just that.

In the space of letting go, she let it all be.

A small smile came over her face.

A light breeze blew through her.

And the sun and the moon shone on her.”

~Earnest Holmes

2008-10-31T17:56:00.001-04:00

ally turns 2 ...

2008-10-03T17:16:00.001-04:00

alexandria turned two years old in late august ... my gorgeous purring leo grandbaby is growing into a stunningly beautiful smart creative strong capable little girl ...

this is my dad with ledger, ally's 8 month old brother ... ally and ledger are my dad's first great grandchildren ... & ledger is a blazing ray of dimpled sunshine ...

my grandma ramey ...

2008-10-03T17:03:00.000-04:00

My Grandma Ramey

Above is a photo of my grandmother. She will be 93 on October 21. I consider myself extremely fortunate to still have her with me. I'm grateful for her, me, my mother, my children and my new granddaughter, Alexandria … who Grandma Remy's first great-great grandchild. Had she died at the average age of 76 or so, we all would have missed a great deal, indeed. No one has any guarantees, but I believe we'll be able to enjoy each others company for some years to come.

My Grandma's 93, but doesn't fit the stereotype of what 93 should be … she's totally engaged in life, reads voraciously, travels, is totally committed to her faith, her family and her friends … and she still takes an aerobics class three times a week.

I wanted to tell you about her just because I think she's great, plus I think she's an example of how lifestyle can perhaps affect how well we age. I don't mean we will all live to be 100 or even to 90. But I mean most of us can live better, healthier and longer lives if we make a few simple changes in our lives.

My Grandma Ramey hasn't had an easy life. Born in 1915, her mother died when she was very young. She was a teenager during much of the Depression. She married my grandfather and had eleven children - three died as children and two have died as adults of today's top killer, cancer. My Grandfather died – from a heart defect - when their youngest baby, my Aunt Rebbeca, was only nine months old.

She has experienced periods of being poor and she has always had to work hard to provide for and take care of her family. Two more husbands and numerous friends and relatives have passed away.

So what has she done that I believe has helped her live a long and healthy life?

Until she was in her 80s and moved to a condo to be closer to her daughters, Grandma Ramey always kept a huge garden, which supplied much of what she ate. She's been a vegetarian for many decades … eating much of her food raw … even nibbling straight from the garden (which I thought was such great fun as a kid!) … she no longer has her own garden, but is still vegetarian with a love for fresh fruits and veggies … She's always been very physically active, too.

One time, she was visiting us when she was in her late 70s ... When I woke up I couldn't find her. I looked all over the house. Finally, I went outside and found her … she had taken an early morning miles long hike through the huge state park behind our house and then climbed one of our trees to bird watch. By the time I found her, it was only 8 am … she'd headed out when the sun came up and she was still having fun at that evening's party around the bon fire.

I think being vegetarian and being active are both very important for good health and I think both have helped my Grandma greatly in being well for the majority of her life. But I think there's even more to it …

I've always known my Grandma Ramey to be an optimist. She's suffered losses and grieved, but has always, always been grateful for everything and been very happy with her life no matter what it brought her … I don't think she's ever had a meal without first giving thanks … or ever spent much time feeling sorry for herself, even when she may have had very real reasons to feel down … she's always looked on the bright side of her life and the lives of others …

For example … my cousin was having chemotherapy treatment which caused her hair to fall out. My Grandma told me, "Oh, Beth has SUCH a BEAUTIFUL wig!" She didn't focus on the hair loss at all, but how good she looked in the wig.

And she loves being around people. She's always had an active social life and gladly attends any party, luncheon or get together to which she's been invited. She still has a very active social life, with lunch dates and shopping trips and traveling.

My Grandma has always been able to find the nugget of joy in any situation … whether that be the taste of an ear of corn eaten raw and fresh in a sunny garden, doing physical work and play or deeply sharing her life with others … through births, lives and deaths …

Yes, we're all better off if we eat healthy – which means mostly vegan - and get regular exercise. Most people know that even if they may not practice it … But maybe finding those nuggets of joy, and reaching out towards everything life has to offer, is just as important as anything else.

xoxo

A Watercolor Study

2008-08-27T11:51:00.001-04:00

this is a watercolor by my friend yixiazi ... he's very good ... xoxo

bird in the hand ...

2008-08-15T23:27:00.001-04:00

this is a video of a painting i did this past spring ... around that time, a starling got trapped in my bedroom wall, of all places ... so i cut a hole to let him out ... i wondered if he would take his escape or stay where he believed he was safe ...

... he flew ... :)

xoxo

moons & melons ...

2008-08-08T00:51:00.001-04:00

it's almost the first quarter moon ... this is what i was able to photograph earlier this evening ... just before dark and then after dark ... when the moon was the most gorgeous vivid orange ...

and i'm totally loving the garden ... check out those juicy melons! ...

xoxo

2 girls, 1 shirt

2008-08-04T07:24:00.001-04:00

what do you do when you wake up early and it's just a little bit chilly? ... you share a shirt!

(wow, we both have some serious bed head ... lol)

xoxo

green smoothies

2008-08-04T06:01:00.001-04:00

this is my granddaughter alexandria, who is almost two, with a green smoothie mustache ...

allie stayed with me last night and i made green smoothies for us ... i used the juice of 1 orange and 1 grapefruit, about a pound of greens from the garden, 1 banana & about 3/4 of a pound of frozen mango ... they were so good ... and allie agreed ...

i think it's a myth that we have to trick small children into eating what's good for them ... i've seen again and again that allie, if given a choice of a variety of foods, will choose the fresh, juicy fruits and veggies every time ...

my daughter and son-in-law aren't vegetarian (yet! ... i'm working on them!) ... but i've even seen allie ignore fast food french fries in favor of watermelon and strawberries ...

so here's to beautiful granddaughters & green smoothies!

xoxo

my exciting life

2008-08-03T00:23:00.000-04:00

i started my *official* 100 day raw food challenge yesterday ... i'm really committed to it ... yummy food, too ... i've had watermelon tomato soup, macadamia nut cheese (it's kind of like cream cheese), green smoothies, lots of bananas, cucumber soup, raw strawberry pie ... and i've got a big batch of raw onion "bread" in the dehydrator ...

i got wood ... yes, i did ... i got a bunch of 1x3s today so i'll be making canvases tomorrow ... using power tools ... wish me luck (power saws freak me out just a bit) ... i'll be making some big canvases ... at least 3'x4' or 3'x5' ...

AND, i have some lovely printmaking and silk screening supplies coming soon ... yay ... i have lots of ideas for all ...

below is a list of the books i'm reading this week ... yes, i'm a total book geek ...

101 prints; the history and techniques of printmaking ~ Eppink, Norman R
Anatomy of the cell.~ Afzelius, Bjorn
Authentic happiness : using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment ~ Seligman, Martin E. P.
The biology of belief : unleashing the power of consciousness, matter and miracles ~ Lipton, Bruce H.
Molecular biology of the cell ~ Alberts, Bruce
The sex life of flowers ~ Meeuse, Bastiaan
Sex, lies, and handwriting : a top expert reveals the secrets hidden in your handwriting ~ Dresbold, Michelle
The wisdom of yoga : a seeker's guide to extraordinary living ~ Cope, Stephen
The wisdom paradox : how your mind can grow stronger as your brain grows older ~ Goldberg, Elkhonon
Your favorite Seuss : 13 stories written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss with 13 introductory essays

listening to nina simone ...

that's about it ... my exciting life lol ...

xoxo
lisa

why i love youtube ...

2008-07-25T22:23:00.000-04:00

youtuber portraits ...

i've been doing some portraits lately ... many of them of people on youtube ... i need the practice ... plus, for a long time, i didn't put faces in my paintings ... or if i did, they had their eyes shut ... (it was a thing) ...

since i usually do first then think later ... my original plan was to do these portraits and then donate them to be auctioned ...

then i realized i can't just donate someone else's image like that ... i mean, i suppose i could, but it's just not nice for several different reasons ...

SO ...

instead, i'm still doing portraits for a while (at least until my new canvas gets here and i can build some frames) ... and will donate something else ...

so, what i love about youtube today is it let's me make mistakes in front so many people ... and realize that's ok ... and no one's perfect ...

ok, maybe ann spade is perfect ... but ... you know what i mean ...

xoxo

sunset & moonrise

2008-07-14T06:12:00.000-04:00

we had a particularly beautiful sunset and moonrise tonight and i thought i'd share ... :)

raw vegan recipe: pineapple cucumber soup & 2-tone smoothie

2008-07-05T08:42:00.000-04:00

recipe:

pinapple cucumber soup

ingredients:

1 pineapple
2 slicing cucumbers or 1 english cucumber
1 small onion
2-3 scallions
2 jalepenos
juice of 1/2 lemon (or lime)
1 tsp sea salt

peel and core pineapple, reserving core for juice

cut pineapple into chunks and, in batches, blend in food processer with s blade until they become not quite pureed ... more like small juicy chunks ... don't over blend

pour into serving bowl

juice the cores (optional)

finely chop the onion and scallions

finely dice jalepenos

dice cucumbers

add onions, scallions, jalepenos, lemon (or lime) juice, and cucumbers to pineapple

add pineapple juice & salt

stir & serve

********

2-tone smoothie

ingredients:

1 cup pineapple juice

2-3 cups chopped pineapple

2-3 cups frozen mango chunks

1 cup frozen blueberries

add pineapple juice, puree chopped pineapple, then add frozen mango and puree

use 3/4 of puree and divide among 2-4 glasses

in blender, add blueberries to remainder of pineapple/mango mix & puree

pour a blueberry layer on top of all servings

yum!

what's in a name?

2008-07-03T10:36:00.000-04:00

... so what exactly is in a name?

recently, i made the decision to begin using my birth/maiden name again ... it's not my legal name ... yet ...

... but it feels like me again ...

i noticed in a book i'd been reading that, from a numerology standpoint, my old name was a number 16, which corresponded to the tower card in the tarot ...

this is the tower card ...

the building is being struck by lightening, two figures are falling through the air, headed straight for a firey pit of hell ... jagged teeth ... fangs ... await them ...

"The Tower tarot card sits at number 16.

Throughout our lives we all strive to obtain and retain a sense of self and individual identity. This starts at The Emperor and our feeling of I Am. We draw people, places and things to us that help us to maintain what we believe to be our identity. Piece by piece, brick by brick, we build this ego personality, which here in the Tower is represented by the Tower itself.

Then something happens that shatters our illusions and the Tower crumbles.

In The Tower card this sudden occurrence is symbolised by lightning striking as if God himself has metered out some divine intervention. The two figures being ejected from the Tower are symbolic of our dual nature.

In life there are two distinct way in which The Tower is experienced. One is when something unexpected happens to us and the other is when someone else deliberately undermines our personality and therefore damages and destroys our self confidence."

by returning to my maiden name, numerologically my name became a 17 again ... associated with the star card in the tarot ...

this is the star card ...

"The Star tarot card sits at number 17.

"In the Star card the woman is naked as she empties out two urns of water. This is the same woman we saw in the Temperance card who was carefully balancing her emotions. Now the emotional waters are emptied, let go of, her nakedness a symbol of her acceptance that any pretence is over and that she must now face the world as she truly is without any artifice.

"Above her the stars shine in the night sky. Seven of the stars define her true nature while the eighth symbolises the breaking of the karma which binds her.

Just beyond her is a tree with a butterfly on it. Often this is depicted as a bird eating berries. This butterfly symbolises transformation and new opportunities.

Once she has finished her emotional release she will be free to turn and see the new wonders that life now offers.

The Star card in tarot is often called a card of hope. Here, however, it is not hope as we often view it as wishful thinking, but in the archaic use of the word which means to have trust and confidence in the future.

tarot information from:

http://www.toniallen.co.uk