More images from the cape

"People frequently believe the creative life is grounded in fantasy.   .... The more difficult truth is that creativity is grounded in reality!" ~ Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way

Cape Cod Weekend Beach walk

MASTERS II at NEQM

Tim Harding, side view

Patricia Malarcher, detail

I went down to the New England Quilt Museum today to see the Masters II show. It was amazing. I really enjoy seeing the innovation others come up with. I was most inspired by textures. These two shots have such texture to them!

Subject and Painting

New Year Images

Sketchbook entry

My plants

Happy New Year!

Okay, the new year is here, and the snow too. Time to get serious in the studio.

I hope 2013 is a good year.

I want to keep up with the sketchbook challenge.
I will do the Artist's Way, Jan. through March.
I start a new part-time job this week.

And, of course! there is always sewing, sewing, sewing! I start the year off with several projects up my sleeve + one commission.

Yes! I know it's gonna be a great year.

The Artist's Way

I'm starting the Artist's Way in January.
Morning pages here I come!
Go for it! 

Making Snow Angels

End of the year wisdom

I just finished reading a book called "18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction and Get the Right Things Done" by Peter Bregman. I found it in the library the other day, so I checked it out and brought it home. I'm always grabbing for these self help books because I do get distracted and I don't get as much done as I would like to on my artwork. Well, I read this book all the way through and I thought it was very, very good.

Yes, like most self help books of this type, he covers all the information about getting organized with lists. But then, he goes beyond. He covers topics that I have always been left wondering about. So this is my book of the "end of the" year. This is the one that is taking me into another dimension of myself and I am optimistic about these fascinating insights.

There's a harder set of distractions to master: the distractions you can't blame on anyone else. The distractions you create yourself. 

"The rule is simple: When you want to do something, Focus.  When you don't want to do something, Distract." 

Distraction, used intentionally, can be an asset! You may want to distract from "Y" so you can focus on "X". 

The world doesn't reward perfection. It rewards productivity!

Your mind can help you move forward or can get in the way. Choose the fantasy world that supports you.

Yup! A great book. I will refer to it again and again. 

Amidst the rubble

CHRISTMAS PORTRAITS

Procrastination.... this sums it up nicely!

Comic by Randy Glasbergen

Opening up to Change

Today is my last craft show for 2012.
I feel like my life is opening up to change.
This picture of Lake Champlain sums up what I mean visually. I'll explain it as best I can. See that solid piece of land? That little triangle piece represents my core. The water below and around the land is my present state and the fading mountains are my future. The blue green dividing line is my constant. The entire outlook is serene yet excitingly mysterious.....
Hey, you should see what's happening with my art right now, too.
Life is change.
Yes, I am opening up and ready for change!

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”
~ Eric Roth

So, this is what I've been doing....

Sets and cast for "SUPER" an original play by
 Jake, Kyle and their mom, Jodi Van Leer

See those sets? Well, I've been painting sets since September! We painted four drops and 11 flat boards and an assortment of angular attachment flats. There was scaffolding behind this set and some of the characters climbed up into it. It was very cool!
Okay, I'm hoping to catch up with this blog on a more regular basis in December. But then, I said that a few months ago, didn't I?  Ah well, whatever!

A sleepy kind of Saturday

Maybe I'll draw for a bit or read a book quietly before I go out to help at my daughters play.
The busyness of life makes me jealous of cats. How can they sleep so peacefully with all the stuff going on around them?

"A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not."

 ~ Earnest Hemingway

Upcoming events I will be vending at:

Look for me downstairs in this beautifully crafted juried show.

Look for my booth in this wonderful non juried crafts show,

Election Time Ahead

Susan Shie's 12 x 12 SAQA Auction piece

It's nearing our time to vote. And our choices are dramatic. Having been laid off by Bain Capital (and seen first hand how slick and sleazy they operate), I sincerely hope Obama wins this election.

I have never looked at Obama as the beam of light that was thrust upon him when he was voted into office. I took from his first speech to the world not to expect a miracle man AND that any change takes a lot of sacrifice and patience. (Yes, it took 40 years from MLK to see a black man get elected as president!)

As a middle aged self employed person, I have seen the job market dwindle and now start to come alive again. We are in a recovery at this point and I know that, slow and steady, with Obama, we will ALL benefit with his economic stimulus. Obama has directed his attention to the future growth of our country and that is where we are headed.

It's time to get out and give the man my vote.

Prayer Flag workshop

Margaret M Sheehan

My prayer flag workshop went really well this morning. As of today, more loving thoughts will be sent out into the universe along with loving brush strokes of paint and swirling thoughtful energy. I am so glad I can guide people in this process. It's all good.

NH Open Doors Weekend

This Weekend is NH Open Doors!

I will be leading a class on Prayer Flags at the Hanover Craftstudies studio from 10 - noon!
Come by and watch us or sign up ahead of time to participate.

The class fee includes all supplies. I am making the flags for this class. You embellish it!

http://www.nhopendoors.com/participantsmain.php

Get out an support your favorite artists! I hope to see you in Hanover.

Working toward creativity

New piece! 7.5" x 7.5"

I had a struggling day in the studio yesterday. I just couldn't get myself started, and then, this happened! This little red number emerged from my psyche. It started with a piece of fabric I had mono-printed. Slowly, I got my groove going. I'm delighted that it is so vibrantly bright. That's a great sign.
Now, I'll add a few gold bugle beads or perhaps french knots here and there and then frame it.

Move Forward, Go Ahead!

YES!

Work That I Admire

These are a few pieces from the Vermont Institute of Contemporary Studies Fiber show that is just coming down today, in Chester Vermont. The show was fabulous! Great work done by all the participants! I particularly enjoyed these pieces the second time I saw the show.

Close up detail of Elizabeth Fram's work

Sandy Gregg's Quilt

Close up, Marilyn Gillis' Quilt