Monday Inspiration Celebration: hodgepodge

My week in review:

Made some art postcards

cards made for 21 Secrets - still plenty of time to join!

Painted my way through some nervous energy

paintings for The Tribe/Fearless Painting

Worked in my art journals (including the slow moving journal for The Sketchbook Project which is due, um, er, in 2 months time and I am almost half way through?)









Snapped pictures when I could (and not nearly enough to satisfy me)






And drove way too many miles back and forth to the veterinarian's office for a still ailing Moose dog (we are taking distance reiki, pixie dust, prayers, and whatever anyone has to offer to help him recover from some still unknown tummy trouble. Fingers crossed it - whatever it is - is making its way through or else he will need to go in and be scoped.)






No surprises, the greatest inspiration and the force that kept me going was a little munchkin who has become an Abba fan.








I actually am amazed by this review because from my perspective, life was spent hovering on the edges of panic. Guess a little Dancing Queen works better than any sedative and perhaps should be my new mantra?

Oh, and I am loving True Stories ecourse/prompts which is really rocking my journal writing and ideas for blog post. (Thanks Pen!) And Kim Klassen has just started a new session of her Skinny Mini workshop for Photoshop which has warp speeded forward light years me in terms of my skill level with textures and corrections. (I'm not sure if she is taking new students, but get your name on a list for the next time she offers it!)

I could use a dose of energy and inspiration, so please share the ups (and downs) of your week.

Thanks for the support ♥

love, Ms. Toad on her wild ride

Weekly Reflection (weeks 40 & 41): My walls

I didn't forget my weekly reflection, I just was busy celebrating. And what was on my mind last week, has continued into this week. It is more of an observation and a realization of how words, ideas, and values can forge deep roots over time while we stay distracted by the details of our days.

series of prints by Sarah Ahearn

When I was in graduate school, I wrote a paper for a seminar on Women and the Arts about a local gallery owner who was a pioneer of sorts bringing International art to the region and forging a career in a field dominated by men. I had a number of interviews with her and to be honest, what I wrote in my paper I cannot remember. The only thing that stuck with me was when she talked about the impact of her career upon her family. She said "My kids grew up in a home where we had little furniture, but we always had art upon the walls." I have carried that image with me for over 20 years. It excited me to think we do have those kinds of choices: what is essential to one person - a coordinated set of living room furniture - would be unimportant to another and that owning art could be seen not so much as a privilege, but a necessity.

"flying free" and "pink buddha" by Kristen Walker

Then last year I read this inspired piece on supporting local artists by fellow artist & blogger Kristen which got me really thinking about how support is a two-way street. So I jumped aboard the Etsy bandwagon if you will, and have tried to purchase gifts whose makers I had a face I could identify or at the very least, work that showed the touch of an individual's hand upon it. All of which led me to making this year a Artful birthday. And as I looked around my home for the perfect spot to hang my new pieces, I happily realized supporting artists and surrounding myself with art has been a life-long habit.

I think back to my college dorm rooms where I hung art posters chronicling my visits to the blockbuster Museum shows. My walls were covered by Van Gogh, O'keefe, Monet, and Picasso (I've come to realize, I've always been eclectic). But my first purchase of real art was a gift to myself (see the seeds of a theme developing here?) after I graduated from college. My adviser's husband was a print maker and I had seen this piece hanging in their home when I decided to buy it for myself.

detail of "Fractured Mirror" by Sandy Kinnee

I knew all about the piece: how it was made while their were living in Paris and my adviser was researching and writing about Toulouse Lautrec. Her husband explained how he wanted to explore the challenge of creating a balanced composition within the shape of an oval. He was also inspired by oval mirrors they had seen hanging at Versailles and there is a segment of the piece that replicates the look of antiqued glass.

sideboard by Elizabeth Eckel

This piece now hangs over a side board that my husband had his cousin make for us. She was a master of faux finishes and this piece reminds me of the years we all lived in Boston and she was first learning these techniques. We also have a print by her mother, depicting a scene in Telluride, Colorado where we all have vacationed. I got this piece for my husband's 40th birthday. Sadly, his aunt now has alzheimer's and the piece I bought was one of her last works.

Whenever we travel, we bring home something to remind us of our time abroad: cheap papyrus prints with our names in hieroglyphs from Egypt;

Florence Duomo by street artist

watercolors purchased by artists working outside the Uffizi in Florence; a batik image inspired by the Book of Kells from our honeymoon in Ireland; as well as works from galleries in New York.






Our home is a wonderful mixture of high and low art. I have pieces Cowgirl made hanging in her room; I have pieces made by myself and my brother from years ago framed and hanging. We have a pair of nineteenth century portraits of a rather severe looking Yankee couple hanging across from a playful Andy Warhol piece; I have a framed poster of Krishna and Radha in my yoga room along with a watercolor series of Cape Cod. And I now have my art scattered throughout the house.





I will be curious to see what the impact of living in a home filled with art will have upon Cowgirl. At the very least, our home is rich with stories and with memories. It is filled with the spirit of all these people who live by creating. I know that inspires me to get up and spill the world inside my mind onto the page in some fashion every day. And if nothing else, the art in my home speaks of a life well lived, people and places and moments savored and who could ask for anything better than that?

wordless wednesday: belated birthday edition

No words, just drool ...





A birthday art card from fellow Fearless painter and Tribe member Jane. I could wax on and on about the delicate handling of the gesso, the pencil line, the exquisite treatment of the kilt but come on! It's Ewan McGregor in a kilt without a shirt on! It just doesn't get any better my friends.

Cowgirl did ask: Mommy, why is that man wearing a skirt?

Because he looks so darn good in it sweetie.

Yes, I am speechless. But very, very contented. (You can read more about my Ewan fascination here and here where I totally embarrass myself.) And I am proud to know my little art postcard workshop has proven inspiring, if only for me. (There is still plenty of time to sign up for 21 Secrets where you too can learn how to make such yummy - I mean creative - pieces.)

Back to sighing ...

Happy Wednesday!

Monday Inspiration Celebration: one burnt pumpkin

Okay, I will confess: Halloween kicked my booty! Maybe it is the fact I am officially one year older now (I turned 8; in our house we go by "fairy years" - kinda like dog years except you have to add a few decades onto your "number" as Cowgirl refers to it) or maybe it was the nonstop party action that began with cupcakes for lunch on my day, then 2 parties the next day for Cowgirl and another on Halloween and then trick or treating. Phew! My brain and feet hurt just remembering it all.

But amidst the sugar-frenzy of the weekend, there were some non-sucrose moments of pure inspiration and beauty. Behold the latest experiments with my chocolate and vanilla polaroid camera and the Silver Shade PX-100 film:











Maybe it is the novelty of it, but I am loving the dreamlike quality to these image. And speaking of dreams ... yes, lame attempt at a segue ... I think my sugar levels are dropping ... I had an art-filled birthday this year. First, my dear friend Diana (who knows me so well!) sent me two prints by Sarah Ahearn and as I have one print purchased at Squam, I now have a lovely array of images for a stunning wall grouping. I have the frames, I just need to hang everything. Unlike Diana - who is such a mom in that she pays attention and gives the kind of gifts you love but never would have thought to ask for - I tell my husband exactly what I want him to get me. Behold:

"moon & moth"

A Sarah Ahearn original! It is the most amazing piece ... tiny fragments of collage materials, colored pencil and paint are carefully layered and arranged to create a stunning piece. It blows my mind to examine it and see how much is packed into 4 inches by 4 inches. Like seeing a reflection in a dew drop - a whole world captured in a tiny frame. Sarah's style and technique have totally inspired me as I see strands of my interests slowing twining together into what I hope will be my own creative voice.

friends, it doesn't get any better than this! what a treat to open up this package ♥

One tradition I follow on my birthday is to give myself a present. I'd like to believe I am teaching Cowgirl about self sufficiency :) This year I wanted to show my support for another artist and blogger whose work and spirit of generosity always warms my heart and thrills my spirit. And boy, did she not disappoint! In addition to my print, sweet Kristen sent me an extra print, some cool tags made from her pieces and a confetti filled package that had Cowgirl and I on the floor gathering up bits for our journals and arguing over who got what.

detail of "fly free" by Kristen Walker with embellishment on package

Finally, Halloween itself was an energy high beyond anything a candy bar could induce. I think Cowgirl really believed she would be transformed on that night into a an actual ninja!






She was off the hook with energy and excitement and became absolutely giddy with glee as the evening wore on. She brought home enough candy to last us the entire year (we allow one sweet thing a day) and I am sure the neighbors gave her extra to fend off any future ninja attacks. And this holiday saw the return of a beloved character in our family:

FrankenMoosie!

Phew! That's a lot of action for one short week. Now's it your turn to share. What monsters did you befriend this weekend?

Until next time ...




Ninja's out!

Texture & Text

This past summer the Husband bought himself a pellet smoker grill. I'm not sure if that is the accurate name but from my perspective it smokes and it cooks, so smoker grill it is. I've come to think of it as his baby because he has stayed up late and gotten up early to baste meat products left on over night for extra smokey goodness. He smoked a flank steak for Mother's Day which was a two day ordeal - I mean - production. (Never mind that I am a vegetarian, it's the effort that counts.) Just about anything he can lay his hands upon, he has smoked (yes, even pizza!)

All of this is to say I've found my equivalent to his smoking mania: textures. Specifically the textures created by Kim Klassen who has been on a tear creating textures and a Photoshop recipe book and video tutorials for those of us wanting to learn more. I am totally self taught in Photoshop and while I knew my way around layers and filters and masks, Kim's Skinny Mini 2 week tutorial has been knocking my socks off. And like my husband and his smoker, I may be going a tad crazy with adding textures to everything in addition to my new found love: text. What I am loving is the ability to create almost painterly effects. I have also been able to fine tune my skills so that hopefully the image just looks great without it screaming out at you: TEXTURE! But there are times when I enjoy the quality of creating a digital collage if you will.

So here are some of my latest efforts. Do check out all the fantastic tools and materials available over at Kim Klassen Café. Her generosity in sharing her expertise and her tricks is astonishing. And one more reason why I love this all-consuming online world.

And to clarify: the Skinny Mini is a great introduction to the great tools and flexibility of Photoshop. So the lessons are not completely about textures but how to enhance your digital images.

cowgirl and her spider crown

Monday Inspiration Celebration: My world

In an average week, I do not really travel that far from my home. Well, I do commute into the city for work, but generally I hightail it right back home when I am finished. I have Fridays off and it is not uncommon for me to stay put all day puttering in the house until it is time to pick Cowgirl up from school. When she was quite little she once asked me "Can we not have such a busy day today?" So days off for both of us are often spent quietly engaged in favorite pursuits like painting, coloring, playing board games and exploring outdoors.

polaroid shot using The Impossible Project's PX 100 Silver Shade film

Sometimes my narrow perspective can feel a little stale or dull. I wonder how many shots of Cowgirl on her bike I can possibly take or whether my many flower, shrub, or tree shots of the neighborhood are really that different and noteworthy. Yet what I love about where I live is the rich variety and nuance that can be discovered when one takes the time to look really deeply and at length at a subject. So what has been inspiring me this past week is the world that is just blocks away from my golf course neighborhood: the farm land and the skies and the open spaces that still exist in this part of the country.

each of these locations is less than a mile from my house! in all three i played with textures by Kim Klassen

And now for some random inspiration:

bags inspired by project in The Artistic Mother by Shona Cole

A new tote bag made over the weekend (a gift for a friend's daughter) - I figured out how to do zigzag stitch on the sewing machine! (It required parts and setting changed - very nerve wracking!)






Cowgirl's art always inspires me! This is her and I with our friends celebrating under a rainbow.






Is there anything better than receiving some mail art? This is a postcard from one of the participants in 21 Secrets. I am organizing a mail art swap for my class - there is still plenty of time to sign up for the course. I am learning so much from the various presenters: traditional Chinese paper cutting; typography for art journaling; a cool technique utilizing tissue paper and clip art for layered journal pages and so much more.

So share links to your inspirations and/or creations. I am finding myself looking forward to Mondays just to see what everyone is up to!

Weekly Reflection (week 40): A day

I am in week four of Susannah Conway's latest ecourse offering Unravelling 2: Living in My World. Her first course blew the lid off for me in many ways, but the greatest shift was to embrace Fearlessness when it comes to my creative life. The new course is proving to be equally enlightening in more subtle, deeper ways that I cannot articulate just yet. Each week feels like the material is burrowing deeper and deeper into my understanding of myself and how I live - and create - my life. The beauty of the course is a chance and a challenge to articulate for myself my beliefs, my values, my sense of self and how that is crafted daily. In a word, the course is sharpening my sense of Mindfulness.





6 am, 7 am, 8 am, 9 am






10 am, 11 am, noon, 1 pm



This past week the focus was upon the elements of our day. To comprehend how we spend each day, we were to document with our cameras twelve hours of our day, taking a picture or two every hour. What I love about this kind of exercise is how the details of seemingly mundane tasks are highlighted; with attention the prosaic becomes poetry. I found myself noticing the steam on the shower handle, the pattern of dirty cups in the kitchen sink, the landscape of the interstate that I drive every day all deeply engaging when I take the time to notice.





2 pm, 3 pm, 4 pm, 5 pm




So my reflection for the week has a focused awareness of the details of my day and an understanding of the ways my camera and my art (painting, drawing, writing) help me to slow down time and savor the details. Through this practice I am aware of this truth:

"There is a close connection between deep concentration and love, and with the practice of one-pointed attention we can greatly increase the precious capacity to remain loving and loyal no matter what the vicissitudes or circumstances we encounter."
Slowing down and one-pointed attention are two of the Eight Points outlined in a program for living a fuller and more spiritual life by a wonderful teacher, Eknath Easwaran. I have always admired Sri Easwaran's teachings and but have found it challenging to stick to his deceptively simple program. But now I think I have found the right tools to assist me: my camera and my journals.

How do you cultivate awareness of details that make up your day? Care to join me and show us 12 hours from your life?