Paint Under My Nails

FIRST things first, we show the "Grandman," the best looking grandchild in the world. Just ask my daughter, the grandmother. Yes ... that, er, makes me the great-grandmother. Life is stranger than fiction (or something like that).
Saturday I was out shopping for art supplies and Sunday (today) I was at Art & Soul from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. using the supplies. I took Katie Kendrick's class, "Every Face Tells A Story."
What a place Art & Soul is, with rooms full of people creating wonderful things, treasures, gifts and new careers, I'll bet.
The hallway was full of women in aprons but no one was cooking food. Everyone was cooking up Art!
There was transformational painting, "Skulls, Wings & Rusty Things," "Funky Found Object Canvas Village," Tiny Treasure, Spinning Bead Pendant and lots more. And there are classes tomorrow, too. Oh, don't think calling in sick and getting a hotel room didn't come into my pea brain! Maybe next year I will do four classes in four days. I could eat for two days on the turkey club sandwiches from the hotel. I hear that Nov. 7-11 they are doing four days at the Inn at Spanish Head. Not many spaces left though.
So, what did we paint? Katie asked us to bring Ampersand claybord and it was great to work on. Gosh, I felt almost professional. She also wanted us to bring high contrast printed pictures of faces.
Here is my first picture from Google hosted Life magazine photos. We used light, medium and dark values of collage materials ripped from magazines to lay down for texture and then painted over them.
I was having fun with this one for quite a while. She was "speaking" to me and my fingers were covered with gesso and acrylic paint. It was like a pair of gloves! Then the fun stopped. I became self conscious and she got a bit testy, not liking anything I was doing to her. Fortunately Katie's method includes working on two or more projects at a time and so we all began another picture.
This time it was supposed to be mostly paint. Water-soluable crayons were used and stabilo pencils and sometimes a little collage. I didn't use a photo for this one, but just drew a face on my own.
You'll have to look sideways at this one. It forgot to rotate it and I'm too lazy to stop and do that now. I had big trouble with this one, so after Katie finished a "demo," I stood in line for help.
Here she is showing a bunch of different methods - transfers, stamping, shading and magic. She just jabs brushes into this paint and a little bit of that and they take on magic colors. The outlines on the faces she paints are just amazing. To watch them transform in front of you is like watching time lapse photography. Practice, practice, practice. That's all it takes. Well, not strictly all.
So after she took a hand in helping me with my face and the story it had to tell, this is what showed up in the hallway for our group show. (Mine is No. 2 and 3, both in the middle.)
I tell you what, I was going to show them all to you, but it is 9 p.m. and there's a workday tomorrow and more painting if I get home on time. We'll talk painting then, OK? - femminismo

Racing Into Fall

THESE days are passing so rapidly that it's like that old movie standby when pages from the calendar on the wall are ripped off by the wind -- until we've arrived weeks beyond where we were.
Yesterday I went home sick from work. Tired is more like the reason my body decided it was time to go home. That and allergies. I have been pushing myself pretty hard and trying to cram too much into my 24 hours a day. I want to "possess" every minute of the time I've got and often I forget about relaxation time.
I made the Art Harvest Tour in Yamhill County this fall. Wonderful day for driving and visiting. We saw Linda and Jim Hayes in Pike (love the name of that town!) and they had so many beautiful jewelry items and a lovely garden. I owe them pictures, too.
Susan Day in Yamhill had many beautiful pastels and bicycles in her yard.
Whoops! Run out of time. Must run. I'll be back soon!

So ... now I've done yoga to relax myself and keep limber and I got a little dinner and read for a while. Then a sudden urge took hold and I poured a generous amount of olive oil in two pans and started cutting up tomatoes - red and ripe from the garden. I had to get the flashlight out and made a raid on the garden around 7:30 p.m. just to fill up some room in the pan. There were so many big guys hanging there - round and red - happy to see me. You never know when the rain might start and the tomatoes will split. I can smell them from here at the computer, bubbling away in the oven. Yum! Tomato sauce beyond "good." It will be a present for a friend tomorrow - femminismo

St. Laurence - Finder of Lost Electronica

THANKS, Seth, for the name of Sir Laurence. I will post him quickly - hopefully - and then be on my way to the meeting I *must* attend tonight.
He found my camera and cell phone and perhaps he can locate something in platinum for me that I haven't lost but would like to find! - femminismo

Good Grief! It's Raining Eggs!

HOW could I allow you to worry all this time about my electronic devices, my dear blog!?
I found everything - phone and camera - shortly after posting the picture of Sir Laurence and was actually going to immortalize him as a saint through some nifty Photoshop work ... but then that plan fell by the wayside. The universe did look out for me once more.
I had better post something tonight, however, because I have a meeting tomorrow night and may not have the time.
-The picture of eggs is from a magnificent collection at the Pioneer Museum in Tillamook, Oregon. Go if you ever have the chance.-
Today I listened to a voice mail from Barb in Michigan, one of my dearest, dearest friends and she said she reads this blog (oh, isn't she the dearest?) and she said it sounds as though I'm leading an interesting life.
I had to laugh since I have been feeling quite recently (yesterday) that my life is depressing and meaningless. I have been (still) reading "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi and in the book she quotes from Henry James' "The Ambassadors" as Lambert Strether, the hero of the novel, tells a young painter, little Bilham, whom he has unofficially appointed as his spiritual heir: "Live all you can; it's a mistake not to. It doesn't so much matter what you do in particular so long as you have your life. If you haven't had that what *have* you had? I'm too old -- too old at any rate for what I see. What one loses one loses; make no mistake about that. Still, we have the illusion of freedom; therefore don't, like me to-day, be without the memory of that illusion. I was either, at the right time, too stupid or too intelligent to have it, and now I'm a case of reaction against the mistake. For it *was* a mistake. Live, live!"
And, yes, there were times when I was too stupid or too intelligent to take a different path than the one I'm on right now, and there certainly are some regrets. All the time I've wasted for instance. Some would say I'm doing that again right now, but not me.
The Mister and I spent Tuesday, Sept. 21, celebrating our 14th anniversary in Oceanside, Oregon. We walked through the tunnel carved into Maxwell Point and came out on the other side to dig through rocks to find another heart-shaped one for our collection. Lots of great finds and it was a beautiful day on the coast.
This Friday I am joining a friend to hit the Art Harvest Tour in Yamhill County. That area of Oregon looks a lot like Tuscany, only the hills are farther away from each other and the lanes are much longer and dustier with no impromptu boccie ball in the fields. And on Saturday the same friend and I are taking a travel writing workshop. This is our second one together and soon we will have to do some traveling for research on an article to $$ sell $$! Then we can take more trips.
And I've saved the best for last: On Oct. 10 I am taking Katie Kendrick's Art & Soul class in Portland, "Every Face Tells a Story." If I don't have actual artwork to show you after that I don't know what my excuse will be. Check out her blog if you want to see some of the wonderful work she's produced. So now I guess I'm not living a meaningless life. It's a self-directed life toward more art and travel - femminismo
p.s. The sunset picture, with fishing boat and gull on pole, was taken after dinner at the coast on Sept. 21, 2010, in Tillamook.

Feeling a little D.O.O.M.E.D.

WELL, a picture-less post is not really what I wanted to give you tonight, dear old blog. I wanted to fill a post with pictures of the Chalk Art Festival in Forest Grove, but then I found out this morning that my camera is missing. So is my BlackBerry.
I don't know where that "last place" is where I laid them down.
Do I feel sad?? - Is the sky gray? Do mules have pointy ears? Are 2 and 2 still 4?
I hope my Principles of Universal Gratitude and Righteousness pan out and all is right with the world tomorrow, when I get an e-mail from someone that they found my camera and handed it in to someone in charge and it's waiting for me someplace. I don't really care about the phone.
JUST GET ME MY CAMERA - femminismo

p.s. Found this Life magazine archive file photo of Sir Laurence Olivier. Hope it helps ... this little prayer.

August Little Books

TODAY I was out taking some photos for work, to use in a new advertisement we will have for October. These little mums seemed especially fall-like.
And here's another flower that's seen the warmest part of the season. Now it's gathering a little gold from a nearby tree.
This is that time of year when I feel I should be buying woolen skirts and sweaters and hiking for the school bus clutching my Pee Chee folder. I wonder if Pee Chees are used only in America? Or if nowadays they are even used at all. Probably a thing of the past. (Well, no, I guess not according to Wikipedia. -click on link- The entry says they had "fallen out of use during the 2000s" but I guess Mead still makes them.) We really used to decorate ours!
Tonight I have officially gotten every one of my little August books - all 31 of them - in painted envelopes. Each little book is hand sewn and I've copied poems in most of them. (These books are not collector's items, since they are not works of art. But they are interesting, I think.)
They will go next to three ladies who are going to add some decorations to them. I can hardly wait to see what they come up with!
I have put on torn out pictures and stamps and all sorts of little bits of things that have been waiting for some time for a good home.
Jeff Bridges (photo by Mary Ellen Mark) is my idea of a saint I could worship. Saint Jeff, patron saint of women who still get fired up thinking about the early Elvis.
Now I'm just going on and irritating people. Ah, well! If this is my daily/weekly/monthly diary, then I get to write what I darn well please.
Speaking of Saint Jeff, there's also Saint "Don Draper" to adore. Such a scoundrel! Is anyone else out there hooked on "Mad Men"? I actually sit down and devote an hour each Sunday, and then sometimes another hour on Monday, soaking in every last bit of dialogue. This last Sunday had quite a few laughs in it. One almost thought a bit too many, but it was enjoyable.
One last book to show you and then I'm off to dinner (a late dinner). Love - femminismo

Rare September Daze

THE twilight between the seasons ... that's what the last two days have been. The farmers market was good for Gravenstein apples and beer tasting (and buying) on Saturday. The apples will go into a pie or cobbler - whichever can be made with the least amount of calories. I know: Good luck!
I met a beer maker at the farmers market and unfortunately didn't catch his name, but the beer is brewed under the moniker Captured by Porches. Click to see their Web page for more information on this unique beer brewing "company."
I tried Rebecca's divine wit, which was unique without being off-putting. However, I settled on the other beer - Invasive Species - since I thought the fruity flavor might go with food better. Food, yes. Another evening of food, me thinks.
And I spent the rest of Saturday at Valley Art Gallery helping with a reception for Forest Grove High School graduates who have continued their art adventures. Good for our gallery to feel like they had a small part in that.
And this coming Saturday, September 18, is the Chalk Art Festival - the 20th anniversary event. Maybe there will be birthday cake for the gallery??? Even if there's not, there will be chalk art drawings on the sidewalk and I can't wait. Maybe this will be the year for another balloon hat - femminismo

The Day of Awe: Rosh Hashanah

"MAY you be inscribed and sealed for a good year." A tradition to say and my blessing for you.
The holiday ended tonight but last night (Thursday) we had our celebratory meal. I enjoy marking holidays because it gives me the inspiration to cook and discover new foods. Oh, and eat!
Somehow the Force was with me last night and the roasted chicken, rice pilaf and chard dish all turned out at the right times to come together for a fine meal.
The challah was from the bakery because, hey! Who has time to knead, let the dough rise and braid the challah with a full-time job? It was delicious though - everything was. And now I am a new fan of chard.
My stepson says it is "nutrionally dense" and I am sure he is right. I sauteed garlic in grape seed oil and then cooked about 8 cups of coarsely chopped chard. A little kosher salt, some paprika, cumin and red pepper flakes. Freshly ground pepper on top. Cook a little. Then you add 1/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice. Instead of chard you can also use beet greens. Those would be awesome, I'll bet.
I have begun paying more for my fresh roasting chickens since I can trace down their ancestry by typing in the code on their package to find out what farm they came from. They are very tender also and don't have all the added salt, unlike those frozen breasts from unnaturally huge poultry bodies. Poor little chicks!
The chicken cooked in apples and onions and had cinnamon and sugar sprinkled over it all. Chicken broth, and a wonderful Chardonnay that also accompanied the meal in glasses, was used for basting and made everything even yummier.
An entire large onion, finely chopped, was cooked in olive oil with pinon seeds/nuts, and then rice was added, along with nutmeg and a little coriander and water. Delicious, with a hint of the spices and more than a hint of the sweet onion.
For dessert we had a prune tart I had made the night before. A cooked butter and flour crust, the bottom spread after cooking with fig jam and whiskey. Then the fresh Italian prunes were quartered and laid in spiraling circles. Topped with lemon zest and cinnamon, it smelled very good cooking and tasted even better with a little vanilla bean ice cream. Bon appetit - femminismo

Profound Ignored Changes

Our political rhetoric is empty, vacuous and vapid, but things are happening. Profound, ignored changes are underway. - Llewellyn King

1999: Hillary Clinton, Millennium Lectures
What are we to do today, when leaders hijack holy traditions, even history; not to lift people closer to God or their own human potential, but to push them further apart? What do we do about those who try to constrict the circle of human dignity by convincing us that our differences -- race and religion, gender, ethnicity and tribal origin -- are more important than our common humanity? If this violent century teaches us anything, it is that whenever the dignity of one is threatened, the dignity of all is threatened as well; and none can or should remain silent.
Imagine how different life would be today for the people of Kosovo and in so many other troubled parts of our world if the evil that was allowed to run free had been stopped by those who stood up and broke the silence, that indifference did not in any way paralyze those who could have taken action.
In 1999, it isn't enough to refuse to commit crimes of hatred, stereotyping one another, going along with the crowd. It isn't enough to look deep into our own hearts and say we find them free of hatred. We have to do more. Every time we let a religious or racial slur go unchallenged or an indignity go unanswered, we are making a choice to be indifferent, a choice to constrict the circle of human dignity; a choice, I believe, to ignore history at our children's peril.

We have a lot to consider as we begin the new year - or continue it - femminismo

My Dinner With Nate and Briana

TWO first class cooks showed up at my house to make dinner Wednesday night. Talk about luscious treats. The best of summer fruits and vegetables got cooked up into wonderful sauces and roasted with fish and roast beef.
It was hot - in the 90s - and outside was the perfect place to set up tables and chairs. The smells inside the house were too much to take anyway. Too, too good!
So we've got the flowers, plates and silverware. We're off to a good start here.
I did have to go back into the house for a few peeks at what was being prepared and to see if the cooks needed anything: a grater, a juicer ... a taster?
Outside the guests were starting to arrive and everyone was hungry and happy to see each other again. It had been a while since our last visit with some of the folks.
It was perfect weather even though it was hot, but there was a nice breeze coming up. One of our guests was especially well turned out, with shiny new shoes on her feet. How about that green grass? No chemicals; just a bit of well water. (We didn't ask Lila to click her heels together and wish she was home. She was so cute we wanted her to stay forever!)
Here is Briana, her mother, and one of our cooks. Briana has her own business, Red Apples, a sustainable private chef service. Reach her at bluewillow32@hotmail.com.
The small grilled pizzas were cut into triangles and served as appetizers. They were topped with the smallest and sweetest tomatoes, sauteed red onion and melting cheese. Delicious again. And the homemade pasta!
Inside the house things were still cooking. It was getting very warm in there with the oven roasting potatoes and pots on the stove boiling away. A gravy reduction was going on for the roast beef. The smell alone was almost enough to fill you up! (Only not quite.)
The pink raspberries (or white; not sure which) were so sweet and ended up in a sauce. That's chard and maybe red pepper on the back burner.
Fresh, organic, sustainable, local. This is a great way to eat everyday. And here are the polenta squares with a savory veggie topping. They were cold and made a nice treat for such a warm afternoon. Nate prepared these, I think. Here he is posing with the beets he bought at the market and then prepared.
Are you almost "pictured out"? Here is my glass of Cubanismo wine from the Willamette Valley and my triangle of pizza. (water back)
What a dinner! I'm running out of time now and don't want to make you too jealous, so I'll stop telling you how wonderful it all was. Please feel free to imagine you were actually there - femminismo

All Alone in the World

Hi! I'm alone in the world and feeling a little bit desperate. Can someone help me?
Preferably someone tall and handsome in a cardigan or turtleneck sweater. And male.
Or maybe someone in a red sports car? Or someone riding a white horse?
This post is very much like Art Sparker's, since she found some abandoned babes in an antique shop. This was Goodwill. Hope this "babe" finds who she's looking for - femminismo

Forgiveness - a powerful weapon

"Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon." from the movie "Invictus"

The movie had hardly begun when Morgan Freeman, as Nelson Mandela, utters this line. A sob caught in my throat and tears filled my eyes.

The concept is beautiful and so simply stated, yet its application is so very, very difficult. But how much of life could be so beautiful if even half of our world was able to do this? - femminismo

Take A Look At August

Here's August clematis spreading to the sky tops and some of my envelopes with a couple of August books - one to be for each day of the month, with a poem inside. Can't you smell the sweet phlox? This was a chance to lie on the grass and gaze at the clouds. Beside the phlox is false dragonhead, which will never die out thanks to all the seeds it produces!

All is going well, with dinner at an Italian restaurant promised for tonight! And music outside under the stars and the waxing moon - femminismo

Summer Is So Ripe!

THE summer days are getting so thick and heady they are practically edible! The air is filled with tiny debris from trees, pollen and bug spittle; and then there is the heavy, thick scent of foliage; the musty odor of daisies, their pretty, fat, white petals frying a thin brown on the edges like sunnyside-up eggs in a skillet; and skinny dandelions are free to reach for the sky in the vacant lots owned by people with better things to do than arrange for lawnmowing, while the rest of us sneeze and say "Tsk, tsk!"

So I've been working in my journal - my August journal - and recently found (in all my "collateral debris"*) a list of what I did all on one day (August 2, 2009! what are the chances?) so I could keep track of my time and find out where it all went. It was a funny list and everything was easier to track because it was a Sunday and I could stop whatever I was doing and go write it down.

This August 2, 2010, was a Monday and work was a little crazy, so I kept telling myself I would do it later - do it later. At the end of the day I was able to recall most of it, but I'm sure I forgot some things. (And I still haven't figured out where time goes.) *collateral debris, AKA, creative tidbits

So these two lists went into the journal. The picture above is of the journal and the beginnings of the Tuesday book. It ended up with quite a few pages so I'm sure I will have to find a longer poem to go in it.

I love painting the envelopes for the books. I am thinking of sending this August Poetry Rolodex off - mailing it to one of my blog buddies - and they can have the joy of opening each pocket and reading the poem. Maybe they will glue in a picture or two (add a short poem, if there's room) and then mail the whole thing on to the next person in line. Sound good? Want to sign up now? Leave me a comment and I'll contact you! I trust the universe ... mainly.

Tonight after work I went to the downtown market and the artists' reception at Valley Art. I met two wonderful women artists who were so grateful to Valley Art for the wonderful, free reception they had: Dorothy Steele and Lin Haak. What sweethearts. Caroline Lau, who worked on the reception with Rusty Seeborg, made a tiny little white clay bridge that was in one of the table centerpieces and it was so sweet I wished I had taken a picture of it. What am I thinking sometimes, I wonder?! It looked like the sort of bridge a Japanese princess would wander over one moonlit night, looking at the sky and wishing for her lover - not noticing the young man in a boat, pulled into the shallows of the stream, gazing at her with such adoration! Oh, isn't the mind a wonderful thing when it can conjure up images like this!
I just know I'm going to hear from Rolodex corporate lawyers for using their brand name - femminismo

Project Begun

August 1, 2010, and I've begun my newest journal today - the recycled annual report. I've also begun a new round of small manila envelopes with a little book in each one to make an essential packet of delight. Such fun to make up the books. No big fuss about measuring accurately or sticking to the rules. No fancy stitches needed on the covers of these books. They are just for fun. I'll show you one tomorrow - femminismo
p.s. Now this is a 'mater - and yes, spell check doesn't like that word.

A Walk Down The Labyrinth Path

I HAVE absolutely no idea if this will work or not, but I have uploaded a video of my labyrinth walk on July 28th on Vimeo. See if this link takes you there and (warning!) don't get dizzy - femminismo

p.s. Have a great weekend!

p.p.s. EDIT on Aug. 1: The photo is by W. Eugene Smith

My Earrings, Garden and Project ... In That Order

ONE pair of earrings didn't quite work out, so the jeweler/artist (Linda Hayes) who made them offered to trade them for another pair. Her studio is at her house, where both she and her husband design jewelry - and a pleasant way of life, too.
Their studio is the coziest place in the fall, which is when I've been there before. In the summer the drive into the country is lovely, with wide open grain fields and bluish mountains in the distance. And lots and lots of blue sky this time of year. Beyond the open door of the studio I could hear a water feature bubbling and babbling.
Linda was eager to show me all the vintage baubles she has collected. Old beads, rhinestones, rosary medals and beads - she's worked them all together into lovely, balanced pieces of art. Check out her website if you get the chance. It was a little slow to load tonight, for me, but hope you will give it a try. The earrings in the picture are the ones I chose and I loved them with my favorite purple blouse. I felt glam.or.us!
And I am pretty proud of myself because I've been following a walking regimen. Every day at lunch I go for a walk and along the way I find the most gorgeous flowers. These hollyhocks were in their prime. Today when I passed them I didn't stare too hard. I knew they were embarrassed at the declining state of their blossoms and the insect damage on the leaves. Or rust? Isn't that what hollyhocks generally come down with? Anyway, I admired them today and then found a shady spot to read "Reading Lolita in Tehran." I know I am probably the last one to read this, but it called to me from the Goodwill shelf and even after the first five pages I adore the author. Every sentence is worth reading twice!
Speaking of Goodwill, I also bought another book called "Produce." Mostly because of some illustrations in them. At the office, when I got back from walking, I was flipping through the book when I found a folded up $20 bill! These things don't generally happen to me! I'm wondering what to do with my largess.
And here's something happy to report today: Someone I really, really like is going to be coming to work in our office! I was so happy to hear the news and so grateful that the stars were all aligned correctly. I think the management is going to reap many benefits from her work and she will add greatly to the efficient operation of our tiny little world of keystrokes, filing and paper cuts - femminismo
p.s. OOPS! Didn't show my project, did I? Or my tomatoes? Well, only one will fit the time I have. Here's some more of my painted, small manila envelopes. They will all hold books - very small books. I'm sewing on buttons with ribbon so I can keep them closed!
p.p.s. Linda's page never came up so I linked to her info for a local tour. Take a look!

What I've Been Doing

ZUKES, 'maters and beans. There's been so much sun lately the tomatoes have been reaching for the sky. They are now taller than me and need to be encouraged to devote their energy to spreading out a little and zapping those blossoms into hundreds of round, red juiciness. Now that's not really a word, is it? (Must be spelled right because the spell checker hasn't underlined it.)
I've also been organizing "the studio" and almost getting heat stroke. Water! The only cure. And no humidity to speak of makes things bearable. Also, it gets cool in Oregon at night. Why it's almost 71 degrees F. now at 11:21 p.m.
Saw "Inception" on Saturday night and then went to a Sunday matinee with a friend and saw "Maryada Ramanna" - all in Indian with no English subtitles. The colors, dancing and music made it terrrific. A young Indian man on our way out asked if we had been able to follow along. We had a few questions for him because whatever the hero had said a couple of times really made the almost entirely Indian audience howl with laughter! A fun experience. And, yes, I'm working on another painted envelope project. Another poem Rolodex, I hope - femminismo

Rest In Peace, Daniel Schorr

THAT melodious voice stilled. How sad.
What confidence we felt when we heard his voice. Confidence we were getting the real story and not some shrill pandering to the entertainment (really? entertainment?) gods.
No crying on the air telling us about his problems, hatreds and misguided perceptions of what the world is like. No fear mongering or operating with only a teeny, tiny peanut-sized brain.
Just the facts with a measured opinion. Take it or leave it. But if you're smart, you'll think it over at least. Intelligence beyond measure, respect for the news business, respect for the intelligence of his audience. I fear we are truly lost now, wandering the dial in search of our True North.
Sleep well, sweet prince. Our "active witness to history."

A 'RePost' From February 2009

TODAY I am going to repost something from 2009. On Seth's Altered Page blog he has reposted the most beautiful "handbook" he produced. It is wonderful and gives me great ideas, as always. I think he must have more time to shop for odd bits of this and that, or maybe there are just more dumpsters in New York!

Check out this link if you'd like to join me in "Remembering the Future."

p.s. I've corrected that link to Seth's Altered Page, but I hope you found something interesting in the other page, if anyone happened by last night. (Comments, comments, please!)