Bits

It is that time of year again, vacation and reflection.  Thinking about how to do things, how to complete things.. what can be done, should be done etc etc.  A time for some cleaning, organizing.. lots of taking down thoughts... some drawing and reading and writing.  I've been drawing a bit more here and there, and scanning/photographing some of the work, even the 'not really good, but I'm doing something 'work.. because, for me, that is as important as the 'greatest thing I ever did' work.  Doing more after you've done something mediocre is a stickler point with me.. I want to 'take time off' and nearly quit.. and I have to get back on that horse.

Fox Hollow

little folk painting done after Esme and I argued mightily about her hair

trying to get my head back straight and not be angry when I explained to her exactly why she needs to brush it and wash it adequately.. for her future with other people outside this household as well as with me.. She is so stubborn - I know she gets it from both sides.. but stubborn!

I now have three 'books' going... the time traveller/dimensional traveller saga I've been working on for years.. a light hearted and snarky one about a witch and her animated house, and a collection of deep short stories that are based on dreams.  I was adding to and editing the short stories one this morning.  These are dream images so they both tell a LOT about me deep down, but also very little about anything anyone really knows about me.. so it will seem, in the end, like someone else wrote them or like I was having a very bad time with depression or existentialism... anyway... They are such powerful stories and images I cannot NOT write them down.. and they flow like water until each story arrives nearly fully-formed, 1500 to 2000 words.. and it is like a parable or mythology.  I know the two stories I have are connected and will need to be together in a book.  I haven't gotten any others that say 'we go with those guys' yet.. but there is the budding of another one - from a dream I woke up from too soon.. but had some interesting imagery and text inside a book inside the dream that my 'character' in the dream responded to.

Going through yarns, sewing materials, books.
Going through Esme's room - which since she is a teenager, is filthy and disorganized and she shrieks when I touch or change things.  But - it has to be done.  Shrieking included.  She is going to camp next week.

We also had a head-to-head about her hair.  And then, grasping the nettle firmly I took her to the salon to have it thinned out, and they confirmed she has been letting shampoo or something goop up in her hair.  We have fought over that - tooth and nail almost.. you obviously haven't washed it well or at least rinsed it well.  Yes, I have!  No, you haven't.  *sigh*  My ears are ringing, so she is probably reading this at some point in the future saying something under her breath about it.  We've talked about that, too... its not nice and not something that is going to win her influence or friends - the opposite, actually.

So, rant over.. maybe  I can turn my mind towards some more of the things I need to do now.
It's definitely vacation when you have time enough to think about cleaning up everything and sorting.. at least, it is for me.

I turn forty in two days.
I don't  feel bad about that.
I know I'll do my normal morning routine - weather permitting... we'll see if it does.

2002 drawings Regeneration and Medicine

I dug into some old artwork of mine today, as I wanted to make a small print version of the first one here.  Took some pictures before I put them away again.  This was from my linguistic surrealism / expressionism drawing phase that I graduated through college at NDSU (North Dakota State University) with.  Lots of ancient art inspiration and looking at picture languages of the SouthWest, Middle and South Americas.  There is also a bit of Picasso that shows up.. but that is likely because he was inspired by the same things, as well.

'Regeneration', 2002, inks 

18x24"

 'Medicine' 2002, watercolor and ink

16x22"

'Medicine' screenprint on cotton paper, 2003

three color process

about 8x8"

 

2002 Marie Winger (now Lamb)

A medieval penguin .. this looked very similar to costumes of the Black Plague Priests after I looked up people in bird masks.  However, I have no idea where the original imagery idea came from.

 

The Evolution of Cosmic Bear 2002

this tells a story about how Cosmic Bear went to the underworld and came back with his weapons.

It was a made-up mythology story for some of my drawings in my class.  There was a whole mythology of Cosmic Bear being abandoned in the Silver Forest, adopted by Fox (Cosmic Fox), and taught all the things about the Universe, interacting with humans and other Animals in the Forest and becoming a force for Good.

Cyfarfod

Welsh cyfarfod - to meet with someone, to have a meeting. /// Cyfarfod Esme a gwiwerod yn y parc. Aeth Esme a minnau i'r llyfrgell a chael pryd o fwyd. Cawsom ddiwrnod da! // Esme and a squirrel meeting in the park. We went to the library and had a meal together. We had a good day! -- Bit of drama, we lost her library card in the park and had to backtrack to find it afterwards.. but it was located, and all is happy again.

y lolfa

Roeddwn wedi bod yn addurno yn y lolfa. Cadeiriau newydd, lamp, desg a blancedi. Fe wnes i gobennydd crwn mawr ar gyfer y gadair. Roedd ni yn mwynhau'r pethau cyfforddus newydd

 I have been decorating in the lounge. New chairs, lamp, desk and blankets. I'm making a big round pillow for the chair. We are enjoying the new comfortable things.

---

We have more changes to make, remove some of the countertop, add bookshelves in its place.  That will push the room back another foot, opening it up.  I spend a fair amount of time now at the desk, waiting for food to cook, writing, reading...  I found the blanket box/footstool yesterday on clearance and am hoping it will be a useful thing. 

I am hoping we will keep the countertop area for the cats, and maybe put a big cupboard above (and maybe also below) that area for storing the things we do on open shelving there now.. keep dust off it, and keep it in reach but out of sight.  Then we can remove the rest of the countertop and open that space up.. but keep the desk area and the lounge area a bit separate that way.  We're still deciding on that - and once we have a firm plan, then we'll actually start doing more.  

Painting practice

11x14" painting - Esme at the Marina path

Columbus Replica Ships at Paris Landing

 The Columbus replica ships had been stalled three times in the flooding in the Midwest - but now they are here.  We went out to see them, and then took Esme swimming afterwards.  It was a fun day - and hot!

 The Nina in front, and the Pinta in back.  We got to go up on the aft section on the Pinta because it is a bit bigger ship.

 Get a pic of this Mom!  (adventuress)

Mom says we're supposed to smile - ok, she's smiling now!

 

We both wore our floppy hats!  Hers was less floppy than mine - more Indiana Jones :)