Way TOO Long

I want to apologize.  It has been way too long since our last post.  The holidays, work, and other such things got in the way and I did not make the right commitment to make sure that the blog kept updated.  I plan to not let this much time pass again before making a post.  It is not that I have not been creating.  I just have not been posting these creations.

SO, with a new year and new decade ahead of us.  Let's get creative!

Cast Chat Back with the National Touring Broadway Cast of RENT

Damn those DVRs. Only because of swift eyes, did we catch a commercial of the upcoming show coming to the Bob Carr Amphitheater this week. Maybe if I watched more commercials then I would have known sooner that this show was coming into town. I wonder if there are any tickets left for any of the shows. Even if I cannot get a ticket to the show, at least the hubby and kids can go to this Cast Chat Back. I wonder if Anthony and Adam will be there. My eldest would be ecstatic if they were. And if the little one would understand that Adam is the dragon from The Backyardigans, then he would be equally excited.

I am bummed that I will not be able to go to this event because I will be out of town (and going to my own show at the Q - Star Wars in Concert). This particular touring show is special to me because the original Mark and Roger is in the show. I just adore Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal. I would love to see them perform these roles on stage. At the very least, I just hope that I can get tickets to the show at this late hour. I miss the days when I would go to several shows a year. Maybe I can get the boys to start going to more shows. After all, the hubby sings more showtunes than I do.

Scrapbook, Not Just For Legacy

I was quite moved by the article in this newsletter I received from ScrapGirls.  If you scroll down to the bottom of the article under the heading "A Designer's Life", one woman describes her love for scrapbooking, a normally SaHM (Stay-at-Home-Mom)-type of activity, as a childless woman.  It is refreshing to read a point of view about scrapbooking that is not about capturing little toes, piano recitals, school sports, and the like.  She shows that scrapbooking is a valid art form for moms and artists.


Usually scrapbooking is touted to be a necessary evil if you want to leave a legacy to your future grandchildren.  But this author is correct in her supposition - sometimes you just want to scrapbook because you want to create.  Scrapbook, with its unending list of supplies and tools, opens itself to the general mixed media art form.  This type of art allows the artist to work with a myriad of media to create art that can creatively capture a memory or feeling or emotion in a very public way.  You can scrapbook about your last milestone birthday. Or your favorite holiday tradition. Or your murderous addiction to Dexter.


I guess the moral of this story is: do not feel that only people who have spouses, children, animals, large families, small families, etc. are ones that should create scrapbooks.  If you just love the packages of scrapbook papers and amazingly cool scrapbook tools or you want a great way to display your photographs or record your memories even sans children, then try scrapbooking.  This creative outlet can be art with a capital A.  It can be the solution to your creative addiction!

My Favorite Time of Day

Image Courtesy of http://www.goldenferi.com

Twilight. New Moon. Eclipse. Breaking Dawn.


My favorite time is the Full Moon, especially when the Moon just breaks the horizon over a high tide, blue-green ocean. If you have never seen a full moon rise then you have never seen a full moon. It is much more amazing than the bloom of a engorged moon behind the mountains of the wild west or the break of the swollen moon against the forests of the mid-south. When the gorgeous lady moon peeks over the ocean you may mistake it for the forward lights of an oceanliner. It breaks mid-sky as a large triangle of light. Then it explodes into its humongous round beacon in the sky lighting the black waters below to its daytime blue.


I tried to capture this scene through photography but had an inadequate camera and photography skills. I tried painting the image but lacked the landscape art skills. But the beautification of the clear white moon against the black starry sky is indelibly engraved into my permanent memories. Once I bank some better art skills, I will be able to capture the sight acceptably. In the meantime, this description will have to be enough.


Now for my midnight release of New Moon.

Puppy Love

The love of a dog is something precious. Their love is one of the most unconditional and loyal there is in the world. It has always amazed me how quickly they can forgive. You can go from yelling at them for chewing on your brand new end table to a wagging greeting at the front door in a matter of minutes. No matter how mad you get they will always lean on you when your days been hard or seek comfort from you when the storms roll in.

Meet my two loving girls. Storm , the super sweet ,white and very hairy husky, and Maui Lu, the ever loving, licking and slightly crazy border collie. The are the world's best dogs ( to me anyway ). They even inspire my creativity.

One day I was doodling in one of my many art books when I started watching them. We were outside and they were paying close attention to a squirrel in a nearby tree. I noticed how different and similar they looked ( keep in mind I was behind them ). Maui Lu would cock her head to the side and Storm would perk her ears up straighter. So I started sketching all the small traits of each of them. Soon I had several small drawings of silly little dogs, some looked like them and others looked like they were drawn by an elementary school kid.

Some days down the road I found myself sketching them again. This time however the end was really cute. I saw the small traits of both dog in the simple pencil drawings, So I decided to take it one step farther and paint them.

Now, all the paintings I've ever done have ended up not finished or just not what I wanted. Needless to say the blank canvases sat on the table for a while waiting patiently for me, till one day I took a deep breath and dove straight in.

Enjoy.

Today's Inspiration

If this isn't inspiration, then I am not a great judge.  Despite the fact that the idea of an Edward Cullen as a boyfriend/husband would be simply divine, I really like the quote on this blanket.  It shows the absolute (undeserved) devotion that Edward has for Bella.  Women (or just me) like the idea of having a guy that has unmitigated adoration for the person that they love.  I mean, irrational and undying (ha!) devotion and love.  That is why women (or just me) love Edward.  We all want someone to be irrationally in love with us - to put their life danger because of the amount of love they have for us.

"What choice have I?  I cannot be without you but I will not destroy your soul."

Tonight I will create an art journal page featuring this quote.  Possibly rip some magazines or newspapers up to illustrate the quote.  Soak the paper with watercolors to get just the right hue of devotion.  I'll post the result and see if you agree with the images I see in my head.

Living Raw

There could be many assumptions made from the term "Living Raw". For an artist, it could refer to emotions and how they can affect your art. An artist may express inner desires or repressed experiences in their art exposing their soul to critique. For some individuals, it could mean living with your emotions close to the surface - instead of forcing down your emotions to save them for later you feel them immediately, like spilling tears at a romantic comedy when you are with a bunch of friends. For health nuts, it means eating only uncooked, live or cultivated foods. This week I am attempting to eat raw -- while on the road for work and during the climax, or extreme sport-like event, of a project. But I am determined. And when I am determined, I am going to do -- dammit.

From Your Creative Companion

Over the weekend I bought (too much crap) coconut oil, almond nut butter (not exactly raw), Live food bars, Perfect Food RAW super food powder (ick), and a few other pieces and parts. I already had raw cacoa nibs and cacao powder with maca (not exactly raw because the maca is roasted first). But it was a start. At my hotel, I have access to the Club Lounge which offers free continental breakfast, evening hors d'oeuvres, and late night pastries. So, I have access to fruit in the morning, bottled water, and a few other items. My initial goal is to have at least one to two meals raw as well as most of my snacks. Quite a feat but so far it is going well.


Yesterday, I felt successful only eating fruit and nut milk soaked oatmeal for breakfast. Lunch was a packet of miso soup. And then dinner I pigged out at Cozumel's Mexican restaurant on chips & salsa, ground beef taco, chicken enchilada, rice and beans with cheese. But I did have only water during dinner. I was pretty proud that I survived two meals with only raw foods. Now, what will the rest of the two weeks that I am out of town reveal about my determination?


If you are interested in checking out the Raw Food lifestyle, I would recommend the book Raw Food, Real World. I have been interested in raw food for a few years but never thought it was possible for normal people. After reading this book, I finally had the confidence to give it a try. I also got the book Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Raw after a recommendation from my best friend. It is a great book if you want all the nitty gritty details about starting this lifestyle.


And the rabbit feast begins.... more to come.