The Other Side of Somewhere

Practice

 

This is what I did at work today (with permission ... my boss is away and said I could work on my artwork while I manned the phones if I wished). Sure beats working with oceans of numbers!

Like a lot of artists these days, I have a desire to draw faces and incorporate them into my work, somehow.  There is a particular expression I am trying to achieve and I am getting closer to that.  I'm working with Graphitint pencils because I don't know enough about acrylic paint to get the soft, scratchy line I desire and the pencils do the trick.

Time Travel

Really looking forward to this:

The Time Traveler's Wife is one of my most favorite books ever.

I bought the book after reading this, the first sentence:

"It's hard being left behind. I wait for Henry, not knowing where he is, wondering if he's okay. It's hard to be the one who stays."

(This sentiment reminded me a lot of being separated due to Mr. P's military service!).

I'm always weary of my favorite books being made into movies.  The cinematic interpretation of Maeve Binchy's Circle of Friends, was truly awful (with the exception of the brilliant casing of Minnie Driver as Bennie).  Circle of Friends, like TTTW, is another of my most beloved reads and it was such a let down when the filmmakers veered away from the best parts of the story and even changed the ending.

So, I'm trying not to get too too excited about TTTW as a movie.  The book has a pretty big scope.  I can see by the cast list that some major components have been left out. The casting looks pretty solid (I am a Rachael McAdams fan and although I'm not familiar with the man who plays Henry, he LOOKS like what I pictured when reading the book).  So yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing it in August.

Meanwhile, my so-called literary summer is not off to a good start.  Faulkner literally puts me to sleep.  But more on that later (there are still a few days left in the month of June, maybe I'll turn a corner?).

Back to Normal-ish

The last eleven weeks have been intense, mostly involving matters of work and Mr. P's retirement.  For a variety of reasons - protecting the privacy of others and not boring the snot out of you - I haven't written with great specificity about what's been going on. 

In a nutshell, when Mr. P's retirement became officially official, I suddenly found myself in the position of having to find a full time job (this after working minimally part time the last few years; a schedule that suited me very well temperamentally).  I ended up accepting a position, then declining it, and then accepting it again. 

For the last eleven weeks, I've worked two jobs (my original part time job two days a week, then three days a week at the new place). I found myself spending hours working (ironically, enough) with numbers.  I did so much calculating and counting, Mr. P took to calling me "The Count" after the Sesame Street character (really you should go watch the video, it's hysterical ... "and when I'm alone I count myself" - hee hee). The volume of numbers was so great I was dreaming of numbers in my sleep.

With Mr P's post retirement career falling into place, I was able to make the decision of continuing with full time work (or not); I decided to give notice to the new job, a difficult decision because the women I worked with were wonderful ... I miss them already.  But I have to say, I do not miss the actual work.  I have now returned to my part time work and I am so glad I am able to do so.

My life is back to a semblance of "normal", with the added benefit of having Mr. P retired from the Marine Corps and working in a regular kind of job.  While I'm proud of his military service, I am greedily selfishly happy to have him to myself.  It is still hard to believe that we now own our lives - we can choose where we live, for example - for the first time in our married lives.  It's pretty heady stuff, this!

During these last couple of months, I've  had a difficult time unwinding from work.  Artwork was pretty much out of the question.  All I was good for after work was watching TV and reading.  I did manage to use my camera more and while I don't love interrupting the flow of an occasion to snap photos, I think I'm more accepting of it as an alternative creative tool when I can't get to my papers and paints.

I have so much I want to write about  - I've learned so much the last couple of months.  I am sifting through it all and hope to document some of it here.

Monday was my first weekday back on my old part time schedule and I had the day to myself.  Managed to sit down and finish this piece that had been sitting on my table for a few months.  Such a nice feeling to get back to normal-ish.

Untitled
Mixed Media (collage, acrylic paint, colored pencil, gel medium)
5" x 7" gallery wrapped canvas

Saturday

 

(Harvey enjoying his Saturday).

I gave notice at my job this week and feel a great weight has been lifted.

Life is still in a state of flux, but things are settling down into a new rearranged pattern.

I hope my creativity, which has - apparently - been vacationing somewhere exotic, will return in short order.

(P.S. Reading Faulkner is giving me fits.  The narrative (such as it is) is wildly confusing and disjointed and I find myself nodding off in the middle of paragraphs.  I am determined to see it through, though!).

inspired

I finally have a free afternoon to myself today.

Seeing all of this, breathing it in, makes me want to play.

{Something I haven't done in awhile}.

I miss it.

I do.

I can't wait to get started.

 

Thank you to the talented artists and photographers who made these photos available for sharing on flickr. Please do visit them and tell them how awesome they are!

1. Neither is Yours, 2. please dont worry lover, 3. 41/365, 4. WTJ Using the Test Page while I wreck Lost Star's Page, 5. a true conversation:, 6. ruffle monster & flower skullie, 7. Art journal happiness, 8. Little Rosie / Pequena Rosie, 9. Untitled, 10. a new adventure, 11. You are good., 12. Everday Pages Journal-3back, 13. winter garden by Susan Schwake, 14. Luna., 15. Roses, 16. January Art Journalers - 3 prompts

these days ...

"I feel like a river when the tide changes

 

and for a while the waters flow in crosscurrent, with no direction,

 

only a pulling from all sides."

(May Sarton, Journal of a Solitude)

Summer Reads

I finally decided on my "classic" reading choices for the summer.  I thank those of you who responded with recommendations and/or stories behind your favorite books!  I have added many of your suggestions to my "to read" list.  Yay!

I think Harvey Korman approves of my selections; either that or he just wants the treats I am holding in my hand out of view.  Or to play with the camera strap. Ahem):

 

(For June) As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. 

(For July) The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton.

(For August) Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol.

I'm leaving my fourth choice open for now. I may reread To Kill a Mockingbird or one of my favorites from Jane Austen or something new-to-me that appears on my radar screen closer to September.

If you're up to it, feel free to read along.  We can have a little virtual summer book club. :)

a little something

 

watercolor paper.

stabilo pencil.

water.

brush.

imagination.

a little something for a thursday evening.

Saturday

My morning got off to a startling beginning when I looked down at my hand and realized the diamond was missing from my wedding ring!  We were in the car on our way to Williamsburg when I noticed it missing.

For about a minute I thought about crying and immediately turning back home to look for it, but then decided to continue with our little trip.

I'm thinking I must be weird not to be more upset about this, but I'm really not heartbroken about it.  I have no idea when the diamond slipped the setting; if it happened at home we can hopefully find it (unless it fell down a drain). If it happened somewhere else, well, realistically, I'm likely not going to find it.  I still have the wedding band and simple is more my style anyway (it was pretty simple to begin with, another obstacle in finding it ... it's not gigantic).

So, we headed up to Williamsburg (which, as I've mentioned previously) I'm a total geek for.  This time we hit their outdoor farmers market and had a lovely time taking in all the sights and smells.  The vibe was relaxed, friendly, and happy. 

I think these are peonies? 

 

Radishes for $2.50 a bunch!  We'll make sandwiches of french bread spread with a little sweet butter, thinly sliced radish, and sprinkled with sea salt.  Yum!

 

My favorite encounter of the day and, I might add, irresistible and genius marketing.  I'm wondering if perhaps one of my cats could wear a "buy art" sign for my etsy shop?  Hmmm.

 

We ended our day in Williamsburg watching a parade of fife and drum bands march up Duke of Gloucester street, a colonial battle-of-the-bands, which is right up my colonial, geeky, alley.

We're home now and thus far I haven't had any luck in locating my missing setting.  I hope I find it but it's ok if I don't.  I'm glad to have had a nice, fun day with Mr. P rather than a frantic one chasing after a chip of rock I may never find. Perhaps The Borrowers have it? 

Edit: About five minutes after I originally posted this, I found the setting!  I'm so glad!  All's well that ends well.  Whew!

My (So Called) Literary Summer

Summer is almost (officially) here and like last summer, I am planning a few activities for myself to distract myself from the heat and humidity. 

I've decided to make this My Literary Summer. 

First, I'm taking another online writing class through Gotham Writers' Workshops.  I took Creative Writing 101 (a six-week survey class) last year and loved it.  This year I'm doing a 10-week fiction writing class, the thought of which makes me simultaneously want to cheer with excitement, and, well, throw up.  (That's how I know I'm on the right track!).

Second, I would like to focus my reading this summer on classics. I've been googling college reading lists for ideas, but so far, have come up mostly empty.  The reading lists lack a human touch ... so I thought I'd open this up to you ... what classic novel would you recommend I put on my summer reading list and (if you care to expand) why? 

I'm looking for four books (one each, for June, July, August, and September).  Mostly likely I'm going to revisit To Kill a Mockingbird, so I really only need three additional titles.  Some titles I've considered but would like to know more about, include: William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying or The Sound and The Fury, Nabokov's Lolita, and (egads) Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.  I'd love a good recommendation for books by female authors.

I would love to hear from you ... I know a lot of you are passionate readers.  Please help me fill in my reading list?  If you're too shy to leave a public comment, feel free to email me (see link in sidebar).

Got any plans for your summer?  Do tell!

Commission

Late last year, I started offering commissions through my web site.  I wasn't sure how that would go (I know a lot of artists run screaming in the other direction when the "c" word is mentioned).  My experiences so far have been so very positive! 

My latest assignment came through etsy.com and involved creating three new pieces based on this piece I did for Illustration Friday last summer.  As that piece is a personal favorite of mine, I was delighted to have the chance to create additional work in a similar style.  The finished pieces are destined for a soon-to-arrive baby's room in South Carolina.  How cool is that???

 

For me, the best thing about commissioned projects is getting to know the commission-er!  Not only do I get a challenging creative task, but I inevitably make a new friend too.  Can't beat that!

Art & Soul 2009

Art & Soul was a lovely time, as always.  This is the fourth time I've attended and each year the experience is different.  This year's event was less about what I made and more about the people ... a new friend made in shared classes, visiting with friends who traveled from other cities, catching up with local friends I haven't seen in awhile.  It's funny too how, after four years of this, you start to recognize people you've taken classes with in previous years ... you become friends simply because you're always showing up in class together, year after year.  I love that!

As a mostly shy person, I enjoy the social aspect of these kinds of events.  Creative pursuits offer me a way of connecting with other people that isn't at all intimidating.  It is easy for me to approach people and initiate conversation because I already know we share something in common and speak a similar language.  Art makes me more outgoing and I thank it for that.  I only wish I could bottle up those connections and camaraderie and take sips of it until Art & Soul comes to town the next year.

I don't have a lot to show.  One of the downsides of taking a class with an instructor who has a very distinct and recognizable style is that, inevitably, everyone wants to make things in that same style.  I made an effort to deviate from the instructor's style, while still gaining something from the class - I think (I hope?) I mostly succeeded.  I made this painting/collage in Katie Kendrick's Poetry in Motion class.  The drawing is marker on phonebook pages done with my left (non-dominant) hand.  The paint was applied with my fingers and a brush:

(As an aside: it is sad but true that Harvey does hate me.  He loves Mr. P with all of the devotion of a school girl crush, but runs from me as if I were a terrorist).

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I last posted.  I don't feel obligated to post on a regular basis, but I enjoy it and feel loss when I'm not able to or don't really have anything to say.  Lots of stuff percolating in my heart that will surely find it's way to the blog soon.