REMEMBERING DAD

View from our beloved Grand Mesa, the largest flat top mountain in the world.
























This is the last picture I took of Dad with Mom, a few months before he died on August 30, 2008.

This past weekend was the year anniversary of Dad's passing. Yes, it was very bittersweet. The "-sweet" was I spent most of the weekend on the Grand Mesa with my Dad's memories. This beautiful mountain is where we spent many wonderful happy days exploring the woods, jeeping rough roads, camping, fishing, and enjoying nature.. As Dan, our dog Marley and I sat around the campfire Saturday night, I recalled many sweet stories about my Dad. I cried, I smiled and I laughed. I wore one of Dad's old corduroy shirts. We went 4 wheelin' this weeekend on top of the Grand Mesa. We had a blast and I know Dad was smiling along the way with us. He loved the mountains. He also loved the flowers. If you asked him what "this" particular flower was,

he'd always answer. Either the real name or his favorite name for a flower that he didn't know..

"floraanonymous".. that was my Dad.

When I was walking with Marley I found these wonderful yellow rusty flowers. They start out yellow but in the fall, turn a lovely tinted burnt orange. I picked a small bouquet and later on Sunday afternoon, after we had a small family reunion lunch gathering, we stopped at the cemetery. I placed those mountain flowers on Dad's grave. I didn't know the name of them, I called them

floraanonymous and smiled. Later I researched them. Eriogonum Umbellatum. Suflar Flowers, a member of the Buckwheat family. And no, they do not smell of sulfur, but when yellow are the color of sulfar. Then the lovely tinting of burnt orange in the fall. Special.

Let me just say, I am not crazy for cemeteries, and I don't think Dad was either. Not because of the graves or the symbols of death, nothing creepy. Rather I personally don't quite feel the need for them because the souls are no longer there. To me a cemetary is just a sad bone garden for the living. And so for me, Dad has never really been there. I think we did the gravestone and plot for Mom, as it should be. So my time with Dad was up on the mountain. He sat at the fire with us Saturday night. He was grinning over my shoulder when I was bumping down the trail on my little 4 wheeler. That's where I know my Dad is. But I left the flowers and left knowing Dad was walking away beside me, beside all of us.
Happy. That's Dad now. Happy, listening to "Big Rock Candy Mountain".
And doodling along the road with me when I drive his Jimmy, now mine. That's where Dad is to me.

ta dad...... love you....miss you

HEART SONG

This is a mixed media assemblage I created this morning. The background board I found at the dump. Yep. When my husband goes to the dump, I love to tag along and sometimes can score some cool stuff. I found this board in a pile of wood that appeared to be from an old house.

Her head is piece of strange scrap metal I found and have been saving for years. They had two holes punched in the metal which became her eyes. The body is another piece of scrap metal

that had a body shape when I picked it up somewhere, can't remember where. Her arms are a doll's arm on the right and a spring on the left. Her feet are from some old piece of metal I found up in the mtns.

Her hair is threads and twisted paper clip wires.

Her eyes glass with a rusty bottle cap pounded flat then cut to create the eyelashes.

Her lips a piece of thin copper cut, tinted and creased to create lips.

I used the words for one of my favorite songs by Jack Johnson title "HOPE"

which I love.
Like her? Yep, I do.

ta.

AFTER A MORNING OF ART....

I CREATE, THEREFORE, I MAKE A BIG MESS. :)

HERE'S YOUR SIGN

I decided this morning to do some artsy signs..

tonight is another market night.

And what the heck.

I had a lot of fun.

Found the wood signs cheap at an estate sale last weekend.

I painted each one white - they were plain wood.

Then collaged fabric, pictures, words, etc for a fun background texture.

Next painted lightly to blend the background.

Stamped the words with black acrylic.

And added some embellishments.
And to finish them off, beaded and tied fabric strips on the hanging wire.
Too fun.
Spent way too much time on these... must get to work now.
ta

GOOD MORNING ART

NEW DAY. NEW YOU.

This is a painted, fabric collaged, mixed media piece I did on a tabletop ironing board. Because you know, I would rather do ART than IRON! I added 4 pegs to hang

things from. I will take this to the

Tuesday's market to see if it sells,

but if not, it looks great hanging

on the door to my laundry room! :)

I painted directly on the ironing board cover.. a canvas like feel and found it took the embellishments quite well. I used good ole gel medium, my trusty standby.

Surprising, even to me, I made the squares out of various pieces of fabric and machine stitched them to create a quilted look. What? me on a sewing machine? That is new for me.. But you know, it's a NEW DAY! NEW ME! or YOU>.....

But truly, I used to do a lot of sewing when the kids were little. Really when I got pregnant. I sewed all my maternity clothes! I lived in Hawaii and the buying selection was dismal. So I was motivated to learn how to sew. I had a neighbor who helped me learn. Then I made overalls for both kids. Loved it. Then, through the years, I find I rarely pull out the sewing machine unless I need to do some mending. So to rediscover this is a surprise...but anything for ART, right?
ta

edit: See where the fabric art quilted squares ended up in a new design @

http://www.freshofflunardesignsdrawingboard.blogspot.com/

SHE IS A SCRAPPY WOMAN

SHE

IS MADE OUT

OF ALMOST

ALL SCRAP FABRIC.

"SCRAPPY WOMAN"

scrappy and happy

I have always wanted to quilt. I love quilts, especially the amazing art quilts I have seen. I am in awe of the work, the time! But the tediousness of it, yikes, makes me run away and not even think about trying it. So I have been having a blast doing fabric/painting collages, my version of "quilting"! I started this morning picking up a small birch board panel in my stash and painting a blue white background. Then I added some fabric strips top and bottom. I also patch collaged around the border of the frame. I loved all the different colors and patterns...reminds me of a quilt. Then I decided to cut a woman's face and neck/shoulders out of an old white piece of mattress padding. This is lovely old padding fabric that I bought years ago at the thrift shop. Soft and quilted. Not like the ones they sell these days. I decided to paint her face, and then I machine stitched some details like her eyebrows and nose. And of course, lots of funky hair elements, from corrugated cardboard strips rolled up, to magazine shreds, to threads and even an old bracelet I had made out of beads and fabric. Button earrings and then a ruffled blouse completed her.

I have three (3) (xoxoxooxo) art shows coming up this fall. VERY EXCITED! So I have to build up my inventory. It will also let me recycle some of my older pieces. That's when I take a piece of art and re-art it. Evolving art!

But I like SCRAPPY WOMAN. I like saying the word SCRAPPY!

EDIT.. I took the original Scrappy Woman

and scanned her into photoshop and she evolved into an new design for Lunar!

how about that? see what you think!!!!!

http://www.freshofflunardesignsdrawingboard.blogspot.com/

NEW LISTED ON ETSY

Despite last night's slow traffic at the downtown market, I did manage to sell one of these kitchen journal and apron sets...

(thank you Donna for the big helping hand!)

So.. encouraged, I am listing the other three sets on my etsy site.

(click on the title above!)

September will open up a full month of Tuesdays that I can do the market booth, and I plan to make more of these sets.

Plus lots of small art. I think the market is a great venue for me.

I love interacting with the people. It's such a fun atmosphere of

food, art and music. But it is also a testing ground for some new ideas for art and for Lunar. These kitchen journals for instance.

How to market them for Lunar would be fun. Not hand constructing, but perhaps I could find a small journal source and then add my cover art. Will have to pursue this.. Always fun to get the creative juices flowing.

The smaller art I think would be a good sell. I think bigger purchases just won't happen that often at the market. I have sold things for under $50 so will continue that price range.

Today is a full tilt filling order day. No time to play with my art.

ta

KITCHEN JOURNAL AND APRON SETS

Market Day. I am the last minute artist here. I started out to make some greeting cards for this afternoon's market. That evolved into making some small journals using Red Rosin Paper.

These are small journals.. about approx 7 x 9 inches with 10 plain white pages inside. After I made four of these, I thought 10 pages, 20 if you use both sides is kind of small. It would make a nice little kitchen journal - add some of your favorite recipes to. Oh how about a matching apron? And miracle! The journal fits into the pocket of the apron. ooohh how fun!

So these will go to market and I will try to sell the sets. I folded the apron up and it and the journal fits nicely in one of my large cello bags. I labeled the set but will have one open for display. Sept I have every Tuesday available to sell, and if these sell today, I will make many more for then.

ta

BRIGHT COLORS

I PLAYED THIS WEEKEND!

Finally was able to have a jammie art day.

Well, nearly all day. Morning, really.

This is a 16 x 20 birch board panel.

I had it in my stash of mistakes, do overs,

you know, the pile of art that didn't make the ah ha moment. You work on these

flub ups and finally toss them in a dark closet to be tackled another day.

So out came this neglected board, and it

evolved into a happy piece. I love working with fabric in collage. Plus it helped that I finally organized my fabric stash...

I have another day at the locals market tomorrow and they are asking for recycled art. So this fits nicely into that category. Recycled art board, old dictionary pages, buttons, fabric..

all from my save pile. I painted her face on a piece of cardboard that I cut out. I had tried to collage her face with

fabric but she looked scary.. so I improvised and covered that face up. Which I thought was a nice way to cover the scary feelings of those dark clouds that try to blot out our light in life.

The words on the tree say the following:

"She knew that she could keep the Bright Colors alive, even when the world threw dark clouds at her. Nothing could darken her spirit."

That is my mantra most days. I am fortunate that I am able to stay in the light mostly. I do

have days when dark runs me over now and then, but I am blessed with being able to

pick myself up, and open the curtains wide.

Are your curtains wide open today?

ta

edit

I finally, after months of exasperating technical issues, this afternoon we got the big PROBLEM resolved.

I have been striving to stay positive through this entire challenge-- To not let the

fear overtake me. Once again, working my thoughts out with my art, staying in the light,

not allowing the Dark to take over my spirit, I have prevailed.

You just have to keep the faith baby.

AND DO ART! IT DOES SAVE LIVES!

MY SURPRISE GIFT

This is one of the many reasons I so love my husband. He came home last night and announced

he had a present for me. He then went out to his work truck and came back in smiling with the branch in his hand holding it out for me. "It's a hummingbird's nest!"

Wow. It's so delicate and is entwined so beautifully within the crook of the branch. The leaves will eventually fall off and I will then use it for an art piece. I could make paper leaves, etc to replace the real leaves. I love taking found objects like this and turning them into art. But the

biggest gift of all? Dan knew I would love this. Better than dozens of roses, this is so special

to me. The uniqueness of it, plus that he thought of me.

I am looking forward to the weekend.. Sunday is saved as a big art day for me. I haven't really had one of those jammie days in a long time. I am overdue..

ta

TANGLED THOUGHTS

"TANGLED THOUGHTS CATCH AND SNAGS HER ATTENTION @ 2:22A.M."

18 X18 finished mixed media

side view

closeup of face


closeup of house

This has been my habit. I wake many nights at exactly 2:22 a.m. and start thinking.

Many things, work, worries, list of to do's, etc. This has been a long time thing for me.

Why 2:22 a.m.? After a lot of wondering, I finally found the answer. And that

really helped me. I don't seem to wake up at that exact time as much, but it still happens.

But now instead of worrying about it, I embrace it. It's the Divine reassuring me that she is listening.

222

"Trust that everything is working out exactly as it's supposed to, with Divine blessings

for everyone involved. Let go and have faith."

from "Angel Numbers 101" by Doreen Virtue

A note about this art.

I initially thought I would paint over the background.. this has been my usual method. But,

after I finished the background collage with all it's colorful elements, I really liked the

bold colors. They made me feel good. I had no clue what was going to happen

with the image, but allowed the background to speak to me. And she appeared as

did the house. I have an upcoming invitation to be in an art show called "Loose Ends"

about how things in your life need to be dealt with. those loose ends that need your attention.

So, I have been saving the threads, strings,

and fabric bits for this art, how ever I was going to use it.

I like working with no plan. Staying with the muse and not in the "brain" process.

It puts soul in your work.

I am happy with the piece. I had not planned on working on it most of yesterday. But

I was having technique problems with my equipment and the tech worked on it

all morning. It is still not fixed, so he is coming back today. Rather than jump into the

pit of worry, I decided to take advantage of the work down time, and do my art.

It was an unexpected gift from the Divine.

I am thankful and grateful.

ta

EMERGING IMAGES

Looking into the background I saw a house and above that a head.

So I painted the shapes in.

After painting in the woman and house I started laying on strings, threads and fabric strips from my stash. I haven't finished her face, but then again, I like her vagueness now.

This shows more of her wild hair. I haven't affixed it yet. Have a few ideas how to

do that. Don't want to start permanently attaching it till I know where the face is going.

Will see where this goes.....stay tuned.

ta. again.

TEXTURED BACKGROUND

ART!!!!

I decided to do an hour of art early this morning. Here's what I started out with.

I snagged this on sale picture at Target for cheap. I liked the graphics for background

shapes and color plus it's on a panel board so great for working on.

Next I took a Pier 1 catalog that I had saved and stared cutting shapes of various sizes to collage in a random pattern. I allowed the background image to show through for a varied look.

Next I had a pile of string, threads & fabric scraps that I have been saving to use
in a collage background. I used gel medium to adhere the strings etc. trying to
cover the parts of the collaged pier 1 prices... but choosing to show some letters
and numbers for interest.

Next? I don't know. Tomorrow will tell.
ta for now

A NEW HAIRDO FOR ME

Okay, still really busy, but snuck away from orders to update the art on this blog. I have to rearrange the furniture now and then, try to keep my surroundings fresh.. I have wanted to change this art heading for awhile now, so I did it. I like it. It's me immersed in my art. Wearing my art. Seeing the world through my art. My ART is ME.

and just so you know, I really really wish my hair looked exactly like that.

have a wonderful day...

WAITING WHILE SWAMPED

Feeling overwhelmed... so much to do. These are times when I feel as if I am being swallowed by life. Work, family, house, it all just wraps itself around me and starts to choke me.

Art has always been my therapy for this. I can take timeout and journal and draw and paint and it starts to slide off of me. I can start to breathe again. Summer is always a busier time for us. With all the normal stuff: work, house chores, etc. we also squeeze in time for fun. So the weekends lately have been just that. Tightly packed. So that by Monday I am ready for another weekend to recover, which of course, I cannot. Because my work week starts up again.

So I am vowing that this is my last week of tightly packing it all in. I am vowing that even if I don't quite catch up with orders, I am still going to take time out for my art. Because it is too essential in my life to let lay dormant. I will get back to my early morning two hour art time.

No matter what lays ahead in my day.

There will be enough time for the rest.

ta

LAUGHING AND SMILING

I tried to embed this video of Ledward Kaapana but it wouldn't work. But if you click this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8eNBdS-V0M

you will be be delighted and smiling at his talent and art.

I LOVE HIS LAUGH!

I could listen to that all day long!

This is why I do my own visual art. That same feeling of joy and happiness that you get watching

Ledward, is what I feel when art happens in my hands.

CREATING.

I believe that is when the Universe, God, Buddha or whoever you deem the Creator

is fully WHOLE in us.
What a wonderful aloha man. This is why I love the aloha spirit and the islands. This is what
the islands are truly about. Forget the tourist trap crap. If you go, get into the essence of Hawaii. If you have been there, I hope you did just that.

When I am there, I love to sit on the beach, play with my sweet granddaughter Emalie, share loving family time with my daughter and her husband and just let the sweet tradewinds touch my soul. That's family spirit. And to embrace that in the aloha spirit makes it a double dip of sweet.
aloha...

'O ka Maluhia no me 'oe

(peace be with you)

TWO FLOWERING LADIES

Another Tuesday Downtown Market today and the painted flower pot contest is going to happen. So because I so needed to get some ART done, this was a quick fix for me. I painted the ladies faces and added collaged swirls and painted swirls for the backgrounds. The strips around the rims are collaged fabric strips. I used my old fav Mod Podge. I love the smell of Mod Podge. Sort of weird. Reminds me of the smell of that white paste we used to use in grade school. That was the worst stuff. It smelled yummy, even tasted good :) but it was so clumpy and grainy that it was hard to work with. I remember the big globs under the glued on papers.. Anyway, I will stop by the nursery to grab a couple of green plants to plop in -- achieving the green hairdo look I was going for... you can see by my quick sketch my idea.

Have been working long days getting caught up with orders for Lunar. Very little time for my art. But have been brewing some new ideas. Have a show coming up next month called Loose Ends. I am excited to start on it. But work first. sigh.

have a lovely day.... ta

REMEMBERING AN OLD SWEET FRIEND

Sadie. It's been nearly a year now that we lost her.

She was so close to me. I always felt she came into my life to show me something. I think she taught me compassion and how to deal with loss. Because within a month of Sadie's passing, we lost Dad.

My husband sent this picture to me this morning. He found it and thought I would like to see it. I started crying. The loss of this sweet dog hit me again.

I love Marley, he makes us laugh everyday. But

I do dearly miss ole Sadie.

I know she is smiling up in doggie heaven...

hugs to you sweet baby. I send you kisses on that special spot on your snout. Miss you something fiercely.

ta

INSANITY

The best of intentions, sometimes, just get swept away in a river of craziness. Days fly by, and then you are standing there looking at the calendar and amazed at the date! Aug 1. wow.

Art has been patiently standing by for me. A few sketches in the evening when I am chillin' but really full on art time has just NOT been available to me. Life overtakes us sometimes. Weekends are maxed out, and the looming week ahead with all the hopes and expectations, fall through your fingers like fine sand.

When I don't have time to do my art, and the days fly by, I start to feel an empty hole starting to grow. I am going to try to catch up this weekend, then on Monday, back into my schedule of early morning art. Because I really, really, really need it.

ta