One of my Mandala plates 

My Mandala Rock 

Another photo from Christmas Eve. Why John is holding the glass head, I do not know... 

Now begins the decluttering!

I have the week to deal with the art room. My goal is to be able to work in the room. This is preparation for the Daily Devotion group...365 days of art. That artwork will be posted on another blog which I will post here once I begin.
I may have to post before and after photos just to get me motivated!

Peruvian hats 

We are hat-less this year. Carol says they don't wear hats in Costa Rica. So from now on, she may not travel anywhere that doesn't have hats! 

Hat-less in Harrison

We miss our hats this year. My sister travels every year just before christmas and therefore have family pictures on Christmas eve of us wearing the hats she brought back from that country. Thailand, China, Egypt, Peru...we have hats form these places. Sadly, no hats this year.
Her website www.amazingtraveljourneys.com and www.treasured-times.net

Creating our delicious zuppa de pesce 

Adding the fish, timing each carefully. Watch out Bob, don't get splashed! 

Our Christmas Eve dinner. 7 fishes in a pot..Yum 

Christmas Eve dinner

Every year we get together at Mom's to make this wonderful dinner. Every year, we question our timing of the fish. This year, the blooper was the calamari. I cut the pieces too big. It was all delicious anyway. I am busy recording the pictues for posterity. I learned how to use the video part on my camera, but now need to learn what to do with it.
Today, Christmas day, we go back to eat some more. Eat and Laugh, eat and laugh....

Merry Christmas

I wish you all PEACE and LOVE and WARMTH and JOY and ABUNDANCE and some really cool ART!!!

Non-Material Gifts

I get this newsletter from Robert Genn twice a week. Good Stuff. It got me thinking.
What non-material gift would I like to receive and to give?
Here's an exerpt from today's:

We don't need stuff. We need ideas and energy
and subjects and motivation and time and lots of other things
that can't be bought and are not sold at Wal-Mart. Happiness is
not under the Christmas tree but somewhere in the air above it.
It doesn't stick to traditional dates or statutory holidays. It
can sometimes be found on the most ordinary of Thursdays.
Sometimes it just blows in like a swallow in December.
Sometimes when you want it most you can't have it. And
sometimes you're up to your elbows. That's why we don't need
regular stuff. We're into bigger stuff. And if we need tools or
paint or clay or something we just go out and buy it anyway.
Which reminds me, I'm outa here--last minute stuff.

Merry Christmas,

Robert

PS: "Thanks to my work everything's going well." (Claude Monet)

Esoterica: It's a sort of ecstasy. It's like a drug. It's that
feeling you get when you've given everything in a work of art.
And it connects, really connects, not with everyone, but with
someone--maybe someone special. It's the possibility of the
existence of such a high that keeps us believing in things even
more preposterous than a jolly bearded chap descending over
6000 chimneys per second. "And for a breath of ecstasy / Give
all you have been, or could be." (Sara Teasdale)
My thoughts:
I would love to give someone the gift of helping them to express themselves.
To have a piece of artwork of mine make an impact in someone's life...to make them feel good, have a sense of peace or just to smile when they see it.
I'd love to give others my undivided attention. I wish my mind wouldn't wander so much.
I love receiving gifts of appreciation... just a "thank you, you've made a difference" is such an enormous gift. I'll have to remember to do likewise to others with that. I like receiving someone else's undivided attention, to know they are actually listening to what I am saying and that their mind isn't wandering.
I'd like the gift of time, focused time. And while I'm dreaming and wishing here, I would like some organizational abilities please. I'd like the ability or discipline to have a clear surface to work on, all my art supplies within easy access and know where everything is when I want it. I want to know how to best use space.
I would like to be able to say yes more often than no, and feel good about it.
So think on this:
What non-material gift can you give this season?

Winter Solstice/Merry Christmas

Sharing time with family. This is what this time of the year means to me. Not the crazy commercialism, and rushing around to buy, buy, buy....but rather stopping and taking time to be together. Family is something that has been a priority growing up and still is. Today is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day, longest night and it says something about how we should respond...slowing down, coming to a standstill, taking a moment to reflect, to be, to meditate. Ponder the darkness and discover what is hidden deep within us. What seeds may be nurtured so they may blossom come Spring? What wisdom have we gleened over the year? What have we done to create a better world, even if it is in our own little section of the world inside our community or home, or even inside of ourself. How have you grown spiritually? emotionally?
It is also a time for gratitude. We can say thank you and I love you, but many times we find it easier to give a gift. It shows we care. Even if we can comfortably say I love you, we want the message to linger and therefore a physical gesture, the gift, will be the reminder in times when we need to be reminded that we are loved and cared for.
The best gift for me is this time spent with family as they share stories of their growing up. It's good to see the thread that exists from one generation to the next. I try to imagine what these times were like and appreciate the fact that they also did some pretty risky things. Times change. We change. We do the best to accept these changes.
It is 1:35. May the light become brighter within all of us.... and may we share that light more often
Happy Solstice
Merry Christmas
Healthy New Year
I Love You
Doreen

Art for the new year

This year was a busy year of doing art. From painting walls to creating in books, it's been a creative year. It included a year of flat self adventures (take-off of Flat Stanley) where we passed around journals to one another, spending a month with a flat version of the person whose book it belonged to. Taking pictures and doing art in their journal. Fun for the most part. I received a few raised eyebrows which added to the fun.
The other project was the color erratica group. I joined in on 2 groups and will soon have my books return to me. One book was an Earth book, colors I chose were ochre,green and burgandy. The other was Ultramarine blue, Turquois blue and copper. Another was the Frida doll Round Robin. I am almost finished with that,too.
A year of projects done. Although it was a great experience, it was art for others.
This year,I am dedicating a year of art to myself. I have joined a yahoo group of "creatives" that will be creating art everyday for the year. It's http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DailyDevotions365Days for anyone that is interested. There has been some great discussions so far and am looking forward to it. I'm working at clearing space which is a constant battle that needs to change.
My intention is to work on small pieces... 6x6 and keep them loose in a box. They will be anything from pencil sketches to fabric collage to paintings. This of course may change but it will have a theme of gratitude. It's a goal.
I have a bunch of cigar boxes that I may keep them in after I decorate them.
Today I thought that we should start at the winter solstice as to me that is the end of the year and the beginning of the new one, but I'll wait til Jan.
We had a celebration at yoga today and it was wonderful what everyone brought, meditations and exercises and refreshments. A wonderful ceremony.
So that is my challenge for the new year. Art every single day!

Snowed Inn

Snow Day

As I was walking in the snow to do some errands, I walked past Roy's house. He owns a paint business in town. Every year he adds more to his Christmas decorations. I like snow when it first falls. Everything covered in this pure white makes it all seem so magical......for awhile anyway. After that I do NOT like it. Everything is brown slush and disgustingly dirty.
Everything got cancelled today, school, my art classes and Dr. appt. for mom. Good to have creative projects for a day like today....or make oatmeal carob chip cookies.

Red,etc..finally finished

Time ran out yesterday, and the intention of mailing out the books just didn't happen. Besides, I took better pictures...

red,etc book

inside the door of the house..

2 cool sites and my bathroom incident

The towels are finished. I put a trim on each one, each child choosing what they wanted to personalize their towel.
There are two very cool links that were brought to my attention, one was sent by Rachel Kitterman, www.GiveMeTheMasterKey.com which has to do with Gratitude. Something we can all use more of in our life. Gratitude is powerful and is an antidote to all the negativity and fear that the media throws our way.
I'm grateful for a lot of things. Yesterday as I was sitting here on the computer, I heard a sound that did not sit well with me and moments later, it rained, or rather poured in my bathroom. Of course I flew off the handle and screamed at the people upstairs and called the landlord. As I was doing this the ceiling fell and the intensity of my freaking out went up quite a bit to say the least.
Landlord with plumbers in tow came to my rescue. I cancelled my class, cancelled my dinner out to an award dinner and cleaned up my bathroom. For some odd reason, my whole attitude shifted. I had to wash the whole bathroom down, throwing stuff out and as I was doing this, it was as if I was being renewed, refreshed. Ideas for some changes gathered in my mind. This is the Feng Shui center for knowledge/wisdom. Earlier in the day, I read an astrological aspect which involved Pluto and I think the moon, which talked about leaks, upheavals,and "raking up muck"! Muck was what I was picking up. Hubby comes home and gets a phone call saying one of his kids from coaching gave him a gift certificate to home depot! New tiles for the floor!!!!!!
I'm grateful for a nice clean bathroom.
I'm really grateful for not being in the shower or on the toilet at the time!!!
The other very cool website is www.afterlifeseasons.com and when you get there, make sure you place your cursor over some of the pictures..

ColorErratica RR: Fushia, orange, pink

Here's the 45 sleeve and 45

Techu'Mish's book

this is such a funky book....wild. an album for 45's. I happened to have one that had the same colors, so I used it. This is the first page, front and back

My Frida so far

My Frida...going to add some shoes.

Almost complete Fridas

My Frida doll came back as well as Sue's which is the last one I have to work on. After that they get sent to Nancy who will submit them for publication. I'm going to add shoes to mine before she is sent off. I am really pleased with how they turned out. I love mine. I also sent a journal around with her and am glad I did. It was fun to see the progress and who did what....
The bottom 3 photos are of Sue's doll. She has a body cast under her clothing.. very cool doll.

A Thanksgiving Blog

The question occured to me last night, "what am I thankful for?" and was at first hard-pressed to come up with anything, because all the concerns, sorrows and frustrations kept popping up.
This morning was different. I had a different perspective on the past year. It was a year filled with highs and lows. I lost a cousin and a good friend. I've been frustrated with my own health issues and am trying to come to grips with the aging process as I watch my mother go through her own aging issues - from her eyes to her legs- wishing I had answers and a magic wand.
These flucuations didn't stop there, but were also attached to my finances. I went from being inundated with business to worrying that I wasn't pulling in enough.
Although we tend to focus on the sadness, as it carries much weight, the good stuff outweighs the bad stuff. Bad may not be the appropriate word here. They are more like lessons, some being more difficult than others.
I'm thankful for the fun times I got to share with Ginny. She'll be missed, but I have some very fond memories. Ginny and my cousin Dennis were in their 40's and much too young to leave the planet. Perhaps they are having way more fun where they are......in their bliss, for sure!
I'm greatful I can be there for my mom. In the big scheme of things, maybe it's good I am not working so much. I'm fortunate I don't have a 9-5 job and have the flexiblilty in my scheduele to take her to appointments and be there when she needs something. This is when I want to be a healer most.
Although my classes were slow, my painting expanded. I was able to paint and decorate some homes and restaurant, and met some really nice people too.
Because of my own health issues, I moved towards a more healthy way of living and am in the process of getting certified as a yoga teacher.
My artwork has expanded too. I've gotten more involved with sharing my art with other artists, from totally silly stuff like flatself dolls to more mature work of having something to say and allowing my art to be more open and expressive.
I've journaled more, both in actual books as well as blogging.
Blogs are interesting in that if you read enough of them, you realize how much we all have in common. We all go through insecurities, frustrations and those enlightened moments when things just go with the flow and everything is just right.
Mostly it is change and how we deal with it. We all go through it. We are in tough times and they change into times of pleasure. We are annoyed by co-workers and everyone else on the street that can't drive for shit to feelings of oneness and compassion. Such is life. The ebb and flow of it all. It is nice to have the balance, the hard lessons being there so we can appreciate the wonderful easy times.
It is a day of thanksgiving and I do have much to be thankful for. From the most basic of things that I may take for granted: a warm bed, food on the table and a wonderful family to the things that are special to me: what I bring into this world, who I am, my gifts. I need to remind myself to bring my light out into the world because there is only one me. We all need to bring our light to others, to share it, let it grow in its true brilliance. We do no one any good by dimming it or keeping it hidden. We are ment to shine and I am truely grateful to those who have allowed me and encouraged me to shine my light.
Thank you.
Namaste

Michelle's grapevines....

I finished up the grapevines today. The room has a nice feel to it and happy with the way it turned out. Nice working with you Michelle :-)

More grapes.....

I painted today in the butler's pantry. First the walls were done in a faux finish and then the vines. So far this is it, but it's not finished. Hard to take a picture from this angle.....although I used the same exact paint, the coloring of the grapes looked different from the one's in the kitchen. I'm attributing it to the lighting. I'll finish this up tomorrow.

I LOVE autumn!!!!!!!!! 

the path not taken 

such a gorgeous day. I love being in the woods 

here's the little doe