Metamorphosis

This morning...

2012-01-27T07:03:00.001-05:00

You are probably starting to wonder what's with the eggs-in-a-bowl photos... Well, a little while ago, an egg had broken in the container and so I put the remaining eggs in a pretty bowl.

It made me remember that growing up we never had our eggs in an egg carton, but always in a basket or a bowl or - later on - a wire basket that looked like a chicken. They look so much prettier out of their normal container, don't you think?

A simple joy. That's what that is for me.

And here are some others:
✼ taking Winslow for a walk in the dark this morning
✼ Ramses coming with us for half the walk and then waiting for us to return
✼ fresh air that smelled to me of mornings in Germany when I was growing up
✼ the wind in the tree tops
✼ owls hooting somewhere nearby
✼ a hot cup of tea next to me
✼ snuggling back into bed and blogging for a while
✼ getting inspired with every one of your blogs I visit
✼ reading and loving every comment you leave me
✼ my knitting waiting patiently for the few rows I knit every morning
✼ a whole day ahead to do with as I please...

Wishing you a day filled with simple joys!

Today in our garden...

2012-01-26T17:34:00.002-05:00

It has been a very mild winter here. The occasional freeze at night, and then again nice warm days. And today the daffodils started blooming. Early spring in Georgia...

I'm not complaining. Not one bit!

Painting - Sarah

2012-01-25T17:20:00.001-05:00

Sarah
11x14 inch acrylic painting

Well, I have to admit it. My last post bored me a little. Not while I was writing it but now, after the fact. Lists?! Really? I don't even really like lists that much! ;-)

I prefer art. And so I am doing another quick post with the painting I started sometime last week. I'm not sure if she's quite finished. Right now I'm in the "lets stare at her for a while until I know for sure she's done" phase.

It's the first profile portrait I have painted that I really, really like. And I'm sure it will not be the last.

When she's all finished and varnished, I'll probably offer her for sale in my Etsy shop, which I haven't closed after all. Remember I was going to? Sometimes it's wonderful I don't do things right away... Procrastination can be such a time saver! ;-) Selling on my blog is too much work to keep up with - and I'm all for keeping it simple this year.

So, stay tuned...

Lists

2012-01-25T11:36:00.004-05:00

I loved reading all of your comments on my last post - it seems like many of us suffer from runaway thinking... a side effect of a creative mind!! And we all look for ways to get focused on something manageable again. I've been using lists to keep my focus.

But not the lists I used to use, which never served me well. Lists of things I "had to" do. And always the list was way too long, which - at the end of the day - left me feeling like I didn't accomplish what I needed to. Not a good feeling. And so counter productive.

This year I've rethought my lists and have changed them in three major ways:

1. I only put at the most five things on the list that are "chores," things I have to do that day.
2. I also put fun things on my lists, like "read," "knit," or "paint."
3. In addition to that, I add other things to my list as do them, which has been the biggest eye opener of all.

I can't tell you how many days I've had when I knew I'd been busy, but didn't feel like I got anything done. My list hadn't gotten smaller, but somehow the day was gone. After doing my "reverse list" for a couple of days, I realize just how much I do that I don't really acknowledge.

Putting the "fun" things on my list has been a great revelation as well. I find that those are the things that usually suffer when I am "too busy." Yet, they are what nourish my soul. By putting them on my list and making space for them, I give them the importance they truly have.

Do you make lists? Do they help you focus? Do they empower you? What kinds of lists do you make? Do you use pretty paper? I do - and a colorful pen as well. Do you make a daily list or one for the week? Do you stick to your list?

Oh, and - if I don't get to everything on my list? No big deal. Tomorrow is another day...

P.S. Did my gratitude list in pictures again... So much to enjoy these days!!

More thoughts...

2012-01-23T13:41:00.001-05:00

So, this morning I was changing the sheets on the bed and happened to look up and saw the dust that had accumulated on the ceiling fan. After that my thoughts went something like this:

"Wow, I really have to dust this fan. Actually, all the fans in the house. Especially the one in the kitchen, it tends to get grimy. That reminds me that I need to clean out the kitchen cupboards and clean on top of the cupboards. Speaking of cleaning out, I also need to organize the coat and linen closets. And then there's our walk-in closet that needs a good once over. I really need to donate some of my clothes. And when I take those to goodwill, I should see if they have any shelving I could use in the bathroom. But, really, first we need to paint the bathroom. And the bedroom of course. We also need another bookshelf in there."

And so on and so on. For quite a while. It was impressive.

Does that ever happen to you? Runaway thoughts?!

It started with a simple observation and by the time I was done thought hopping, I had several weeks worth of projects in front of me and was overwhelmed and exhausted! And hadn't even done anything yet.

Luckily, today I was able to observe this process in my thinking and come back to the original thought - the dusty fan in the bedroom.

That I could handle. Right then and there.

And have energy left over for the other things that were actually on my list for today.

Again I was reminded of the importance for me of living in the moment. So, I grabbed the camera and walked around for a few minutes to create my visual gratitude list for today.

That helped. A lot.

Actually, for me these overwhelming thought rambles can happen as well with really fun stuff, like all the creative projects I want to tackle. It can absolutely paralyze me until I come back to one project I can do right then and put the others on hold.

What do you do when you thoughts take over?

A new sketch and some rambling thoughts...

2012-01-22T12:12:00.001-05:00

First of all, thanks so much for all your wonderful comments on my first print! I'm glad you like it as much as I do. Yesterday, I did a fairly quick sketch of a portrait I can use for my next etching project. She's a rather intense young woman, but for some reason all the women I draw or paint look at little intense.

I've been thinking about why life seems so much easier and more joyful to me this year. Last year it seems that I slipped into anxiety early on and never quite recovered from it. Every little thing seemed like a huge deal to me. Stuff I now hardly think twice about, nearly had me reduced to tears last year.

So, I've been wondering what brought about that change and I think it started when I began with my daily (well, almost daily) gratitude list. It seems like such a little thing, but I think it is changing the way I view my world. I started looking more at what is good and beautiful in my life than I worried about what might happen (my worries are usually about what could happen, rarely about what is actually going on).

It reminded me again that a joyful life is nothing but a string of joy-filled moments. Difficult things happen in everybody's life and they will happen again in mine. But right now, while it's quiet and peaceful and all is well, I have decided to enjoy the little things, the peaceful moments, the quiet beauty that's all around me, the books I'm reading, the art I'm making, cooking, baking, eating, playing with our pets, spending time with friends... you get the idea.

Hand-in-hand with this, I have noticed that I have become so much kinder toward myself. I usually feel kind toward others, but I'm often quite hard on myself. Which accomplishes nothing. Nothing! Kindness on the other hand frees me from much anxiety and guilt and allows me to simply move on when I haven't quite accomplished what I thought I should.

So, am I grateful right now? You betcha!!

Here just a few things that brighten my day:

Also, Jewel (one of the black bears being studied by the North American Bear Center) had two cubs this morning. If you click here, it'll automatically take you to her den cam, which I am totally addicted to these days...

Happy Sunday to you all!!

A New Print

2012-01-21T11:03:00.001-05:00

Finally, this etching and print came together exactly how I had envisioned...

I was so tempted to post earlier pictures (I can never wait to share things with you!), but the colors weren't quite right - all but the blue are hand mixed - and there were things about the copper plates I needed to fix.

But Thursday and yesterday I printed an edition of six prints and every one of them is beautiful!

Truly, this time around, the whole process was a joy for me.

Every print took at least 30 minutes to prepare and print, which would have stressed me out last quarter, but not this time. I loved it!

I printed all of them on German Etching paper made by Hahnemühle - the most luscious paper, it's so thick and soft and the warm tone really makes the print beautiful.

I wanted to take pictures of the three copper plates (this print was done in layers) when they were inked and wiped, but I got so caught up in the process that I kept forgetting. So at the very end I remembered my camera and thought I'd get a few pictures of the ink and the plates.

The copper plate above is the portrait I started out with and the one below has the red background, for which I used a process called sugar lift. It basically works like a stencil to lift out the areas I want to have etched by the acid. Those etched areas are the ones that end up holing ink and printing. The patterns I got by using bubble wrap, shelf liner and scrunched up packing paper. The face you see on it is just a ghost image of ink that transfered onto the plate during the printing process.

For last plate with the flower garland I again used the sugar lift method, this time not stamped but painted onto the plate. For those of you more interested in all of this, click here for some great explanations and photos.

The photo below I took simply because I loved the colors. Those are the tarlatan cloths I used to wipe the excess ink of my plates. In the background are all the yummy etching inks...

Now, I'm already thinking of the next image as I want this to be a series of layered portraits.

Today, I'm hoping to do some drawing and painting for which I haven't had much time lately.

Life is good. I hope for you as well!!

Road Trip - Amelia Island - last part

2012-01-20T17:45:00.000-05:00

I'm falling down on the job here. I had promised to post this yesterday and the day just got away from me.

I'm printing, printing and printing and LOVING it!

So today, I finished my edition (which I'll share with you tomorrow...) and now I'm getting to these last beautiful photos from Amelia Island.

All of them were taken at the Fort Clinch State Park, a gorgeous place with a long beach,

a very long fishing pier, hiking trails and - of course - the fort.

I will let the photos speak for themselves...

Loved this sign...

Tomorrow - the print! FINALLY!! I'm so happy with it... ridiculously happy...

Wishing you a fantastic beginning to the weekend!!!

Road Trip - Amelia Island - Part 2

2012-01-18T03:49:00.003-05:00

I'm glad you enjoyed our photos so far as I have quite a few more to share with you. For this next part of our trip, we actually left Amelia Island and drove to Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve,

located northeast of Jacksonville. I think we saw only a small part of it as it covers a big expanse. We visited Fort Caroline, of which not much is left, we walked on some of the trails and at the end stopped at Kingsley Plantation.

I think our favorite part though was the hike through the beautiful nature,

along sandy paths,

with beautiful views of the marshes at times.

Along the way, we took lots of photos of lichen,

more lichen,

cacti that were perfectly camouflaged,

berries,

holes in trees and more lichen,

well...you get the idea!

A little rest along the way - we were surprised how much we had to climb at times, but I guess the sand dunes can get quite steep.

Oh, and tree fungus - had to photograph that as well!

And of course the Spanish moss - one of the main ingredients in a Southern landscape.

On the drive to Kingsley plantation, we took the car ferry across the St. John river. What fun!!

Can you see all the Pelicans soaking up the sun?

At the Kinsley Plantation, we didn't linger very long. By then, we were a little tired and ready for a coffee...

But the building was beautiful and quite nicely maintained.

Tomorrow, I'll take you with us to Fort Clinch on Amelia Island and the beaches around there. You'll love it!!

And soon...soon...I'll have some art to share with you again...

I wish you a lovely, most wonderful and creative Wednesday.

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Some things I am grateful for:

* I got the beautiful little vase from the talented Annie of BlissfulArts (click here to see some of her other gorgeous creations!)
* you can find the most excellent pumpkin muffin recipe here.

Road Trip - Part 1 - Amelia Island

2012-01-16T09:58:00.001-05:00

I hope you are all doing well and enjoyed your weekend!! We just got back from three days on Amelia Island in Florida. Remember we had spent the day there with Winslow recently (click here for more pictures - especially of some of the beautiful victorian homes)?

Well, we decided to go back without dog this weekend and really explore the area. The longer we live here, the more we are starting to appreciate southern Georgia and northern Florida. And Amelia Island is turning out to be a true treasure.

Fernandina Beach is a quaint little historic town right on the water and filled with little shops, cafes and excellent restaurants.

We tried all two cafes we found, visited both bookstores (what a treat!) and found a wonderful restaurant, Cafe Karibo, we'd eat at again anytime!

This picture made ma laugh - doesn't it look like I was trying to abscond with my tea and pastry? Maybe I was...

Or not! Just a little quiet time for a few minutes...

It was good to have some indoor places to warm up once in a while - it was cold while we were down there. Cold and windy!

That's why we are so bundled up in most photos.

This time around, we spent lots of time at the marina during the spectacular sunsets!

We both love looking at boats and working harbors.

And this one was really beautiful.

Shark anyone?

Beautiful colors!

Even the industrial look of this factory somehow fit into the overall scene.

What am I so fascinated by?

The sunset, of course.

Had it not been so cold, we would have stayed out there for hours!

But even a glass of red wine didn't heat us up sufficiently.

So, we made our way back to the hotel - across the train tracks.

We stayed at the Hampton Inn because of the excellent location (right in Fernandino Beach and on the water) and it was one one of the nicest Hampton Inns we've stayed at.

I especially enjoyed warming up by the fireplace in the lobby!

And this was the view from our hotel room. I think Daniel was a little afraid I might just want to sit by the window and stare at the water instead of going out to explore... :-)

Yesterday, before we left, we went to visit the house below. As a kid (and even now if I'm honest) I was a big fan of the original Pippi Langstrumpf (Pippi Longstocking). I saw them all dubbed in German. The last time just recently with my nephews when I was staying at my sister's...

In 1988 an American/Swedish remake of the original movie was filmed and this was Pippi Longstocking's house, the Villa Villekulla, right in historic Fernandina. So, of course we had to find it and take a picture... Even though I've never seen the remake. I think I like the original too much.

I've had to divvy up the photos of our trip into probably three blog posts. I can't believe how many beautiful things we found to take pictures of in just three days and I want to share some of them with you. I think you'd enjoy them.

So, in my next blog post, I'll take you with us to Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve, which includes Fort Caroline and Kingsley Plantation and beautiful hiking trails.

Until then, I wish you a beautiful start to the week...

Every time...

2012-01-12T10:20:00.002-05:00

... when I have a lot on my to do list, all I want to do is paint or draw! Does that ever happen to you?!

work in progress

So, too, this morning and I painted for a while until I really, really had to get going with my list. We are leaving tomorrow morning for a weekend on Amelia Island in Florida, which means I have to get everything ready for our house and pet sitter! And the house is sort of a mess. And I still have some Christmas things to put away. And I have class this afternoon.

But... I've had had this collaged canvas sitting around since November and it was calling to me. "Silke, come play with me. Everything else can wait!!" So, I quickly created an underpainting for a profile picture. So far so good. I'll probably finish her next week.

Yesterday, I spent all day on my multi-layered print for my etching class (in color!!) and the proof I printed is beautiful! I'll have to show you when I get a chance to take a picture.

Time to get busy! I hope your day is a wonderful one!!

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My daily list of what I'm grateful for (I've totally forgotten to do this lately):

* a newborn baby boy in my family (congrats to my cousin and his wife!)

* hands covered in paint

* cake for breakfast

* my upcoming fun weekend with Daniel

* some much needed rain yesterday

First Etch of the Year

2012-01-09T15:57:00.004-05:00

This is what I've been busy with the last few days - the first and important layer in my first etching assignment.

I had such a good time with this. I painted her onto the copper plate with white ground and then etched it for five minutes, and - even though she needs a little more work - I already love the result! Plus, it felt so soothing to work with the copper metal again and that big printing press!

Last year, etching made me so very nervous, this year somehow I feel totally grounded when in the print studio. And when I saw that "grounded" is the theme for this week's Illustration Friday, I thought I'd enter her! It's a good word for me!

Next, I'll etch at least one plate, but maybe even two more with background textures and then hopefully print a multi-layered print in color with this portrait as the base!! Which of course I'll share with you...

I had hoped to do some blog hopping this weekend, but I was busy every minute. Plus, the weather was so gorgeous that I spent as much time outside as possible when I wasn't printing.

Thank you for all your comments and for stopping by! I so appreciate it!! Every visit and every word!

What I made yesterday

2012-01-07T10:10:00.003-05:00

My etching class is off to a great start - because we don't really have to learn many more techniques, every class will pretty much be a work period where we get to work one-on-one with the professor. We are only six students in this intermediate class and it'll be FUN!

Our first print is due on Tuesday, so I'll be spending some time in the print studio tomorrow and Monday. Last year, that would have felt daunting, but this time around I'm looking forward to getting to work immediately. My professor is excited about the style I want to work in (with multiple plates for each print and color) as am I! I'll keep you updated...

Now to the baby booties - I love making them. They are such a quick little project and so sweet when they are finished. These are crocheted. You know, I used to be a knitter primarily, but I am really starting to love crocheting - there's something so calming about it. These cute little shoes are for friends of ours who had a little baby boy in December.

This is going to be a busy and creative weekend and I am looking forward to checking in with some of your blogs over the next few days. In the meantime, I wish you a most beautiful weekend!

Some small things...

2012-01-05T12:15:00.001-05:00

...that make me happy right now!

Ok, I know he's not exactly a small thing, but you know what I mean!

From our garden

An intriguing new book - thank you, Daniel!

This has been blooming since Thanksgiving - so beautiful!!

In a few minutes I am off to my first etching class of the quarter. As apprehensive as I felt last year, this year I feel nothing but excitement. I have a vision of what I want to create and we'll see if I can make it work...

I hope you are having a wonder-filled day!!

Warm White Bean Salad

2012-01-04T09:52:00.000-05:00

It is COLD here today (well, cold for Georgia, that is), and when it's cold I want to cook! And that's what I've been doing. A lot!

Here is one of my favorite quick recipes from one of my very favorite cookbooks from the Public Radio series The Splendid Table:

Warm White Bean Salad with Garlic and Rosemary
from How to Eat Supper by Lynne Rossetto Kasper
Serves 4

Ingredients

1/2 slice whole-grain bread, coarsely ground in a food processor (2 generous tablespoons crumbs) (I grind it in a spice grinder - works just as well)
3 T fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Generous 1/2 t fresh-ground black pepper
5 large garlic cloves crushed with 1/2 t salt and coarsely chopped
1/4 c good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tight-packed T fresh rosemary leaves, coarsely chopped
Two 15-ounce cans organic white beans (cannellini or Great Northern), drained and rinsed
1 large handful mixed salad greens (frisee and romaine, spring mix, or a blend of baby greens)
Additional salt and fresh-ground black pepper

Directions

In a 12-inch skillet or saute pan over medium heat, toast the bread crumbs until lightly browned, stirring often. Transfer the crumbs to a small bowl to cool. When cooled, stir in the Parmigiano and pepper. Set aside.
In the same pan, slowly warm the garlic in the olive oil over low heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in the rosemary, blending for another minute or so, taking care not to burn the garlic. It should be fragrant and just beginning to soften.
Immediately add the beans and fold them in very gently. Turn the heat to medium. Heat the beans through, about 3 minutes, occasionally lifting and turning them as they heat, as stirring will turn them to mush. Add greens and gently move them around in the pan until they are slightly wilted, 30 second to 1 minute. Turn into a bowl, top with bread-crumb mixture, and season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!!

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My daily gratitude list:

* delicious soup in the fridge (it's the cold - it makes me food obsessed!!)
* plenty of sunshine and no humidity
* a warm dog snout on my lap
* another few days with Christmas decorations before they get put away

My Fist Life Book Assignment

2012-01-03T18:05:00.001-05:00

In Tam's Life Book class (you can click on the link in my right sidebar if you want more info on the class - you can join at any time), our first assignment was one in which we celebrate our goddess qualities, which I took to mean my inner qualities that I consider positive.

My piece turned out a little grittier than many of the others, because I wanted to work in the style I used to paint in when I first started painting. It makes me so happy to work intuitively in layers like that. That's the style I want to also work in with my etching class. We'll see if that'll work, but I'm excited about it!!

It feels sooo good to be painting again. I've really missed it!

Tomorrow, I'll have a yummy recipe for you - I've been cooking up a storm lately and have much I want to share with you. Little by little...

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Today, I am grateful for:

* hands covered in paint
* a super messy drawing table :)
* veggies roasting in the oven
* soup on the stove top
* knitting waiting for me...

Painting again...

2012-01-02T17:46:00.001-05:00

It has been over a month since I last touched my paints and I had this irrational nervousness about picking them up again. So, today was the day!

After about two minutes it was like I just painted yesterday.

I am working on the first assignment for the Life Book class. The challenge for me is to follow the assignment, but do it in my own style and I'm having fun with it! I still have a ways to go, but I love her soft face so far...

I also thought that today would be a good day to start my gratitude list again, so here it is:

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Today, I am grateful for:

*being able to go to my studio and paint

*a fridge full of yummy leftovers(!!)

*clear, sunny and cold weather

*getting back into blogging regularly

*starting my year off with being surrounded by loving people, including you all!!

P.S. Those three little piggies from my last post? All gone! I ate them all for extra luck!! :)

Happy 2012!!

2012-01-01T08:21:00.000-05:00

My three little piggies wish you Good Luck for 2012!

Every year, my sister-in-law, Sue, sends me little marzipan pigs for Christmas for good luck in the new year. And because she knows that I love marzipan! I mean LOVE!!

The first year she sent them, we still had our first dog, Moe, a great dane/dalmation mix, a gorgeous big dog. We put the little wrapped piggies under the tree along with everything else and Moe promptly ate all of them. So, now, when I see a little package among the others that says "don't put under the Christmas tree," I know exactly what they are... Thank you, Sue!!

We rang in the New Year with good friends and followed some of their good luck traditions. At midnight, we jumped off chairs to leap into the new year, ate 12 grapes and made 12 wishes, we toasted the new year with champagne and then ran around the block with a suitcase for much travel in the new year. Well, Daniel did the running, I had eaten a bit too much... :)

With all of that 2012 has to be a spectacular year, right?

Happy New Year!!

I couldn't resist...

2011-12-30T18:48:00.001-05:00


Highlights in her eyes and in her heart

... to enter Illustration Friday at least once this year. I used to participate all the time, but somehow this year was never ready with anything to enter. So, on this almost last day of 2011, here it is!

Another drawing I did for Tam's Fabulous Faces class. I worked from a photo and am really pleased how it turned out. Tomorrow I might add some color...

Wishing you a wonderful evening or morning depending on where you are...

2011 coming to a close...

2011-12-30T15:08:00.001-05:00

On Wednesday, we packed Winslow in the car, drove two hours straight south and spent the day on beautiful Amelia Island. What a gorgeous place and so incredibly dog friendly.

Winslow got to come along when we ate at 29 South, an excellent restaurant, where they even brought Winslow his own bowl of ice water.

We are definitely going back there, maybe even this next month to explore the area a little more. It's only a short boat ride away from Cumberland Island National Seashore and also close to Jacksonville.

There'll certainly be plenty for us to do...

These past few days I've naturally been thinking about the beginning of 2012 and about the past year, which was filled with so many wonderful things - visits to and from family and friends, travel to distant places, trips closer to home, art classes, art in general, much knitting and crocheting, good food, and much much more...

I did notice though, looking back, that I spent too much time feeling stressed about small stuff, anxious about things I don't even remember now, and feeling not as good about myself as I would like to.

Somehow my year had become a "to do" list and much of what was on it I didn't get done, because - you know - life happens when we are busy making other plans.

And because I had that imaginary "to do" list, I seemed to always fall short of what I had in mind and I sort of approached every surprise happening (and there are lots of those in life in general, don't you agree?) with trepidation rather than joyous anticipation.

I want to avoid that in 2012.

Therefore, I hope to look at every day as a blank canvas to be filled with whatever happens that day - some of it planned but with plenty of time to enjoy life's little surprises.

And I want to have fun, especially with my art. I already have a vision of how I want to work in my next etching class - in lots of layers and in color. I want to have as much fun with that as with my "regular" art.

And then my sister and I are taking Tam's Life Book class together, which will be a yearlong fun adventure in mixed media art!

I hope to enjoy Savannah and the surroundings with Daniel and Winslow, especially during the cooler months. We live in such a beautiful part of the country and it'll be good to explore it more.

Most of all, I want to allow myself to relax about things and just take everything as it comes...

... without having to figure it all out beforehand and perfectly.

And I plan to savor each moment much more - because that's what it's all about, isn't it?

What are your hopes and dreams for yourself for 2012?

No matter what they are, I wish good health and a full and joyful heart for all of us.

With much gratitude for your friendships, I wish you all a very Happy New Year!!

Sketching

2011-12-27T19:43:00.000-05:00

First I'd like to thank you for all your Christmas wishes and visits to my blog! I love getting slowly back into my blogging routine. Although at the moment I find the thought of going through all my travel photos of the last month to show you a few select pictures quite overwhelming. So, I'll do that when the muse strikes me.

For now, I felt inspired to pick up my pencil and do a drawing for Tam's (willowing.ning.com) class Fabulous Faces. My sister, Caroline (you can visit her blog here), reminded me of Tam's Life Book class that we are both now signed up for. With the year-long Life Book class that is taught by several wonderful mixed media artists, we also got the Fabulous Faces class and this sketch is for week 1.

It's quite different from my "usual" portraits, but I had such fun with it. Plus, it was soooo good to do some art again after quite a while.

I'll have to visit your blogs this week sometime to find out what you all have been up to! I have missed you all!!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T15:07:00.000-05:00

My dear friends, during the last month much has happened. My dad came to visit us here, we all went to see a bit of Florida including Kennedy Space Center and the Mars rocket launch, then cruised all the way down to the Dutch Antilles where we snorkeled in the most beautifully clear waters before returning back to Savannah.

After a bit more sight seeing here, my dad and I flew back to Germany together where I enjoyed seeing my family, playing with my fun nephews, eating some delicious food, sitting by cozy fires, seeing a bit of the German scenery, experiencing some truly cold, stormy and rainy weather and even a little snow on my last day there.

Now, I am back home. My heart is beyond full and my mind is trying to process it all as Daniel and I are getting ready for Christmas. When I've settled back in I'll have much to share with you.

In the meantime I hope that you are all happy and healthy and wish you Happy Holidays and much love and joy!

So long ... for a little while

2011-11-22T17:38:00.001-05:00

Dear friends, we are heading south tomorrow to Florida and then even further south into the Caribbean.

So, I am signing off for a couple a couple of weeks and wish you all a wonderful few days. And to my friends and family here in the US, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

I will miss you all!!

Fall

2011-11-19T11:48:00.001-05:00

Ok, I know I am jumping from fall to Christmas to fall, but that's sort of how it is right now. Part of why we are putting up decorations so early this year is that my dad is coming here next week and then we'll be traveling quite a bit. So, we won't be here much during the holiday season and thought we could enjoy it a little ahead of time. Plus, it'll be cozy for our house sitter!

In the meantime autumn has finally fully arrived here. I always feel cheated out of fall when everyone talks about the leaves changing and nothing is happening here.

We've lived here now for over five years and still I forget that fall doesn't arrive until mid-November. But then it is beautiful, usually sunny and cool and dry and many of the leaves change to spectacular colors.

Then we'll have a fairly mild winter for a month or two before spring begins sometime in February. By mid-March everything will be in full bloom again!

It is only the hot and humid and hot (did I mention hot?) summer that seems to last forever. But we won't talk about that again until next year...

Still, even in November it is mild here and an eggplant bush that had come up from seed this summer finally decided to produce several beautiful eggplant. We aren't complaining, but it will probably be our neighbors who get to harvest while we are gone...

Now, on to my daily gratitude list:

❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧

Right now, I am grateful for:

A beautiful and sunny fall day that is cool, but warm enough to have the windows open
My dad coming to visit
Breakfast at my favorite cafe this morning
The internet for allowing me to connect with all of you
My family and friends! For sure!!

Can you guess...

2011-11-18T15:48:00.001-05:00

... what we've been doing all morning?

I know it's a little early, but I'm so totally in the holiday spirit this year... Any of you as well?!

And you bet this is part of my gratitude list today...

❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧

Right now, I am grateful for:

getting out our Christmas decorations and slowly starting to decorate around the house
much cooler weather with plenty of sunshine
colorful yarn ready to be made into something beautiful
a surprise package that arrived yesterday
Nutella (yum!!)

Baking some more...

2011-11-16T13:43:00.001-05:00

A couple of days ago, I made this Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Vanilla Sheet Cake (also found on Pinterest) for one of Daniel's classes, but didn't get to taste any of it. And before I pass the recipe on to you, I have to know if it is really any good...

So, tonight we have the opening for another printmaking show and I decided to bring this cake. I made it this morning and just tasted a piece - decidedly delicious!

At first I was sceptical of the recipe as it uses a yellow cake mix and I like to make my cakes from scratch. But it got such rave reviews that I gave it a try and am I ever glad I did!! If you'd like a peek at the recipe, simply click here.

Now, what am I grateful for today?

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Let's see....

Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Vanilla Sheet Cake :)
connecting with a good friend today
Mexican Chicken Lime Soup in the slow cooker (have you noticed how I love food?!)
having the back door open in mild mid-November weather
the cup of black tea I am about to make...

Baking...

2011-11-15T14:59:00.001-05:00

Remember me telling you about Pinterest yesterday? That's where I found the link to these delicious pumpkin muffins I made today. Click here for the quick and yummy recipe!

They truly were super fast to make and are quite healthy. Try them!!

❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧

Daily Gratitude List:

Right now, I am grateful for:

freshly baked muffins
my love for baking
a foggy morning and sunny afternoon
dinner with friends tonight
getting my hair cut this afternoon

Have you heard of...

2011-11-14T07:05:00.001-05:00

Pinterest?

It's basically a website of virtual pin boards. At first I thought it was just pretty (like my color pin board), but I am actually finding it quite useful.

On my food pin board I am collecting all kinds of recipes I want to try out. Each photo pin links back to the original website and gives credit as to where the photo came from.

I have to be careful to not spend too much time there, but the time I spend I find incredibly inspiring!

It makes me dream and think of what I might like to do and where I might like to go.

I think you have to be invited by someone to join Pinterest (it's free), but I'm not sure. If that's the case, just e-mail me and I'll invite you to join if you are interested. Ok, that sounds like I'm advertising for them, but I just like to let others know what inspires me...

Now on to my gratitude list.

❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧

Right now, I am grateful for:

all of your comments on my last few blog posts
the birds singing outside my window
a warm and sunny autumn morning
Ramses on my lap
a hot cup of English Breakfast tea with a little milk

Grateful

2011-11-13T09:44:00.001-05:00

The proud artist and some of her work... :-)

We went to the print studio open house on Friday and it was fun seeing everyone there with their print work. Some students were doing demos and we got to visit with people we hadn't seen in a while.

Lately, so much has happened in my circle of friends that has got me thinking about what is really important. It also had me realize how much I have in my life to be grateful for! So, I decided that my word for next year, what I really want to focus on, is gratitude.

And then I thought: "Why wait until next year?" So, starting immediately, I am going to add five things I am grateful for at the end of every blog post. And if I have nothing else to blog about that day, I will still post the gratitude list.

Connected with that I have decided to really focus on my blog and yours much more than I had this previous year. I have realized again these last few weeks just what a very special community we have here. We are kindred spirits who would (probably) not have found each other without the internet. It truly amazes me.

So, in the new year (I won't have time before then as we'll be traveling a bit and then visiting family) there will be some fun changes to my blog and you'll see me around much more visiting yours!

❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧

Today, I am grateful for:

being able to sit on our back porch in the sunshine
being able to enjoy the day with Daniel
having talked with my sister this morning
being connected to all of you
my cold feeling much better this morning

Evolution of a print

2011-11-11T17:12:00.001-05:00

Ramses, my art critic (I'm not sure if him sitting on my art means he likes it or exactly the opposite), thought I should show you my final three prints and some of the before and after photos.

So, here is the first one, which you had already seen after the first printing. It was a process of white ground on an aquatint. I then wanted to tone down some of the highlights, but the ground I used to stop out the areas I wanted to keep light, failed and the whole image ended up dark.

That's when I thought it was ruined. But my teacher said that as long as there is copper, it can be fixed.

So after burnishing and burnishing some more and then a sugar lift and aquatint to bring back some darks, here is the final print of this. So much more beautiful than it would have been had I not "ruined" it.

The same happened with this next print. Here, you can see the white ground painted onto the copper plate. The areas that are white will etch less than the areas that are left uncovered.

After the first printing, I again wanted to do some more work on it - there were several areas that I wanted to tone down and define some more.

And again, the ground I put on to stop out areas I wanted to keep the same, failed and everything was dark and looked totally ruined to me.

And again, it wasn't. I burnished and did another sugar lift and aquatint and love the final print. All those different layers were so necessary for the end result.

And then there is my third print, my serious self-portrait that you have already seen. I wanted to show you the white ground on the copper plate though because I worked it reductively.

I first applied a layer of white ground to the whole plate and then drew on it (and thereby removing the white ground to allow the copper to be etched) with a blending stump. And then I used a paper towel to work in the larger shadow areas.

After the first printing, I cropped the image, which simply means I cut off part of the copper plate, to make it more interesting to me. I didn't need to do any other work on it. This one was finished after the first couple of processes.

This morning I pulled editions of three prints for each of these images and all went beautifully. I have really grown to love this class and process. I have learned so much not only about etching, but about myself. It was so challenging at times and at the same time so rewarding.

Today, as I inked my plates nine times, wiped the ink off nine times, printed nine times, I found it relaxing and quite meditative, something I had not believed possible at the beginning of the class.

And while I am writing this about the copper plates I thought were ruined and how the end result was so much better than the initial print I had planned, I am reminded of our lives and how we often wish we could only have the good times and not the rest.

But isn't it the totality of our experiences that adds depth and beauty to our lives? At least that's what I find in my life. I love the person I am becoming and this person would not be possible without every single experience I have had in my life. And for all of those experiences - truly all of them - I am eternally grateful!

This community of ours...

2011-11-09T20:29:00.000-05:00

Some of you saw this post yesterday, but then I took it down. I wasn't sure if I should post this already, just being sensitive to Anne's privacy. But, as Elena pointed out, Anne is a huge believer in power of community, and asked for prayers, so I decided to post it again today.

Yesterday I learned from my sweet friend, Elena, that our dear friend, Anne of El Milagro, is facing a very difficult health issue.

A beautiful mixed-media shrine made by Anne (back)

Anne and I met here in blogland when I first started blogging and there was an instant connection. I cannot believe we have never met in person, because it feels like I've always known her. We were instant friends. As I know she has connected with many of you.

A beautiful mixed-media shrine made by Anne (front)

I know how wonderful this community is at surrounding people with love and support and I know we'll all do that for Anne! Be strong, dear friend!!

I am so grateful for all of you and for this community we have built here!!

P.S. I know many of you are concerned about Anne, but at this point, I don't want to give out any more details than this until I know it's ok with her.

Papers

2011-11-08T09:20:00.001-05:00

This morning, still coughing and sniffling (but feeling a little better), I did something I haven't done in a long time. I covered a canvas with beautiful papers, later to be painted over, painted on and hopefully showing through a little at the end.

I had almost forgotten how much I enjoy that process of preparing a canvas with papers and texture.

While I love the classes I am taking and am learning so much from the professors and the students, what I still love most of all is making my own art in my own little studio.

Right now I don't have the piece of mind to make much art nor will I have much time for it before the end of the year, but my head is filled with ideas and slowly and surely they will make their way onto canvas, paper or even copper plates...

I wish you a peaceful and creative day!!

Food!!

2011-11-06T12:34:00.005-05:00

Friday I started coming down with a cold. I still went to the print studio in the morning and got a good bit done (including working on the two copper plates I thought ruined, which really weren't!!). Friday afternoon, I rested.

Then yesterday, I woke up with a good bit of energy which I put to good use. When I have a cold I want to eat. And I really craved baked goods. So I made two loaves of my favorite grainy German no-knead, five-minute bread. My good friend, Verena, introduced me to this recipe a couple of years ago and since then we have never been without this bread. The recipe makes two loaves and it freezes beautifully! You can find the recipe link in this post.

And then I made a batch of these interesting little almond biscotti.

I was a little suspicious of the recipe at first because they are made with whole wheat flour, almond meal, chopped almonds, olive oil and honey. Particularly the olive oil sounded a little strange.

But I've now made them four times already. They are simply delicious and are quickly becoming a favorite cookie!! You can find the recipe here if you are interested.

And then, for good measure, I also made some Memphis Chopped Cole Slaw to go with some yummy BBQ last night. It's my favorite cole slaw recipe and I've shared the recipe with you before in this post.

Today, I will simply rest and allow the cold to take it's course. If it is the same bug Daniel had last week (which I am assuming it is), I should be feeling much better by tomorrow.

In the meantime I wish you a beautiful Sunday and hope that all is well in your world....

November Garden

2011-11-02T09:43:00.001-04:00

It is hard to believe that it is November! Didn't we just start the new year?!? It's even harder to believe when walking through our yard. Here a sampling of what is still happening in our garden:

Mexican Petunia

Confederate Rose, day 2 (on the first day they bloom bright white)

Oleander

Rose

Forgot the name...

Zinnia

Plumbago

Eggplant

Gerbera Daisy

One lone small hydrangea flower

I hope your November is off to a good start!

And to all of you who were affected by the recent snow storm, I hope that your power is back on and your lives are returning to normal.

Self-Portrait

2011-10-31T14:28:00.003-04:00

Self-Portrait I
Intaglio (love the way that sounds - so seriously arty!!!)

Ok, so the last two copper plates I had worked on are probably not savable (except maybe one, but I won't find out until tomorrow). So, after a day of regrouping, heaving big heavy sighs and getting over it all, I decided to move on and do a self-portrait.

I was studying myself so intensely that my portrait is quite intense as well. Actually, I'm scaring myself just a little - appropriate for Halloween, isn't it?!

So then I tried to take a photo of myself where I don't look so intense or distraught for maybe another self-portrait etch. Do you know how hard it is to take a decent photo of yourself by yourself?! This one is ok, although the perspective is a little weird. At least I look a bit friendlier. I might have to enlist Daniel's help...

Unfortunately, he is coming down with a cold and I am feeling the beginnings of one as well. Not happy about that!!! Not at all!! So, we are resting today, drinking lots of fluids and staying warm and cozy.

I hope you all are feeling great and wish you a frightening and ghoulish Halloween!!

More Flower Love...

2011-10-30T07:22:00.002-04:00

My love for these little loopy flower brooches has not waned! It's so much fun laying out some of the fibers I have and deciding which ones to combine to create a little jewel...

And sometimes, like with the pin above made of sari silk, I don't add anything else to it.

And with others I combine two or three yarns.

I love the one below and wish those were my colors!

And this last one is so delicate in it's colors that are all contained in this beautiful felted yarn. There's even a little sparkle of silver...

This is just a small sampling. If you want to see the entire colorful garden of these flower pins, click here to go to my Etsy shop!

A Fall Greeting

2011-10-29T10:40:00.003-04:00

Outside it is blustery and dreary today and getting colder by the minute, but inside it's warm and cozy. A perfect day for knitting, crocheting, painting and a little cooking.

It's been so long that I blogged I thought I wanted to at least say hello and I'll be back soon. Right now, my life is a little consumed by creating, and especially with my etching class.

Yesterday, I did something at the studio that might have ruined the plates I was working on, so today I'll make a new one and then hope my professor can help me fix the ones that are now too dark. Today, I feel much calmer about it, but yesterday I wasn't a happy camper...

I hope you all are warm and cozy wherever you are and that you are enjoying a perfect autumn weekend!!

Etch in Progress

2011-10-25T15:06:00.001-04:00

I just had to show you my etch in progress from today's class. I am so ridiculously proud of it!

First I applied an aquatint (which is why the dark areas are so uniformly dark), then painted all the highlights in with white ground and paint brushes, then left it in the acid it for seven minutes and hoped for a semi-good result. I'm totally in love!!

I still want to make a few changes (like tone down that cheek highlight a bit), but nothing major. And then she'll be printed on good paper (this is newsprint for a proof) and framed for one of the shows.

There's more to share with you, but that'll have to wait until tomorrow!

I hope you are all doing wonderfully!!

P.S. It sounds kind of silly to be so happy about this, but it's simply because this etching process is in some ways so unforgiving. This was a one-step etch and it is almost finished - that's like a miracle to me! :) When I paint, it's so different because I can paint over something or wipe it away if it doesn't look good. Not here - once it has been in the acid, it's etched in metal. So, this is a great success!!

Feelin' Good

2011-10-22T16:18:00.001-04:00

I don't know about you, but when the temperatures drop and fall is definitely on the way, I just want to nest. So, today, I started some much needed "spring" cleaning and it felt really good. I cannot believe how much dust can accumulate in one house. Our ceiling fans pretty much go non-stop all summer and now that they are shut off for a bit, I am cleaning them - I'm amazed that dust bunnies weren't flying at us when they were on...

Anyway...I'm glad you all liked my latest painting from the previous blog post. I am looking at it while I type and frankly am smitten. I can't believe I made that! Especially the hands - they were soooo hard. I spent hours sketching, erasing, looking at my own hands, sketching, adjusting and finally painting them. I already have ideas for the next painting...so stay tuned!

But for now a bit of etching news. My professor wanted to look at my blog and really liked my portraits A LOT and wants me to do my stylized portraits for my next projects. So, my foray into abstract art is on hold for the moment and I don't mind at all.

So, at the end of last class I did a ten-minute sketch on some white ground and etched it for about seven minutes. Yesterday I went in to print it and work on it a bit. I printed three proofs and this is the last one. I want to figure out how to burnish and smooth out the left eye so it's white around the iris. Not so easy to fix things on copper... However, for a quick sketch, it's not half bad.

Tomorrow, I'll be busy looking for frames for my first four etching project as they are going to be in a print studio open house show mid November. We have to have all the artwork framed and ready by Monday. Plus our class is having a gallery show a few days after that and hopefully I'll have some portraits to show in that one. Exciting times!!

I sure hope you all are having a fun and relaxing and maybe even sunny, but definitely cozy weekend!! Sending you much sunshine and love from here...

Guardians

2011-10-20T18:50:00.000-04:00

This painting truly was a labor of love. I put many hours into it, first sketching, then erasing, then sketching some more, then painting and adding lots of detail.

For me this piece had a mexican feel to it from the start as the main figure was inspired by a photo I had seen of Lila Downs, a wonderful singer and song writer whose mother was from Oaxaca. We once were fortunate enough to see her perform in Albuquerque and it blew us away! But I digress...

When I was done with the main figure, I thought the background really needed something else.

Daniel reminded me of a monograph we have of Rodolfo Morales, a painter from Ocotlán de Morales in Oaxaca, a place we just adore and have visited often. I had forgotten how much I love Rodolfo's art! Looking at his work did the trick and I suddenly "saw" what the background wanted to be.

I don't know about you, but I like to think (in fact, I am quite sure) that we have guardians around us who love us no matter what, who walk with us on our path, and who occasionally nudge us in the right direction...

This painting is rather large for me, 18 x 24" (45 x 60 cm) and ready to hang with finished sides. The colors are even more beautiful than in the photos and the whole canvas has lots of great texture!

Guardians
18 x 24" (45 x 60 cm) acrylic painting
on wrapped canvas

Variety in Art

2011-10-18T07:07:00.000-04:00

It is quite fascinating to me how I am developing different styles in the different media I now work in.

In my paintings I've developed my own folksy style that is influenced by other things I learn, but still stays recognizable. I'm still working on this larger painting above - I hope to finish her today or tomorrow.

When I draw, I work much more realistically. I had found a beautiful old hand-colored photo of Daniel's mother and tried to make a drawing with some acrylic washes in the same vintage tones that were on the photo. It came out pretty nicely, but she does look a little different than on the photo - her face should be a little rounder and less long and her eyes a bit smaller. I think I'll try again...just for fun!

And then in my etching class, I really want to work more abstractly and moodier than in my other art.

These are the latest prints on good paper that I'm handing in today.

They turned out beautifully I think. I'm not sure what my professor will say, but I'm quite pleased. The one above is named "Leaving Safety" as most of you probably know from my earlier post, and I called the one below "Approaching Storm" as it looks sort of stormy to me.

Now I'm headed upstairs to my studio to paint for a bit before going to etching class.

I wish you all a terrific Tuesday!!

A great day!

2011-10-17T17:22:00.000-04:00

Saturday was Daniel's birthday. And we decided to celebrate it just the two of us. This has been a busy quarter for Daniel at school and with me taking a class, we don't see each other as often as we usually do. So, we decided to take Saturday off and play.

Our day started early (Ramses decided that 5:30 was the proper time to get up), but it was a cool morning and we enjoyed it on our back porch with birthday waffles and a fire in our chiminea. Frankly, life doesn't get much better than that...

Later in the morning, we went to visit Oatland Island Wildlife Center, which is really close to us and we we'd never visited together. I had been there once with visitors, but for Daniel this was new.

It's a fairly large wilderness area with trails through woods and across marshes and with large enclosures housing animals native to Georgia.

The weather was perfect as you can see!

And the views stunning - I can't believe we live in a gorgeous place like that!

We even found a few signs of fall.

And some stunning colors in nature.

We both loved this old structure - what great texture and color.

Now, as to the animals, we saw a few ibis,

all of the wolves (I'm glad Daniel had the close-up lens on the camera so we could get some good photos),

the bison,

and of course alligators, which are everywhere around here. This one was a baby - you can still see the stripes.

Another one was much bigger, but quite peaceful around all the turtles in this pond.

It must not have been hungry.

Now, when we were looking at the turtles, Daniel started talking about how wonderful it would be to have a turtle that could just live in our back yard.

He'd been mentioning this on and off for a couple of weeks, but on Saturday it sounded like he really, really wanted one.

And guess what happened? We went home and while eating lunch on our back porch, Daniel spied this beautiful little visitor who had found his (or her) way into our backyard. Daniel was like a little boy who had gotten a pony for his birthday.

Can you believe this happened?! We were stunned! And just loved it!! We are not sure if it's still in our backyard or if it has moved on, but it sure made Daniel's day! Thank you, little turtle.

In the evening we decided to have dinner in one of our favorite restaurants by the beach and then go for walk barefoot in the sand.

The day had been warm, but it sure cooled off at night and walking into the water felt a little cold at first. But hey, it's mid-October and we are at the beach - how great is that?!?

And, to celebrate this special day the sky put on a show that had us speechless.

A perfect day!!

Leaving Safety

2011-10-14T14:28:00.000-04:00

Leaving Safety, etching
working proof

Ok, so by now most of you know that I am not the most patient person. This morning I was going to go to the print studio to print my editions for the two prints I am handing in on Tuesday. I arrived ready to go and found the studio filled with students from a beginning printmaking class. So, I decided to come back tomorrow and work when it's quiet.

I also decided that I couldn't wait until tomorrow to show you one of my prints. The photo is alright - it's only a working proof on newsprint. It combines three different techniques - a line etch, a soft ground pattern for the background and a spit bite aquatint (and a few hours of work...). I love it!! Several times throughout the process I thought I had ruined it, but it turned out those "accidents" were all lucky ones! When I pulled the final version from the press, my breath caught for a second and I knew I had a keeper...

I find it interesting that in drawing I work mostly realistically, in my paintings I have developed my own folksy style and in my etchings I now have the opportunity to develop my more abstract and edgy side. I think the materials lend themselves beautifully for abstract work. Add to that my love for layering, textures and surprises and I think I've found the direction I want to go in with etching.

After I get my "good" prints done this weekend, I'll photograph them do another show & tell.

But for now, I wish you a beautiful, peaceful and creative Friday!!

P.S. The print reminded me of the quote I used in my very first blog post in March of 2009, and that's where the title "Leaving Safety" came from. Oh, how my life has changed since then...

Sewing a little

2011-10-11T20:53:00.002-04:00

I have to tell you, after all my bellyaching about the etching class, today I was able to tell that I spent so many hours in the print studio this weekend. Today in class I created a beautiful print! I just love it and can't wait to show you!!

However, for right now I want to show you another little clutch I made this evening.

I had gotten all these new fabrics, which are just YUMMY!! (In fact, this one would make a beautiful etching...)

Doesn't it remind you of the ocean? And then you open it up and there are the colors of a fiery sunset!

Whatever it may remind you of, if you love it, you can find it for sale in my Etsy shop by clicking here.

Tomorrow, I am going to print on good printing paper and hopefully remember to take a picture to show you!

In the meantime, I wish you a good night and a wonderful day tomorrow! I am so grateful for you all!!

The Joys of Printmaking

2011-10-09T15:45:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I was sporting this new fashionable look, because I was playing here:

To work with nitric acid, you have to be gloved, goggled and have the ventilation going. This is dangerous stuff! But it allows you to paint the acid on and get a very cool watercolor sort of effect.

Then, today I got to again wear this very becoming face mask (Anne thinks I need to use these as my profile pictures...) because I was playing with rosin aquatint again.

I had made a stencil in the hard ground with a sugar lift. Basically, I painted with a sugar solution onto the plate, then let it dry, then brush it with liquid hard ground, let it dry again and then soak it in warm water until the hard ground comes up where I had painted with the sugar mix. For this process, neither mask nor gloves are required - what a relief!

I had added the sugar lift to a plate I had already etched with a lace pattern (if you click on the photo below, you can really see it). Then you add the rosin, melt it onto the plate and put it in the acid. Only the areas exposed by the sugar lift will etch. It's really cool, actually!

I think I'll leave it this way for my professor to take a look at and see what else I can do. I'm just now starting to understand that you work into these plates again and again until you have a print that you like. At first I thought you had to have a finished piece with the first process you tried.

I also played with the dandelion some more. I added a soap ground in the background and then deepened the lines of the dandelion with some dry point etching. I want to find out if I can burnish the area behind the seed head a little to lighten it some more.

This one turned out nicely - my ginkgo leaf with an aquatint background. All of these are just proofs on newsprint, so the quality isn't great, but good enough for blog show and tell!

I spent about 10 hours in the print studio during the last few days and I can tell a definite improvement. Some things are becoming more rote and all of it is taking much less time and mental energy, which totally increases the fun factor.

And - this is a nice little side effect - it's quite the upper body workout every time I print - especially when I print multiple plates.... It's the only art I've ever done where you barely sit down for a few minutes. Unless you are sitting and drawing on your plate, you are on your feet the entire time.

Are you having a good Sunday? It sure is blustery and rainy here, but we are enjoying it!

A Painting in Progress

2011-10-08T23:50:00.001-04:00

I was having one of those evenings tonight - you know, when you doubt yourself. A lot. When you give the question of who you are to someone else to answer. In this case, I was giving that power to my etching class, having how I do in there decide whether I "really" am an artist or not.

The funny thing was when I was tossing and turning trying to go to sleep wondering if I had been kidding myself about being an artist, all I wanted to do was paint. So, I got up and I continued on this painting in progress. She still has a ways to go, but already she has answered my question.

No matter what anyone thinks, I can no longer imagine my life without art!

It's that simple.

And now, I wish you good night!

Update: It is morning now, a blustery and rainy morning - simply wonderful! Painting last night did the trick. I feel good. After all, it's not our definition that matters, it's how much we enjoy each moment. And today, I plan to enjoy my day - including my afternoon at the print studio.

I hope you'll be able to enjoy your day as well, no matter what you have planned!!

P.S. Just wait until you see the rest of this painting - I love it!!!

A Quick Hello!

2011-10-08T11:43:00.004-04:00

I wanted to at least pop in and say THANK YOU for all your great comments on my last post and painting!! I have been art obsessed lately and for the first time really feel like a full-time artist. If I am not in the print studio, I am in my studio painting.

This little guy lives in our fake flowers on our front porch...

I'm working on a bigger painting (at least for me it's bigger) that, again, is different - an ever evolving style, I think... It's only half done and already I look at it and marvel as to where it came from... Love that!! Yesterday, I spent five hours at school etching and printing and I'm about to spend the afternoon there today.

All of that means that I have not been on the computer much, neither blogging nor visiting your blogs or much on Facebook. I miss you all and I'll visit again soon! For now, art is calling me...

So today, I am leaving you with these fall photos as I did take time the other day to decorate our entry way. I love how our orange door is so perfect for fall!!

I hope you are having a perfect fall weekend!

New Painting & More

2011-10-05T18:52:00.001-04:00

Well, my friends I took the whole day off from printmaking. I needed to not be around big presses, rubber gloves, goggles, acids and metal. I needed a peaceful day painting - and I painted all day!

When I paint, I meditate, I think, I allow things that have been percolating to come to the surface and be noticed.

So, two things happened here. My style is changing a little. My women and flowers are coming together. Plus, Jane DesRosier (Gritty Jane) is having a Facebook challenge to paint a piece paying homage to Klimt. While it wasn't my intent to paint this for the challenge, I was clearly influenced by reading about Klimt, his life and his art.

It also made me remember how much I love patterns. Not the regular kind so much, but the organic patterns I see everywhere. And I added a little bit of metallic paint (gold and copper) - yum! The photos don't really do it justice, but they come close.

But here's the big change. I decided to offer my paintings for sale right here on the blog for two reasons (everything seems to be happening in pairs today).

At this point, I call myself an artist (even if only timidly), but also want to hide it from the world. I still do that!! I like to show you my art, but the selling part I am so incredibly insecure about. I barely want to mention it and then apologize for it in the same sentence.

I came across the following quote a few weeks ago, which has had me thinking - a lot. A LOT!

“The original definition of courage is to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart.”

― Brené Brown

This is me being a little more courageous and telling the story of who I am:

Putting my art out there for you to see, to comment on, to buy if you want to, or to simply enjoy online!

The second reason is a more mundane one. I find it takes a lot of time to maintain two Etsy stores effectively, so I will close my Etsy art store over the next few days and offer my art here on my blog. It just feels right. I will also no longer offer prints of anything, just my original pieces as they become available.

The "Buy Now" button will take you to PayPal for very secure checkout (the same as with Etsy).

About the pricing of my art, it is not a science. I price the pieces according to how long they took me to paint and - because I only offer you the pieces I truly love - by what would feel like a fair trade to me for that particular piece. If you have questions, just e-mail me.

Jewel
8 x 10" acrylic painting

Thank you all for listening, for bearing witness to my constant becoming and for your always supportive comments!

You all warm my heart and make my day - every day!!

P.S. I loved all your comments on my previous fall post - seems I'm not the only one who loves this particular season...

Moments to Savor

2011-10-04T08:56:00.001-04:00

I don't know what it is about fall, but it makes me so aware of the beautiful small moments in my life. Maybe it's the way the autumn sun makes everything look golden, or the anticipation of a slower season, or maybe it's just that it is such a relief to have cooler temperatures again. Whatever it is, here are yesterdays moments to savor:

knitting on Daniel's sweater and reading food magazines:
getting ready for soup, stew and roast season

getting to wear socks again

late afternoon sunlight on the plants outside

dogwood leaves changing color

a gorgeous crape myrtle leaf

our blueberry bush getting ready for winter

delicious kumquats starting to ripen

hydrangea flowers still blooming

*sigh*

Wishing you many small moments to savor today and every day!

I so appreciate your visits and your friendships!!

Etching - Part 1

2011-10-03T07:14:00.001-04:00

I am not sure if all of you are interested in the etching processes I am learning these days, but I thought I'd share a few photos since it's so different for me. The first picture shows my beautiful outfit while etching: close-toed shoes, an apron and rubber gloves. I tell you, until you get the final print, this is not pretty art making!

During the first step after I had done my assignment prints last week I wanted to apply another hard ground to my two plates (the dragonfly and the ginkgo leaf) to do a little more detail drawing on them. In order to be able to see through the hard ground, I chose the waxy kind, which gets applied on this hot plate:

I totally forgot to photograph the process, but here is the plate all covered with the original etched image still visible, just like I wanted.

I didn't need to make many more additional lines, so with my trusty scraper I was done with that in a few minutes.

In the images above and below, you can see some of those additional marks - the original ones are dark and the new ones light colored.

The next step was to put a backing on the copper sheet so that the back side doesn't etched,

take the lid off the ferric chloride solution,

and submerge my plate for about 15 minutes. For all of that I had to be gloved and goggled.

After this etching step, which was successful for both plates, I first cleaned off the hard ground and then polished them to get all the grease off (fingerprints and such). Now started the exciting and new part - aquatint!

Aquatint is a process where you apply rosin dust to the plate to create a uniformly etched area - great for background shading. So, first, with a sharpie marker I blocked out the areas I didn't want to etch with the rosin.

Then I donned this lovely breathing mask (again, not pretty art making!) and applied the rosin - and again forgot to take photos. I was too concerned with following all the steps this first time around.

Basically, I created a dust storm of fine rosin powder in an enclosed box, let the dust settle a bit, then put in my plates for a couple of minutes to have some of the fine powder settle on it. After that, you melt the rosin particles onto your plate and submerge them in the acid bath. The length of time you have them in the acid determines how gray or black the area will be upon printing.

After cleaning off the rosin and sharpie with alcohol, I was left with these beautiful plates. It totally worked and I am thrilled!! I preserved the delicate line etchings while adding some depth to the background. I hope it'll really make the images pop when I print them.

Today I'll go in to print them on newsprint just to see how the print will look and hopefully I'll remember to take photos of that process as well...

Wishing you a great start to this week! We are still enjoying cool fall weather and I am loving it!!! I had almost forgotten that I have energy when the weather isn't so hot...

Sunday Vignettes

2011-10-02T16:31:00.000-04:00

Today has been filled with beautiful moments!

I hope for you as well!!

Inspiration

2011-10-01T14:05:00.003-04:00

Inspiration from the garden this morning.

Most of the times I hear someone give a speech, I think to myself: "That was interesting," and then go about my life again. But every once in a while I hear a speaker who truly inspires me and causes great shifts in my perception of everything.

That happened last night while hearing Karen Kunc (click here for her beautiful website), a renowned woodcut print artist, giving a lecture. I can't quite articulate everything yet as my thoughts are still churning. Once they settle down, I can look at how my inner landscape has changed and share some of that with you.

What I can say is that it was a joy hearing someone present her art, whose life seems to be completely integrated. She seems to be using her art to relate to the world around her, to communicate her thoughts and passions and to share her unique interpretation. She has found the gift only she can bring to the world and somehow shares it without pretense or holding back. Her art is abstract and again it isn't. As you can see, I really can't quite sort out my thinking about this yet.

What I do know is that I want to be an artist like that - where there is no difference between my life and my art, where one feeds the other seamlessly. Well, as you can see I am super eager to share my thoughts with you, my creative family, but I am still lacking the words. I do have a feeling though that many of you can relate...

Until my thoughts settle down, I am enjoying these beautiful fall days we are having right now. I hope you are, too!!

My Two Line Etchings

2011-09-29T17:44:00.002-04:00

Today we handed in our first assignment, which for me were these two delicate line etchings. (At some point, I'll take some pictures for you of the process, but right now I'm still too focused when I'm printing and always forget that I have the camera with me.) For this assignment, these plates were finished and I pulled editions of three prints from each of them. What you see here are my artist's proofs - not quite as good as the ones I handed in.

Gingko Leaf

Then, also today, we learned how to do aquatint, which is great for getting uniformly darkened areas. So, I am going to work into both of these copper plates again and maybe again to slowly add more depth and value.

Dragonfly

We also got to observe a visiting printmaker pulling an edition of woodcut prints (it was a busy class), but I'll tell you more about her after I attend her lecture tomorrow evening. Tonight though, we get to meet and have dinner with Glenn Brill (click here for his website) another great artist and printmaker. I have so much to share with you that it'll just have to wait for subsequent posts...

In the meantime and on a more mundane note, I am so looking forward to this tropical rain system leaving us and cooler and dryer weather arriving tomorrow. Daniel is preparing the back porch for us! Saturday morning it's supposed to be in the 50s. The 50s, people!! It seems like a dream at the moment (still 83 outside) and I can hardly wait. Fall is coming and not a moment too soon!!!

Wishing you a wonderful few last days of September...

Wednesday Mish Mash

2011-09-28T08:46:00.001-04:00

This morning, I finished the Angel's Trumpet flower. It's also in the square format like my previous flower paintings, but on a larger canvas. I've listed it in my Etsy store here. I've got another one started, so flowers will remain on the menu for a while it seeems...

Now on to printing class, which I am still not sure about. On the one hand I love it, on the other it seems to push a lot of buttons for me and I am trying to sort through that. I love the professor and the etching part and the finished prints. The printing process I am not so sure about yet. Our professor is having us do exploratory writing and that is really helpful in sorting out my thoughts and feelings.

The building we are in is the school's painting building, an old warehouse right under the beautiful bridge to South Carolina in the commercial harbor of Savannah. I LOVE that location - I've always had a thing about commercial harbors - and every day when I am there, I peak around the corner to see which of the big freighters is docked at the moment.

Tomorrow, we have to turn in an edition of three prints of the plate(s) we have etched. This proof I pulled on Saturday, but it's an image I will not submit for this assignment. The two images I will hand in I have to print today. If they turn out, they will be gorgeous! Keep your fingers crossed!!

Now, something totally different! I prepared broccoli a couple of days ago in a way that tasted great - if you like broccoli that is. Inspired by a similar recipe I found in Everyday Foods, I sauteed it in olive oil until it was slightly browned, then added some garlic, a little lemon peel, some toasted walnuts and parmesan cheese. Seasoned with salt and pepper, it was delicious!!

That's it for the moment. I am going to hang out with my sewing machine for a while and then head into town and hopefully get my prints pulled. There are several classes using the same printing press and all having projects due around the same time, so it can get very busy.

Wishing you a most wonderful Wednesday!!

Never say never...

2011-09-24T10:24:00.002-04:00

5 x 5" original painting (gone to a good home)

6 x 6" original painting

By now I should know that often when I say I am finished with something, I'm really not at all. So it is with the square flower paintings (well, one heart snuck in when I wasn't watching...). The canvas size has increased a little, but I'm still with the flowers and may be for a while. This last one, an Angel's Trumpet flower, isn't quite finished yet, but I like where it's heading. I love drawing and painting - it is so soothing to my soul!

The plant theme also seems to expand into my etching class. Here is a copper plate covered with a heard ground, into which I "drew" the image of a dandelion seed head with a scraper. I'll make a couple of changes this morning, then head to the print studio to etch it and then print a proof to see how I like it. I'm starting to make friends with the etching/printing process and that's good! For a while there we weren't sure we were going to like each other...

I hope you all are enjoying a beautiful weekend!!

Maybe the Last Flower

2011-09-21T11:34:00.003-04:00

Well, friends, another flower and I think my last for a while. Painting flowers is really not the direction I see myself going in. Maybe occasionally, but for now, other subject matters are calling me.

Speaking of which, I successfully etched two copper plates yesterday and am going into the print studio this afternoon to print a proof of each of them.

As soon as I let my fingers run over the etched copper, I was in love with this technique (I am such a tactile person!) and keep staring at the etched plates. I can't wait to see how they print! I'll take photos and share...

Pretty in Pink - 5x5" acrylic painting on gallery-wrapped canvas.

I leave you today with much love and hope that you are having a beautiful day that keeps getting better and better and better!!

P.S. Today is Friday and I can tell you that this was NOT the last flower. I should have known... :) I'm off to the print studio for now, but I'll be back later today...

Still on the Red Flower Kick...

2011-09-18T11:54:00.000-04:00

Poppy 2
Acrylic painting on 5 x 5 inch gallery-wrapped canvas

While the first poppy I painted is getting ready to be shipped to wonderful Audrey, I absolutely had to paint another.

Of course, it is not the same. Similar, but definitely not the same. And again, I really love it!

Napthol Red and Paynes Gray and just a little Green Gold in the center of the poppy. Amazing what you can create with such a limited palette! It was hard to get the color to show correctly on the photos though. The scan (top photo) shows the colors best.

We have been enjoying cooler days and can hardly believe our luck. I got to wear long pants yesterday and socks! I was so happy!! And Ramses is sleeping in his little basket again, curling up and keeping warm. I think this winter I need to make a pretty cover for his pillow...

I am off to paint another little painting, sew some more clutches and scratch something into my copper plates for etching class on Tuesday.

Wishing you and beautiful, creative and peaceful Sunday!!

Giveaway Winners!!

2011-09-17T09:40:00.002-04:00

I decided this morning to make the drawing of the winners more fun (and certainly prettier) than using random.org.

So, I wrote everyone's name (for those who also posted on Facebook or their blog, I wrote the name out twice) on pretty paper, cut them all to the same size, folded them up and put them in one of my favorite little bowls.

And then I drew four names in order of what I was giving away - and here are the happy results (all of them will travel far away from Georgia)!

1.

The painting is traveling all the way to Germany to Sabine. Her beautiful blog is Liese and if you visit (click here), you'll see that she loves the color red. How fitting that this painting is going to live with her. You'll love her photos, all the things she makes and if you translate the blog (or speak German), you'll love her writing!!

The little poppy clutch is going to go live with Char in Canada. I've been following Char's blog, We Blog Artists, from the very beginning of my blogging life. Char is incredibly creative, making anything from fine art to whimsical crafts. Both of my nephews have one of her beautiful Once Upon a Time watercolor illustrations. Click here to visit her blog.

3 & 4.

And Beth and Georgina both win one of my loopy, funky flower pins that I can't seem to stop making!

Beth and I have been great friends for a long time now - in fact, it feels like we've always known each other. She lives in Maine and her blog, Beth's Take on Life, reflects her love for that part of the country. Her photos are just gorgeous and her writings wonderful. Go visit (click here)!!

Georgina lives in El Paso and is larger than life! Her writings on her blog, La Llorona Arts, often make me laugh, always make me think and for some reason always make me homesick for New Mexico. And her art is fun and happy! Right now, she is making wonderful colorful skeleton masks (after all Dia de los Muertos) is not far away (can you tell I miss New Mexico?).

I wish I had had something to give to everyone who entered, but I'll have another giveaway soon. For today I want to congratulate the winners and hope you are happy with what I'll send you. I'll be in touch with you via e-mail to get your mailing addresses.

Wishing you a wonderful Saturday!!

New Painting

2011-09-15T09:18:00.003-04:00

This morning the alarm clock woke me up so suddenly and from such a fun dream that I started me day off on a very grumpy note, which isn't like me at all.

So, after Daniel left for school, I immediately went up to my studio and painted for two hours straight.

Out came something quite unexpected. I've been in such a red-color phase lately and the poppies from the little bags I recently made have obviously stayed on my mind...

I'm not usually a flower painter, but this one I really love! If you love it, too, you can find it in my Art Etsy Shop. {Sold already!! Thank you, Audrey!}

Painting did the trick! I feel so much better! Now I even feel up for a little tidying around the house before going to my etching class.

Wishing you a non-grumpy, very creative and most excellent day!!

My Sister's Blog

2011-09-14T07:02:00.001-04:00

Can you tell who this is?! :) She sent this to me for my birthday!

I haven't introduced a new blog in a while and this one is super special to me. It's my sister's!! Sometime last summer, Caroline decided to pick up a pencil and start drawing - just like I did a couple of years ago.

Like me, she never did any art before and, wow, isn't she good?!? She and I both signed up for the Gritty Jane workshop "Portraits and Papers," which I think is just so exciting. While I haven't done anything yet, Caroline has been working her way through some of the exercises and I'm totally impressed!!

And I'm happy that she started her blog "Kunstversuch" (An Experiment in Art), which has been a well-guarded secret until now...

With two energetic young boys and a full-time teaching job, she doesn't have much time to write, but she regularly posts her art, her kids' art and her beautiful photography.

The blog world is amazing, isn't it? It allows us all to be in touch so closely no matter how far apart we live. And when I see Caroline's photos from her backyard and around Germany, I feel like I just visited yesterday...

So, please go visit her blog and say hello! Her English is excellent, so feel free to leave comments for her even if you don't speak German and welcome her to this amazing blogging community... Simply click here and it'll take you to her blog!

Two days in the life of...

2011-09-13T16:35:00.002-04:00

Well, this post is going to be somewhat all over the place as that is sort of where my mind is at right now. These last couple of days have been interesting. Good, a bit up and down, and definitely filled me with much thought, which I am sure will express itself creatively somehow.

Yesterday I had one of those super productive days where I crocheted, made another little poppy clutch (this one for my store -- sold already - might have to make more), went to the grocery store, the post office, cleaned house, and cooked a wonderful Moroccan meal in our tagine!!

Yet, by the evening I was feeling out of sorts a little. I had made cookies in the afternoon and ate a bit too much dough and felt kind of frumpy and unattractive. You know those niggling little thoughts that find their way in sometimes.

Anyway, I thought I'd look at a magazine before going to sleep, one that usually inspires me. But before I even got to anything mildly inspiring, there were about 10 ads for products to make me look beautiful and young. That sparked a flood of thoughts of "not-enoughness:" my skin is not smooth enough, my age spots not hidden enough, definitely not de-wrinkled enough, especially around the eyes; my stomach isn't flat enough; my muscles not toned enough; not enough exercise; not enough discipline - you know the list!

Not surprisingly, I woke up with thoughts of "not-enoughness" this morning, but not about me. Rather they were about not enough time, not enough done before class started, not enough mental prep for class, etc. Well, I put all that out of my mind and went to class.

My first etching class ever!

And there again - roller coaster all the way. During the safety walk and talk about the acids we'll be using, dangerous tools, the power of the printing presses, rosin that could ruin our lungs and such, I was convinced I had to quit immediately lest I get maimed, impaled, blinded or burn off my skin with acid.

But then my wonderful professor, Deb Oden, who is simply INSPIRING, talked with us about etching and printing. Her love for this process and the work that comes from it oozed from her to all of us. I felt inspired, I felt excited about learning this craft from someone who does not teach it the traditional way. She's having us learn the different steps, but then put them together in ways that inspire us.

She's having us write papers about what in life inspires us as artists. She's having us write three entries for art shows or exhibits or competitions. She's having us write a "I'd love you to love me" letter for something wonderful we want to do, like an internship or an artist in residency program somewhere.

So, you see a couple of days of little ups and downs. After all of that I decided that I am out of the phase of my life where I have to look perfect and flawless with every hair in place and looking years younger than I am. So much time and resources spent on projecting a certain image. And to what end?

I am 45, my hair is silver, my face has laugh lines, my hands have age spots, I'm growing a pimple on my nose at the moment, my nails are not perfectly manicured ... and that's all ok! I am proud I made it to 45 through a life that wasn't always easy, I now completely enjoy my life, I feel creative, I am healthy, I am happy, I get to love, I am loved, I get to learn how to etch, I am living exactly how I want to live and THAT's more important than anything!!

And THAT's what I wish for all of you!!!

Island Paradise

2011-09-12T07:51:00.001-04:00

It is so easy for us to get so involved in our day-to-day lives that we almost forget that we live near the water. Plus, during the hot hot summer it wasn't much fun to be outside, even at the beach where not even the water temperature was refreshing anymore.

But now that the humidity has dropped, we went back to one of our favorite places on Tybee Island just a fifteen-minute drive from our house - AJ's Dockside Restaurant.

The reason we love it so much is simple - you get to sit and eat out on the dock right on the river where it flows into the ocean. Often dolphins swim by or the occasional kayaker. This weekend it was peaceful and perfect!

An Island getaway so close to where we live - on days like that we feel more than lucky!

A few last shots as the sun was setting over the marsh.

Not a breeze was blowing.

I don't know how often I have taken pictures of these coconuts over the years, but I just love those colors!

They totally inspired me to make a few more flower pins - this time in island colors...

Some with sari silk, some with "only" different kinds of yarns,

and all of them available in my little shop.

Now I am off to a rendezvouz with my sewing machine to make some more clutches like the one I am giving away. If you haven't entered my giveaway yet, you can do so by clicking here.

Wishing you an excellent start to this week!!

Flowers on this Sunday

2011-09-11T08:17:00.001-04:00

{sold}

I've been in a creative frenzy as of late - painting, crocheting, knitting and today I'll get out my sewing machine.

A friend showed me recently how to make these very fun loopy flower pins and graciously allowed me (they are her design) to sell them in my Etsy store.

I can't stop making them - they are so pretty with all the different yarns.

If you are interested in looking at all of them, click here and have a visit to my shop.

{sold}

They are super affordable.

Today, I will immerse myself once again into the peace, joy and comfort of creating...

{sold}

and hope that this energy will spread from here to everywhere...

Finished Painting and Giveaway!

2011-09-09T07:51:00.000-04:00

Last night I finished my painting. I just doodled whatever I felt inspired to add and I love the look of her. She looks serene and happy. And I LOVE those colors together!! I needed color...

I decided since I have written over 650 posts - who knew I had that much to say - and am nearing 400 followers - thank you for still being interested in what I have to say - that it was time for a giveaway!

With a Light Heart
mixed media on 8 x 10 wrapped canvas

So, I'd like to give her away to one of you if you'd like her. Just leave a comment on this blog post and I'll draw the winner a week from today on September 16. If you want to mention this giveaway anywhere else (your blog, Facebook, etc) let me know in another comment and I'll give you an extra entry for each mention. Easy peasy!

And I'll also pick three other winners for something handmade, one of which will be this cute little clutch I made. It goes with the red flowers of the painting...

And then maybe a couple of things from my fiber store. Not sure yet, but you'll like it!

With that I wish you a beautiful weekend, and thank you so much for being a part of my life!!

P.S. This giveaway is open to anyone no matter where you live. Plus, if you have trouble leaving a comment on my blog, you can just send me an e-mail (there's an e-mail link on my profile) and enter that way.

Sidetracked...

2011-09-07T08:39:00.001-04:00

I am actually sitting on the back porch this morning writing this. It is a cool 67 ℉(19 ℃) and almost no relative humidity. What a switch from yesterday morning, which greeted us with 84 ℉ (29 ℃) and almost 100% humidity. It seems like fall is finally announcing its arrival and not a moment too soon!!

I was going to finish my painting yesterday, but then got wonderfully sidetracked by preparations for a nice dinner with a good friend. She is like family, but still I wanted to make a pretty table (love those scorched hydrangeas with the crepe myrtle seeds),

bake biscotti for a scrumptious ice cream dessert,

and then have delicious dinner and enjoy good company. It was a day that turned out very differently than planned, but oh so good!

Later today, I'm going to finish my painting and then tomorrow show you how it turned out. Plus, stay tuned for a giveaway that's long overdue!!

I feel my energy returning with the promise of fall, my favorite season!!

Wishing you a beautiful Wednesday!

Painting in Progress

2011-09-05T18:36:00.000-04:00

And ....... I'm back!! This morning, I suddenly couldn't think of anything more fun to do than painting ... a woman ... in "my" style. I was wondering if I still could after learning so much drawing technique.

The whole time I was painting I was thinking of the classes I had taken. One thing I learned for sure is that most anyone can learn technique if they apply themselves. To me, it's fun to learn how to put things on paper so they look "real" and it's useful to know how to draw certain things. However, in my opinion that's not where the soul of a piece of art comes from. I'm not sure that is something you can learn.

And so I was wondering? Could I still paint how I feel? Could I still paint one of "my" women I would feel connected to. The answer is "yes" and it makes me very happy!

Tomorrow I should be able to show you the finished piece!

Color Explosion

2011-09-04T09:50:00.000-04:00

Remember how in my last post I said I was craving color? Well, it's pouring out of me, but not through the paint brush (yet), but through my crochet hook.

I'm in a flower frenzy and I can't stop!! Nor do I really want to...

All of these flowers laying around, made me think I needed to reopen my Etsy shop, so I started taking pictures of all my knitted and crocheted creations I had made in the last few months.

I couldn't believe how much there was! Working with my hands like that calms me, but strangely enough the things I make are rarely for me.

I love making scarves, yet I hardly ever wear any myself.

I love knitting hats, yet again - I'm not usually a hat person.

And I love crocheting embellishments like the colorful flowers above, yet I wouldn't use them in anything I make - they bring me joy but are just not my style.

Strange, isn't it?

So, because I want to keep making things, I reopened my Etsy shop a couple of days ago and already sold one of my favorite scarves - a deep turquoise one knitted entirely of recycled sari silk yarn. It was stunning, even if I say so myself!

I've been combining fun yarns and trying new patterns - all for the sheer joy of making things.

You can take a look if you'd like. Simply click here!

Hopefully, soon I will get that same color explosion as I get back to my studio and one of my portraits. I have missed them!!

Wishing you all a color- and peaceful Sunday!

Class is done!

2011-09-01T17:10:00.000-04:00

Today I had my last drawing class and now I am trying to figure out what to do with my one week break.

This weeks seemed to be all about getting things done from my yearly doctor's visits (grateful to once again find out I am all healthy) to getting class projects finished.

Now it's time to regroup! One thing I can tell you is that after working for months in shades of gray, I am craving color!! First on my agenda is to get my studio set up again so I can get working. During the hot summer months I had abandoned it because it is upstairs and it gets too warm for me, especially in the afternoons. It seems that our temperatures are going to stay in the 80's for a while. Could it be that fall is on it's way - even here?!?

I still have more to tell you and am looking forward to having more time to blog and visit you all. I have missed my regular time in blogland and am grateful that you keep visiting me anyway!!

Happy creating!!

Watercolor Finished!

2011-08-30T15:35:00.000-04:00

Well, at least it's close enough to being finished that I can show it to you here. And once again I realize I am not a patient person... Actually, that was totally evident throughout this watercolor project which requires that you let layers dry before you work on or near them again. I had to actually walk away so I'd leave it alone.

I thought this would be my least favorite projects of them all, but it turns out it was the one I enjoyed the most aside from the first charcoal drawing. This was definitely the most difficult of all the projects because with watercolor I really had to plan ahead as it is a most unforgiving medium (as I know from years of watching Daniel master it!).

The paper we used for this painting was Richeson Premium 300lb. cold press watercolor paper, and I used Winsor & Newton Winslor Blue and Burnt Sienna watercolor paints.

Tonight I am going back in to work on my graphite drawing some more and then on Thursday we have our final critique and are done with the class. I can hardly believe it!! It was so totally worth it!

I have much more to share with you, but that'll have to wait for another post. I hope you are all doing well and that all of you dealing with the floods up north are safe and sound!

Saturday Morning

2011-08-27T10:27:00.000-04:00

Last night I slept for 10 (TEN!!) hours, in which I had three very vivid dreams that took place in parking garages, one of them in Zurich. I wonder what was going on with me?! In one of the dreams, I was a man with a wife and a son. Try figuring that one out... I always joke that the many dreams I have every night are my own personal movie theater - and never a scary dream in the bunch!

I probably would have slept even longer, if Daniel hadn't woken me up with: "Do you want to go to the cafe for breakfast?"

There's never a question which cafe he's talking about. Gallery Espresso, our favorite hangout in Savannah!

And breakfast doesn't just mean excellent coffee (a double latte for me!) and good eats, but it means spending a good long time relaxing, reading, looking at art and people watching.

It's probably good that we don't live right in Savannah or I might just move into this place!

Wishing all of you a good Saturday morning. And to those of you in the path of Hurricane Irene, I am thinking of you and keeping my fingers crossed that you are all safe!

Stormy Tybee Beach

2011-08-26T18:31:00.000-04:00

We went to Tybee beach for just a little bit this afternoon to see the effects of Hurricane Irene passing well to the east of us.

It was warm, windy, rainy at times and aside from experienced surfers, nobody was allowed in the water.

The waves were amazing!!

And while waiting to pay for parking, I discovered these colorful beauties in someone's back yard. They look like they should be a painting, don't you think?

To all of you who will be in the path of this huge storm, I hope you, your loved ones and your homes will stay safe!

I'll be thinking of you!!

Wordless Wednesday - Pomegranate Harvest

2011-08-24T06:01:00.001-04:00

For more of Wordless Wednesday click here.

Watercolor - WIP

2011-08-23T16:37:00.005-04:00

Today in class, I had to finally put the first watercolor washes on this drawing/painting. I say "had to" because I am so cautious when it comes to those things where I could really mess up. There are some students in my class who jump right in and were painting with watercolor last class already. I admire that!

I did my outline drawing first and then today I couldn't put it off any longer - I had to apply watercolor, sink or swim. And you know what? So far so good! I put down about three layers and am starting to see some nice values. I can already tell that I'm going to have fun working on some of the more detailed areas. Plus, I am amazed how different it is to paint with watercolor on really good paper rather than in our sketchbooks.

In other news, it looks like hurricane Irene is going to miss us here in Savannah and I really hope it won't make landfall at all. Then this afternoon, I heard that there was a pretty big earthquake in Virginia - I hope all of you are all alright in that area.

That said, I wish you all a peaceful Tuesday!

Middleton Place

2011-08-22T07:47:00.000-04:00

For my birthday, Daniel had planned a weekend away for us without telling me where he was taking us. We had to postpone it for a week because I had sprained my ankle, but Friday he finally told me where we were going: Middleton Place near Charleston in South Carolina.

Such a gorgeous estate and strangely enough, half my family has already visited and stayed there - it's one of my aunt's favorite places!

And no wonder, it is simply beautiful. The historic houses are interesting and very well preserved with the old furniture and some amazing art, the gardens are stunning, the location on the Ashley River gorgeous and the stable yard adds another layer of interest and fun.

This little house is part of the rice fields growing Carolina Gold rice, some of which are still planted today for us tourists to see.

Handsome man and beautiful backdrop!

The restaurant at Middleton Place served local low-country food, which was absolutely delicious! I could have ordered about five more of those bread puddings with bourbon peaches. Actually, I ate one after lunch AND again after dinner... :)

This little guy sunned himself outside our window while we were eating lunch. Aren't those amazing colors?

Now, the inn where we stayed is on a different part of the huge estate and was fantastic. We both loved the modern architecture

and spacious room (totally forgot to take a picture of it) with a view of the Ashley River.

On Saturday, Daniel had organized a massage therapist to come to the hotel to give me a massage. I couldn't believe it - I was spoiled rotten I tell you!!

After the massage (one of the best I've ever had - I like deep tissue massage and she had a gift for that!), a little champagne and then off to an excellent dinner with a fried green tomato napoleon for an appetizer and then delicious crab cakes for me and freshly caught wreckfish (what a name!) for Daniel. Dessert you ask? Of course! Another bread pudding for me and a Huguenot torte with cinnamon ice cream for Daniel. Yum!!

The next morning, we had breakfast at the lakehouse,

although I wouldn't really call this lovely pond a lake.

Still it was beautiful and cool enough to sit outside.

After breakfast came the best part. When you stay at the inn, it includes access to Middleton Place and all the tours. You can just walk on over and enjoy - and all that before the general public is admitted. So, we basically had the whole place to ourselves yesterday morning.

It was gorgeous and peaceful as the world was just waking up!

As we were walking, I had just mentioned to Daniel that I had not seen any evidence of alligators in all the ponds, when we spied this little guy. He still had his baby stripes. On the walkway by this pond, we saw some tracks of a huge alligator going into the river... So, they really were there, just not out in the open.

I don't think I'd ever seen a rice field, so I had to snap a photo of some of the plants. The posts of the old beds in the plantation house had carvings of rice plants - very elegant and pretty!

I love this photo Daniel took into the sun with the silhouette of the heron and the little gator head.

The magnificent Middleton Oak, which is estimated to be several hundred years old, was an impressive sight to see!

It's good this photo of me wasn't a close up. By then I was sweating profusely - it was so humid and already very warm in the sun!

Loved this statue!

I couldn't get enough of all the reflections in the water. Made me want to get my paints out!

Nature's sculpture - two cypress knees.

This was a gorgeous vine growing on other plants. Does anyone have an idea of what it is?

Not much was blooming there during the summer, but the few flowers we saw were stunning!

Another favorite part of the whole experience, the stable yards at Middleton Place with all the farm animals.

This was Eliza's House, which you can read more about here.

The barn was beautiful (can you see the horses peaking out?) and reminded me of barns in my home town in Germany.

Three resident kittens entertained us for quite a while...

Water buffalo visited by a peacock!

Another peacock near the former slave cemetery and in front of a huge bamboo stand.

A pond covered with duckweed. At some point we thought we saw a big fish, then thought it was a thrashing alligator, only to discover that it was giant snapping turtle that had caught a fish. Not a pond I'd want to swim in...

As we were leaving another look back over the still waters.

Then this egret sent us on our way... Thank you, Daniel, for a perfect weekend!!

We are planning to go back frequently (when the heirloom camellias are blooming in the winter and the azaleas in the spring), and are even planning to take Winslow. The Inn allows you to bring your pet, and while dogs are not permitted in the formal (touristy) part of Middleton Place, the rest of the huge estate has miles and miles of beautiful trails. We'll just have to wait until it gets a little cooler...

Now back home, this week my focus will be on working on my watercolor for class and getting ready just in case Hurricane Irene decides to follow the track they are predicting and make landfall on the Georgia coast. At this point, I'm not worried, just getting prepared...

Wishing you a beautiful Monday and a great week ahead!

Playing with Watercolor

2011-08-18T20:15:00.000-04:00

Daniel has been working in transparent watercolor for the last 20+ years and I've always admired his beautiful paintings. You can click here if you want to take a look for yourself.

Now I have to do a watercolor drawing and I'm trying to get a handle on how to use this rather difficult medium.

Many years ago, I took a two-day watercolor workshop Daniel was teaching in Oaxaca, but by now I've forgotten most of it. So, here I am again mixing colors and learning about transparency and such.

For this project we are to use a blue and a brown - doesn't matter which blue or brown.

With those two colors, we mix a neutral to work up a four-value drawing/painting and then add some of the blue and brown for color.

Last night I raided Daniel's watercolor stash and played with many different blues and browns.

Some of those combinations are just gorgeous! At this point I'm leaning toward Winsor Blue and Burnt Sienna (on the left, second from the bottom in the photo below), both from Winsor & Newton. They mix to become a beautiful neutral grey.

And here's the still life I put together. I was going to paint that vacuum tube radio that I drew for my graphite project, but I think it might be too detailed for me for watercolor.

I think this is going to be fun! We'll see...

Wishing you a beautiful Friday!!

My latest drawing

2011-08-16T18:16:00.001-04:00

Well, my drawing is not yet done (now begins the fine tuning), but it's done enough to show you. Plus we are moving on to our watercolor drawing and most of us will continue to work on our graphite pieces on the side.

It's a slow going process, that's for sure, but also very satisfying. Now I have to push my values and as I do that, everything seems to be changing in other places. I could call it done, but I want to learn as much as I can while in this class and detailed drawings are one of my professor's specialties!

Already it's way beyond what I thought I could ever do, so I am beyond pleased! I'll be sure to show you how it changes over the next few weeks.

For the watercolor drawing I'll be using the same still life - that old radio and I have bonded... Tonight I'm going in to do a watercolor sketch of it before I make any marks on the "real" paper!

Wishing you a great evening and a good night!!

Follow-up

2011-08-16T04:44:00.002-04:00

So, yesterday's post on planning and lists and following those got some interesting and helpful responses. Thank you!!

And ... as it so often happens, I checked in with a wonderful blog from Australia called Down To Earth, a blog about a simpler life with lots of really useful info (I regularly make their laundry powder). While I will never have the same simple lifestyle Rhonda and her husband have, just visiting her blog makes me breathe deeper and slow down. And it always inspires me!

Today I came upon one of her posts called "Daily and weekly routines." Click here if you want to read it. In it she talks about her very flexible routine and planning, and she also talks about the issue many of us have with feeling guilty if we knit or do anything that is useful, but at the same time really fun for us. A perfect post for me yesterday!!

It also reminded me how much I love to be in our kitchen and how cooking or baking completely centers me. Last night, I totally enjoyed making the spice rub for steak we were grilling,

and prepping the asparagus and grape tomatoes for roasting (8 to 10 minutes at 450℉- yum!), tossing them by hand in olive oil and a little bit of sea salt.

And I can't believe what joy it gives me wearing the apron I sewed last summer,

and the using the dish cloths I knitted. Soon I'll have to make more as these are starting to become a little stained and worn. Plus, I have another apron all cut out and just have to get busy sewing.

Once again I was reminded that it's really the little things that bring me pleasure and comfort. They are so much more important than any to-do-list could ever be! And in the end, (almost) everything gets done anyway... with or without a list.

More and more I want to live an inspired life rather than an organized one! And I think that's alright.