Found Art!

I was surfing the web reading various blogs and came across a blog about found art. http://rosamurillo.squarespace.com/what-is-found-art/ For whatever reason, this struck a cord with me. I was going on a business trip and thought why not give this a try? Leave a piece of art in some random place far from home. So before I left, I took an old Altoid tin and altered it. I painted a portrait ala Kelli Rae Roberts style, and titled it "Believe". I attached a tag to it with my blog address and e mail. Maybe I will get a response, maybe not! Whatever the outcome I had fun doing it. I am already thinking of what I can do next. I am in New Hampshire, and haven't left it anywhere yet. The pictures aren't great. I was in a hurry to get it done before I left.I will follow up on where it ends up.

Mojo......maybe??????????????

Okay, I took one of my sketches, transferred it to a small canvas and started to play. I collaged. I painted. I textured. I love texture. I had a real hard time getting the color right on the horse. I'm not sure if I am thrilled with it, but here it is. I am just using cheap acrylic paints. I am always very hard on myself. I started another canvas with my other sketch. I need to do some other things today so I'll just let that one sit at the moment. At least I am somewhat motivated to do something the past couple of days. I have in the back of my mind to do metal clay bezels, photoshop my paintings to fit, then fill with resin to make pendents. I am also thinking about transferring my work to fabric and doing something there as well. Lots of ideas, lets see what becomes of them.

Lost my mojo......

Aaaarrrrrgghhh...........Where has it gone? Why can I not get it back? Lately I cannot bring myself to do anything. I have been sitting here looking at the 2 horse sketches I did a few weeks ago. Maybe, and I mean maybe, I will be so inspired to do something with them. I was just sitting at my desk and sketching while reading my Facebook page and was very happy with the results. I wasn't trying to hard or expecting perfection and whoola! Usually I do try to hard and am VERY critical of the results. Time will tell where these sketches will lead.

Fall Harvest & Memories

Fall.....my favorite time of the year. I love the colors, the crisp air, and all else that comes with it. Yesterday, I took a short trip to Schoharie, with my Mom, to buy vegetables to freeze and can. I remember taking this trip as a child with my Mom and Grandmother. We would stop at all the farm stands and load up on apples, potatoes, and if I was lucky cider donuts, YUM! I also remember the 50 lb bag of carrots my Grandmother inevitably would buy every year. I considered buying a bag this year, but mostly for the horses. Once home, potato peelers in hand, we children would have the task of peeling that 50 lb bag of carrots. Not so fun. Nonetheless,I still begged to be included on this annual trip. I'm not sure just when this annual trek ended. Maybe around the time my parents divorced. In later years this trip was replaced with our fall trip to Vermont, up historic Rt 7, to the Jelly Factory. Shopping & eating on those trips, no veggie buying. The Jelly Factory closed a few years ago. That was always our destination point. It was a huge barn filled to the brim with antiques, gourmet food, trinkets & treasures. Tons & tons of eye candy. So sad that it is now gone. I have not been inspired to make that trip since. My grandma has been gone for about 6 years now. We all miss her a lot. She was truly our family matriarch. My trip yesterday was a chance to spend some time with her again, at least in my memories. I took along my faithful camera. Enjoy the shots I took of the farm stands, full of color and all those glorious crops. Happy fall everyone!

18 Years Ago Tonight.......

Exactly 18 years ago, I was 2 weeks over due for my 1 st child. My sister, Kathi, who had shared my pregnancy with me, had her daughter, Elizabeth, a week before on October 1 st, while I was in a room a few doors down being induced. I was sent home, my baby was not ready to come that night. So another uncomfortable week in sued. I held my sisters baby, which only made me more impatient to hold my own. At that point I did not know the sex of my baby. I wanted to be surprised and really didn't care what sex it was, as long as he or she was healthy. My Mom invited me over for dinner and had made some extra spicy chili. She had been told that eating spicy food could bring on labor. Well, we will never know for sure if it was the chili, but I went into labor a few hours later. After a difficult labor & delivery, I met my son. We had already picked out his name, Jordan Daniel. I was expecting a Gerber baby, and what I got was a very pink, marked up ( from forceps) baby, who at moments resembled a little old man. I remember looking at him and falling deeply in love. Everything had changed! Jordan was the happiest little baby, smiling and belly laughing at the slightest inkling. He had the blondest hair, almost white and everyone adored him.

My son is now 18 years old. He has grown into a handsome young man who has a wonderful soul. He is smart and charming and I am so proud he is my son. He still can win me over in a minute with that smile of his. It is hard to believe all that time has passed. Where did it go? I sat this evening and looked at some pictures of him as a younger child, getting all warm with the memories. I don't think I can love any deeper than I love my children. I am sad that those younger days are gone but am excited in what the future holds for this young man. He is still trying to decide where his future will take him, but whatever he decides , he will do well at it. He has been a wonderful son, always worrying about his Mom, making sure I am OK. I trust him because he has never given me a reason not to. He takes care of his sister and watches over her and helps keep his Dad in line. He truly has been a gift and I am so glad he is my son and been a part of my life. Happy Birthday Jordan. May your life be filled with the joy you have and still bring to our lives. I love you!

Not feeling the love................

I just need to get it off my chest. I have moments of feeling pretty worthless and unloved. I know in my heart of hearts this is not true, but waves of it come over me. I am striving so hard to find a balance in my life. I have worked unmercifully hard at my career and after having taken many steps forward, I feel I have taken more than that backwards. I have had to defend my actions to a new DM and watch younger people I have trained chosen to do duties I would have liked the chance to do. It is so hard to be motivated when you are never told "good job", even though you know, it is in black & white, that you have done a good job. How can you be expected to go above and beyond every day when there is no outward appreciation for what you do? I struggle with just accepting this or once again stepping up to the plate & knocking it out of the park. If there is no light at the end of the tunnel, why should I? Yes, I will prove to myself I can do it, but I already know that. Maybe, it is just that I was meant for something else on this earth and do not know what that is as of yet. I have always struggled with my self esteem. It has been a life long battle. Upon meeting me you may not see this but it is so true. I do put on a great facade! I need to feel good about something! I need something to strive for and have goals to reach. Right now I am stagnate. God, I hope this passes. I need to feel the love, be appreciated and know I am on this earth for a good reason. Got it out... that's all for now!

more ladies

My spare time has, at times, been consumed by painting madness. I have recently been inspired by Sharon Tomlinson's work (Norah's Art). Her techniques are fun and possibilities are endless. What I want to do with these little paintings is either transfer them to fabric and incorporate them into one of my mothers projects and/or make bezels from PMC and bury mini collages in resin. Who knows......?????? Whatever I decide, I am having fun doing these. I am getting more comfortable doing faces and will just keep practicing. I bought some "adult crayons" ,Caran D'Ache, water soluable crayons. I plan on dabbling with these next. Pictured are my 2 latest attempts. I named the one with multiple characters, "Pretty Ladies", the other I named "Possibilities", the quote on it says, "what one can be, one must be".