Another day at the Market....

The trip to Bangladesh was grueling, but well worth it. I had to pay for extra baggage, as my carry on would not hold all of my bracelets.

Third Victim in the Family Faces Series!

When I looked at this photo of my oldest grandson, it said, "I'm a monk. Paint me."
I waffled a bit, waking up one night with an image of this cherubic face as a Pentecostal Southern snake handling preacher, but I came to my senses by morning. This is a collection of things I gathered as inspiration...the Dalai Lama and a book on 1000 year old Indian paintings and a box of Yogi Tea which is down in the kitchen.
The black and white copy enlargement of the face is from the smaller color picture. First off, I colorized the photo using acrylic paints and Prismacolor pencils. You'll see the results of that at the end.
Here is my finished drawing. I later transferred it to a 12"x16" canvas.
Painted the canvas a BRIGHT orange then washed it in a khaki color then ragged with burnt umber. My photos drive me crazy! They don't show any of the subtle colors or patterns.
I've chosen my color scheme and started painting. I white-out the face so the dark background doesn't show through when I apply the face.
Did some striae on the blue and added some trim designs. Then I COMPLETELY lost myself and forgot to take any pictures until I was done.....
Which is here. Click the pic for a closer look.
YOU are handing him a cup of good old Yogi Tea! And he is very grateful.
This boy is so adorable, I could have painted a wort hog around him and he'd still look cute.
Later gators,
Ronnie

Simply. Lovely.

Even though it is still cold, I can see Spring coming in the way the sun's rays are casting different shadows than they did even a few weeks ago. Even a 10 degree day doesn't feel as cold at the end of January as it does in November, because the promise of Spring is so much closer now.

The simplicity of a winter shadow started me thinking about the voluntary simplicity I chose for my life when my daughter was born. I am really a very shy and private person, so sharing deeply meaningful parts of myself on this blog is not easy. But it has helped me focus again, to see why I made the decisions I did, and it continues to help me see where I should go from here.

This last year hasn't been easy, with me going through a difficult recovery after my hysterectomy, menopause, and having two teenagers to slowly prod out of the nest or pull back in, depending on the day. But having chosen motherhood over a career was never difficult, even when it was an unpopular one in this community where we live. It was right for our family, to live simply and frugally - we always had plenty of what we needed. As if the Universe was saying, "Yes, you are doing the right thing. Keep going!" we always had exactly what we needed when we needed it.

This last weekend was simply lovely, although not what I had planned. It was better. I had hoped to be creative in an artistic sense, but instead I had the opportunity to connect with my son, who has been distant and difficult to reach for the last 3 years. It was lovely! We, the four of us, had a weekend together like we hadn't had in years, just being together and talking around the kitchen table over homemade meals. It was cold outside, but inside it was homey and cosy and simply lovely.

I didn't get my turn at the old, slow 1998 computer we all share, but I had the chance to look through old pre-digital photos instead and found a few I'd like to show here. Several years ago, when gas prices were still significantly lower, we took an old-fashioned family road-trip to Colorado and New Mexico. I had never been to New Mexico and fell instantly in love with the simplicity of the architecture and absolutely everything else about the place.

Taos was small and full of art and history, and the slower pace of everything there really appealed to me.

Everywhere we went in New Mexico there were simple, lovely little corners to discover and explore.

The shrines and churches were functional pieces of art.

The lovely doorways of Santa Fe

and the many shops and galleries were a feast for the eyes. The colors and textures of everything were made more vibrant in the fabled New Mexico sunshine. I can see why artists since the time of Georgia O'Keefe's youth have flocked here to paint and live.

As I was rediscovering these photos, I came across this one. . .

My daughter's beloved Teddy. She took him with her everywhere for years when she was a little girl. Those two had some fine adventures together. Here Teddy is, tucked into a niche in our hotel in Santa Fe.

In the last few years there have been a few occasions when my children have told me how their old-fashioned, more simple upbringing helped them to use their imaginations in ways few children do anymore these days.

Whenever possible, they were outside, exploring the little wooded area behind our house, digging in the dirt, discovering bugs and worms and mud. Listening to the wind in the trees. Seeing pictures in the clouds. Daydreaming.

When they were inside, they had so many books to look through and read. They had simple building toys. They had educational TV.

When they hug me and tell me that this was, after all, a fine way to grow up, it's simply lovely.

And it's more than enough for me. :)

Due for a Change. No, not Obama. My Work Space!

This is where I have been working. It's a wreck! If I wanted to sew, I had to clear the painting stuff off and throw the machine on.
It was youngest (finally flown the coop) son's room. The gigantic poster of a Ferrari is still tacked to the ceiling for viewing when he was in bed. Dave Matthew's Band pic on the door. The Undertaker, a wrestler, on the back of the door. Remnants he left behind. Not exactly my space, but I was getting by.
Then Scoop Magazine called and wanted an interview with pictures for their next issue! Oh no, this would not do! An artist's digs with shades of vacated college student?!
Monsters and Minor Whiners agreed. So, I started packing it up! Take over the bigger room across the hall with a nice view and better light without 4,000 blue spots of poster putty dotting the walls!
Here it is! All nice and clean after two days of work and Joe helping me hang new blinds on three windows. And Junker Jane's monsters and kitty pillow placed on the bed.

Throw in the easel and move the monsters and pillow to the rocking chair. Made a nice big table from a door and two put-together bookcases (which hold more stuff!) and covered it in colorful vinyl. Called it good.
Now, I have TV! Better chair. Better light. Better get to work.
Have a good one,
Ronnie
If you live near me, look for Scoop Magazine! It's Free or as they say, "Priceless".

Words of Peace

What a historic day! Today the man who wasn't even allowed to participate in the 2000 Democratic National Convention will be inaugurated as our 44th President. So much is expected of this one man, so many hopes from people around the world rest on his slender shoulders. May God grant him the wisdom to do what is right, and the opportunities to follow through on his dreams for a better world.

To mark this day, I found some quotes about peace from throughout time and around the world. Wouldn't it be wonderful if fewer people felt the need for violence?

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be the children of God. ~ Jesus

There was never a good war or a bad peace. ~ Benjamin Franklin

The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of a good government. ~ Thomas Jefferson

I think that people want peace so much that one of these days government had better get out of their way and let them have it. ~ Dwight Eisenhower

Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind. . . War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that a warrior does today. ~ John F. Kennedy

All that we are is a result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become. ~ Buddha

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace. ~ Buddha

I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent. ~ Gandhi

I believe that to meet the challenges of our times, human beings will have to develop a greater sense of universal responsibility. Each of us must learn to work not just for oneself, one's own family or nation, but for the benefit of all humankind. Universal responsibility is the key to human survival. It is the best foundation for world peace.

Responsibility does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or with those who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job. It lies with each of us individually. Peace, for example, starts within each one of us. When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us. ~ the Dalai Lama

Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war. ~ Maria Montessori

If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies. ~ Moshe Dayan

Either war is obsolete or men are. ~ R. Buckminster Fuller

Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one. ~ John Lennon

Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me. ~ Vince Gill

Dreams of Peace

"One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.
(1929 - 1968)

Summer Photos of St. Marys, Georgia

Joe and I discovered St. Marys over eight years ago. We fell in love with this unpretentious, friendly, quirky town. This is not a resort town. If you want to go downtown on your bike wearing your dirty gardening clothes to get an ice cream, your fine.
Everyone knows everyone, which can be good and bad. I've been known to lay in the middle of the street just 'cause I can. My sisters and I have chased cars through town on our scooters. Not motor scooters. The kind you push with one foot.
Fishing is great and you can catch a bunch of blue crab in an afternoon just by dropping in a net with a chicken wing tied inside.
Since it has been so cold lately, I thought you might like to see a bit of Summer. A bike ride on a particular day in July. Not in any order...
When I'm in St Marys, I take a bike ride both morning and afternoon. This is afternoon on the fishing pier. That's Florida in the distance.
Early evening on the boat dock, looking toward town and the boat ramp.
This is what the dining room looks like when I'm there without Joe. Art supplies!
The cemetery is two blocks from the house. I love to explore here. St. Marys, Georgia is the second oldest city in the United States.
St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest.
Many Acadians from Novia Scotia buried here.
Trees. These are Live Oak. Very old and protected by the city. You can't touch one, even on your own property, without permission. The Spanish moss blows gently in the breeze.
This is the marsh and sailboats at the marina. The marsh grass changes color with the time of day. Turns a beautiful golden color in the winter.
A winding creek heading for the brackish water of the St. Marys river
The old Bachlott House. It has been completely restored by the National Park Service. Administrative offices for the Park Service and their Rangers.
A National Park in St. Marys? Yep. This is where you catch the ferry to Cumberland Island National Seashore. Most famous for the wedding place of John Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn B.
This is the Ranger Station where you get your ferry and island info and stop in the lovely gift shop for postcards and seashells and posters of wildlife.
This is my bike. I've named him Carl. Everyone thinks I'm a bit crazy to have a bike with a name, but I loooove Carl and I have the most fun with him.
I've stopped here for a walk in the old cemetery after first shopping at the downtown Farmer's Market for fresh veggies. That's what's in Carl's basket.
Then, it's back to the little house to paint a bit and do some yard work til evening comes, when I'll head out again in hopes of catching a nice sunset. Sigh. I wish I were there right now and it was Summer.
Have a great day, folks.
Ronnie
If you are so inclined, check out the St. Marys link in my link list. It'll tell you waaaay more than you want to know.

Kinda Funny

That last post started me thinking about how I got here, in this house, in this town. Because I've been feeling uncomfortable and out of place here for quite a while.

Do you know the story by O'Henry? The one where the young couple doesn't have much, but each wants to give the other something nice for Christmas? She cuts her beautiful long hair and sells it so she can get him a chain for his pocket watch, and he sells his pocket watch so he can get her a decorative comb for her hair.

Well, my husband and I bought this house, in this town, 20 years ago, early in our marriage. We just recently found out that I thought he really wanted to live here, so I pretended to like it more than I did - and he thought I really wanted to live here, so he pretended to like it more than he did. We were young, in love, and still eager to please each other. Kinda funny - kinda not.

Well, here we are. But nothing is forever, and most things can be changed somehow, so it will all be OK eventually. My dream back then did include having a family, and that came true, so that's the most important thing. I love my children more than I ever thought you could love anything or anyone. My dream for myself now is to be able to do something meaningful and art-related for the rest of my life. Maybe own a gallery in some wonderful, scenic place that people enjoy visiting. Finding my own style artistically, that would be great, too.

But I know from now on I will speak and act on what is really true in my heart. I know I won't pretend to like something for the better part of 20 years again.

STOP EVERYTHING AND LOOK!

Click this link. No WAIT! If you've never been here before, scroll down to a picture of a girl with a pie. Then come back up here and click this link. It will make your day or make you go Eeoouwwh.
http://www.zarshmogon.com/biddyphil/


Then you can read about pj hornberger down bElow...
V
V
V
V (these are arrows)

For the very clever PJ Hornberger!!

PJ,
You had me hopping trying to find a pic of the old typewriter on top of the 1950's TV next to the rabbit ears. Well, here it is finally. This is the dining room at our little house in Saint Marys. Look waaaaay over there and there it is!
When I'm there next month I'll take another pic to compare with yours. Why are we doing this you may ask? Because we can!!!
Visit PJ's blog here to see her typewriter. Her January 13 post.
Do you have an old typewriter you'd like to share with us, fellow blogger? Well, then, do it!
Ronnie who now has a fairly clean house

Second Victim in the Family Faces Series

Hey Y'all! Here's another one. This one is based on a 1950's black and white photo of my big sis when she was a tyke. Tomato Boy is my grandson.
These are mixed media. I take a photo and blow it up to the size I want, then "wash it out". This takes a lot of the detail out of the face. Then I add it back using Prismacolor pencil and acrylic paint. Doesn't always work. This one gave me a heck of a time, but it WAS my sister.
Then, I cut out the photo and create the painting around it. The result is, it's hard to tell what I did!



Painted the canvas yellow this time. Then painted on this sharp little red dress. I did most of the work on the face before putting it on the canvas. But worked on it more as you'll see here....
Painted her eyes blue. Gave her a Brite Smile treatment, more color on her face, added the bows and got the pie basecoated. Lots more lettering to do. Blaahhhh.
Sorry, I got carried away and forgot to take pictures. Almost done here. This took a bunch of hours!!!
Here she is finished with white distressing added which I wonder if I like. I guess I can tone it down.
That's it for today. I have to clean my house. It's a holy wreck! And my husband will give me that look when he gets home.
When that's done I'll start number three. Weeeeee! Have a great day bloggers.
Ronnie with a stiff neck in Georgia
WOW! She just SOLD on etsy! Hip Hip Hooray!

A deliberate leap

mixed media collage self portrait #2

"There are some things

one can only achieve

by a deliberate leap

in the opposite direction"

I found this great quote by the writer Franz Kafka, and it inspired me to do this simple little self-portrait before I move on. (Simply click on the picture to enlarge it.) Next I'll be working on a header for my other blog.

New Painting in stages! First of a Series I'm working on.

This is the first of a series of painting I have in the works. This is my working sketch done on tracing paper. Later, I transferred my drawing to a 18"x 24" base coated canvas.
Here's the basecoat! Using Golden acrylics, Chrom Oxide Green. The big head in the chair is a hint of things to come. Yes, that is Sandy Mastroni's clock hanging under the Big Biddy. Click on the clock and it will take you to her very cool stuff.
Here, I've transferred my drawing and painted a few letters...Toronto, maybe?
Nope, TOMATO! More letters and a basecoat for my tomatoes...
More basecoats for hat, shirt and face....
A lot of work done at this point. Hat and tomatoes are complete and THERE'S THAT FACE! A bit more lettering and stripes to do and...
I added a tad of age and rust for that old tin sign look and it's finished!!! Still on the easel. This is my clearest photo, so click the picture for the Zoom look.
Dang! I forgot to sign it! Just couldn't wait to hang it up and get it on the blog for you to see.
I have several more ideas percolating for this series, which are due to fall out of the brain later this week. So, stay tuned for more!!
Have a good day, everybody.
Ronnie

There is beauty in imperfection

I've been playing around with my camera to see if maybe I should really read the instruction manual. I think the answer is a resounding "YES!!!!!" Cameras are just one of the many technical things that intimidate me. Sewing machines are also on that list. (I have an extreme fear of bobbin, but that's for another post!) In my previous life, one of the things I did was supervise photo shoots on location and at professional photo studios. I knew back then that what the photographers were doing involved lots of magic as well as skill. So I stayed far away from the equipment and just "gave directions." (Like they needed me to tell them what do do! But I was young and corporate, need I say more?) Now I have no choice, so I have to get comfortable with the camera if I want to be a blogger, and I do!

So, anyway, these are some scarves I recently made. I prefer to crochet, rather than knit, because I always manage to drop lots of stitches when I knit, and then my hands get all cramped, and I start to perspire and and pretty soon I'm just a bundle of nerves with a mess on my hands.

This was my first attempt at crocheting after over 40 years of avoiding it. As you can see, the sides are very wavy because I couldn't seem to find the last stitch at the end of a row. I was also afraid of color. But I found out that I really enjoyed crocheting, and that even a wonky scarf keeps the neck nice and warm. :-)

This was my next attempt, and I was really happy with how it turned out. I was still afraid of color (inspired by all the shades of gray during a Wisconsin winter, I think), but I used a few different types of yarn that I found in the clearance section. I'm all for using remnants and not paying full price for anything, if I can help it. I also crocheted it the long way to get the long stripes that run along the length of the scarf.

Here's a photo that didn't turn very well since I was facing the sun, so you can't see the details of the scarf, but I still like the idea of using the shepherd's hook as a prop. Do you see the rabbit footprints in the snow?

This is a close-up of the scarf, where you can see that I've used some red. I also crocheted this scarf the long way, but I started in the middle and kept going around and around, getting the rounded ends.

Here's a close-up of the scarf, but unfortunately it looks a little like a caterpillar. The colors and textures are really much prettier. There are nice chunks of gold and teal in the yarn used in the middle section, and the black and bluish-red really go well together. I took so many pictures in different locations and in different light to try to get the colors right, but with no success.

This is the last scarf I made and it is the most colorful one I've made, since I really stepped way outside my comfort zone, and it is probably my favorite scarf now. I love the different vibrant colors and the variety of textures.

It's snowing outside right now and it's supposed to get very cold again next week, so I guess I'm prepared.

Here's a photo of our cat, Skitzi, looking out the window from one of her favorite spots. I think she's waiting for the snow. She's very camera-shy, and since she's almost all black, except for some white spots on her tummy (she has a wiggle pouch*, or jungle pouch), she's really hard to photograph, especially for someone with my camera skills. :-(


*wiggle pouch/jungle pouch - Some cats still have a wiggly extra bit of skin along their tummy area, like someone who has lost a lot of weight. They inherited this from their jungle ancestors. This pouch protected their internal organs when fighting and clawing each other.