Absurdity is my friend, and why I (usually) like the internet

I was totally thrilled to win this gorgeous art book, Absurdity is my friend: art and stories from the desert, last week from the Ever-Fabulous Ricë Freeman-Zachary over at the Voodoo Cafe. It's by artist Kelly Moore, and I can't say why I love this guy, and his art, better than I did in my comment on Ricë's giveaway post. This is what I wrote:

"I first heard about Kelly when you wrote about him originally, and I instantly fell in love with is work. (I've also subscribed to his newsletter since then, which is always quite interesting, to say the least!)

I love his creative spelling and his poetry. I love his dark birds, and his ongoing issues with getting MOMA to exhibit his work. :0) I love the variety of imaginative creatures and faces he paints. And I LOVE his use of color, because I can feel his art as well as see it. There is a raw truth and genuine-ness to his words and his art that I haven't found in too many other artists. I would rather look at one of his oily on wood pieces than another ho-hum landscape on a proper canvas any day."

It's true! Just look at this.

from the book Absurdity is my friend, by Kelly Moore

Isn't it fabulous?!

And here's one of my favorite poems.

~ Kelly Moore

You can get your very own copy of this gorgeous book, which Raw Vision Magazine has described as:

"An attractive book which is an impressive documentation of Moore's work"

Raw Vision knows about these things, since it's the the world's leading magazine on contemporary folk art, outsider art and art brut.

Kelley's website is http://www.kellymoore.net/, where you can see a lot more of his art, read his poetry, sign up for his newsletter, AND order his book. There's also a growing list of independent bookstores which carry it. :0)

There is also some pretty terrific photography in this book, and on Kelley's website, by his partner photographer Kat Livengood. Her website is at www.katlivengood.com and she's on facebook, too, at https://www.facebook.com/katlivengood.

Kelly paints and shows his work Spring through Fall at the Tesuque Pueblo Flea Market just outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Thank you Ricë and Kelly! I LOVE this book!

So that's why I really, really like the internet (usually). All that art! And the fantastic people (like YOU!) from all parts of the world that I couldn't meet any other way.


Then there are days like today, when the internet just seems like an obstacle to getting things done. Actually, it's probably not the internet, but I refer to almost everything having to do with the computer as the internet. My husband tries to correct me and tell me what the real situation might, or might not, be. And, I'll admit it, when he starts to speak computer to me (he can write software, because he's a design engineer), I start to speak German to him. Ha! Then he can see what computer-speak sounds like to me. A foreign language. Am I right?

Anyway, my Yahoo e-mail address has been kicking me out of my account whenever I try to send an e-mail, and it turns out that only a small portion of each e-mail is actually sent. (I can't tell you how many e-mails I sent before I realized this. That was even more annoying) The rest of the e-mail is floating around out in the ether somewhere. And I certainly don't remember all the eloquent phrases I've written by the time I've already hit "send" and come to find out that most of them were lost.

Poof! Gone.

Ahhhh! Technology!

I did manage to doodle a bit in a sketchbook!

I've been thinking about our roots, the ones we're born with, and the ones we put down for ourselves. We each have to decide for ourselves how far down those roots should go. But for me, I don't ever want my roots to keep me from reaching and flowering as much as possible.

Keep reaching!

Blue and white, and blue

I've always loved the combination of blue and white. And lately I've discovered that I like editing photos. You may have notice that in the last post or two. I'm sure I'll get tired of trying out the different effects with photos, but I'll never get tired of blue and white.

I really, really like blue and white. A lot.

Blue paint on white paper.

Blue and white vases.

Blue and white dishes.

Blue and white flowers.

And because of the unusually dry, windy and warm weather we've been having, the sky has been a darker, clearer blue than usual.

In fact, clouds are very scarce around here lately. It's very pretty, but it's been a very odd year.

What's not blue and white, or even black and white, is how you decide when to let a pet go. Last Sunday Beau had such a bad day that we had all decided I'd have to call the vet on Monday morning. But by Monday morning he had perked up again, and we decided to wait.

We're doing everything the vet suggested, keeping Beau comfortable with his pain pills and other meds, making sure he drinks water and eats something, checking his gums to make sure he's not bleeding internally. But most days now he only eats about half of what he used to, and he's getting very thin. His legs and paws and hips are getting weaker every day from the arthritis, but he can still chase the cat sometimes. His run has turned into a hop, as he keeps his hind legs together for strength.

He still has happy times when his eyes twinkle and his stump of a tail wiggles a little bit, when he comes up to one of us and nudges us to pet him. When he presses his head against one of our legs and looks up at us with what I can only describe as love in those beautiful big brown eyes. But other times you can tell he doesn't wish to be touched, he growls a bit or barks when someone touches him. He can't really clean himself well anymore, and he doesn't like me to brush him. He used to love to be brushed, because that meant it was treat time. Those days are behind us.

Our vet said we'd know when it was time, because his bad days would outnumber his good days. We're at about 50/50 now, I think. The hard thing now is for the four of us, me, Mr. C, the Linguist and the Philosopher, to come to terms with the inevitable. We need to find the inner strength to do what is right for Beau. I'm just hoping we have the wisdom to know when that time has come, because we will have to decide when to have him put to sleep. His heart and lungs are still so strong, they seem like they could go on for years yet. It's his legs and spleen and bladder, and who know what else, that are failing.

This is so much harder than I ever thought it would be.

"One reason a dog can be such a comfort
when you're feeling blue

is that he doesn't try to find out why.”

~ Unknown

One wild and precious life

 

Here are a few of the good things I've noticed in the last few days. 

I'm finding even more intriguing textures everywhere I look.

Everywhere.

Inside

and outside.

New transplants seem happy,

and I'm happy to let volunteers bloom wherever they'd like this year, too.

A little bit of old-fashioned color on the outside windowsill brightens any day.

I'm not really superstitious, but everytime I write about how Beau is doing, he seems to rebound a bit.  So here's another photo of our dear old man snoozing away, along with a nice little shot of Skitzi glaring at the camera.

I came across this wonderful Mary Oliver poem again today. 

Like all of her poems, it gets right to the heart of what's important. . .

The Summer Day

Who made the world?

Who made the swan, and the black bear?

Who made the grasshopper?

This grasshopper, I mean-

the one who has flung herself out of the grass,

the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,

who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-

who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.

Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.

Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don't know exactly what a prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down

into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,

how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,

which is what I have been doing all day.

Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?

~  Mary Oliver

And here's Mary Oliver reading the poem herself.  I'm not a fan of much poetry, but I adore Mary Oliver, and she reads her own poetry better than anyone.

“Life becomes precious and more special to us 

when we look for the little everyday miracles 

and get excited about the privileges 

of simply being human.”

~ Tim Hansel

Luxuries and necessities

“Luxury is not a necessity to me, 

but beautiful and good things are.”

― Anaïs Nin

I've been thinking a lot lately while doing the many mindless and mundane everyday tasks of life.  Here in Wisconsin, we've had some very ugly times politically, and I've been trying to avoid as much of that as possible.  Silencing all that noise leaves a lot more room for thinking your own thoughts, and noticing the little things you've been overlooking in your own life.  It seems like a luxury sometimes to be silent and allow the mind to drift, but it's really a necessity, don't you think?

Today I happily rediscovered this antique embroidered cosmetic case which was a keepsake I received after my favorite aunt died when I was 11.  It's a little luxury item from another place and time that made me think about the luxuries and necessities in my life.

Just looking at some of my favorite spots makes me deeply happy these days, but I wouldn't call most of these things luxurious.  Comfortable and pleasing to look at, yes, but not luxurious by any means.

I adore this stained glass lamp,

and the many curls of Buddha's head.

A few small pinecones, and the clay turtle I made in high school.

Old and familiar little notes to myself that have kept me grounded for years.

And books!  I'd be lost without them.  In this household, books are definitely more of a necessity than a luxury, to be sure.

Outside, the poppies bloomed very early and did strange things.

The rose bush has never bloomed this profusely before.

While Spring and Summer are in a rush this year, I'm definitely making a conscious effort to slow myself down.

I've written several times before on this blog that I'm really trying to take the time to notice the world around me, and that's more true than ever.  Like when I saw what was left of this tree peony flower.  It only looked like this for a few hours, and I've always missed this stage of the withering flower before.  I think it's gorgeous, don't you?

In some ways, I think I've been following our sweet old Beau's lead as he slows down more and more each day.  We've been lucky with our mild Winter and early Spring.  That's made his life so much easier,.  And longer, too, I think.  But I know this will be his last Summer with us, and that makes each day more meaningful.

Taking the time to be silent and appreciate the little things is becoming a necessity to me, more and more.  I don't need luxurious things, just the simple things I love.

I haven't had much opportunity to make art, but I plan to change that again starting next week.  Finding the time and space to make art is a luxury right now, but it's a necessity too.  I'm much happier when I can be painting or drawing or creating in some way.

I found this on Tumblr today, and it expresses how I feel about art perfectly these days.

I Will Not Make Any More Boring Art, 1971

 John Baldessari

Bluebird Fantasy

"Bluebird Fantasy"

textured acrylic 

on 8 x 10 gallery wrapped canvas

I was happily surprised to learn that this painting sold over the weekend.  Yay!  I painted it a few years ago when I was beginning to experiment with textures, and it will always be one of my favorites.

(detail)

I've left the photos big, so you can click on them to see everything up close.

(detail)

(detail)

I've always really liked how this flower turned out. :0)

Now that several paintings have sold I'll be creating some more items to sell, since wall space has opened up at the little cafe gallery that sells my work.  I like that!

Things are a bit hectic here right now, with my daughter graduating from college and getting ready for graduate school.  It's a wonderful feeling to be able to share these exciting times with her.

Our sweet old Beau-doggy is still with us, too, although last week we had a few days where we thought he'd be leaving us very soon.  We're just so glad that he's still here with us to enjoy another spring, dozing outside when weather permits.

I hope you all have a good week!  

The Art of a Life

I have a confession to make.  Until a few years ago, I thought most diaries and journals were essentially narcissistic and silly.  I thought my own few early attempts were, anyway. That could be because I was told often, by a person who was very important to me in my childhood, that I should just be quiet.  I shouldn't waste paper.   I had nothing important to say, and never would.

Words like that stay with you.

But, thankfully, I realize now that we all do have something worthwhile to say.  I realize now that journaling can be whatever you want and need it to be.  It's all OK.  When I started to realize that keeping journals might be perfect for me, too, after all, I started to research how people journal. And I have found some fabulous inspiration, but none as inspirational as Dan Eldon. Dan lived a full life of adventure and humanitarianism, creating some stunning journals along the way, until he was tragically killed at only 22.

There's a book about him called, The Journey is the Destination: The Journals of Dan Eldon, which was lovingly produced by his mother after his death.

Available on Amazon here

There is a foundation established in his name, Creative Visions Foundation, which carries on his work, combining creativity with activism in a way I've never seen before.

And there is this moving video, found on the foundation website, which was aired on CNN shortly after he died.



I don't know about you, but I am forever changed by learning about this amazing human being.

 "Find your own dance." 

~ Dan Eldon

 

A couple-two-three

dandelion stems 
(Wisconsin)

Usually when I hear that phrase, "a couple-two-three," I cringe.  But this morning, when the TV meteorologist (who says this regularly) said it during her weather forecast, I had to smile.  Because this Wisconsin phrase was going to be the perfect title for my post today.

I really do just have a couple-two-three little things to say today.

First, there are definitely some benefits to walking our old Beau-doggy these days.  He strolls so slowly, that I get plenty of time to look around me.  This morning I couldn't stop looking at what was left of all the dandelions (in the top photo).  We had some very powerful storms, with high winds and pounding rain, yesterday.  The dandelion seed puffs are all gone now, leaving behind these gorgeous stems.  They remind me of Edelweiss, the beautiful little Alpine flower.  Do you see it?

Alpine Edelweiss 
(Europe)

I also have had plenty of time to look at our pile of firewood, and noticed some more log ends which I find incredibly beautiful.  I love the different patterns of decay.

And the inside of the bark intrigues me as much as the outside these days, too.

aged bark, inside view

And, did you know that tomorrow's full moon is known as the supermoon?  That's because it will be closer to Earth than normal, and BIG.  You can read more about it here and here, or just do an internet search.

 supermoon

And finally, I've figured out part of the problem regarding lost blog comments on this blog.  With Blogger's new interface, some of the comments you leave here end up on my Blogger spam folder, and I haven't found out how to access them from the new Dashboard.  I am only able to find them using the old Dashboard configuration.  When I receive notification of a comment in an e-mail, I can click on "moderate comments" and then I'm able to see that there is something in my spam folder. I hope they fix this glitch soon.

So anyway, I hope everyone has a great weekend and has at least a couple-two-three wonderful things come your way.

Why not?

Many years ago, before I started painting again, I met a very interesting older woman. She had jet-black hair and wore hot-pink sneakers. Of course I had to meet her! It turned out that she was an artist (of course!), and she invited me to her home to see her art and her studio. Looking back on this chance meeting all these years later, I finally realized something. I really think meeting her changed my life. Although it has taken me a few years to actually act on what she taught me.

She moved away, across the country, years ago. But I sometimes still think of her fabulous paintings and wall hangings, and of a phrase she used often while she was enthusiastically talking about making art, fully living her life, and learning new languages well into her 70s. Her favorite phrase was, "Why not?"

"Why not!"

I often seem to stand in my own way, rather than to boldly move forward in certain aspects of my life. Art is one of those aspects. The last few days, when I think about the different directions I'd like to go in artistically, I've been hearing this woman's voice say emphatically, "Why not?!"


Why not, indeed! Why not just go for it?! Finally show my colors and bloom where I'm planted.

Why not?!

So, I'm going to be *BOLDLY* experimenting with some new directions in art. I don't know how much I'll be showing here for a while, but I will be back with new art when I start to get an idea of where I'm heading.


In the mean time, I discovered this wonderful video today. The artist is Sarah Kiser, and her work just makes me happy.




She also has a website:
http://www.artbysarahkiser.com/

“The best way to know life
is to love many things”
~ Vincent van Gogh
found on Tumblr

Past Present Future

St. Bartholomä
watercolor

Sometimes seeing who you were in the past helps you figure out who you want to be in the future.

Melk, Austria
watercolor

I came across these two little watercolor sketches this week. I painted them back when I was still afraid of the juicy power that watercolors can have. If you let watercolors have plenty of water, room to explore and the time to find their own way, that is.

They were on the first page of one of several little journals I've started and stopped over the years. A bad habit. I start with be best of intentions, and then over-think what the journal should be used for. I become overly-critical of myself, and then that's the end of that.

Finding that journal, and those two little paintings of places I had visited long, long ago, led me to look into my digital photo files. Just to see what else I'd forgotten about myself.

angel detail

I found special angels I painted for special people a few years ago. But instead of looking at the entire painting, I felt compelled to focus on details.

angel detail

Details I liked the most.

angel detail

Details as delicate angel wings.

Looking at who I was, and what I've accomplished in the past, has helped me focus on the details of what I want to do in the future.

angel detail

I want to keep making art, but take it more seriously. I want to create with my heart, and from my heart.

acrylic detail

I want to embrace color. Vibrant and happy color.

acrylic detail

And I want to allow myself to soar to new heights, with reckless abandon. To finally cast aside, for good, the barriers I always seem to set up for myself, and celebrate a new-found feeling of complete freedom.

This past week I also gathered together some little books to use as art journals, since I finally have a clear vision of what keeping a journal now could mean to me. There's a wonderful book, An Illustrated Life, by Danny Gregory, that I've been reading, too, which has shown me just how amazing keeping an art journal can be.

I finally get it. And, more importantly, I finally get me.

"Deep inside
I think drawing and writing
(will) help me remain whole
in a world
that feels so broken apart."
~Rick Beerhorst

(of Studio Beerhorst)
as quoted in An Illustrated Life