Merry Christmas: Food Court Surprise "Flash Mob"

Food Court Surprise, "Flash Mob"

Merry Christmas, Everyone!!!!!  I hope everyone's day is wonderful!!!  If you get arts and crafts supplies, you are very lucky!!!  Enjoy this video, I think it is wonderful!!!

Christmas Eve!! Digital Nativity Story and Josh Groban Singing Silent Night

Digital Nativity Story

Josh Groban: Silent Night

     I can't believe that Christmas Eve is here already!  I still have things to do this morning and fortunately the company I work for is closed today, except for the department I use to work in, ha, ha!  Somehow I will get it all done, I always do, and many times I have wiped my brow, said, "whew! How did I do that?"
     Our family tradition of gathering on Christmas Eve has evolved over the years.  For the past several years we go to a small, quaint New England town to visit a nephew who built his beautiful house in the woods.  His lower level of the house has a cathedral ceiling with a loft above.  The railing of the loft is made of natural tree branches that he stripped and sealed.  He is a hunter and fisherman, so his house displays his trophies of success, an antler chandelier, bear and deer hides, etc.  What he created many years ago was to present the gifts to the guests from the loft, being delivered via a fishing pole.  He put on his Santa hat and said, "ho, ho, ho!" and down came the package.  All of the children would shout and squeal with delight as they tried to capture their gift, which would be jerked back up, then let back down.  Adults would get in on the fun, too, but most recently we have just limited this to the children in the family.  My nephew has passed the Santa torch onto the adults who were the children recipients in the past.  They are thrilled to be part of the tradition!
      Over the years our family has been added to and subtracted from.  One key player, my nephew's Dad, who was my brother-in-law, passed away a few years ago, not everyone shows up, so the parties of late have been a little more quiet than ususal.  Us ladies would gather in a circle and sing Christmas Carols (who cares if we were off key), as some people watched us.  My aim for this year is to bring some noise to the party!  I will pack my karaoke machine with Christmas songs and my gifts to the children will bring delight and, yes, noise!
       I have a couple more Christmas Eve stories, but I will wait until tomorrow. Everyone, have a wonderful Christmas Eve, have fun preparing! Don't get stressed, it is all fun!! Enjoy my videos.  I think the Digital Nativity is so totally wonderful and so totally 2010!  I also love to hear Josh Groban sing, sigh....
   

Countdown to Christmas: A Charlie Brown Christmas

Linus Monologue from A Charlie Brown Christmas

Charlie Brown Christmas Dance

Only two days left until Christmas (or three if you want to count today)!  I was thinking of Christmases way back while I was driving home last night. I was thinking about how I began celebrating with family on Christmas Eve.  I was dating my future husband and had been invited to his parent's house on the eve.  I learned that both parents arrived in the United States on ships from their respective countries, Poland and Sweden, in the early 1900's.  The tradition of their cultures was to celebrate on Christmas Eve, and they kept their customs.  I was so excited, I never did this before, I tasted all kinds of food, including sill on hard crackers and kielbasa. I wanted to give a nice gift, so I pulled out my knitting books and found a beautiful throw pillow made of 4 squares, that when sewn together made a flower petal.  I was in nursing school back then, so I was frantically creating as I studied for final exams.  When Christmas Eve came, I still needed to finish this thing!! My heart pounded as I was sewing peices together, then sewing the knitted square onto a cloth square. Then came the stuffing, I had bought a large bag of fluffy stuffing, and I discovered that I should have bought two bags, I didn't have enough.  Now, I was in a panic!  "What am I going to do now?"  There was no option to go to a store, I was being picked up in a half an hour!  So, I looked in my dorm closet for an idea and I spotted my folded set of clean sheets for my bed on the top shelf and thought, "AHA!"  Those sheets were shoved inside the pillow, the fluff put all around it and it was sewn up so fast and wrapped and I thought, "Ready, no one will know!"  The gift was proudly given (of course, thinking about the secret inside all the while), it was graciously received and nicely displayed on the couch after wards.  Months later at Easter, a young neice visiting and was lying down on the couch with her head on the pillow, then she loudly remarked, "This pillow feels like a brick!"  I was so mortified, my secret was out!  Then it became a topic of discussion, "no it doesn't, you're imaging it", "Oh, yes it does!"  Long story short, I confessed what I did and since it was an issue, I re-stuffed the pillow with nice soft stuffing.  This pillow was affectionately named "The Brick" after that! There are more stories, too, as I rush to the finish line of completing a gift just in time to give it!  It is definitely more fun for me to make a gift, it feels extra special.  Anyone out there rushing to finish up a project now?

Countdown to Christmas: Bing Crosby and David Bowie, Little Drummer Boy

Little Drummer Boy, Bing Crosby and David Bowie

This is one of my all time favorites!  It's a classic. Hope you enjoy this duet as much as I do!   4 more days! 

Getting Ready for Christmas, South Park Song

South Park, O Holy Night, Christmas Tree and Pie

I remember when South Park was first on TV, my son was talking about it and I thought he was talking about a place, then I finally watched this show at his encouragement and was laughing and feeling aghast all at the same time.  I thought the characters were all cute, they moved and talked fast, so you had to pay close attention.  One character was always blown up every episode, but came back to life.  A few years later at one job I had, my boss said, "Did anyone hear of South Park?", to which most said no and I said yes.  She explained how her daughter asked her watch it the night before and she thought it was terrible as she chuckled and went on to explain the story.  The next week, again, she told us about the next show, laughing, but shaking her head how bad it was.  I knew, she was hooked!  South Park did some Christmas shows, there was the Christmas Poo and songs. Some of the songs are irreverent, so I will not choose them, you will just have to go find them yourself.  This song is really cute and I hope you enjoy it as we move closer to Christmas, 4 more days!!

Straight No Chaser 12 Days of Christmas

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days of Christmas

I have had a wonderful visit with my sister-in-law, nephew and friends in Chicago, we honored my brother's birthday well today, things could not be better.  A Chicago hot dog was not in the plans this time, but I did eat out at an Italian restaurant across the street from my nephew, then we met friends at a delicious brunch today at Granite City, then we ate leisurely at my sister-in-law's house with friends dropping by all afternoon.  I prepare to go home tomorrow. Yes, I did sketch at the airport in Boston at 6 am, I even surprised myself since I hardly slept that night!  I will try to sketch tomorrow, too, and I will share my sketches after Christmas when there is more time.
Since it is Christmas, and I am working this week, and trying to get things ready at home, I plan to provide in my blog music videos that I enjoy and I hope you do, too.  I was fortunate to see Straight No Chaser last Spring live and thoroughly enjoy them.  They are all very talented and entertaining.  I hope that I can attend another concert of theirs again someday.

Preparing To Leave for Chicago

Am up at 2:30am, will be picked up by the airport limo in about 15 min, I will be brief.  I have my essentials close at hand so I can create in one way or another.  I have my small sketch pad, I keep pencils in a toothbrush holder, I have a pencil sharpener in a small plastic box.  I am presently working on a knitted hat, so, whatever I am in the mood to do, my fingers will work to create!  Must stop blogging and watch for my ride.  Will let you all know about how wonderful my Chicago hot dog is at Portillo's!

More Fantasy Ice Fishing

     After I wrote the last blog about my husband preparing for ice fishing, I realized this fantasizing started months ago!  His birthday is in August and he told his kids that all he wanted was boots for ice fishing.  He kept talking about the day he would travel to a new sporting goods store miles away to get his boots, and finally one day he was there.  He came home with these amazing boots.  They are so beautiful, so solid, so insulated, he really found the Cadillac of boots. (He asked me if I wanted a pair of these boots, too!)  As he was preparing his tilts, he took a break to show my his boots again, but this time he had to explain how an ice fisherman wears his boots.  Not only did he get boots, but the proper socks to wear.  He explained the barrier layer that is thin and keeps the wetness from sweat from touching your skin, then there was thick wool socks that absorb any sweat and keep the foot warm.  Then he put all socks on, then the boots and walked around to see how it felt, saying how he needed to break them in.  What does that involve, everybody?  More putting on the boots and more fantasy ice fishing!  (Eventually I will talk about how all of this relates to my art, yes, there is a correlation!)

Fantasy Ice Fishing

     We are having an unusual December in Central Massachusetts. We've had a dusting of snow a couple of times, alot of rain and winds, and even some mild days.  Decembers from my memory have always included snow, ice, cold, missing school, shoveling.  I realized it will finally happen, that the world will become white and it will really feel like winter, but until then, I just look out the window and see the grass on the ground and the cloudy sky.  The lake has just a skim of ice on it.
     My husband's passion for this time of year is ice fishing.  He already started about a month ago.  First, he had the electric auger serviced and is all ready to get through any depth of ice.  Next, he bought some new "tilts", even though there are many in the cellar.  Then, he went to the local pizza place to get a pickle bucket to carry whatever he carries, probably the tilts.  This past weekend he was busy preparing the tilts with whatever one prepares tilts with.  I asked him why he needs so many tilts when he had so many, and I was told the others were no good and he also wants to bring more people along with him, even people who have never ice fished before.  I asked him who that would be and he said, "I don't know".
     So, this is how my day played out last weekend.  He talked about the tilts as he got each one ready.  Then he would say, "Look at this", so I would stop what I was doing, and he would say, while holding the tilt in his hand, "Here I am out ice fishing, just sitting around bored, then all of a sudden the flag goes up!!" then he would release the flag, it would pop up and he would be all excited.  A few minutes later, again, he says to me, "Look at this", and he played out the whole scenario again. He even demonstrated how he "jigs" the line through the hole in the ice, to which I said, "so you do the Irish jig out there".  After awhile I asked him how many tilts he was preparing and if he is going to do this every time he gets one ready, that's when I found out about the newcomers to ice fishing that he is taking with him, whom we don't know exactly who they are at this point, and, yes, he was going to do a demo with each tilt.  I had to remind him he was not bored doing what he loved and also, he takes a grill and food to cook on the ice, which was keeping him busy.
     The next day, he realized he forgot to put his "buttons" on the tilts, so he had to take his tilts apart and put these buttons on, but, this was another opportunity for more fantasy ice fishing.

My Unfinished Work: "Harvest 2010"

Colored Pencil

 

I keep seeing this unfinished picture on the easel, telling myself that I must sit down and complete this!  I fondly call this picture "Harvest 2010" since our bounty was so small.  I carefully picked this plant out at a wonderful nursery in Woodstock, NY before going home one weekend last Spring.  This plant was an heirloom variety called Rose and I planted it in my Topsy Turvy tomato plant holder.  It was lovingly cared for, given Miracle Grow food, watered and it grew huge, long and heavy, but only produced a few tomatoes.  We had such a hot and dry summer, it was difficult for gardens to grow well.  When I saw this cluster, it was perfect, and I knew I needed to preserve it in my art.  I took out my cardboard shadow box that I made to create miniatures, and set up my display.  (If you are observant, you will notice this is the same blue napkin I used in my seashell picture from the Spencer Fair post, this is a favorite napkin!)  Since this was a spur of the moment decision, I grabbed my Bristol smooth paper and my container of colored pencils and went to town creating.  The task did not get completed when I had a floor installed and the whole downstairs of the house went upside down!  Also, adjusting to a new job and work schedule has also cramped my time for creativity.  I wish to share this picture since I like how it is progressing.  This picture is only half way there, but it will get done!  I may decide to create an oil painting from this photo. Maybe I can use my new Photoshop skills to enhance this picture. Putting all of this together, my life, my work, my art, is all part of my reinvention; it is a process, and one I will gladly share with you in my journey.

My Search for Excellent Hot Dogs: Papa Gino's

Papa Gino's

     Lastly, for the moment, I had lunch at a Papa Gino's pizza restaurant, and when I saw hot dog on the menu, I thought, "let's if we can repeat this!".  So, when asked what I wanted, I ordered the hot dog and all of the specific ingredients to make the most excellent Chicago hot dog.  The waiter told me to sit down, he would bring it to me and I waited excitedly at my table.
     A few minutes later, over he came, holding this closed box made out of corrugated cardboard, making me to believe my meal was Fed-Ex'd in.
 With slight trepidation, I opened the box, peeked in and found what you see.  It was an extra long hot dog, and sprinkled with all chopped ingredients.  The tomato and pickles were all chopped underneath.  I tasted it and have to say, it didn't have much flavor.  I thought, "how could this be?", but it is true.  The fries were your average frozen fries, nothing special, but good.  My drink was iced green tea. So, my waiter came by and asked in friendly way, "How's everything?", to which I answered with a smile,  "It's fine", then to myself, "until I blog about this!"  There is no point telling him that his hot dog pales to a fine Chicago hot dog, or even Five Guys Burgers and Fries, or even to explain what makes a Chicago hot dog.
     My travels will bring me back to Chicago next week to visit with my sister-in-law and nephew and family friends, for the holidays and in honor of my late brother's birthday.  You can bet that I'll get to Portillo's again.  When talking on the phone last night, she asked if I had the melted cheese on my hot dog, to which I said no, so I may have to try out a different version!  I must also experience the authentic Chicago pizza again, will keep you posted!  To my audience, thank you for reading. Wishing all of you well.  Will be talking more about my art work.  Will be sketching in the airport and plane, will show what I produce!
Papa Gino's

My Search for Excellent Hot Dogs: Five Guys Burgers and Fries

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

     My travels brought me close to a Five Guys Burgers and Fries restaurant, a new establishment that I had heard wonderful reviews about.   My first impression of this place was how unique it was.  The dining room was divided from the path leading to the counter top with stacks of 50-lb bags of potatoes.  My thought was, "Not a bad idea, very different and it works."
      I decided to go and try a burger until I saw hot dog on the menu!  Then I noticed food could be made your way with all kinds food to add and my thought was, "Can I create a Chicago Hot Dog?"
 For those who are wondering what makes it so special, you start with mustard and chopped onions on the bun, then add the hot dog, then on the side tuck in tomato slice halves, the you need a wonderful kosher pickle across the top.  So, I requested all of the ingredients, the man asked if I wanted relish instead of a pickle, and I said, "No, I would like a pickle".  What's fun about this place is, the order will be shouted out and someone behind shouts back, "Got it!". What I received thrilled me completely, you can see how nice it was in the picture.  The flavor was just like the Chicago Hot Dog and I was a very happy customer!  The freshly made fries were amazing, they reminded me of being at the Spencer Fair!
     So, I will say that Five Guys Burgers and Fries is a close second to Portillo's.  I will be very happy to go back there and have my own Chicago Hot Dog and Spencer Fair fries anytime I want!  Should any of you in my audience decide to try this, let me know how you like it in a comment.  My next post will tell about another hot dog I tried, and was disappointed.
Five Guys Burgers and Fries

My Search for Excellent Hot Dogs: Dairy Queen

Dairy Queen

On that day that I found myself having lunch at the Dairy Queen, I decided to see if there is any hot dog out there that compares with the very best Chicago Hot Dog.  I ordered their hot dog meal from the menu, "Let's see what we have here", I thought.  I sat at my table, eating my hot fudge sundae first, thinking about writing in my blog, waiting for my prize meal.  Then the man came over with a smile and delivered a tiny box and some onion rings to me.  My first impression was not good, I had to open this box and wonder what was inside.  I am not sure if my grimace was obvious, but in my heart, I did a grimace.  "Oh, well", I thought, "this is certainly not what I was hoping for, but now I know, I will never get a hot dog here again".  But, my opinion did not stop me from eating it, the flavor was just fine, but the presentation was a big disappointment, but it was less than $3, so I guess I got what I paid for.  I do enjoy looking at my food, I want it to be special, especially when I am dining out.  I love the swirls added to a plate, I don't care what the liquid is made of, it just looks nice.  So, after experiencing this disappointment, I decided that I must find the close second to Portillos around here, and I found it!!  Will tell you that story tomorrow!
Dairy Queen, Check Out the Hot Dog

My Favorite Hot Dog

Portillo's in Chicago, Illinois

The only local place I had ventured on purpose for a hot dog was Hot Dog Annie's, a tiny establishment in the woods that cranks out hot dogs at a bargain price. (There is a link at the end to show you what we have for our best hot dogs locally).  When visiting Chicago when my brother was gravely ill, my sister-in-law wanted me to experience his favorite places to eat and she took me to Portillo's. This place has amazing decor, it draws you in and I felt instantly like I must have one of their hot dogs.  I was advised that I must try the Chicago Hot Dog, which I did and I was instantly in love. Now that's a hot dog worthy of being a destination place!  When visiting again, I was taken right away to Portillo's, and I was just as happy the second time.  When visiting Chicago, I will definitely make Portillo's my place to eat out!  Last year on the food channel there was a show dedicated to the best hot dogs in the US, and Portillo's was featured.  I have been doing a local search for anything that comes close around here and I will write about that later.  When in Chicago, I recommend going there!
Hot Dog Annie'sPortillo's, The Chicago Hot Dog

The Unveiling, Final Picture!

"Who Let The Horse Out Of The Barn?"

     I am so pleased with this outcome!  You asked, "where is Peter the pig?"  He made it to the other side of the hill.  I managed to go back to the original picture, find the third leg, cut it out and put it on the horse, which required again erasing the fence to put it behind.  There was a dark shadow on the horses back that had been from being in the stall, but being outside it did not make sense, so I got rid of it with the cloning tool.  I created a slight shadow on the fence to the left of the horses nose with the burning tool.  The dandelion is placed nicely on the ground to the right of the horse.  I hope you, my audience, is pleased with my presentation, it would be nice to hear your comments.
     Since my purpose for taking Photoshop classes is to create ideas for paintings, I realize that my work has only begun.  This picture is nice by itself, but now I have to work on a painting!  Will share my process when I begin it.  Thanks to all of you.

The Unveiling, The Final Touch!

     On November 7, when leaving my son's house in the evening, I crossed the dead lawn and was surprised to see a dandelion in full bloom!  The weather was typical Autumn, the sky was cloudy and dreary (it was the same day I took the picture of the fence), the temperature cool, there had been no warm days, and yet, a dandelion bloomed.  I was so amazed that I ran back into the house to tell them and then I took a picture of it.  The following Monday, when I found myself in the town that has the DQ that I mentioned earlier, I found a dandelion just starting to open.  My thoughts were questioning, "why?", "how?", these flowers sprout in the Spring.    This all happened in my early days of learning to blog, when I was thinking up topics, and when I discovered this cute dandelion, I was considering writing about the resurgence of the dandelion, the determination to live, not only live, but to stand proud.  It made me think of the little engine that could; to be confident to do what you believe in, even when everything around you is dead.  So, I have said it, but that is not the topic, which is my horse picture.
     When finishing my horse picture, I knew it needed one more source of information to make it complete.  Not only did  I want this detail for the final picture, but also for the presentation for the student show piece.  My thought was to present the final picture as an 8x10 inch center, surrounded by 4 pictures used to create the final product, so I needed one more picture and this was perfect!  Where did I use the dandelion?  Did I put in behind the horses ear?  Did I place it on Peter the Pig?  Did I make a dandelion sun in the sky?  Tomorrow you will see my final picture!  Let the drum roll begin!

The Unveiling, The Background

     One day last Spring, my daughter and I visited the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary in New York.  This is an amazing place filled with various farm animals that had been abused and neglected and were saved from slaughter.  Their stories are sad, but their outcomes are wonderful.  We were given a tour, heard many stories and met the dedicated workers of this place.
     This is a picture of Peter the pig out in the field receiving physical therapy.  The story of this pig is so sad.  He was only 9 months old there.  A man took him in as a piglet, but neglected him, kept him in a garage on the pavement and fed him nothing but junk food.  Peter did not have any exercise and just sat around getting bigger and bigger.  The man realized he could not manage this pig anymore and Peter was given to this rescue sanctuary.  When he was found, he could not get up; he was so big, he just sat on the ground with his back legs stretched out to the sides.  Peter needed 2 hours of PT daily and we were there to watch him try to stand up, squealing, rebelling all the way.  When he was finally standing, he needed so much encouragement to start walking, but he did, and there was a reward for him after he walked out in the field a certain distance.  I sent an email to this sanctuary this summer when I didn't see Peter on the website, and I was told he was doing very well, they just rotate showing their animals.  It would be nice if you took a moment to look at their website.
     This sanctuary is on a beautiful piece of land, surrounded by wonderful mountains.  When realizing my dreary background was not right for the horse picture, I realized that Photoshop could help me create a nicer background.  I really loved this background.  Keep reading, the final picture is coming soon, but there is just one more touch to be added before I could say "fini".  Thank you.
Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary 

The Unveiling, Voila! The Horse is Behind the Fence

     I was so excited to learn how to cut out an image for editing a picture, and to combine two pictures.  I used the pen tool to slowly click away at the horse to save it, and the erased the stall background.  The fence picture was put on another layer.  The horse was placed over the fence layer, adjusting the size and position to make it believable.  I used the cloning tool to get rid of the red and blue straps that were in front of the horse, which replaced it with his own color.  The grassy background had been manipulated to see if we could get rid of the cars, but it was only partially successful.  I used the burning tool to create the shadow under the horse.  I erased the horse where the fence was to bring the fence in front of the horse.  I also erased parts of the hoofs to place dried leaves in front of the hoofs.
     Looking at this picture, I was happy, but I knew there was plenty of work to be done, it was not finished.  The first thing that I noticed about my horse is that he was teetering on two legs, (to myself, "will anyone else notice??")  I was not sure how he was positioned in the stall and it was all dark brown when I cut away.  It wasn't until days later, when looking at the horse picture that I noticed there was a third leg showing in the back.  I was also not happy with the background at all; it was a dreary day, the bare trees, the telephone poles, the cars, it all had to go!  But how?  I kept thinking all week what I should do, and then the light bulb went off:  pictures from Woodstock!!  That would be the perfect background!  I went digging through pictures, and I will show you tomorrow which picture I used, how I came by this picture and why I chose it.

The Unveiling, Next There Was a Fence

     Over the past year, I have found myself traveling Rt 9 west a few times, which brings me past the Salem Cross Inn, a very wonderful place to dine, and a very old and historic landmark in this area of West Brookfield, Massachusetts.  I have had the pleasure of attending special dining events, going for a hayride and a sleigh ride, being pulled by their huge horses, and even taking part in the making of the chowder that was cooked in a gigantic pot hung in their fireplace.
     Each time I drove past, I paid attention to the landscaping and architcture, remarking to myself that I must take pictures for future art projects.  The last couple of times I was especially drawn to the beautiful old fences outlining the property, realizing I had a purpose for them in my art, but I did not know what, until taking the class in Photoshop!
     Once I decided to use the horse, I believed I should put him behind one of the fences from the Salem Cross Inn.  A few weeks ago I drove out there for the sole purpose of photographing these fences.  When I arrived, I was surprised to find cars everywhere, "what is going on here today, and why today now that I want pictures??" I thought.  So, I parked and quickly found out there was an arts and crafts fair going on, to which I thought, "I might as well check this out since I am here".  I quickly went through the beautiful rooms filled with decorations, tables, food, etc.  I knew I had to get out of there fast before I bought things I never even planned on!  I did find a local woman who has her Icelandic sheep wool turned into yarn, so I talked with her, bought some yarn and scooted out asap before there were any more damages!  (Someday I will talk about my passion for yarn and what I do with it.)
     So, I walked over to the fences and took what pictures I could, discouraged that there were so many cars in the background.  It was not easy, either, since they were close to the road and I had to be sure that I was safe with the flowing traffic of cars.  I picked this picture to use since it was more centered, I thought it was my best fence!  See what I did with my horse and fence tomorrow!

Salem Cross Inn

The Unveiling, First There Was a Horse

     One day last Spring, I found myself at an Arabian horse competition.  Realizing this was a good opportunity for photos and ideas for future paintings, I walked quietly snapping pictures, first at the horse stalls, then at the arena.
     I was thrilled to find this beautiful horse.  I know we bonded instantly.  See how he is looking at me?  I once watched a British woman explain on a PBS station how horses communicate through their ears.  She had fabricated these horse ears for herself and would manipulate them forward and back to talk to her horse.  (What a character!)  I believe she said that when the ears face forward, it is good.  I believed this horse liked me because his ears were always forward.
     After awhile this woman walked up to me and asked, "Can I help you?"  (to myself, "oh, no, I've been caught!")  to which I replied, "I love horses, they are such beautiful animals.  I want to take their pictures for art."  She just smiled and walked away.  Whew!
     I put all of my pictures in a small photo book and brought them to Woodstock to show my painting teacher, who was thrilled to see them and gave me alot of encouragement to use these pictures.  I knew I would use my horse pictures one day, did not know when, until I found myself studying Photoshop!  Tomorrow will be the next step......

The Attitude of Graditude!

Happy Thanksgiving to my wonderful audience!  My list for giving thanks is quite long, and I take nothing for granted.  Last night we celebrated with our annual "Thanksgiving Eve Candlelight Dinner", and having family and friends gathering here in our home is absolutely wonderful!  To feel the love in the air is fantastic.  I am grateful for all of the wonderful people in my life, not just to the people who were at my house, but to the people I have met in my life who were not here.  There is beauty in how taking paths in life bring us to great people who leave their foot prints in our heart.  I only hope that I have had the same effect with other people.  I am grateful for my blog and reaching out to others, thank you my audience, some people I have never met, reaching as far as Canada! I am thankful for my good health, my ever curious mind, my good nature, which will all help me create more art!  I would like to report that the majority of people who answered my poll questions agreed that getting together with friends and family was what mattered the most, we have the same values!
      In this picture above, the most fun thing was the chocolate fountain.  Once I got the chocolate melted and got this thing cranking, it drew everyone over to dip food into the dripping chocolate, gobble it up and get more!  If is a little messy, but who cares, making people happy is the most wonderful thing!  Everyone, have a wonderful day, no matter what you do.  Will start the unveiling of my Photoshop picture soon!

Blogging and Ice Cream, a Wonderful Combo

    On my lunch break, at the Dairy Queen, equipped with pen and stenopad, I could see nothing better than having ice cream first as I wrote my blog entry.  My new job involves traveling from place to place and the good thing about this place is it is next door to a Dairy Queen!
     I am still looking at the notes from the Personal Development conference, and am reflecting back to the "Anne-Marie then".  As an exercise, we had to write all of the roles we played.  This is my list in the picture, it was 13 roles, the first of which was "Mom", the 5th was the name of my occupation, and the last, sadly, was "Artist".  After "artist" I wrote: "who am I if all roles are gone?".  Then I wrote: "a person with no purpose on earth for anything - no goals - no aspirations - depressed".
     I just shook my head.  I had not read this list until this lunch break.  All of these indispensable roles in my life!  My occupation was so high on my list, but my occupation does not define who I am, it is something I do to bring in money so I can live and have a life (to include art classes, supplies, books).  It doesn't even matter what I do, as long as it is meaningful and contributes to the good of the world in some way.  Being an artist came in last, so sad!  But back then my life was sad, so much of my life was jumbled up, filled with stress, feeling indispensable where I was not, and no time to create anything, just wishes for the future, when I have time.
     If I had to write this list over today, being an artist would be high at the top.  It is more than what I do, it is not a hobby to pass the time, it is an expression of my whole being.  My very being wants to create.  When I look at the world around me, I think in terms of color palettes, names of colors of paint ("hmmm, what color would I use to make that sky", or "look at those pinks, how could I do this? I must remember these clouds").  When I look at my surrounding world, I think about perspective, how one object relates to the other, the proportions of things if I were to measure with my pencil and thumb, and I get ideas for future art.  If I can remember, I take my camera to take pictures to save for the future.
     From my life experiences, which have a way of stopping us in our tracks sometimes, may I remember what is really important, keep my roles in order of true priority, live according to my values and always find time to create.  Should I veer off of my path ever so slightly, my audience, please let me know and gently guide me back.  Thank you for listening and reading!

Life Before Photoshop

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     Before Photoshop, which, in my world existed recently, before this past September, I was not able to manipulate any picture any more than the example given above, with scissors, tape or glue.  In the picture above, I am looking exotic, even though I have not yet visited Hawaii , but it is not the same effect as Photoshop.  There is something artificial about this picture, and yet Photoshop can make everything so real.  It is also more messy to cut paper, there is clean up.  Photoshop is very neat, there is nothing to clean up on your table, your hands don't get messy, there are no dried up blobs of glue to scape off later.
     My daughter took the Photoshop class at the WAM a few years ago and I was amazed at what she had learned.  She kept practicing and one time manipulated a picture of her face until it was only darks and white, looking just wonderful (she still uses this as her Facebook image from time to time).  Another time she cut out the image of a friend and had him traveling all over the world, seeing the pyramids, the mountains, etc.  From my observations, I was liking what I saw and realized she was having more fun than I was!  My daughter-in-law is a cracker jack with the computer and Photoshop, she also has way more fun than me!  I knew I needed to jump on the bandwagon.
     With Thanksgiving being right around the corner, I am feeling thankful that I am in my own Photoshop class and learning so very much.  I have created one picture that has me very excited, and I plan to put it in the student exhibit.  The unveiling in my blog will be soon, but I want to wait until after Thanksgiving, since I don't want any interruptions in my process, and I want to take time to talk about this wonderful holiday on that day.

The "Mini Me" of Paintings

A miniature painting fits nicely anywhere!

Remember the painting I entered at the Spencer Fair that earned me that big red "Reserve Champion" ribbon?  Well, a few years ago I painted that very same picture in oils on a miniature piece of wood, measuring just under 3x4 inches.  I followed the 4 steps to create a painting and I just love my results.  There are many beautiful frames for paintings this size so they can be displayed nicely.  I chose to paint that scene again because it is one of my favorite places on this earth, and it is right up the street!

"Favorite Walk"

"I Paint" Peep Decal

     In my travels a few weeks ago, while standing in line at a well known arts and crafts store, I was looking at all of the temptations that were strategically placed for last minute impulsive purchases.  My eye caught the rotating rack of Me and My Peeps decals.  I have seen them on other cars, the drivers displaying their entire family and all of their pets along their back window.  I thought they were cute, but I would then think, "what do you do when the family grows, the pets are gone, you add another and the line now needs to be altered?"  So, when looking at them on the highway, I would think, "very cute, but not for me". Until that day!!

     I am not a showy person, I am pretty conservative, I don't like to voice opinions on anything controversial, I just like to get along with everyone the best I can, and I don't put decals or bumper stickers on my car, until that day!  (One time, however, way, way back, when I had a clunker of a Ford Escort, one of my kids slapped a WAAF rock radio station bumper sticker on my back bumper, to which I was surprised one day and thought, "rrrrrrrrr", but kept it on until the day the clunker went of the to the happy junk yard in the sky.)

     So, there I was amusing myself looking at all of the mommy and daddy decals, everyone with different activities, and then, I found my decal:  I Paint, a female artist with the easel and the canvas and paint brush.  I was so surprised and excited!  I looked to see how many there were, and there was just one, meant for me!!  Of course, you know the rest of the story, I quickly snatched it up before anyone else beat me to it, I held it in tightly my hand so no one would grab it from me, and bought it, dashing out of the store before anyone would see me!  (I was actually dashing because my lunch break was over and had to go back to work, but I like to imagine more to my life.)

     My artist Peep is on the window of my car.  I proudly display it, I proudly declare my mission and I proudly make the statement that I am an artist.  When promoting myself, I must no longer be shy.  This is all part of my reinvention, being confident and bold. 

http://www.plaidonline.com/catalog/Me-My-Peeps-Family-Decals.aspx

Fast Forward to the Present (a real gift)

     Whew!  I've come so far!   I can happily report now that I am working full time, but adjusting to all of my new demands is exhausting!  However, I do not give up, I believe in myself and I press forward.  My work of 16 years involved learning a new computer system, which I had mastered to the depth I needed for my work.  Then suddenly I no longer needed this knowledge.  My temporary job I had last year, for which my gratitude has no end, (Nancy, if you are reading this, I am so thankful our paths crossed, and will hopefully cross again!), involved learning a whole new computer system.  Again, I learned it to the depth that was necessary, but I was quite good at it.  Happily, finding myself back at the same company I had left after 16 years (yes, unemployment money does run out), I discovered the truth about "if you don't use it, you lose it".  I had to be completely retrained to the first computer system, I had forgotten everything. 
      I knew I could not go back to Woodstock at this time, but wanted to continue learning art. I decided to study Photoshop with Chris Whitehead. at the WAM.  While at WSA last spring, from across the studio, I heard Lois Woolley talking and the word Photoshop came up, and I thought, "that is something I need to learn".  So many people I knew found value in the program and I needed to know what it was all about.  I also was fascinated with learning blogging for promotion of art work, another class at the WAM, I thought, this is the frosting on the cake!  So, thanks to Andy Fish and his bride Veronica, I am just accomplishing more than I thought I could do.  My brain is handling all of this new information, the synapses are sparking everywhere in my gray and white matter.  It is very challenging, and I need to practice, practice, practice!
       Last night I was finishing up my Photoshop project and I am almost there, but not quite.  I had a vision of what I wanted for the end product from a few random photographs, I have been diligently working on putting it all together, however, I need alot of support as this brain gets the many steps confused.  (Chris, please be patient with me and all of my questions, I really and truly want to "get" this!).  I am so pleased and I will share what I have done step by step as soon as I am ready for my "unveiling".
       My other art project that I am publicly displaying is this blog.  May it be fun to read, tasteful in subject matter, stay focused on the subject of me and my art, and bring happy results.  Thank you, my audience!

In The Beginning There Was Tea.

My earliest memories of going to the Worcester Art Museum go back to preschool years.  My mother kept a membership to the museum and on occasion attended a special gathering.  I remember when she was planning on taking me to the "tea" event.  My mother's goal was to make me into a "little lady" and this was the perfect opportunity to practice.  I remember the lectures of how to hold my plate of goodies and my cup, how to stand, etc, etc.  The day came, I put on my pretty dress, but I can't remember if I wore my white gloves, and off we went!  I was curious about the world of "tea" that I was entering, not knowing what a tea was, and found myself in complete amazement of the most wonderful place on earth! Experiencing the foyer of the WAM for the first time was fantastic!  As I walked past beautiful art work from centuries ago, we made our way to the large room filled with people and goodies.  I successfully carried myself in a ladylike way, holding my plate and cup properly, not spilling anything.  I don't believe I made any conversation, after all, I was only 3 or 4 years old, but I took in everything, and loved every bit of it!  That big room has been, for a long time, a changing exhibit room, but when I walk by it, I always become the little girl at the tea, I can see it, feel it, remember it.

"The graveyard is filled with indispensable people"

     In preparing my blog entry, I decided to designate a stenopad that had been tucked away in a drawer as the place to jot down blog thoughts.  Upon opening this pad, I found notes from a weekend conference that I attended, the topic: Personal Development.  One important quote I wrote down, but did not expound upon, was: "The graveyard is filled with indispensable people".
     With the wonders of the internet, I "googled" this phrase and discovered many references.  Charles DeGaulle, a former leader of France, has been given credit for this quote, explaining how so many people in history who believed themselves to be indispensable have died and the world goes on without them.  In truth, none of us is indispensable, which actually is a freeing thought.
     I discovered this fact over one year ago when I suddenly found my position for 16 years was eliminated and I would join the ranks of "the unemployed".  While working, my values included loyalty, dedication and feeling indispensable.  Although it was shocking and I experienced all of the stages of grief and mourning, I found myself completely free.  The whole world was open to me!
     At that time my true artistic voice began to speak.  My prayer of:  "when will I ever go back to the Woodstock School of Art and study with HongNian Zhang again??!!" that would scream in my head (a major frustration of not having time to do anything my heart yearned for) would be answered.
     I learned that I am dispensable, the world does go on without me, and I am a better person for this.  I never want to consider myself indispensable again, and I want to pursue my art freely.  Let my artistic voice be heard!

Spencer Fair Exhibits and Awards, 2010

These are the three pieces of artwork I submitted to the Spencer Fair this past Labor Day weekend.  I put in one item for three categories: oil painting, water color painting and pencil.  As I climbed the stairs to see how well I did, hoping I had a ribbon for one piece of work, I was completely amazed to see that all of my work had ribbons!  The oil painting and pencil pieces had second place ribbons and the water color not only had a first place ribbon, but a giant red "Reserve Champion" ribbon, which I found out later meant the best in the category!  How totally happy I felt!  My work has been validated and appreciated.  It is amazing that, unknown to the judges, I was competing against myself!