Self-Interview: Question 2 Continued (Captain Bob Cottle)

Captain Bob

     Continuing with Question 2: Did any one person or people really spark your interest?  Well, these questions really caused me to think, since I can't ever remember not doing art and I dug deep into my memory bank and I remembered "Captain Bob" Cottle.  When I was very young in school I would faithfully watch Captain Bob's TV show and draw with him.  I always liked him, his manner was soft spoken, very kind and very clear with this drawing directions.  I remember another boy in my class named Paul Dunn who also drew pictures with Captain Bob and we would compare our pictures and talk about the show. I was probably 6 or 7 then.
     The Captain Bob TV show kept my interest for drawing alive, he was my mentor when I was not taking classes at the Worcester Art Museum.  His subjects always came from nature or being by the sea.  How completely fun it was to look forward to the special time spent watching this TV show and drawing with him. He gave me confidence to try subjects that I did not actually see in my real life since I did not live by the ocean.
     What this adventure of blogging and now self-interviewing has done has caused my curiosity to spark and now seek out what I remember.  By "googling" Captain Bob, I learned his last name and all that he did in his lifetime.  I also found out that there is a petition for signing to take his shows out of the archives to show them again, and also there was the question if they made the shows into DVD's would you buy them.  All they need is 500 signatures to accomplish this.  I signed the petition and am including it in this blog so you can sign it too.  I found a video of his demonstrating drawing a cat on YouTube, and am including this also so you can view what I loved and and found of value on my journey to be an artist.  You can see this gentle, kind artist encouraging people of all ages to draw.  Please enjoy!
Drawing A Cat With Captain Bob
Bring Captain Bob Back Petition, Please Sign!

A Self-Interview: Questions 1 and 2

     A wonderful thing happened to my daughter yesterday; someone recognized her artistic accomplishments and appreciates her work, and she was interviewed for an article in one of our local papers. (please check out her "Julie" blogs on my list)  Of course, I am  very proud of her, but what was interesting is that the questions caused me to think about how I would answer these questions. What better forum to answer these questions, but my very own blog. I warn you now, this make take days to complete, but I hope you find it interesting and entertaining!
     Question 1: The boring stuff- Age, town you currently live in.
I would like to say that I am of an age that I find unthinkable and you would never believe, so I would like to say that I am ageless and we will leave it at that!  I have lived in Central Massachusetts, growing up in and for many years not far from Worcester, for all of my life, but I did live in Charlotte, North Carolina for one year of my life many years ago.
      Question 2: When did your love for art begin? (this question has a few parts, I will answer only this part for today since I have a way of being verbose)  Please go to the beginning of this blog and read "In The Beginning There Was Tea".  I was introduced to the Worcester Art Museum as a preschooler and loved it.  My mother had talent for and an appreciation of art and was a member of this beautiful museum and she signed me up for lessons as soon as I qualified.  I can remember my cups filled with the primary colors and the amazement of mixing to create the secondary colors, "wow!".  I remember having really large pieces of paper and learning how to fill the paper, not just paint in one corner, or down the bottom. I remember learning being taught at a young age how to divide the oval shape for a face into quarters and where to place the eyes, nose, mouth and all the reference points to measure.  I remember Mary Murphy, a tall, attractive and dignified lady who was my teacher, we all lined up and waited for her to lead us down the stairs to the basement classrooms.  She taught us how to make the shape of the eye and how some people had wide eyes. She looked around the room to find a good example of this and I remember opening my eyes wider and she pointed to me and told everyone, "Just like her eyes!" and I felt so proud!!  I remember being taught that the whole sky is blue, not just the top of the paper. I remember walking room to room, gallery to gallery, taking in all of the beautiful art throughout the centuries, feeling amazement and loving all of it. I remember feeling at complete peace in this beautiful museum and like I was at home. That is how it all started.

A Dedication: Don's Painting

     Sept 13 was the second anniversary of my brother's death, his name was Don.  Just as I did last year, I traveled to Chicago to be with my sister-in-law and nephew at this time.  Somehow, it is the right thing to do and we help each other get through a hard time.  When I visited him a couple of years ago in the window of time of wellness, he proudly showed me his art work, something I did not realize that he did.  I always knew he was very creative in a different way, but paintings I did not know about.
     This is Don's painting that he proudly showed me and which I was given last year by my sister-in-law, how thrilled I was to receive this!  I can remember how he explained his technique of placing random items on the canvas, which he stretched over a piece of wood, and then spray painted it.  He would move pieces, or introduce other objects, and then spray with other colors, He kept up this layering until he was satisfied with his work.  I remember when he showed me this piece and I thought it was wonderful! 
     There is life, depth and movement in this piece.  I love the color choices and they are pleasing to my eye.  I believe this picture tells a story of my brother, since he tinkered with radios and cars and had all sorts of parts and pieces.  I only wish I could talk with him again to find out more about the pieces he used and where they came from and what they meant to him.  I guess I am looking at this in retrospect sadly.  I guess my lesson is to be sure to have complete convesations with people, ask questions and get all information at the time of the converstation, since you never truly know if you will have another chance to ask.  I am proud of him for all that he did with creativity and especially this painting.  Thanks, Don, for sharing something very special with me.

Contemplating My Next Goal

Anne-Marie, winning art pieces; see 9/7/11 for closeups

     Exhibiting in the Spencer Fair is a goal to look forward to, and now that it is over I need to formulate what my next step is.  Of course I will plan to  exhibit again next year, unless, of course, I become professional.  Usually in the fall I think of what art class to take and I pour over the Worcester Art Museum course catalog.  I know that at this time I cannot attend classes at The Woodstock School of Art because my work schedule does not allow the time to do this, which is unfortunate for me.
     When I think of all the techniques I have learned from so many wonderful artists, I start to think that I don't need to learn anything new, I just need to practice and perfect what I have learned.  When I realize that in order to take a class I have reserved three hours in the evening to do this, then I am now thinking to take that same three hours and use it to practice and create my own art.  I need to make an appointment with myself for my own class, then I need to make to time to do my own homework, also.  This will be such a challenge for me!
      Whatever I do, and whatever process I take, I will share it in this blog, because, after all, this is all about my reinvention to create my own art.  I will now be challenged with time management, and fighting my own resistance!  I hope that I am inspiring someone to create art, or to take a class at the Worcester Art Museum, or The Woodstock School of Art, or anywhere close to you.  Classes are starting now.  Or, if you just want to create, just set aside one day for art.  Please let me know what you are doing in a comment. Thank you!

Ribbons Won At The Spencer Fair

      All of this makes me feel wonderful and enthused to get busy painting more pictures, or drawing more beautiful animals with pen and ink!


This first painting is one of my miniatures that is only 2.5"x3.5" and is the same scene that I won Reserved Consideration at the Spencer Fair last year, except that was a large water color and this is oil paint. This place I call my favorite walk, where I enjoy walking with my little dog.  I give credit to Joyce Washor, an artist that I studied with who teaches painting in miniature.  I acheived a second place ribbon.   

Thanks, Joyce, I love painting small!
This is a pen and ink drawing that I recently blogged about.  My subject was a beautiful light brown wild bunny in my yard.  I used Walnut shade ink to draw and create a wash.  I love this bunny, it makes me happy to look at this picture.  I must ink draw more animals, they are such wonderful subjects and I love them so much.  I give credit to Andy Fish who taught the class a the Worcester Art Museum. He is an amazing artist, check out his web page and blog, and even sign up for a class with him if you live around here.  Thanks, Andy, for teaching me ink drawing,

                    and also how to blog to promote art!


     This painting is one of my treasures.  I am so proud of this water color, I love it so much and usually have it hanging in the Autumn. I am totally thrilled that not only did it get a first place ribbon, but a purple Grand Champion ribbon.  I have always admired other work that achieved this ribbon, never realizing that I would also accomplish this!  I give credit to Bill Griffiths, the Guru, teacher at the Worcester Art Museum.  (I can still hear him saying, as I painted hesitantly with color, "this is nice, I want more".)  He is also an amazing artist and you should take a class with him, too, if you live around here.  Thanks, Bill
Also, thank you, Spencer Fair for allowing me to show my work, giving me prizes and then I can blog about it!
     I did find a reader of this blog at the fair, one of my daughter's friends, and she went to the exhibit to find my work.  Thanks, Maggie, for reading and appreciating my work!  I am truly humbled!  Now, lets get painting!!

I Get Excited About Alpaca Yarn

     Years ago, when I was 9 years old, I won a knitting kit when I submitted a drawing of a horse's head in a Curley-Q contest.  (For those who do not know what a Curley-Q  is, it is creating a picture from a random shaped line)  I guess I can say this was my first art contest I won!  The kit came with one pair of size 5 plastic needles and a few balls of colored yarn, and my mother taught me how to knit.  I have loved knitting and yarn ever since and have made countless projects, for myself and others.
      My dream for years was to knit a sweater from hand spun wool, and my dream came true when I found a spinner at the Spencer Fair several years ago.  I discussed with her spinning for me, and 6 months later she had my yarn ready!  I purchased it and knitted a very difficult cardigan for myself with this yarn.  My fingers felt so good while knitting from the lanolin.  I totally love this sweater, it keeps me very warm and even dry as it repels water with the natural oils, and this sweater won me a 2nd place ribbon at the Spencer Fair! This is my forever sweater.
     And, then I discovered Alpaca yarn and these beautiful animals!  I went to the Woodstock Fair in Woodstock, CT, and found people with an alpaca farm and that spun their own beautiful, very soft, yarn.  I bought some natural brown yarn and knitted the softest, warm mittens I ever had!  I discovered some local alpaca farms near me and have had the pleasure to speak with these remarkable people who spend their lives doing something they love.  Yesterday at the Spencer Fair, I found a woman spinning her alpaca fleece into yarn, she dyes it and is learning to knit.  This couple own 6 alpacas and you can see that they love what they do.  The woman did admit that they both work, but I admire that they both find the time to make this artistic endeavor an importance in their lives.  I have their card, will find them again and I will, of course, blog to you what I have found and what I will do!

I Was Afraid Of A Blank Sheet Of Paper

     With my recent readings and blogging about the book The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, it brings to mind my own fears when I returned to creating pictures after years of not creating.  My first fear was that "I've lost it".  I can remember hearing from unreliable but well meaning sources that is you don't use your talent you will lose it.  With having that thought in my brain, I would think about drawing and not attempt it for fear that I couldn't draw any more, how sad!  I started getting excited about art again when my daughter took an art course in high school and her teacher was very encouraging to her, which got my creative juices flow a little bit.  I will blog about my first attempt at another time, I need to show you both my first attempt and my reference piece, for which I am not ready to do today.
     I will, however, tell you my funny story about my first art class that I signed up for to get myself going again.  When I finally felt I had the time to devote to creating paintings, I chose to study water color painting, a subject that I had never been taught before.  I felt that this would be a good start since it would all be new, even if I was creating with a different medium.  I love the finished water color painting, the flow of the colors, the blurriness, the suggestions of images not necessary painted in detail. Then, of course, there are the paintings by masters who do nothing but beautiful detail.  Anyway, there I was sitting in my class at the Worcester Art Museum with the great William Griffiths as my teacher. He referred himself as "The Guru" and taught the purist method of using only the correct primary and secondary colors, mixing them to create all other colors and the big rule of using no black or white. His palettes were referred to as the tetrads and it was important to stick to these colors because if you introduced something else, he would know!  That was enough to instill fear of the ire of Uncle Bill being brought down upon us.
      After we had classes teaching the the basic strokes, methods, techniques, we could start our own painting.  There I was with my Arches Water Color paper, my pan of water, my paints unopened, my reference picture in front of me.  I had penciled in a few reference lines, but was totally clueless as to how to start my painting. I was scared to death to even make attempt!  He always went around and sat with the students individually and gave tips on what to do, but this week, he started at the other side of the room, and I was the last one on my side of the room, so I just sat and waited patiently, telling my neighbor I didn't know what to, and it turned out, she didn't know what to do either.  Finally, it was my turn, he sat down next to me, looked at my reference picture, looked at my paper, and all he said was, "cover the paper with a yellow wash".  Ok, I said, (taking a deep breath), I prepared my perfect yellow and water, took out my large brush and I was able to paint a perfect yellow wash.  I was very proud of myself.  But this is where it ends.  I was too afraid to even attempt to my painting, I was completely stuck without being told what to do next.  There was no time for Bill to see everyone again, and I went home and proudly showed my daughter, laughing, "see what I did with a 2 1/2 class!" and showed her my yellow piece of paper. I was so afraid to paint back then, believing that I may do the wrong thing and I didn't want to face this.  It is terrible how paralyzing this is.  There are probably countless paintings that are given up on because of fear.  I have made a lot of progress since then!

Being A Hunter-Gatherer

      While I have not actually had the time to sit down and create art work, I am never without thoughts of what I will create next.  My eyes are looking everywhere in my world for ideas that can be used in my art.  I carry my camera with me and I am taking many, many pictures of wonderful scenes, animals, people in great poses.
      My camera is not fancy, but I did get a new one when my first digital camera became senile and could not focus on anything.  I found the lastest Sony Cybershot and I am not only pleased with the results, but I absolutely love the panoramic picture feature, it is great fun.  When I was first practicing this feature at a cookout we hosted here, and I wanted to take a picture of he entire group, I told everyone to pose, and as I swept my camera slowly from left to right, I went, "woooooooooooooooo" until the picture was done.  It was so funny!!  "Wait a minute, everybody, I have to do this again, ok, look at me.....wooooooooooooooooo!"
      Just last week at one of the sites I worked at, I found some magnificently old trees that were twisted and shaped so wonderfully, and the feature that drew me to them were the holes in them and I could only imagine what beautiful animals that would poke their heads out of these holes!  When walking at another site a couple of weeks ago, I found groups of great mushrooms on the side of the road.  I got down on the ground, cleared out the weeds and grass and took some nice closeups of the mushrooms.  I have taken beautiful pictures of the sky with big puffy clouds. 
      I once tried to save pictures from magazines, they looked nice at the time, but when I looked at them later, (yawn) they did nothing for me.  I get excited with my own work, and it may be that element of love that I am finding.  When I have searched and found something great, I claim it as mine, I feel a connection to the subject, and my pictures have meaning.  I want to turn to my own library first and ideas are flourishing.  I am getting excited to start a painting from a picture I took recently.  I will tell you where I found the picture later in another blog.  I can only tell you that I got excited to create after hearing from my daughter the ribbons I won at the Spencer Fair.  I don't want to say what I won until I see it with my own eyes tomorrow, but I will say that one ribbon gave me goose bumps and made me do a happy dance and got me on the phone to my son's house since he has the print of this painting!!! Keep reading!!! Happy Labor Day to those from the USA. To others around the world, it means we take Monday off from work and enjoy a day of rest from our labor (although there are still plenty of people working).

In Conclusion, The End Of The Book

     I finished reading The War of Art by Steven Pressman.  It is such an excellent read, I highly recommend it for anyone who is or wants be creative.  I think it should be on book lists for art students everywhere.  I must say, the style is easy to read, he gets to the point and delivers the message clearly.  The message is pretty powerful, too.  When I read traditional books, I tend to give into the temptation of leaf through the pages at the end, because I can hardly wait to get there.  I read this on an e-reader, which is new for me, and with this you have to click, click, click to get to where you want to be, and without a book mark to place anywhere, I didn't dare venture off of my page, so I read every page in order, and then finally found myself completely done!
     In essence, to be an artist is to tap into your soul, create what your soul wants and not be concerned with what the world thinks or wants.  Also, that our soul is connected to a higher spiritual plane, and we will be full filling our purpose for being here.  Mr Pressman's final thought is: "Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor.  It's a gift to the world and every being in it.  Don't cheat us out of your contribution.  Give us what you've got."
     All I can say is, "wow"!  I may have to get back into this book to re-read parts, but I feel there is great value in what I have learned.  My only hope is that day by day, I remember these thoughts and that day by day I do something that brings me to my goal of creating art more present in my life.  There will always be the conflict of what the world wants from me and what my soul wants from me, but I have to find a way to bring my soul more present in my life. He did touch upon reinvention of ourselves and shedding the old skin. I found that amazing, since the theme of this blog is the reinvention of myself, to be the person I was intended to be all along. Thanks for sharing my journey, I will let you know the steps I take along the way.

Professionalism , Art and Love

     Continuing with my subject of  The War of Art, a book I cannot put down, Steven Pressfield has a chapter entitled "For Love of the Game" where he touches on professionalism.  He wrote: "To clarify a point about professionalism: The professional, though he accepts money, does his work out of love.  He has to love it.  Otherwise he wouldn't devote his life to it of his own free will."
     This reading brings my thoughts back to The Woodstock School of Art where my teacher, Chinese master painter HongNian Zhang, explained to us that we should paint what we love.  When he was away in China, his wife Lois Woolley taught the class alone and our model set up was a chef chopping up food.  When he returned and saw our subject posing, he was pleased and said, "Look at this.  This is love".
     I believe I had a hard time understanding this at first, along with his asking what was the "story" of my painting (as I had my apple girl dangling in the middle of a blank canvas, story? what? I have to think up a story, too?), and, "what are you talking about?", as I would be putting detail in a particular area (probably the wrong one, too).  But, as I am learning more, and becoming wiser, I realize love in our work is crucial to get the results we are looking for.  I've said it before in my blog, that I know when my art is going right because I fall in love with it.  I must remember to keep love in my art, when I choose my subject, when I create my story theme and as I create.

The Spencer Fair Art Exhibit

     After arriving home from work yesterday, I was off  to the Spencer Fair to submit my three pieces of art work for the exhibition.  I was so excited.  I lovingly and carefully checked the glass for smears, the frames for dust and then carefully wrapped them in cloth and off I went!  As I passed the fairgrounds, I felt a thrill as I saw the ferries wheel and the carousel set up, bringing back so many memories of fairs gone by.
      In the exhibit hall I needed to obtain my number which is needed to claim my artwork back at the end, then I went off to the table to write my labels for each piece.  I was so excited, I was all thumbs!  Next to me was a man who brought his photographs to show and he was doing this process for the first time.  I glanced at his work, and saw he did beautiful close up shots of his wife's garden and there was this huge white spider on a flower!  The hair stood up on the top of my head and I got goose bumps all over!  What a picture!
     I then brought them to the tables where my work was placed last year, and I only saw one other painting.  Realizing there was one more hour to submit art, I thought, where are the artists??  Have they all gone professional? I saw there was big response to photographs, they had large plastic bins filled with photos, all sorted by categories.  I walked away, looking back at my art work hanging up, waiting to be judged, wanting to be loved.  It was an empty feeling leaving them behind, kind of like when you drop off you child at school for the very first time and you walk away leaving them.  Wish me luck!  Please feel free to check the Spencer Fair website to the right in this blog and see what we do here.

Amateur VS Professional

     My latest reading in The War of Art by Steven Pressfield including a discussion of what is an amateur and what is a professional.  This is really good food for thought, when do you know what you have taken that turn to become professional?  I am about to submit my pieces of artwork at the Spencer Fair tonight for consideration of prizes and ribbons.  When I worked on framing this past weekend, I pulled out the book with the rules of the contest and the title of the page is written: "Adult Domestic Arts & Crafts for Amateurs".  I had not noticed this before and my thought was "how does the fair define the word amateur?"   Maybe there has to be a certain fame associated with your art form and name.  Maybe you are selling and making money.  Now that I am thinking about it, I scanned the book cover to cover and did not see a definition of what is an amateur.  I guess it is believed that if you're an amateur, you know who you are"!
     Steven Pressfield states this: "The amateur plays for fun. The professional plays for keeps."  "To the amateur, the game is his avocation. To the pro it's his vocation."  "The amateur plays part-time, the professional full-time."  "The amateur is a weekend warrior. The professional is there seven days a week."  "The professional loves it so much he dedicates his life to it. He commits full-time."
     This is all wonderful food for thought.  My dream is to be able to do my art all the time, to wake up in the morning and get going painting, drawing, creating, whatever it is, all day long.  That day will come, and for my faithful readers, you will watch my process and see this come to fruition.  I long for the day when the only things I can submit in the Spencer Fair are my baked goods, my canned jellies or jams or my hand knit sweaters, because I will be known for my art work and I will be a professional artist!

Combating Resistance

     I am truly enjoying the War of Art.  Steven Pressfield writes in short, direct paragraphs and covers a multitude of (sins) information regarding resistance.  I even experienced it this morning when thinking about blogging.  Something in my head reminded me I have to leave the house half an hour early to drive to my work 35 miles away half an hour early, "do I really have time to blog? Missing one day is all right, no one will know."  As soon as I thought that, I got right up and sat down at my trusty laptop and here I am, keeping my promise!
     I have just touched upon the topic combating resistance, but I am already feeling liberated.  I love this first quote: "It is one thing to study war and another to live the warrior's life" by Telamon of Arcadia, mercenary of the 5th century BC.  I love this too: "The moment an artist turns pro is as epochal as the birth of his first child.  With one stroke, everything changes.  I can state absolutely that the term of my life can be divided into two parts: before turning pro, and after." (Steven Pressfield)
     This is reminding me of Lucy, a fellow art student I met at The Woodstock School of Art.  We were side by side painting the same models, we struggled over the same colors or the same form, we joked, we laughed.  I was there to witness her first art show of her beautiful oil paintings.  She was at a bank in Saugerties, NY, and when you entered the bank, which was conducting business, there she was with her husband and children around her helping, a table of refreshments set up and her paintings all over the bank, and she was selling them a I was there looking at them!  Her story was wonderful. She had started oil painting 3 years before and always remembered her first teacher telling her to paint every day, and paint she did.  That was her secret.  HongNian Zhang instructed me to draw everyday.
     I must listen to those wiser than me and put on my warrior armor and conquer my own resistance!  At the end of this writing, I want you to realize that by doing this I am combating my resistance to sit here, believing that I did not have the time to blog, and I am going to report that I am leaving for work in 15 minutes, which proves to myself that, yes, indeed, I did have time to blog.  I was only fooling myself!!

"Procrastination is the Theft of Time", Edward Young, British Poet

     As I continue with my reading of the War Of Art by Steven Pressfield, I am gaining insight into what resistance is, and procrastination is one of the indications.  I have heard this phrase my whole life about procrastination being the theft of time.  Since I am thinking about this phrase now, I looked it up on the internet and discovered the author was British poet Edward Young.  There, I also found other wise sayings he had and I want to read more about him.  I have a feeling that he was a creator who resisted resistance and movement forward with this art, and accomplished what he dreamed about.  I also always  heard the phrase not to put off until tomorrow what you can do today.  A long time ago I use to ponder these thoughts, but only briefly.
     When I was young, I would put off anything that seemed unpleasant, even though it was necessary or required, like a big homework project for school.  I would get to the library on Saturday, park myself there as long as possible, photocopy as much information as possible, take it all home (no, there were no computers!) and just spend the rest of the weekend putting it all together.  I had made this my practice and actually prided myself to have mastered my procrastination since I always came through, and, after all, no one knew that I did this, the teacher only knew that the project was completed on time.  As an adult, I have mastered leaving my house and getting most places on time, by the skin of my teeth sometimes, though.  I have timed myself going from this point to that point and when I can leave the house. It does create for stressfulness as I keep checking the time.  I do realized it is best to leave early to prepare for the delays and to have less stress.
     When I think about my art, I do realize that I did not procrastinate on my art or creativity as a child, I would fill my time with all of the things I loved to do, maybe that is why I procrastinated on big school project.  But, as an adult, I seem to procrastinate with my art, which actually disturbs me very much, since I am always looking at my world in terms of colors, palette, composition, design and ideas for future masterpieces.  I would like to report that I did accomplish my goal yesterday of framing my art work for the Spencer Fair, so now I am ready to submit my work, and I will not be scrambling at the last moment to put it all together and arrive breathless as the last bell gongs.  As you all can see, I have kept my promise to blog.  Also, I am going to work now and since I am aware that a hurricane passed through yesterday, I need to leave extra early in order to accommodate any slow traffic from workers out there cleaning up the mess left behind.  I am a work in progress, and, at my age, I am still learning, still needing to be reminded of things, still striving for improvement.  My art is very important to me, I am going to come up with a plan to put this more in the front of what I need to do.  Any one else have a problem with procrastination?

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

     It has been a long time since I blogged!  "What happened?", you ask.  I will tell you that "life happened", I work full time, I have home responsibilities, I need to sleep 8 hours at night, I need to watch my favorite shows on TV, I must see who is being eliminated on various reality series, I need to sit down and pay my bills, the list will go on and on.  I check my blog faithfully, I check my STATS to see how many people read and from where in the world. For this, I will say "thank you" to all of you who return just to check to see if I posted any more art or wrote, and to the new people who just happen to find my blog. I sincerely hope that it is enjoyed by all.  I will think to myself, "I need to write, but I haven't been able to do any art, what will I talk about, my "block"?", then I will think I never finished telling about the artists I met on the cruise in the spring, and then I close down my blog, just to open it up the next day and go through the same scenerio.
     I decided today is the end of not blogging!!!  I give credit to the book The War of Art, Winning the Inner Creative Battle by Steven Pressfield.  I found this book online yesterday, I manged to get it transferred to my e-reader (yes, all by myself, since I am not technologically savi).  I just began reading it today, this morning, as I am hunkered down in my house listening to the pouring rain as Hurricane Irene comes our way north.  The first topic is resistance, which is rooted in fear, and starts in our inner being.  I decided, at this point in my reading, to stop and blog, as a gesture of fighting my resistance, even if all I have to talk about is why I haven't been blogging.  He explains that once you conquer resistance, then you free creativity.
      My hope is to be sure I blog regularly, be sure I have been creating in some fashion, and keep my eye on the prize.  I will share what I am learning and how I plan to apply it to my art.  I will say that today's assignment will be to get my art work framed and ready to submit to the Spencer Fair again. I will not say what I am doing because the judging is anonymous and I do not want to leak out what I am submitting, I will only say that I will, again, be competing with myself, something that makes me chuckle inside!  Thanks for reading.  Anyone in the path of the hurricane, stay inside and stay safe. To everyone else, have a nice day.

Ink Drawing The Bunny

      This morning at 7:15 am, EST, I heard the little chirp, and my instant thought was the King of the Mountain, so I grabbed my camera and ran to the window!  I did not see the chipmunk on the rock, but right in front of the window in a clear spot was the beautiful bunny, just sitting there, posing for me.  I made sure that I did not make too much movement, because bunnies are so perceptive and nervous, it would be gone in a flash if it suspected anything, and I was able to take it's picture, which I have shown below as my reference picture.
     My mission for today, between tasks that needed doing, was to draw this bunny in ink.  It really was a

 fun project since I love animals, and especially the special ones that live in my yard, and especially bunnies, which are very sweet animals.
     Please bear in mind that I am a student of ink drawing and have learned basics only, there is so much more for me to learn and master.  I started with my pencil drawing, trying my best to get the proportions correct.  I learned from Lois Woolley at WSA that a painting can be ruined in the first fifteen minutes, and what she taught was the importance of getting everything positioned correctly and in the right proportion first.  I decided a bunny would be best done in a brown ink, and I had Walnut Ink from my

calligraphy supplies.  What I learned is walnut ink is not water resistant, so when I created a wash, some of the lines faded.  On the other hand, if I was not satisfied with the wash, I could move it around with more water, even after it dried.  I introduced a brown ink pen that I purchased for the ink drawing class and I found it darker, but I did my best to spread the darkness around so it would all blend together and, hopefully, be pleasing to the eye.  I am having so much fun doing these animals, I can understand how Beatrix Potter could love her Peter Rabbit and all of his animal friends.  My next project will be a bat!! My daughter-in-law posted pictures of a bat in her house today, and her story is so funny with all of the screaming between her and the bat, (not sure who was more scared), and she somehow managed to take some fantastic pictures of it!! Will do my best to make it creepy!!

Ink Drawing "The King Of The Mountain"

I am presently taking a class in pen and ink drawing at the Worcester Art Museum, which I am enjoying alot.  It adds further to my knowledge of art techniques to enhance my finished pieces of art work.
     My subject for today is what I call King of the Mountain.  I think chipmunks are so adorable, as long as they stay outside, and I have been observing for the past couple of years something great about them. I would hear around 7 am every morning this rhythmic chirping sound and I would find a cute chipmunk at the tippity top of the highest rock on a stack of rocks behind my house.  I imagined that this chipmunk was announcing to the world that he was King of the Mountain and his day has started.
     This morning I heard that familiar sound, which only started recently with the spring weather, and there he was, perched on the top declaring to the world that he is back!  With my new camera, with which I have great plans to capture great subjects, I was able to get a few poses of the little guy. Since the day is so beautiful here in Massachusetts today, I chose to practice ink drawing, using a quill pen and small brush, at my picnic table on the deck.  I kept zooming in on my camera screen, sketching, then applied the ink. I am very pleased with my results to day and I am enthused to keep it up.  Andy, if you are reading, I'm practicing!! Hong Nian and Lois, if you are reading, I am keeping up drawing, not every day, but frequently, and I am remembering my up, my down, my left and my right. I'm mindful of the yin and yang and also "what we're talking about".

Sketching On The Serenade Of The Seas; Poolside, Last Ones

      Once Bikini Cowgirl and her male companion left the poolside, I needed a new subject, because I was in the zone.   I noticed there was a woman sitting what was to the left of the Bikini Cowgirl, and she did not move.  She was sitting upright on the edge of the pool, her eyes were closed and there was a towel across her lap.  I wasn't sure if she was napping upright, or meditating, but she just stayed in one pose.  There I was sketching her, trying to get her in proportion, then, all of sudden she opened her eyes, looked around her and got up and left!  At that point I had mainly worked on her body and she had no head.  Then I realized, "worry not, there are alot

of other heads around here", so I picked the younger woman who was sitting on her left.  After I completed the sketch, I realized I was not correct with proportions, since the first woman's body was heavy set and the second woman's head was slender, but I realized it was all "ok".
     My last sketch was of a the man below who was just relaxing in a chair, listening to the music, or day dreaming.  For the most part he sat in this position, but every now and then he shifted, then went back into his pose.  I felt very satisfied and gratified when all was finished!  I will blog next about some artisans I met.

Sketching On The Serenade Of The Seas; Poolside Bikini Cowgirl

      On our day at sea coming home on the cruise, I spent time by the pool, watching the events: belly flop contest, sexy legs contest, salsa dance lessons, it was a lot of fun and really crowded.  From the 12th deck, I was looking down at the pool and noticed the Bikini Cowgirl sitting on the side of the pool, and realized she was like a statue, so I thought, "get the pad out quick before she moves!"  The picture on top was actually done in two phases, because she, of course, decided to move to the next pose.
     I quickly turned the page to start a whole new picture that you will see in the middle, but I did not get too far since she just decided to get up all

 together and go off somewhere.  I thought she was a great subject, she did really wonderful poses!  What happened next is that the man to her right decided to just stretch out onto the edge of the pool when she left, so, I started to draw him (see bottom sketch), and I was doing fine, until Bikini Cowgirl came back.  The man then sat back up, she went back in the original pose, which explains how I had two chances to work on the first sketch!  I was flipping between pages!  A few minutes later they both left, which will then led to the next sketch that I will blog about later.  Keep reading!

Sketching On The Catamaran, Antigua

      In Antigua we planned a snorkeling excursion on a catamaran.  That morning, when packing my bag with everything needed, I was certain to pack my sketch pad, hoping for the right moment, the right subject.  We all boarded the vessel, and took our seats on each side, and I noticed that the young man across the boat from me held this great pose.  The seas were quite choppy that day, and the boat rocked side to side, but I decided that I would give it a shot.  He didn't move at all!!  I enjoyed sketching him and was pleased with the results.  I bought along underwater cameras and decided to discreetly snap his photo before he moved when people started to
get ready for snorkeling. (If you notice the ocean in the background, that means my side was up!)
     I ended up sea sick afterwards, with the rockiness, and, now that I think about it, maybe drawing while rocking was a problem.  I just put my head down, and was waiting for it all to end, ugh! A woman came over and gave me some Bonine, and a crew member gave me gingerale and told me "to fight it, like when you fight a cold!"  When I started to feel better, people were starting to snorkel, but everyone was warned the seas were too choppy, that we needed to stay close so we would not drift way. Yikes!  I stayed on board, watching everyone, while I continued to recover.  What I found totally amazing is that when this young man came back on board, he sat in the exact same spot in the same exact pose!  Of course, I am not done showing my sketches and telling stories, keep watching!

Sketching On The Serenade Of The Seas; The Ping Pong Player

Playing Ping Pong

     On one of the outdoor decks on the cruise ship there are ping pong tables all set up and being used by kids, parents, anyone who wants to play and have fun.  The day that I sketched this father of a young boy, I was watching him play and noticed that, although there was a lot of activity of hitting the ball back and forth, whenever he waited for the ball to be returned, he always kept the same pose.  Ding, ding, ding in my brain!  "Get the sketch pad out and start drawing fast before the game is over!" This was really challenging because of the movement, and looking at him quickly while he was in his pose, then drawing quickly when he hit the ball, then looking again, maybe erasing a little, until I felt I was completed.  The game did end shortly after I was done. Whew! This sketch was fun to do.  Then, when we were both done, pencils go back into the toothbrush holder, the eraser in the plastic box and the sketch pad and everything back in my bag, and off I go to meander and observe for any more good subjects! (oh, yes, I have fun not involving art work, too!)  Of course, there's more coming!

Sketching On The Serenade Of The Seas; Home Free Vocal Band

      One great thing about a cruise is the entertainment, every night there is a special show in the theater to enjoy.  We watched an a cappella group called Home Free, made up of five guys creating beautiful music with no instruments, just using their mouths.  It was such a great concert, they were very good and fun to watch!  I was amazed to see the "drummer" do Wipe Out with his mouth!  Another amazing thing is the smallest guy had the deepest voice and the biggest guy had the highest voice.
     When not performing, they were out and about the cruise ship with all of us and one time I found two

at the Schooner Bar.  I sat myself down in one of the nice comfortable chairs and pulled out the pad and pencils.  I have to say it was not easy to sketch these two.  They were sitting on bar chairs facing me, but there were these girls standing in front, wanting to talk to them. One in particular was quite tall and slender and she kept blocking me!  When sketching the top guy, he kept turning his head to the side, so I decided to try to do a profile, if that was the best I could do.
     Finally, I was satisfied with the first guy, so I decided to hurry up and sketch the second one before they decided to get up and leave. He didn't move much, but I had the same problem with the girls!   Then, finally, the space was wide open, I'm sketching away, then a waiter was walking by and for some reason, he just stopped, blocking my view.  I finally just stood up and moved, saying to my husband, "sometimes you just have to get up!"  I was pleased with these sketches.  And my question to you is, did I show them?  Absolutely not, my secret, until now!!
I am including their web page so you can check them out and listen to their music.  Yes, there's more!!
Home Free Vocal Band Website

Sketching On The Serenade Of The Seas; Relaxing On Deck 11

      Deck 11 is a beautiful open area with loads and loads of lounge chairs, swimming pools, hot tubs, sunshine, a beautiful view of the ocean and fun places to explore. It is great place for people to congregate, either during the day relaxing or splashing, and during the night for partying and dancing under the stars.
     This sketch took place in the afternoon, it was such a beautiful day!  I found myself a lounge chair and just looked around me, and there was the perfect model right next to me!  She was just worn out, and totally relaxed.  So many people just fall asleep in lounge chairs!  I'm not one of them, I don't want to miss anything.  This woman held her pose

long enough for me to sketch it, she did eventually move, but I was very happy with this sketch.  I have to say that every day I got more excited, carrying my pad and pencils in my bag, always looking for my next subject!  It really is a different way to look at the world, instead of just experiencing my cruise for what it was, I looked at it for the many opportunities I was presented with for creativity.  When I thought about it, Shakespeare's quote: "All the world's a stage" popped into my head.  For whatever he meant with this statement, for me it meant that my world is a stage with all of my art models and stage setups everywhere I look.  It is just wonderful to realized I don't have to go to far to find amazing beauty to use for creativity, I just have to look around me!
     Of course, I have my picture of me sketching, showing my reference.  Please notice my beautiful dress I bought at an open market, tables set up with locals selling their unique things.  We were at the Island of St Croix, but this dress was handmade in St Thomas.  I love it!  Yes, there is more! Keep reading!
                                                               Pictures Of The Serenade Of The Seas

Sketching At Magen's Bay, St Thomas

     What fun I had this day at Magen's Bay in St Thomas, USVI!  We took an excursion to this beautiful beach, we found ourselves a place to sit down and what did I see right next to us but a model!  This man, snoozing in his chair, didn't move a muscle and allowed me ample time to sketch him.
     I remember this sketch wasn't easy, with his reclining angle, being in a chair, the draping towels in the back, and getting my proportions right.  I used my eraser plenty, but, in the end, I was satisfied that it looked believable, that this was a man taking a nap in his beach chair. I had my picture taken sketching so that you could see my reference, remembering my

blog all the while.
     This man eventually woke up and came over to talk with us.  I found out he was from the United States, but moved to St Thomas eighteen years ago.  No more snow shoveling for him!
      Hope you enjoy this one, and, of course, there is more!! Keep reading, I kept very busy on our cruise!

Beautiful Pictures Of Magen's Bay, St Thomas

Sketching On The Serenade Of The Seas; The Young Girl

     After arriving on board The Serenade of the Seas cruise ship from Royal Caribbean, we went exploring the upper decks where the fun outdoor places were, including the pool.  I packed my sketch pad and pencils to be ready for whatever I would find, and, believe me, there were great subjects everywhere!
     There was a band performing at the pool side, the air was filled with the sounds of island music to put us all in the mood for cruising.  Then I found her, this cute young girl, just captivated with watching the musicians, just sitting there focused and holding a great pose!  I was able to sketch her quickly, I was wanted to hurry before she moved and I finished just in time before her mother joined her and she moved. 
     With every sketch I completed, from the plane, to the lounge at the Caribe, and now on the deck of a beautiful cruise ship, I was getting excited to find more subjects and make a wonderful collection of sketches!
Of course, everybody, there's more! Keep reading!

Searching For The Perfect Cuban Sandwich; San Juan, Puerto Rico

Big Hot Cuban Wrap

     Before leaving leaving the Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico to board our ship for the cruise, I wanted to be sure to have some lunch, not being sure how long everything would take.  Near all the little shops at the resort, there is a restaurant named Pina Colada Club at Caribe that we decided try out.  I was pleasantly surprised to see on the menu Big Hot Cuban Wrap, the description included roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard wrapped in a flour tortilla and served hot off the grill.  This is a picture of my sandwich, which I enjoyed thoroughly and washed it down with Coors Light.  They used brown spicy mustard, the flavors blended beautifully together. I have to admit that I enjoyed this sandwich better than Panera Bread's Cuban Chicken Sandwich. The fries were fresh and hot. Mm-mm good!
     This restaurant was larger than it looked from the outside and they were very busy.  Our server was Hector, who couldn't stop running!  I told him I loved this sandwich, was going to blog about it and was going to mention his name. He was so delighted and said, "so I will be famous now!".  If anyone from my audience makes it to the Caribe Hilton, look up Hector and say, "hi" from the blog!
     I was sad to not find anymore Cuban sandwiches when traveling in the Caribbean since we were not eating out locally on the islands, but in the cruise ship.  My search is not over, there is a restaurant nearby owned by a husband and wife team, the man being from Puerto Rico and the woman being local, and I know they have the Cuban Sandwich on the menu.  I have heard of a Cuban restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island that I may venture to.  I also am looking up the recipe, which involves making Cuban bread (or using a hoagie).  I have saved some delicious pork roast from Easter dinner yesterday at my son and daughter-in-law's house; it is frozen for my own attempt at this wonderful sandwich, which I have found out involves squishing it on a grill. Keep reading!

More Sketching At The Caribe Hilton, San Juan, Puerto, Rico

      This is a favorite sketch!  When I was done with the sketch of the woman (see 4/23/11), I looked around and spotted this very interesting man across the lounge.  He had a dark complexion, long dread locks, this white shirt a necklace and was holding a great pose (he was texting on his cell phone)!  I have never attempted any one with dread locks before, since no one with dread locks ever posed for me until this day, so I was very excited, as long as he didn't move!
     I am so happy with these results.  Of course, he did not have a clue that he was being sketched!  What fun was having!  I so wish the reference picture

 out better, but I was trying to not get caught.  I included the third picture that my husband took of me drawing (he does not do any art on paper, but he does wonders gardening and he is very supportive my endeavors!).  Yes, I realize it is sideways. I did rotate it in the computer, but when it transferred to the blog, it remained sideways. Sigh. That will be another day of learning how to do this correctly, but, in the meantime, I have a blog to write, so just turn your head to the side and you can see my set up. I want you to notice that I carry my pencils in a toothbrush holder, it works fine, you don't need anything expensive or fancy.  I had placed the menu to the right to conceal what I was doing, but when it came time to take the picture, I simultaneously moved the menu and my hat forward, and placed my camera in front of the menu, to conceal what I was doing! I wish I could have zoomed in better, but I was getting nervous and had to do this quick! That's it for sketching in San Juan, next there is sketching all over the cruise ship! Keep reading!!                                         

Sketching At The Caribe Hilton, San Juan, Puerto, Rico

      Arriving at the Caribe Hilton was absolutely wonderful!  I kept telling my husband, "This is just what the doctor ordered"!  I needed to de-stress from my daily life and schedule so that I could start the cruise off on the right foot, so I had a massage that night, that got all the knots worked out of my neck and also spent a few minutes in the steam bath and the sauna.  Then the next morning I joined the group for yoga on the beach.  Ahhhh! Yes, this is just what the doctor ordered!
     The Caribe is a great destination spot.  One thing I learned when we stopped there two years ago for another cruise is how to make infused water

with lemons, melon or lime. They have the decanters full and ready to drink freely.  I now do this on our hot summer days and love it!  We enjoyed walking by the water and feeding schools of fish bread that they keep out in a bucket. They have a huge bird cage with macaws and cockatoos in them and I was trying to get one to talk, and I finally I heard in a bird voice, "hello", then a moment later I could have sworn I heard, "my butt".  The man with his little girl heard this too, and I said, "I think this bird is saying something inappropriate" and we just walked away!
     But, all good things must come to an end.  The next day we were heading out, and we found ourselves with time to wait in the beautiful, expansive lounge.  Here, I found other people just waiting around, and amazingly, holding great poses!  Here is one woman, who was just sitting there, arms crossed.  I wanted to be sure to discreetly take a picture of my model so you can see my reference.  There is another one coming!
The Caribe Hilton

Sketching On The Plane To San Juan, Puerto Rico

       We set out for our cruise vacation with Royal Caribbean on April Fools Day, what a joke! We had a snow storm, that really amounted to a little in the end, but at 4:30am, it was a mess and we needed to call for the plow and sander to get the shared van up our hill, we were stuck!  At last, we did make it out and to the airport on time.  The next strange thing was watching the wings of the plane get de-iced.  I never would have volunteered to be on a plane that needed de-icing, but what could I do, once on board and buckled in?  Finally, a half hour later, we were off to a warm and beautiful destination.
     I was in the middle between my husband and this

man, who was friendly.  I found out that he was Jim from Maine who sold gardening supplies all over and he won a trip to stay at a house in San Juan through a silent auction. He was taking along with him his six buddies that he gets together with every Thursday night to play Texas Hold'em. (I have yet to play this game, but just give me time.)  I found out one of the guys was a manager at a Panera Bread in Maine and I, of course, had to tell him about my Cuban Chicken Panini (see 4/20/11).
     I noticed two of his guests across the aisle held their positions really well, so, out came my sketch pad and pencil!  I really had a great time drawing these two guys, and since I was talking with their host, I was able to get their names!  The name on the top drawing was done in calligraphy italic alphabet, and I put two pencils together to create a wider nib, holding them at a 45 degree angle. The only problem is, it is not accurately measured and I did not have an alphabet to refer to for the strokes, but it is good enough!  Jim liked my drawings, but I am not sure if these guys ever found out they were sketched!
P.S.: when the plane landed, Jim called back home and they had 10 inches of snow, way more than we had. How happy we all were to leave!

Searching For The Perfect Cuban Sandwich; Panera Bread

     I have never forgotten about the Cuban Sandwich.  Every menu I look at, I look for this fantastic sandwich.  I have talked to my Hispanic patients about the Cuban Sandwich and their eyes light up and they enthusiastically tell me I have to try it, and then they describe the ingredients.
     Finally, about a month ago, while at Panera Bread for lunch, I noticed they had a Cuban Chicken Panini on the menu, and I thought, "this is a start".  The ingredients are listed as being:  "All-natural, antibiotic-free chicken, smoked, lean ham, sweet & spicy pickle chips, Swiss, chipotle mayo & sun-dried tomato ale mustard on our Focaccia".
It certainly sounded wonderful by the description and this is a picture of what I received.  I think a "panini" is an interesting sandwich and looks great.  This sandwich was quite delicious, the flavors blended beautifully and I really and truly enjoyed it. I couldn't quite finish it, the serving size was so generous, so I brought it back to work with me and raved all about it.  The creation of a "panini" does leave your sandwich a bit compressed, with all ingredients a bit smooshed (I have done this to my grilled cheese sandwich, when I over zealously pressed down on it with the spatula to be sure it was evenly browned!), so, I did feel as if what I was eating was a bit dense, but it did not take away from the fact that I was eating something scrumptious.
     Knowing that we were planning a Caribbean cruise vacation soon, I became bound and determined to find me an authentic Cuban Sandwich, to get the true taste and appearance.  Keep reading, there is more!!
P.S. If anyone reading knows all about the Cuban Sandwich, please share it with me!
Panera Bread Menu

In Search Of The Perfect Cuban Sandwich

     Four years ago, while taking a shared van ride to Logan Airport in Boston, we were talking with a woman also riding who was going home to Chicago.  When she found out we were on our way to Miami, heading out to our first cruise, she was excited to tell us about getting the best Cuban Sandwich there.  She said it was so delicious that she got one in Miami and carried it back home on the plane for later.  I never heard of a Cuban Sandwich, but if it is this good, then I knew that I had to find one for myself!
     So, after arriving at the hotel, we needed to find some supper, and decided that maybe we could find this Cuban sandwich.  As we walked towards what looked like the right place, we passed the Miami Heat basketball arena, which was pretty exciting.  Further down, we found this small strip mall, including this small deli. We asked if they could make us Cuban sandwiches, and the woman pulled out this huge loaf of bread, the just had deli ham there and I thought, "I don't want to eat a loaf of bread and some ham", so we, politely (hopefully), told her we changed our minds.  I was so discouraged, we were leaving Miami the next day for the cruise and there was no chance to find this wonderful food.
      So, what is the significance of the picture above, since it is not a Cuban Sandwich?  It is the tall glass souvenir I took home from Bubba Gump Shrimp Co Restaurant and Market that we found just around the corner!  It was fantastic and alot of fun!  "Run, Forrest, Run!!"  I'm on a quest, keep reading!
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co Restaurant and Market

Sketching At Logan Airport, Boston, Massachusetts

Last December I flew again to Chicago in honor of my late brother's birthday.  Again, I was ready to sketch as I waited.  It was quite early, I started with the woman below, but then I was getting too tired to do details of a face, so I moved onto someone's boots! I really enjoy doing this, and no one suspects anything!

Woman Waiting For The Plane

Woman Wearing Boots