I Wanna Make...

Here's some art inspiration for you out there, bloggy friends! I'd love to spend my days "junking" for items to upcycle into such beautiful pieces as this. I especially love Chris Griffin's jewelry. And her smile as she works. Make it to the end and you'll see a lovely "B" necklace!  Enjoy!

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A Tid and Some Bits

The Tid – Grab a cup of coffee and your computer and go read The Girl’s article in Relevant Magazine! I usually just refer to her as “The Girl” and don’t write about her very often out of respect for her privacy but she’s been making a virtual presence for herself…. so here she is…. Mindi Jo Furby! (Cute name, isn’t it?) She has inspired me with her diligence to follow God’s calling to write for Him and navigate the publishing world. Guess what? There’s a book soon to be published! You can read more of her writing at her personal blog here. Big mom smiley face! (And, by the way, Relevant is a really good magazine and worth the time of poking around while you’re there!)

Bit #1 – Check out this “shadow artist”! How tremendously cool is this?

Bit #2 – A book that made a big impact on me when I read it years ago was The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. Since Amazon has recently released the Audible App for the Windows Phone (hooray!), I’m back in the audio book business! And my first use of saved up credits with Audible was for Peony: A Novel of China. Only listened to the first 30 minutes or so, but so far, so good!

Bit #3 – List added to my Bee-Keeping book this week:

”Movies Mary & I Have Watched:”

• Groundhog Day (7/3/12)
• Life is Beautiful (7/12/12)

Mary’s schooling this year is going to be a combination of several things…. some yet to be figured out. The primary subjects I have to actually teach her are Algebra I and Physical Science. But, I want to plug in some auxiliary topics as we can like creative writing, art, cooking, and sewing. One topic I really want to incorporate in a lot of different ways is “Worldview”…. helping her learn to look at our culture through the lenses of Scripture. We’ve started this in the last two weeks by watching movies together and then discussing them. If you’re interested, here’s a great article in Touchstone Magazine about Groundhog Day.  (Some of it is a bit of a reach, but for the most part it’s a pretty good guide for discussing the movie.) I’m using these resources to choose which movies we’ll watch -

• Reflections on the Movies (We’re reading the introductory essays in this book on the history and influence of movies in addition to looking at the specific movies the author writes about.) Highly recommend.
• Movies that Matter (Very short essays on specific movies and discussion questions.)
• Finding God in the Movies (In-depth essays and discussion guides on specific movies.) Highly recommend
• Reel Spirituality (Resource for me.) Highly recommend
• Hollywood Worldviews (Resource for me, but haven’t read yet.)

The fun part is deciding what we’ll watch next! I’m not sure if we can keep up with a weekly pace when all her subjects really get rolling (she’ll be doing three virtual classes with these folks beginning in September), but right now it’s something we both look forward to!

Ok – off to do laundry and clean bathrooms and cook and just do some general cleaning-out-and-getting-rid-of today! Have a wonderful Saturday, bloggy friends!

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A Tid and Some Bits

The Tid. Home is the place to be.

After a rash of little trips the past few months, I’m back today from the last one on my calendar until our annual beach week vacation at the end of August. And, well, I’m *SUPER GLAD*!! Since March 1st, I’ve been:

• Home to visit parents in Louisiana
• To Atlanta for work
• To D.C. with Mary for a school field trip
• To the Outer Banks to walk a half marathon
• Back to the Outer Banks for our annual work fishing trip
• To the Blue Ridge Mountains for a Writer’s Conference with The Girl
• To Winston-Salem for a Home School Conference
• To Denver for a work conference
• To Myrtle Beach (with Mary) to accompany Matt on a work trip

All really good stuff, loads of fun, but frankly too much for me to do in just 3 1/2 months! So, home is where my heart is and I’m oh-so-happy to be back in my little brown house on the hill…. even with all the projects and maintenance and cleaning and laundry to do! Wikipedia says “home” is a “place of residence or refuge.” This place is definitely a refuge for me. In honor of “home” here’s a few houses I think I would like to visit:

In Portugal -

In Yemen - 

In France -

In Poland -

In Austria -

But please do note…. these are all just places to visit! :-)

Bit #1. Mary and I were very excited that Hobby Lobby has finally opened in our town! We spent a few hours last Friday afternoon going up and down each aisle, oohing and aahing over the endless crafty possibilities. She bought yarn and a pattern to make a baby blanket for her youth pastor’s soon-to-arrive baby #2. And I finally found gray thread to make a “crochet” patch for The Girl’s favorite shirt.

 

Bit #2. I am engrossed in a novel I checked out through Amazon Prime on my Kindle: The Shadow and Night by Chris Walley. It’s a Christian science fiction novel in the fashion of C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy. (Of which, Perelandra is probably in my top 5 all time favorite books!) It’s chunky – 640 pages – and I’m about 40% through (according to my Kindle.) I find myself cheering Mr. Walley on…. I sure hope he comes through and does a bang-up job at the end with this genre. I am turned off to most Christian fiction, but I think this particular genre (Christian Science Fiction) has lots of potential and is very underdeveloped. If anyone has a hope for a future and great stories to imagine, shouldn’t it be Christians? I’ll keep you posted! Oh, and if you’d like to read Mr. Walley’s view of end times theology go here. Although he clearly states he’s no theologian, he does one of the better jobs I’ve ever read of trying to explain the three views most Christians hold.

Last Bit. On the plane from Dallas to Denver last week, I had lots of time to peruse the May/June edition of Colth.Paper.Scissors. It was full of lots of inspiration. One work that really stuck with me was abstract maps by Jill Berry based on Google Maps. Hop over to her site to see her fantastic map work and read the full article on her abstract maps. Definitely a place I’ll be going back to often!

Google map of her house:


Abstract map from pan pastels:

I’m toying with the idea of an abstract of a favorite vacation spot for us – Bald Head Island. I think it would make an interesting piece of art, no? I don’t have any pan pastels but I bet I know where I can get them! (See Bit #1 above!!)

Visit Jill’s gallery, there’s lots of good eye-candy there…. like this imaginary city map she made. Makes me want to do one of my own!

Some of her work with helping people make their own “personal geographies” (see her book…. going on my “wish list”!) makes me think of the life map of mine I drew in March, 2010. The process was very personally fulfilling. I need to add to it…. much has happened in my life since then!

At any rate, Jill Berry’s work and website are well worth the gander… I just wish she had workshops on the East Coast!
Blessings, bloggy friends!

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See 50 Great Works of Art: #1 - Monida Angus #15

Ok – so here’s the first item for the “50 Great Works of Art” from my (10)(10) list. Out of everything I saw as the Denver Art Museum Tuesday, I’ve chosen Theodore Waddell’s abstract “Monida Angus #15”. There is a whole exhibition room dedicated to his work at the museum, but this piece below stands out by far. You can see how big it is in comparison to the bench.

I like that it’s abstract but that there’s a shape and form to it. From a distance you definitely get the feel of cattle grazing on a mountainside.

 

But close up you see the depth and texture. Somewhat Van Gogh “ish” but different.

This is on the wall plate at the museum:

Theodore Waddell - Monida Angus #15
2012, Oil paint on canvas.

"This work took 18 gallons of titanium white paint, and about 18 gallons of turpentine. It is the largest work ever created by the artist and was made especially for this exhibition.”

What really made me settle on this painting was learning more about Mr. Waddell. He seems to be very down-to-earth kind of guy yet a dichotomy – a painter/professor who is also a cattle rancher. I found a series of four videos of an interview with him for another museum exhibit. He’s very charming, I think. Here’s the first video below. You can follow the links to the other three in Vimeo if you’re interested.

So, thanks, Mr. Waddell, for creating such a marvelous painting and giving me my "first" of 50 great works of art to see!

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Lunch Break at Denver Art Museum!

So, yesterday I was able to run (almost literally) over to the Denver Art Museum during the 2 hours allowed for lunch. (This is a conference, folks! Of course we get long lunch breaks!!) It was about a 15 minute walk, so that gave me an hour and a half to try to get through as much of the collection as possible. There was a special Yves Saint Laurent exhibit that I knew I’d have to forego.

Admission was $13 for an out-of-state adult and well – it was worth every single penny! What a great, great museum! I had to skip some big hunks of the collection to get back in time for the next conference session. (Whole floors, actually! Things like Asian Art, American Indian Art, and Madeleine Albright’s pin collection.) Unfortunately, the museum closes at 5pm during the week, so I wasn’t able to go back and spend more time last night. But I’m oh-so-grateful for the experience, however short-lived!

Below are some shots of the exterior and interior structure. The building itself is a work of art. And there’s much more than just benches to sit on and reflect. There’s a family friendly Discovery Library and lots of comfy chair and table arrangements. 

1. Denver Art Museum, 2. Outside DAM, 3. Art Outside, 

4. Interior, 5. Interior - rest spot, 6. Discovery Library

And now for the collection. I’m no art connoisseur. I just know when I see something I like or that intrigues me. So below are six works that made me stop and linger…. or just plain made me smile (like “Love on the Rocks”, “Fox Games”, and “Dog Barking at Two Women”). There were two rooms dedicated mostly to furniture and everyday items that I wish I would have had more time to browse through.

 
1. Sunburn - Richard Phillipps, 2. Love on the Rocks,
3. Red Foxes, 4. Design Room 1, 5. Design Room 2,
6. Dog Barking at Two Women - Gugger Petter

So – on my (10)(10) list there’s #94 – “See 50 Great Pieces of Art.” Well, this is my first museum visit since creating the list and I was on the look out for the number one spot. And I saw so much!! I was art-drunk on my walk (rather dash) back to the conference! But looking back through my photographs, these six works below were in the top running. I spent a little time last night uploading photos to my flickr account, researching the artists, and trying to decide which piece would be my first work of art to put on the list.

Well, none of these are it, but I love them just the same!

1. Floating Pear - Milton Glaser – This is the graphic artist who designed the I (heart) NY logo. His Floating Pear poster really caught my eye in one of the design rooms. I wish there were reproductions you could purchase but there doesn’t appear to be any on the market. I read of a lady finding one at a Good Will not too long ago, though!
2. Garry-Winogrand-Histrionics-on-Bench – This was from a photograph exhibit titled “Women are Beautiful” and this particular shot was my favorite photograph of all. Hilarious title. Wonderful work all from street scenes mostly in NY from the 60s and 70s. 
3. Still Life with Oranges – Chagall – Chagall should definitely go on a “Great Art” list, no?
4. Landscape, Horta de Ebro – Picasso – And of course Picasso should, too, right?
5. Portrait of Edmond Renoir – Renoir – And Renoir, of course!
6. Waterloo Bridge – Monet – And not least, Monet!

But none of these quite made the cut to go on my 50 Greats list….

The next two works were really, really hard to say no to – Joan Brown’s “Self Portrait with Swimming Coach” was one of the first works I found at DAM that made me stop and look a little more closely. I love the squiggly lane lines.

1. Self Portrait with Swimming Coach, 2. Self Portrait another view

But, no, Joan Brown wasn’t “it” but definitely gets an honorable mention.

Victor Higgins’ “Aspen Trees at Twining” made me gasp when I came around the corner and saw it. The color of the leaves are so wonderful against the white trunks…. almost whimsical, but a close up view shows he was very realistic.

 
1. Aspen Trees at Twining - Victor Higgins, 2. Aspen Trees at Twining closer view

But, in the end, Higgins wasn’t my man. A very close second, though!

And my first “50 Great Pieces of Art” deserves its own post, don’t you think? So I’m going to end this very loooong entry and let you get back to what you are supposed to be doing! And leave you in suspense as to who the winner is!

Bottom line? If you are in Denver, go to the Denver Art Museum. Give yourself at least 4 hours! And that may still not do it. My measly hour and a half filled me with lots of memory-treasures, though! Thanks, DAM!

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Egads!



My new easel!



Where did the day go? I looked up and it was Tuesday!! A great day off, though. I slept in (because I stayed up too late watching LOST...sigh....addiction is a hard place to be!) and then worked in the art room for a bit cleaning up, organizing, and yep! putting together my new easel. A friend gave me a giftcard to Amazon and I put a little more moola with it and *tada* I have a brand new easel!! I'm super excited about it but a little intimidated to know what to paint first. Needing a little inspiration here!!

The rest of the day was spent grocery shopping, cooking, sipping coffee with a sweet friend, and getting ready for our first Life Group meeting of the year. (Getting ready for Life Group = scooping up dust bunnies from the corners and doing a fast dust-job in the living room!) All is good and life is lovely.

Forgot to post this yesterday, so count this as my post for Monday. Back soon with something for today.

(Yes indeed, one of my new year resolutions is to post daily.... at least for the first month or so..... to get back into the bloggin groove. This blog has been too important to me over the years to let it go and it seems that was what was happening last year. It's such a blessing to go back and see what the Lord has been doing in mine and my family's lives through this little  on-line home I've created.)

So have a lovely Monday-dressed-up-as-Tuesday, bloggy friends!

PS. Note the thingy on the corner of the white table. More to come on that..... once I've figured out how to use it, that is! :-)

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Mayhap Monday …. on Tuesday!

Yep – I’m alive. The little surgery I had last Wednesday was a might harder to get over than I thought, owing mostly to general anesthesia, I think. But all is well in “Upside Down B Land.” ;->

We have had an addition back into the house since last I wrote, though. E, with health issues to straighten out and maybe a sprinkle of college disillusionment, has decided her school of choice in DC does not fit her cost/benefit analysis model. So – she’s back in our sleepy little town, regrouping, trying to get her health in order, and making plans for a closer-to-home college choice for the spring. I have to say I’m proud of her for being willing to speak up and say her experience wasn’t what she thought it would be and didn’t want to fork out the cash that was required. As a friend told me, there’s great value in knowing what you don’t want. Perhaps this was the only way she was going to learn that for herself.

So we are back to a mom, a dad, two girls, and two puppies! (Puppies below on their way to haircut a couple of weeks ago.)

So – plans for this week, you ask with baited breath?

Monday – the day’s already gone but was spent at home, working via computer a bit, continuing to rest, doodling, sorting through junk in art room, and kick-off for new Life Group.

Tuesday – going to be moving around a bit more I hope today. May even venture out in the car this afternoon! Drawing this morning early…. the doodling yesterday got the juices flowing a bit. Drew and colored a “B” that I quite like. (Go to my flickr account to see evolution.) Coffee on the porch with The Girl. She’s written a BOOK!! More to come on that later. So proud of her. Work more via computer, catch up on emails, think about how to paint hardware for dresser Mary and I painted for art room (below), mmmm….. rest……  that’s about it.

Wednesday – Our church has an early morning women’s coffee at Flynne’s that has really turned into a sweet group I really look forward to each week when I can make it. I’m hoping to feel like going to that and then…. OFF TO WORK! Yay! Mary to youth group in the evening (hard to imagine she’s in youth group!!) Maybe I’ll talk Matt into taking me to our friend’s new restaurant. Best Italian food in the state! :-) 

Thursday – Early morning work, hair appointment (hooray!).

Friday – Work, Drink and Draw at Flynne’s (don’t judge me!) Matt is off for a weekend retreat I’m really excited he is getting to go to.

Saturday – NC Poetry Society Meeting! Really looking forward to that, although I’ve written zippo lately…

Sunday – Church, manning the welcome center, enjoying the Sabbath.

Projects for the week:

1. Finish yellow dresser for art room (mainly that means painting and installing hardware)
2. Begin painting chifferobe
3. Try to get to lesson 4 for Raw Art Journaling group… I’m just about hopelessly behind.
4. Begin new word study in Bible –  sleep? “but God”? or maybe a “normal” choice from Rick Warren’s list in his Bible Study Methods ebook:
   
   
   
5. Begin reading The Girl’s book. (It’s related to #4.) Ok, I can’t keep it a secret! I’ll go ahead and tell you the title: Biblical Hermeneutics: Understanding the Ancient Book in a Modern World. Cool, huh? Here’s a fairly recent photo of her below. Who knows? Maybe she’ll need a photo for her book’s jacket cover soon?
   

6. Blog. It makes me feel good to capture memories, think through ideas, and make plans. Plus, I just like you all my bloggy friends!

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This and That

illustration by gail page

1.  Did you know about this?? There are times when technology totally thrills me. Today was one of them!

2.  Mary cooked these meatballs for us last night. Scrumptious! We used 1 lb of beef and 1 lb of pork. No veal.

3.  I was at a coffee shop in town today and came across a note card with the illustration above. Fell in love instantly with her style.

found on etsy here!

4.   I want to learn how to make these little coin purses. Any ideas?

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Seven on Saturday

Last night Matt and I went to the opening of the 46th Annual Brush & Palette Show. Our friend Doug won Best in Show last year with an amazing portrait of Santa. The show was fabulous and inspiring. If you're in the area, go visit! It's up until October 30th. Here are my favorite seven paintings:

1. My friend Maria with her "Memories of Eden" abstract. I think this is my favorite of the show. Plus, I just love her! It's a little hard to tell from this photo, but there's a girl, a moon and some trees. Wonderful colors!

2. My friend Doug and another awesome airplane painting ("N44V"). Can you believe that's not a photo? Check out his on-line gallery here.

3. Doesn't this just look yummy?


4. This is Earl. Loved him!

5. And of course I was drawn to the black-and-white category...

6. ...and the more funky entries, too!


7. Finally, Matt's favorite! I like him, too!

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A Pitiful Lot

Ugh.

Stuffed up nose, sore throat, headache.... just overall ick. Matt's got it, too. And E. The Boy is safe and sound with The Girl since she's back in town. So, it's just Mary and the puppies who haven't yet succumbed. We're a pitiful lot! :-)

But, in my stopped-up-ness, I've found a few videos to share with you that made smile! Be well, bloggy friends!

Stop motion mural painting from flossy-p on Vimeo.

Zellers Alphabet Ad

Father and son painting the alphabet together. Cute.

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Late Seven on Sunday

Here's my Seven for the week:

1. I've noticed something kind of weird: every time Sean goes to Lynchburg, the Baking Fairy shows up the night he gets home. When I got up this morning, I found this in our kitchen. Yum.

2. The Boy and The Girl M got to go flying together last weekend. Aren't they cute?

3. The Collect from the Book of Common Prayer for the first Sunday of Advent:

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

4. I think I'll put the 5th Grade Five Word Monologue on hiatus for a bit. It was fun, but time for a break. Check back later... :-D

5. Like these:

Amy Blackwell

6. "...in seeking to be filled and empowered by the Spirit we must pursue him indirectly - we must look to the wonder of Christ. If we look away from Jesus and seek the Spirit and his power directly, we will end up in the mire of our own subjective emotions. The Spirit does not reveal himself. The Spirit reveals Christ. The fullness of the Spirit is the fullness that he gives as we gaze on Christ. The power of the Spirit is the power we feel in the presence of Christ. The joy of the Spirit is the joy we feel from the promises of Christ...Devote yourselves to seeing and feeling the grandeur of the love of God in Jesus Christ and you will be so in harmony with the Holy Spirit that his power will flow mightily in your life." ~John Piper

7. Can't leave out my girlies:

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