Yesterday's Painting

The canvas measures 24"x36" acrylic, collage. I'd say I'm in the middle of this piece. It's the third in the Inside/Journey Series. I'm using a paper moon I stitched with gold and silver threads several years ago. The blue photo shows it reversed in direction and thread color. I used the image for business cards and stationery. Well, now the original is being re-purposed to take me along to another aspect of my inner life. I have a guided meditation that leads one to enter the inside of one's body and access the one place as a personal sanctuary...I found mine to be a cool green stone bench in an alcove...a place I could lay my forehead on the cool stone and be comforted. The white area has already changed now to a green area...still needs work. The little birds (I like them) might have to go as it is no longer a good fit...we shall see. For right now I have quit the studio and will sit with it and see what is next.

We are making plans to go to Carmel next week...as regular visitors,
we received a 50% offer off on the room and a $50 dinner included if we stay three nights during the week. Hard to turn that down and even though its raining...we can be very happy in our room, Pablo writing and I have my journals and sketchbook. When there is a break in the weather we can always go out for a long walk on the beach or a little shopping around. The resorts want to fill up before Christmas so this is good for everyone.

This has been a great Hanukkah Holiday for me and I just want to thank all of you who wished me and mine a Happy Holiday...greatly appreciated!

UPDATE: We are off tonight and will return Friday! Why do we have to take so much stuff?

Hanukkah and Latkes

Tomorrow night is the first night of
Hanukkah and I've been out buying potatoes for the holiday dinner. I will be preparing latkes...shredded potatoes, onion flour egg, fried in oil and served with applesauce and sour cream....yummm. The photo shows some being fried in a cast iron skillet! The other photo shows the menorah with two blue candles and the white Sabbath candles in the glass holders. We need to eat early and get to services by 7:30 where there will be music (all kinds, choir, guitar, drums and children singing!) ancient prayers, and candles...a true festival of lights! After services dessert, cakes and even jelly donuts! I will try to take photos...it will be a joyous night!

Back to the Inward/Journey

24"x36" canvas, acrylic, cloth and paper collage. This is the second in a proposed four of Inward/Self Portraits. I relied in the beginning on the meditation and journal suggestion: Crowned child of the wind which has resulted in the title "Crown of the Wind". For this piece I was looking for essence, the spirit of my child within...this essence that I have been dragging around for years and years, finding ways to create joyfully. I studied Tamayo's work and began with a large piece of charcoal and paper towels. Eyes closed, left handed I was hoping to fill the entire space. Thirty drawings, no, no, no wiping with my towel over and over until this head seemed okay and then the body, legs and arms followed. I used an old tea towel for this doll like dress, the crown is lace used as a stencil and her heart a clock reading midnight. I related to the story of Cinderella as a small child having a bossy sister and also loved the stories of Raggedy Ann. The color began in reds and then to a turquoise with the addition of a favorite of mine, soft yellow. I like her, she speaks of my childhood dolls and digging back over 50 years into my childhood and who I was early on and how I became me now was a messy job involving mending and gluing and remembering.

I'm deciding to finish this series with three pieces instead of four, combining the suggested titles into one. I have a slice of a moon with hand sewing that I had made close to 15years ago and I think that will be my beginning point. I have some large abstracts in my head calling me so for right now I will do only three. This has been a rich experience this inward journey...a taking stock with so many memory connections. There was a wonderful topic on Kick It Up a Notch...Advice to a Younger Self. My take on the subject is that I am the exact result I need to be from all my life experiences and choices...granted they were not all great and many misguided but all in all the threads (good and bad) have nicely weaved themselves into me and my life. Anyone taking stock lately? Greeting the person you never imagined? Or in the place you could have never known? These three pieces, I hope will be my statement of "Here I Am".