nanke's stuff

All of you wonderful readers have been urging me along, so I spent some time with my art journal doing a modest mixed media piece.  The photo is a copy of one that is from a really old album that my sweetie's mother had.  They are family pictures, but most of them have no names on them and there isn't anyone still alive who knows who they are.  I love that they are related to our children, and wish I knew something about each and every one of them.  They are fun to look at, wondering who they were and what their lives were like.
Anyhow, here it is.  I used gesso, Golden Acrylics, tissue paper,  postage stamps, skeleton leaves, various stamping images, French text, and a Pilot Gold marker.  The scan didn't really pick up the metallic look of the gold - it never does, though, does it?


Today is my day to volunteer at the county health department - I'm there from 9 to 4, then we're going to a combined Christmas/birthday celebration at the home of some friends.  I doubt I'll have much time for art, unless I whip something off between bites during my 1/2 hour lunch break.  Who knows, tho, miracles do happen!  

I think I'm declaring this drawing finished.  I'm reasonably satisfied with it, although there is one thing I wish I hadn't done.  On the left side I blackened the spaces around 2 of the items which throw the whole drawing off.  When I did it I was planning on completely filling in all of the white space.  But then as I worked on it, I decided I liked it better with the white space left in.  Rather than go ahead and fill it all, I decided I would just live with the part I didn't like and not risk ruining the entire thing.  ...."It's just paper, it's just paper", chanted the voice inside my head.  Considering what Some Of the Things that voice chants, "it's just paper" is something I can live with!

I must confess, now that this drawing is finished, I'm feeling a tad anxious because I haven't the faintest idea what I'm going to do next.  I'm trying not to stress about it.  I think I'll just take the dog for a walk (in the miserably cold outside with it's howling wind) and see if I can come up with anything.

My sweetie and I were gone for most of the day yesterday.  We went to Ann Arbor for breakfast and to do a bit of shopping.  Yes, I know, Christmas was just here, and what could we possibly be shopping for?  But, a friend has a birthday very soon, so we wanted to to do a little something for him, and of course, we needed to check out a couple of book stores just in case there was something we  had to have (there was - fancy that!).  Anyway, my drawing time was a bit limited (so what's new about that?) and I didn't get my ink drawing finished.  I'm OK with that - I feel good that I spent time on it, finished or not.  The drawing is nearing a point where I'm not sure where to take it next, but for some strange reason, I'm not worried about it.  Maybe because I keep reminding myself, "it's just paper, nancy, just paper".

One of the books I bought is called "On Becoming an Artist, Reinventing Yourself Through Mindful Creativity" by Ellen J. Langer.  One of the comments on the back cover is written by Roger Mandle, president, Rhode Island School of Design.  He wrote, "A profound book, clearly and simply written, that presents scientific evidence as good advice to everyone who wishes to lead a creative life.  I thoroughly enjoyed and was inspired by Langer's work."  It sounds like it's right up my alley.  I haven't started it yet, but I'll try to post something about what I find.

So, anyway, here's the Second Step. .... By the way - I just found out that Potpourri is one word, not two.  Oh well, live and learn

Yesterday I started another ink drawing.  This one is a drawing of pot pourri - something I've drawn before and which I find very interesting when I look at it closely.  I love the shapes, textures, and of course the lovely scent of it.  In finding my way back to .... I don't really know what to call it ... my art life?  my artistic side?  my muse?  Anyway, I think baby steps are in order.  I have sheets of watercolor paper stretched and ready to go (prepared a long time ago), but I find them too daunting right now.  Even collage, something I've found quite enjoyable in the past, seems like too much.  So, ink it is.  I'll finish this drawing - maybe not today, although I'll do more on it today and post it here, and then see where I am.

Thanks again to everyone for your kind, generous, and supportive comments.  It means a lot to me and is very helpful.

Well, this is embarrassing, but here I am.   I started this blog for several reasons, but one of the main ones was that I was hoping that it would help prevent the periodic episodes of artistic paralysis.  I have experienced this a number of times and when it happens, it is a source of many emotions - all of them negative.  I feel anxious, pressured, inadequate, and clueless, just for openers.   In the past I have stayed in that terrible place for over a year at a time.   I don't think what I'm describing is "artist's block" - at least not my understanding of what being blocked means.  I think of being blocked as having a sheet of white paper in front of you and being unable to make a mark on it.  It's not knowing where to start and it's being filled with self-doubt. 

I haven't posted since Nov. 11, and the more time went by, the more impossible it seemed to ever write here again.  I haven't drawn anything and I haven't kept up with the Creative Lettering Class I joined.  I haven't made an ATC, knitted the sweater I started last winter (and am almost finished with), ..... well, you get the idea.  I did make the elephant Christmas ornament for my niece, but it took me forever because .... I don't really know why.

So, anyhow, I decided that it just had to stop and that I'm the only one who can fix this.  Pretty obvious, isn't it!  Yesterday I posted messages on a couple of the art group websites that I belong to (another thing that I haven't been doing - not even reading the postings), then I spent quite a bit of time working on a Zentangle.   It seemed like it was something I could do and that it might help set me straight.  I feel good that I was finally able to start And finish something, even as humble as a doodle.  I'm optimistic that I can sustain this and that I'm back, and most of all, I'm grateful and thankful for all of you who have been supportive of me during my fumbling along on this blog.  




So, Happy New Year everyone, and may we all continue making art, growing, exploring, and daring to try new things!

I recently signed up for an on-line class taught by Nicolette Anderson.  The class was organized through Artists of the Round Table, an on-line art group I belong to.  I've wanted to learn how to do calligraphy for many years, but the problem is, I'm left-handed.  I know, I know ..... some of the best calligraphers are lefties.  But - here's the thing.  Every book I've either bought or just picked up and read pertaining to left-handed calligraphy says pretty much the same thing.  You have to put your paper in a really odd position (some even said upside down!), in order to keep from dragging your hand over the letters as you make them.  I'm not a leftie who does that keep-your-hand-above-your-writing thing by crabbing your hand all around.  (My sister, Maryanne, did that, and it always looked so painful to me). 

So, when this class came up, I decided I'd give it a go.  Here's what I decided:  I would learn how to do it with my right hand!  It just seems to me that if I want to do it at all, it's going to take some major brain work getting accustomed to working in a whole new way.   So, since that was going to be the case, why not just learn how to do it with my right hand?  Of course, this may just be one of those hairpin ideas you get in the middle of the night, but what the heck - if it works I'm ecstatic, if not, well, I will probably have plucked out all my hair in frustration, but then think of all the money I'll save on haircuts ..... enough to buy some more of those calligraphy for lefties books!

The first assignment was to print a standard basic alphabet, then do 4 more that we modified in some way.  There's a couple of mistakes that I just crossed out (I had already done them several times and didn't want to start them all over again), but all in all, for my first right-handed try, I feel pretty OK with them.  So, here they are:

Today I had to go  have some blood drawn for a physical I'm having next month.  I went early since it was a fasting draw and I was pretty hungry.  As some of you know, I live in the country, and my entire drive (except for the last couple of miles)is on 2 lane roads to get to the lab.  As I was motoring along, I had to stop for a number of school buses while they loaded up.  I never mind doing that because I love to see the children as they wait and then march themselves into the big bus.  My favorite is when there's a parent or two to see them off.  I got to see that little exchange on my way .. the quick little hug, then the little waves as the bus drives off.  It brings back many fond memories for me.
Anyhow, I found myself directly behind 2 school buses at one point, and after the children were on the bus, both of them pulled into the left lane and drove around something which I couldn't see.  After the second one got in the other lane, I could see about 7 or 8 wild turkeys standing in my lane, right in front of my car.  Usually they stand for a moment before they continue on across the road...... not this time!  The one Tom in the group (with his tail feathers all spread out and his chest all puffed up) kept all the ladies waiting.  When I tooted my horn gently to urge them in one direction or another, the whole group just turned and faced my car, staring at me for a moment or two before Tom herded them safely across the road to the other side.  By the time I could go again, there were 11 cars patiently waiting behind me.  The funny thing is that when I came back home a couple of hours later, they were all still in the driveway of the house where I last saw them!
The clinic was crowded (as usual on a Monday AM) and I had to wait quite awhile before it was my turn.  I always have a little sketch book with me that I use almost exclusively in waiting rooms.  The only problem with it is that the paper is thin so you can see the shadow of the drawing on the back of the page peeking through.  I don't mind it, but it does sort of mess up the scans.  Oh well, c'est la vie!