Happy and Sad

I am both happy and sad today. I am visiting my daughter Victoria in Minneapolis this weekend which makes me very happy for the one on one time we are sharing. We talked about so many things yesterday and watched a movie and reviewed wedding plans and shared an excellent Chinese meal. Today there will be more fun things to do. She and Andres live in a sweet little apartment overlooking a quiet snow covered street. The view is very calm and peaceful on this sunny winter morning.
And now for the sad part. I will miss being at the Midwest Collage Society exhibit reception tonight for which we have been preparing for so long. There are 90 pieces hung. I have 4 on exhibit in this show. The title of the exhibit is: Memory and it is hanging in a beautiful mansion called Peabody Mansion in the Mayslake Estate in Oakbrook, Il.
Sometimes our lives get so busy and so many difficult choices to make. This is one I had to struggle with. I wish all of my fellow artists in the show a great time at the reception.

Old Becomes New

I have tons of old artwork that never stood on their own. The watercolors I produced fill two bins. On occasion I look through and try to find some inspiration in them. This particular one was a large experimental piece using the wax resist method I was in love with at one time. The watercolors were bold, and I think I even experimented with gouache with this one. At any rate, it was fun but not an award winner by a long shot. It spoke to me as a dessert-like hot environment. The horses seemed to fit in. Only 4X6 I was pleased with the result.

Simplify and Expand

It is the first day of a new year and I am taking time to reflect the past year and to make some determinations of intentions for the coming year. Last night as the clock turned from one year to the next I stood outdoors for a moment to contemplate the beautiful full moon, the blue moon. It held so much promise and magic. I was surrounded by my immediate family and my good friends, Marsha and Austin. We remembered the challenges we overcame last year and shared fortune cookies to bring good fortune into the new year. This morning I committed to simplify some aspects of my life and so I went to the studio and looked onto my collection of over 1,000 books to see what could be donated or gifted to friends. The first book I touched was Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munro. The marker was set to page 138 where I read the following prayer:

Peace and love, O Lord, I pray
Shower on this friend today.
Heal his(her) troubles, bless his(her) heart
From the source of strength and love
May she(he) never have to part.

As for Expand, I aim to expand my creative endeavors by learning new techniques and making my work larger.
HAPPY NEW YEAR