Quote on my birthday

Monday, January 28, 2013

I love this. Happy Birthday to me. By the way, today is the one day I didn't meditate or make art. What's up with that??? 

The joy of being youTake a moment to feel, to sincerely feel, how good life is. Breathe in the magnificent possibilities of this unique place and time.
Fully experience the wonderful and amazing fact that you are here. You are alive and aware, and in a position to make all sorts of great things happen.
Right now, you have the opportunity for another magnificent day of being you. Life’s immense goodness is yours with which to work.
Focus your thoughts on the good and valuable things that are. Focus your heart on the good and fulfilling things that can be.
Your existence in this moment, on this day, is nothing short of a miracle. Celebrate the goodness, and commit yourself to spreading it far and wide.
Feel the rich, authentic joy that is the joy of being you. Now, on this day, let it flow out into all you know, and see, and do.
— Ralph Marston

Read more: http://greatday.com/motivate/index.html#ixzz2JHRX3WNJ

Catch-up Blog

A small mandala with acrylics

 I did this small 4 x 4 mandala in a couple of sittings. I realized that I overworked it somewhat as I liked it better one sitting previous. But it was fun to do, and I easily let go of the feeling that I ruined it by overworking. Maybe because I am creating so much I am less attached to each individual piece?

I really feel that work is flowing out of me. It feels like it is about the process, about the time doing it. Even though some mornings I don't feel like meditating, I always feel like creating artwork and the ideas come easily.

Mandala on Block Island Driftwood

This larger mandala was inspired by the round mandala I did on the watercolor circle. I wanted to play with painting on driftwood and working with the acrylics so that they looked somewhat transparent but didn't run. I did have trouble with this when the paint was too thin and watery because the wood is so beat up and almost pulp-like on the surface. Anyway, very happy with this one. The wood is pretty too.

I know my friend Karen would really like this. She and I have been to the driftwood superstore on Block Island many times to collect big punches of driftwood that we have hauled out of there. Too funny. Good times.

South Dakota Highway

This piece was a challenge that I have been wanting to face and finally did, and it made me happy. I watched a video on youtube about cloud painting and referred to two photos that I took on highway 90 in South Dakota to create this picture. I will definitely do more paintings of clouds, and will need to practice painting clouds. I really enjoyed painting the clouds and the painting felt quite successful.

Watercolor Birch Trees

This is a project that I give my 6th graders (ha!) but I decided to do it without using tape to mask the trees. I used some very nice watercolor paper that I had and it was easy to paint and blend colors. Sometimes the paper we give kids is crappy quality and therefore hard to work on. I don't think that is a good way to learn. They should have good materials. This was so much nicer. Anyway, it was pleasant to do and some of the thoughts in taking this further would be to add more trees behind that are in shadow and/or combine trees with many branches with the birch grove....

Acrylic & Collage with Caption

THIS piece I did this morning. I really like it. I painted the fox and then using the Heirloom Seed Catalog from Santa Rosa, collaged on top. I decided to make a blackboard type of word bubble and spent some time looking for quotes and even though this is a little less "fun" than I would want for pieces that are commercial, it was the phrase that spoke to me for this piece. This one is small, but I will do some larger ones for the Junior League Show. It came out cute as a button, and makes me happy.







My meditation is really starting to "stick" in the sense that I am able to focus on the breath and let go of my ruminations (especially negative) when they occur. My mood has overall been pretty good although I have had a couple of difficult days this week, I think I am past it.

I used the "Get More Headspace" guided meditations until 3 days ago. Andy gave me my money back, and I switched to a Sharon Salzberg guided meditation which I liked much better. It's just more my style. Simple, calm, soft. This morning I used no recording and just sat for 15 minutes. I think it's all working itself out.

Mini Mandala Mosaic

This is a 2 inch canvas and I wanted to try doing mosaic with cut magazine paper. I painted the rings of color and then glued on the mosaic pieces with modge podge. It is cute but the sheen of the modge podge with the acrylic gouache didn't really work. I added a coat of matte gel which dulled the image which I further disliked. Nevertheless this technique is one I will continue to play with.

Today was the first day I really didn't feel like meditating. I almost changed my routine because I wake up all stuffed up and when I do, I find the breathing difficult. My nose clears up during meditation but still, it's a little frustrating (resistance).

Winter Tree

I painted this tree on the background that I made a little while ago. I really like the result and really loved painting it. Making the branches and twigs was very meditative and rhythmic, easy, organic, spontaneous. Very fun.

I am inspired to do more of this type of thing. One idea I had was to show more trunk and do a very colorful owl in a hole in the tree. I also was thinking of birch trees on a beautiful sky background. Of course cloud painting being one of my goals would fit into the progression here, would be a challenge of something I have procrastinated about.

My freelance job for RTR is taking some time, and many changes are being made as we are going along. I feel a little cranky at them, and the job possesses too much of my mental energy. I really would like to be making art more and more. This project is creating a monster in me.

Mandala

This mandala was the result of three days of art making practice. I started with two rings, then did two more, then the rest. I really loved making it and am pretty satisfied with the result. 

My initial thought was to do something inspired by the image that I used for the banner for this blog. When I was moving into the center of this piece, I had a nagging desire to change the triangles to something else, which I did. But another part of me wondered why I couldn't stick with the same thing and go all the way into the center like the banner. Like I got bored with it and needed to move on.

My meditation practice has been consistent and not feeling any particular way other than that. I still feel that Andy talks too much and that very little time is still and quiet. I am thinking of asking for my money back and doing something on my own, or following another guiding meditation. I do feel that my mood is good, and that I feel overall calm and relaxed.

Quote of the day

FULLY GENUINE

When relaxation develops in us, through letting go of neurosis and experiencing a sense of space and cool fresh air around us, we begin to feel good about ourselves. We feel that our existence is worthwhile. In turn we feel that our communication with others could also be worthwhile, pure, and good. On the whole we begin to feel that we are not cheating anybody; we are not making anything up on the spot. We begin to feel that we are fully genuine.

Baker Creek Star

Today's creative project is an origami star that I found on Pinterest and decided to try using catalogue pages from the gorgeous heirloom seed place in Petaluma. It was fun, but a little frustrating as I could not get all the points to slide in all the way. I will try this again with different paper and adjust it because I now know at what point I may run into problems. Fun though.

Yesterday was the first day back at school and a lot of stress came charging in on me. Preparing for the Scholastic submissions, requiring lots of forms and preparation of artwork as well as meeting with the Fairfield History Museum about teaching this summer and big changes on the freelance job with the bag company. Lots to do. This is where my new found calm and peaceful mind should help me. I guess what will help is remembering that I can choose to have a peaceful mind. Once I realized I would not get it all done I was ok, but it is hard to accept that flaw in myself. Somehow I feel like I must please everyone, and that I had failed and was BAD to not have gotten it all done sooner. Why do I think of myself this way? It will get done, and will be fine. Maybe just knowing THAT is the first step?

Sky and Tree

Blue Sky Acrylic

Black Acrylic Tree

On New Year's Day I was reminded of the idea of a Blue Sky, one which resonates with me because I LOVE the skies of the west, the open blue sky in Colorado and the cloud fields in South Dakota. The blue sky imagery I am speaking of now is in relationship to meditation, that there is always a clear blue sky underneath, even if there are clouds and storms and other distracting things passing by. I also wanted to practice the technique of blending acrylic paint. I was disappointed at the outcome of this piece and was not as comfortable as I would like to have been while doing it.

The tree I did today, another image I really like...representing growth and nature. I considered painting the tree on the canvas but wasn't ready to give up my blue sky just yet. I also want to try a transfer method with the tree which I saw on a You Tube video. I don't know if I can do it on the box canvas or not so will try it on other fabric first. We'll see.

Meditation is going fine. I am following Andy's guided meditations, and sometimes feel like he talks too much. When he is talking ABOUT counting breaths, it takes away from my actually counting. Not sure if I will do this every day. I do like his concepts, and the interesting thing I experienced during the last two days was at the end, when he suggests that you let your mind just be, allowing thoughts to pass through, I have experienced the most open mind and no thoughts.