. . . can relax today

so I wish everyone happy holidays and a restful and creative weekend.

. . . turned up again

. . . just when everyone thought I was probably gone for good. It has been a very hectic few weeks trying to move into my new house and get settled, and keep working at the day job. And, I will admit, it has been a difficult time, financially, emotionally, and in almost every other manner I can think of. But now it's done, or mostly done, and I have settled into the little cottage. I tried very hard not to bring with me a lot of extraneous stuff. I wanted to keep only those things that had a special meaning to me, or were beautiful and functional, functional being the key in this tiny space. I think I was only semi-successful. It's cozy and comfortable, safe and close to work. It didn't turn out to be the cool clean modern city/loft space I had envisioned, but that's okay. I've always read about rooms had stacks and piles of books everywhere, and I thought that sounded wonderful. But I learned I don't like all that clutter. All my electronic equipment is hooked up and working, so I have the computer, the television, and my music. All my family and kids' pictures are in place, too. The closets are crammed and I can see that I will need to do a serious wardrobe edit soon. Under the bed is truly a great storage space, and those Spacebags are perfect. . . I wish I had thought of them. I am working on turning the basement into my studio but that's going to take a while. In the meantime, I have been working on a canvas but it's stumped me, and I'm going to move on to something else today.






So basically, I feel like maybe once again I've avoided the wrecking ball (oh, what a tie-in to the pictures.) I made some good contacts yesterday about both my art and my photography, and met some interesting new people, so I'm feeling hopeful about the future. Christmas is less than a week away, and the girl presents I have to buy are all ready; it's the boys that just puzzle me and I have no idea yet what to get. That's one of today's projects.


Soon I hope to again post new art here. For everyone that actually reads and enjoys my rumblings and ramblings, have a peaceful and creative holiday season. Love to all . . . Mary

. . .jumbled a post

That is what I am offering today. . . a mixed bag of stuff I found browsing around my own picture files. I have so many photos of cool shapes and colors and grungey junky things that I could post every day for years just on what is already on the computer.






I have been very busy lately. Going crazy. I may have stopped myself, but I think it's just temporary. I could blow any minute. First, I finally quit smoking. On or about my birthday. The patch is a lifesaver. Perhaps not the best time to make this move. . . lots of stress here. but so what else is new? And I don't feel like I've quit. I feel like sucking up any second-hand smoke I can find. . . I feel like I could light one up at any minute and never look back. But so far, so good.







(Isn't this just the coolest picture?) I decided to beat the repossessors and get out of the house before they put all my stuff on the front lawn in the middle of December. So I rented a teeny tiny little place much much closer to work. I don't know what to do with all the stuff I can't take with me. But the house is cute. It has everything I require: a shower, a dishwasher, a basement, a garage with an automatic door, and a yard and garden, in what I hpe is a safe neighborhood. It also has a kitchen which I plan to paint today, a dinky little living room, two rooms that claim to be bedrooms, and actually quite a bit of closet space. The very best part for me, anyway, is the little terrace and the garden spaces. Everything I own that goes outdoors gets to move with me. It also has a Jacuzzi. . . can you beat that? Think I can become a Jacuzzi user? Can't quite picture it but . . .






My deepest sincerest thanks to Walter the Art Guy for coming through which enough scratch to pay for my first and last month rent and for a mover to relocate some of the bigger stuff, which happens on Monday. Above is one of the canvases Walter took with him last Saturday. Must have been in somewhat less of a frantic mood when I painted it. I am officially on vacation for the rest of the week from my day job, plus I get to take care of Betsy on Thursday and Friday. She told me she had received her very first report card in her whole life and it lots of plusses and check marks, but she needed to work on tying her shoes. I do so remember how hard it was to learn that particular skill, and also how hard it was to teach it to my kids. That, and blowing bubblegum bubbles and whistling.

Okay, this is the calm before the storm. . . let's go paint a kitchen.

. . . disliked big crowds

Then I should not have gone to the Plaza Art Fair on Friday, the first night. It was people cram-packed, shoulder to shoulder, with dogs, kids in strollers, mood-enhancing drinks if one were lucky enough to get close to a place that dispensed them. People were not there to see art, because no one could get close to it, either. I have mere impressions of the art. . . from a distance and through a slight buzz of wine. But it did seem to me that there were more abstracts this year than I have seen in prior years. Does that reflect more interest on the part of the purchasing public or the preference of the jurists of the show?


Speaking of the purchasing public, Walter my art guy called early in the week. He was absolutely ebullient, and if you had shared Walter's phone calls with me for the past couple of years, you would know that "ebullient" is not a word that usually describes Walter. He had sold several pieces. . . what recession?? Then he called a couple of nights later, and he had sold even more. Bless his heart. "Paint, Mary, paint," he urged.


I have been painting, finishing up on average one piece per week. The one above is entitled "that troublesome blue one." Is it finished? Don't know, they aren't ever finished until they leave here. This was inspired by a scrap sitting on my table. The scrap is probably better, but I imagine it would be hard to sell a 2" x 2" torn piece of paper.

. . . were extremely pleased

with myself. I'm 5'9" usually, unless I've shrunk, which I guess is a possibility. Yesterday I bought a pair of boots with the highest skinniest heel I could find. They are wonderful, and I'm as tall as an Amazon. And the boots are comfortable. Seriously, the heels are lethal weapons. I can't wait until I can wear them with my skinny jeans.


Oh, dear. . . it sounds like I'm having an over-reaction to my birthday. Nothing as disgusting as an old lady trying too hard. Maybe I'll have to re-evaluate . . .


Above, kind of a happy accident.

. . . neglected this blog

but you all know how it is. . . sometimes things are just so bad you don't want to even think about them, and other times, things are just so good that you can't tell about them. Somewhere in between there, I have managed to make some art. The painting above is one of the latest. See those little circular things interspersed among the scratches? I knew those depleted calculator paper rolls would be useful for something. I semi-woke up one morning and staggered down to the basement, grabbed a pencil and a pastel stick, and wildly marked all over this canvas. And I liked it, and the marks stayed.


So for my next magic trick, I'm going to try Kerr Grabowski's deconstructed screen printing. I bought her DVD and have been studying it. I bought the appropriate dyes, ordered the sodium alginate, got some printing paper, and mixed up the pastes and the dyes. I purchased one screen, which is going to be too big for what I have in mind, but I've made several smaller ones out of foam core, so I'm ready to rock and roll. Except I can't find my gloves, and I learned when I mixed that dye that gloves are a necessity. Most of what was on the DVD was about dyeing fabric, which may come in handy someday, but mostly I'm interested using the process in my painting, most likely on paper. I am so attracted to the randomness of the deconstructed screen printing process, but I think I like the regular old screen printing process, too. And mixing the pastes and dyes. . . well, I felt like a happily crazy mad scientist.


This week I celebrated my 60th birthday. Unfortunately, I wasn't in Europe with my sisters, as we had once discussed. We could have done some damage in Europe, I think, and I am certainly in the mood. Now we'll have to wait until one of them turns 60. And I win the lottery.

. . . boogied at midnight?

There are some definite benefits to living alone. Oh, forget about the house being in foreclosure, the IRS's idle threats, the lack of money, my inability to sell my house or find another place to live that I can afford; or the worldly possessions I'm shoveling out of here faster than they came in . . . I can't do anything about any of that. So I dance in the dark.


Last night I had to reprogram my Ipod and after a lot of messing around, I got it going again. And shortly after 12:00 I found myself dancing all by myself to a rousing blasting version of Opus 17 (Don't You Worry About Me) by the Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Okay, so you know I must be pretty old to enjoy that song, but I surely did. That is not something that would have happened BEFORE. I might have disturbed someone.


I can eat salad for supper every single night. . . or Fritos and salsa. . . or Dove chocolate and pecan ice cream. I can paint at 5:00 in the morning. I can have a shower-optional day and lounge on my deck and read for five straight hours without anyone making me do anything at all. I can wander over to the neighbors' house and visit for as long as they let me. I can go out for a drink after work (if only someone would ask me). I can leave here whenever I want to and come home whenever I want to and I don't have to check in or out with anyone.

"I'll be strong, I'll try to carry on. . . so don't you worry 'bout me."