another birthday

Today is my birthday. I do not know how I got to be age 63 years and such a short time. My closest sister and I were the same age on the day before yesterday. In other words, we were both the same age and not twins for two days. I have other sisters, but Elaine has always been in my life since I can remember. We pretty much agree on things we agree about. Disagree on a lot of issues as far as East meeting West. Our favorite colors are the same, both of our moral compasses waiver only slightly. She loves books and working in a garden. I love art and looking at gardens.  Even in our sixties, we laugh like we did when were little girls. My sister has always been my Theo (you know who that was even you know anything about the life of Vincent Van Gogh) both on all levels.  My sister helps me to keep my mental center. I mean she really tries. She is the optimist to my pessimism. She is my secret place and where I feel safe when I am sure the boogie-man is still chasing me. She is my hero.  When I feel like I want to scream and smash something, she tells me it is OK...because all of us are a little crazy. 

Last week I saw an day time show where the host had these blogger who apparently "over shared" information on the Internet.  I have always been one to supply the world with TMI. Sorta like writing a word on a dollar bill and seeing if it comes back to me. I doubt if I will run for president of the US or seek a career change any time soon and at this point in time care one-way-or-another what I say about anything. So I will probably be "over sharing" in this blog. If you do not want to see your name in print...this will not be a hang out place for you.  I believe that art heals, but I have not picked up a brush in over a month. I am trying to stop taking anti-depressants on my own and with the encouragement of my sister. I feel as if I am going through an emotional mine (mind) field, but some art making may come out of this. I hope so. In the meantime, have a good day.

Frieda for Stephanie F

I painted my interpretation of "Frieda" on an 8 1/2" X 11" canvas panel while attempting experiment with "grunge" art. I have been playing around with several mixed mediums and observing the techniques of so many wonderful online artists. I wanted to try some of the things I use to do artistically. Having at least 400 CLEAN rubber stamps that I purchased from my late friend, Vickie Enkroff,  I decided to try some out on this canvas. I was trying to loosen up and get "crazy" with my painting. I found a 5 gallon can of gesso (over 20 years old) that was still workable and went to work on painting everything white; attempting to get enough nerve to put some color on my palette. Thus came "Frieda" (if you did not recognize those eyebrows) that I painted for my friend Stephanie F. because she loves the artist's work.

Stephanie and I are both dialysis patient and that keeps you hooked up to machines for most of the day, but I wanted to finish the little painting so that I would have an excuse to meet her for lunch. and give it her as a present (do not tell her). I felt something was messing from the piece, but called it finished. I was not jumping up about it.  It resembled one of my many ATC/AECO that I have painting hundreds of times and was trying to get away from the style for now.  After several coats of acrylic varnish, I finally turned it over to my hubby so that he could make a simple wooden frame for my first painting since 2003yr. The canvas panel warped a little because of all the wet layers of polymers and water mediums I used. Per hubby, a lot warped, but he was just happy to see me picking up a paint brush again (another day, another story). So my loving art conservator all-around-handyman, went about his work. He layed the painting face down on some kind of rubber shelf lining material and placed three small oxygen tanks on top of the back of it to make it lay flat.  After about a week, I asked him about the progress of the wooden frame...

Do you see those blue dots one side of the face?  Blue rubber shelf lining stuff!! I could feel tears coming and looked up to see a face of terror staring back at me; waiting for a my reaction as he spilled out apologies for messing up my painting. NOW, I am an artist (and a wife of over 20 years) and with that comes a certain amount of melodrama (and I can be good at it). I could see that husband was waiting for me to bite his head off his shoulders. But (hating to admit it) I liked the dots better.  What do you think?

Art, Heart & Healing - Week 1 - It's ok to be who you need to be! - Art Journal Spread - willowing & friends

Art, Heart & Healing - Week 1 - It's ok to be who you need to be! - Art Journal Spread - willowing & friends

IMHO (or How I look at it): Layered & Textured Backgrounds: Art Journaling Tips & Tricks (Download) - Interweave

IMHO (or How I look at it): Layered & Textured Backgrounds: Art Journaling Tips & Tricks (Download) - Interweave

I actually downloaded this...I have been watching Paula on You Tube for about a week now. She has become one of my favorite muse. I love her teaching style and the everyday way she uses in explaining her art and best of all the supplies. I feel a kinship to her and I think you will too. Paula's inspiration caused me to once again subscribe to the "Cloth Paper Scissors" magazine. The magazine was good before, but now they have these "workshop" downloads making it more interesting. Try it you may like this stuff. Hugs and Chocolate kisses from LynnB

Layered & Textured Backgrounds: Art Journaling Tips & Tricks (Download) - Interweave

Layered & Textured Backgrounds: Art Journaling Tips & Tricks (Download) - Interweave

New Art from Old Faces

Around 2005 yr I painted a series of ACEO/ATC on 140 lb watercolor paper with acrylics. Once I got started painting the mini-portraits for which I call my Divas, I could not stop. I ended up with about 126 little paintings of woman from different cultures, ages, etc. that just popped out of my drawing hand. All kinds of faces. One of my major objectives and reasons for early retirement was to explore my art once again. During my life time I have put it to the side for something or someone else or tried to make money from it so I could live by my paintings alone. Aside from taking care of some major health issues, I plan on dying with paint in my hair. That may sound morbid to most of you, but a person with the love (rather NEED) to create would understand.

I have been watching YouTube videos for the past several weeks and trying to get enough nerve to start my art.  The inspiration has been incredible as I expose my enter muse to that of so many other mixed medium artist. I would like to thank Suzi Blu, Millande and Paula for sharing their words of wisdom, silliness, creativity and talents to the world via the Internet. They have inspired me to do art for art sake just like I started when I was four years old and saw my first jars of color over 50 something years ago.

I hooked up with my old artist friends (several years since we sat together) and seeing them had my muse doing handstands...people who speak my language and share my love!!! Whoo-hoo. Thank you Colleen, Shirley,Tina and our protector, Stanley. They introduced me to a drawing technique called "Roly-Poly".  Making them were as fun as the name.  When I learn how to post photos and stuff I will share what we did at a later date. I am a newbie to this electronic age and have a lot to learn. So as I continue my travels through this part of my life, I am excited and feel like that little girl on her first day of kindergarten who was directed towards jars of color and handed a giant paint brush and instinctively knew what to do with it. God is good.

Retired - New Beginnings

After working almost 44 years, I decided to apply for Social Security Benefits for an early retirement. This was to be my last ditch attempt at saving my life. After years of health uncontrolled health issues I find myself wearing an oxygen apparatus and surviving with the help of kidney dialysis. Uncontrolled, because I half-heatedly listened to health care professionals, blah, blah, blah...bottom line, somethings I could and should have controlled. Someone called me "inconsistent" when I was a young person and I must have programmed myself to make what that person labeled to be as truth for me (I talk about "labels" other people put on you later).

So despite the aspect of possibly going without the basic necessities of life, it made sense to have a new life that focus on me and new life style that was better than working eight hours a day for someone else and then another hooked up to a kidney machine. BUT I am one of those folks that did not plan ahead for retirement. I guess I did not think I would reach age 62 (I did not think I should have made it to 30 years old) let alone have all this stuff (temporarily) wrong with me (to much stuff to list and I hate seeing the list anyway). I retired on February 3, 2012 from one of the best companies I have ever worked. It was difficult to leave a decent salary, wonderful health care, great friends (who treated me like real family).  The word "RETIREMENT" made me feel like a broken toy who had slipped onto the bottom of the toy chest...broke, old and outdated. In reality, I am a work in progress. Keep an eye on me. I do not know where this new journey is headed, but I am excited about the thought of blooming where Father God has planted me some 62 years ago.