NaBloPoMo 2009

It's November again -- already. And you guys know that means it's time for NaBloPoMo for those of us unwilling (or unable) to spend thirty days trying to write a novel*.

I'm planning on doing a bit of a blog re-do (some of those labels over there are pretty stale) and really need to blow the dust off the header this week. I'm also planning on doing some art this month. I'm going to be taking Kate Johnson's new on-line course this November, and am also working on a couple of paintings that may or may not be fit for public viewing -- we'll have to see how they turn out.

Of course, today, instead of painting I decided to spend a little time making homemade pesto. To make it extra creative, I took photos. Just for you guys.

You're welcome.

Happy November!

*By the way, for those of you who ARE doing NaNoWriMo -- here's some handy links:
Strunk's wonderful book The Elements of Style
and, of course, a Thesaurus, for those occasions when you realize you've used the same adjective six times in two paragraphs.
For those busy late nights when you need to stretch things out to make your word count reach that magic number that lets you shut down and finally drag your sorry ass to bed:
LyricsCafe -- you can squeeze a few hundred words from a good song, and
Every Poet if you would rather resort to classic poetry references to burn up some verbiage.

Again, you're welcome.

Almost December

This is something I started (and thought I finished) last year. When I pulled it out tonight, I realized how terrible the upper right flower was. I'd made it dark and fuzzy and kind of "backgroundish", but it was really horrible. This is better (believe it or not) after a lot of lifting and scrubbing and adding reds and trying to define that center a bit more. (note -- the scan is kind of garish, at least on my monitor...) I don't think it's really salvageable. But I remember how fun it was doing this really fast -- and I think I'm going to pick up a poinsettia for watercolor class tomorrow....

Happy NaBloPoMo to all who posted every day for the month of November! Happy NaNoWriMo to those of you who participated in that, and most especially to those of you who managed to complete 50,000 words! Maybe one day...

And I've enjoyed posting every day, even if it has been rather up-and-down with subject matter. You all can expect more frequent posts from me from now on, I think.

Parental Guidance

Yep, we were disciplined in the olden days. And I see that it's still going on today!!!

(note: These are my sisters. I never needed this kind of discipline. Either that or I just ran faster...really.)

Wow. NaBloPoMo is nearly over. Wow.

Winter Beach

I love the beach in the wintertime. Maybe even more than in the summer. There's just something about it. It's a good place to walk and put your thoughts together.

Earlier this month, after some rambling discussions with Diahn, I started to talk here about concept and the way it relates to how we make art, view art, judge art, appreciate art, etc. Of course, I never really got around to discussing it. Now the subject of concept and context have come up in this study of pain management for work. It seems like it's all trying to relate to something in my head, but it's just not coming together.

I hate it when that happens. I need a beach to walk along for a while.

Maybe a good night's sleep will do.

(And if you're interested in some not-all-that-light physical therapy style reading ... try this. No, really, don't -- I was just kidding...)

Hmmmmm

This is a real sign, and is one of my favorites from the Harrison Mayes collection at the Appalachian Museum in Norris, Tennessee. See here for the very interesting story about this gentleman. And here is another blogger who posted about Harrison Mayes.

NOTE: P.A.E. stands for "Planetary Aviation Evangelist" (!! ;-)

One thing you have to say about this guy -- when he made a promise, he did his best to keep it.

(Sorry to be so brief -- I'm actually working on some real job stuff tonight. Sigh.)

One Month and Counting

Do you realize that Christmas is ONE MONTH away? We started shopping today. It's always fun to shop for the nieces and nephews. This year we're really trying to find gifts that aren't extravagant and that they will really use and enjoy. Like makeup for the 9 year old. Yeah ... kind of like that ...

Saturday is All Right With Me

So, before leaving for watercolor class this morning I worked on Miss Vanilla Cupcake a bit. I had her really just perfect -- then accidentally overworked a bit. That's okay -- I'll scrub out a bit and get her fixed. Her right eye (viewer's left) needs the lid fixed, too. (A few of us could say the same thing about ourselves, I guess...)

Then, in watercolor class I worked from this photo I took earlier this year in one of those little beach towns on the Florida gulf coast: (If you would like to join me in painting from this photo -- come on along. The more the merrier! I'll put it up on Flickr, too.)

(Here's my start. I don't do much drawing -- just kind of jump in and go.)

And then, this evening, I couldn't stand it anymore. I pulled a photo from Wet Canvas and started playing with my new pastels. Here's the start...


And the midway point...
And where I'm ending up tonight. I think I've gone a little bit crazy with the golds and oranges here... they're just so darned PRETTY.


I'm using multi-media board (waterproof) primed with acrylic matte medium mixed with grit and tinted with acrylic. The nice thing about this surface is that if I decide I've really messed up, I can just run the pastel under the faucet and wash it away. I can also stop rinsing it off at a midway point, where there's kind of a ghost image left if I have the basics right and just want to do the colors differently. Kind of nice for someone who messes up as much as I do... ;-)

And I have to say -- maybe I was influenced to use all that orange after I took a break to watch the last quarter and FOUR overtime periods of the UT / UK game. GO VOLS!

Sunday Afternoon Ramble

Well, I'm still under the weather, but feeling better than I have for the past few days. Around noon today I started getting a bit antsy. D, who knows me best and could tell I was really and truly bored, drove me to Jerry's to pick up a jar of Gum Arabic and a couple of tubes of paint (sweet, isn't he?) and then stopped by Stir Fry Cafe, so he could run in and pick us up some spicy Thai soup and egg rolls. That short outing was enough for me, and I had to rest when we got home. But not for long, and I got back up long enough to watch the end of the Indianapolis game. (We Tennesseans love Indianapolis because they have Peyton Manning, our former UT quarterback. We have a really hard time with team loyalties when the Colts play the Titans.)


Playing with the paint swatches, I see that my WN Permanent Carmine (in a tint, not in masstone) DID look VERY close to Rose Madder Genuine. Actually, closer than any other color I've tried. Well, well, well. Now to experiment some with gum arabic. I think I need to also do a set of swatches on the actual watercolor paper that I most commonly use, too (Arches 300#HP).
(You can see in this picture how the Rose Madder is a little streaky -- it's that wonderful honey-like texture. It's also hard to tell from a scan and on a computer monitor exactly what these colors look like. To me, the monitor shifts them both to a bit bluer tint than I see in real life.)

And, I don't know about you guys, but when I'm not feeling well, I fret about the strangest things as I'm drifting in and out of sleep. Like at about 4:30 this morning I realized I'd never wondered WHY Rhode Island is called Rhode ISLAND. What -- I'd never thought about it before -- why??? And, where did thought come from???? Anyway, a web search this afternoon (yes, it plagued me all day) revealed that the real name of the state is Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Did you Rhode Islanders know that?

You know how it goes with you're just casually surfing the web. Sometimes you get going in directions you never planned. It's my favorite part of surfing. Today I found this handy tip, just in case the power ever goes out for a long period of time and you really need to recharge your iPod:
How to Charge an iPod Using Electrolytes (e.g., Gatorade) and an Onion

or if you need to Power Your TV Using a AAA Battery

Really.

Palette

Well, I missed the pastel workshop today, which was a real bummer. Hopefully Paul will do another one close by sometime again soon!

This evening I did finally get the watercolor palette refilled. Here's my basic layout...

I've been looking at Rose Madder Genuine, which I just love, but there are questions about it's use, since it is possibly a somewhat fugitive pigment. (Check HERE for handprint.com, one of the very best references out there on the web.) I've never noticed a problem with it at all, but it's interesting to try to figure out a possible replacement. Who knows -- I may find something I like much better! Tonight, I put it next to Permanent Carmine, and was surprised to see how close the colors appeared. I'm looking forward to seeing the dried swatches in the morning light. I'm also thinking that using the Permanent Carmine with a little gum arabic would mimic that slippery, rootsy feel of Rose Madder. Nothing can mimic its scent (nice and earthy yet sweet -- my favorite watercolor perfume.)

(Feeling just a tad better. Now am on loverly meds. Whoopee.)

Simply Pitiful

Oh, for pity's sake. I stayed home from work all day today because I was sick, and totally wasted the day being sick. Don't you hate that feeling? There ought to at least be SOME perk for being home -- like being too sick to work, but not so sick that you can't kind of enjoy yourself. No such luck. I wanted to paint or draw or e-mail or something, and just can't.

This is my lifesaving drink of choice today, along with plain old water and the occasional glass of peach nectar (soothes the throat) -- add to the list Advil, Children's Benadryl (doesn't knock me out so badly), hot baths, hot soup, lots of fluids, sleep... And I STILL think I'm going to miss my pastel workshop tomorrow.

Wah.

See you all tomorrow. Take your vitamins and stay healthy.

Not A Knock Knock

Shhhh. I'm still sick and feeling very sleepy. I tried to make it through work today, but ended up leaving early -- did a conference call from home and crashed. It doesn't look promising for work tomorrow, either. Rats. I'm too busy for this.
No picture today -- and I can't think of a knock knock joke. How about a Thanksgiving joke?

The Parrot

A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious, and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music, and anything else he could think of to "cleanup" the bird' s vocabulary.

Finally, John was fed up, and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot, and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, threw up his hands, grabbed the bird, and put him in the freezer.

For a few minutes, the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute.

Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer.The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said to John, "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."

John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. Just as he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?"

It's an old one, but it still cracks me up...

Is That the Lake

Really? It THAT the lake? Yep -- and with no rain in sight it could get lower. We went out to "winterize" the boat (which involves putting Stabil in the gas, cleaning up, covering things with tarps, taking gear off, etc.) and couldn't believe what we saw when we got there. We'd been out a few weeks ago, and it was down further than I'd ever seen it then, but now... Actually, when we were taking things off the boat, rather than climb the hill (mountain?) we drove the jeep down to the water's edge. From there we could look way up to where the shoreline normally is. It was kind of a weird feeling. Man, if I had time, I'd take a walk around that lake and collect those fishing lures we've lost over the years ... :-D

And before anybody panics about some horrible environmental disaster, I have to let you know that this lake is the "headwater" lake for our TVA system, so when the lakes downstream drop, power demands increase, and water is needed there, this lake suffers the greatest drop to provide water lower down the chain. The upside to being on this lake is that, since it IS upstream, it's the cleanest. I'll take clean over deep... ;-)

Notice that while the trees are changing, the overall color is drab. Lots of the leaves have just said, "oh, forget this color business" and dropped off early. Other than the beautiful clear blue sky it's a dreary autumn. At this point, gray rainy skies would be a lovely thing to see.

So, I've worked in the yard today (raking leaves -- what else?), done laundry, spent the afternoon working on the boat, had dinner ... now, time to go paint! Let's all have a great week!

Fun

More proof that I don't have enough to say to post something important every day for a month. Yes, I have again resorted to old photos -- this one of me in 196sometime-or-another-early at about age 4. It also may help verify the rumour that blondes have more fun...

Truthfully, today has been a fun day for me. I slept late (!!unusual these days!!) and barely made it to watercolor class at 9:30. I was prepared to scrap it all and start relearning watercolor from scratch, but was encouraged and am feeling much better about things. There is so much to learn -- and it was a lot of fun. As soon as I got home, about 1 pm, Doug and I went out to eat lunch and then we ... don't laugh ... wandered around the mall for about 4 hours, then went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and then to the bookstore. It was about 7 pm by the time we got home! Isn't that just a totally stupid waste of an afternoon? And I had a great time. So there.

P.S. One of my things to do soon is update blog links on my sidebar. If I don't have your blog linked over there, give me a bit as I'll get them gradually updated! You are probably on my blogroll.... Do be sure to go visit Marie-Dom to see her "leaf a day" challenge, which she is doing as part of NaBloPoMo. (Marie, I'll get you added onto the list ASAP -- your idea is inspirational!)

P.P.S. ZELMA -- keep it up, girl! (waving hello!)

Change

The leaves are finally beginning to change around here. I spotted this leaf the other day, captured by another tree on its way down to the ground.

I'm not able to finish tonight's drawing tonight -- maybe there will be two tomorrow. This daily posting IS going to be a challenge, as November is suddenly shaping up to be much busier than expected. That's the way the world works, though, isn't it? You're heading somewhere, just floating along, and then BAM! -- caught up in a tree.

In Search of Subject Matter

Well, even if NaBloPoMo officially starts on November 1, I tend to be a week to week kind of girl. I'm going to go ahead and start my daily posting now!

So, art wise here's what's going on around the household --

I'm working on an acrylic painting of a pair of pink flip flops. This time I'm proceeding very slowly, using almost a watercolor style technique of thin layer upon thin layer. It's turning out pretty good so far! I'm not certain enough about the outcome to post the early stages yet ... acrylics are fairly new to me and I could make a wrong turn at any moment! Still, I love the painting, and may do a watercolor version of it also.

Watercolor wise -- oh dear. I'm working on the color pink. Sounds a bit nutty, doesn't it? BUT that's how we figure things out. Fact is, I don't care too much for pink and find it very difficult to attain good values with it, even though one of my very favorite paintings that I've ever done is of pink flamingos. They just seemed to magically flow from my brush. This time, however, I'm working from a photo of some pink hollyhocks and don't think we can use the word "flow" when discussing what's happening right now. The old saying of "you've got to know when to hold them, and know when to fold them" applies to painting as well as poker. It might be time to fold and start something else! Not going to post it -- nope, not right now. Later on in the month if the daily posting gets tight I might have to resort to showing it. Of course a miracle could occur and I could pull off a good save... we'll see.

And sketchbook wise -- I'm always keeping my eye out for good subject matter, and never more urgently than when a painting I'm working on is going badly. The above little sketch is from a photo of a harbor in Gulfport, Mississippi. After trying to figure out all the masts and angles, I decided that it might not be as much fun as I first thought. Still, it appeals to me quite a bit. There's something about boats that makes me want to travel ... fried shrimp from Rickey's Bar and Grill sounds good to me right now -- how about you?

:-) Off to plan a Halloween costume, finish laundry, get ready for the work week, and do another wash on those flip-flops!

NaBloPoMo

I guess we all know that November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and I'll be the first to wish the best of luck to all of you who are planning on trying THAT one, while the rest of us prepare to wave good-bye to you and call "see you in December!" However, Diahn tells me that November is ALSO National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo), a much less stressful version of the event. Rather than writing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days, for NaBloPoMo all you have to do is post something on your blog every day in November. In order to change my evil ways and become a better blogger, I've joined. There may be photography mixed in with the art, there may be music, there may be nothing more than a knock-knock joke, but I'm going to try to do it. Who else is in?