Friday, April 23, 2010

sometimes, it's not just about babies; sometimes I can squeeze a little art in, too.

Today, my kids are at my Mom's house. Soooo, taking advantage of the time, I decided to clean out the laundry room. A catchall for whatever I don't know what to do with, or stuff I want to put out of sight quickly, it's a disaster area. Dan will be over the moon happy when he gets home, except, oops, I am distracted now.

In a pile of art related stuff on top of the dryer, I came across this drawing. I remember when I drew it, how I was inspired by botanical drawings of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and how disappointed I was by the result of my own efforts. Well maybe it shows how out of practice I am, because now I really like it . Of course, sometimes perspective and distance are everything. In fact, I always look at my artwork in the mirror, to check for balance and mistakes, because in the midst of creating something, I can get too close to really see. There's something about the way a mirror reverses things that brings certain things to light. There is also something about it that lies, too, so I have to be careful.

Regardless, all this to say that after some time and distance, I have changed my mind about this piece, and I enjoy it now. It is also making me happy that I have this other piece, and somehow they seem related to me.
Part of it, I think, is the fact that this is an arts and crafts tile, in a gorgeous mission frame, and I was inspired in my drawing by a master of the arts and crafts movement. And then there's the obvious color relationships, and the three blossoms, and the fact that they are very similar in size. And also the diagonal composition which leaves a bit of an open space in the bottom left corner. Yes, I am an analytical genius, I know.

Dan gave me this tile for Christmas, and it is making me sad that the subtleties of color and texture in the glaze are kind of lost in this photo, and you can't really appreciate it's luminosity and depth. Sometimes it amazes me just how well my husband knows me. Just to be able to pick the perfect thing. The colors, the dangling freesia, I couldn't stop looking at it when I first opened it up. I love it, and I think I shall hang them together.


Wednesday, April 21, 2010

vapor rub

Last night, after submitting to the dreaded "paper rub" (the girls refuse to believe me that it's actually called vapor rub), Rowan was clearly bothered by something. I thought it was just the pungent goo on her chest, as she really dislikes it, but I found a moment later that it was a mental struggle.

Mommy, Is paper rub... um... I don't know... is paper rub... spicy?

I said that yeah, it definitely was kinda spicy. Not content, she squirmed around a bit, and then,

but... Mommy... is it... MINTY?

yes, Rowan, it is most definitely minty as well.

Instant snores. Literally. I found it completely wonderful that she just had to nail down the exact description of Vick's vapor rub before she could fall asleep.


Monday, April 12, 2010

blogger's block

there have been a few things that I have wanted to mention, write about, people who deserve props and shout-outs and whatnot, but for whatever reason, I have just had the hardest time sitting down and just expelling it here...

I know that is a strange usage of the word 'expel', but deal with it, for me, ok? I like strange word usage. a lot.

Recently, Dan completed a self-imposed, 90 day fast. Not a complete fast, but a pretty tough one, in which he cut out all meat, almost all sugar, caffeine, alcohol, cigarettes, well, it's easier to list what he would eat... raw vegetables, oatmeal, bananas and grapes (random fruit selection), water, and later on, hardboiled eggs and tomato soup. He successfully quit smoking, and has felt that his life is taking on some new direction. He did all of this with a supremely sweet attitude, no complaints, and generally just impressed the heck out of me. Amazing. I am prouder than I can say. And really, really glad that I can make just one dinner for the family now! I am inspired to attempt to cut out sugar and beat my chocolate addiction. We shall see.

My parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary yesterday, another accomplishment of which I am insanely proud. They have showed me a great example of what it means to build a marriage for the ages. I am so thankful for them!

Over Easter, our little family of 5 drove to Ohio to be with some dear friends, and get a little break from our everyday life. It was refreshing and fun, and we were reminded of how very dear these people are to us. I also got to participate in some figure drawing, and I wasn't actually as awful as I expected, which was very encouraging, as I am embarking on a little project, and could use all the encouragement I can get!

This is why I have had a hard time blogging. My everyday thoughts and experiences simply do not translate into interesting prose; neither do my mundane musings regularly metamorphose into the profound, so I choose not to post sometimes... I just don't find it particularly satisfying to set down a disjointed little clump of paragraphs. But sometimes I just need to do it anyway, to get back in the swing, because this is therapeutic for me.