REDONDOWRITER'S SACRED ORDINARY

Let's Hear it for Kelly Kilmer's Art Journal Classes

Yesterday, Halloween, I drove to the Urban Craft Center on Main St. in Santa Monica to take Kelly Kilmer's class on making an art journal from scratch. The first class I ever took on using rubber stamps, making cards and collages was from Kelly, way back when. 

This is Kelly working in her own art journal towards the end of our class. I can't get over how happy and in the moment I am when I am making art. 

Kelly teaches often in Southern California, but she travels all over the United States offering classes. This is her class schedule. 

Right after Cookie died and the So Cal windstorm blew in last Tuesday, I've had my usual winter creeping crud--allegeries, sinuses dripping, and that awful cough that not only scares people, it embarrasses the hell out of me. I forewarned everyone I was not sick and loaded up on antihistamines. 

With a lot of help from Kelly, who is infinitely patient, I did indeed make a journal and slopped paint on several pages just to get started. Here is one page I completed. 

I usually put up my Day of the Dead altar at home each year but this year I just didn't have the oomph to do it. So, this journal pages honors my ancestors and friends who have gone before me. 

By the way, Kelly also teaches an online daily journaling class called A Prompt A Day. You'll see the link on her blog listed above. I have two friends taking it--Paula in Denver and Connie in DC. and they are enjoying it very much.  

Red Collage 72 is Finished

For those of you who read here regularly, I just completed a six week class at Summer Studios in Lomita in collage/mixed media. A few days ago I posted a collage of Emily Ann, my mom. 

Here is Red Collage 72 actually in a frame and as completed as I'm going to get it. This was a steep learning curve for me where I learned several new techniques and how to use mediums I had never used before. This piece is 8 x 10 and I must admit, I kind of like it! I usually find fault with most things I do, but I think I will actually hang this one somewhere instead of adding it to the pile of finished work. 

 

What is the Sound of One Tree Falling?

We knew that a mighty wind was coming to Southern California, but little did I imagine that after I left work, a tree would fall into my parking space. A co-worker called about 8 p.m. to forewarn me to park somewhere else the next day.  

Remember this philosophical saying? "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" That was my thinking when I visited the tree in person today.

The phone rang early this morning and it was an automated phone call from UPS telling me that a box from a crematory would arrive today and someone has to sign for it. Ah, Cookie is coming home much more quickly than I had expected. The last thing I always did before bed was to take Cookie out for a quick walk to relieve herself. Last night I did not have to keep my regular clothes on for our bedtime ritual and because the weather was a challenge, I'll admit I was glad. After my art class I came home and got into my nightie, my soft winter robe, and put on my fleecy slippers. Cookie did not like rain or wind and I'm assuming the weather is perfect for herding where she exists now. I imagine her running with Blondie, Wilhelmina, Wolfy, Jake, Duchess and Cena, the dogs that have gone before her. 

Mixed Media Collage: "Emily Ann"

For the past six Monday nights I have been taking a mixed media collage class at Summer Studios in Lomita, CA. If you live in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, I can’t recommend classes—and visits—here enough. You can check out their classes and events at the site above. Their fourth Friday Art Jam nights are fabulous although there won’t be another one until January because of holiday conflicts.

As it turned out, I was the only student in Anita Dixon’s Monday night class, but she faithfully met with me and taught me many things I didn’t know. Anita is "an old soul," and I am always drawn to people like her. Her own art work is superb and at least three of her pieces are currently hanging in the gallery. 

I have one piece completed and framed, another two completed (a key case and a collage box which I had made years ago but now knew how to make them better), and five pieces are in various states of completion.

I call this piece, which is 8” x 8”, “Emily Ann.” The photo is my mother when she was about 16. One of my most cherished possessions is a hand-written baby book my mom kept the first year of my life. The writing you see are snippets from the first entry she made. (I photo copied the original.) That is my handwriting of her name. I am probably going to mount this piece on masonite or some kind of board.

I just laid down some more layers on two of the pieces. Ever since Cookie got really ill, I spent time each day working on my class projects. I am choosing not to work on any Cookie art pieces right now, although I have written every day in my journal about her.

As a dog lover, I sure resonate with the studio's name. David Parsons, the owner and Executive Director, named it after his dog Summer. Summer is always there to greet people with a bark. There is also a large exotic bird in a cage who interacts with everyone and a tiny finch who also trills periodically. 

Summer Studios is a very special place to learn and visit. 

It's a Great Weekend for the Redondo Beach Art Group's Power of Art

 If you are in the Los Angeles area, don’t miss the Redondo Beach Art Group’s 2009 Power of Art the next two days. The artists opening reception was tonight and I volunteered at the silent auction. The building that once housed the Red Onion and later Camacho’s, 655 N. Harbor Drive, was turned into “Living Art.” The building has been empty for a long time and is slated for demolition, so the City of Redondo Beach let us use it. It will next become a boutique hotel. So many people have worked countless hours to make this happen.

There were hundreds of people attending tonight and the weather is very warm, but fortunately the building is right on the Redondo Beach Marina so some breezes floated in.

I loved this purse in the silent auction and was glad when my friend Jianulla won it. It’s an upcycled piece created by local artist Penny Richards and features the 1908 image of early feminist Susan Walker Fitzgerald. Be sure to click on the image to read the words.

Here are Jianulla and Penny (right), but I’m too tired to take the glare out of the photo in PhotoShop. It’s time to go to bed with Dan Brown’s “The Last Symbol.”

Be sure to click on Penny's name--a fascinating woman! And she has other purses for sale in the boutique and you can visit her Etsy shop at Pennamite. 

 

 

Artists Gallery Annual Studio Tour in Palos Verdes: Best Ever

I’m still feeling really grateful for the incredible art studio tour my friend and Orma went on yesterday. The creative spaces of 10 local artists were open to the public during the sixth annual Artist Studio Tour. Sponsored by the Artists Studio, a cooperative of approximately 70 artists affiliated with the Palos Verdes Art Center. The day was spectacular—sunny and clear, and I met so many people and watched so many artists at work.

Twenty-one additional artists demonstrated their skills and discussed their work at the various studios and on the Art Center patio, where a light lunch was served.

The first stop was at the home of plein air artist Don Crocker in Rolling Hills whose studio is in an old horse barn. There were dozens of his paintings on display which I’ll share with you as time permits.

It’s Christy Armstrong’s work I want to feature tonight. Her professional name is M.C. Armstrong and she teaches art at the school where I work. She showed her raku dishes and menagerie of whimsical ceramic animals.

She had made two hollow ovals and put them together while the clay was wet. This was the beginning of a whimsical series of insects she is currently working on. 

 

 

Here is one of her animals surrounded by her bowls.

Christy's animal series are currently featured in several galleries. Be sure to click on this guy to see him larger. 

But, it's Christy's hands that fascinated me the most. 

Christy doesn't have a website, but I'm hunting around the web for more of her animals to show you. 

And just imagine, not only does she teach children art, all the kids learn ceramics in her classes, too.  

Palos Verdes After the Recent Fire

On August 28, a large fire roared through the hills and canyons of Rancho Palos Verdes just above what was the old Marineland and is now the Terranea Resort.

My friend Orma and I went to an all day Art Studio Tour in Palos Verdes today and I saw the post-burn for the first time. The houses around the two pictures you see below were evacuated and the man who owned the home where I took these pictures from had his home burn to the ground in 1973. 

My next entries will feature the studios and artists we visited today. It was a fabulous day.   

Gathering My Thoughts on a Fall Day

Those of you who know me in person or through this blog over the last 5 1/2 years know that I like to stay busy and active. I still work part-time at a K-12 school 3 days a week, I volunteer for the Palos Verdes Library and my Macintosh Users Group. I’m blessed with family living locally and have a lot of friends so I can be with people when I want to be.

But, this summer I chose to spend a lot of time being solitary partly out of laziness and partly because I just wanted to see what it felt like not to be busy all the time. I have spent a lot of time in contemplation, writing, doing art, reading and watching DVDs largely by myself. My Washington sister's diagnosis of stage 2 lung cancer and my Vegas sister's declining health have also affected me as I want to be ready to be with them if it becomes necessary.

This photo, by the way, is of the path behind my friend Orma's home in Palos Verdes; she made a beautiful painting from the photo.

For the past few weeks I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ve been a little more solitary than is healthy for me, but it’s so easy to be alone. I have a tendency to adapt to whoever I am with, which in actuality is both a positive and a negative. I’ve started to be annoyed when I have to drive at night, too, although my sight is not impaired. Maybe this is all part of the natural aging process. Some of my sisters became reclusive in their elder years; I don't want to let myself get started on that path.

This past week I decided to step outside my comfort zone and I signed up for a six week mixed media class on Monday nights at Summer Studios. I have never had any art instruction before and I am very excited--and fearful. I'm not a "real" artist, I keep telling myself, but I know that's bullshit.

This coming weekend is my 54^th class reunion, if you can believe that. Reunions always stir up my soul and memories. Though I went to school at Verdugo Hills High School in Tujunga, for the past several years we have met yearly and usually in Lauglin, NV, one of my most un-favorite spots in the world--but it's cheap and everyone seems to be retired (except me) with time to spare. There are no flights from L.A. directly to Laughlin for one thing. Instead of bumming a ride this year and having to depend on others, I’m flying to Vegas on Friday morning, renting a car,  and will spend a few days with my ailing sister. On Sunday I’ll drive the 90 miles to Laughlin and spend Sunday and Monday with my former classmates. As you probably know, I do not like driving alone in unfamiliar places, but I don’t want to spend four days at the reunion just so I can get a ride. Two days seems about right. This whole trip is out of my comfort zone, but in the past 24 years as a single woman, I’ve felt the fear and done whatever anyway. I WANT to go but Scotty just won't beam me up and make it easy.

Last night as I was preparing for bed, after a movie and art marathon evening, which I thoroughly enjoyed, I felt uneasy, lonely. Maybe it was because I watched “Practical Magic” immediately followed by “The Other,” the latter being pretty scary all in all. When I did my day’s summary in my journal I thought, “I am tired of being alone so much.” I asked Spirit to show me the way to being alone less, particularly on weekends.

After church this morning, which I had to drag myself to somewhat reluctantly just because it’s easier to stay home, Fr. Bob gave a great sermon on Mark 8:27-38, “Who do people say that I am?” He used the metaphor of a GPS—in this case a God Positioning System which periodically has to recalculate when wrong turns or directions are made. I was really thinking of who people say I am versus who I say I am and how long it takes me to recalculate sometimes when I realize I’ve made a wrong turn but keep going anyway . Even at 72, I can’t say with consistency who I am. Partly it’s because I am still changing.

Usually I don’t go to the coffee after services, but for some reason I went today and a lot of that had to do with a serious nudging by Spirit to be more community-oriented. I’ll admit that I have trouble with intimacy sometimes so group situations (except for work and volunteering) are sometimes difficult for me. Kevin, who runs the Education for Ministry program in our parish, and I chatted over coffee. I’ve always avoided signing up for this intense study program which is ultimately a four year program, 36 weeks at a time. But instead of my usual Inner Critic (IC) ragging on me, I clearly heard a voice say in my head “When were you the happiest in recent years?” “When I was studying new things,” was my silent interior reply. The more Kevin spoke, the more jazzed I became. Kevin showed me all the materials for the program and I spontaneously signed up. I’m not a spontaneous person by nature. It takes me a long time to commit to anyone or anything, but when I do, I’m usually loyal as hell.

So—some new things are coming up for me. I think I’ve drawn these things to me, I’m affirming them even if they make me uncomfortable, and I feel like my GPS has recalculated and I’m taking a slightly different road than I’m accustomed to. Hmmm. OK, Spirit. Is there any way you could make me more comfortable with thinking out of my solitary box?

Summer Studios Friday Night Art Jam

I have been hearing a lot about Summer Studios Arts Academy in Lomita and tonight I got to experience it for myself. On the last Friday of the month they have an Art Jam which features lots of art, various musicians jamming on stage, and eight poets reading. What a lovely space this is--and the evening was informal and stellar. I was very impressed. The class schedule also impressed me and I'm seriously thinking of taking six weeks of mixed media on Monday nights. 

Following are a few photos from the evening, but I took a few dozen. 

This is the sign at the front of the studio. 

This is a mosaic project that is being made by several of the artists involved at the studio. When it is finished and sold, 60% of the profit will go to a non-profit, probably Homeboy Industries in L.A. With all the budget cuts and the bad economy, their good work is struggling mightily.

This man was one of the eight poets who read. His piece was the story of his mule. This poem reminded me of cowboy poetry readings I've attended. 

These were three of the musicians who played off and on during the evening. Everyone who performed was beyond excellent. 

All the art was excellent, but this piece really caught my fancy. 

Finding My Art Journal "Voice"

I'm nearing completion on the 20-page art journal I started at Teesha and Tracy Moore's Play workshop in Pt. Townsend last month, but I have a yearning to start another one where I truly "practice" and find my voice. My stuff seems to look so much different than a lot of other pages I've seen. 

A few weeks ago I found an old spiral bound "Drawing is Fun" address book whose stock was heavy enough to paint on. It was at the Malaga Cove used book sale--25 cents! Its size is 7" x 7" and it seems that is small enough that I should be able to make it into an art journal without feeling too intimidated. I altered  the book and it is my new explore techniques art journal. I gessoed the covers and I keep painting pages so if and when I feel like horsing around in it, I'm ready to start. Veteran art journalers tell me to even randomly lay images which will ultimately force me to make something out of whatever color and image is on the page. 

Incidentally, though I rarely post to the Yahoo Groups The Art Journal moderated by Ricë Freeman-Zachery at Voodoo Cafe, it's a treasure trove. Many art journalers keep their albums at The Art Journal and it's a great place to study technique and see what others are creating. 

So, here are three pages. I'm just about ready to start exploring more imaginative pages and trying my hand at drawing, although I have as much skill as a kindergartner. (Although my own K grandson draws better than I do, frankly.)