REDONDOWRITER'S SACRED ORDINARY

Christmas Tree Redux: Every Day a New Beginning

Thank you so much to all of you who commented here about my fully decorated Christmas tree falling down last night--and baptizing my new wood floors with water from the defective tree stand. I did a major salvage job of the old tree, jury-rigged the tree stand, and dragged it into my TV room for redecorating tomorrow. 

Here is my first ever artificial tree which I bought this afternoon at K-Mart. I'm a "green" person and said I would never buy fake, but my old age and lessening stamina brought me to the crowded store to at least check the trees out. I loved this one and it was on sale. It is 6 feet tall and prelit. I can't believe that I will never have to string tree lights again in my lifetime. The box was pretty heavy but the very nice salesman told me that I would easily be able to handle it. It wasn't easily, but it was doable. I rarely read directions but I read them religiously as I did not want another disaster. I still have the house to decorate and the other tree to decorate, but the lights on the disaster tree somehow or other hung in there. 

Now I'm going downstairs to journal with gratitude. Another change has come to Villa Redondo and today I accept it gracefully. 

To Diss or Undiss: That is the Question

When I went to leave a comment tonight on Judy's Imagine What I'm Leaving Out blog, my word verification was undiss and I started giggling.

When my teenage granddaughter and grandson were living with me a few years back, I began to learn all kinds of new words that hadn't been in my vocabulary before. Diss was one of them. This word supposedly came out of hip hop, although I'm not knowledgeable enough to verify that this is true. I was told it meant to disrespect someone or make them feel really crappy about themselves. The actual web definition at Princeton's Word Net Web  defines diss as "treat, mention, or speak to rudely; 'the student who had betrayed his classmate was dissed by everyone.'" My grandson told me that it also means to "disappear someone." 

When my grandkids were condescending or rolled their eyes to the sky after I said almost anything, I'd say, "Don't diss me." Disappear me symbolically--diss--is now part of my vocabulary when appropriate. I've also played around with the word disassociate and dismiss as being diss, too. OK, English majors, help me out here.

So, what does undiss mean? The opposite of diss? "I take that back; I didn't mean to call you a dork." Could it mean to lessen the distance between us? Could it be that I reappear you, associate you, miss you?

Do you have any modern slang words that you use sometimes, depending on your age, of course? I'll admit that I have used cool to describe something great since I was a teenager--and the kids at school still use that word. Is that mainstream now?

All this because I visited Judy's blog, which I recommend you visit, too. A floral artist, among other things, Judy is currently decorating several prominent N. Carolina buildings including the governors mansion. Her work is exquisite.

Art Journal Page: Thankful For

This pretty much says how I feel today, on Thanksgiving Day. It has been such a treat to make this page. It made me think and say thank you, thank you, thank you.  

Sophia, the Art Mannikin Suggests You Make a List of Gratitudes

This has been Sophia's Thanksgiving outfit since mid-November. The flowers are inside an antique sewing chest crafted by my late father-in-law Roy more than 50 years ago.  

Sophia has suggested to me that I write a list of 25 things I am grateful for--and extended her suggestion to all of you. I'll work on that tomorrow. What are your plans for the Thanksgiving holiday? 

Learned a Lot Today From Tim Holtz

Today I went to the Rubber Stamp Convention in Carson, CA and I sat for a long time at Tim Holtz's demonstration table. He's an educator for Ranger Products and his work and sense of humor are second to none when he teaches. 

This is Tim hard at work showing us alcohol inks and everything under the sun. What delighted me personally was I asked if he could show the resist technique as I haven't figured that out on my own yet. 

He said that he thinks the easiest way to use resist with regular Distress Ink pads is to rubber stamp with white acrylic paint. Ranger makes acrylic ink dabbers and the one he recommended was Snow Cap. Using several different stamps, he covered the images with the dabber. Then he dried it and began using several different colors of Distress Ink on a tag using Ranger's Ink Blending Tool. At Tim's website there are many demos including the resist technique he uses.

I over think most of the art pieces I create, but he moves very quickly and I was amazed at the end product.  

And, I discovered his blog tonight which links from his main page. 

I got to take the resist demo tag home. Hooray! And he even signed the back. 

One of the things I was reminded of today, even though art journaling was not part of this particular convention is that the techniques are interchangeable with journals, scrapbooking, ATCs and altered art. It also works well with some of the mixed media collages I have been making. 

Tonight I watched a really feel-good movie from 2006--"The Ultimate Gift." I cut and doodled and glued in my art journals glancing back and forth. I needed feel good. 

It's getting colder now and I am having to work very hard at making sure I don't hole up. Friday I took one of my grandsons to school in the morning and worked in the library for my other grandson's kindergarten class. That night we all went to the Book Fair. Saturday I went to a few estate sales (nada), to an art opening at the Palos Verdes Library with friends, and then out to dinner. 

Church went by the wayside this morning as I knew I had to feed my creative soul. Tonight I went out to dinner with my son and grandsons. The weekend, in spite of having to work at smiling and being with people, was a good one. But now I'm ready to go to bed with a book--and the electric blanket on 5. 

Part of me wants to stay up all night doing art, but----

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.