Yikes! It's getting harder and harder to go to work these days, when all I want to do is stay home plant myself in the garden or play with paints and paper here in my "studio," aka the dining room which is completely taken over when the girls aren't here by paper and brushes and scissors and glue - no place to eat at this table!

I've finished collaging the first signature of my first modern age art journal. I've had art journals for years, the kind that's basically a sketchbook and art students fill them up regularly, and TONS of personal writing journals, but this is my first "put it together intentionally to make an artsy book that I might write in" journal. I'm basically following Teesha Moore's method, except that instead of stitching in the pages and then doing the art, I'm doing the art first and then I'll stitch them in. I'm enjoying the randomness that comes of it. As I make them, each two page spread is somewhat related, but when I bind the pages they won't be next to their siblings any more.

I was worried about being too influenced by all the gorgeous stuff I've been seeing on people's blogs and websites - I need my art to express me. So I'm happy to report that these little collages do look like a continuation/evolution of my stuff from the past. (You can sort of get a sense of that if you look closely at the table and chairs I painted in the first photo.)

The weekend was so busy, me running here and there and everywhere that I didn't get to devote myself to scanning the finished pages and such, BUT Saturday was great - Emily told me last minute about an info meeting for parents for the Savannah College of Art and Design - she really wants to go there and I was very impressed with their presentation. I think Em (my MEGA talented daughter) would benefit from the professionalism of their program. I'm excited for her possibilities! (And somewhat jealous!) Hard to think of her trotting off to college in a year and half...

Ok, maybe I'll get some more pages painted tonight.

O, Moon

The lunar eclipse on Wednesday, my brother's birthday: I am so grateful to have seen it. I got home just in time to catch it at its most beautiful moments, taking Shoobie on a longer evening walk than usual so that I could linger over it. Between 7:30 and 8:00 it looked as if it were backlit, showing how spherical it truly is rather than the luminous flat disk we usually see. It was a smokey rose-colored marble floating in the heavens, I felt I could reach up and cup it in my hands... And the whole sky was so clear, Saturn lit up in the lower left corner, the Little Dipper and all the other constellations sparkling up ahead. I walked in awe, mouth agape, Shoobie pulling me along.

I had just bought a new camera, but didn't know how to use it yet, so here are some other photos that best show close to what I saw.

This one is by John Edward Gordon, Grand Valley Ontario, Canada. At times on my walk with Shoobie I'd see the Moon through the trees and play hide and seek, looking for the next clear view.

I like this image by 17-year-old Matt Ohman, North Somerset, England, because of the backlighting effect. I also like seeing Saturn in this image, just as I did here at home.

oh, rosy marble in the sky!
Andrew Cairns, in West Lothian, Scotland, captured the redness of the moon during totality.

Thank goodness for the internet and for people who generously share their photos with the rest of the world! And thank God for the wonders of the Universe.

Humble Beginnings

Evolution of a blogger's identity:

Around about New Year, 2008, I was a bit mopey and looking for a way out of my depression, when I stumbled upon Crazy Aunt Purl and got all excited about this blog idea. I created my alter ego Miss Mews and wrote about her menopausal musings, even though I am not quite menopausal - yet. Well, one thing led to another, as things do. I started knitting a scarf, and although I do like knitting (and I LOVE Laurie Perry, aka Aunt Purl - she's FUNNY!!!), alas, knitting is not my PASSION.

So I moped around a bit more, worked on getting over my obsession with my erstwhile boyfriend, also worked on my self-esteem portrait that I started back in December, and then the miracle occured. Namely, I found Teesha Moore and Artfest, et voilà, my passion for making art was reborn! I attacked that self-portrait with renewed verve and, dare I say, JOY!

This is it: "Preciosa: En los ojos de Dios, valgo algo." ("In the eyes of god, I'm worth something.") It's full of personal symbols, and flowers from my garden, and little linda, the little girl inside me whom I intend to nurture so that Big Linda can flourish this year.

To that end, I have taken the plunge and signed up for Artfest! I love looking at all the artists' blogs I've been introduced to through that portal, and thus the evolution of my blog. I won't be Miss Mews anymore, I'll be me, because I want to be an artist when I grow up (again). I miss that life. I was a full-time artist/mommy when my girls were young. The BEST time of my life! I'm laying down the groundwork to get back on that path - spent this whole glorious weekend working on mini-collages/journal pages. Hopefully by next weekend I'll have figured out how to scan and show them here non-blurry.

Ciao for now, bellas!