A Relaxing Afternoon

I found myself with some free time today. There is an art store in New Milford that was my destination. On my way I unloaded a carful of stuff at the Good Will store. After the art stop I went to another favorite place "Connecticut Memories". The owner is going out of business and is having a huge sale. It's actually been going on for a couple of months but there's no rush! I found some old photos and vintage Christmas cards. On my way home I drove past a little house that was surrounded by Sunflowers! I parked my car and walked to the house to take some photos of these awesome flowers. This one is from my phone using the Hipstamatic app. Taking pictures of these beautiful flowers was, for me, a centering experience. I felt on top of the world. I am blessed to know that I always have the means and the opportunities to take pictures every day! Thank You God!

United Through Art

This past weekend was our "Saratoga" weekend. For over 30 years we've been going upstate to my Uncle & Aunt's house for a weekend in August. Some would go to the racetrack, some would go shopping (I was in the shopping group). This past weekend some went to the track and some went shopping but -

my uncle died in May and my aunt is now in an assisted living facility. The house is for sale and almost empty. There are a few items scattered in the house and some boxes in the garage. My cousins had taken what they wanted and the boxes in the garage were for "us". It was really painful to look at the assorted items in the boxes. There were cookbooks, kitchen tools and the ubiquitous Christmas ornaments. We went through the items and picked what we could use. For me the most important things were in the piles of old paintings that were there. I found a small painting of my Aunt's from 1955. It's a scene with a chair next to a window, a tv and curtains. I have a picture that my grandmother painted of my grandfather sitting in a chair by a window with curtains. My cousin Amy did a woodcut of a chair, by a window, with curtains, years ago as a present for my grandmother. This is all coincidence but there is a thread. I found some paintings that my Uncle did back in the 50's and was grateful to have them. Another favorite find is the painting of Sonny & Cher done by my cousin Beth in school. She graciously gave it to me. I love it. It brings back the good old days, the days of Sonny and Cher. Chastity is there too. I value all the paintings that I have from my family. They are priceless!

Dream Vacations

I painted this page for the Explorations class with Laure Ferlita. The assignment was to do a page for our journal that would be a "companion", a page where we could jot down notes, a calendar or a place where we could keep track of our creativity. Since the theme of my journal is Beauty, I couldn't think of a page that would fit. For some strange reason lately I've been thinking about the Ice Hotel. (maybe because it's been so hot) I have to confess that I don't actually want to sleep in the Ice Hotel, but I would love to visit. I've also longed to go the The View Hotel in Monument Valley. It just looks so breathtaking in the photos. I can't imagine what it would be like to sit and be surrounded by the colors! Wow! Tied for third is Paris and Barcelona! What more can I say? I've always been fascinated by architecture and either one of these cities would qualify. So there you have it, my list of Dream Vacations - I'll send you a postcard.....

My Phone - Part 2

This picture was taken with my new hipstamatic app on my iphone. It is so clever. It's so fun! Since I got the new phone, I hardly take pictures with my real camera anymore. It's just so easy with the iphone and it's always with me. I have quite a few photography apps. Right now I'm considering purchasing the Camera+ app. I feel like a kid in a candy store. I received a itunes gift card for my birthday and used it right away. One of the purchases that I made was for the show "Work of Art". I love this show. Tonight is the finale and I'll be watching. I like each of the three finalists so I don't really have a favorite. Last week they eliminated two artists and I was on the edge of my seat! I will be tonight as well. I know that I've meanderer a bit here - now back to the phone. It's working fine, I have no complaints. Yesterday I met another phonie and we compared notes about the phone. We also talk about phones at work, but I'm outnumbered there. Two Droids vs. me. I can handle it!

It's Yellow!!

I just started a new class "Explorations" with Laure Ferlita. This is my 4th class with Laure and it's awesome. One of things that we had to do for the class was pick a signature color. That wasn't easy. I narrowed my colors down to 3: Cobalt Green (aqua), Opera Pink and Isoindoline Yellow. The pink was eliminated first but then I couldn't decide between the aqua & yellow. I asked a couple of family members for their opinion. They both said aqua! (because currently it's my favorite color) In the end, I picked the yellow. Why? I've always, always loved yellow. I couldn't not pick it. I have to use yellow in all the work that I do in the class. Yikes! I'm doing ok so far but I think it'll be challenging.....

Painful Experience

Something happened last week that was very painful for me. If I tell you what it was, you will think "it's no big deal". It was for me. I actually had a pain. It was the pain of embarrassment, of feeling like a fool. The pain/feeling stayed with me all weekend. It was there. Actually it's still there but I've accepted it and I'm living with it, waiting for it to go away. I'm also adjusting my thinking about it. Anyway what I really want to say here is that I decided to paint how I felt. As soon as I put the brush to the page I felt better! The feeling flowed with the paint and there was some relief. I feel very blessed that I can paint.

An Upgrade

As you can see from the photo, I recently upgraded to the iphone4. I tried to pre-order it but the order didn't go through. On launch day I went to the Mall and waited in line for about an hour. They ran out quickly and I was put on a priority list. Four days later I got an email that my phone was in. I was dismayed to read about all the problems with the "death grip". After a couple of days I realized that I needed a case for it. Even though I love the feel of the glass, I could see myself either dropping it and/or scratching it. I haven't had any problems with the reception except in the AT&T dead zones. My only complaint so far is with the camera. I took a picture of some beautiful purple clematis (photo above) but phone read it as dark blueish color. The phone is a lot quicker and I have a some of new apps. More about that later.....