Illustration Friday: Hide

I must confess: I have no idea why this represents "hide" for me, but I've been working on this for a couple of hours now, and I rejected so many other images that I know that this must have some deeper meaning for me.

I love the colors on this--the turquoise blue and orange red really set each other off.

On a side note, the piano lessons (which I know are a direct result of working through Finding Water) went great. I'm so excited, and I've already been practicing. The most challenging part right now will be my assignment to write a short piece for myself. I had a good melody in my head last night, but of course it was gone this morning... I've been listening to Glenn Gould playing Bach's Goldberg Variations all morning, and I'm inspired.

I Am So Excited

Last night, I called the lady down the road who gives piano lessons, and I have my first lesson on Thursday morning!

I have wanted to take piano since I was in college (a long long time ago) and now I'm finally doing it!

I know this is a direct result of doing the Finding Water program!

Finding Water

This morning my eleven year old daughter and I sat at the kitchen table and did our morning pages together. The big window looks out over the pasture (very green this time of year) and the beautiful snow-capped mountains. Such a nice start to the day.

I did my morning pages every morning this week and added responses to the Divining Rod sections in the evenings. I was going to go to an antique store on Friday for my Artist Date, but really just wanted to stay home and work in the studio all day, so that's what I did. I did go out one afternoon and take some pictures outside that I thought maybe I could use in my digital artwork, so I guess I'll count that. I'll make it to the antique store this week, camera in hand.

I haven't gotten as much chance to check in with other people's blogs as I'd have liked, so that's on the agenda for this week. As of right now I have no daytime commitments this week, which means lots of time in the studio! Yay!

I have noticed that I seem more full of ideas and energy for creating. Many others have mentioned the same thing. I know Katie was drawing both yesterday and today. This weekend was full for me with mom stuff--the two older kids had basketball games yesterday and all three went to a birthday party today--so I didn't get to the studio at all.

Teenage boy is waiting for his turn on the computer--more later.

More Photoshop

I've spent part of this morning working with Photoshop Masking and Compositing by Katrin Eismann. I've learned more about PS from this single book that I have in the five years I've been using PS. I think the biggest difference in this book and others I've read is that this one isn't simply a cookbook for creating certain effects. With this book I'm learning how to USE the tools that PS offers. I'm not articulating this very well. Sufficeth it to say I can't recommend it highly enough--I even put a link up. I've also purchased the same author's book Photoshop Retouching and Restoration, but haven't started working on it yet.

Today I finished learning how to use the pen tool to create paths and selections, and then started on the chapter called "Masks Are Your Friends." I think that this chapter may be one I'll have to work through several times in order to get it to stick in this old brain!

The power went out in the studio this morning--just the heater and the lights--I still had computer power and music. I let it get chilly in here before I went out to flip the main breaker--brrr.

I think beginning to work through Finding Water is really inspiring me. I've been having so much fun looking through the blogs of other people in the group! One of my goals for this next week is create a more comprehensive list of blog links in one of my sidebars--maybe a revamping of the W-List?

Finding Water

This is a copy of the contract I've signed with myself for this twelve week adventure for Finding Water, Julia Cameron's new book. I've been doing my morning pages for the last couple of weeks--I figured I'd start early--and have yet to figure out what my Artist Date will be this week. Maybe a trip to the fabric store? It's almost an hour away, so it'll gobble up the whole day, but that's okay, right?

I've been thinking about doing monoprints on fabric, then using the fabric for quilting. In truth, quilting is really just a fabric collage... I'm not sure how it would work--maybe iron the base fabric to freezer paper, ink up some palette paper, then draw on the back side of the freezer paper to transfer paint to fabric? Then I'd have the freezer paper to use as a template for the applique and quilting...

See? I'm already full of new ideas and ready for adventure! Lots of times, I used to worry that I was travelling down some path that would bear no fruit--in my old age (!) I see that every path has something to offer. Every single thing I've done in the past has made me who I am today, and there is no such thing as wasted time out here in the studio.

Off to play.

New Ideas

The last few days I feel as though I've had so many ideas rolling around in my head! Not so much 'new' things to make, just new directions I can take with what I'm already doing...It's exciting and scary at the same time. Some of my ideas have been inspired indirectly by Clarissa Pinkola Estes' book Women Who Run with the Wolves. I've been thinking that there's something there, nudging at me and my art, tho not exactly sure what. I need to do some experimenting, but honestly, I think I'm afraid to start! Haven't been able to be out in the studio for the last three days (family stuff) and now here I sit, typing away at the computer--hiding.

I've started doing my morning pages again in preparation for working my way through Julia Cameron's new book, Finding Water with a group of fellow creators. They've set up a lovely blog here in preparation for the journey, which officially starts on February 17th. I've already discovered something--if I do my morning pages the very first thing while I'm not quite awake, I get a very different tone. Yes, sleepier, but also much more raw and ME. Most days I can probably get my writing done before anyone's up, but I could tell I won't take kindly to interruption, as my husband was questioning me this morning while I sat and wrote...

I have some projects I've been putting off recently--I want to make a header for the blog and post some new art. The studio needs to be cleaned, as does the house, and of course there's the ever-present pile of laundry that a family of five generates...I could hide from my art indefinitely...