By Hand

(on my writing desk)

When I was a kid... oh boy, here we go... we didn't have a computer until I was in high school and it was hooked up to a small television and I vaguely remember our first video game system Atari. Technology was like politics or show business, just somewhere else - like in a different state. It wasn't until I was a junior in college that I used a word processor to write my first paper. Most everything I did was by hand and in large part still is - except for this blog. (However, I do list my topic ideas for this blog by hand in a notebook.) So in the spirit of writing by hand the rest of this post will be written in my handwriting...

You can make it but it doesn't mean she'll like it

I finally finished this knitted daisy pacifier clip from Susan B. Anderson's book Itty-bitty Nursery this weekend and wanted to try it out. Currently Kennedy Jane prefers her fingers and can actually get her entire fist in her mouth on some days. We are hoping that she will still be able to do this when she's an adult as we're sure she'll be a hit at any party (or on David Lettermen) when she shows off this trick. With Becca's help we tried to get pictures of the little daisy. Of course we wanted the pacifier in her mouth but she didn't find the shape or taste very good. In fact, she teared up. And in the interest of not having a crying baby we just set the daisy on her belly. Here she is being more cooperative. And we're back to the fingers - but thanks little Kennedy for being so cooperative and making your auntie happy. Don't worry, I'll have many more silly handmade things for you in the future to pose with. I'm sure she'll run and hide when I come to the house with a granny square vest - ha ha ha. Okay, so back to my day job - lots of painting this week. Stay tuned - I got lots to show you and hopefully inspire you with. And, I'm sooo glad the kids are back in school - yay for school!!!!

Etsy Treasury

Etsy is such a fun online place for creatives. Since re-opening my shop in May, I've really had fun meeting other watercolor artists and seeing the amazingly fabulous art - from knitting and clothing to - whatever you can imagine. Just this morning I was included in a Etsy Treasury that will go until Monday the 18th. It's a place where another Etsy member pulls together some of their favorites as an advertisement for the weekend. I'm so honored to be picked and placed on a treasury. You can look at it here.

Seeing

Recently I found this quote.


We don't see things as they are.
We see things as we are.
Anais Nin


I painted some orange geraniums around it and pinned it to the bulletin board over my computer. I really need to remember this because so many of my so called bad or "lemony" days start in my head. Look at the case of my cat's "hurt" paw in this past post. Even in painting, I often am hardest on my work when I'm hardest on myself. Seeing has so many layers. As we travel through life we learn that our vision can change and will. And as an artist I know that if I sit still long enough and see what I'm painting. I can see layers of color and light that I've never noticed before. Last year when I was teaching a friend to watercolor paint, I emphasized to her how important it was to look at the subject matter and notice, see. There are various shades of color in something that looks solid. Shadows are like that too. Colors reflect on to each other, and when you see dark shadows they aren't necessarily black, but full of dark color. My girlfriend told me that after that lesson, she saw things around her differently because she was paying attention.
Like I've been saying from the beginning, painting can teach us so much more than how to put a pretty picture on paper.