IT'S A WOMAN'S PEROGATIVE.....

....to change her mind.


Especially when she sees that a good idea is quickly going bad.

I know winter has hit lots of the country already, but I'm just not ready for even thinking about it. I want Autumn to last a little longer. So, I figured I'd just create me some on a canvas.

Last year, when I did the fall art fair at Holy Trinity Monastery, I took lots of pictures of the gloriously golden trees on the grounds there. I chose one of them to use as my reference. I really wanted to paint this gigantic cottonwood soaring high above the little adobe cottage.

I had no intention of doing an exact copy of the photo....just wanted to capture that huge tree and the little cottage. I thought I wanted the tree behind the house. I thought wrong. No matter what I did, that tree just looked wrong in relation to the size of the cottage...and everything else!

I'm not going to show you all the changes I made in an attempt to make it look right....to capture the 'it' that I was after.
I didn't capture 'it.'

'It' got clean away!

I finally gave up.
I changed my mind.
And, I changed the painting....completely.

SAN PEDRO AUTUMN

16 X 20

Just in case you aren't ready for winter either, here's one more autumn painting for ya.

AUTUMN WALK

11 X 14

A woman can change her mind....and she can dream, too.

I am grateful for every warm and sunny day....even if it's only in my imagination.

SNOW REMEMBERED

A friend recently e-mailed about the new snow which had just fallen on her mountains. Hers are the Cascades and the Siskiyous. She lives, of course, in the beautiful state of Oregon. And her mountains are uniquely breathtaking. But, then, so are the ranges near where I grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I loved snow....back then. I still do, but I prefer to see it from a far distance....or even just in a photo.


Later that day, I pulled out a new canvas with no clue what I was going to paint on it. As I often do, I asked my paints........

"Who wants to come out and play?"

Alizaron Crimson was the first to put up her hand.

As you can see, 'something' tall wanted to live on the right side of this canvas. But what?

I asked for the next volunteer and ultramarine blue responded and suddenly, I knew what wanted to become a painting. I was remembering snow.....but seeing it from a comfortable distance.

Greens came out next and together, we made a spot, which still feels warm, from which to get a perfect view of those cold, cold mountain tops.

This is:

SNOW REMEMBERED

22 X 28

I am so grateful that I don't have to deal with snow and ice covered roads where I live.

I am so grateful that I can create snow where I want it....in a painting.

I am so grateful, already, for the good food we will have tomorrow.

I am so grateful for PEACE, JOY and LOVE in my life.

I am so grateful for all the wonderful friends which the internet has allowed me to know....

One of whom, inspired this painting.

ALMOST HOME

14 x 18

Where ever you are this Thanksgiving, I hope your heart feels at home.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!



HOW TO BE GRATEFUL WHEN LIFE SUCKS.

We've all been there, down in that dark valley where it seems that everything about life just sucks.....


when all we seem to be able to think about or talk about is our troubles, trials and tribulations.....

....when all we want to do is hide....and cry..........

We can choose to stay in that dark valley......

or we can decide to climb out of it, into the light.



Here's how.

Finish this sentence.



I am grateful for ________________.

Repeat.

Repeat.

Repeat.

And repeat some more....on a daily basis.



If you can't find something to be grateful for, let me make some suggestions.

You are breathing.

The earth is still spinning on its' axis.

The sun is still shining...whether or not you can see its' light at the moment.

You can taste your morning coffee and it is good.

You have food to eat and the ability to chew and swallow it.

You have a bed to sleep in at night.

Get the idea?

The truth is that even if it is only such simple things as these that you manage to be grateful for, IF you will write the words....begin with five times.....every day.....the strangest and most glorious thing happens. You will begin, very soon, to find even more things to be grateful for. Do this, faithfully, for a month or two and it will become a habit. Continue doing it and one day you will realize that your life has changed. You have come up out of that dark valley and you are standly firmly in the light!

I began this practice a couple of years ago. Since then, I've had some times which would have, in the past, put me fully into that 'life sucks' mode. Once in a while, I almost go there again....but my gratitude muscle is so strong now that I don't have to think about it....I just use it. It's almost as automatic as taking my next breath.

It was my experience which led me to write that little bit which appears ALWAYS on the home page of this blog. If I could give but one gift to anyone it would be that they learn to BE GRATEFUL!

I double dog dare you to try it!


You WILL be blessed.

MI NUEVO AMIGA

I have no idea if that is the correct way to say that sentence.  I hope it means, "My new friend."

*************************

Several weeks ago, my long-time friend, Lori  and I were in a Michael's store which is many miles from the one I usually frequent here in Tucson.  We happened to be nearby on another errand and I needed some paint so it seemed like a good idea to just stop by that location.

As we were leaving, I noticed a large display of baskets.  In one of the baskets was a book which caught my eye.  What I paid no attention to was a lady kneeling on the floor beside the display.  It did not, for a moment, occur to me that the book couldn't possibly have been part of the display.  As if directed by a source outside myself, I reached for the book.  I picked it up.  I saw the title.  I saw the cover illustration.  I flipped it open.  I fell in love.  I said something clever like, "This is wonderful."

The kneeling lady said, "Thank you.  I wrote it."

Can I just say we talked?  And talked.  And talked.  And talked some more.

We exchanged e-mail addresses and website addresses and promised to get together soon.

"Soon" finally came.

May I present mi nuevo amiga, Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford.

That name is a mouthful, isn't it?

It should be.  She is the child of Eastern European Jews who immigrated to the U.S. and settled in Nogales, Arizona...of all places.  She was raised with all the influences of a Jewish Nana...and  Mexican housekeeper/Nanny,  too.  She learned to talk in both English and Spanish.  Eventually, she married a man of Mexican descent.  A Jewish/Mexican/American...at least by heart and soul, if not by blood.

She will henceforth be referred to simply as Roni.  (Like Ronnie)

Roni and I got together this afternoon, finally, and had a royal gab-fest!  We talked, as fast as we could, for a measly hour and a half.  It could have gone on much, MUCH longer...but both of us had other things to do.

I want you to go to her web-site and read all about her and her delightful bi-lingual children's books.  Would you, please?

http://www.butterflyheartbooks.com/


Just in case you don't read every word on her site, I have to tell you this.

She had given a reading and talk to a fourth grade class. Of course, they wrote thank you letters to her which she has posted on her site. One of the letters had this question for her.

"How many books do you think you will write before you perish?"

Perish!!!!

That, from a 4th grader! Cracked me up!

A postscript presented one more question...."How old are you?

Kids do, indeed, say the darndest things!

I do believe I will have more to say about Roni and her books in the future.  But for now, I just wanted to introduce my newest friend to some of my older friends.

Not that kind of older, ok?



Get over it!

Let's be grateful for how old we've gotten to be.

Think of the alternative!

PLAYING CATCH UP

Considering the fact that I usually do two or three paintings each week, you can imagine that I have lots and LOTS of showing and telling to catch up on.

Which I will proceed to do, forthwith!

I am no longer going to ask myself 'What am I going to write about?" because I have decided that I am going to write about my painting...unabashedly and unashamedly.  If I want to write about something else, I will, but be forewarned that this blog will definitely concentrate on my adventures in the joyful, painful, exciting, frustrating world of painting.

That said............

Nearly ever since I moved to Tucson, over 20 years ago, I have passed by a seasonal business.  Every fall, at the same location, up would go a huge tent structure which would soon be filled with all the colorful produce of fall...especially pumpkins!  I never stopped....until this year.

This is Brian and Kelly at their Pumpkin & Tree Patch
(On Broadway between Swan and Rosemont in Tucson, Arizona!)

Aren't they cute?

I took a gazillion pictures of this bright and happy place! 

And then, I went home and started painting.

First I did this.............

And I took it to Brian and Kelly and gave it to them.

They gave me some apples and some chiles and some pears.......THOSE WERE THE BEST PEARS I EVER ATE IN MY WHOLE LIFE!!!!!!!

Yes, I meant to yell!

Of course, I was inspired to paint.
This one features my vintage, spatterware berry pail.

This one shows off hubby's vintage blue Ball canning jars.

And this one is a display of chile ristras on a gnarly tree branch.  Brian and Kelly are so creative with their displays.  It's like one gigantic work of art!

I have an old Mexican clay basket which I used in this painting of chiles.  I have recently started using these square canvases. They just seem to 'work' perfectly for some compostions.

More apples found their way into this painting that I call 'Mama's Kitchen.'  I have rolled out many a pie crust with that rolling pin.  The recipe box was my Mom's.  The yellow tile backsplash is imprinted on my memory...but I can't for the life of me figure out why.  I don't really remember growing up in such a kitchen...but still....it FEELS like a 'mama's kitchen' doesn't it?

I got in the mood to make spaghetti...........

I tried my hand at some peaches in a blue dish.

And then, I was tired of painting food.

I never  painted the pears 'cause...........well, I ate 'em!

I will forever be grateful for the memory of the taste of those pears.  Sigh.

Soon, Brian & Kelly's Pumpkin & Tree Patch will be filled with the scent of freshly cut trees for the Christmas season.  I wonder what I'll be inspired to paint then?

IT'S BEEN TWO MONTHS!

It's been two whole months since I posted my last blog entry.  I can't believe that!  But, it's true.

I am going to try to be more diligent about keeping my blog current.  But I doubt I will go back to daily entries.  That turned into a job...and I'm retired....don't want no stinkin' job!  LOL

I have realized though that I miss these 'visits' with my friends, so I'm going to try to get back on track.

What have I been doing?

No surprises here.  I've been painting. 

And here's the  proof!

That blob is my waste paint.  I've been collecting it in an ice cream container for about the last 4 months.  I do this so I can properly dispose of it...eventually.  Someone, however, suggested a call it a paper weight and try to sell it. 

Somehow, I don't think anyone would shell out any cash for this.  Besides, it's not really very heavy because there's lots of air space in it, so it wouldn't make much of a paperweight.  I do find it interesting...and, for some reason, a little comical looking.

It has taken a whole lot of paintings to produce this much leftover paint.

I will try to show you what I've done since our last visit here on these pages.

I spent some time trying to learn to do  portraits.  That was great fun but probably the most difficult paintings I've ever attempted.

This is the way-too-cute son of one of my family members.

And this is the gorgeous daughter of a very dear friend of mine.

I've also done portraits of a couple of beautiful women.

This is my cousin.

And this is a very special internet friend.

Naturally, I'm still doing my favorite thing to paint....landscapes of this beautiful desert along with some 'different for me' still-lifes.

Maybe I'll show you those next time.

I know many of you have already seen these as I've posted them on my facebook page, so this hasn't been much of anything new.  Sorry about that. 

I'll try to do better next time.  ;)

I remain eternally grateful for the wondrous joy that painting has brought into my life!