Especially if they are ordinary, common words, but dancing on the page in a way that sweeps me up and pulls me into another sphere, that is a gifted writer. And I will stop, and hold the book to my chest, and sigh, and hold onto the moment for a moment. Continue reading It is well
So, tears come easily perhaps. And the pain others put into story form, to allow others to see into their world, see what their challenges and struggles were, see what they rose up from, what brought them to their knees – I feel these things deeply. Continue reading Tears Cresting and Falling – Moved by Literature and Theatre
When something takes on otherworldly proportions because of its simplicity and beauty. Continue reading Restored
Being on the right side of the brain is a little like being on the Left Bank in Paris: relaxing while watching the passing show, listening to the music on the corner. It’s a place to sit around and tell stories and wonder about it all – and most important, to slow down. Call it crazy or lazy, this wisdom may be found only … Continue reading Right Brain, Left Bank and Parenting through Teenage Angst
Because Ben and I are both artists, and experience a large range of emotions, we’ve had to learn about anger and how to handle it, manage it, subdue it, understand it and live with it. We each have a tendency to fly off the handle and we’ve had to study the Primitive Brain otherwise known as the Fight or Flight part of the brain that … Continue reading Primitive Brain – Fight or Flight – and Homework
This was put together originally by Ben and me as a Powerpoint Presentation for his Elementary School Talent Show during the last week of his Fifth Grade Year. I was to voice the narrative, and then the last screen said, “All this has led up to…” and then “Cue the Music,” which started the IRON MAN song by Black Sabbath – and then he walked out … Continue reading Iron Man Build Slideshow
It is easy for me to think I’m learning a lot by bouncing around from web article to web article. And, I actually do have pretty good taste in reading, I think. I’m reading some of the #longreads and the well-thought-out literary reviews. I’m doing some fine reading. But every now and then, I have to decide what areas of my brain I want … Continue reading Plotting my Areas of Growth
Last night for Monday – Murals, we started out with this series of murals from the article Fun New Murals by ROA Utilize Tunisia’s Domed Architecture, then checked out 30 Wonderful Examples of Large Scale Street Art Murals! The boys were blown away by the talent displayed in these murals. They couldn’t get over the enormous vastness of these paintings. We would count the … Continue reading EAT ART Series Might Tempt our Kids to Consider Art School
Mystics hear voices. the question “Do you hear voices?” is used to sort the sane from the insane. And yet, as artists, we do hear voices and most insistently when we seek the guidance for our art. We are led. We are prompted. We are urged. We are called. ~ Julia Cameron, from The Complete Artist’s Way, the 2nd Book, Walking in This World Every … Continue reading Mystics Hear Voices
The thing is, the world of the internet is exciting and terrific and mind-blowing and brilliant. It can also be terrifying. My kids got hand-me-down phones that were so worthless, and non-functional that my husband and I had bought new ones for ourselves. Somehow, as soon as they were in our kids’ possession, they worked perfectly, and the kids had ipods. We had tech … Continue reading How I Became Content Creator for my Kids on the Information Super Highway
Yesterday, after completing Tax Season, and being home again, I was able to finally put into place our new Eat Art feature. Ben and I figured it out on one of our recent walks. We decided on the following schedule for feeding ourselves a rich diet of Art. Monday – Murals Tuesday – The Universe Wednesday – Wonders of the World Thursday – Theater … Continue reading Big, Giant Love and the Theatrics and Science to Make it Happen
Eloquence in words, and turns of phrase, must start with a reverence for the letters themselves; then the words, the sounds, the rhythms and rhymes, the haunting juxtapositions, the intertwining of heart within the lines. All this begins, I believe, with learning the tools, holding them each separately, seeing their singular beauty, and then learning to pair them together beautifully. * * * * * Tracing … Continue reading Loving Language Right Down to the Shape of the Letters
The answer, of course, is “So we can learn to get back up again.” This is a line from Batman Begins that I heard my boys saying to one another after they’d seen the movie, reminding each other of the importance of learning through failure. In the last few months I have been nursing a wound to my writer’s life image of myself, to my … Continue reading And, Why Do We Fall Down?
After Scott and I finished Morning Chores, he left for a day of removing an emergency tree. Ben started his day by inviting me to join him at the Kitchen Table. “We can pull out all the art supplies and just color and draw together – everything but the paints, because that would get too messy.” He said he’d gotten an idea from something he … Continue reading Let’s Start the Day with Art
There are certain kinds of people who can handle antique stores. I know the difference because I have sisters who cannot stand the musty smell or the idea that other unknown people have used these items. When I was little, we would sometimes go for long afternoon drives on Sunday, and just meander around not going anywhere in particular, but looking at things, and taking … Continue reading Dusted off, and Fluffed – Spruced, and Dolled up
For some reason, I want to start at the end this time and work my way to the start. We did an Art Excursion today. The last thing we did was go to the Butte Creek Mill in downtown Eagle Point (a favorite destination) for ice cream bars. It is still chilly in Southern Oregon, so we walked with our treats to a little bench in … Continue reading Dreamy, Sparks Flying Day
After a great first day back home for mom -Art & Music Day out exploring a gallery, and then playing and riding bikes, and getting filthy dirty, “As Boys Should Be,” claim my boys… we had only a few minutes after dinner and cleaning up to watch an incredible video of a Speed Painter. The cool thing about these deals, is that you have to … Continue reading Speed Painting with Astonishing Results
Since I am no longer working full-time at a regular day job, but at home with our farm and our tree service, my preschooler, and my 3rd grader… I am able to pick Ben up from school on his Early Out Wednesday each and every Wednesday, hopefully, and go visit an Art Gallery for Art & Music Day! We started out with Ice Cream cones at the … Continue reading First Wednesday Gallery Visit
That’s right! We have a big plan. Nothing quite as big as this, but big for us. We want to paint the ceiling of our laundry room in honor of Michelangelo’s birthday, March 6th, 1475. This year the date sort of took us by surprise. All of a sudden, it was March 6th again. Next year, we will have more time to plan. We will … Continue reading Gorgeous Works of Heart & Laundry – in Honor of Michelangelo
We get pretty excited over math night at our house. I know this is unusual. It hasn’t always been my most favorite thing in the world. In fact, I think I am like so many people who are either intimidated by math, bored by it, or just confused. Here’s the thing. My boys dig architecture, and building things. They have engineering and technology in their … Continue reading Excitement over Math Night and Getting to Play Games!
Of all the garden books I have, this one has become my favorite. More than anything, it is a poetic journey into the soil and into the very heart of how things grow. Most of my other books have lots of pictures, and how-to elements. This one speaks to my soul, and my heart. I routinely finish reading with tears in my eyes, reminded again … Continue reading Dinosaurs and Dragons in the Garden
Just thinking of the word Perspective tweaks my brain a tad. There are so many points to consider. Last night, my boys and I worked on the idea of a Vanishing Point in art. We looked at some YouTube videos of learning to draw a scene based on a single vanishing point, and all the lines you should draw across the scene to make sure … Continue reading Spatial Relationships on a Flat Surface
We are not staging a revolution. But I read an article by Lisa Russell today on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation blog, Impatient Optimists, which had originally been posted on HuffingtonPost.com, and it struck a chord. We have talked at our dinner table about how the problems of the world will be solved by artists who can combine math, science, creativity, engineering and passion. … Continue reading Young Artists Making Revolution Irresistible
My husband likes Heavy Metal, and periodically feels cursed to know more lyrics than he should to the songs from “South Pacific.” Luckily, he understands the importance of diversity in our musical education of the boys, and was mostly on board with listening to Dave Brubeck piano jazz during dinner prep. He would have preferred Reggae or Classic Rock, but jazz was the deal this evening. Today, … Continue reading Dave Brubeck for Dinner, Walt Disney Animation for Dessert, Late-night Snack of Welding.
First thing I did when Hart came up to me with a deck of cards in his hand, was try to get out of having to see him do a trick. Honestly, that was my initial reaction. Perhaps I’ve been jaded. I don’t remember ever seeing a smarmy magician do cheesy tricks. Maybe I did and then proceeded to block it out. I was sure … Continue reading Illusionist at our Office Party – Mind Officially Blown!
