On this fresh morning

in this broken world. For Memorial Day, I wanted to post this painting first. Never, not for a second, do I ever not fall down on my knees and humble myself for the men and women who gave their lives for my country and my freedom. In all the wars; the American Revolution, to the Civil War, to World War I and II, to Vietnam, to Iraq, Afghanistan, Persian Gulf and all the modern days wars.  I hate modern day politics with a depth of despair I can barely describe. But I owe a debt to all of the American men and women, civilian and military, who died for my freedom, to live, to blog, to paint, to view what I want, to read what I want, to kiss who I love, to vote, to let my voice be heard. I never take it for granted. Let me live on this fresh morning in this beautiful and broken world for all of those who never will.

This 12 x 12  acrylic mixed-media painting is rare for me in that it came together rather quickly. It incorporates vintage book pages, including a lovely pen and ink illustration of a farm from an old children's book.

I made a stencil of the sweet little bird and typed the beautiful Mary Oliver quote on an old notebook scrap. I've used old wallpaper, a paint chip, and leftover painted scraps as well.

For the first time, I've used F&W acrylic inks that I discovered in an art class taught by Tracy Verdugo. I really love them. I painted in some elements of the tree and farmhouse using Tim Holtz Distress Inks which I'm also enamored of.

I'm always trying to develop my own iconography unique to me and most often it is represented by lettering and numerals. Considering I'm a librarian, it feels authentic. In a number of recent pieces I've used some old fragments of rub-ons that I've stashed away for a number of years. I get a little hoardy when it comes to rub-ons (that sentence sounds a little unladylike), so I'm glad when I use them instead of always looking for something new to buy or something else out there to acquire.

Infamous Me

On the subject of fame and followers, I must pause here a moment and give a sweet embrace and "thank you" to my single stalwart follower Kathryn.

I must admit, I find it an enormous relief to have no followers and the freedom to do whatever I want here, knowing no one (except loyal Kathryn) will really see it. I just assume no one in the blogosphere is viewing this in general. *postscript. I've been abandoned by my one follower in 2013 and so I'm really only talking to myself here. I find that quite lovely actually. What an enormous relief. I have NO FOLLOWERS! Yay! 3/30/2016.

So then I ask myself why I do I have this blog? I have no idea. But because I have no followers, I don't feel especially guilty (just a wee bit) that I neglect this blog so regularly.

I have an enormous (to me) following on Pinterest and at times, I wish I had the anonymity I have here.

At any rate, I do kind of miss my little blog here so I think I'll be more caring towards it and post a bit.

My gracious BFF Vasia has invited me back as a guest artist on her The Suggested board, so I'll post my newer work and talk a little more in depth about it.

I'm not exactly sure what INFP stands for, because heaven forbid I should research anything when I'm goofing off at home, but I think I am one. Onwards...

For Meredith

Ain't it funny how time slips away

Today is the retirement party for my friend Meredith Fleming. She and I met at UC Berkeley when I was a young thing straight out of college. I've always worked in libraries, but my first "career" library job was at the Moffitt Undergraduate Library in 1983 and Meredith was a truly scary interviewer on the panel that hired me.

1997. I love how we match each other. Swanky!

I left UCB in 1998 and every few years she'll call or e-mail and we'll just pick up the conversation where we left it in 1998. There aren't that many friends one can do that with.

I love Meredith because even though our childhoods, our lives couldn't be more different, she saw the goodness in me and I saw the goodness in her and we became friends.

What I loved about her is that she would come to work every day in these incredibly high stiletto heels and most days, a hat. Snug-fitting dresses...she was The Bomb way before that was ever slang.

 Fifteen years we worked together.  I called her today to send her off with my love, she said that she was going to quote Al Green's song, "Funny How Time Slips Away" in her retirement speech. Indeed it does.

I'm so happy for her and I'm both deeply happy and deeply sad for all the life and death and happiness and disappointment that has happened in between all these intervening years. Here's to old friends and people who knew us when we were young. I love you Meredith. Thank you for being a friend to me. Clink!

Every Hour of the Light and Dark

 

To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle, every cubic inch of space is a miracle.

 WALT WHITMAN. Miracles.

 

Sleeping In

It's all in the masquerade