Watercolor was my thing in high school. I loved it, but found it more and more permanently persnickety as years passed. Kinda like spilling red wine on a white tablecloth ;). Getting ready for my new job has been such a creative shot in the arm, as I’ve got to delve into all sorts of media again and rediscover just how fun they can be.
Creating this line and color study of that driveway leaf was such a throwback joy. Next up is a sketchbook cover assignment, which I’m sure will include even more watercolor and maybe even a few chopped up pieces of that Seville-inspired linocut.
And…can’t wait for it…a collage piece inspired by an artist I discovered on a day trip to Boston. Not only are her pieces fantastic explosions of vibrant color, they are also art therapy at its finest. I hope my students get as much out of that creative process as I do.
Well, here it is, summer. Between driving the kids all over creation, finally sorting through years of photos, and refinishing a piece of furniture or two, I have the enviable task of creating a whole slew of art in all kinds o’ media. It’s prep for a year’s worth of high school level art therapy plans for fall: drawing, fiber art, mixed media, clay, printmaking.
Fast forward a few hours to a Target trip, where I saw this, and there was the nudge of inspiration I needed in the card aisle, of all places: I’m planning a delicate study of this little leaf, over and over, in a rainbow riot of color.
Months before I left for Spain, a gorgeous photo of a vertigo-inducing aqueduct bridge popped up as my Microsoft screen saver, with the usual caption, “Like what you see?” YES. So much so that Madeleine and I included the Spanish hill town of Ronda in our adventures. The 90 minute drive there from Seville was one of the prettiest I’ve ever traveled, with the flat orange and olive green topography changing way to deep purples and greens as we drove winding roads up the hills.
This has been quite a spring: Two days before I left for Spain, I learned my main job was downsizing next school year, but do I have the luck of the Irish :). That luck includes fantastic art therapy colleagues who let me know of a “hardly ever happens” opening and helped me, in so many amazing ways, secure an interview and prep for it. Rachel, Alison, and Aaron…you rock. Cue weeks of too much zero-dark-thirty running and a fairly constant loop of the Beastie Boys and Eminem during my commute, and you might well imagine my stress level despite all their selfless help.
Spain with Mattie was such a treat: seeing my beautiful girl, touring gorgeous cities, taking in all the ancient buildings, narrow cobblestone streets, convents with obscure systems for buying nun-made marzipan (really!). It only took me a couple days to figure out what Mattie was saying to the tapas bar servers, too: “A mi madre le gustaria otro vaso de vino tinto.”
My kids and I have an annual ritual in November. I buy a dozen gigantic pomegranates at Costco, and we sit around the table getting the seeds ready to freeze. Occasionally we expel Jack from the lineup, as he eats more than he leaves.
A slew of landscapes are on their way…as yet unseen. I’m soon to be in Spain to see my oldest, Madeleine, who is studying abroad this semester. I am beyond excited to experience some Spanish culture with her, and simply to relax, with a book tucked in my bag and my iPhone camera at the ready. I’m sure I’ll capture loads of beautiful vistas as well as empty glasses of rioja :).
Last week was a rough one with news from Parkland, FL.
As I drove to work on January 2, following a two week holiday break filled with rest, wonderful family time, long-overdue home chores, and some lovely and memorable evenings with friends old and new, I was captivated by the last bits of the Supermoon while stopped at a red light. What a sight it was, lifting the ordinary to something ethereal and beautiful. What is it about all things space which are so captivating? Whatever it is, one of my new year’s resolutions is to spend more time looking up, as I used to do before life got so busy. Two of my fondest memories are of seeing the space shuttle Discovery flying over D.C. back in 2012, and setting my alarm for 3:00am to go outside and see the Perseids meteor shower one gorgeous night. Time to get back to that.
What on earth do this bird and Bruce Springsteen have in common? Well, let me tell you ;). Years ago, I totaled my ex-husband’s car…all for Bruce. It seemed really, really important at the time to listen to Tunnel of Love on my way home from work, and fiddling with the cassette deck (I’m aging myself!), I rolled the car on a deserted stretch of rural highway. I really did mend my ways, until 18 years later. As I led a caravan of minivans through a beautiful stretch of forest to Girl Scout camp, I spotted this gorgeous bird, a summer tanager, and almost slammed on the breaks for a better look. It was just so amazingly and thoroughly red against a backdrop of solid green. But a gravelly, New Jersey-inflected voice (surely it was the Boss) whispered in my ear and guided me against Tunnel of Love Total v. 2.o. A close call…but what a bird. I’ve not seen one in person since, so have bestowed upon it unicorn-like qualities in my mind.