Blinded by the light (and also golden retrievers)

I started this piece a couple years ago and walked away from it because it was too bright.  Too much.  I felt like it was punching me in the face every time I got it out of my sewing bag.  There's only so much abuse I take from inanimate objects, so I chucked it into timeout.

Recently I heard the call of its Lisa Frank colors and decided to revisit it.  It was about halfway done, and I sat down with it during one of those lulls we all get where there isn't a morsel of creativity to be found.

I ended up finishing it in one sitting.  I'm not afraid to admit that sometimes what I create isn't what I thought it was going to be.  Sunrise colors don't always create a sunrise!

There are quite a few artists that influence my work, and always at the top of that list is Lisa Frank.  For better or worse, she is one of the reasons I love color so much.

I just realized Lisa Frank may also be the reason I love golden retrievers so much. 😂

This piece feels like taking a peek into my ten-year old self.  Blinding, ferocious energy lacking any kind of direction, aiming for sun, waiting a touch too long, but happy to sop up the remaining light.

only sweet and adorable books so far this year

A few good books to share:

The Silver Hills Boarding House by Linda Lael Miller (Adult Fiction)

I enjoyed Lizbet's character and the instant community that comes together for her just when she needs them the most. Though some characters were one-sided, I thought Lizbet's strengths and vulnerabilities were portrayed in such a way that the reader feels instantly protective of her. She handles the role of taking care of her much-younger siblings with aplomb and devotion. I also thought Gabe's strengths and vulnerabilities, which were sometimes the same thing, were also beautifully portrayed.

Though this is the eye-rolling "man rescues woman" trope, Lizbet had to rescue herself first! And she also rescued her brother and sister from God knows what.

I browsed other books by this author and was disappointed to discover that she mostly writes modern day cowboy romances (which is a little too far off the romance path for me). Thankfully there are a few historical romances she has written that I plan on checking out.

This is another win for those looking for a romance that's on the mild side of the spicy scale. It's a gentle read that will have you rooting for the main characters to open up, not just to each other but to themselves as well.

Need a House? Call Ms. Mouse by George Mendoza and illustrated by Doris Susan Smith (Picture Book)

I'm not sure who recommended this.  I usually take notes of recommendations, but failed to do so this time.  Thanks to whoever recommended it!

The illustrations are magical and absorbing and so incredibly detailed. Ms. Mouse is an architectural genius. I completely lost track of time poring over each animal house and all of their incredible details. I think I like this book almost as much as I like Richard Scarry books, and I think other Richard Scarry fans would love this.

If We Were Dogs by Sophie Blackall (Picture Book)

I think it's fair to say that most of us have experienced both sides of this story. I know it's easy for me to get carried away by my enthusiasm, both for something I'm excited about but also for another's excitement as well. It's a nice reminder to listen to ourselves and others, a tricky thing to do! Blackall's illustrations are once again, ridiculously perfect. The reader can easily relate to both characters thanks to their expressions. It's a great book to discuss how emotions affect our body language. I imagine how delightful it would be to mirror the emotions of the characters and talk about how each character's body language changes as the book progresses. Oh and the focus on empathy, advocating for oneself, and acceptance of differences! It is with much sadness I return this to the library! Thankfully I have a niece who is just about ready for this lovely book, so I will be revisiting it and buying her a copy soon.

Whether you read the book or not let me ask you all a question.  Do you see yourself in one of these characters?  Which one?

Dreams

A fellow blogger asked me to share some of my art that comes from dreams.  I often have dreams about roaming the microscopic textures of things such as wood grain, lichen, the veins in rocks.  I also often have dreams where the paint is still wet, which leads me to believe I'm actually a part of the painting.  I also have a strange teapot who keeps appearing with silent advice.  And since I was very young just before I get sick I have dreams of descending steep stairs that are too small for my feet.  It doesn't happen every time, but I take it as a warning when the stairs appear since they have never been wrong.  Many years ago I was fortunate enough to experience, climb, and touch the ruins of Tikal in Guatemala.  They were the exact stairs!

Both my art and poetry are sprinkled with my dreams.  I love working through the layers, examining the symbolism, and I use each dream as a guide.  I'm equally interested in the dreams of others as well.  There are a handful of surefire ways that always make me lose track of time.  Talking about dreams with others is one of those things.

My favorite poem I've written is a mishmash of my thrift store dreams, which is a common setting.

Mixed Media

Here are a few dream-inspired art pieces:

trying to learn from the dogs

Not much to report, which is a very good thing.  I was sick for about a week with food poisoning and then less than two days later a sinus infection.  Thankfully I'm quite familiar with both and know how to handle them - mostly lots of bitching and whining is the best way.  

Work, I believe, is finally slowing some.  Still not quite ahead, but our heads are above water.

I haven't spent much time on my art, but I had some interesting hallucinations while I was sick.  At least I hope that's what they were...Processing dreams is one of my favorite avenues of inspiration, and I also enjoy hearing about other people's dreams.  It's always such interesting fuel for art.

Most importantly, the dogs are happy.  I officially started driving again on February 1st and a few days before that I started taking small walks.  Uneven ground still completely unravels me, and I haven't really been cleared for it yet.  But I can get into the shower and stand there without shoes (as long as I use shoes to get into the shower).  This has been such a huge mood booster for me.  I also stopped wearing my boot at night.  At some point during my food poisoning my self pity reached its peak and I flung the boot off in complete and total misery and suffering.  What an injustice to experience food poisoning and a cumbersome boot at the same time!  Robert and I call these moments first world problems, which is funny after the fact, but nothing's worse than hearing your husband ask if you're experiencing a first world problem, the mock sympathy in his voice making you think twice about whether you threw your boot at the wrong thing.

I was actually cleared to sleep barefoot a few weeks ago, but only if I could have the presence of mind to put the boot on if I got up in the middle of the night.  I no longer have nighttime hallucinations or sleep paralysis thanks to removing dairy from my life, but I am an active sleeper.  A year or so ago I took off running straight from sleep.  I found myself on the floor with my hand completely sliced up.  One of my brothers is a sleep walker and my mom used to have entire conversations with us when she was sound asleep.  So it's likely a family thing.  

My next big challenge is to be able to do 25 single calf raises.  Not sure who has tried this, but it's actually pretty challenging.  It's a step closer to getting back to jumping and running, which are still months away.  But I'm pleased with my progress.  Thrilled to drive.  And thrilled to take some very slow walks (when I'm not doing calf raises or working).

Here is my sweet Goper at work.  She has two of us taking her on walks at work now!

Josie laid like this for almost two minutes.  Talk about some serious dog yoga!  As you can see from the background, we have still not celebrated the holidays here.  Robert's mom was sick for quite a while, Robert and I have been working most weekends, and then I also got sick.  We may have to wait until the end of this year at this point. 😂

They both really know how to relax.  They are definitely experts at it.