Shoe Re-do

When each of my Mother-in-laws children got married, Billy and my marriage being the first, I painted her a small painting (12"x12") of the brides shoes. (My wedding shoes are the bottom one's.) Jane actually asked me if I would do that for her after she saw another shoe series I did way back in the 90's. You can see those '90's versions below.

Now, 15 years later, there is another wedding. Sara my youngest sister-in-law, is getting remarried after going through a divorce four years ago. The wedding is at the end of July. So here's the question. Do I gesso over the original painting to do the new version, or do I start over again with a new canvas? If so, do I just toss the painting?

Thanks Michelle

I've been a bit on the pity pot,
Annie and I being sick and all.

So when I saw Michelle's latest post
calling for companionship in her anti-SAD campaign,
I jumped on it.

I went right upstairs to get this little present
I painted for Annie on her eighth month birthday,
photographed it, and it is my first Celebration of Color,
or Fighting Off the SAD post.

I don't think I will be able to move through the rainbow as Michelle is doing, since little of my creations fall on the monochromatic side.

I will try and post for seven days featuring
(mostly) things that I've created that represent
vitality, hope, love, and inspiration.

Please join in if you'd like.

Room With a View

When I look out of my window, from either my studio or from my living room, I am greeted by this wonderful old shingled house. It's in great shape and the brown color is soothing to me, plus for the last few weeks, the huge, showy, blossoming tulip tree against the house is totally alive and singing a song of Spring!

Ahhhh! I love the view!
The house is owned by a charming woman Corinna. She's probably in her late 70's, I'm guessing. I see her out there gardening and she loves a visit from us. Really I think it's Annie that brings her the most pleasure though. Our plan was to take over the watercolor sketch pictured above that I did, (with help from Annie) this morning, but Annie has the stomach-flu-from-hell and we are only going as far as the bathroom then back to her bed! Ugh!
I believe we've got everything we need to make it through this bug thanks to Dr. Nieters (a million thanks you's!) who made a surprising house call around noon. He did a check-up on Annie and gave her herbs and medicine to keep her from getting dehydrated and to stop the vomiting.

Send Annie any healing thoughts if you can! She's miserable.

Mama in Her Orange Robe-by Annie

Who knew I looked so good making breakfast today?

Virtual Sketch Date

Annie and I have decided to join in and do Virtual Sketch Date.

Each month you do a sketch, painting, pen and ink, whatever, of the image they offer. Then you post your piece on your blog, and then VSK posts all entries and you can see all of the different works others have done of the same image.

Annie and I named this piece Dapple for obvious reasons.
We did sketches in pencil, then used watercolors. Annie finished hers off with pen and ink.

All I Wanna Do

O.K. So I started the mural. And I can't stop! It's all I want to do! I'm still blocking in the first layers of basic colors and shapes and I have soooo far to go. I'll admit I've taken on an enormous challenge with this mural. A much bigger one than I anticipated. It is a whopping 32' in total length and to achieve the look I want, I will use a dry-brush technique (hardly any water, mostly paint) loading up the brush with a few colors to get a soft grassy look, one that is touched with the orange glow of sunset (or sunrise?). All of this on a ladder with the light changing constantly. I can only paint for about 30-40 minutes, at the most, each time I make a go of it. Then I'm pooped. My arms are getting a workout, so are my legs, my eyes and my brain.


On top of working on this exciting project, of course our life wants constant attention. Food to be made, dishes to be washed, hair to be brushed, brownies to be baked for the Homeschooler Obama Bake Sale (we made over $600!), animals to be fed, books to be read, phone calls to make, laundry etc.,etc. You know what I mean.



Since I find it hard to even walk through the dining room without picking up a brush, I'm trying not to go in there unless I can paint for a while. That is one way I'm trying to have balance (or restraint) with this project.

I feel nervous showing WIP photos because there is so much that will be different when completed (like the peachy sky, that's just a first layer) but I will post a few here so you can see what I'm up to. Oh, and if you didn't see the initial phase of sketches, you can find them here.

My Seventh Heaven

To commemorate the seven fascinating, exhilarating and wonderful years of living with Annie, I am painting her seven-year-old portrait. I haven't done one of her since she was five as a gift for Grandma Jane (see very bottom photo).

Can you picture Annie and I, working side-by-side in the studio, listening and singing along to Van Morrison and Annie keeps ohhing and ahhing about how beautiful the painting looks with every brushstroke I make? It is so fun! She is really excited about the whole process. Today she wore the tutu I sketched her in so she could pose for me. (Right! If she would only sit still for a minute!)

My hope with this painting is to capture the young woman I keep getting glimpses of and still show the wild little girl that I'm so crazy about. I'm showing her wearing her kitty ears and her kitty tail, and of course the bright turquoise tutu that Molly gave her that looks so good on her.

I've painted portraits before and I find it very challenging. And this portrait is doubly hard! Annie's face is one I look on day in and day out and I know it well, so while I paint it, I can see it looks a bit like her, but it doesn't capture her magic. I'm going for the magic! I'll keep you posted.

I'll Take Wimsy

I stumbled onto the site of Johanna Murphy purely by accident, and every time I peek at her illustrations they warm my heart and tickle my funny bone. And I will say, after being in escrow for going on six weeks, my funny bone needs a little tickling. I don't want to gallop ahead of the whole process and say "we got it" until I've got the keys in my hands. Although I will say "we're really close!"

So close I've started to pack.

Layers of Love

My dear friend Mary Ann has started a blog highlighting her most recent studio work. You can link to Blue Sky Dreaming here. Her studio is in Capitola California where she works and lives with her poet husband Pablo and the ocean breezes. The whole time I have known her, I guess about ten years, she has always had a series going. When it ends, another begins. I'm amazed at her drive. And inspired. And a little jealous.

I grabbed two pieces off her blog to show here. She works in many mediums from paint, paper, fiber to found object. When I look at her work I see her expert hand creating layers of stories and possibly some kind of map to her dreams. Maybe they are breadcrumb trails, left behind while out exploring so she can find her way back to an internal place of peace? I love thinking about it. I also love how the layers build up on her canvas or paper... colors, imagery, textures, paint strokes and threads, stacked up, one on top of the other holding secret prayers, desires, celebrations, and questions about the eternal. Oh yes. And about love!

I believe Mary Ann knows a bit about love.
I love you M A.

Spring Feelings

We are busy over here with our feet in the grass and the breeze in our hair! My lack of blogging is really a celebration of Spring, and an expression of our engagement with the world! We are feeling content, joyful and very connected to each other! The following is a sampling of what we've been up to;

Annie and I pulled our bikes out of winter-mode and have been riding all around town.

The aviary is abuzz with nesting, laying eggs and sorting out who goes with who. We are finding and offering different nesting materials for the hens.

Lots of croquet in the back yard! Goodwill find for $9.99!

Making long, drawn out breakfasts that include Annie's version of Fanny Farmers pancakes. (Add ricotta and an extra egg. Leave out the baking soda.)

A T.V free week!! (I hate T.V., Annie loves it!)

We made home-made watercolor cards for Spring with Illana. I painted mushrooms and chicks, Annie and Illana did everything under the rainbow.

We made home-made butter yesterday to surprise Pop!

Went on a windy picnic with Willow and Lazuli to Point Isabelle with Jasper.

Recent Works by Annie

The works above are all in watercolors. The brand is Pentel and they are very rich and easy to use. Just squeeze, add water and voila (or "walla" as Annie pronounces.) I think they are an exciting step up from the pads of watercolors that are usually offered to kids. The painting on the table is one of the many paintings she had done of what she thinks god looks like. A long time ago I pointed out the "eye" on the trunk of a birch tree, and told Annie that I always thought of them as the eyes of god, and she must remember that because most of her god paintings look like the eyes of a birch tree. Of course the portrait shown above is a self portrait, and I love how energetic and alive it is.

The pieces below are actually two details of a very large wall mural that Annie has been working on in tempra of God and the Earth. The god with the (tiny mouth) is worried about the one side of the earth that is being filled with chemicals. I've got it hanging in the dining room and I'm enjoying the scale and the story she is depicting, just as it is.

WIP Tuesday

Having Billy home for three days in a row felt absolutely fantastic! Ahhh. Before we moved we saw a lot more of him. Every day he was home for lunch, with us longer in the mornings and back with us earlier each evening. Now he's gone before we rise, then home later and more tired. Having him here for three days in a row made me realize how much I miss him. Annie too. On top of just enjoying him around, we were able to do stuff around here that we both wanted to do, and I could almost finish the dining room mural!

Of course the mural is "Chinese." I wanted to emulate Chinese wallpaper or screens. Only really pumped up color. With the dark wood paneling, these colors just pop. I'm a little surprised I've gone so bold and colorful. I'm normally so demure. The house just begged for it though. So, really I was just obeying the walls! There are six clusters of bamboo, peony and bird groupings, and here are three. I'm still in the painting-mode. I'll go back over it for a clean-up mode, then I'll take some pics (maybe a movie with Bloggers new addition of video.) Of course, the three little blue birds are Billy, Annie and I. Other birds include Nana, Frances Farrell, Grandma Mildred and Aunt Shirley. Oh yea, Grandpa Al too. Or maybe I still have a bird in me for Jerry Sieler. Maybe a small turkey vulture. Just kidding Pat. Tee hee.

Sneak Peak

Today is two weeks since we've moved into this new house.
We've worked hard to get settled and to get it functional and (somewhat) enjoyable. I do like the house a lot, and there is something hard about it. I think I've figured it out though. It's the color. Basically there is black (the dark woodwork) and white. I'm finding that I'm unable to just live with the white of the walls, and as much as I'd like to relax and ignore it, I'm thinking a lot about color. So I'm painting the living room and dining room. I know the burnt pumpkin color is very bold... and yet I'm going forward. What do you think? The mustard color in the living room is very similar to the color I had in the May Avenue house and I know we like it and it works with most of our furniture and belongings. I've also written a few surprise love notes on the walls to Annie for her to read before I paint them over. So, I'm down off of my ladder for these few moments to load these pictures and write this post, partly because LaLa is curious to see how it's coming along.

You Can't Take Them With You

I knew when I painted these murals that if we ever moved, we would miss them. And now we are. And we will. Especially the mural in Annie's room. I painted the whole mural the weekend of June 10th 2000 and Annie was born February 28 2001. That's 40 weeks exactly! I probably painted it the weekend she was conceived! I painted the moon and sun at her request when she was almost two. They are up above her dresser and bookshelf shining down on her while she slept and played.

The trees and birds painting above is supposed to be Billy and I as birds on a swing calling out to the universe for a baby to adopt. I painted Annie as the little hummingbird waiting in the tree. Can you see her?




Goodbye little house!

SF Fantasies

Tonight I was poking around in my studio, trying to get an idea of what to keep and what to let go of for our upcoming move, when I found this gouache painting my mom did in '66. I'm not a person who believes in "signs" or "messages", but I did feel comforted and reassured by this little painting. It reminds me of how much my Mom loved the city, and how I love it too!

You know, I was born in Berkeley and have enjoyed San Francisco and the Bay Area all of my life. La La Pat said that she remembers she and Mom taking me over the bridge to the city when I was just a few months old. I've always loved visiting SF and I've actively fantasized about living there, mostly when I was in my teens and twenties. I don't think Bill has any SF fantasies. This worries me... We always thought we would go more rural than more urban. I dread him being unhappy, almost as much as I dread really loving it and having to leave it.

I'm trying to remember all the facts, and I don't have all the details organized in my head but I believe my Maternal Grandmother and Grandfather both lived, met, fell in love and got married in SF, my Great Great Grandmother and Grandfather lived and spent their last days there as well. Pat, can you set me staight...?

little frida

Once again Annie is in her "Frida" mode. Most days she's asking for a uni-brow, braids on her head and festive dress. She also wants to look at the works of Frida Kahlo which can be bloody, sad and intense. Yikes! I've told her about Frida's life and how her body was injured and that it had a lifelong and painful effect on her health and life. Thankfully there are all the wonderful images of life too. Frida with animals, friends and flowers. And of course, with a paintbrush. Viva Frida!

New Skill

I'm fooling around with adding a watermark to the photos that I publish. Have you noticed? What do you think? Too much or subtle enough? Michelle over at Green Kitchen has a tutorial on how-to under her July archives. That's where I got the idea. I added MakingPeace over the photo and changed the opacity, just enough to leave a light impression on the photo. I'm not too worried about thievery, so I'm not quite sure why I'm doing it. Partly to claim my photos and to make it harder for others to use them without crediting them back to me.
Since loosing all of my archives and customizations for this blog, I'm researching moving it to another platform and changing the name. I've been surfing around different blogs, looking at who is using what to blog. I see lots of Typepad, Blogger, and people with their own websites. I checked out my SBC offerings and there I can have a website with my own name (i.e. makingpeace.com rather than makingpeace.blogspot.com) and that appeals to my need for independence and autonomy. I want to check out the services available to me and get real feedback from users before I make any decisions.
Just last April, I stumbled onto my first blog and was captivated and excited. By May I had explored more and decided to give it a try myself, and it has turned into something I really enjoy and have some attachment to. As for new names, the only thing I have on my mind is MayAvenue. I like the name and it would match my Etsy store, MayAvenueStudio.

Photo above is a detail of Morning Light, a painting of Annie Christmas morning 2004. Acrylic on canvas.