Fageddaboutit! It's too bloody cold!

It's still raining ice up here in the hilltowns. The cars are completely encased. I need a sledge hammer and a chisel to get them out. I have a can of deicer. Ha! It did work a little but I would need gallons to melt what's there. Well, so you know what I did? Yup. Came back inside, made a cup of tea and painted this picture. Much better. Tomorrow's another day...

Haiku for Anxiety

Anxiety rocks

It's so uncomfortable

But changes follow

Yes, have been feeling a little anxious. It actually started a few days ago.

Sooooo when I woke up at 3:00AM again last night. I painted this picture. It helped 

to focus on something peaceful.

There is a point

Well, there's a lot going on right now and I haven't been posting much. For one thing, Blogger stopped sending email announcements to my subscribers. I haven't decided what to do about  it, yet.

Anyway, it's been a little nutty around here today. I was feeling kinda stressed, so I decided to paint my way back to center. All lines point to the same place. We just can't see what's ahead...but that's another story.

Chanukah Chai-ku

I'm not religious

I don't observe Chanukah

Do I smell latkes?

I found the candles 

The box says ninety-nine cents

It has been a while...

We always got gelt

Mostly we got chocolate

And new pajamas

This is a test

Dear readers,

You may have noticed that you have not been receiving my blog post emails.
There has been a problem with blogger.

Should you, by some chance, get this one, would you send me an
email and let me know?
You can try this link:
andreajf@icloud.com


PLEASE DO NOT HIT REPLY-I won't get it

Thank you 

hugs

Hope to resume the blog soon--one way or another

Do you doodle?

My doodles all used to look the same. I had a repertoire of three or four, but at some point, I began to scribble. I scribbled and/or doodled whatever I happened to be looking at. When I can't give over my full attention to actually draw, scribbling/doodling is mindless, non-threatening and good exercise for creativity muscles. All it takes is something to write on and with.

I think many may dismiss doodling as having no value except to keep one occupied when listening on the phone, at a business meeting or when thinking. I think doodling, scribbling or however I make marks on paper, can be transforming. It can change my mood, help me problem solve, take the edge off. Oh--one important note; my doodles may get saved as an idea for another picture, or get tossed. Either way, I see it as part of my practice.
Toodles

My Totem bows to your Totem

I can't easily explain how this picture came about. There was a prompt in mindfulness class that had to do with oneself and visibility. At some point I drew myself as this Totem. I had the thought that it could help me become more visible and I could better represent my tribe.

Visibility

Following the path

Appears to be a challenge

The fog may be dense

But I can still find my way
Because I've been here before

Awww

So in my last post, Love that creative process, I mentioned that I grew up in a house with no artwork on the refrigerator. Well, Millie pointed out that refrigerator magnets had not been invented yet.
And my sister, Myra sent me this photo. It's her fridge, with my picture on it! Awwww

LOVE that creative process

I felt like taking a nap, but I was too jumpy and cranky. I had a long list of things I could do in the house, but I didn't feel like it. So what to do? My default is to paint.

I tapped R&B Love Songs on Pandora. Turned on all the lights in my studio and filled the jar with water from the tap in the bathroom. Took a piece of not-the-best paper and taped it to a board. I didn't know what I was going to paint. So I opened  a notebook and doodled a bit. Then I wrote:
I'll paint something sunny in spite of the gloom.
Perhaps make a picture as big as my room.
I'll use bright colors to lighten my mood.
I think it works better than looking to food.


OK I'm amused...now what? I still didn't know what to paint. To get some ideas I googled the question on the IPad, "What should I paint?" There were many suggestions as well as variations on my questions. One link led to a quiz. I soon realized it was for kids and it was from the UK. For example it asked, "Who will you show your picture to?" The choices were all along the lines of, "Your mum and dad."Also, "Would you like to see your picture hanging on the refrigerator?"

I don't remember there being any kid art on our refrigerator. Making art was not valued in my house when I was young. A certain amount of creativity was tolerated, but never celebrated or encouraged. In fact I remember being scolded for wanting to draw. "Read a book" I was told. I come from a culture that honors the artwork of masters and geniuses... in museums. In addition, we're told we need the audio tour to understand what we're looking at.

I never thought I could become an artist. I thought one was born with the skills and should be able to produce a masterpiece on demand. Did I ever think for a minute that I could pick up a guitar and just play a song? Yet I believe many people think they should be able to render a decent likeness of their object not considering it takes time and effort to learn how and to practice. Having the belief that the only reason to make art is to make a beautiful picture kept me from deriving joy from the process. Until just a few years ago, I rarely finished a picture. It got crumpled and trashed as soon as my inner critic took one look.

Would I like to see my picture 'hanging on the refrigerator?' Sure, I like compliments, but I LOVE the creative process.

It's all good

I was not thinking of painting today. I was taking care of stuff. I made some new appointments and changed one. I paid bills and balanced my checkbook. I had a freak out first thing in the morning because of a charge to my card that I didn’t recognize and hadn’t authorized. It turned out OK. The charge was for tolls on the Mass Pike. Fast Lane was automatically replenishing my account.

I can’t remember the last time they charged me. I’m not on toll roads very often.

Anyway, it was Monday. There was a list of things to do and I was in a do mode. Just as I had that thought, I looked at the time and realized I can make it to the painting group if I drop everything and go. I put together my travel kit. I took a few sheets of blank paper as I didn’t even have time to sketch something to work on. It was rather peaceful at class and I painted for about an hour and a half.

So...Do you think I’m going to tell you that I just walked away my desk and felt serene and creative? That I stepped into the zone? That I gave myself over to delight in the sensations of dragging a brush across a surface? Do you think I was absorbed and energized by the experience?

Weelll, not exactly. I have to admit I was not at my best. But I did show up. I did distract myself. I did create something from nothing, and I have something to post on the blog. It’s all good.