Haiku My Heart Friday

Smiling she whispers

"and we are the same person"

I know what she means

For more haikus- check out Rebecca's "Haiku My Heart Friday"  links- and join in the fun!

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Summer Begins

I taught my last class on Thursday then spent the rest of my week getting ready for father's day... and now, I am ready for planning some time to be creative.  I am a constant list maker... unfortunately, I am not as great at completing the lists that I create.  Life is still overwhelming- but maybe that is just the nature of having a full life.

So... in the interest of trying to organize my chaotic life, I thought I should create a list for my summer!  Who knows, maybe I will surprise myself and actually complete a couple of things!

1. Work on the creative projects around reading for Caya.  She has been so super interested in reading lately!  I want to do whatever I can to nurture her curiosity and help her have fun learning.
2. Plan and run my first art therapy group on the coast.  I have been tossing around some ideas with a friend about running some art therapy weekend workshops.  I am not entirely sure of the subject matter- some ideas I have been thinking of are infertility, loss, and creative blocks.
3. Start writing an art therapy intervention book.  I have been working in this field for such a long time- and I have so much practical knowledge that I think could be useful.   Even if I got a basic outline done, I would be happy.
4. Sew!  
5. Complete at least two new paintings- and post at least five paintings by the end of summer.   I have a few pieces that still need to be photographed.  

So that is my future.  Of course, I would also like to spend more time with my family.  We had such  a fun day today- just being together, eating good food, and celebrating.  One of the gifts  I got my husband was a palbum from palbums.com.  They are utterly adorable mini albums you can keep in your pocket-  I totally love them!

Mermaids & Me

So I finally finished and photographed my mermaid painting.  Now I have decided that I don't like it.  It just feels like it needs something.  I started to draw all over the finished painting- little jellyfish in white prismacolor.  I think I like it a bit more- but I am not entirely sure.  I don't know if I should paint in the jellyfish- or leave them as pencil marks ...
I have a history with mermaids.     Twenty years ago, I was a performance artist and played a mermaid at art openings and other happenings.  I used to bring a bucket of gummy worms and would squeal until children would feed me.  I loved being a messy weird mermaid- not the romantic kind in folktales.  Here is a picture I found of myself as a mermaid nearly twenty years ago!  (Thanks Rachel Diebuechse for keeping this image around!)

I have always been strangely drawn to mermaids.  I think it maybe something about how they live underwater.  Dream interpreters often say that water symbolizes emotions  I definitely live in my emotions.  Now I have a daughter who is also a pretty emotional little creature.  I have an intense fear of drowning- which may be a fear of my emotions one  day fully overwhelming me.  Maybe I should take some swimming lessons.
I don't care much for the story of the little mermaid.  The notion that in order for the mermaid to be with the one she loved she needed to give up her voice always bothered my feminist sensibilities.  My daughter has not seen that movie yet, and when she does- I will have to make sure that she knows that no one is worth taking away her voice.  But that is another matter.
A psychic once read my past lives and told me that in one life I used to be a healer.  I would go to the ocean to collect items I would use to heal people. Funny, because in this life- going to the ocean and staring at the waves is the one thing that always helps when life is too much.  Maybe it has something to do with how big the ocean is.  My problems seem so trivial in comparison.
So, back to my painting.  I was thinking of the jellyfish as a kind of peril surrounding the mermaid.. but maybe they were only a peril imagined by the mermaid.  Maybe that is why they are just a drawing and not fully painted in.  Not sure.  I will have to keep wrestling with it.

Saturday and the children are sleeping

It was a beautiful day today- and I had a little time to take some photographs of some work!  I am still workinig in photoshop to fix all the colors, crop, etc... but thought I would share a piece.  I have been using photoshop for a very long time, but have no formal training.  I just have fun- and use the undo key constantly.  Sometimes after I finish a painting, I will turn it into a completely different piece of art by manipulating edges, color, texture, contrast etc.  In the above painting, I first copied the image on a second layer... then I went to the filter tab, and under stylize,  I used the "find edges" tool.  I punched up the color a bit then made the layer semi-transparent.   It is so much fun!  Below is the unedited painting:-)  I don't know which one I like better.  What do you think?

This painting is another one inspired by my daughter.  She was sleeping so peacefully- and I was wondering what she was dreaming about.  I would love to illustrate a children's book with my daughter as a main character.  I know that I should feel extremely blessed in this economy to have a good job that pays well- and that I get to share art with children in therapy every day- but sometimes, I wish for so much more...
Thanks for all of your comments.  I love the advice I get from other artist mothers out there!  I know things will get easier as the little ones grow.  Right now, I am exhausted!!! 

this month's inspirations and distractions...

I have only been posting once a week here lately.  I feel like I am running a marathon.  For the next four weeks, I am teaching two classes on cross cultural psychology at the local university.  I love the class and I feel it is so important- but with the baby, my daughter, and my regular job- I am thinking this maybe my last semester.  We will see.  I love the passionate voices, the debates about racism, and the way I can feel like an ally to those who are disenfranchised by psychology... but the classes have me working very long hours- I get home after the kids are already asleep twice a week.  I know it is just for four weeks, but I still can't help but feel so guilty.   I also feel like it is hard to get art time in.  But, I thought I would share some of the things I have been thinking about lately:-)

Since my last post, I thought I would include a little picture from my daughter. I have a watercolor station set up on the dining room table.  She paints at least ten pictures a day.  She has always loved to make a mark.  I try very hard to intersperse her paintings with mine around the house.  She talks about how we are artists.  I love it.  I think she is pretty advanced for three and a half!  (But of course, I am her mother.)  But seriously, don't you love those color choices!

 I also was feeling a bit guilty about not talking very much about my sweet little Leo.  He is so quiet and non-demanding, that I am afraid he often doesn't get the same attention as his sister.  I realized that I haven't even played with his image yet!  So, I decided to use the picture I took of him this morning at Caya's dance class and have some fun with Photoshop.  I think he will have to be a painting very soon.  (I have already started a Caya inspired tantrum painting- but he is definitely next!)
  Weather permitting, I will take some nice images of my newest Frida painting and offer a print this week as a giveaway.  I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend...