Remember: A Creative Miscellany

sketchbook cuties + an update

2011-07-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

Well now. It appears I’m on another unplanned hiatus!

My laptop started having hard-drive fits awhile back, so now it is spending some time in a closet while I enjoy a summer of reduced time online! This was one of those moments where it seemed like the universe was giving me what I needed. For a while I’d been feeling like the connections in my brain were starting to mirror my internet habits – excitedly clicking from one interesting or inspiring website to the next in a distracted and sometimes chaotic way. You see, I’m the kind of person who often has 20+ browser windows open at once. My mind was starting to feel that way too. I needed a chance to get down to just two or three windows (metaphorically speaking), with some time for no thinking at all. So the computer problems were timely.

My weeknights are now more about painting, reading, and writing, with several meditation sessions thrown in each week. I minimized my studio after the dust settled (literally) from our attic insulation project. I've been sketching with pencil and watercolors a few favorite objects and keep things very uncomplicated. The other art supplies are put away. And, as I’ve written about before, I seem to do better with limited choices when it comes to creating.

No doubt the laptop will get fixed in the fall, but right now I’m enjoying things. I’ll pop onto the blog whenever I can from Erik’s computer, but the quiet stretches will continue for a while.

Hope you all are well.

P.S. These are scenes from my sketchbook taken earlier this year.

bathroom style

2011-06-24T07:07:00.000-07:00

I am generally quite content having only one bathroom, but every once in awhile I long for a pretty "guest" bathroom that is always clean and never cluttered with toiletries, hair dryers, shavers, toothbrushes, etc. Should we ever live in a house with two bathrooms, I would style it like my aunt's: mostly white, interesting artwork, and plenty of handmade and vintage linens.

A Victorian Palace in Port Townsend

2011-06-21T07:28:00.000-07:00

I was going to write something akin to a review of our stay at the Palace Hotel in Port Townsend last summer, but, alas, the details are fuzzy, so I will just share some pictures and make a few comments along the way.

As you can see, this place is very Victorian. It even began to rub off on me! The rooms and common areas were spacious and grand ... though the pink was a bit much.

We snooped around in the morning when housekeeping was begin to clean the other rooms. Those on the third floor had lovely views of the bay and, in general, better decor (although some had some strange modern kitchenette thingies added to the room).

No shortage of unique architectural details...

These two rooms on the third floor looked to be the best -- tall ceilings, big windows, very open and airy.

And here's the outside of the hotel -- the perfect location along Port Townsend's main downtown street. Restaurants are nearby and there's a cute cafe on the ground floor. While certainly not the most luxurious accommodations in town, it was a good mix of comfort, value, and historic charm.

visual storage

2011-06-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

There is an interesting closet in the Maryhill Museum that is covered in Plexiglas so you can look in to see their collection of stored sculptures.

I thought this was perhaps one of the most fascinating spots in the entire museum!

bathroom vignettes

2011-06-17T10:25:00.000-07:00

Keeping it simple this Friday with just a few more artistic clutter photos...

Enjoy your weekend!

sketchbook silliness

2011-06-16T07:05:00.000-07:00

Presenting....

The Friday Night Cats of Portland!

Yes folks, drawing silly cats is not an atypical Friday-night activity for me. :-)

"Fergie" was Erik's reluctant contribution. :-)

Leroy is my favorite.

"Put a bird on it!"

checkmate!

2011-06-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

My favorite chess sets in the Maryhill Museum collection:

recycle, redecorate

2011-06-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

Here's a project I haven't done in awhile...

An empty Republic of Tea canister covered with collage materials and sealed with Modge Podge. They make a great Christmas present when filled with a unique loose-leaf tea.

pastel prints and paintings

2011-06-13T07:43:00.000-07:00

The basement at the Maryhill Art Museum is full of wonderful prints, most by Rodin. I found his loose, simple style greatly inspiring, though the museum's lighting was not so good for photography. I was contorting my body into all sorts of weird positions, trying to dodge the reflections of their can lights.

The three Rodin prints above remind me of the work of Cathy Cullis, whose authentic and expressive paintings and sketches I really enjoy.

The museum also had a nice exhibit on Loie Fuller -- a pioneer of modern dance who lead a very interesting life in Paris around the turn of the century.

art supplies for the traveler

2011-06-11T16:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Weekend, everyone! I had a question from a reader about the art supplies I like to take along on the road. So here we go...

Usually my supplies consist of a ziplock bag filled with the following:

small palette of artist's watercolors (such as Windsor Newton)
two Nigi Waterbrushes (one round, one flat; you fill the tubes with water -- very handy and actually a pretty decent brush)
drawing pencil, pencil sharpener, and eraser
small jar for water and a paper towel
two pens for sketching -- such as the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen and the Pen & Ink brand sketch fountain pen (fine point -- oh, and extra India ink, though I always seem to have bad luck with leaking bottles!)
and a glue stick

Sometimes I bring along a few of my nicer watercolor brushes (round #6 and #8) and some watercolor pencils (I use those by Faber-Castell).

I've been experimenting with bound journals/sketchbooks over the last year, trying to find one I really like. Last year I took a large spiral-bound Canson "all media" sketchbook with me on our road trip. It has medium-weight, watercolor-type paper with a decent amount of texture so it works with pastels and charcoal, too. It gets the job done, but definitely buckles with wet mediums:

A much more refined-looking journal is this one below, which is not spiral-bound and has a nice gray linen cover -- made by Hand Book Journal Co. The paper is similar to the Canson -- enough texture to accept different media, but not so much that it hinders writing with a fine-tipped fountain pen. The rounded corners are an elegant touch too....

Much to my surprise, I think my favorite journal is this one by The Bee Paper Company:

It's not perfect, but I really like that the paper is relatively smooth, but still heavy enough to accept watercolor without problems. You get a bit of buckling, but overall it's no worse than the Canson journal. The pen glides over this paper so much easier, which is essential for me because I like to mix in plenty of writing. I don't think spiral-bound books are very pretty, but they sure make things easier out in the field!

Here's a sample from the Bee "super deluxe" book above (which is also the one I took to Malheur this year). This was done using my fine-tip fountain pen mentioned above.

The Pentel Pocket Brush gives a very different effect. A bit less refined, but you can sketch very quickly with this pen as it just glides across the page. These portrait sketches below were done with the same pen:

***

There you have it -- my favorite art supplies in one bag. BTW -- I've taken several cues from Roz Stendahl, whose journals I absolutely love. She recently did a free video series for Strathmore and her art supply recommendations in the last class are spot on.

Enjoy!

things are growing like crazy!

2011-06-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

Wow -- a little rain, a little sun and suddenly our veggie garden looks like the real deal! We've been enjoying abundant mustard greens with dinner most evenings recently. I bought fresh oysters and clams at the farmer's market last weekend and they were so good cooked with garlic, butter, white wine, and homemade stock, and served with some rice and greens on the side. YUM. (The oysters were a lot of work though. Oi. And I made a royal mess prying the shells open and then an even bigger mess pounding them into the pieces for the compost.)

Mustard Greens!!

Tomatoes and basil!

Our strawberry plants have seriously multiplied this year. I just hope we can get at the ripe berries before the birds do.

We had lots of apple tree blossoms this spring. Does that mean lots of fruit, too? I hope so. We only had two wormy-looking apples last year!

Our frequent garden guests -- a family of Band-Tailed Pigeons. I actually wasn't quick enough with the camera, because three flew off the feeder before I snapped this picture. Wednesday night there were 12 trying to get at the food! It's even more hilarious when they try to bathe in the bird bath.

And here's the E-man working on rain garden #3 yesterday morning. His beard is also growing like crazy!

At the end of the day he had the bioswale formed, the downspout connection made, and some footings in place for the little wooden bridge we're planning to add. The next step is to add some bigger shrubs to camouflage the ugly tree stump and back fence. Erik already has one growing in a pot, waiting to be transplanted:

...a "skylark" Blue Blossom -- his favorite

Today he's off to the ever-awesome Bosky Dell Nursery to pick up some more rain-garden plants. A perfect sunny day for such a trip.

Well, that's the news around here. Happy Friday!

day by day

2011-06-09T07:21:00.000-07:00

In the late spring of 2006, I kept a few pages in my journal that looked like this: A short list of the day's highlights, including the weather, bike rides, farmer's market trips, good food cooked for dinner, etc. I wish I'd never stopped these little daily records. Each one on its own doesn't say that much about my life five years ago, but taken together they bring up other memories and the general flavor of life back then. Even still, it's a wonderful thing to remember those simple moments for which I was (and still am) grateful.

fashion mini

2011-06-08T07:13:00.000-07:00

Upstairs at the Maryhill Museum we founded an unexpected and unique collection of fashion dolls all wearing highly-detailed Parisian outfits from the 1940s.

Their history goes something like this:

It's a story of couturiers, set designers, milliners, shoe and glove makers, jewelry designers and other artisans joining together after WWII to create a show of their fashions in miniature: Théâtre de la Mode. Nina Ricci’s son Robert first conceived the idea as a way to showcase Paris’s fashion industry while raising money for war victims. The 27" tall dolls and their sets toured major cities of Europe and the United States, beginning in Paris and ending in 1946 in San Francisco. There, after the exhibit closed, jewels worn by the dolls were sent back to France, the sets were presumably destroyed, and the dolls disappeared into storage in the basement of the City of Paris Department Store. Rescued in 1952, the dolls were donated to a new museum, Maryhill Museum of Art in southern Washington.

The dolls were indeed “perfection in miniature,” lacking not a single exquisite detail for which the great haute couture Parisian houses were world famous.

What a fun exhibit and I'm glad our camera was able to capture these great mini fashions under the low-light conditions. They definitely reminded me of some of my grandmother's fashion sketches from about this era.

baby-blue slumbers

2011-06-07T12:10:00.000-07:00

Just some cozy decorating inspiration from my aunt's house today. I love the blue-and-off-white guest bedroom. The matching kitties are a nice touch, too, don't you think? :-)

road trip jounal 2011

2011-06-06T20:07:00.000-07:00

These are the journal pages that almost didn't happen...

On this same trip last year, I was pretty consistent about working in my journal/sketchbook everyday -- mixing in some collage, landscape paintings, and plenty of birds. The cold weather really put a damper on things this year and it wasn't until our final day at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge Headquarters that I was able to sit in the warm car (sheltered from the wind) to do some sketching. For most of the trip, my downtime usually involved reading while snuggled into a sleeping bag or listening to music when it was too cold to even hold a book open.

Despite my initial lackluster desire to make art, I'm glad I finally got my creative groove on and now have some memories of this trip recorded in my little book. Truth be told, most of the work I did after-the-fact -- putting down the paints and recollecting with Erik over the sequence of destinations during our week on the road.

This messy sketch is the one exception -- my single attempt at some en plein air art-making. We had a really fabulous sunset one of the nights we camped up on Hart Mountain. We drove out to breathtaking vista, ate our dinner, and then settled in for the show. Erik hiked out to the point furthest on this peninsula-like viewpoint, while I stayed back and splashed on a bit of color and tried to stay warm.

{marsh wren and olive-sided flycatcher}

Our last day at Malheur was a good one for birding, as Erik was able to ID several elusive flycatchers with the help of some fellow bird nerds. It was quite a sight to see them all standing around his camera, looking at the screen, debating if the bird in question was a Gray Flycatcher or a Dusky Flycatcher. Of course, this was made more humorous given that Erik was at least a foot taller and two decades younger than most of his fellow nature-lovers. I wish I'd snapped a picture of the scene.

{lazuli bunting and western tanager}

It just occurred to me that it might be worth saying something about why this Malheur place is so darn special, especially for anyone reading my blog who doesn't live in Oregon. Well, I guess the big reason is that this spot in southeastern Oregon is a big oasis within a larger desert -- an oasis with lots of water and vegetation that attracts tons of migratory birds coming up from Central and South America (in the spring), headed to northern latitudes. While I am more of a "birder's companion" and not one to carry binoculars around with me, the variety of the species is really quite amazing. It's a place I look forward to visiting again and again, though I've vowed that next time I will bring several hot water bottles to put in my sleeping bag at night!

{savannah sparrow and gray flycatcher}

Full of Life

2011-06-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

Finally! I'm getting around to writing about the chickens. Unfortunately, so many weeks have passed since our pasture walk at Full of Life Farm that I don't remember all of the many wonderful details about these happy hens and their eggmobile. I'll do my best here...

That's the eggmobile there...sitting out in the pasture. The primary purpose for the chickens being out in the pasture is that they break up the cow pies and, by doing that, get the pasture ready for grazing again. The added bonus is that all that pecking and foraging makes the chickens and their eggs healthier ... plus the fact that their supplementary food does not contain soy and corn. Along those lines, hearing about the expense of high-quality food for the hens vs. the cheap stuff used in factory farm situations was a major eye opener. I don't like paying $6/dz for eggs, but I don't complain about it now that I understand that you get what you pay for!

I'm blanking on the pup's name above. He's the new guardian dog for the hen house -- a specific breed of dog that's bred to guard his flock and not necessarily to be a pet. He was raised amongst goats and chickens, so those are the animals he instinctively protects. His sister is the guardian of the pregnant goats on another pasture. He barked at us farm tourists the entire time we were hanging out by the eggmobile. Not mean barking, but like he just couldn't stop himself from doing his job.

It was so much fun to lift the lids on the nesting boxes and find them full of chickens sitting on their eggs!

And here are the orangey yolks from happy hens. Unfortunately, I think I've discovered that I have a slight allergy to eggs. For awhile, I've had this persistent, annoying runny nose and it's gone away since I stopped eating eggs last Saturday. Boy am I bummed because I do love my eggs. I'm hoping that if I take them out of my diet for awhile and then add them back infrequently, I can stave off the drippy nose. Ugh -- and they are such a good source of choline, too!

On our farm tour we also got to meet the piglets. They too play a role as composters of cow manure, rooting through and aerating it to find scattered corn kernels. Kinda gross, but they seemed to be enjoying it!

This pretty horse is a Norwegian Fjord. So beautiful and a really cute personality. What was even cuter was how he played with his buddy the goat.

I think I'm a farm girl at heart!

Handmade Goodness

2011-06-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

Things my mom made me for my birthday...

Hand-woven matching lunch bags and napkins for me and E.

A runner for the dining room and a dish towel that match our colors perfectly.

Thanks Mom!

resurrecting an old project

2011-06-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

A sunny Friday! I was going to work from home today while we have contractors in the house insulating our attic, but my work email is down ... so it looks like I'm taking the day off instead. With a little bit of free time, I decided to bring a partially-started project back to life. For a long time Erik and I have wanted to frame some old family photos to display on our dining room buffet. I've collected a lot of little frames, so it was all a matter of choosing the pictures, sizing them correctly, and having them printed. Amazing how long just the selection process can take!

I'd actually forgotten about the project for awhile, but found two more small metal frames over my birthday weekend. The Dalles seems to be somewhat of a mecca for thrift stores (I think I counted at least four in their tiny downtown!) and I can appreciate their more reasonable, small-town prices. I find Portland thrift store prices to be outlandish most of the time. But I digress ....

Anyway, I'm happy to say that the project is well underway and hopefully getting the photos actually in the frames will not take another year!

Here are a few of my favorites:

{my cousin}

{me and my two little bros}

{my aunt and my mom}

{me}

{my aunt}

{my dad's mom}

{erik's tall grandfather}

Back from the Road

2011-05-29T20:35:00.000-07:00

We're home!

It's good to be back after six days on the road in southeastern Oregon. Many great moments, beautiful sights, but the weather was a little dicey. We'd hoped for sun, but it never hit 60 degrees! More pics to come, but here are a few fun ones from the trip.

Tabor Tulips

2011-05-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

Monday has flown by, but I wanted to get a quick post in before calling it a night. Jeez -- I'm really behind on several of the posts I wanted to do -- e.g. finishing up the Maryhill Museum, chickens, some other recently-finished paintings, etc. -- and I suspect I may not get to them all before heading out on vacation. But being short on time, it's all about the pictures and minimizing the writing at the moment. The more I type, the more obsessed I get with perfection -- mainly sleuthing out typos, which, for some reason, my brain has a really hard time picking up on after I've put them on the page.

So I will quickly share with you a recent and highly memorable weekend outing. I think it was two weekends ago actually that we headed up to Mt. Tabor bright and early on Saturday morning. The sun was already out and warming things up. I headed straight for this tulip tree at the top of the park:

And here are my tulip sketches ... just pencil and watercolor....

After I was on tulip overload, I headed over to a nearby Oregon Grape shrublette and attempted to capture the bright yellow flower clusters.

Soon I became much more interested in a tiny grasshopper I spied on one of the leaves. Seriously, he was about a quarter inch long. And no joke on the colors either:

A really great way to start the day. I was in a fabulous state of mind after some sunshine and sketching!

Yay -- I think this blog post was completed in record time for me! And I only proofread once!

Friday with Nature

2011-05-13T19:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! Wow -- we've had two days of sun in a row! I'm so thankful my office is adjacent to Portland's Waterfront Park because the afternoon dose of Vitamin D does me right. Even after supplementing through the winter, my levels were a little low when I had them tested last month, so I've been motivated to get some rays at least 20 minutes a day.

Not a lot of news to share today. I thought I'd post a few more garden photos before we get too far into spring and these become old news.

Last fall we planted two Razzleberry shrubs in front of our porch; however, the early frost in November did them in, so we had to pick out some replacement plants this spring. We chose two PJM Regal Rhododendrons, which were a mass of purple blooms when we bought them. I've also been happy that all the hellebores we planted along the rock wall turned out to be a good choice. I was uneasy because they hadn't grown a lick since we planted them last summer, but then over night in April they produced a ton of new green growth and a spray of flowers. A month later, they are now double the size they were in the picture on the left above.

Here is Erik covering over the pipe we just installed, which connects our downspout to one of the front-yard rain gardens. What a project fitting and cementing all those pipe pieces together!

Both of the rain gardens that Erik created last year are doing beautifully and add so much interest to the front yard. He's become quite knowledgeable about native plants, which I'm thankful for because I don't really have the motivation to read about plants as much as he does (and learn their crazy botanical names!). It's become very apparent to this novice gardener that you get a lot better results from your plants when you really know the conditions they need ... so I'm glad he's curious about that stuff.

In keeping with the plant theme, I thought I'd throw a few more pictures in from two recent nature walks we did -- one at Champoeg State Park and Tryon Creek State Park. We've been trying to get out and be in nature every weekend, even if we just hit up a local park. It definitely does something good for us to be around tall trees and expansive views.

At both parks the graceful trillium flowers were in bloom. I recall how rejuvenating it was to stand in the dappled light, trying to catch some warming rays on my face, listening to the spotted towhees rustling about in the bushes.

Champoeg State Park is almost directly across the street from Full of Life Farm. So following up on the goats, I have another post to do about the chickens and their amazing Eggmobile.

I'll be back soon!

photos by E & me (the good ones are his :-)

Farm Goats

2011-05-11T07:35:00.000-07:00

I've been promising my mom a post about the goats we visited a few weeks ago at Full of Life Farm in St. Paul, Oregon (about an hour south of Portland). Here it is!

There were two herds (flocks?) of goats at the farm. The photo above is of the pregnant mama goats who have their own personal bodyguard. Ellie was the dog's name, I think. She lives with them full-time on the pasture. I also found it interesting that the farm owner only breeds goats that have proven to be good, caring mamas in the past.

These two sets of photos above are the goats that are raised to mow down blackberries and then eventually be sold for meat. As we approached their pasture fence, it was hilarious to see that there were at least ten of them crowded on top of a riding lawn mower, trying to get a better view!

This black-and-white pregnant goat really liked me. Actually, she liked anyone who would rub her nose. I was particularly enchanted by the little white pom-poms at the ends of her horns. So sweet!

Photos by Erik

the beauty of utility

2011-05-09T21:11:00.000-07:00

A few more glimpses of Craigdarroch Castle for tonight's post. These less fixed-up spaces were some of my favorites...

These photos above were from some of the not-yet-restored rooms. Cracked plaster, stripped woodwork, clunky radiators ... love 'em!

Below was the prettiest room in the whole house ... the maid's bedroom! Love the closely-stitched white quilt and sewing supplies throughout.

I'm winding down, ready to say goodnight to Monday. I've been hiding out upstairs this evening where it's warm and cozy. Up here I can sprawl on a big red rug and work on some collages. A huge mess on the floor is not a disruption to daily life in this corner of the house. While my gluey pages were drying, I did a little research on how to build a trellis system for our raspberries. It's probably smart to build something now, before they start taking over the garden. It won't be long! ... I'm thankful for slightly warmer temperatures these days. I feel much less grumbly in the mornings when I get on my bike, now that the cold isn't so nippy. Oh and the gardens around here are such a delight. I've been riding slower and varying my route to work so I can check in on some of my favorite front yards and see which stunning plants are coming to life.

Sweet Dreams!

the spaces in between

2011-05-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

A single photo from inside my house to finish off a lovely weekend...

P.S. I found my book! It was a very exciting moment and we are now getting reacquainted. Happy days, I can sleep again!

P.P.S. The book is called Creative Journal Writing by Stephanie Dowrick, just in case you were curious.

a castle in the city

2011-05-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

Pretty pictures for today's post...

These were taken on our trip to Port Townsend and Victoria BC last September. One of the highlights of our two days in Victoria was a tour through Craigdarroch Castle -- a landmark home just a short bus ride from downtown. I definitely recommend a visit, though go early, especially if you like taking pictures. The steady stream of visitors creates a near-constant one-way flow of people traffic through the house.

No formal tour was given, but there were docents throughout available to answer questions and add to the experience with a good story.

Check out the interesting old letter and pen & ink sketch in this next picture. I can't tell if it is a drawing of a piece of corral with seaweed or veins and arteries or.... Fascinating!

Some of the upstairs rooms have not been fully restored, but they provided a nice context for just how much work has been done on the house so far. I also enjoyed photographing these spaces that were a bit more raw ... but I'll save those pictures for another post.

Happy Weekend!

girl with a bird in a midnight garden

2011-05-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

Whew! This has definitely been a Friday for me. I'd wanted to get some serious journaling and painting done tonight, but I sort of threw myself under the bus by first setting out to find a book whose whereabouts in the house was a mystery of late. A convenient distraction? Perhaps.

Well, I turned into an obsessed, crazy woman ... shimmying around on my belly with a flashlight, looking under all pieces of furniture and mostly finding dust bunnies and socks. Hmph.

To make matters worse, this book was a super thoughtful gift from Erik and I've got this horrible intuition that I perhaps accidentally "returned" it to the library. But I'm not giving up hope quite yet! It's not as if our house is the picture of organization at the moment. But, as you can imagine, not much writing or painting happened tonight. I was much too wound up and full of grumbly words.

So, in keeping with the spirit of art-making, I present you with last week's painting.

Typical story with this one: I began the underpainting months ago, was completely uninspired by it, put the piece of illustration board back on the shelf, and thought that might be the end. I guess enough time had passed, because I was somewhat interested in trying to bring it to life early last week. Lately I've found that listening to podcasts while painting is a great way to occupy my left brain. It really helps turn down the volume on judgmental thoughts and feelings of boredom.

And I feel much better now having written something tonight. We're in for a rainy weekend, so I'm thinking paints, podcasts, and continuing the book-search saga are all worthy items for my agenda.

Happy Weekend!

Maryhill

2011-05-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

Picking up where I left off on Sunday, the real highlight of my birthday trip was a surprise stop at the Maryhill Museum of Art. The museum is quite nice for being in such an out-of-the-way location along the Columbia River Gorge. Park-like grounds, beautiful views, and a stately historic building all add to the experience.

The main floor of the museum included a collection of paintings, numerous pieces of gilded furniture, and photos and keepsakes of the Hill family. Erik and I lamented that they did not have more paintings because we liked almost all of those that were on display. Here's a taste, the first one being my favorite:

The furniture was interesting, but for some reason I don't get as excited about 3D art and craft as I do about paintings and prints. But here's a sampling nonetheless of the things that caught my eye:

After our long wander through the museum, we found a sunny spot on the lawn that was sheltered from the wind. Erik fell asleep and I watched the peacocks slowly strut across the grounds toward us. They are such silly birds -- utterly regal and hopelessly awkward at the same time.

I'll post some pictures of the upstairs collections in another entry. More good stuff to come!

garden goodness

2011-05-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

Yay -- things are growing!! This is how our veggie garden looked as of Sunday. The chard and kale that over-wintered are doing nicely and seemed to be spared from the scourge of those pesky white moths. However, I created a row cover to go over the tender new seedlings I planted. Last year it did not work to drape the cloth directly over the plants, so I used some short wire "fencing" (if you could even it call it that) cut to the right size as my frame from the row-cover cloth. An inexpensive solution and the plants seem happy being in their warm tent (but don't get me started about those even peskier slugs). I saved some space in the raised beds and in our two wine barrels to plant tomatoes and basil once it warms up a bit more.

Loving the constancy of the sun today. I think it was the first time I've worn a skirt all year -- a very twirly skirt at that. After work I thinned some of the weeds in front yard with house finches above in the Snowbell tree creating a royal ruckus. There is at least one nest of babies in the neighbor's eaves and the finchies (as I like to call them) stay in non-stop communication with their little ones. I've done a bit of journaling tonight and feel ready to settle in with book. G'night, Everyone.

Artistic Clutter (for Lisa and Vjera)

2011-05-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

Photos taken in my house ... dancing around the less attractive clutter.

I keep thinking today is Monday. I'm thrown off perhaps by a dentist appointment this morning. Had to fight the desire to come home and clean house afterward, rather than proceed to the office. Loving the longer days, but still wondering where the time goes. The kitchen is a mess, but I would rather be upstairs writing or drawing; a fair trade, I think. Seventy degrees tomorrow is the prediction. I should bring shorts to work so I can take a lunchtime walk on the waterfront. Speaking of walks, I love my evening jaunts with Erik to the grocery store and library. Gardens are coming alive, confidently so, and I'm assured of summer. Today -- I give it two thumbs up.

some observations from a beautiful weekend

2011-05-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

Driving east on I-84, there is this gradual thinning of the clouds that can easily slip past perception, especially when music or conversation has your mind elsewhere. Then suddenly you realize Portland's soft, gray cocoon is no more; blue sky and sun are before you, wide-open and promising.

We crossed the river at Hood River paying our 75-cent toll to drive over the bridge to Bingen -- a structure that may inspire confidence from afar, but is more dubious with the sound of heavy automobiles rumbling across its narrow metal deck. In those moments high above the swollen Columbia River, I have irrational visions of this bridge having been built with an erector set.

But we're across in no time, driving onto Catherine Creek, which I find to be a very appealing name for a state park. Its sweetness seems to predict the mix of landscapes -- meadows dotted with wildflowers; small ponds reflecting the perfect clarity of the sky; shrubs sheltering expressive songbirds; fir trees and shady oaks casting long shadows; meandering, downward spiraling paths with punctuated viewpoints of the big river; unrelenting wind, except when tucking oneself alongside a large boulder.

A group of gray-haired wildflower-enthusiasts were also on the trail that morning, their jacket hoods synched tight and almost every pair of gloved hands clutched a flower guidebook. They pressed on in earnest, despite the gusts. We passed three particularly charming ladies--diminutive in size, huddled together like sister hens; girllike in their vulnerability, yet with wisdom deeply present in their faces. If I was more of an extrovert, I would have asked them about all these wildflowers that brought them to Catherine Creek.

Not surprising in the least, I particular enjoyed looking at a pile of broken bottle and ceramic pieces collected at the trailhead -- the scoop of an old spoon, the creamy curve of a mug handle, a blue wedge of this and a purple-tinged fragment of that. The unknown stories of such pretty detritus could keep my imagination active for hours ... if it wasn't pulled on to other sights and sounds ahead.

Oh, the warmth of a parked car was a welcome haven after our faces and fingertips had been steadily nipped at by the wind. A bit further along the highway, we stopped to see some Native American petroglyphs, rescued before the Columbia River was dammed and collected together at this viewing site. There were some rather spunky, humorous ones. I was partial to this owl in particular:

Onward we drove. I enjoyed being a passenger on a journey where I did not know the destinations ahead of us. The next stop was unexpected and a wonderful surprise for art-inspired me. More on that to come later this week....

regal is putting it mildly

2011-04-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

I found this old souvenir magazine of Queen Elizabeth's coronation at an estate sale last year. The pomp and circumstance is certainly over-the-top, but intriguing nonetheless. Thought it would be appropriate to post, given tomorrow's festivities.

a new roof for 'lil sis

2011-04-16T20:03:00.000-07:00

*Here is a guest post by Erik; an entry into our "diary" of ongoing house projects. We have a new goal of trying to document our home improvement efforts with occasional blog posts here, just as we did during our renovations in 2009.

Junebug's poor garage roof has not gotten the most love from the two of us semi-new homeowners. For decades, the roof covering the garage and potting shed languished underneath a dominating big-leaf maple tree that naturally dropped life form after life form onto its shingles. The tree, near death itself, still managed to shade the roof all hours of the day permitting assorted other life forms to thrive on the three layers of old, oil-based asphalt shingles. While we would normally celebrate nature claiming what's hers, the experience as an indebted homeowner is not so innocently romantic. Financial and preservationist-minded obligations to protect property collide with our responsibility to consume the least amount of raw, rapacious building materials.

When multiple tree professionals determined our reckless tree needed to come down safely rather than in a mid-December windstorm, we took solace in the fact that our garage roof was going to get some relief. With the tree cut down, the roof would be able to breathe and get a reprieve from all the seeds, leaves, and twigs which found a new home on the shingles. But Junebug's little sister--the garage--would not feel these positives before a significant downfall; the downfall being a part of the tree's trunk, mishandled by the tree fellers, crashing through the roof of the garage. Nevertheless, the arborist made amends by patching the roof to live another day. But the roofers doing the repairs warned us that the shingles needed to be replaced soon before they compromised the structure itself. Such a loss to the integrity of the structure would require more substantial repairs.

That summer, I met with a couple of companies to get estimates for re-roofing the garage. One was double another in cost. And both companies were completely booked months out in preparation for the coming season of ample liquid sunshine. While I didn't feel good about neglecting the roof further, I didn't feel ready to jump into a project with so many questions remaining. So, we waited until the reputable roofing company wasn't so overworked and they were able to negotiate through some of the details of the job with me. In mid-April, the roofers from Tom Leach Roofing showed up following a one-day delay due to that omnipresent liquid sunshine. But at the end of that day, the roof was completely redone and it's looking as good as asphalt on a roof can. Tom Leach Roofing specializes in historic homes and they definitely knew what they were doing. The structure is now well-protected and Junebug is pleased that we finally did her right. Sorry Mother Nature, but oil-based products wins again. Nevertheless, as Jessica is apt to remind me, sometimes expending natural resources means preserving them. Junebug is one of those resources worth preserving.

journal page fragments

2011-04-12T07:23:00.000-07:00

Fragments from my very first attempt at an artsy/visual journal, started in the summer of 2006. That was a pivotal time in my life -- transitioning toward bringing more intentional creativity into my life. It was like someone flipped a switch in me and suddenly I wanted to make art with abandon. But it wasn't easy -- turning the ideas in my head into something I was happy with on paper. I was confused by this at first and blamed my struggles on my lack of dedicated space and small number of art supplies. When we moved to a bigger apartment, I was confounded by the fact that it was still hard for me to create, despite having my own room as a little art studio. Since that time, I've been on a journey to rediscover the ease and joy of creating that was the theme of my girlhood. I hope to be blogging more about this in the weeks to come.

when the light goes gray

2011-03-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

I've got about 20 draft posts to sort through here. Last month I went gung-ho, organizing pictures, starting posts, finally feeling like I was going to get up to speed on the blog. I spent almost an entire Saturday doing this and by the end of the day, I knew I would pay. Having had some serious carpal tunnel in years past, it flares anytime I overuse the computer. And this time I didn't listen to the warnings--the strange combination of burning and numbness. So I have been off mending. A lot of it having to do with my hands, but also some mental recovery after teaching during winter term. Not being an extrovert, the act of standing up in front of a classroom is a tough one for me and I'm less inclined to do any other activity--big or small--that requires putting myself out there. But it's behind me now. **big sigh of relief**

These photos capture the mood of the quiet, slow, somber gray days of early spring around our house. Evening walks with wool mittens and hat; pulling out the camera whenever some interesting light shows itself; feeling very, very ready for sun and warmth.

And I'm looking forward to feeling more creative energy sometime soon. But right now I'm not sweating it (not too much at least), watching plenty of movies, and enjoying free evenings to recharge my batteries.

Peace.

clever cards

2011-03-01T12:48:00.000-08:00

Need some business card inspiration?

I was taken with the little gnome and the notion of being a Chicken Consultant. What a wonderful thing to have on one's resume!

winter island

2011-02-27T08:49:00.001-08:00

Well, here's a post that's been sitting in my drafts box forever! The weekend of February 5th, Erik and I went out to Sauvie Island (just outside of Portland) for the annual "Raptor Road Trip," which is put on by the Portland Audubon Society. We always have a great time taking pictures and enjoying the wintry island scene. My favorite stop--which we tend to save for the end--is visiting with the "rescue birds." You'll see their pictures at the end of the post.

Julio the Great Horned Owl and Hazel the Northern Spotted Owl.

Jack the Kestrel and a Peregrine Falcon, whose name I can't remember.

And here's Hazel again -- she was my favorite!

the curious morris marks house

2011-02-26T09:31:00.000-08:00

It's a curious sight to come upon this ornate 1880s house right in the middle of downtown Portland (1134 SW 12th to be exact), tightly sandwiched between other buildings more urban in nature. A single-family residence on prime downtown real estate will always be at risk to demolition, so there have been efforts in the preservation community to try to move the long-vacant house to a new site.

There aren't many Italianate homes like this in Portland, so it would be a real loss if its parts and pieces ended up in a salvage yard (or worse -- a landfill). These pictures somewhat belie its sad state because I omitted the tall chain-link fence that keeps squatters and architectural thieves away from the property.

I hope there is a happy ending for the Morris Marks House in the next few years, but in the meantime I enjoy occasionally strolling by to admire the strange beauty in its frozen-in-time, decrepit state.

home

2011-02-25T07:45:00.000-08:00

The sun is shining this morning. It is the perfect cold-and-crisp winter day. I'm appreciating the light and the pretty scenes it creates around the house. (pictures were taken strategically around the messes :-)

Happy Friday!

rare in winter

2011-02-23T07:55:00.000-08:00

Green -- a rare color these days. We do have a bit of it in our front yard thanks to efforts made in the fall to add some evergreen plants to the mix. This past weekend we were out spreading mulch over spots where rain had washed the soil bare. The plants seem happy. Bulbs are coming up. But I'm afraid they're all in for a shock later today or tomorrow because we have SNOW coming! Now's a good time to give my houseplants a little care. Poor Mr. Aloe Vera is not too happy with me these days after having left him in a cold, dark room for weeks on end.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

everyday sketching

2011-02-21T18:27:00.000-08:00

This quick sketch came about one evening at the dining room table after being inspired (and perhaps a bit guilted?) by a passage in How to Make A Journal of Your Life:

Has your intuition been telling you to get an empty journal and begin filling it with all those interesting events in your life? Well, time is racing by. All those things that happened just last week have quickly become the past...

The sketch, which seemed somewhat trivial at the time, now vividly reminds of what was going on that particular week and how my energy was directed toward some serious thinking about saving for the future. This resulted in our beginning to keep a detailed monthly budget and expense record; something I've tried off-and-on in the past, though in a very halfhearted manner. Months later it's been an invaluable tool to bringing awareness to our spending habits.

Ironically, the journal and new pens used in this sketch were one of my last big impulse buys. I'm by no means perfect when it comes to this sort of thing but being "a quiet and alert witness" has increased my feelings of contentedness and gratitude for the things I already have in my life. Activities as seemingly disparate as sketching and budget-tracking have been immeasurable aides in witnessing and being aware of my life and my choices.

Inspired by Architecture

2011-02-20T20:52:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more photos taken during my late-summer vacation to Port Townsend, Washington -- one of the most delightful historic towns in the Pacific Northwest. I found much inspiration in the color, texture, and form of the different building types and materials ... all enhanced by the sweet salty air and lonely gull cries that are an ever-present backdrop to life in this seaside town.

The tiny bedroom window up in that mansard roof (above) was quite intriguing to me. I imagine it must be the most delightful reading alcove with such a fine view of the sea.

This blue house looks new to me, but fits well with the other homes in the neighborhood.

The tiny cottage with the lavender-lined front walkway was one of my favorites. I immediately think of Maine.

Ah the intricacies of Queen Anne architecture! Imagine the hours it took to paint those gable details!

Color and texture on every street corner.

There were many of these ghosty signs on old brick buildings.

This stately courthouse is a bit of a surprise to find on the fringe of the historic residential area. A building that was meant to last for hundreds of years -- I like that.

And my favorite detail discovered on a pair of weathered double doors.

Notes from Loveland

2011-02-17T18:44:00.000-08:00

A belated Valentine's Day post: Some photos of a few intriguing antique papers I have in my collection ... many from Loveland, Colorado. Then penmanship is just exquisite on the ones from the 1870s especially. Who knew that a fine dip pen and some India ink could turn the word "February" into such a handwriting masterpiece?

that vintage-fabric touch

2011-02-16T21:49:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post something before going to bed this evening. My life has been all about grading papers this week and I finally finished them up today. Whew! So this evening I had a little treat and watched some of Wives & Daughters. Oh I wish I could wear outfits like Molly Gibson's lovely cotton empire-waist dresses without looking like I was on my way to a costume ball.

Along the lines of pretty vintage fabric things, here are some photos I took in my aunt's house ... last summer, I think. I love how when you peek into the closet, there are even more lovely things behind the swag of that floral curtain.

Happy Wednesday!

pattern and texture (of life and more)

2011-02-09T20:00:00.000-08:00

I've been itching to write recently -- to really write. Over the last month, life has been interesting to say the least. The challenges of teaching in addition to my regular job are stretching me thin, but also helping me to see many new things about myself, my assumptions about life, and other ah-ha moments. Most intriguing, they are telling me a lot about how I approach my creativity, my dreams. But, it's just not the right time to be processing or sharing any of this online. Hopefully I'll feel this motivation later in March when the term is over and I can share some of these reflections. In the meantime, I'll continue with these light and fluffy blog posts full of pretty pictures. These are photos I took in my aunt's house over the holidays. Her sewing/weaving room is a special place full of pattern and texture, where projects are artful and inspiring even in (and perhaps most especially in?) their in-progress state.

Friday Intention

2011-02-04T07:24:00.000-08:00

This picture says a lot about my intention for today -- staying peaceful and calm in a potentially chaotic day of teaching and work. The arrival of the weekend is a joyous event for me these days!

Happy Friday!

inspiration bits

2011-02-02T21:09:00.001-08:00

The light was pretty this weekend, so I snapped a few photos of the bits of art and ephemera on one of my inspiration boards.

I've not been able to put away that Craftsman-inspired holiday card from The Architectural Heritage Center. Love it -- especially next to a print of Oregon Juncos from my brother and family.

Love the gray tones and textures in these papers and photos:

An unfinished collage that wanted to be near this old green book page and stamp-encrusted envelope:

And a finished piece that included ink-splattered paper, a tea bag, wallpaper and other old paper bits all coated in encaustic medium:

creative multitasking

2011-02-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

When I work in my art journal, I like to have multiple pages going at once. Keeping my hands moving is essential to not getting bogged down in judging my work. But multitasking a journal can prove difficult when glue or gesso is involved, so I often improvise strange ways of keeping some pages open to dry while I work on others. :-)

Despite having less time in the evenings these days, it does feel good to sneak in moments of creativity here and there. These journal pages now look nothing like they did when I took these pictures. Another update to come!

tea + sketchbook

2011-01-31T19:50:00.000-08:00

right now...

...drinking vanilla rooibos tea, making a zendoodle in my sketchbook, watching an old episode of Columbo (well, listening more than watching)

a great way to pass the evening after a long day at work

100 Faces

2011-01-30T20:37:00.000-08:00

Drawings Lab for Mixed-Media Artists is officially my new favorite art book (after a long, long wait to get it from the library)! This past week I've been working on one of the exercises, which is to draw 100 faces. I think I'm up to about 30 and having a lot of fun along the way. I've discovered that faces are one of my favorite things to sketch (along with terriers, rabbits, foxes, birds, and bicycles). Can you see where I sneaked a little terrier into one of the drawings below? I couldn't help myself! :-)

Nature Walking, Nature Sketching

2011-01-24T19:02:00.000-08:00

a beautiful weekend -- sunshine, birds, fresh air, pen to paper

Saturday morning we walked along the Marine Drive path -- the Columbia River on one side; Portland International on the other. An interesting juxtaposition of nature and technology. Both awing in their own way. I sketched heron, water fowl, and driftwood.

Then we drove to Smith & Bybee Lakes not far away. The path was mostly flooded, but I got to hold a frog...which made the trip entirely worth it.

Gorgeous color and reflection on the still waters. Found several interesting feathers -- those were my favorite things to sketch during our outing.

Sunday morning we drove east toward Gresham and hiked around Powell Butte. It was foggy and the trees at the top were wonderfully spooky. I had a hard time capturing them on paper. The sketch that seemed the most compelling was of a little dead mouse on the trail. He had pink toes and a pink tail and dew drops all over his gray fur.

These are Erik's photos of those interesting trees:

After exploring the top of the butte, we took one of the trails that descends around the side. How quickly the scenery changed from open and meadowy to tall trees and green ferns!

We found some enchanting spider webs along the trail. Dream hammocks?

I'm thankful for such a lovely weekend, for my sweet and silly companion, and the chance to look closely at this amazing world that's practically in my backyard.

merry box of vintage

2011-01-20T11:00:00.000-08:00

Nothing makes my eyes light up quite like a small box of vintage photos and papers!

These treasures were procured by my expert treasure-hunting sister-in-law. I was giddy on Christmas morning, to say the least.

This (above) is my favorite of the photos. The grandfather--such a warm, gentle face--reminds me of Matthew Cuthbert from Anne of Green Gables (the movie, that is).

Thanks SBR for the super wonderful gift!

when all else fails, try silly

2011-01-16T17:09:00.000-08:00

Erik and I did a couple of nature walks while visiting my family during the holidays. It was cold, gray, and snowy. I enjoyed being outside, but trudging through the snow can be hard work. Sometimes my mind starts to trudge too -- slow and heavy, trailing off to thoughts of warmth and comfort.

I wanted to be present, to be mentally invigorated by fresh air and the uncommon texture of my surroundings. Ready to try anything, I just started shooting random, silly, not-carefully-composed photos. Most of them didn't turn out great, but a few were priceless captures. The best part was that it loosened up my mind, allowing me to be present, to see, to have fun ... as evidenced by this shot:

And then I was a lot more inspired to carefully compose the stark winter beauty that surrounded us...

I think a couple of those photos were probably Erik's ... we pass the camera back and forth so much it's sometimes hard to remember who took what photo.

A couple of days later we went walking again and the sun came out! It's easier to do a snowy trudge in the sun, though I sometimes find clouds more friendly for photo-taking.

Here I am appreciating the new Christmas hat given to me by my in-laws and the mittens they gave me last year:

And here's a family of mushrooms appreciating that rare December sun:

Some nice winter memories that benefited from me getting out of my head and into the lightness of the moment.

creatures great and small

2011-01-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

Photographing cute things around the house. These were all Christmas presents from Erik. He knows my taste so well!

And speaking of cute, I was browsing around Matte Stephens' flickr page the other day and discovered his felted sculptures. Wonderful and amazing creatures he's created!

First Time for Everything

2011-01-10T14:25:00.000-08:00

I just found out that I sold a piece of artwork -- a first for me!

I made this collage back in October to be included in a fund-raising show for p:ear. It's based on the Aesop Fable The Fox and the Ground Bird. Another project that greatly benefited from a firm deadline. :-)

The Handmades

2011-01-08T20:22:00.001-08:00

Two handmade Christmas-gifty things I must share because they give me such joy. First, my mom surprised me with a box that had a hat and two scarves she knitted for me. They are super soft and she even spun the yarn for the blue one!

Thanks, Mom!

And second are these paintings I made -- the result of a wild hair that I had about a week before Christmas (i.e. a moment of gift-giving desperation for Erik -- the man who needs/wants very little):

Before my painting journey began, I'd purchased several practical items for my bird-enthusiast partner, but none of them seemed special enough. Since I knew he was interested in putting more artwork up on his office walls at work, I decided to pull out my paints and see what I could do.

Hmmm...yeah...that sounds a little too spontaneous and easygoing for how it really went down! I was very excited and motivated at the outset--the planning and dreaming stage--but also pretty scared that the paintings might not turn out and then I would be headed back out in panic-mode with all the other last-minute shoppers.

The first day up in the studio (the part where I actually sat down and got my hands dirty) was, in all honesty, horrible. Seriously, if I wasn't for the fact that I had a very good reason for diving into something with so little time and so much uncertainty, I would have left maybe 30 minutes into the process. Everything was taking longer than I wanted and none of it was easy. Wah, wah, wah. :-)

Although I can definitely be aware and mindful of all the internal ramblings of my inner critic, I'm not so good at turning down the volume or "making friends" with my critic when it comes to these types of endeavors. Sometimes it amazes me how something I love like art-making can awaken such strong feelings of aversion. For instance, when I was working on the underpaintings for the birds, I was having an absolutely fantastic amount of aversion to what was appearing before me on the canvas despite that fact that I know from past experience that an underpainting will always be messy, sketchy, and less-than-perfect. That is it's very nature! I know that painting is an exercise in faith and trust, as much as it is properly mixing colors and applying a particular technique. Especially for the mostly untrained artist like myself (but I'm sure this is true for all artists), there's always an element of "wait and see."

In the past, I've tried to "work with myself" in ways that approach a sort of gentle rationalization and reasoning, much like a parent trying to nicely tell their child that they needn't be upset or cry about something. Well, I've learned that it doesn't work. No matter how patient and gentle you sound, it still amounts to invalidation!

I don't feel as if I've come up with all the answers for myself yet (by any means!), but I did find with this project that matter-of-factly acknowledging the discomfort and continuing on with the work, persisting despite the bad feelings (and not denying or trying to beat them away), really seemed to be the most helpful thing. (Well, that and a deadline!). And eventually, my mind went from the constricted, pin-point vision of stress to an expansive, light-filled, open-minded glow. At last, I was having fun. I was in flow -- that lovely state where time is irrelevant and I was swimming in the joy of creating. It was so great and I can see what some people just fall in love with their craft; they live and breathe it.

I'm looking forward to the next painting opportunity -- not so much to see the final product, but to see where my internal process takes me. If I cross paths with stress again (and I'm sure I will), at least I know it's an opportunity to meet it, greet it, and just keep going. There's usually good stuff on the other side.

Red, White, and Tole-Painted

2011-01-07T17:39:00.000-08:00

For me, nothing says wintertime coziness like the colors of Scandinavia. It's something I love about visiting my aunt's house. This year, after a cup of tea and some good conversation, I explored a bit with camera in hand, documenting some of the lovely nooks and crannies:

This is one of my favorite spots in the house -- her sideboard, which is always an enchanting menagerie of woodland animals, gnomes, santas, and other bits of whimsy (like teeny pigs):

My all-time favorite Christmas lights:

And a few Scandinavian bits in our own house this year:

I was pretty smitten with these felt gnome ornaments when I spotted them at IKEA. Totally something one could make by hand .... ah, maybe when I retire....

Our decorations have not come down yet. The living room feels abandoned -- a neglected tree, the smell of ash in the fireplace, junk mail stacked by the door; a snapshot of what our lives look like when I'm preparing for class each night between dinner and bedtime. It's funny how I will look upon that room and the little things that need to be done with such longing. I'm suddenly drawn to cleaning out the fireplace in the same way I might be to reading a really good book. Thankfully I didn't let procrastination get the better of me this week. The closest thing was a few episodes of Bramwell when I needed help turning my mind off. Cleaning is a reward saved for the weekend. :-)

Holiday Decorating with Paper

2011-01-01T10:43:00.001-08:00

My holiday posts are much belated, but I did want to show some pictures of the three handy magnetic bulletin boards I purchased at IKEA a few months ago. They are in the dining room and the revolving "art installations" are a fun way to make the room feel new and fresh. Here's what was up for Christmas -- a combination of vintage papers, cards, old photos, favorite gift tags, and other miscellany:

I'm definitely a card saver -- not every Christmas card we get, but I keep the good ones and love looking through them every year (the others are turned into gift tags). Mixed in are some favorite vintage cards.

A Final Bit of Decembering

2010-12-31T19:55:00.000-08:00

7:29 PM in front of the fire. New Year's Eve. Wind blowing the neighbor's porch chimes and the front door aches in the cold.

A busy month it has been. Tonight we are ringing in peace and quiet.

Things look a bit different around here. I've been playing with templates on Blogger, loving the fact that I can make gentle tweaks without garbling my html. New title, new header. Maybe permanent, maybe not. After much deliberating, I decided to let the comments have a rest this winter. Partially because the next three months will continue to be especially busy (I teach one term every other year in addition to my regular job) and so my visits to blogland may be infrequent as they have been lately. Also just seeing what it feels like to show up here and with fewer expectations of myself. Not shutting anyone out. An experiment.

Tomorrow there are thank-you notes to write. We will try out our new slow cooker for the first time. I've got to refine and practice my first lecture. Taking the Christmas tree down is still up for debate. Oh how I love the fact that it draws us to the living room, spending more time reading together, snuggled under an electric blanket. I'll keep some of my "winter decorations" up for awhile though, like these old photos:

Well, my fire needs tending. Time to stoke the coals before it completely putters out. Happy New Year to all!

The Notion of Color

2010-12-05T17:57:00.000-08:00

Summer estate sale finds. I love them, but I've decided I must stop buying. My crafting cannot keep pace. :-)

Collage in Color

2010-12-01T17:42:00.000-08:00

Something different from my more muted collage palette...

I love cutting up the pages of 1950s/60s-era magazines. The colors in the photography are so distinct to that era and I like the smooth, matte paper for these more minimalist collages.

The Vintage Label

2010-11-25T06:22:00.000-08:00

Old labels are wonderfully photogenic, I think. It's a sweet treat to find a piece of fabric at an estate sale that still has it's original handwritten tag. The last batch of remnants I bought resulted in many old Portland department store tags. Not sure what I'll do with them yet. Perhaps they could be stitched together as some sort of collage....

Before Things Got So Soggy

2010-11-15T21:37:00.000-08:00

We're hunkering down. The garden is ready for winter, all the plants tucked in with a nice layer of mulch. The dead tomato vines in the veggie beds have been cut down and left to decompose over the next few months. Yesterday we were down in the basement crawlspace painting mastic on our heating ducts, trying in vain to keep our living room and dining room warmer during these chilly months. I'm still biking to work, trying not to wimp-out like I did last winter, enjoying nights like tonight -- no rain, the river a sparkly blue, and the lights of downtown a captivating jewel-box skyline. There's lots of tea drinking going on around here, curried lentil soup simmering on the stove, and hours spent curled up with library books after dinner.

I was going through my pictures tonight, feeling a little longing for nature. We've been trying to get out for a hike for weeks now, but rain, chores, and being under-the-weather have all taken their turn thwarting those good intentions. Our last walk in nature was back in September when we went to a wildlife refuge in Ridgefield, Washington. I had so much fun photographing the treasures of early fall -- seed pods, berries, dried-up thistles, crinkled autumn leaves. It was a simple day -- no awe-inspiring views or dramatic mountain scenery -- just the beauty of noticing nature's gifts at arms-length.

A Pilgrimage of Sorts

2010-10-27T18:13:00.000-07:00

The last time I was in Port Townsend was eight years ago, though it doesn’t seem like so much time has passed -- a tribute to how deeply the feel of this place has stayed with me. It was an impromptu day-trip with my cousin that turned into a magical eight hours of exploring this small, seaside town. And it’s had me wanting to go back ever since.

For our final vacation of the year, Erik and I decided to head up to Puget Sound (Washington). We waited until after school was back in session, in hopes that things might be a little less busy, but still leaving us a good chance for nice late-summer weather (this was back at the end of September!). While our strategy for avoiding the crowds worked, we were met with much rain out on the Quimper Peninsula. I’m a rain girl, so this didn’t bother me much, though it might have had we continued with our original plan to camp at a nearby state park. While there is certainly something glorious about being by the sea when the sun is shining and those sweet salty breezes are kissing at your face, I do like the atmospheric backdrop of moody skies against Port Townsend's turn-of-the-century brick canneries and wooden boats. I was glad we stayed in a hotel, though, and could watch the rain from the crazy-tall twelve-foot Victorian windows.

As Erik would tell you, I tend to get a little gushy about Port Townsend, which is perhaps because this place is about as close as I will get to Maine without actually going to Maine. Two of my favorite books as a girl--Sarah Plain and Tall and The Worry Week--had elements of Maine in them, setting the stage for lifelong romanticism with charming, historic seaside towns. Standing on the bluff in Port Townsend with views of big Queen Anne houses, the waters of Admiralty Inlet beyond, and the sounds of crying gulls and buoy bells in the backdrop takes me right back to the girlhood pleasures of getting lost in those favorite books.

Port Townsend is the type of place I would like to stay for a week, wandering by foot, taking pictures, sketching, sitting in parks, and do very little else. Although this was a short, one-night trip for us, I did work in my journal a little, mostly by lamplight back at the hotel.

Despite it being a tiny town, there are actually a good number of things to do, especially things that don’t seem like you’d only be doing them with other tourists. For instance, the town has The Rose Theatre--a wonderful restored art house cinema. If Erik and I had planned to stay another day, I should have liked to have seen Cairo Time, which was playing there. There are a handful of cozy coffee shops and some appealing restaurants. And then there is one of my all-time favorite book stores--William James Books--full of unusual, well-chosen used books and very good prices. The interior is cozy with the warm colors of wooden shelves, book spines, and leather chairs.

The other shops in PT seem typical to me of a small Pacific Northwest coastal town--some shops that serve locals like a bike shop, outdoors store, and a knitting shop; but a good number of them seem mainly for the tourists: souvenir-type stores, high-priced antique shops, and several art/craft galleries that specialized in Native American art/craft or paintings of local landscapes. The entrepreneur in me definitely noticed that the town could greatly benefit from some creative, well-styled shops that specialize in handmade and vintage wares!

It’s easy to get a change of scenery in this town. Kayaks are available for rent and you can paddle around in the gentle waters of the bay. The historic downtown strip is located on Water Street, below a tall bluff. With several staircases to the top, there is an uptown shopping district atop the bluff and the main historic residential area, not to mention some great views of Port Townsend Bay. One of my all-time favorite parks--Chetzemoka Park--sits on a bluff overlooking this bay. A perfect place for a picnic.

The Rothschild House Museum is also a lovely destination, if you enjoy touring old homes. And there are so many wonderful buildings and building elements (door knobs, hinges, little signs) that are just crying out to be sketched or photographed.

Ok, enough gushing. You get the idea.

Hope all is well with you, Blog Friends. I often wish I could be here more often, but I am also enjoying my relaxed blogging pace these days, which allows me to devote more time to reading, art-making, etc. My nature is to try to do it all, but I'm growing to accept that when most of my daytime hours are spent working, there is only so much I can sanely squeeze into the evenings and weekends. Perhaps the theme of my 30s will be "Welcoming Imperfection." I'd like that. :-)

Native Beauty

2010-10-09T20:17:00.000-07:00

The last few weekends have been all about gardening for me and Erik. We knew autumn will be time for the last of our major landscaping efforts in the front yard. There were shrubs to plant and a rain garden to build (a bioswale of sorts to catch all the roof runoff). I like gardening, but it’s been a big year for us, and I am SO happy that we will mostly be doing maintenance starting next year (and enjoying the fruits of labors, too!).

For the rain garden in particular we wanted to use native plants, so that meant a trip down the highway to West Linn (suburb of Portland) to visit Bosky Dell Natives. I had an idea of the sort of magic we’d encounter here from Abby’s post earlier this year, but Bosky Dell is really the sort of place you just have to visit in person.

Besides being the nursery for Oregon natives, it’s a real treat to tour the grounds with the owner, Lory. She’s passionate about plants, nature, and habitat restoration, but as an artist, she’s also realized an amazing personal vision for her house and the many outbuildings on her property. Using salvaged building parts, she’s worked with a local carpenter to create a bohemian retreat amongst her thousands of plants. From a distance, the turquoise buildings fade into the background, but up-close, Lory’s love of old wood, chippy paint, wrought iron, and old tin ceilings can be found at just about every turn. Here are a few pictures of her house:

Walking through the property, she's fashioned false-fronts onto her nursery greenhouses using old barn lumber and salvaged parts from vintage buildings. And the customer check-out is in a retro trailer!

Behind Lory's house are two of my favorite buildings: a little stuccoed pump house and a garage/studio made from an impressive collection of old wood:

There is a cozy room off the back of the garage and a private garden, all connected with old Victorian doors:

Meeting Lory and hearing her stories about creating Bosky Dell was a great inspiration for me. She’s the type of artist I inspire to be--one that really trusts her instincts and continues to dream big even when people may think her ideas are a little crazy. Her property reflects her personality and her passions through and through. I highly recommend a visit!

Transitioning

2010-09-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

Things are changing around here. Summer was a fleeting moment and now the low evening light and cooler temperatures tell me autumn is right around the corner. I can't believe how much it rained today. Showers, drizzle, misting, light rain, heavy rain -- we saw, heard, and felt it all.

These photos were taken on an evening walk around Mt. Tabor -- Portland's own extinct inner-city volcano and home to two historic reservoirs that hold our drinking water.

Repurposed Postcards

2010-09-14T16:57:00.000-07:00

This happens a lot: I start an art project—a collage or painting—and at some point feel a little dissatisfied or blah about where it’s going. So I set it aside for a while—weeks or months, usually. Then, while I'm at work on something else, I'll see my cast-off art out of the corner of my eye and suddenly know just what needs to be done. Now, this may in fact be a way to procrastinate about the project at hand, but I’m not going to overanalyze, because in the end, I can say, "Yay! I finished something this evening."

That’s what these postcards were. Experiments in paint and doodles and stamping that didn’t do much for me....until I found some random collage elements and washi tape that brought it all together. A good reminder to myself that setting things aside is okay and not something to resist. Taking a break from the inner critic can truly benefit those creative sparks even if that critic's message is an otherwise fairly innocuous “This isn’t doing anything for me.” I’ve definitely found that time and space—sometimes even completely forgetting about something I’ve worked on—gives me the opportunity of a new start and a fresh approach.

The Backyard Bird Report

2010-09-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

Erik created the mother of all birdfeeders in our backyard this summer and it’s doing its job nicely.

Fall migration has started and it’s a delight to look out the window each morning and see so many birds gorging themselves on millet, niger thistle, and black-oil sunflower seeds. One morning there was such a variety and they were acting out with such personality that I had to record the birds in a diagram (for Erik, who goes to work earlier than I do and often misses the action):

True to their name, the house finches love eating near our house. And, ironically, their favorite feeder is itself house-shaped and hangs under the front eave of our porch. They positively gorge themselves throughout the day, leaving a fine mess that we must sweep up every evening. However, our squirrel friends—previously frustrated by the measures we took to keep them out of the feeders—have discovered that hanging out beneath the feeders can itself be quite rewarding. They are now frequent visitors to our porch as well as, helping us to clean up after the ever-exuberant finches.

{An unusual sight -- a Black-Capped Chickadee in the House Finch feeder}

When I was young, we lived next door to an elderly woman, Nita, who loved birds and had several prized birdbaths in her yard. Like the one I bought for our front yard last year, hers had a concrete bird figurine in the center (perhaps the reason why I was so drawn to this one at an estate sale and wrestled it into the back of our Subaru all by myself in the pouring rain?).

Nita was an artist, so her little bird statues were always painted like the Blue Jays that visited her yard daily. My memories of Nita are both incredibly vivid and, at the same time, entirely fragmented. I remember strange things like the quality of the grass in her backyard and how she would talk to the jays ... and the fact that they seemed to listen. Being the impressionable little girl I was, this human-bird connection as something almost magical.

{A favorite photo of mine by Erik}

It wasn’t until I moved to Oregon and started spending time in nature with Erik that I learned more about birds, mostly picking up bits and pieces from him. There’s something very satisfying in observing the flora and fauna of one's neighborhood and recognizing the calls of familiar birds (and then being excited by the unfamiliar ones!). But even with all I’ve learned, my base memory--the place where I start --is Nita’s sunny backyard, running around barefoot in that thick grass, and listening to her call to her Blue Jay friends (which I’m pretty sure were actually Scrub Jays … but details, details :-).

Escape from the Urban

2010-09-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Erik and I were going to go backpacking, but feeling a little lazy we decided to stay close to home and just do an outing to Sauvie Island instead. About twelve miles from Portland, this island in the Columbia River is a patchwork quilt of farmland and wildlife preserves. It is popular with cyclists because the main road makes for a nice 15-mile ride that loops around the southern end of the island and is perfectly flat. Back when I was new to Portland, this was often how I'd get my exercise in the evenings after work. Both invigorating and centering, those solo summertime rides at dusk were central to my new, independent life post-college.

In any case, Erik and I didn't do any biking while on the island this time around. It was a day devoted to photography, sketching, and berry/peach/vegetable-picking at Sauvie Island Farms. Nothing beats a morning in the sun, picking your produce for the week, and spending half the money you might otherwise drop at Whole Foods!

I've often heard Portland described as a big city with a small-town feel. While I don't know how true that really is, I do find that having places like Sauvie--where you can set foot on a farm twenty minutes from downtown--helps things feel a bit smaller and little more real in an otherwise dense, urban place. The other small-town thing I've learned about Portland is that you're always bumping into people you know (or sort of know). Like I saw Melissa from All Buttoned Up picking berries with her kids during our farm trip. It's just sort of funny and strange to look up from a blueberry bush and say to yourself, "Oh, there's Melissa" when, in fact, I only met her through her blog (which is always a lovely place to visit, by the way).

That's me frolicking in the broccoli patch. It was a good day. We need to go back soon now that the blackberries have had time to ripen up.

Just Peachy

2010-08-26T22:33:00.000-07:00

Summer is the best sort of preoccupation. Our garden has produced nicely, despite many lessons-learned for next year. It's hard to beat all the fresh food. I'm loving the farmer's markets, the evening walks I take with Erik, lounging about in our new porch chairs, the pandemonium of songbirds in our backyard each morning, biking to work everyday, spending some quality time with my two-year-old niece. Yep, pretty much all of it. But I'm sorry I've been so quiet around here lately. Things will probably be a bit sporadic through September. Then I will seek shelter from the rain and hopefully have more time to write and create. :-) Hope you all are well.

{from the bean trellis}

{She bonked her head on the dining room window. Quite stunned, so I kept her in a shoebox as protection from the neighborhood cats. It didn't take long for her to recover and fly away.}

Home Again

2010-08-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

We're home from our trip -- well rested now after three nights of backpacking, followed by a visit to my parents' house. It was a great adventure trekking through the Wallowa Mountains -- our third such trip in the last five years. The first two days we saw not a (human) soul. It was truly amazing to walk through alpine meadows rimmed with pink mountain heather and granite outcroppings. The lakes were brilliant as well, with their crystal-clear, super-chilly waters.

Paradise it was in many ways but I don't want to paint too rosy a picture. The mosquitoes were brutal the first two days and I was fairly sleep-deprived by the end of the trip. That being said, I loved the isolation and all the time I could devote to reading, journaling, and painting. Even the mosquitoes couldn't stop me from enjoying those pursuits (wearing a head-net helped, as seen below :-).

P.S. Erik took most of these wonderful pictures.

Vacation Time

2010-08-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

{Wallowas, 2007}

I'm off on a backpacking adventure through the Wallowa Mountains in Eastern Oregon. See you next week ... hopefully with some really pretty pictures!

Two Painted Ladies

2010-07-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

I did two acrylic paintings in July and had a lot of fun playing with color. These San Francisco painted ladies--one big, one little--are now brightening up the white walls of our guest room.

Circular Snapshot

2010-07-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

Aren't these pictures amazing? Ever since I started collecting old photos a couple years ago, I've developed a particular fondness for Kodak circular snapshots. Recently, I was quite pleased to make the acquaintance of this lovely collection over at the National Media Museum’s flickr page, as well as learn about their place in the history of photography:

Popular photography can properly be said to have started 120 years ago with the introduction of the Kodak. It was a simple, leather-covered wooden box – small and light enough to be held in the hands. Taking a photograph with the Kodak was very easy, requiring only three simple actions; turning the key (to wind on the film); pulling the string (to set the shutter); and pressing the button (to take the photograph). There wasn’t even a viewfinder - the camera was simply pointed in the direction of the subject to be photographed. The Kodak produced circular snapshots, two and a half inches in diameter.

The Kodak was sold already loaded with enough paper-based roll film to take one hundred photographs. After the film had been exposed, the entire camera was returned to the factory for the film to be developed and printed. The camera, reloaded with fresh film, was then returned to its owner, together with a set of prints. To sum up the Kodak system, Eastman devised the brilliantly simple sales slogan: ‘You press the button, we do the rest.’

Imagine -- no viewfinder! With so much left to chance, it must have been a great surprise to receive those 100 photographs in the mail. Here are three more of my favorites from the Museum's collection:

Summer Story

2010-07-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

This photo (one of my favorite Etsy finds!) pretty much sums up the last few days for me... Lots of time outside, wearing shorts, reading, and being lazy in a good way. Spring and fall are usually my favorite seasons, but I gotta say that I'm so appreciating these long, warm summer days. I feel like I've finally thawed out after our extra-long rainy season this year. And last night I had lavender ice cream with candied mandarin oranges. Doesn't get any more summery than that!!

New Collages

2010-07-14T21:51:00.000-07:00

The metal bulletin board in my studio has been handy for working out some of these collages, as well as pondering them as a collection. For weeks the pieces were held up on the board with magnets and I would occasionally add or subtract an image. Finally, in a burst of creative energy, I glued them all down on sketch paper -- some of the compositions staying largely the same as they'd been while up on the board and others getting completely reworked as the pieces were placed on paper.

Summer Escape

2010-07-13T22:06:00.000-07:00

Summer officially arrived in Portland right after 4th of July weekend. Erik and I made our escape to a lake-side campsite to enjoy the cooler temperatures up near Mt. Hood over the weekend. It was an easy two-mile hike down to the lake where we set up our tent, took a nap, and then went for a swim.

I brought my journal along, but was a little bummed that the ink cartridge in my favorite pen was entirely spent, so there would be no writing or sketching on this little trip. But fortunately, an enjoyable alternative was on-hand: Stephanie Dowrick’s book Creative Journal Writing. It’s hard for me to describe why I like this book so. Perhaps it’s the combination of practical suggestions, the inspiration of Ms. Dowrick who is a longtime journal writer, and her gentle style that is both simple and intelligent. I’ve had regular dates with my journal since getting this book from the library.

The next morning, after a surprisingly good night’s sleep (usually I don’t do so well on a thin Thermarest), Erik and I hiked back out, swatting furiously at mosquitoes whose numbers had seriously strengthened over night. We decided to drive a different route back home -- through the Hood River Valley -- so that we could stop at some fruit stands to buy cherries and blueberries. I have a bowl of red Bings next to me right now. They are just the perfect summer treat.

Outdoor Bliss

2010-07-06T22:05:00.000-07:00

{flower photos by erik}

I’m sore. Walking around the house just now, it feels as if my hamstrings are bulging out the backs of my legs, like a weight-lifter who failed to give proper attention to the opposing muscle group and now has an awkward gait. My legs really don’t want to bend, but when they do there’s this sensation of sand or gravel in my knees. Today I feel twice my age.

Ah, the aftermath of a long day in the garden.

Sometimes I can’t garden in short amounts of time. My former landlord used to insist that the proper way to maintain a garden was to weed for 20 minutes after work each evening. No, sometimes I must have the stretch of a full day to really find my rhythm. This weekend, things finally felt like they were coming together after much time spent planning and researching and even making a spreadsheet of all the plants I was considering for the next phase of our landscaping project. At last, a little woodland garden is taking shape under the Japanese Snowbell in our front yard.

BTW, did I ever show you how amazing that tree was covered in a veil of pure-white blooms a month or so ago? It was like watching a nature documentary from the comfort of our porch.

Our container water garden is also now about where I want it … after several different attempts at rearranging the plants and the stones. The trickle of the water is just loud enough that you can hear it from the sidewalk. I smile whenever I see passersby turn an ear toward the garden.

Even our porch got a little love over the weekend. After perusing Martyn Cox’s book Big Gardens in Small Spaces, I was inspired to pay better attention to my potted plants. Normally this is where the annuals go for a bit of extra color, but since our porch steps are rather shady, I went on Mr. Martyn’s suggestion to put some of my favorite perennials here in pots. I’m especially liking the effect of the tender groundcovers, like Baby’s Tears and Sandwort, and the gentle green texture they add.

We’ve also got a friend in the garden -- a somewhat mangy-looking young crow. Not mangy in a diseased way, so perhaps shabby is a better word to describe him. He's a bit like the Velveteen Rabbit or one of Ann Wood’s creations, sewn from a vintage wool coat with some frayed feathers from an old duster stuck here and there. We see him with his mother off and on, but it seems she mostly leaves him to fend for himself now. He squawks something terrible when she’s nearby, sticking his still-pink mouth in her face, begging for food. She does not oblige. Needless to say, the poor guy hasn’t quite figured it all out yet and is surprisingly unafraid of humans.

{pen & ink sketch, but not my original composition. It was drawn from an antique children's book on animals & nature}

In fact, if I may anthropomorphize here for just a second, he seems quite content ambling through the garden at less than an arms-distance away from us, occasionally making an awkward hop from ground to birdbath to tree limb, often with one of his emphatic little squawks. Tonight he was snoozing on a low branch in the Snowbell while Erik worked just beneath him on the irrigation system.

Well, the tight leg muscles and creaky knees seem worth it now that I’m able to survey our hard work from the porch. Besides, what a great excuse to take a long, hot bath before bed.

Hope you enjoyed some outdoor bliss in whatever form over the weekend!

Meet Me at the Book Drop

2010-07-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

June was my month for organization and it included a great effort to simplify areas of my life that directly affect my creativity. So, first things first, I began by returning numerous books to the library; books I’d kept on my shelf because they contained all sorts of delicious project ideas or art inspiration I wasn’t quite ready to part with. But, having literally woken up one morning with the realization that these books (as wonderful as they might be) were contributing to my feelings of being overwhelmed, I quickly formed a big stack in the dining room, pulled out my camera, and snapped a few photos of those pages I didn’t want to forget (like these from Scandinavian Needlecraft) before saying goodbye.

Erik, who is always supportive of any effort on my part to simplify and organize, was a willing helper to haul my borrowed collection back to the library in our trusty Burley bike trailer so they might be united with other adoring patrons.

The book purge also gave way to thinning out my personal collection (mostly collage material) in the studio, choosing to keep those books I'm presently most drawn to on my shelves upstairs, and taking the remainder down to the basement for bit of a rest. Perhaps I’ll rotate them in a year or so. Then, I did a similar thinning of my fabric -- keeping just my favorites upstairs for now. And next came the digital-photo organization. Minimizing those choices; making room for creativity.

It’s nice to start July feeling a little lighter.

This Art, These Walls

2010-06-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I'm hit by a big wave of blog overwhelm. Despite the fact that I always keep a list of ideas going, sometimes the writing feels almost impossible. Well, I've been feeling that way the last four days, so I'm determined to push through this block tonight.

June has been my month for organization and a project of top priority has been the "My Pictures" folder on my hard drive. No surprise, sorting through all those files led me to rediscover a number of photos I'd forgotten about, including these that I took of the artwork in my Aunt Liz's home.

I was musing the other day about the stuff in my own house and taking a hard look at the things I really love. These are items not necessarily valuable or overtly pretty, but rather familiar and happy; bits and bobs that I treasure for some odd reason or another. They're the things that add the most to my experience and comfort of living in this space I call home (as far as objects go). But, even more so, I find familiar things have an especially strong impact on me when I visit the homes of dear friends and family members -- usually the ones who were part of my life as a child; when memories took root in my little brain years ago.

Liz's house is definitely like that for me, even though it's not the house she lived in when I was a child. Nevertheless, many of the things have carried over from one home to the next, especially the artwork that decorates her walls.

There is something very warm and textural about original art pieces hanging in a home, I've found. My aunt has a collection of understated vintage paintings -- many found in second-hand shops and antique stores -- along with a number of watercolors painted by artist friends and some, I believe, she and her daughter painted themselves.

Between the paintings, platters, and framed textiles, these walls are also home to many photographic reminders of past trips to Italy and France. I know as I child, my interest in Florence and Venice was first sparked by some of those photos I would often ponder on her walls.

As I'm writing this post, it's quite amazing to realize how much impact these small collected objects had on me -- everything from my desire to buy things second-hand and handmade, to many of my artistic sensibilities as well. Do any of you have a object or collection of your own or someone else's who familiarity is always a pleasure or an inspiration?

Well now -- I'm feeling a bit better, having gone through this small ritual of hitting "Publish Post" -- completing a thought and adding a little something to my corner of the blogosphere. It's funny how something as simple as jotting down a few thoughts with a couple of pictures can, at the outset, seem so daunting.

Hope you all are happy and well this week.

Simple Home

2010-06-26T09:19:00.000-07:00

Here is another yummy design/decor book that I can highly recommend, especially for those of you that like a minimalist eclectic or "found" style that relies mostly on vintage pieces. The backdrop of white walls, linen and cotton fabrics, and the natural palette of art objects is a look that makes me feel immediately at home. I also enjoyed browsing this book from a stylist's perspective. The photographer, Deb Treloar, has a great eye and really knows how to use natural lighting to set the mood of her photos. Enjoy!

Paper Rabbit

2010-06-23T21:26:00.000-07:00

While tidying and organizing my studio over the weekend I came across five collage "sketches" I did on cardboard a couple months back. At about 5x5 inches, these little experiments incorporate random leftover paper scraps that I keep in a basket for just this purpose -- wallpaper, book pages, sheet music, old dress patterns. I also tried out some rubber stamps (vintage and new) and blotches of acrylic paint. A few of the collages got a bunny sketch to boot. Bunnies -- I don't know why, but they must have been on my mind that afternoon. Eclectic is definitely the theme of the day here!

And here are some close-ups of those furry little guys. I had many pet rabbits as a girl, so it's no surprise that they're one of my favorite animals to draw.

In other news, it finally felt like summer here in Portland today. I believe this is the latest I've ever left the plastic film insulation on the windows. But it's off now and the north breeze feels heavenly tonight, pushing all the stuffiness of winter right out of the house.

small packets and little details

2010-06-21T07:57:00.000-07:00

Speaking of great things that come in the mail, I've decided that half the fun of ordering from Etsy is the wonderful attention-to-detail that so many of the sellers put into their packaging. Last week felt like my birthday all over again!

Japanese washi tape. Oh my, I hope this doesn't become an addiction. If you find these sorts of things dangerously tempting as I do, I recommend you definitely not visit this wonderful blog/etsy shop. :-)

Little details like this just make me smile.

Happy Monday, Friends!

When Less Creates More

2010-06-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like you're able to be more creative when you have fewer options, fewer choices?

I've been thinking about this a lot since that post from a couple weeks ago where I wrote about how great if felt to be deeply immersed and productive in designing our front garden; a creative mode that frequently eludes me. So often, the blocks I experience are dumbfounding because it's the exact opposite of what I would typically consider to be "artist's block." At any given moment I'm often overflowing with inspiration and the desire to express myself. My muse is almost too prolific. However, there's a disconnect when it comes to channeling that inspiration and imagination into something tangible. And I'm learning that more and better ideas, inspiration, art supplies, etc., is not the way out.

It was while I was photographing these pages from my journal, which I worked on during our camping/road-trip last month, that a little light bulb in my brain started to flicker with that realization.
These pages showed me just how much creativity I was able to tap into during those nine days on the road, despite having only my journal and a plastic zippered pouch containing the most basic of art supplies.

Honestly, it didn't come as a total surprise, this wave of vacation-induced artistic inspiration. I knew the distance from home and work and the separation from my day-to-day responsibilities would do me good. But still, there was something to meditate on -- this opportunity to choose simplicity versus a wealth of supplies, projects, and ideas. Was less definitely more in this case?

It was really when I started to think back to all the other times I've actually been able to get into a sustained mode of creativity that my light-bulb moment began to illuminate this part of myself long misunderstood; the part that made me wonder if there was such a thing as adult-onset ADD. Actually, it was sort of a "well duh" moment because the pattern was quite obvious and it had a lot to do with choices.

I remembered summer internships back in college that took me across the country with only those possessions that could fit in a suitcase. Then there were the short-term housing situations in my 20s that required most of my belongings be put in storage or left behind with my parents. Traveling abroad, classes, workshops, all of these--in their own way--created a focused environment that allowed me to settle into an artistic mode without feeling like I might suddenly spin off in a million different distracted directions, as I often do at home.

Delightfully focused is how I felt when I was painting that little building with the red tile roof at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge Headquarters. No responsibilities, but also, just a perfect handful of choices. Reading, journaling, daydreaming, walking, painting -- that was about it. All rich with possibilities, yet being able to count them on one hand made it so easy. Even more easy perhaps because I never stopped to wonder if I had chosen wrongly. Heck, there was no need to think I might be sacrificing one interest for another because with only five options, I could easily transition to another later in the day or week! At this rate, I could sample all the flavors in my proverbial ice cream shop!

It was immensely satisfying to sit and sketch and paint for hours that afternoon while Erik was off exploring and learning from the seasoned naturalists wandering the refuge headquarters. I got a weird sunburn on my leg that particular day after somehow missing a wee bit of skin in my frequent sunscreen applications. Now I have this ribbon-sized tan on my left thigh that is a daily reminder of those blissful hours spent with my journal.

I collaged these pages after breakfast one morning at the Frenchglen Hotel, where I found an assortment of local newspapers and tourist brochures that had interesting images. Totally random and spontaneous. Hadn't even thought to bring a pair of scissors so everything was torn!

Occasionally Erik would leave his Birds of Oregon book lying around and I'd flip through it and draw a bird we'd seen that day.

***

So now, with this realization that too many choices can be the absolute downfall of my creative focus, I'm making some little shifts in my life -- shifts toward simplicity and organization, as well as some self-imposed limits on the number of projects and ideas I attempt to chase at any given time. They are helping. I'll write more about this later as these shifts turn to positive habits (hopefully :-).

***

I thought I'd end with a few more of my favorite photos from the trip -- a good reminder of the rejuvenation that came out of that week of simple living:

Our campsite at Willow Creek Hot Springs was about as remote as you can get by car in Oregon. An hour's drive down a rough gravel road, we had the place to ourselves. This is me out looking for obsidian rock.
There were many times we had to pull off the road so I could take pictures of the cows. This photo was taken on a really rainy morning, but the moo-moos didn't seem to mind too much.
Old buildings also got their fair share of camera time. This Greek Revival farmhouse is a real gem and very old as far as houses in Oregon go. I was amused by its state of disrepair juxtaposed with a satellite dish. We saw that a lot.
Since we were sleeping on the ground for so many nights, I wanted to bring along a few comforts from home, including a thin futon mattress that folded nicely in the back of the Subaru and several warm quilts. Mummy-style sleeping bags are not my favorite to sleep in, though they do make sense on backpacking trips.

Silliness out on the Alvord Desert playa.

Frenchglen is one of the charming little towns we visited. And by little, I mean, "Population 12" little. We stayed in the hotel one night and enjoyed breakfast there twice.

My Bird Nerd. :-)
We saw so many of these sweet 'lil Yellow Warblers.

And I sure wouldn't mind another soak in that hot spring at the Alvord Desert. This photo was taken looking toward the desert; in the opposite direction are the Steens Mountains. Quite the panorama!

Ah, good memories! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Mail Art

2010-06-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

Do you ever send mail? I recently made these cards for two special little ladies in my family. At the post office last week, the postman was nice enough to hand-cancel the envelopes, since there was no line at 2 PM. (Shocking!) But he didn't seem at all intrigued by my handmade missives. Not even a smile or a question or a "Don't see things like this too much these days." Oh well. Despite all the rules and regulations, and the extra postage you have to put on mail that isn't of a standard size, in the end, it is quite amazing how much creativity the postal service will tolerate. I love sending mail.

pretty things

2010-06-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

Collections, I have many: Old photos, vintage fabric, bird nests, pretty rocks, postage stamps. Somehow, along the way, I also started collecting quotes. Mostly obscure ones from Victorian novels or old magazine short-stories; writings that are typically unremarkable, except perhaps for a jewel-of-a-passage here and there that transports me back 100 years to the English countryside or to a cozy turn-of-the-century parlor.

Here is a recent one I found from a magazine story called "Pattie." A bit melodramatic in a way that Victorian writers seem to do best, but I quite like the imagery of the main character's clothing and the contents of her work-basket. The reference to pale-blue India silk reminded me of these photos I took a few weeks ago of some vintage dresses I have hanging from a hook on our guestroom door.

With hard eyes and drawn mouth she stood for a minute before the window. … . At last the control of her twenty-suppressed years gave way, and with trembling hands she tore the pins out of her orderly hair and let it loose in great billows below her waist. Then she flung off her simple white linen gown, and found and shook out the pale-blue India silk, whose glories had not seen the light since Mary Denis's wedding-day. … The effect as she stared into the mirror satisfied her. She looked round the room. It reflected herself, her old, admirable, systematic self, and for the moment she had that self under her heel. She snatched up her work-basket and childishly, fiercely, turned it inside out. Spools and reels of many-colored silk and cotton rolled distractedly in all directions, buttons peppered the table and floor, needles and pins sparkled among the stiff sofa-cushions. The whole cosmos was made chaos. Martha laughed again, this time with joyous relief in every line of her face. Her eyes were sad still, and lonely, but the strained look was gone—she was free.
From “Pattie” by Margaret Doane Gardiner, 1905

I'm happy to have a day at home today, still sifting through the last few gardening books in the stack I got from the library. Supposedly it will feel like summer here this weekend. I'm ready and so are my tomato plants!

Goodbye Little Wilson

2010-06-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

{Wilson's Warbler in Fields, Oregon -- spotted on our vacation}

I had a brief moment of sadness the other day that reduced me to a fog of childlike sentimentality and tenderness. Childlike, I suppose, because it's been many, many years since I've buried a pet and this moment reminded me of those early girlhood experiences, dealing with the inevitable loss of my numerous furry companions.

While out front weeding, Erik found our neighbor's cat batting around a Wilson's Warbler on the driveway -- a tiny yellow songbird with a cute black chapeau; a bird that is migrating through these parts right now. Just a couple days previous we'd been thrilled to discover their little flock enjoying food and water in our front garden. Yay!! -- something besides crows and sparrows in our yard!

Cats will be cats, I know, but it still nearly brought me to tears to see our little visitor reduced to a feline plaything. I went to bury him in the backyard and stopped short, repulsed at the idea of putting his beautiful yellow feathers into our muddy soil.

Usually I'm quite pragmatic about these sorts of things, but something compelled me to dash inside and start rummaging through our junk drawer in search of a tiny, bird-sized box. Out poured all the strike-anywhere matches onto the kitchen counter and there it was -- my avian casket. Looking at it though, I still felt unsettled. Simply put, the box was ugly. Its graceless blue-and-red trademark design had no place in my plans, as spontaneous as they were.

Up I went to my art room; quickly, because frankly, I didn't want to slow down and give my inner critic any space to bemoan the silliness of this funeral ritual. I wanted to go with it, to be a sad little girl for just a moment. So I grabbed one of my old bird ID books off the shelf and, almost instantly, landed in the warbler section. Not more than a minute or two later (including rummaging for some fabric scraps in the trashcan), I was set. I could do this now.

And I did, saying a little goodbye to tiny Wilson, shedding a bit of grief in the process, and then moving on. Content with the closure I'd found, it was time to head back to my garden and my sensible grown-up ways.

Hidden Art

2010-06-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

When I was at Portland Nursery last week I spied these wonderful handmade ceramic faces. I think they're made to be a planter of some sort, since they are hollow and open at the top. I just love their colors and emotive expressions. I made a mental note of the artist's name--Jack Hays, I think--but couldn't find anything about his creations using a Google search. In any case, I just love them and would have bought them all, excepting the fact that I could find no money tree growing in the nursery. Darn it. :-)

This last one is my favorite!

Sailor Suit Saturday

2010-06-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

On my way home from work yesterday, I was met with more than the usual Friday-afternoon traffic. Our annual Rose Festival is in full swing: A celebratory week of often-rained-upon parades and overpriced carnival rides, of which I've never quite understood the allure. One element that I find strange, yet never fails to draw me from my desk to the river-facing windows in our office, is the arrival of several extremely large battleships that float down the Willamette and drop anchor for several days. Doubly incongruous to my day-to-day experience in Portland is the sudden appearance of dozens upon dozens of sailors sauntering down the city streets, dressed in their tidy white uniforms and iconic round hats. Their unmistakable congregations can be seen outside of bars, gentlemen's clubs, and tattoo parlors even at 4 PM. I've always liked a nice sailor suit, though admittedly, I associate them with cute little children, and sometimes find the look to be a bit out of place on a burly young man.

In any case, seeing so many white-capped men on my way home made me think of a neat vintage photo album I have on my bookcase. Most of the pictures are of "Betty and Bob" -- wartime sweethearts from the Pacific Northwest. Betty probably put the album together, as there are many photos of her posing with expressions of melodramatic longing for her overseas Bob. I imagine they were photos that were included in letters to him, surely bringing a smile to his face. The album was never finished, but hopefully the two of them were reunited after his service and lived many happy years together.

Here are a few more of the photos. I especially like her yellow socks in this shot taken in front of Multnomah Falls:

Dream Big, Plan Well

2010-06-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt that my mom and I have a lot in common; though, for all those similarities we also are quite different. Tall/short. Blond/brown. Serious/silly.

One trait that she has that I quite admire (ok --sometimes envy) is her ability to focus and immerse herself in her projects. Although I have to remind myself that she’s retired and a couple decades my senior, I’m in awe of all the creative things she’s learned to do largely on her own -- spinning, weaving, knitting, soap-making …. you know, amazing stuff like this:

Although I don't want to label myself as one who flounders, it is true that I don't often find it easy to get into that state of flow and passionate immersion when it comes to my creative endeavors. I work best under pressure. Deadlines, expectations, people counting on me all are strong motivators. Admittedly, I wouldn’t mind having (and am presently trying to gently cultivate) a little more capacity and consistency in the self-motivation department; doing things I love just for myself. (As a side note, reading Daniel Pink's book Drive gave me some insights into why I thrive in some workplace situations and not others. Interesting stuff.)

Certainly, there are times when I am able to throw myself headlong into projects and find that intensely enjoyable focus that often means I have to remind myself to eat and sleep. My latest project that fits that bill is working on a true garden plan for our front yard; the sort that’s drawn on graph paper with lots of circles and arrows and labels and such.

This project started out as an item on our "to do" list and I was dragging my heals at first, even resenting it a bit. In my ignorant gardening bliss of last year, I planted mostly deciduous and herbaceous plants (i.e. those that drop their leaves or go dormant in the winter) and found that our front yard turned to a barren, brown patch of dirt in the gardening off season. It did not make our dark, rainy Pacific-Northwest winter any more bearable.

Wait. I should frame that in the positive.

The winter-weather doldrums would be greatly improved with a garden of evergreen plants, including, perhaps some winter bloomers.

Hence the need for a plan!

I do feel like I've perhaps taken it to an extreme in the last day or so. My drawing keeps growing and growing in its dreaminess and will perhaps reach Secret Garden proportions if I’m not careful. But really, nothing too drastic or crazy or expensive going on here yet. But also, no longer just a weekend’s worth of moving things this way and that, either! (I think I get this “dream big” trait from my mom, too.) My biggest desire is to get the "bones" in place in the fall.

Needless to say, my begrudging attitude has turned to one of intense curiosity about plants. There is something empowering, I’ve discovered, about being an informed gardener. While I think it is perfectly fine to garden by the seat of your pants (being mindful of at least the basics like a plant's preferred light condition), it does feel good to know your plants, their preferences, their quirks, their vulnerabilities. I even feel better knowing their names. It’s more personal that way. And I suppose that's what I really want in a garden.

Indeed, that seems to be the answer when I muse as to why I'm bothering with all this when our yard doesn't look half-bad right now, all green and wet and springy. But it doesn't look personal yet. It's like an unfinished thought or a half-complete painting.

When I paint, I love laying down the brushstrokes of color that are the underpainting -- messy and free-flowing, yet telling of what the piece might eventually become. Truthfully, the work of the finer details often eludes me because it undoubtedly takes that full-on immersion and persistence to really get up-close and work them out.

So here I am with my front yard plan, layered with its own chaotic underpainting of eraser marks and smudged graphite. But slowly now, as I persist on, it's revealing the finer details of this hopeful landscape. Like the fragrances of Daphne, Sweetbox, and Mexican Mock Orange. And then there’s this particular palette of pinks, whites, gray-blues, and blacks to which I seem to gravitate. The other night I was dreaming (truly) of a delicious interweaving of lacy pink poppies (the big oriental kind), black mondo grass, Lenten Roses (my winter bloomers), blue sedge, variegated oat grass, rosebud azaleas, and delicate Black Beauty. I see the world in plants these days.

The last few of these pictures are part of my nursery note-taking process. Photo-documentation is a wonderful remedy for impulsive plant-buying syndrome; an unexpected fever that’s known to strike gardeners of all abilities when encountering charming, cute, or downright gorgeous plants in need of a forever home.

If you have any favorite plants to recommend or gardening tips and stories to pass along, they would be most welcome here!

Your Dreams Have Wisdom

2010-06-02T22:02:00.000-07:00

I had some playtime in my studio over the weekend.

And I gotta say, I love making messes! :-)

Notes from a Long Weekend

2010-05-31T22:41:00.000-07:00

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. My four-day respite was delicious. Here are a few of the sweetest moments:

I learned that male estate-sale employees give much better deals on vintage fabric than the ladies do. :-)

Lettuce from our garden makes the best salads! I can't seem to pick it fast enough.

My peonies are blossoming and they have friends!

In the brief moments of sunshine today, our Japanese Snowbell was truly a sight to see and we so enjoyed it from our front-porch perch. All the neighborhood bees were buzzing around at our house.

We finally bought some water plants for our little container garden. It blends in with the yard much better now.

And I have a new favorite plant--an ornamental onion called "globemaster." It goes nicely with the lavender, catmint (growing wild and crazy now!), and purple salvia in our planting strip.

Hope you all are well. I'm going to keep this short because it's way past my bedtime! :-)

open to effortlessness

2010-05-30T23:31:00.000-07:00

A gift from Erik that sits in my studio, propped up on the table where I paint. A reminder for which I'm always thankful ... and even sweeter that it's in his familiar handwriting.

{meditation - author unknown}

collected here

2010-05-28T10:51:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, on an inspired evening after work, I created a big mess in my studio and filled up several more pages in my collage journal. The emptiness of a rarely-used journal can be somewhat discouraging to me, but having now established a critical mass of work in this one, it's easier to keep the process flowing. Flipping through its pages stiff with glue brings a certain satisfaction. Some collages are cohesive, some are entirely random ... yet in their shared space, there is still this "belonging."

I have the day off today and am enjoying this early start to the long weekend. Apparently we're going to see some sun on Sunday in Portland-- a welcome treat after so much rain! Even now, the sun is peaking through swaths of gray clouds, playing its typical springtime game of peekaboo. I just took a stroll through the neighborhood to put myself on the sign-up list of a self-described "Mom and Pop Saved Everything" estate sale. It's been months since I've been "junking" and couldn't resist a sale within walking distance. :-)

Happy Friday and Happy Weekend!

The Family Photo Album: A Special Collection

2010-05-26T06:05:00.000-07:00

Erik's mom gave him a very special gift at Christmas this last year -- an album of photos taken by his grandfather, Walter, around 1935. It is an amazing collection of snapshots and tiny photobooth portraits of friends and family. Hailing from New Jersey, Walter's talent with a camera is evident. I have a small collection of vintage albums and, in comparison, this one I find utterly captivating and unique because it truly tells a story of the faces that line these black paper pages. Erik's grandfather brought a sense of humor to his well-composed snapshots and each photo seems to capture a bit of the personalities of his chums. The humorous captions he pasted into the album also say a lot about this young man and his outlook on life.

Looking through these pages reminds me of the importance of recording our stories--the big ones, as well as the more ordinary moments--and to bring them together in albums, journals, scrapbooks; places that can be held between two hands and cherished someday by children and grandchildren.

Here are a few more of my favorite photos from this special collection:

{Erik's grandmother}

{

{the photographer himself}

A Soggy, Pacific Northwest Garden

2010-05-25T06:16:00.000-07:00

Despite the unrelenting rain we had over the weekend, Erik and I managed to spend a good portion of it outside gardening. Happily, we'd duck into the house for tea and snacks whenever the sprinkles turned to showers. and then dash back out whenever the sun tempted us with a few gentle rays. Erik worked on a trellis for our pole beans and sweet peas. He's the perfect height for that sort of work. Our lettuce, kale, spinach, and chard are thriving. It even appears that the tomatoes will survive, despite the fact that I planted them a wee bit too early. And the blueberries? Oh, I can hardly wait!!

Farm Stories

2010-05-24T07:50:00.000-07:00

Saturday I went on a little adventure with a friend to Yamhill County--an area of picturesque countryside west of Portland, filled with vineyards, farmland, and orchards. Our destination was Kookoolan Farms, which is becoming well-known in these parts for their classes in cheese-making and their farm shop stocked with an amazing assortment of supplies for the creative cheese-crafter. The little self-serve shop also sells colorful eggs, pasture-raised meats, raw cow's milk (hard to come by in Oregon), and homemade yogurt. I came home with a number of lovely things.

We also drove through the tiny towns of Yamhill and Carlton. I was swooning over this stately Carpenter Gothic house with its two porches and three balconies!

Though I love living in Portland, an old house in a country setting can certainly stir up yearnings in me for a quieter life with a little more elbowroom. The fact that I would like to have some chickens and a pair of little milking goat s furthers my urban-living conundrum. Perhaps I will get to have my hobby farm in retirement.... :-)

At home, my friend and I started up a batch of chevre, which sat overnight before being drained through cheesecloth. Although a fairly easy cheese to make, I'm not sure it was a true success. The curds and whey didn't seem to separate as I thought they would. Nonetheless, what resulted was a nice, fluffy soft cheese, quite similar to cream cheese. I added a little sea salt and some rehydrated herbs and it turned into a pleasant spread.

And speaking of fresh, dairy creations, I've also been making my own kefir with goat milk. I was inspired to do this because I wanted the probiotic benefits of the fermented milk without the expense of the grocery store variety. So, I purchased some kefir "grains" on etsy and now make up a fresh batch about every other day. It's an easier process than yogurt because there's no cooking involved; however, the finished product isn't as delicious as creamy, plain yogurt (topped with strawberries!). I do, however, love the tangy-ness that the kefir adds to my morning smoothies. Here is what the "grains" look like:

Happy Monday!