What is a map?

Is it such a simple question.

I am in the process of collecting

diverse and wild responses.

Do you have an answer? I am not going to give you examples, purposely. I just want you to find your own answer, fresh and unique, and post it here.

I will pick a random number for a

goody box giveaway on Wednesday, September 7

one week from today and the day after I get back from teaching at Valley Ridge. So, leave your answer and cross your fingers!

And for the record, I might be putting some of this in my upcoming book……….

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This is a watercolor and sketch in my journal of the Hi Calypso Iris in my garden. Iris is on my mind, both the flower and the goddess. I am working on a series of artists’ books with this subject and as usual have become a bit carried away. Iris, the goddess, was the messenger between the gods and earth. She has many symbols, and manifests in the arch of the rainbow.

Girls are also on my mind, and equality for them. To that end, to celebrate womanhood I would like to share a wonderful piece my sister Linden sent to me. It is a excerpt from an interview with Joss Whedon.

Joss Whedon, award winning writer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, expressed these thoughts when being honored for his contribution to equality in film and television. He was asked why he wrote strong women characters. “Because these stories give people strength, and I’ve heard it from a number of people, and I’ve felt it myself, and it’s not just women, it’s men, and I think there is something particular about a female protagonist that allows a man to identify with her that opens up something, that he might — an aspect of himself — that he might be unable to express — hopes and desires — he might be uncomfortable expressing through a male identification figure. So it really crosses across both and I think it helps people. Because equality is not a concept. It’s not something we should be striving for. It’s a necessity. Equality is like gravity, we need it to stand on this earth as men and women, and the misogyny that is in every culture is not a true part of the human condition. It is life out of balance and that imbalance is sucking something out of the soul of every man and women who’s confronted with it. We need equality, kinda now.”

So, why do you write these strong female characters?

“Because you’re still asking me that question.”

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Crabs, Clams and Other Gifts

Posted on August 28, 2010 - Filed Under Artist Friends, Real Life

I know the most marvelous people. A few weeks ago my friend Lynne sent me some crabs. Not your everyday gift, especially since the part she sent me was dried up and inedible, but that is exactly what I wanted. Horseshoe crabs and especially their tails, which I learned to love to write with while working with Laurie Doctor years ago. These little buggers do not hang around Colorado, so I have to go begging for them when I teach by the sea. Darling Lynne sent me these.

Horseshoe crab remains on paste paper

Then Berni, who is the generous purveyor of Pan Pastels, my new, and very favorite coloring medium, sent me this to play with.

A detail of a piece I made with this is here. Turned out the colors and the medium solved a big problem I was having. Perfect Timing.

To top off my week of gifts, yesterday another box arrived, full of razor back clam shells. We use these in my Sumptuous Sumi class, and again, cover a critter that lives and dies far from the Rocky Mountains. Pam and her partner Lisa sent me these, that they collected on their beach vacation in Maine (envious me).

I am spoiled, rotten. You should turn bright green and you will, with what I am about to tell you. Now I get to go to Wisconsin and teach at Valley Ridge Art Studio and party with these women. We are going to be busy, the kits I made each have about a hundred pieces in them, but not too busy to picnic on Sunday. Oh Happy Day!!!!

Thank you ladies, thank you!

Journalistic Journaling

Posted on August 26, 2010 - Filed Under 2010 Workshops, Creative Exercises

On the opening night of Art Unraveled there is always a creative speaker to get the crowd going. This year it was Cindy Lewton, and her talk was called “Jumpstart Your Creativity”. She made some comments that she quoted from someone that I forget, and I took some notes in my journal. The next day I took a poll of everyone in my class, and asked them this question, for which they could give only one quick answer:

What are the characteristics of creative people?

Today I finished up the journal page.

I had a good time doing the poll, watching the faces of the thinkers, and hearing all the ideas. This a combo of journalism, the DNA for which I gleaned from my grandmother who was a newpaper woman, and journaling, which I love. It also gets the pollster moving around the crowd. Try it!

This morning I dropped my kids off and took myself out to breakfast. It was such a treat, so luxurious to be looked after. My notes from the poll were in pencil, so I drew them in pen then erased the scribbles. I had a table full of markers and the other diners kept walking close to my table to spy. No one said a word.

What do you think? If you have an answer that my class did not come up with, post it here. Here is some fodder for those of you with kids who can’t think straight.

The human mind once stretched by a new idea never goes back to its original dimensions.

Oliver Wendell Holmes

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In the Middle

Posted on August 21, 2010 - Filed Under About me

The What-ifs are creeping in my ears

My kids are both in middle school, for a week now. They have a nice school, Manhattan Middle School of Art and Academics, but we all know what dangers lurk at any middle school. Two things are on my mind, 1) Do not share my feelings about Jr. High with my kids, and 2) Try not to be nervous about every single thing they might encounter there.

When I was in Jr. High, I was all mixed up. The middle was no place for me, and it hasn’t been since.

Nothing is as middle as this time in their lives. As a middle schooler I remember being astonishingly attuned to the facts, pretty near all of them, only to find out (much later) most of my material was faulty. Both of the darlings are going through that, and I am certain I was no more attractive spouting all that baloney than they are. It is almost funny, the things they think they know, but I don’t laugh at them. Later, behind their backs, Steve and I snicker.

Vocabulary has changed, and I have received the update. “Play date” is out, “hanging out with” is in. I may not say “jammies” anymore, and for goodness sake don’t ask about “boyfriends, girlfriends or love”. Those sweet crushes they used to share are off the table. No touching in public, most certainly no kissing. Most everything I do is embarrassing, so I just won’t do it. Sam said asked me to stop “being enthusiastic about everything”. Well, okay!

All this gives me permission to stay in my studio making art for my book, which, ironically, I am in the middle of.

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Drumroll please…..

Posted on August 19, 2010 - Filed Under 2010 Workshops

School has begun. Today was the first full day of school since last May. Not the perfect schedule for writing a book, but then, we get what we get and we don’t throw a fit! The book is coming together, I am grateful for that long lineup of muses that I kept shoving to the background. They were persistent and ready. Thank goodness!
Art Unraveled was so grand. Thank you, thank you to all the perfect people who showed up to my classes. This year was especially wonderful, and more so because we were stalked by Ricë Freeman-Zachary and her husband Earl, who are in the business of book writing, blogging, pod-casting and making art, and found our classes especially interesting I guess, because they hung out a lot. It is nice to have such colorful people to look at while you are working.

Journal Texting was a new class for me to teach, and I think it worked out really well. Here is a slideshow.

The second class was Sumptuous Sumi. I had some heavy-hitters in that one. Don Madden, for one, who is a surprisingly quiet guy (not like his blog, where he is loud and outspoken like his better half, Susan, who I depend upon to spread truth and enlightenment in the art world). Then there was Mabel Dean, otherwise known as Maybelle, who was until recently a teacher at AU, and a very popular one. Then a host of other talented and impressive folks.

This class was about using a beautiful black ink in combination with walnut ink, acrylic and various kitchen supplies to make beautiful papers. It was so busy I did not get as many photos as I would have liked. Earl sure took a bunch, so maybe we can see those later. Here are mine.

My next class will be at Valley Ridge, in Wisconsin near Madison. We will be making a house full of books. The prep for this class is all over my studio, and I am nearly ready. There is a raucous crowd that is showing up there, so have your party hats on!

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Cool Canada Stories

Posted on August 13, 2010 - Filed Under 2010 Workshops

Last month I went to Red Deer, Canada to teach for the first time, and in my haste to the airport, kicked something hard on my way out the door and broke my toe. By the time I arrived in the Calgary Airport, the toe was a big black plum. Sent to meet me was Shaughn Killeen, who has a business called Driving Miss Daisy, a service that normally caters to seniors. I walked like a senior at this point, so it was nice to sit in his daisy covered car and be driven a couple hours north to the college. Shaughn dropped me off at faculty housing and said goodbye. The unit I was in had no ice or ice trays, and my foot was throbbing. Just as I had finally determined I was going to have to hobble into town, about a mile, and get ice in my backpack to haul back (nothing at all was open on campus), I went to the door to head out, and opened it. There was dear Shaughn, with not only a bag of ice, but a bottle of bug spray. Who does that? This was almost worth breaking my toe for, experiencing this kindness. I hope all of you who need rides will call him when you are in Calgary.

During the week I got an email from AT&T, to notify me that my international roaming was being canceled for over-use. Since I had not used my phone, I could not figure out what this was. Turns out my phone was on sleep instead of “off”, so it was roaming the entire time, which I had no way of knowing. The bill was $1680. Getting news like this in the middle of a teaching week in not recommended. My roommate, Joanna Moore, felt so bad for me she took me out to dinner. She is a watercolor artist, and a good one. She was also a very sweet roommate.

The class I taught was Painted Books, and it was five days long, my favorite format. The people who showed up worked hard, laughed, created and bonded. We had a wonderful time. I am sorry it took me so long to get to bragging about this group, I came home to a wedding and birthdays and general craziness, but finally, I am here. Thank you to Jillian Best who offered me this opportunity. She runs a wonderfully organized and stellar program, with lots of learning opportunities, including building your own pizza oven. Head on out to Red Deer College, only two hours north of Denver by air. I cannot say enough for Canadian hospitality, it was a warm and affirmative experience all the way around.

Thank you to Naida, Sue, Bonnie, Maggie and Deborah. You were so, so lovely. Enjoy!

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Channeling my Nana

Posted on August 11, 2010 - Filed Under Creative Exercises, My Work, Written Inspiration

My grandparents, Kelly and Glenn

I spent yesterday spinning a tale, channeling the voice of my grandmother, Mildred Masterson McNeilly. She was called Kelly. She was complex, delightful to me, and challenging. In 1954 she and my grandpa went to Paris with my mother, who was 19 at the time and engaged (Holy cow, that is another story altogether). This is a project for my book with North Light, due out November 2011. My book is about maps, and finding our place in the world.

Personal Geographies:
Mapping Your Stories in Mixed Media

My Nana is gone now, so I decided to write her story for her, as she might have done on her Royal typewriter. It will go with a set of postcards and maps from Paris at the time that I made into a book, which you will see later on down the road.

My mom gave me a list of things that they did there, and I just let loose. It was fun, and I recommend it. Here is a sample of what I wrote.

Monday, July 5
The third day I set to shopping, as any sensible woman would in Paris. It was a gloriously sunny and successful day, at the end of which dear Glenn was laden with bags and I was actually beginning to feel civilized. Lunch along the Seine, Coq au vin and of course, more vin than coq, merci beaucoup. A song popped into my head and stayed there, darned that Dinah Shore.

“Gimme eastern trimmin’ where women are women,
In high silk hose and peek-a-boo clothes,
And French perfume that rocks the room,
And I’m all yours in buttons and bows.”

Saw an actual bottle of “Joy”, at a mere 45o an ounce, the most expensive perfume in the world. Who wears this? I am guessing whoever it is would actually rock the room, avez-vous d’accord?

Today I am back to my own voice, and working hard on my book. I have so many things to catch up on, including writing about my fabulous time at both Art Unraveled and Red Deer College in Canada. Almost ready to do that, and will this week. In the meantime, channel some loved one, and one of their stories. It might surprise you, and it certainly will entertain you!

Negatively Positive

Posted on August 2, 2010 - Filed Under About me

After my rejection episode last week, gifts began to arrive. Maps and treasures from Pam and Lisa. Lovely comments from many friends I know, and some I don’t. Today, a box of horseshoe crab parts, complete with sand and the smell of the sea, my favorite, from Lynne. If I fell over dead tomorrow, or stayed alive and never taught another class, I would still be one of the most fortunate women around.

The above piece was another page I painted that I call “clown paper”, because it got carried away with itself and ended up silly. So, I took Sumi ink (another favorite, because it is so black) and painted it over the top, finding shapes and critters along the way. The negative spaces were painted around the positive spaces. Like my week. Turned out just fine.

Thank you to all my dear ones, my women friends and fellow artists that hold me up. The hardest part about not moving around the country as much is missing you all! I am looking at lots of lovely options, and received an invite today from a venue I did not even know about. One door opens……

Off to Arizona to Art Unraveled, and I am really looking forward to it. Two fun classes and lots of friends to see in a short period of time. Perhaps a margarita and a monsoon. Bring it on baby!

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The Art of Rejection, or the Rejection of Art?

Posted on July 29, 2010 - Filed Under 2011 Workshops, About me

Recently I got notice that my workshops “cannot be accommodated” by a major venue next year. While I do understand the monumental choices the organizers have to make, I do not like being rejected, at all. I am holding my beautiful baby out for inspection and the viewer peeks at it and comments “Hmmm. Not so cute.”

There are times when it is easier to take than others of course. That said, this teaching art thing is not for the thin skinned, ever. The proposals take many hours, the genius wheels spinning, the creativity building steam like a locomotive, and then, smack, hit that old wall of “NO”. It does make room for new teachers. It does make me get back on that horse to ride, searching for the next thing I have to say or do. In other words, rejection is a good motivator, and the long line of rejectees is a pretty impressive crowd to hang with. If one has to look on the bright side, I guess that would be it. Meant to be? I don’t believe in that line of thinking. I do not believe the Creator has the impetus or motivation to design my schedule, thank you.

How personally should we take it when our best efforts are rejected? This morning I found a really funny post about rejection. It reminded me that nearly everyone out there making an effort to be creative, with words or art, has gone through this. Check out what this post has to say. It is written by a writer, Jerusha Bosarge, who clearly knows how it feels. She rates the levels of rejection, and I like the last one best.

The Disgruntled Editor Rejection:
“You have got to be kidding me. This is so bad, that I wish I had the energy to rip off my own leg just to have a heavy object to throw immediately at your stupid, fat head. Luckily for you, after suffering the torturous review of your horrible manuscript, I feel completely raped of any motivation at all. Never, and I mean NEVER EVER, send me anything of yours again.”

The rejections I receive do not read like this, but they, depending on my mood, do feel like this.

It is all a mystery, that is what it comes down to. Why, oh why oh why. No one in this business seems to know, not even the organizers. What will the attendees flock to? I had a dream that I came up with the worst class ever and it filled the first minute. Now that is a bit paranoid.

So in 2011 I will be staying home, for the most part, which will be easier, for certain. I may even have time to paint and create my own work. I love teaching, I truly do, and I will be going to Artfest and to Italy, so I do hope to see some of you all at those places. In the meantime I will be polishing up my book and hoping that particular “baby” doesn’t fail to impress.

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