Back in the Saddle

It felt really good to be able to spend some time in the studio after not being there for nearly three weeks. Honestly, I didn't know whether to clean it up from the mess I left it in or just push stuff aside and continue on. I decided to ignore the mess and create a new layer of mess on my table top. I worked on a page from Roben Marie Smith's class here. I am having fun with learning how simple it is to build layers and see different artists' take on that. Here are some images for this piece I had started a couple of weeks ago and continued yesterday. You can see the added embellishments between the first and second photo. I used a foam stamp glued to a piece of cardboard, two other stamps I had previously carved and there are bits and pieces of washi tape. And here is another altered book page I have been intermittently working on when I can find it buried on my table. I'm off to play some more. Thanks for spending a moment here...... Please come again..................xoxo jo

The Finale- Going Home

I realized as I was writing these posts and I was titling them "Coming Home" it just didn't feel right. Visiting one's past literally and figuratively can often bring back a wealth of emotion which it did for me, especially certain places I visited. When I was growing up, as some of you know from following my blog for several years, my father was a Methodist minister. My world as a preacher's kid, I think was pretty usual, but as I think back, pretty sheltered in some respects. We had rules about how much and what television was watched, we had chores to do. We were offered piano, guitar, drum and/or ballet lessons, or church youth group.We went to summer camp. I got in trouble for saying "Oh my God!" We presented our parents with our own Christmas recitals. We got new sneakers and school shoes beginning every school year. We went with our parents to the grocery store but sat in the car. That's back when you could leave four children in the car. We had to play outside most of the time if the weather was nice. We rode our bikes around the block. We walked from home to the pizza parlor to get a .25 cent slice of pizza and walked to ballet class and home again. And every Saturday morning we went across the street to the town hall building which at the time housed the public library where we could check out lots of books. Needless to say I discovered my love of books. Rings Pond was also across the street and there were swans, ducks and geese, which you could feed. We also went ice skating on that pond. So here is Rings Pond on Main Street. Leaving Rings Pond and walking up Main Street was the Methodist church and parsonage. This is the house I mostly grew up in. I was bold that day. I walked up the hill right up to the front porch and rang the bell. I introduced myself and told them my father used to be the minister there and that I grew up in that house. I asked them if I might come in. They explained the parsonage was undergoing renovation(which explained the big can on the front steps)but they did allow me entrance to the downstairs. As soon as I stepped inside the door I was flooded with memories. I was both laughing and crying at the same time. I really wanted to see my old bedroom but again they explained several of the bedrooms were being renovated so I could not. I thanked them and left. So, on down Main Street. and to the pizza parlor which now cost $2.50 a slice. Then to 2 Alices Coffee Lounge( which was not there when I was growing up) for some down time with internet and of course yummy coffee and sweets. ........... and art............. While I did art in my lap. I was tickled to see my art in my "fairy godmother's" house. Remember this? Rudy the cat of the house told me it was time for us to go, that it was bad enough for Dexter to be hanging around. I took some pictures from the train as it moved up the Hudson River back to the city for our trip home. Thank you for coming along on my journey going home. I hope you have have a good weekend.........xoxo jo

Going Home - Art Along the Hudson with Dexter. Part 4

I am finally feeling much better after a five day course of antibiotics for a rotten upper respiratory infection. I wanted to share some more of my pics from my journey home to the Hudson Valley in New York. Not far from the Caffe Machiatto there is a huge mural called 'Archways' along the Hudson River. Here are some portions of that mural. I googled 'Archway' and came up with this. I'm sometimes not very good at describing things, but parts of the mural were so realistic that one could feel as if you were walking in to the scene. I am amazed at the largeness. It is a very large canvas!! One morning back at the house we were greeted by the neighborhood Dexter. Dexter really wanted to visit with Rudy the cat living in the house I was in however, she really wanted no part of him. Shame, he was a handsome fellow even through the window screen. Tomorrow I will finish my little journey with you. Stay tuned. I haven't been in my studio in nearly three weeks between life stuff, being gone on my trip, and being sick. Thanks for well wishes during my lousy week last week. I am going to make some art this weekend. I hope you can, too. Thanks for coming by........................xoxox Jo

Going Home- Part 4

Having been wiped out the last several days from this miserable cold, today I felt somewhat better so I did some art........ on the couch. I showed you this a few days ago where I have used my own original drawings from elementary school. I had torn them up and glued them down and added more papers to it. It dawned on me as I was playing some more with this and trying to give it some new life, that I went to see my old elementary school when I went home. Even as I was taking this picture from the car, I was flooded with memories. This old building was where I did these drawings. It was originally the High School and then as the town expanded it became the Willow Avenue Elementary School, which it was known to me. So, here are the piece once again with some new life to it. I like it better. I think it could make a cool children's card or poster. What do you think? Stay tuned for more of my trip home............... and thanks for stopping by.....................Jo

Going Home -Part 3

I have been wiped out from a cold I seem to have come down with as soon as I returned from N.Y. It has been all I could do to get through the work week this week. I have not had a cold in a couple of years so this one seems to have knocked me down pretty hard. It seems all I want to do is sleep,eat and blow my nose. I haven't made much art this week so I know I must not feel very well. So I don't loose the momentum or the incentive, I wanted to show you a few more pics of my trip. The area that Caffe Machiatto is in is undergoing some renewal and I was intrigued by some of the buildings, wrought iron, porticoes etc. And then I spied something dangling in the window - the right window. Where I treated myself to this. Sumi ink, bamboo brushes and pen. And had fun playing with them............ Thanks for stopping by..................................... More of the journey home to come................jo