Melancholy

Melancholy---a feeling of thoughtful sadness.

I put the word melancholy down before I looked up the definition, and the word fits my feelings today. I don't know why. Probably a combination of many things. Stress which I fight all the time.

I never knew I was a nervous person until I realized I was talking on the phone and walking in circles (when the phones were actually attached to the wall). I had a long curly cord on the phone, and I was walking in circles like a horse tied to one of those rotating things they have in pastures for exercising. I sat down in wonderment but before I realized it, I was circling again.

I am also a little sad. About hubby's job. He is working but I don't know how long. And now he is talking about having his carpal tunnel surgery while the work is so up in the air.

Also there will probably be no outing tomorrow. The lady who started the outings is on vacation for 3 weeks in Italy with another artist. They will be painting or sketching their way around. Most everyone else had appts or plans they couldn't break.

And last but not least, I have been ignoring my spiritual side. Since Bible study finished in April, I have been negligent about going to church, reading the Bible, and doing my prayers. We did make it to church on Sunday and that was nice.

Being in this mood has made me get emotional and that is when the poetry comes out. I am a born worrier. I will worry something to death. I finally started a worry box when I last had a full time job. Every time I worried, I wrote the problem down, and turned it over to God to handle. After a couple months none of them were important any more or they had been solved. But in the last few months, I have become lax and am worrying again. Here is the poem about worry that I wrote today:

Needy

In times of need, we tend to think
We can rely on our own instinct.

I faced a problem with worry and despair
I saw no end, no way to repair
Fretting, fussing, sitting with blank stare
Thru it all, my Lord waited there.

Sometimes in life things get lost
You finally give up thinking it’s been tossed
An idea pops up, “a prayer I’ll post”
Object found, with help from the Most.

God is there waiting for you and me
His love for the asking, look and you’ll see.

Turn to Him first and save all the worry
For God your Father deserves all the glory.

7-30-07

End of July

Wow! It is the end of July. Where does the time go? We woke to bad news today. Local Operating Engineers went on strike at midnight. My husband is a teamster and some of the employees are Operating Engineers. That means no work for him. He can't cross the picket line. All we can do is hope and pray for a quick solution or maybe an extention on the contract.

I worked most of the day Saturday on a pigeon picture in colored pencil. So much layering. I tried this one on charcoal paper since I had it just sitting here. And not much bettter than the watercolor paper I used last time. This one had a striped-looking texture to the paper. Like corduroy. No matter what you do, you can see the texture thru the pencil.

I am satisfied with the picture now but did have trouble with the blues again. What's up with my "blue" block. I have many shades of blue to work with. I could see having a problem if my palette was limited. I had so much trouble, I thought about tossing it. But I reverted back to my old ways (sorry Jeanette) and actually drew lines in on the wings to represent the feathers. That is the only way I could live with what I produced.

My friend Toni liked it a lot. She likes birds, so this may be her Christmas present for this year. Christmas is fast approaching. Time to get started on gifts.

Scavenger Hunt

I finally got my artwork to the Arts Council for the jury. Now for some me drawing time. I did some scavenger hunt items and hands.

My knee is still bothering me. I am in pain most of the time and can't get the knee comfortable even when I sleep. I have a doctor appt for week after next. The doctor is on vacation for a week. He has great timing, and I will tell him so. lol

Now to find another reference picture to do in Jeanette's colored pencil class on Drawspace.com

Nothing New

Nothing new around here at the moment. Except (and don't have a heart attack) I did some housework. Hubby will probably pass out at the door when he sees it.

I will get my 3 Guild House pictures sprayed tonight and ready to take to the Arts Council tomorrow. One of our group took hers in today. They haven't decided how they will use our art yet. Possibly a calendar, or an auction. I think they are still weighing their options as this fund raiser is ongoing for awhile. They will probably need to see how many items they receive before deciding. I wouldn't mind being on a calendar. That would get into many homes.

I am off to find something to eat. My stomach is telling me it is time to eat. Then to check my pictures for last minute adjustment and then the spray.

Finished Guild House Graphite

Here is the finished drawing of the Guild House. I am happy with it. Funny how I am so unsure of the colored drawings but happy about the graphite. The photo is not very clear but the best I could do. Too large to scan. 11x14

Tomorrow is "plein air" day. We are traveling about 40 minutes from home to the town of Tehachapi. It is in the mountains and cooler. It should be a pleasant day. A personal property with loads of different theme gardens. My first time there, but the group has been there before. From the description, it sounds fantastic.

My brother and his family live in that town, so in the afternoon I will stop by for a visit.

Second Guild House Finished

I finished the second Guild House Drawing tonight. It's not my favorite work, but I think it will be ok to submit.

Guild House Restaurant

I worked on another drawing for the Guild House Restaurant today. I am almost finished. Not really sure I like it but will wait until I add the pen and ink before I make up my mind. I didn't like the chair either when I first finished it. I will wait to post it after adding the pen and ink. I am just making sure the paper is dry. Now I need to work on the pencil drawing I have of the front of the house.

Day of Pain

I have been having lots of trouble with my knee. Probably needs arthroscopic surgery. I am putting it off as I am trying to pay some former medical bills. But today has been a very painful one.

We went shopping at Costco. Way too much walking there. I swear the store gets busier each time I go. Hubby was with me so it took longer to do the shopping.

He doesn't get to go that often, so when he does he looks at everything. Meat, housewares, etc. When we get separated, he will call me on the cell phone and ask where I am. Then he has a habit of wanting me to come back to where he is to look at something. More walking I could have done without. Plus when he is there we wpend much more. But at least I had someone to help with the unloading. It is quite a chore to do it all myself.

I touched up some of the drawings I did for the Guild House. Fine-tuning them a little. Soon I need to get them transferred to some good paper and get started. I would like to finish them early and take the pressure off.

I did hubby's hand last night before dinner. Nice to sketch someone else's hand. Although I am so familiar with my own hand by now, that I think I could almost draw it from memory. Next month we will draw feet for a month. And move along to more body parts. Hopefully when we run out of parts, we will be expert at drawing them.

I have been on crutches most of the evening. Not easy doing things with those in my hands. And I took a pain pill earlier. Those make me sleepy. I think I will head to bed as hubby will be up early to get busy painting the trim in the front of the house.

Colored Pencil Finish

Here is my final on the colored pencil I was doing for Jeanette's class.

Hand a Day

There is a new challenge on the Artwork from Life Forum. To draw a hand a day for a month. I have done 3 so far. It's fun and keeps your mind thinking trying to figure out new poses each day. I'm hoping since hubby is home this week on vacation, he will sit still for me to do his hands. That way maybe I won't get totally bored with doing my own hands.

Plein air outing was today. We now have only two weeks to get finished any art we want to present to the jury for the Guild House. I have one piece finished and one started. I would like to do at least one more, possibly two smaller ones. Everyone seemed to like my chair. We were told they want the art without frames or mats. Not sure if we will be getting them back to frame or not.

Jeanette's CP Class

Here is what I have done so far on my morning glory colored pencil drawing for Jeanette's class. The greens and the brown/orange background came easy for me. But the blues in the flowers have been a nightmare. Why am I having so much trouble with that one color. I find it strange that one color or another, I can work with so easily and another is hard. If I can do one, I should be able to do all.

A new class is starting in the WC Classroom the 23rd on how to draw fur. It should be very helpful to me. Can't wait to start.

Still no details on where our outing will be on Wed. Hopefully I will find out in time to plan some lunch.

Productive Day

Today was a productive one for me. I got a late start after a long afternoon nap, but after dinner, I got busy and "produced".

I worked on the colored pencil drawing for Jeanette's class. Put in the first very light layer of green for the leaves on one side. I will leave the opposite side for later so I have a place to put my hand.

Next I did an ATC for the pet thread. That is now posted on the thread. Then I went to work trying to catch up on the scavenger hunt. Only 3 more days for this hunt.

Hubby is off work this week for his vacation. He plans to pressure wash the outside of the house and then paint it. Then take a few days to go camping.

I suppose I should go to bed. Penny likes all her "packmates" to be in the same place so she can settle down and relax. She has already made two trips into the office where I am to let me know it is time. She will make a couple more trips and then eventually stay in here. Nothing like having a dog tell me when bedtime is. Not even my mom was able to keep me to a bedtime. I would lie in bed and read till late, even if I had to use a flashlight or the light from the bathroom across the hall. In those days (junior high school) I would read a book a night. And I wonder why my eyes are so bad.

One for the Guild House

I finished one item for the Guild House Restaurant. Depending on what else I complete, not sure this one will be submitted. I like it, but not sure it is good enough. I will keep it hanging around for awhile and see if it grows one me.

I usually mat my stuff with a black mat. I don't have a square one and the oval cuts off a lot. So I decided to see how the white one looks. I don't know why the top beveled part doesn't show.

This is 5x7 on watercolor paper. Watercolor and dry colored pencil and pen and ink.

Guild House Restaurant Again

For our plein air outing, we again went to the Guild House. It is closed for the summer, so we were able to go inside and take pictures and look around. A lot of nice woodwork and built-in cabinetry. The guide told us the beautiful glass of the fireplace had been platered over. This picture shows what they found underneath all the plaster. I loved the striped room. The curved walls, windows and curtain rods were unusual and beautiful.

Happy 59th Anniversary

Today is my parents anniversary. Number 59. It has been a bumpy road but they are still together and still alive. Not in great health but still kicking. My nephew arranged for us to go out to eat at a Chinese Buffet. Just what we all need, unlimited food. I will be stuffed tonight and probably miserable.

I used one of the reference photos I took at my parents house to draw this picture on their anniversary card.

Colored Pencil Class

I will be joining a month-long colored pencil class with Jeanette Jobson at Drawspace.com. It will be for dry colored pencils and will show how to layer to get the wonderful results she gets. I would love to get the soft touch she has too, but I am not expecting miracles just progress.

I have been searching for just the right photo. Each one I wanted to do seemed too faded or too busy, or some other problem. I love morning glories so I chose one of those from the RIL at Wetcanvas submitted by BryAli. I did change the line drawing tho and left one of the flowers out.

I am not sure what I like about morning gloies, but I do know when I was in 3rd grade my mome had some growing. I found them fascinating even tho I wasn't a girly-girl and had no interest in flowers and things. Maybe remembering them brings my childhood back.

There are a few other things that stick when I think back to those days. One was the little treat cups mom would make for us. She would decided to surprise us and because we had not money, she would figure out a different way to surprise us. She would use cupcake papers and put little things in them. Coconut flakes, chocolate chips, and whatever little things like that she did have on hand. We thought it was great.

Another thing I remember is the homemade banana pudding, rice, or chocolate pudding as a treat some nights and the potted meat sandwiches every day at noon. She would stretch 3 sandwiches out of one little can of meat and some miracle whip mayo and put that on bread. So yummy. I still like the taste but won't eat them now as the meat is made like hotdogs, made with all the garbage from the slaughter. Just can't wrap my mouth around that. My husband describes cherizo as whatever falls on the floor from the slaughtered animal when they cut it open.

And now you know why I wouldn't make it living on a farm. I don't like eggs unless they are anemic yellow like from the store, won't eat anything I have met, don't like saltless butter, or real cream or milk, and would make a pet of all animals that came within site (except anything likea rodent, snakes, or reptiles...they scare the daylights out of me). No thanks. Now everyone, go have a nice dinner.

It's Hot

It is very hot here. Yesterday was 111 degrees F. That is hot. A tad bit cooler today but still miserable if you have to go outside.

I bought a kiddie wading pool for the dogs. Well one dog. Friday doesn't like water at all. Penny is a water dog. July 4th at my inlaws house, she swam all afternoon. In and out of the pool. It was the first time we took her where there is a pool.

Yesterday I put about an inch of water in the wading pool. She steps into it and then starts drinking. She thinks she now has a walkin water bowl. And hubby did see Friday standing in it for a few seconds.

July 4th

Happy Fourth of July to all in the USA. It's the day that is the noisiest of the year. No matter the rules, there are still many who have to set off dangerous fireworks. And even the odd gun. Since they shoot into the air, someday the bullet will come back down and enter them.

Today is also my hubby's sister's birthday. She and her husband have invited us to come have dinner and sit around the pool with the. It is what we usually do on the 4th. Last year hubby sat outside and watched the fireworks displays that were happening all over town. There is a big one at the nearby junior college. We can see the highest ones from our yard.

I usually stay inside as the dogs ar scared. If I am in the room with them, they will at least relax and try to sleep. But this year with Penny, we don't know how she will react. If she gets too bad, I will stay home and Bill will go to his sister's. I don't mind because I don't want the dogs to be scared in their own house.

I finally got in some drawing time. I did the one for the WDE this week. I think I have 16 items done for the scavenger hunt. And I did a couple of the animals in the pet drawing thread.

Slacking

I have been slacking today. No drawing. I did make a start on getting my office and art supplies organized.

We bought a 6ft metal cabinet with a rolling dolly under it. It is now in my office/art room where I can put supplies out of the way. It is on the way to being full. I still have a long way to go but making some headway. When hubby came in here tonight, he said it looks like a tornado hit here.

To put the big cabinet in here, I had to turn the desk a different way. And that meant moving the computer, and all those wires. Scads of wires. I tried to untangle them, but the more you untangle, the more they seem to tangle. I don't know how on those clean sweep shows on tv they can get all the cords out of site. Don't they ever need to plug something else in like the vacuum?

The computer was out of action for several hours but now it is connected again and I am back in service. Now to just get the piles and piles in the floor put away. Seems the more you try to organize, the more there is to organize. Some spots are cleaner but some are worse. I need Samantha with her "Bewitching" nose, or a genie in a bottle. I may drown in clutter before I get it put away. Update tomorrow...or will there be...maybe I will just close the door and do art instead.

Oh yeah, the ants are back. Not in the office but in the kitchen and laundry. I left out a cut red onion and surprise, they wanted it. Had it totally covered before I noticed. I never thought about an onion. So the fight has been on again today.