Wind in the Willows

This was a room I created for a show house. I knew it was a success when it aroused people to tears.

What style am I

I was painting a mural of Brambly Hedge Mice for Katelyn ( my niece's yet to be born baby girl ) and fell in love with the homes of Mr. & Mrs. Apple, The Toad flax Family, Mrs. Eyebright, and all the other charming mice from Brambly Hedge. Their homes had names such as Crabapple Cottage, and you can smell the delicious scents from the kitchen. There is always a fire glowing and a comfortable chair with ottoman. Soup is being ladled into bowls and thick homemade quilts cover each bed. They treasure and display all there possessions. I am sure Dusty Dogwood would never throw out his Mothers favorite yellow ware bowl. Poppy Eyebright just treasures her Father's leather chair. As in the traditional English style these rooms have evolved out of practicality, love, and many cherished things. They are certainly not from the throw away society. As an Interior Designer I was beginning to feel ashamed of my home. It was not Neoclassically Inspired or 19th century Italian from Restoration Hardware. My bed is not made up in Pearl embroidered bedding and I do not have a spa bath. But I do have my Mothers drum table in my living room, along with my Mother in Laws end tables. My sofa was the first piece of furniture we purchases as a married couple. The red glass lamp was purchased at a fire sale for 50 cents and I learned to refinish on that coffee table. There will always be piles of books in all my rooms and yes I have a lot of stuff. Stuff takes some puttering but that helps my home to reflect me. It's not perfect but I think Wilferd and Basil would feel right at home.

A Whole Brain Would Be Better

Cleaning my desk off I came across an article from Oprah magazine. Half a Mind is a Terrible Thing To Waste by Martha Beck. ( How do we access our creative side of the brain ) 15 years ago I took a course based on Betty Edwards book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. This class had a profound effect on the way I painted. I found that music, scents, quiet,hot tea ( now its wine) would help to allow a shift in my consciousness. This increased my skill of drawing and painting. Turning on the creative side takes practice but the results are undeniable. This helps all creative thinking and problem solving not just art. Martha Beck gave a few simple exercises to wake up that mind. 1. Sign your name every which way. Right to left, left to right, upside down, backward, upside down backward. Repeat till its easy in all directions. ( just moving your hand backward fires the right brain hemisphere) 2. Take a pencil in your right hand (even if your left handed) and write the question: "How's it going?" Then switch to your left and write whatever pops up. Your non dominant hand's writing will be shaky that's okay. Notice that your twin hemispheres have different personalities. I found it worked better if I wrote a longer question and when I switched hands the answer was far from what I was thinking. Gotta go I think I'll ask my right brain if it feels like cooking dinner. I'm getting dressed now.

Snow Day Spike

Snow Day

I think this snow storm is a flop. I feel gypped. When it snows I have the right to do what pleases me. I would hate to live where it's always sunny. Miss watching how bad the storm will be, stockpiling supplies, building fires. Maybe it's a carryover from no school days, but it is a gift. The one day I can forget the to do list and paint for myself. Then again I could plan my summer garden.

Restless, [ Not content when still ]

My sister called this morning. " I am feeling restless and you are the only one that can understand." I thought about it a minute and I did understand. It's not the kind of restless you feel while waiting in line or watching a bad movie. You just don't know what to do. Everything seems heavy to you. There is a lot to be done but you don't start. Sometimes I want to paint but the subject will not settle down. I can not make any decision. So I grab a handful of wheat thins, make another cup of tea and talk on the phone. The day is moving on and I feel really bad. I won't start this project because the other is more important. STOP Just do one thing anything, even if it's not important. A list helps and I always must write TO DO at the top then number each task. I might never look at this list again but the process of doing it calms me, organizes my mind. I think most people feel better when we are accomplishing things, maybe instead of vacations we should have fulfillment weeks. I think this would charge us up. Nothing worse than winding down and having to go back to work. So tomorrow lets all finish every thing on our list. I am going to rethink restless : meaning [ Not content when still ]That's a good thing.

Quote for Today

When one has fire within and a soul one can't keep bottling them up. Better to burn than to bust.What is in will out. Vincent Van Gogh

Happy Opening Day

Defining who we are is clearly up to us. I live each day challenging who I am what is it I want to pursue -- but in the end I have created my life. My house is on a beautiful river with a studio just steps away. Here is where I find myself living my passion, using my gifts, and fueling my energy. Here is where I make a living. In 1996 this was just a story in my diary "My Perfect Day". Piece by piece it became reality. WHY did I not start writing then or at least in 2001 when I moved here. That year I had a book in my head ( A Year or so in Corbin City ) it never hit paper. Too late now but lots of stories for later. So today I start with this blog. To share with you what an artist, mom, wife goes through or maybe its just someone with a spinning mind. Any way I feel good like this is a big accomplishment.