Do You See What I See?

I am having some fun with Bruce Conner Rorschach designs. I really began thinking about what could be seen and trying to look more intently at the images. Do you see the profiles?

Do you see the tiger/kitty face?


Does this snowman graphic look like something sinister? A snowman with a shovel? "I'll clean your walks Mame. These flakes aren't going to amount to anything."

Have you heard the term, "Still waters run deep"? Have you ever noticed that a shallow murky puddle can be still too?

Listening

Today I responded to the spontaneous urge to ask my colleague the question, "Do you have any embroidery hoops I can borrow." And Lori went one better and answered the question I had been searching the web and my brain to find . . . how to MAKE an embroidery hoop. WOW! So AMAZING!
All one needs to do is cut the bottom off a whipped topping container and cut out the center of the lid. It works perfectly.
This is a much better fix than buying or borrowing a hoop because one of my motivations this year is to show my students how to make art with household items.
Many of my students come from low income households or maybe their family doesn't value art and doesn't provide art supplies for them. I am trying to show my students how to use ordinary readily available materials in inventive ways.
I love the recycled hoops more than my factory made versions.
The little hoop in the picture is a from a chip can.

Making an Iron-on Transfer of an Event in My Childhood

Making an Iron on Transfer


I turned my drawing over and laid a piece of tracing paper on top. I traced my drawing and then I went over my lines with a home-made ink:
1 heaping t. sugar
1 t. boiling water
1/4 t. liquid bluing

After the ink had dried I ironed the transfer onto a piece of bed sheet.

I then embroidered over my lines.
I washed out the bluing and ironed the embroidery.

When I was young I had long curly strawberry blond hair. My mom wasn't one to do a lot with my hair. In my pictures you will see I always have jagged crooked bangs cut with a dull pair of scissors.
Once at dinner I complained that my "hair hurt" because it was caught in my shirt. One day when my mom was out shopping my dad got it in his head that he would "fix" my hair by cutting it. The incident caused a big fight between my parents.
You can see I have a scar under my right eye. I got it after crashing into a set of stairs that went over the back fence in our yard. The previous owner put the fence in the wrong spot and my father wanted all the property due him and built stairs to go over the fence. During a race with the local neighbor boys I fell and hit the stairs. I had to get stitches. Although I cried initially I didn't cry for the stitches.
I have no arms in my portrait because I couldn't control much of what happened to me, my legs look shaky because the strength with which I could take myself into the world was pretty weak and often created negative results.
Although I look like a sad and tragic little being upon closer inspection you will see a golden bindi, and golden seed over my heart.
Even in the face of strange and unpleasant events God was with me. Sowing the seeds of faith and inspiring me.

Whoop and Hollar

Euchre, friends, false accusations, confusion, things from other people's parties, Shamu shirts, hats, noise makers, cat attack, and so much more made for a classic New Years Eve.