WARNING!

I saw The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. The girl at the video store said I might want tissues. Not really, I was thinking more like a bucket to vomit in, and two sleeping pills to get some rest. It was almost impossible to really sleep after seeing this movie. A beautiful heart felt movie about a boy with an unprejudiced heart (like Babe), but the quick and painful ending . . . YIKES!!!

ICE HOUSE DETROIT

Go HERE!!!

http://icehousedetroit.blogspot.com

I made a comment on Feb 7.

Documentary

For all you documentary fans take the time to see, "Man on Wire." It's about the "artistic crime of the twentieth century." Breathtaking! You will see the beauty born out one man's pursuit to fulfill his artistic destiny.

HAAA! Boo Hoo sniffle sniffle

The Flight of the Conchords is so funny! The music videos are my favorite part. But wait the show has been canceled. This is a tragedy! The actors are amazing, the writers are doing some of the most original work out there, and the production enhances the writing, directing, and acting.
I don't like how Scrubs has a cartoon feel to it. I don't like how Big Bang Theory seems like a sitcom (canned laughs), but the characters are funny.

My Favorite TV Shows

Chuck - a comedy/drama with a Get Smart feel to it. Office - the mock-umentary style is fresh. 30 Rock - has humor that is quick, fresh/surprising. There are a lot of big egos on that show.
Pushing Daisies - was one big weird fantasy, it reminded me of Big Fish.
Northern Exposure - had that "magical realism" feel to it, where magical things would happen to ordinary people.
X-Files - there was always a surprise!
Friends - cause there are people like that.
Monk - is a high functioning "dysfunctional." I think people want to be high functioning in their dysfunction.

Goin on

Reading:
Treasures of the Creative Spirit
My Devotions
Diamonds and Toads
The Talking Eggs

Watching:
Cold Comfort Farm
Born into Brothels
Heartland

Day Trippin:
To Ann Arbor for Randy's birthday. Shopping at Downtown Home and Garden. I bought my mom a polish pottery cup, and I bought myself some seeds (French larkspur-Parisian Pink, Heirloom nasturtiums - Alaskan Mix, Fragrant Four O'Clocks - Broken Flowers, Heirloom Morning Glory, Glacier Star) We had beer at the Jolly Pumpkin (Oh my God so good)along with pita and dips: roasted red pepper with walnuts, fresh hummus, and edamame. Dinner at Shalimar was Lamb Marsala, and hulwa for dessert (hot carrot pudding with cardamon).

Events:
Listened to Kadie's basketball games via podcasts.
Lenawee Council for the Visual Arts Youth art show.
Ma's b'day party. Ma made tiaramisu for dessert, yum.

Currant concerns:
Haiti
Two teeth which are angry and unhappy
No exercise
Not enough time to read
No time to make art

Cool Finds:
A previously viewed copy of A Good Year for $4.95. I love this movie.

Waiting on:
A root canal
The Flight of the Conchords Season one (I hope it's good) from Netflix.

Yay for February!

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.