still spending a lot of time homebound and trying to make the best of it. richard still undergoing a myriad of tests and still no diagnosis and he keeps losing weight, sleeping long hours and quite listless. i am present. and playful.

tigo lovin'

keeping the home warm and comfortable for him.

and making

stolen moments

a stitch here and there

always becoming

subconsciously patching

for tomorrow may rain so I keep following the sun even if i have to create it myself

all of a sudden, i'm burned out. a little bit tired, a little bit lost, a little bit frustrated.  

so time to stop and smell the roses or so i say to myself as i continue spinning my wheels. at least i stopped painting and sewing a bit to see where all this is going.  and while i'm finding the why...somebody on etsy purchases one of my paintings and another few buy out all the pinnies and i make EXPLORE on Flickr three times in less than a week. so, i must be doing something right.  

it's just that art is intense and alot like giving birth, so much energy goes into each piece, so much love. it drains you, takes the sap out of you.

so a break was in order to play at something else. and that something else has been the garden mainly and the house.

or should i say a house book? 

so you see, it does all come down to the house after all

so my next post will be all about the house. all about the tilling and the planting and the cooking and the hanging and a tad about the hoe down.

all about color

happy colors

when exploring new art techniques

or simply looking when i go out 

or playing with acrylics

even the color of the paper bag is so pretty

or embroidering

or using indigo watercolors, one of my favorites after aqua

and especially on my nature walks

indigo again for the jar project

and bright green as a backdrop for my silhouette against a rock at the beach

and all of them pretty much together

LOVE OF COLOR

love of warmth

love is always young

cabin fever.....severe. we were supposed to go on a road trip up the california coast but several things got in the way.  the pump at the ranch went kaput and, being that it is for sale, all attention had to be put on solving the water supply.  what bad timing.
ok, time to surrender.
so here we are, the last days of summer, anxious to GO GO GO.  i am not losing hope; the pump technicians are supposed to be here friday and by monday we should be able to make it happen.

 i am in desperate need of nature....our temporary condo as we continue our search for a house to buy, is beautiful and comfy but has a very small garden and an even tinier patio. so for an earthy woman like me, not having a garden has really begun to wear on my nerves. 

so, as is usual, i retreat to me art space and vent by creating something that will make it all right and turn the tide somewhat in the direction of the positive around me, or at least, within me. 

yes, being creative helps.  actually, it helps immensely, but there is an angst in my soul that needs healing.  what i miss the most are the breezes, the crackling sounds, the walks, the smell of eucalyptus and above all WATER.  ocean water, rivers, streams, putting my feet in it, splashing in it, seeing it glitter. and collecting little sticks and stones, leaves and anything in nature that will fit in my pocket.

so, as is usual, i retreat to me art space and vent by creating something that will make it all right and turn the tide somewhat in the direction of the positive around me, or at least, within me. 

"girl in black velvet dress"
i have continued my experimentation with faces and recently venturing into full 
size portraits although i am still having trouble with hands.
i swing between the whimsical and the formal acts of creating.

"mujeres"

 here is a corner of my bedroom where i have hung my latest mini painting 

midway down the wall in between a vintage needlepoint embroidery of a bird and a hook bird heart by mary stanley.

                                                  

this is the cover of the handmade book i am working on.  the flowers are real, from right outside our french doors, having been captured under a layer of beeswax.

for audrey

             b.    n.        

stitching between painting and reading a terrific biography of lytton strachey with lots and lots in it about dora carrington.  i love her paintings, especially the portrait of lytton holding a book with his long long finger.  carrington remains my favorite of the bloomsbury era painters above vannessa bell and augustus john.  what a group they were, how totally interesting and liberated.