Sunday, November 28, 2010

No More Excuses - Excuse Number One, Which Paint?

My mother loved the paint-by-number sets in the fifties. Somewhere along the line, she discovered 'someone' was borrowing assorted tubes of paint from her sets. One Christmas . . . I think I was ten, I opened my first treasured box of oil paints, brushes and canvases. I could't tell you the brand, brush numbers or number of colors. It didn't matter. I was in love and lost in my room for the duration of Christmas vacation, except for a few ice skating breaks (the winter thing to do when I was ten.) My first painting was a still-life of an orange and a Heinz ketchup bottle. I think I liked the colors.

Remember construction-paper turkeys? That was pretty much the sum of grade school art class. My best memory of high school art class was the day we were assigned the task of creating a crucifix in clay. I attended an all-girls Catholic high school. I stress the 'all-girls' aspect, because in this environment (no boys to impress,) being a lady wasn't a consideration. A clay crucifix? Really? The energy that day was spent hurling gobs of clay at each other (the teacher had left the room,) in the most creative ways possible. I was fortunate to attend Saturday classes at the Cooper School of Art in Cleveland (doesn't exist anymore.) College level art classes taught by professors who dismissed the idea that we were kids. I was in my own little form of heaven.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Thanksgiving Continues . . . I'm Just Grateful!

Today, I am most grateful for my very wonderful son, his most-gracious girlfriend, and her family. Thanks to all for fantastic food, a really fun time, very enjoyable company, and a peaceful night in another part of the state.

I am grateful to new friends I've made in the last few months. It may have only been a drink or an evening, but those moments will stay with me for a long time. I'm grateful that my near decade-long life of a hermit has been disrupted, in so many good ways.

I'm grateful for running out of excuses. After listening to myself talk about why I haven't done this or that (all kinds of things, really;) I'm now doing those things.

I'm grateful for new books, new inspirations, and new reflections on some older ideologies that have put my own trivial pursuits in their appropriate perspective.

I'm grateful for new work I am excited about. Sometimes things just happen when one is not looking . . . kind of like love. I'm grateful for tea. I could learn to love it.

I'm grateful for Netflix, Kindle, Elements, Wordbook XL and Angry Birds on my iPad.


Today, I'm also grateful I wasn't anywhere near a retail store.