Thanksgiving is over and I'm sad because for the first time in many years I did not get to make the ten hour drive to Delaware to spend time with my family and friends. I knew I was coming down with something, and then we were hit with a big snowstorm all the way down the I 95 corridor. I haven't felt so wiped out and I'll for a long time. Maybe it was the flu? I've never had the flu before, but it seemed so much worse than just a bad cold. Still needing to take naps and trying to get my appetite back.

So,  I took it easy, enjoyed the snow covered winter wonderland here in Maine, and realized I had made the right decision to stay home.

So many folks lost power for days and that was difficult when Thanksgiving guests were arriving, tables were set and food was unable to be cooked. Our power was out for a short time, mostly during the night. I have to say that there are benefits to a warm dog who won't leave your side and sleeps right up against you!

Waves

September chill in the air this morning. I hear the leaves rustling in the wind and know that it won't be long before there are no leaves to rustle! For now they are still green and full, but the wind is pulling at them and they will lose the battle.

School has been going for a few weeks and I am settling in. I love teaching, but hate all the "stuff"... paperwork, new assessment initiatives, pressure to document everything, behavior problems that take awhile to get addressed, low morale of hardworking teachers that give their all and then get kicked.

So when I come home, if I have any energy left, I escape into my own artistic pursuits. I enjoy painting waves lately. They are soothing, exciting and mysterious. Waves come and go with a hypnotic rhythm. They hide things underneath and then churn them up and spit them out in a white foam.

I have two wave paintings that I've done that will be on exhibit (and for sale) at the Brunswick 10 x 10 show. If you are in the area, come see the show. There are wonderful pieces of art for your visual enjoyment! Food and good company too!

http://www.10x10brunswick.org/

Sometimes I get bogged down about all the things I need to do and some of it is piddly stuff that doesn't need to be done right away. I use it as an excuse not to do other things! Today I put some  mundane tasks aside and played with my art stuff!

So happy that I got going early and finished a bracelet. I have been making some polymer clay beads and finally put them out on a plate to see how they would look together. After deciding that I liked what I saw, I put them together and made this chunky bracelet! It will be available for purchase on Etsy.

July Evening

What's more peaceful than eating dinner on a lobster dock whether you are munching on juicy lobster, savoring clam chowder or licking the salt on your french fries? The sun was setting, a band was playing  "Jimmy Buffet" and good friends were laughing and blessing me with their company.

Summer in coastal Maine! Glad we moved here.

Hello on a beautiful July afternoon. The rain seems to have abated, the flowers feel it's safe to lift their colorful heads again, and I bought a new humming bird feeder today! A friend told me to buy the pre mixed powder rather than boil my own sugar water (which I had been doing). She says it lasts longer and doesn't spoil like sugar water. We'll see.

Friends have been visiting which is fun but can also suck your time. I find it easy to procrastinate and do the fun things and let the necessary chores fall behind. Being a teacher is great with long summer vacations, but as the years have gone by, that summer vacation seems to get shorter and shorter.  I always think I'll accomplish tasks that have been put off, and then I see that so much time has already passed!

Anyway, it's a lovely time of year here in a Maine. I hope you are enjoying your summer days wherever you are!

Bracelets Completed!

 

So glad that it's February break and I had time to go to the studio. I did have to trudge through snow and big trapped puddles of water. Guess it's time to prepare for mud season and get a good pair of boots on sale. Having a week off from teaching is lovely even if we did have several snow storms. 

If you want to see more of my jewelry, you can go to moosewinks.etsy.com.

My son and I drove to Portland on Thursday and saw a laser light show that was connected to Pink Floyd's "The Wall". What fun to be reminded of my teenage years with my very own teenager! I did notice that I am getting older and couldn't take all those flashing lights for the entire time. Had to close my eyes. It was cool being in a planetarium and experiencing this.

November Begins in the 60's in Maine

I can't believe how beautiful it is today. Warm, sunny and bright and feels more like September than November. I had breakfast at my favorite place Betty's in Bath with friends this morning. Afterwards off to the Bath farmer's market to enjoy fresh produce and some fine guitar and violin music. I bought a nice bunch of assorted dried mushrooms that can be used for a long time in many types of dishes. Really enjoy those. I hear they are good for you too.

I spent a little time in my studio which is a peaceful happy place for me! I made a few beads and finished off a few bracelet ends. I'm happy to report that I did sell one of my paintings at the 10 x 10 show in Brunswick in September. That's a rewarding feeling, although I kind of miss that piece. Guess I'll have to do some more painting!

So today I am sitting, resting a bit from a busy week of teaching middle schoolers and hoping the spray foam insulation guys do the job right this time.  They are upstairs now and have been for several hours. It's a long story, but after our house fire they did a terrible job of insulation. It took us a year to figure out how shoddy a job it was and now after several inspections they admit it was bad and they are redoing it. We have a bunch of stuff that had to be moved from the upstairs to the downstairs and that's a big pain. We are living in chaos and mess (again). Very disconcerting. Upsetting that people you trust take advantage of you and don't do a job right but still charge you full price. And then you don't even know you are losing heat and paying for a problem. The original contractor should have been back to inspect but never did. Ready to write some letters of complaint, but that takes energy and time and sometimes I think there are better ways to spend my energy and time!

Anyway, the bright spot is that today is gorgeous, it's a restful Saturday, we are having dinner with friends tonight and God is in control.

Soon it will be time for me to put to paintings in mats, wrap them up carefully and cart them over to Brunswick for submission to the annual 10 x 10 show. I love  preparing work for this show every year almost as much as I love going and seeing all the amazing art work all in the 10 x 10 format.

This year I have switched from pastel to watercolor with a smidgeon of collage added in. Still pursuing the water theme which is a calming image for me. I created three new paintings and must choose 2 of the three. My husband and son like the "Five Trees" and the "Waves and Barnacles" best so it's likely I'll agree with them after cogitating on this for a bit.

It's hard for me to start painting. Often I'm unhappy with the beginnings and I can easily get discouraged and feel like not continuing. I make myself persevere and then end up liking my work.
This is the same message I pass on to my art students... "stick with it",  you may decide you like it.

So if all goes well, I'll sell at least one of my paintings at the 10 x 10 show where works are  all framed in standard black frames, and each work is priced at $200. if an artists sells a piece , half goes to the organization called Arts are Elementary and the other half goes to the artist.

It's a win /win. If your work does not sell, you can buy it back with frame for $20 for each work.

These are two paintings I completed last year. I have sold one and given the other as a gift. I keep going back to these because they pull me in and make me feel like I am by the sea. Feeling like it's time to explore this theme again. Hmmm, shall I get out the paints or the pastels?

They are both small. They fit in a 10" x 10" frame.  OK, time to make a mess!

Hopefully all of you are enjoying your summer (or winter if you live in New Zealand!). Maine is beautiful in summer. The weather is usually just right, and the many beautiful places to visit are not crowded and often free! We did have a bit of a hot and humid spell which was not fun. I had to break down and get an AC for my second floor art studio. Good move, because on the Friday Art walk I had many visitors (was it my art or the cool room they were most attracted to?)

So, have a nice tall glass of lemonade, enjoy your friends and family, take a break from the rat race and smile at summer. Before you know it it will fade away.

Places I love here in Maine: Pemaquid, eating breakfast or dinner at the Driftwood Inn on Bailey Island, Wolf Neck state park, Popham Beach, Hermit Island, Reid State Park, Five Islands and breakfast at Betty's in Bath

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aaaaaaaaargh!    Blogs and technology. I just wrote a post that I thought was pretty sweet and somehow it's gone! So, I'll look for it and if I can't find it, I 'll start all over again. Boo hoo.

Fun With Artist Trading Cards

I love being an art teacher! At the end of the year we plan ATC parties where my students create little mini artworks (2 1/2" x 3 1/2"). We bring in lots of good food to share and then the trading begins! Some artists have been making and saving their cards for awhile, while others do it just a few days before the party. Each child makes an arrangement of their cards on a table area and we all walk around viewing the creations. Trading is done by permission, and many of us (including me) end up with nice collections which are put in plastic sheet protectors.

I now have 3 very full notebooks categorized alphabetically by subject that are fun for students and me to look through. Just about anything can become an artist trading card. In my notebooks you will find: alligators, collages, mice with cheese, dripping paint, scratch art, hearts, fairies, squid and octipi (what is the plural for octopus?), food, shoes, manikins, lobsters, nature, and more!

This is such an easy way to engage kids in art making. It's also fun for adults. There are many fun websites about this. Here are a few I look at for inspiration:
http://www.atcsforall.com/

We've had quite an adventure (happy and sad) with dogs recently. First we adopted a big dog named Gage who was a beautiful mix of German Shepherd and Great Dane. We really enjoyed him. Quite a peaceful and gentle big dog. But he had some surprises for us. He escaped from our grip on three different occasions, causing us to call the sheriff's department as well as the police. Each time we got him back he was just fine, as if he'd had some fun and was now ready to come back home and settle down! He also frightened us by almost biting a young boy who was visiting and who did not provoke any aggressive behavior. It was odd, because he was always very loving towards us. Perhaps he was trying to protect us, or perhaps this young boy reminded him of someone else who had been cruel to him.

We had to return him to the humane society shelter due to fears he might attack someone in our home. Very sad, but too much of a risk. The shelter does not give refunds, but they will make exchanges. So now we have Roxie who is half the size of Gage and much younger. Very sweet and cuddly, but has some problems with going to the bathroom on our rugs. We are trying to get a handle on this since we really love her and understand that rescue dogs can sometimes have such problems.

Roxie only eats wet food,  per vet and shelter's suggestions (she had pelvic surgery due to being hit by a car a year ago). We crate her and take her out as soon as she leaves the crate. We also take her out before and after her 2 meals a day. We give her a treat when she does go  to the bathroom outside, and we do not punish her if she does go on the carpet. Perhaps we just need to be patient and keep doing what we are doing.


If you have any suggestions on how to help Roxie learn to
poop and pee outside, please email me at moosewinks@gmail.com. And if you have the love and space for a big teddy bear of a dog, and no small children around... contact the Maine Coastal  Humane Society about Gage in Brunswick, Maine. http://www.coastalhumanesociety.org/adopt/dogs/

Spring?

I guess living in Maine means spring can come late. After another foot of snow and some unseasonably chilly temperatures, we long for crocuses and daffodils. I know they will soon be poking up their green shoots, and not too long after we'll see color! I am a patient person.

My friend Valerie says she plants bulbs in a clay pot indoors and enjoys them that way. I think I will try that.

For some spring cheer,  I've made some new colorful bracelets using such a wide variety of beads that it seems almost like a wildflower garden! So I have my early spring colors in a different way. Always the "glass is half full person"!

Birds in Maine Winter

It's a very frigid here. When I left for work this morning it was 0! On the way home it was 5! I hear tonight's temps may go down to -6. Something about this chilly weather makes me want to curl up under blankets, drink tea and go to bed early. Having my son coughing and recovering from a cold makes it all the more comforting to think about being under the covers.

I get cheered up when I look at the bird painting that was created as a demo in art class. It's bright and colorful and I was excited about having it printed at AdoramaPix. I was pleased with the quality but my one complaint is that they don't have a feature to put a little printed info on the back of the card. They suggested it go inside (which is what I did) or that you sign it yourself on the back.

The story behind this is that I was showing my middle school art students how to make art out of paint blobs or other discarded art. I keep a pile of recycled art in my classroom and encourage students to turn mistakes into masterpieces! You should see some of the works they have created.
I used this painting in several different classes so we watched it progress. When it was finished I decided I really liked it so I kept working on it until it became a finished piece.  Now it is waiting to be framed. In  the mean time I got such great feedback that I had it printed as individual cards.

I haven't tried Overnight Prints yet, but I have heard positive comments about them. I know some people like VistaPrints, but I have heard that some of the others are better quality.

I will be selling these cards in my etsy shop, so if you are interested please click on this link, or go to this web address: https://www.etsy.com/listing/120839458/birds-in-bright-colors-and-very

If you live in a place where it's cold tonight, I wish you many fluffy blankets and a cozy night!

Finally Finished the Bracelet!

Finally finished the bracelet! It took awhile, and then I had to photograph it. Kind of hard when I'm teaching all day, then it's dark when I get home. I know some people use light boxes, and I really should set mine up again. I've heard some people make them out of a gallon milk carton and a pair of lights! Perhaps I should try that since my work is small enough.

This was really fun to get into. Playing with titles like "Nutmeg Bracelet" or "Chunky Browns".

If you'd like to see it in my etsy shop, you can click here or go to:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/120214733/chunky-bracelet-brown-and-off-white

Heart Pin

 

Nearing Valentine's Day, and so it's time to share my heart pins. This one is a nice mossy green color. I love this color (you could tell if you looked in my closet). It's such a soft soothing green and can be worn in any season. Polymer clay is such a versatile medium and I have loved making beads and hearts with it for quite awhile. One of my mentors is Tory Hughes who is an amazing polymer clay artist. I took a workshop with her in Bennington, Vermont way back yonder and haven't stopped using the clay since! Thanks Tory if you ever read this!

I made a life long friend in that class so it's a very special memory of constantly working in the studio (sometimes till 2 am), long philosophical discussions, much laughter and crazy dancing! Meals at Bennington were wonderful, full of creative and interesting people. Such a memory. Can we go back in time Carol?

You can see this hear and more in my etsy shop. Click here, or go to this address:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/119674915/heart-pin-green-mossy-with-spiral

Saturday Ending

 

Thought it was time to put some Valentine's Day pins in my etsy shop, so I did that tonight. I love selling these pins and seeing them around town. I've given lots as gifts and they do put a smile on a face. I sure have made many of them in the past few years!

If you'd like to see some in my etsy shop, click here or go to this address:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/119624325/heart-pin-mint-green

Winter Beauty

Ahhhhhh, it's Friday. It's been chilly around here especially in the mornings. Below zero, or in single digits. The price we pay for beautiful frozen vistas. This view on a drive through the charming village of Day's Ferry across the Kennebec river from Bath. I always love driving around the bend and watching the river come into view through the tree branches.  Right now there is a lot of ice floating around in the river. In a few months they'll bring out the ice breaker boats to chop it up!

Free Form Peyote Necklace

Love this necklace. But I sold it awhile ago. Kind of feel like making another one if I can carve out the time. I learned how to do this years ago and I still love the spontaneity of it.