Posted on Leave a comment

I DID IT!

We moved Kyle into the dorm at Sac State (California State Univ-Sacramento) yesterday (happy dances for everyone!) and yes, I am taking all the credit for this monumental occasion. And I don’t even care how that sounds. I have gotten a lot of things accomplished these last 8 months, but nothing took more of my psychic energy than Kyle. The stress that kid put me through caused full-on panic attacks, more sleep-less nights than I can count, and it has taken quite a toll on me mentally and physically. There were several times earlier this year that I tried to write a post about all the shit going on, but I was unable to get past the second sentence. There was just too much and I wasn’t ready to share it on this or any other social media platform. I still don’t feel like suffering the  carpel-tunnel that I would inevitably get trying to write about “all the things”. But let me tell you the story of Kyle. Kyle, whose graduation ceremony was on a Thursday night and we didn’t know if he would even graduate until Monday afternoon of that week! Let’s let that sink in. The child almost did not…

Read more

Posted on Leave a comment

You gotta keep ’em separated

or not so much… My printmaking class started this week so I’ve been thinking about what images I want to create. Since I am in the “advance” class – 40B, I can pretty much do what I want. And you must have picked up by now that that kind of artistic freedom can be kinda paralyzing for me.  Last semester we learned the following printmaking techniques: drypoint, collagraph, woodcut, and monotypes. And with each new assignment/technique, we were given a theme as a starting off point for our image. I played nicely within the given parameters and was pushed, learned a lot, and made some cool prints. This time around? I need to write a brief proposal of what I plan to do this semester. What do I plan to do… what do I want to do? I know I want to make more monotypes. That’s kinda a no brainer. I definitely want to do another woodcut! Collagraphs were fun to create, but unless I have a flash of inspiration, I’m not that concerned with making another one. And drypoint… meh. Unless I come up with a really cool drawing, I could skip that too. Inking those plates is hard…

Read more

Posted on 3 Comments

On your mark, get set, go!

Happy New Year!  (just a couple weeks late – not too bad considering my blogging track record) Christmas is over and so is the club volleyball season. I would do a “no more volleyball” happy dance, but conditioning for the high school season starts next week. So yeah… the volleyball, unlike the holiday season, never ends. It just changes uniforms. Hey, here is some great news for the new year – Chris has finished his last class and is getting his Masters Degree in Financial Services!! More alphabet soup to add to his business cards. CFP and MSFS – so proud of him! I’m still working on my 20+ year AA plan. One of these days I’ll take that damn Speech class. Really! But this semester I’m sticking with Printmaking. Class starts on the 28th. Can’t wait. In the meantime, thanks to Santa, I have the supplies to work in encaustic (painting with pigmented wax) at home and am trying to find my groove with this new medium. Finished a piece I did at the Wax Works West class last Nov: And the new pieces I created: I also did a small mixed-media painting and have another panel started. So…

Read more

Posted on Leave a comment

Septem … what do you mean it’s October?!

hells bells How did that happen?! I swear I was still writing August on things when suddenly it was October! What even happened in September?! ::consults Facebook wall:: oh. right. September was full of crazy – good and bad – and it flew by. Everyone was back in school – here is photo proof: Wow. And then there was the headache week from hell that ended with me getting shots in my butt on Day 6. Day 6!! damn. But to spin a positive from all that pain, I did create a couple more pieces of ‘migraine’ art. A Day 4 painting: And a Day 6 photo became a drypoint that I’m still working on: Of course that was the end of my 29Faces run. That week really wiped me out! The next weekend had me and Kyle in San Mateo for the 2-day tournament that starts the fall volleyball season. Always fun. And then Ericfish and John came to visit! And that was more fun! And then, just like that, is was October. so yeah. September was a blur and it’s already the 11th! The Halloween decorations have been up for over a week, and its time to think…

Read more

Posted on 2 Comments

The ‘Other’ Printmaking

Mid-August update. I’m old so I’ve been busy painting* and waiting for school to start. For all of us. Erin has made the switch from The Phoenix School summer camp to Star camp at her new elementary school. Big changes for a big girl! Kyle is all registered for 11th grade, though I think he has already lost his schedule. They both start next week. My semester doesn’t start until the 27th. My big change is no photography class this fall (I’m sure I’ll be sneaking into the darkroom on occassion)! I’m finally taking that Printmaking class I’ve been thinking about for a couple years now. Excited and nervous. So today I decided to break out the Gelli plate, cut some stencils, and make some monotypes. These are 8.5 x 11 And these are 5.5 x 8.5 These were printed on a smooth heavy paper. There are a couple of them that I might add some ink to – and a few not posted because they need some additional work.  I’ll probably make a few more tomorrow as I just remembered I have a nice sheet of printmaking paper in the front room! yay! * I have created a piece…

Read more

Posted on 1 Comment

Duh Duh Done!

My semester is over this week. 2 days of critiques and them I am done until fall. Free to focus on painting, volleyball tournaments, and swim lessons! Speaking of painting, I haven’t gotten to do much these past couple weeks as I’ve been  finishing up the  triptychs for class. But I am still in Mindy’s year-long True Free Spirit class, starting a week-long Gelli Print class today with Carla Sonheim, and wish wish wish I could take this class with Mindy and Alena Hennessey. But before I go clicking any more ‘Add to Cart’ buttons, let’s go back to that second sentence up there. Volleyball tournaments. Yes, plural tournaments. In fact there are 3!! June 13-17 has Kyle and I in Anaheim for the SCVA Jr. Boys Classic. Then 2 weeks later we go to Reno for USAV Junior National Championships (also known as the Junior Olympics!) And that is the end of the NCVC club season. But Kyle went and got himself a position on the NCVA High Performance team and is going to Ft Lauderdale at the end of July for the USA Volleyball High Performance Championship. USA Volleyball!  And just so you know what that is all…

Read more