The Gypsy on Adventure

On-line Art Conference

The 3rd Annual Wizarding Artist Society Conference was Thursday, October 1 through Saturday October 3. Each day there was a 3 hour live zoom class. Some of the exercises were easier than others. It is designed not to finish all the work during the 3 days, but that inner perfectionist is annoyed I couldn't complete it... Here are some of the drawings...from Saturday, I haven't taken photos of all of them. I also want to finish them more. I had a real problem with one drawing just because I am dyslexic...so I will try it again.  

I have been doing Tangie's lessons for years! And always have fun! If you are interested:

https://journalingthemagic.com/

These made me so happy! You can tell they are a time spinner! What I love about Tangie is she gets us to play, and she had us using pen to draw these...no pencil first except the hour glass. So there is wonkiness but I love it!

And the Dapple Grey Mare on the candy is my Patronus. These are still in progress but a lot of fun! We HAD to have chocolate because of the Dementors we were drawing!

The technique for the Dementors is something I REALLY need to practice, but I am loving the journey!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Storming, Meditation and Acknowledgement

I get annoyed when I face the same issues over and over and over again, maybe in a different form, or a different human being, and I think why is this coming up again? I have done the work. I have done HARD work. I am vigilant about making sure I don't get stuck in one place. That I grow. That I learn. That I let go. That I encourage BETTER within me.  And I was talking to a friend about this a couple of years ago. I was blown away by what she said.

I am always in my head and I was talking to her about some painful memories and how sick I was of dealing with this shit every few years. She was SO wise! She told me her theory, that every time we see the issue again, we are seeing it from another angle, we see more of the lesson we learned, a deeper meaning, a deeper healing. That was an AH-HA moment for me. It made sense and it resonated with me.

I am just seeing these things at another angle...

As for my grief...I saw this and it resonated.

 

Storming and facing Grief...Trigger warning

In the class I am taking, Moonshine, the Tarot card pulled for the month of April was the 3 of Swords. Another reminder that I am NOT facing all of my grief. The biggest fear is that I won't be able to bear it. Which is stupid because my entire life has been about bearing grief. I have a right to my pain. I have a right to make decisions based on the VERY REAL reality of things that were done to me. I have a right to self-care and I make VERY SOUND decisions, I weigh things out, I research, I put an inner light on any issues. I CAN TRUST MY DECISIONS.  You may want to bypass reading this, I am basically writing it out to work it out again.

Head Games - and not the Foreigner song!

I have been on a journey of getting healthier since June of 2018, I joined WW and I am grateful for their workshops and app, I have been able to lose 27 pounds so far. I am back in my normal fat clothes and I am so excited about that. I tried losing weight on my own, but I have no thyroid and I struggle. I have always eaten really healthy, I love vegetables and fruit, but I also love Cheetos! LOL I haven't had any Cheetos and I gave up my Dr. Pepper. (that addiction was lifelong) But I really want to age as well as I can. My stats are all great, my blood work is good, and I FINALLY found a doctor who is willing to test my thyroid levels every 3 months to make sure my meds are on track!

Today I had a huge moment of "OH SHIT I am an imposter"! I get so excited with everyone sharing their lives in the workshops, some of my friends were doing a 5K and I signed up for my first 5K!!!   I can walk 2.5 miles without too much pain but then I hit my threshold and pain grips me. So of course today I am all up in my head, worse case scenarios storming! The walk is on Sunday morning! The nice thing was when I mentioned this several friends said, that's ok! I will walk with you! So I am doing it! Putting my pain patches on, wearing good shoes and getting out with a group of other women working on themselves so I am doing my first 5K! Who the fuck am I? I would have NEVER have signed up for a 5K before! I have to say with all the head games my inner critic sends me on I am enjoying learning about the new me!

Every thing I love to do, draw, paint, knit, sew, bead, journal all involves sitting. So I have been really trying to incorporate more movement into my life. So today, even though I feel like an imposter, I am proud of myself for trying something new! And I am laughing at myself because I am still paying for the gardening I did on Saturday!!! I hurt! LOL So Sunday is going to be a mindful walk, meditation that I can DO HARD THINGS!

Fear...just have to walk through the fire

Day 2 of 31 days of blogging with Effy

Part of my art anxiety was actually doing paint to canvas. That whole, who the crap do I think I am, an artist? Yes, I have always thought of myself as an artist. No I am not van Gogh but I enjoy working in paint, I enjoy the art I do. Honestly, I don't care if I ever sell a thing, it IS the process of creating art that fills my soul up!

View from the side of my house

Dream She-shed

Part of my frustration has been not having a studio. When we moved into our forever house, I compromised with not having an out building, and a smaller home to stay within our budget, I don't want my studio IN my house. I create a mess and like to leave it...too long. Also, I want to keep our guest room a place for people to come and visit us. In our last place my studio/family room got way out of hand, I lost 3 girl friends and inherited some of their supplies plus mine and I was completely overwhelmed until we moved. I stopped having people over because the house was old, and it looked like a hoarder lived there.  Plus, inside our house, they put new carpet before we moved in...so I didn't think of painting inside the house. But I have been here over a year, and I am no closer to getting my She-shed studio, 90% of my stuff is still in the storage pod.  

This will be my view when I get the She-shed up. They are more expensive than I thought they were, and I am going to look into them building it on a trailer frame. For 2 reasons: 1 if we move I can take it with me, and 2nd, if it is on a trailer frame it won't be attached to my house taxes being raised.

For the last two years I have only been doing watercolors since it is so portable. I did get my portable art table up near my window, to the incredible view I am SO grateful for! And I have started to paint! On canvas! I have been working in my 2019 Journal as well. So my living room now looks like an artist lives here who is messy! gah...but I can't NOT do extensive art anymore...my soul needs this work.

Ooooh 100 Day Project Starts tomorrow!

Tomorrow starts the #100dayproject. Join in. To play you pick something to do, read, create, research.... whatever for 100 days. I chose drawing Frida Kahlo, because I am taking a class called the Frida Notes and thought this will get me comfortable arting her! #100dayprojectfridakahlo .... draw them, doodle them, write prose, letter lyrics, whatever. Frida Kahlo!! That's it. Join in the fun!!!!
https://www.the100dayproject.org/

Frida was born around the same time of Grandma Carmen, and she was as strong willed as her...so that is why I have enjoyed learning about her..and being inspired by her art...she reminds me a lot of Grandma Carmen....I know a lot of people are over her...but I still find her fascinating...and relatable...

Natural Bridge Falls MT

17 years ago WGB took me to see these falls and it was not flowing as good as it was today. This is truly a beautiful spot in Montana especially when the water is flowing from the snow run off. WGBs sister Lisa, and her husband came with us with their mom and dad. Beautiful little hike and photo op! Afterwards we had a nice dinner.

I am uploading the photos in an album you will see on the right side called Natural Bridges Falls

Art Day!

Great day!!! I got to do art with my friend Jan and visit with her husband Dale!!! Ha and Jan kicks art butt!!! I thought she was going to be super new to watercoloring! Um, that would be a no!!! I think she rocked it!  She was also gracious and made me lunch! Home made Chicken noodle soup, and salad with a slice of pizza...on a beautiful raining day that we could hear while we worked! These are the best kind of days to share! I had lot of fun! Then when WGB came to pick me up, he got to sit and talk too...great to be with friends.

The first one is Jans the 2nd is mine! She rocked it! She taped hers in the journal I gave her! (I brought her a little goodie bag!)

 

A walk in the park

I started a class like you are doing watercolor paintings in  your journal while you walk around Disneyland! FUN

Here is the Peter Pan journal I am using it has 140lbs cold press watercolor paper in it, and the 2nd is a sketch of a Candy Apple you would find at Main Street.

 

Mini Mars Surprise!

Whew! That is a heck of a drive for one day turn around! Had a flipping blast!!! My Mizz Lindsay Waltman-Ostrom pulled off the biggest surprise ever!!!! She worked with Mizz Rena Veerkamp Askey to also come with Mizz Vicci Henderson to have a meet up with me at the before MARS party!!!

I have wanted to meet these two for YEARS!!!! I cried like a howling baby!!! Screams of delight!!!!! AND lots of jumping up and down!!!! Literally the ugly cry!  I think WGB saw how crazy I really am!!! I could NOT believe they kept it all a secret!!!! I felt like Ophra with a surprise headache!!!! It was flipping awesome!!! Photos and a hella funny video to follow! What a fantastic day!!!!! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Most importantly each one of these fantastic artist women friends means the world to me. They feed my soul, they understand me, they love me and I love them!

We didn't know that WGB was taping us! Check this out! LOL Yup we are all nuts!