pimp my spleen

still practicing using my new camcorder.....

2009-12-28T01:48:00.000-08:00

for xmas my husband bought me a cannon vixia HF 100 - great light weight camera, its high def. too. my daughter rosie and i spent lots of time today practicing recording. we interviewed each other - then talked together in "icarly" format. it was a kick, but soon the battery ran out. we also caught our dog on tape again - (see below post) sitting on the sofa and not doing anything. i mean nothing. finally he got up and walked to me, i followed him with the camera practicing my negative zoom as he got closer and closer until i filmed him goosing my crotch. damn dog. i didn't see that one coming - it made me squeal.
the next time i filmed the dog sitting on the sofa, he ignored me then got up and walked straight past me and on upstairs to our bedroom (er, the word "our" refers to my husband's and mine bedroom- not the dog's and mine.)
i filmed him walking up the stairs begging him to turn around and look at me - he didn't. another dud scene. deleted.

the cat is more entertaining, in a bullying sort of way, but i was not in the mood for her.
so, in reviewing the taped sessions today - it was the first time i had seen myself talk - sure i have talked in front of the mirror, but thats way different. for one thing in the mirror you can't see the side of your head or your personal mannerisms. not well anyway. so i was shocked. i told rosie i didn't even know that person (meaning me). its true. i have been on TV before - i was on the news a few years back with a short interview about teaching young kids art for the san diego art institute.
then, last year, i had the big PBS segment on "paint, paper and craft" - i had flown to north carolina for that shooting. when i got the tape back i was horrified at the size of my muffin top (i thought the table was gonna hide it) and the fact that i forgot to put on lipstick. that was an awful sight, let me tell you - and if you live in the area of the USA thats east of the mississippi and have caught that segment -well, just know, i do not approve of my looks. cover your eyes.
more practicing tomorrow.

*******
my friend meredith gave me a (fun) calendar for xmas. when i was transferring my info to the new one i realized i have tons to do. TONS! here, i was blissfully on holiday break only to discover - i'm on deadline again.
i have 3 paintings due wednesday to hang in a group show at Bard Hall Gallery. i have 2 articles for Somerset studio due, (oje is handpainted canvas bags, the other is about the last years Paris workshop - showing my student's work). that will be fun.
then i have an entire chapter with about 6 pieces of art due by jan. 10 for the book i'm going to be in with pam carriker called "art at the speed of life". hey, i will be working authentically for that project since i will have to, indeed, create the chapters at the speed of life.
also i have a meeting with someone new this week about a side business - all to do with weddings (glam art) and engagements, etc. should be fun.
also i accepted the part time job as a grumbacher workshop teacher for the 4 michaels in town. that starts in march.

then there is always the second saturday show in my little gallery inside the bigger gallery at escondido municipal gallery. i hope to see you there this month. also, this month another workshop at the stamp addict. OK, i'm beat now just thinking about this.

i am so proud of myself for deleting my favorite facebook applications - i have already noticed i have more time in a day without them. i loved the games - especially farmville - but there is no more room for it in my life - at least not right now. i am dedicating this painting of the "farm brothers" to the demise of my farmville account. (heavy sigh).

the day after.....

2009-12-27T00:28:00.000-08:00

i don't know how you feel, but i feel great. i had all three of my kids here. my son jamie flew in from Buffalo, NY. it was interesting hearing how much his life has changed - how a southern California boy can survive in cold Buffalo. i have to admit i have been worried. he is recovering from bronchitis - his chest cough was a bit unnerving for a mom to hear, but he seemed healthy otherwise and in great spirits.

brooke and carlos came - brooke is such a fun person to have at any party. i recommend her for your next party. and she can now play the accordion. she is very entertaining, intelligent and just plain funny.

carlos and gastone (my husband) took to the outdoors after dinner to smoke cigars and sip scotch. i htink they were talking about travel and NYC.

we had rack of lamb, greens, beets, mashed potatoes, gravy, fresh beans, and gastone made the most wonderful chicken liver pate with sherry.

after dinner gastone made dessert - he whipped heavy cream, sugar and rum then folded in blackberries. fresh, simple and delicious. for those of you who have eaten at our house - you know what i am talking about.

what i got for christmas was a camcorder. i can now video my art lessons and share the love on youtube. (my childen cringe at this idea). i have been practicing all day filming my family and the dog and cat. its amazing what funny things that can unfold as you film. for instance, the dog (as seen above) was looking straight into the camera for several minutes as he was sitting on our sofa when all the sudden one of his legs goes to sleep and he almost falls off the couch. it's then that i realized he was asleep with his eyes open staring into the camera.

it was Hi-larious. well, to me - but i guess you had to be there. oh dear, i hope i am not going to be yet another boring film maker that shows their own pets doing nothing on youtube. i must steer myself away from that. but i needed to practice, so i filmed the cat meowing at the door - i nearly cried with laughter as she sat down and glared at me. i think i filmed her sitting there for 5 minutes. she is such a fat lump. she had a very pissed look on her face and her eyes looked hooded. she was not amused.

i showed the taped sessions to my family - they yawned.

maybe i need to learn to incorporate peppy music. that might help. a film of a stare-down with the fat cat and peppy music.

more practicing, i filmed my daughter typing on the computer. i asked her about her new nail color - she answered me (its navy blue) but didn't look up.

i filmed my husband slumped on the couch watching TV. he frowned - i promised to delete it. back to filming dog and cat.

i tried to film myself in the mirror - to show off my new haircut and "bumpit". i guess that will take practice because i filmed up the wall instead.

then my daughter showed me that i could turn the viewer around so that i could see myself being filmed (you know in the viewer). that improved things and it worked half the time. kinda.

then i filmed our xmas tree. that was kinda boring - even i admit that. back to the cat and dog.

later, the dog was sleeping in his doughnut position on the floor (that dog sleeps a lot), i called his name - he opened just one eye. he didn't even lift his head. another dud of a video. back to filming the cat - she was still sitting by the door. still looking ticked. she has developed a permanent frown for a face. time for a prescription of anti-depressants for the cat.

of all the film i took today i think the one that i liked best was of.....envelope please.......dempsey the dog sleep staring into the camera. i'm still laughing about that.

its all deleted now - but guess what - tomorrow is another filming day.

i might take my camera outside and film my plants.

i wonder if i could film and drive at the same time - i don't think there is a law against it. i just can't be on the phone. there is a law against that.

i might buy large sunglasses too. and a hat. i need a new self image.

i mean, apart from the bumpit and bad haircut. (oh yeah while i was enjoying my christmas cheer yesterday i thought it would be a great idea to let my young daughter cut my hair. turns out - that was not really a good idea). she shouldn't have used the weed whacker. even she asks now, "momma why did you let me do that?".

a little green for christmas....?

2009-12-25T03:05:00.000-08:00

i hope you enjoy this sequence. it is not always easy to shoot photos step by step as you go - especially if you are working alone. i worked on this series of 1940 (approx.) girls in swim suits on two different days - you can tell by the tablecloth color. it was last summer. when i laid down the green-- then the cream colors, on my series of 8" x 8' canvases, i really had no idea where i was going with it, what would be my subject matter? but the next time i worked on them, i happened to have had with me a royalty free book of old newspaper ads (dover publishing) i glued some down (copied pictures) and went to work blending them into my canvas colors. any questions?
********
so merry christmas.
i hope you all are enjoying a merry christmas - later when you are relaxing and sipping your wine or champagne - take out a brush and paint without thinking - its very liberating - er, while inebriated. trust me. try some automatic painting - i mean if you aren't going to be all rude bringing out your paints in your studio/dining room table while your family or guests are seated there eating and talking.
or you might wait until they leave....... if you aren't too tired from the day of entertaining with family that just doesn't quite gel together - and leave you with an uncomfortable edge as you wonder, who the hell are these people. or perhaps you will be too frazzled from cooking and worrying if you had just the right kind of food or enough of it or maybe too much of it and your guest will think of you as an overachiever and an overdoer - and they will implore you to just relax - but they won't understand that everything is planned out and has a pace to it - gawd you wish they would leave you to your kitchen. can't they entertain themselves with TV or a talk about last years christmas (except not that part about dad when he got pissed about a scratch on his car when one of the kids threw a football in the street). and you wish your sleazy sister wouldn't come in the kitchen and tell you about a secret affair she is having with an old high school boyfriend - she's doing it not for love, but for the really kinky sex. and you wonder how you will manage to finish choping up the salad without throwing up in it - you look over to your husband with pleading eyes to signal to get your sister out of the kitchen, but he isn't in tune to you because he is too busy flicking stations with that damn remote trying to find something something skimpily clad - to watch on tv burrowing himself in - ready to ignore everyone and leave you helpless. damn its his family too.
and you worry, at the end of dinner were your guests happy, satisfied, did they have a good time, did they noticed that you slightly burned the pie crust or didn't rinse your spinach leaves the mandatory 3 times because you were distracted by the children running into the kitchen or pet or husband because they needed a drink of water just then or a taste of your salad dressing or to steal a pickle or cucumber and perhaps run their dirty fingers through the mashed potatoes before your can get them completely whipped into a nice peak. maybe you look out the window to the porch and wonder when the hell your brother will stop that nasty habit of smoking - its gonna kill him and leave you with his diabetic wife and fat babies to look after and worry about. then you start to remember mom. did she really go through this every christmas? weren't times easier then - at least you are sure- she didn't have to listen to a sister speak in hushed tones in a long torturous tell-all that is kinky in her (sacred) kitchen on christmas day. was your mom able to sit down and paint at the end of the day? - nah, you think - nah, not mom, she didn't need to because she handled everything with grace and good humor. she didn't need to do some automatic (drunken) painting to steal a little of her creative self back. no, she was wholly mom and cooking for family is all she wanted to do - ever. her christmas dinner always had a wonderful perfect rhythm and pace -a familiar music and always relaxing, always the same and always the best. how did she do it?
*********
oh dear, sorry about that rant. i better go to bed so i can have this day i just described - its only a few hours away.
email or call me if you get bored and wanted tell me about your christmas day. i will understand. me? i'm gonna start drinking early sipping spiked eggnog.

painting, mark making and glam.....

2009-12-24T02:01:00.000-08:00

i'm a barbie girl, in a barbie world........(sing in high voice).....life is plastic, it's fantastic.
you can brush my hair, undress me everywhere
imagination, life is your creation.

com'n barbie, let's go party, ah-ah-ah-yeah. comon barbie, let's go party. uu-oooh-u......

*****
paint, stamp (my own stamps), use the other end of the paint brush to scratch paint away, then, prepare painted glam to slap on top, if you wanna.
and her dress looks like lemon icing.

xmas card ART....

2009-12-21T02:34:00.000-08:00

ready to go out - i have been working so very hard and now it is almost too late. i must send these little goodies out tomorrow. if you want to get on my card (art) receiving list, please email me (lisabebiart@aol.com) ASAP - with your mailing address. otherwise you might not get yours before xmas. i will mail all out until there are none left. then i 'm getting drunk on spiked eggnog.

why am i doing this? because it is the time of year for giving. and eggnog is good.

and because last year i didn't send out my art cards and i got a ration of shit from you spoiled-assed people. i don't want more of that - so here they are. let me know if you want one (you don't need to let me know if you are already on my list).

a couple of days after my bday.............

2009-12-19T01:44:00.000-08:00

ok on my bday pic and this pic, i admit i was a bit heavy handed with the blur tool in photoshop. i was trying to disguise my age spots, wrinkles, lines, messy hair, etc. in short, i was hoping to create a vision of myself in the way a blind drunk would see me. how do you think i did?

but what happened was ---i see the problem now --- i ended up flattening the look of my nose and it turned into the shape of the back end of a clown's horn. you see, i have a pert little nose in reality.

OH shut up those of you who see me everyday. this is my cyber reality, my cyber self and my cyber party.

so you won't believe how i spent my bday........OK, so we decided to do away with our cable, tv and telephone bundle with cox digital and instead go with at&t. it is a smart move and cheaper. its faster and clearer. except for some reason we decided to install it on my birthday. well it ended up taking 2 1/2 days. i don't blame at&t, i blame bad luck. its true it takes about 3 hours to change things out - there are boxes to install and boxes to remove and then there is the part where the man has to squeeze into a crawl space behind our wall- sided tv downstairs and who knows what he did in our upstairs tv room (er, our bedroom). then the computers and telephone had to be re-(i don't know) re- recognized i guess. something didn't work right straight off -maybe it was some loose wires. it was frustrating for everyone and, ya know, i still haven't celebrated my bday.

maybe after the holidays. yeah, i shouldn't have had a birthday in december anyway. not fair to me or my party peeps.

so we missed some tv watching this week. it was a bit touchy with my husband. he mourned the lose of our tv signal. he sat in front of the black tv last night refusing to move. i suggested he go upstairs and watch it - that tv worked. no, it was a vigil. i'm surprised he didn't burn a few candles in his solitude. i have to admit i was a bit impressed with his ability to stay hopeful in his belief that the tv could "pop" on any second. it didn't - finally it was time to go to bed. it was a solemn night.

so today i had to make sure the at&t man understood that it was VERY important that the TV and remote, both, worked tonight. he tightened a few wires and it worked. OK good enough. i let him go after i made him swear that it would work tonight and also after i made him give me his home phone number in case it didn't. but it did work. whew. (this at&t man looked a little uneasy about giving me his home phone - i bet it was a fake number).

course with all the new channels from at&t - there's STILL nothing good on. can't help that. that's why i paint for entertainment.

so, in short, our marriage survived yet another trying time.

good-good.

other news - on my birthday, grumbacher has hired me to be a local workshop instructor in acrylics - i will be teaching 2 hour workshops in 4 of the local michaels starting march 2010. its sounds like a really easy gig - and it sounds fun -plus i will be getting free paints and brushes. definitely a great perk.

in, yet, other news, my daughter changed swim teams - i know to you people who do not know us think that's nothing to write about - but OH it is. she swam for a small team and the coach is personal friend - his has been her coach of half her life - since she was 6. i'm talking 5 days a week, 2 hours a day all year long. he has completely imprinted her. we stayed very loyal over the years - during thick and thin - and he did a good job developing her. but she is 15, a senior swimmer now - the team is mostly age group. the practices were beginning to get hit and miss because the pool wasn't always available (not his fault)- so i looked for more pool time somewhere. on the internet i saw there was a new team at the local amusement park - belmont park. there is a big indoor pool there -it has a wave machine (not important for this story, but...coool anyway) i inquired about it and the front desk said there was a team but it was run by young men who also taught swimming there. i had never heard of the team - but didn't matter - i only wanted to take her there for extra pool time.

when i got there - to my big surprise - there was a coach (the front desk was wrong) - a good and seasoned coach and another old friend of mine - in fact he was MY coach when i was 17.

rosie tried out and really liked it. so we went back 3 times - then we changed. it hurts to make a change like that. it was a shock to her old team - the swimmers, their parents and her coach....but how do you change? is not like you can say - hey we are thinking of leaving the team. in fact we weren't really thinking of it. it was just happened and it is a better fit for her. so there it is.

for my local friends who know me - i bet you are thinking what the hell are you doing driving to mission beach everyday.

well, it turns out to be only a 20 minute drive and a straight shot down the freeway. it took 20 minutes to go to the old pool even though, as the bird flies, it shoulda taken us 5 minutes. lights and cross town traffic at that hour are killer.

it will be harder in the summer when all the tourists come to town - driving to the beach and back - but others do it. and besides, in a year she will be driving herself.

it is a big commitment - so for all my art fans: that is why i can't teach workshops out of town -i can't take the time off - well, except for an occasional european one...(next winter 2010, we're going to have another paris workshop - and in september is italy again) and in july i will be teaching a weekend in the LA area (see sidebar).

oh and i watched the season finale of dexter - OMG....that was good.

i finished reading my Lisa See book "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" - excellent book - although abit sad.

and i must say i am a bit (whats-the-word) shocked - unraveled to find that jenny doh is leaving stampington & company - she was my first editor and i am very grateful to her - i know she will come up with an excellent new product - whatever she plans to do will be magic. but for now, i admit, i feel a little lost. its been 4 wonderful years of publishing for me -over 60 articles..... i will continue (in fact i have some new articles coming up in the next months) contributing to the various somerset studio magazines - but its an adjustment, its a change. if you are interested in knowing what jenny doh is up to check out her blog. www.jennydoh.typepad.com

so that's the all my/our news. this week my daughter Brooke comes back from her vacation in cuba and my son comes to visit from buffalo, new york. i am excited -AND i want a family photo of christmas. i hope they read my blog so they know what to get me.

its my birthday!!!!!!

2009-12-15T23:58:00.000-08:00

yaaaaaaay - oh!

i'm a party of one!

this is for all you crafty - bitches

2009-12-15T00:28:00.000-08:00

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great lyrics - with love, lisa

journal class today.....

2009-12-14T23:24:00.000-08:00

on my that was the best class yet - i had such fun and we laughed and it was good and therapeutic. all my favorite peeps were there. i hope that all my classes for now on are as fun as this one. and everyone learns somethin' new! yay!!!

2009-12-13T23:00:00.000-08:00

i don't know whose work this is, but i like it.

i spent the day with my best friend mollie kellogg juroring a big annual show put on by the temecula arts council. it was an honor and an awesome experience. the work was from as far north as pasadena to the mexican border - wonderful wonderful work.

it took us 3 hours to narrow the entries down by 1/4 of the lot. only about 43 were able to mke it into the show.

more details on this later. i am off to watch Dexter now and then i must get ready to teach my class tomorrow.

SD regional show at escondido municipal gallery

2009-12-13T00:44:00.000-08:00

my painting entitled" ringling road trip" took second place and it SOLD! see the red dot on my title - yeah, thats what that means--- sold.

i'm very happy. i got cash award and sold money.

i also got a second painting in the show. i really like that one - it is one that i created using my friend/fan Joy Logan from Baltimore's family pics. i posted it all in my photo album on facebook.

well, i'm tired. i was painting right up until time to accept the award - well, nearly - i wished i had dressed nicer - but. so, now, its time to go to bed and read. i can already hear my hubby snoring.

(see previous post). no sunflower seeds though.

pulp fiction, 1960's....

2009-12-12T00:34:00.000-08:00

the other day at the used book store i saw these old trashy books and fell in love with them and their old covers. i was laughing to myself about some of the titles, clearly outdated and not PC. like my fave here is "Way of a Wanton" and "Take a Murder, Darling" - hey, that's no way to speak to your secretary!

so yeah, i have been clearing out my studio - so what do i do? yep, i bought two big boxes full of these books. (don't tell my husband). i admit i am a book freak. i really can't pass up a bookstore used or otherwise. i don't know why - i do love to read, but look i bought these for their covers. crazylady.

last christmas my husband bought me a Kindle. you know, from amazon, and thin, light weight computer thingy that can hold a trillion books in it and it has grey letters which are easy on the eyes. that thing already broke!!! i am writing to amazon and complaining. it won't recharge. ughh! argh.

i did read a number of books on it. i really began to think that i was going to make a big change over to the digital world of books. its great you can buy a book without leaving your bed. (i read in bed).

when you turn it off - it will remember what page you were on and goes right to the last page you were reading. very convenient.

books, paperbacks in bed can be hazardous. the mere sound of pages turning can wake up a normally loving man and turn him into a, well, angry bear at 3:30 a.m.

i know i'm not the perfect bed partner........BUT, i'm better than i was with my first husband. in those days i woke him up eating sunflowers seeds in bed. i tried that a couple of times with my current husband - i am AMAZED that that guy can be snoring (loudly, even) and mid-snore he can shoot up outta bed, take his pillow and go sleep somewhere else. like the bathroom floor. all because of the sound of cracking open (muffled and under the covers, mind you) sunflower seeds! jeesha. it's not like i get the bits on his side of the bed. its me who has to suffer....

i finally stopped doing that. he was just too grumpy the next day.

so i guess it was not a big surprise that he bought me a quiet kindle for xmas last year. only thing is......i still love paperbacks, or even hardbacks, and i still like to sleep at odd hours. or should i say, read, at odd hours. i did get a dimmer night light. dimmer than the floodlight i had before- of course i kinda need to point it in the direction of his face - cuz that where i hold up my book to read. what? its more comfortable facing that way. i have seriously thought about reading upside down in bed - but then i would have to get a more powerful night light and point it toward his feet. hmmmm. naw, i don't think i wil do that.

i used to drive him crazy typing on the keyboard late at night -that's when i preferred to wear my nails long and fake. he would do that same half-snore wake up and then ask (in his sleep, but all irritated) when -are-you-going-to-come-to-bed.?. and, what-time-is-it. ?.

so i bought a laptop and have moved downstairs with it. i also work in the art studio/dining room at night. trouble is, its right under our bed. i just have to do quiet work. i can't use the copier, chopper cutter, heatgun, electric drill or electric hammer, or saw. i found out.

dang. i want to know how he got to be such a light sleeper, because when rosie as a baby he couldn't hear shit.

OK, i better go to bed now. i'm getting obnoxious.

i'm being naughty and breaking my own rule: never criticize a family member on the blog.

i am a baaaad, baaad girl.

for christmas, if you are on my gift giving list - expect to get a vintage trashy novel.

busy, busy next few days.....

2009-12-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

OK so
FRIDAY: i will have a few art pieces (wedding art) at Windemere Realty friday night for Christmas in the village in La Mesa on La Mesa Blvd.
SATURDAY: - come visit me and see some new art - a few great new pieces of vintage robot paintings at my little gallery in escondido, Escondido Arts Partnership, 5:30 p.m. - 7: 00 p.m. - i will have a few Xmas goodies to give away - while supplies last. (see side bar for address)
SUNDAY: i get to help juror a show in Temecula put on by their city council for the arts - a regional show - and also on sunday, the WCA Xmas party at Ciao Bella's in La Mesa - starts at noon.
MONDAY: come take my workshop and learn something new, see sidebar for details at the Stamp Addict.

after that i lose track on what i am doing...... oh, yeah, my BIRTHDAY is dec. 16!!! i plan to celebrate for the rest of december.
AND, if anyone wants to get on my Xmas card list, email me your mailing address - you have until dec. 18. my email is lisabebiart@aol.com. my mailing address is on the sidebar somewhere. its a PO Box - not my home in case there are some stalkers out there. normally i welcome stalkers, but i'm too busy this time of year! ; )

take my class, learn new things....

2009-12-06T23:06:00.000-08:00

look another journal page. includes one automatic painting. (see previous post and article in somerset studio nov./dec 09 issue).

class is dec.14 - see sidebar for details.

journal making class -

2009-12-05T23:58:00.000-08:00

the idea of creating these 8" x 8" pages is for the students to create them and use them as "blanks"; to take the artful pages home and write on them later.

i just feel that it would be to much pressure on the individual student to think up something to write during class---- it is not private enough. as for me, i photocopy and use these images over and over -tweaking the meaning this way and that.

in this piece, this young girl represents to me, a girl infatuated with the idea of love - wondering who she will one day marry. a virgin. this piece might invoke fond memories or perhaps, it can represent a daughter in the present. also she could be used as a madonna for the holidays or a saint - one could create an additional altar for her.

this was created on heavy watercolor paper using washes of color over a resist of matte medium using alphabet stamps. the image is one i have prepared (painted) for class use and is ready to be stick down and embellished.

shhhh, she's about to fall to sleep.....

2009-12-05T02:22:00.000-08:00

i have been creating journal pages for a workshop i will be teaching next week.

this is one of the pages.

i first teach how to do the background colors on watercolor paper - which are washes in transparent acrylics, then a bit of deconstruction using stamps and gesso. the main image (which is only lying on top of the page at this point - i glued it down later) is something i will bring to class. we will paint the image in coordinating colors. it's not as hard as it looks. the painting is created with (only) washes of color over a color photocopy. it has a nice dreamy quality that way.

this journal page could either be de-constructed further or it could be used as is -or a place to write your private thoughts or dreams.

the workshop is listed on my sidebar to the right.

the thanksgiving campers.

2009-12-03T22:53:00.000-08:00

camille and rosie (camille is in the foreground). what a wonderful experience for our daughter. thank you dehne family - for having her for 6 whole days. who is that generous? thank you thank you thank you.

she came home wiser and more appreciative of god's creations. she had a solid great time too.

too funny that there were wild turkeys running around - 'specially since it was thanksgiving. they were lucky to be alive.

well, our rosie is sick. i think it was going back to school that caused it. we hope its not the ugly h1n1 flu.

some pictures of my demo at the women's retreat in julian......

2009-12-03T22:16:00.000-08:00

i didn't think i needed to dress up.........

i had a wonderful time and everyone was very nice.

the first pic i am showing just how wet (with matte medium) a magazine page needs to be before adhering it to a substrate.

check out this great common room that was ours for the entire weekend. there was a crackling fire going in the background and lots of wine sipping.

i got these photos from jaime lyerly who taught encaustics earlier that day.

www.facebook.jamielyerly.com (i'm not sure of that address, but she is on facebook and her name is jaime lyerly). enjoy!

any questions?

the long holiday is over....

2009-11-30T00:49:00.000-08:00

it seems like it has been years since this holiday started. my youngest daughter went camping in Big Sur, CA since tuesday morning. we live in san diego - so big sur is a long drive north (like 2 days drive unless you are a maniac or a person on a mission).
so no cell phone or communication since tuesday.
it seemed like forever but she made it back in one piece and happy that she went (with her friend and her family). they were so nice to take her onboard. actaully, it sounds like she had the time of her life - although tired. we wondered how she would like it since she is used to a nice soft bed with an electric blanket. she admitted she missed her bed.
and she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

she said it wasn't too rough sleeping in a sleeping bag and tent for a week. boy, i can't imagine myself doing it. well, i did do it, once. one overnight in a tent when i was in charge of the girl scouts. - actually i had given up my position and the new charge did it, under the one condition -that i remain onboard for the camp out in order to help. it wasn't far - it was only at the beach here in san diego (imperial beach). it was for only one night - but what a fricken nightmare.
first of all, i didn't know that the sand at imperial beach was so lumpy. it has ice plant or something like that growing in it everywhere. some kind of gnarly roots. ouch.
and i put the idea out of my mind that there were sand fleas and other bugs that scurry around. that night one of the little girls (the big loud mouthed one that no one liked) needed some attention - she had a belly ache. so i took her in my tent with rosie. rosie wasn't too happy (neither was i) and yep, she did, she puked up again and again inside my tent. ugggh. made me wanna puke too - and rosie.
it. was. so. awful.
what kind of bad luck was that? i had a tent with a floor attached so there was no way to clean it. if i hadn't had a floor to the tent i could have just carried it to a new clean area. but noOOOoo.
let's just say it was a looong night.

and that really settled it - i will never camp out again.
i really don't like to be away from my "bedsy" for any length of time. that's one reason i don't go traveling teaching too much. apart from the really big reason - which is, i don't want to leave my family behind.

please follow me.....

2009-11-28T09:19:00.000-08:00

this is "twirl girl".
hi everyone, thank you for coming to my blog. i have a request, if you have not already done so, please follow or subscribe to this blog - see on the right in the sidebar in light blue text(ok, robin's egg color)- it says - subscribe to pimp my spleen? just click that. or up top - the bar up there says "follow", click that. i mean, if you wanna.
you won't get forced into reading my blog -you will not get emails from me or other harassment. in fact nothing happens to you, you are merely doing me a favor. at the very least it shows my readers that you read it too. you can connect or network that way.
and, further, if you feel gratuitous, if you have a blog and you like mine, i would very much appreciate and love it if you mention that you follow mine on your blog's dashboard. if you email that you did this and want me to return the favor, i will. it will remain private that you did this. lisabebiart@aol.com.

the reason i am requesting this is because the fuller my readership, the more opportunities i will receive and that means i will be able to show my work in more places. that is a very, very BIG deal to me.

truthfully, it is a little frustrating to me, i know for a fact i have a better readership than i have followers because i have a hidden stat counter. the ratio of readers and followers does not make sense.
thanks, i promise to help you network too.

thank you and god bless.

twirl girl's mom, lisa

colorful bag art - thanksgiving

2009-11-26T10:42:00.000-08:00

maybe you remember i did series of spiritual paintings on brown paper bags (see previous posts about a month ago. there is a big article about it in the current Somerset Studio magazine) well now i am experimenting on colorful bags - this is a bag family, a thanksgiving family.
so HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone.
my family is a little broken up this year. our daughter, rosie is away on a camping trip - she went to Big Sur, California with her friend's family. beautiful big sur - she is lucky - and i have to say that was a good idea - good idea until driving home on sunday when everyone is coming home from north to south down the major california hyway. but hell just think you could be stuck in that traffic jam after visiting ugly in-laws in downtown bakersfield or someplace less nice than big sur.
my middle child, my son is in buffalo, NY studying and working away --and overcoming h1n1, poor baby. he will visit at xmas. then my oldest daughter is comfortably tucked in her happy home so happy to have NO place to go this year. that might seem odd that she and her carlos are not coming this year -- but its not really. every year for every holiday they have been pulled this way and that - brooke's father's family, me, carlos' dad's family and his mom's family, plus cousins galore. then they (brooke and carlos) have friends who want to spend time with them - so its really a gift to them to let them be.

as for us, we are having lobster. gastone hates turkey - i like it OK. which leads me to the thanksgiving rant i have every year and if you are a facebook person, you may have read some of this already. some people responded by telling all the various things the pilgrims were supposed to have eaten - still, why did amercians embrace the big bird?

RANT: so, why the hell did the pilgrims in cape cod settle on a crazy wild bird they had to chase down a tree when they could be having clam chowder and lobster.
i always have thought that the Indians put them up to that idea of shotgunning (ok musketing) a turkey from a tree just for their private laugh. you gotta admit, that had to be comical. and let me see if i get THIS straight - the pilgrims went the ocean and got perfectly good fish and used them to grow corn? corn is what livestock eat. those indians were holding their sides in laughter. OK OK livestock had to eat - but cornbread? that cornbread, i am sure, did not taste like marie calendar's. have yo ever tried to eat corn meant for livestock? (i have eaten corn that should have been used for livestock in italy) its frickin' pah-to-ey awful.
corn should be left alone - well, until it becomes something like moonshine.
i personally think that the feathers that indians wore, were worn in jest - or as a reminder of the pilgrim follies, their favorite entertainment of the day - much like men wear baseball caps today. they were probably really turkey feathers and the indians were laughing their butts off.

today: 2 things to be thankful for......

2009-11-25T00:07:00.000-08:00

that's me by the pool with a work in progress (see last post) of my mom and me as a baby in red).
so i got my advanced issue of Artist's Cafe - best of somerset studio art and design in the mail today. i am proud to say that i am in the publication twice. one (pg. 82) is my very first interview and the other(pg. 46) is my art and article about personalizing christmas cards. i want to thank amanda nolan executive editor for placing me in this awesome magazine with only their topnotch submitting artists. such an honor.
the other thing that happened today was i found out that my newest painting called "ringling roadtrip" (which i don't have a pic of yet) was awarded 2nd place - which means cash - from the san diego regional show entitled summation at escondido arts partnership. this is wonderful news - i have entered 3 times this year and received 3 awards, one 3rd and 2 seconds. i'm liking this track record.

and as you might know, earlier this week, i got my advanced issue of Art Quilting studio and was in that as well.
so this week i have had lots of recognition - always a welcome thing.

however, i have to confess . i am beginning to feel a little uncomfortable. i know this is going to sound flip - but i don't mean it that way - what i mean is i am getting uncomfortable about bragging about myself. i know some of you have probably fallen off their chair over this. but its true. its kinda like an itch under the collar feeling
i am thankful for my recognition and i feel i should share - plus, i feel its my responsibility to my field and family that word gets about about my successes, but dear me, its a lot. (and i know there are many of you that have had much bigger successes and you are thinking - gawd just look at her, she is getting all hoity-toity about herself).

so tell me, must i mention everything? if i don't mention something would that be a snub? an extravagant motion - like a shoulder shrug and a flick of the hand -as though the honor was really nothing - when it is?
like, "oh well, its just another award."
or do i pound it out to everyone, making sure i know everyone knows. this is risky because you can easily turn off people - hell i have turned of myself!
its an ugly "fix" to be in - i guess this is why business people hired PR firms. they hire someone else to do the bragging for them.
hmm, i'm wondering if i should start a group of artists where we share public relations..... for instance my duty would be to brag about renee and renee's duty would be to brag about jaime and jaime's duty would be to brag about joan, and joan's duty would be to brag about me, etc.
hey i kinda like that idea. i think i will present it to my art friends. what do you think?

another view of my mom.....

2009-11-23T22:20:00.000-08:00

that's me holding a painting of my mom, Ruby. i love this particular image of my mom and have used it time and again. i enjoy expanding ideas, trying out new ones and this is one way to do it. using the same image is not limiting, oh contra-re. using the same image over and over loosens me up. i don't have to spend time and angst thinking of what to paint. i have my subject, ready made. i am free to take liberties, to push the envelope of different colors, shape, sizes and meaning.

a previous post-- about a month ago showed me working on this image of my mom is deep blues and clear yellows. here, today, ruby is in red. a couple of months earlier still ruby was depicted in whites and light blues.

each color theme has its own mood. the light blue is airy and feels more like a day trip in reality time, enjoying a ride in a new car. the dark blue painting brings me to a place; a long ago memory---almost a fantasy--- my mom, riding the dark skies like santa claus.

this red one is a color that stirs in me a "want". a want to experience something elusive, to have an experience, a vision of fleeting beauty; like an opening rose in the early morning sun. its a mood of a state of moving, an opening, a renewal--- like a brief cast of sunlight (just for a moment) on the translucent petals of a flower. the red to me is most spiritual of all and it causes me pause to bask in it.

i feel so blessed to be able to paint and experience emotion this way, to carefully wander where everyone has been but few have had the ability to freeze its essence in time.

this is what i am thankful for this thanksgiving season---- the captured time, the hanging on to a second for longer than a second, the birth of a new idea and the exalting of it.

what is memory if not a series of seemingly insignificant moments? just like this one now. i get to capture and examine these flittering, fluttering bits of time and string them together into a tidy bundle. then i get to place them on my wall, to view and ponder some more.

happy thanksgiving week everyone. and cheers. let's indulge in red wine and remember.

still, still, still....

2009-11-20T02:01:00.000-08:00

working on getting things out of my house and studio - the fodder build up. i am getting a new box ready to ship out to new york today. i can't help but wonder what this person - a stranger to me, would want - what would this person (a man) value? papers? cloth? old vintage papers? i put in all those things plus stuff that i bought and will not use, like paints, ribbons, embellishments of all sorts. i wish i knew if he is a 3-d person or a painter. i did send out a query to him, but got no response. so off goes another box with about 7 lb.s of studio fodder and my studio (after shipping off about 20 boxes now) looks exactly the same. argh!

****
rosie didn't want a bday party, new clothes, jewelry, shoes, etc. - what she wanted in the worse way was an aquarium. just a simple little one that could hold about 15 small fish - tropical fish. so that's what we did - we went to our neighborhood tropical fish store and bought an aquarium. turns out aquariums are not that easy to put together. i guess we thought we would walk out of the store with fish to swim in this aquarium - but no - its a big process. she won't be getting fish for about a month. you have to cycle the water through the pipes a few week first.

she assembled it all herself. i love that all three of my children learned to read instructions. good job rosie!
i was always one that thought i could figure it all out (assemblies) without the instructions - or that i would only need to look at the pictures - i hate to admit that. because it is a pretty foolish way to be.

she had fun picking out the sand, coral, rocks, plastic plants. its only a 6 gallon one. we got one called "the edge". nice looking - solid glass, no plastic top. i think of all the folks in my family (except my husband) rosie is the most responsible one. oh what's that? that only leaves me in the family. yeah, er, that's right. everyone but me is responsible.

i'm going to stop writing now cuz i am talking my way into a very bad light.

meet my "birthing experience" doctors.....

2009-11-19T14:33:00.001-08:00

in light of rosie's birthday and my last post, i thought i would show you the doctors who helped me through it.