All I did today was touch up , but I had to have enough paint out for necessary corrections.
Coming attractions:
- My step-by-step on new project
- Classes
- Going on the field to capture fall colors
Monday, August 30, 2010
Makeshift Art Studio
All I did today was touch up , but I had to have enough paint out for necessary corrections.
Coming attractions:
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Book Review: Jackie Ethel Joan The Women of Camelot
I just finished this book and it was an appropriate time to read this during the anniversary of the death of Ted Kennedy. I was in Miami at the time of his funeral getting ready for a happier occasion by boarding a cruise ship. I got to watch clips of it via You Tube recently.
It's a fast and enjoyable read for an over 400 page book. A complex and strongly political East Coast family, the family has always fascinated me. The fascination started when I did a report on JFK in High School over 20 years ago. At the same time was my fascination with Jackie when she was on the covers of magazines celebrating her 60th birthday, when she did not look a day over 40. Prior to that reading articles about "Ted and Joan's divorce" in a magazine at my grandmother's house in my tweens. I did not know about Ted Kennedy at the time, or about his other brother Bobby.
I read the Kennedy Women years ago when I was in Greece ironically on the kind of boat Jackie would have enjoyed. This is the only book written about the Kennedy's that explores the relationships between the wives. They had 3 very different personalities thrown together with the same family. It made me have some mixed feelings about Ethel(Bobby's wife), she was lovable or hateful at times. She was always blunt and said it as it was and very ambitious. She seemed like a very hard person to be around, yet she was devoted to the whole family and their political ambitions. He described her home Hickory Hill as being a chaotic place and I could believe it. It seemed like Lord of the Flies there with her out of control kids who she left to the servants to watch. Some of them turned out okay though getting into public service work. As far as being lovable Ethel graciously opened her home to both Jackie and Joan when they were going through hard times. Jackie however did not want her kids to be around Ethel's kids too much.
Jackie was a strong one, and I was always a Jackie admirer for years. She had a life for herself despite Jack's behavior. Like me, both her and Joan were not too much into politics. I think Jackie was a stronger political wife than Joan. Her and Joan were close since they would take strolls on the beach while the other Kennedy's played touch football which didn't interest them at all. Although she was stoic during the assassination she cried a lot in private and went through a major depression. She never really got over it. Jackie and Joan head eachother to lean on based on a series of miscarriages, husband's infidelities, and love for art and music. Both Jackie and Ethel tried hard to get Joan to feel included in the clan. Jackie had her tour Europe with JFK's belongings to raise money for the JFK library and Ethel included her in campaigns. They remained friends for years although it was pretty complex. I really felt for Joan, she seemed too sweet and innocent for that family. Although they say the Chappaquiddick episode drove her to drink she may have been an alcoholic all along, since both her parents were. From the book they endured a lot being a Kennedy wife with tragedies and husbands not emotionally and physically available. They had the financial security but not the emotional security that was needed so much. If I can relate to any of the wives it would probably be Joan, since I'm not into politics and that I tend to be sensitive and vulnerable. I think being in her shoes would have been hard for me since I'm not a competitive person in life and that's what the Kennedy's were.
It's a fast and enjoyable read for an over 400 page book. A complex and strongly political East Coast family, the family has always fascinated me. The fascination started when I did a report on JFK in High School over 20 years ago. At the same time was my fascination with Jackie when she was on the covers of magazines celebrating her 60th birthday, when she did not look a day over 40. Prior to that reading articles about "Ted and Joan's divorce" in a magazine at my grandmother's house in my tweens. I did not know about Ted Kennedy at the time, or about his other brother Bobby.
I read the Kennedy Women years ago when I was in Greece ironically on the kind of boat Jackie would have enjoyed. This is the only book written about the Kennedy's that explores the relationships between the wives. They had 3 very different personalities thrown together with the same family. It made me have some mixed feelings about Ethel(Bobby's wife), she was lovable or hateful at times. She was always blunt and said it as it was and very ambitious. She seemed like a very hard person to be around, yet she was devoted to the whole family and their political ambitions. He described her home Hickory Hill as being a chaotic place and I could believe it. It seemed like Lord of the Flies there with her out of control kids who she left to the servants to watch. Some of them turned out okay though getting into public service work. As far as being lovable Ethel graciously opened her home to both Jackie and Joan when they were going through hard times. Jackie however did not want her kids to be around Ethel's kids too much.
Jackie was a strong one, and I was always a Jackie admirer for years. She had a life for herself despite Jack's behavior. Like me, both her and Joan were not too much into politics. I think Jackie was a stronger political wife than Joan. Her and Joan were close since they would take strolls on the beach while the other Kennedy's played touch football which didn't interest them at all. Although she was stoic during the assassination she cried a lot in private and went through a major depression. She never really got over it. Jackie and Joan head eachother to lean on based on a series of miscarriages, husband's infidelities, and love for art and music. Both Jackie and Ethel tried hard to get Joan to feel included in the clan. Jackie had her tour Europe with JFK's belongings to raise money for the JFK library and Ethel included her in campaigns. They remained friends for years although it was pretty complex. I really felt for Joan, she seemed too sweet and innocent for that family. Although they say the Chappaquiddick episode drove her to drink she may have been an alcoholic all along, since both her parents were. From the book they endured a lot being a Kennedy wife with tragedies and husbands not emotionally and physically available. They had the financial security but not the emotional security that was needed so much. If I can relate to any of the wives it would probably be Joan, since I'm not into politics and that I tend to be sensitive and vulnerable. I think being in her shoes would have been hard for me since I'm not a competitive person in life and that's what the Kennedy's were.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Cookie
I'm so excited that I had to make another entry before winding down and turning in. I write a lot better at night, so you can say I'm nocturnal. I would do almost everything at night when really society wants us to operate during the day time and be relaxed at night.
My inspiration for blogging again was when I saw the movie Julie/Julia last year with my folks and Julie (Amy Adams) wanted to try out all of Julia Child's recipe's and blog about it. I walked out of the theater and thought I could do this for my painting, make a painting a day and blog it. My thing is a lot different since I'm an oil painter and it can't be the same thing. Sure, I can be inspired by one or many artists but I want to do my own work rather than copy and follow their paintings. I know some artists can complete a painting in a day, which I applaud them. Unlike cooking which is a basic necessity, anyone could pull a meal in a day out of a cookbook but a painting is almost impossible if I want to create masterpieces. Masterpieces that my collectors can put on their walls to beautify their homes.
I'm a single woman now with other responsibilities and interests other than creating a painting. A job to hold to pay the bills, a dog to take care of and a significant other. I promise I won't bore you all about the processes of painting but their's many other things that I look forward to sharing besides my side hobby and future career as an artist. I like to read, practice Yoga, and spend time with my dog and I decided that this blog will be primarily based on those interests to make it exciting to my readers/followers. It's going to be a challenge to journal without revealing a lot about my personal life since it's on the internet and it's more crucial to be more private than ever in this day in age with identity theft and other stuff going on. This blog will not be a tell-all on my day-to-day life although it's not always perfect.
Now about the dog Cookie who carries the name of this blog. God really has a sense of humor. I always wanted a dog of my own, and wanted to hold off until I got a house with a yard. My now ex-husband(I will not disclose his name in respect to his privacy) surprised me with her after a trip to PetSmart. I was overwhelmed and a little upset that he didn't talk to me about it at first, but I fell in love with her the instant she walked through the door. As soon as I saw and first petted her all my doubts and reservations went out the door. Cookie gravitated to me on day one and became my side kick since. Although she's hyper she teaches me a lot about love and living in the moment. She's my best friend who I would do anything for and she's always there for me. She smiles with me and licks the tears off my cheeks whenever I cry. I'm grateful she ended up with me when my husband and I split up, I don't know what I would have done without her. I can say she's the best gift I received from my ex. I was overwhelmed at first when I moved Cookie and I in to the apartment and I have to raise her alone but it's not bad at all she's a great companion and she's so delightful that she brings me joy everyday. My family even fell in love with her too, she's a great addition and I consider myself lucky. It's like having a child and looking at them and loving them. She's having a good life with me with walks around Sloan's Lake, Doggie Daycare (rarely), and a few outings to see my mom and play in her yard. I can definitely relate to the movie Marley and Me, but Marley makes Cookie look like a mellower dog.
My inspiration for blogging again was when I saw the movie Julie/Julia last year with my folks and Julie (Amy Adams) wanted to try out all of Julia Child's recipe's and blog about it. I walked out of the theater and thought I could do this for my painting, make a painting a day and blog it. My thing is a lot different since I'm an oil painter and it can't be the same thing. Sure, I can be inspired by one or many artists but I want to do my own work rather than copy and follow their paintings. I know some artists can complete a painting in a day, which I applaud them. Unlike cooking which is a basic necessity, anyone could pull a meal in a day out of a cookbook but a painting is almost impossible if I want to create masterpieces. Masterpieces that my collectors can put on their walls to beautify their homes.
I'm a single woman now with other responsibilities and interests other than creating a painting. A job to hold to pay the bills, a dog to take care of and a significant other. I promise I won't bore you all about the processes of painting but their's many other things that I look forward to sharing besides my side hobby and future career as an artist. I like to read, practice Yoga, and spend time with my dog and I decided that this blog will be primarily based on those interests to make it exciting to my readers/followers. It's going to be a challenge to journal without revealing a lot about my personal life since it's on the internet and it's more crucial to be more private than ever in this day in age with identity theft and other stuff going on. This blog will not be a tell-all on my day-to-day life although it's not always perfect.
Now about the dog Cookie who carries the name of this blog. God really has a sense of humor. I always wanted a dog of my own, and wanted to hold off until I got a house with a yard. My now ex-husband(I will not disclose his name in respect to his privacy) surprised me with her after a trip to PetSmart. I was overwhelmed and a little upset that he didn't talk to me about it at first, but I fell in love with her the instant she walked through the door. As soon as I saw and first petted her all my doubts and reservations went out the door. Cookie gravitated to me on day one and became my side kick since. Although she's hyper she teaches me a lot about love and living in the moment. She's my best friend who I would do anything for and she's always there for me. She smiles with me and licks the tears off my cheeks whenever I cry. I'm grateful she ended up with me when my husband and I split up, I don't know what I would have done without her. I can say she's the best gift I received from my ex. I was overwhelmed at first when I moved Cookie and I in to the apartment and I have to raise her alone but it's not bad at all she's a great companion and she's so delightful that she brings me joy everyday. My family even fell in love with her too, she's a great addition and I consider myself lucky. It's like having a child and looking at them and loving them. She's having a good life with me with walks around Sloan's Lake, Doggie Daycare (rarely), and a few outings to see my mom and play in her yard. I can definitely relate to the movie Marley and Me, but Marley makes Cookie look like a mellower dog.
1st Entry
The purpose of this blog is to both document my new life as I'm 10 months into it and my day as a budding artist as well as share books that I'm reading. My dirty laundry will not be expressed here only in the privacy of my sponsor in AA.
I wanted to name this blog "Cookie and Me" but it would be forbidden since there was a movie called "Marley and me" named after the guy and his dog so it would have been too cliched. Journalling is a new thing for me and I will try it again and I will do it in a safe manner that it will not break anyone's anonymity except my own.
I have not picked up a paintbrush in a couple weeks and I hope to do this more often and make it profitable in the near future. Friends I look forward to sharing with you the frustrations and triumphs of being an artist, dog owner, and avid reader. I don't have a lot to say today but as time comes in my entries in days to come more will come.
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