Soooo pretty

I had forgotten how much I luh-huh-huhv pretty paper. (And how the hell did that happen?)

I like pretty with my grunge. I can appreciate cute, but I prefer frayed edges and smudginess. Even pretend-smudgy is better than undiluted pretty.

I'm probably going to use some of this in a companion piece to "The Plumber's Jealousy." 

But it's going to take a while; what I want to do is complex and the rest of my life keeps intruding into my worktime.

More soon.

In the rear-view

I was a busy girl this year... hadn't even really thought about it until the post-holiday lull.

I exhibited art in my first juried exhibit...

sold art and books with my art in them, at two Art Walks...

... and a miniatures show -- even though my inner critic kept whispering to me that I'd be a total failure at all of them. (Thanks to Ricë and Diana for ammunition against that sumbitch.) Which led me to create a fan friends page on Facebook. Confidence mounting bit by bit.

I saved my artwork from a failed gallery 3,000 miles away, partly with the help of Facebook. And when I wasn't stressed out about that, I worried about how The Boy would do in first grade (ahem -- a year early).

He's doing really well as a student  -- his teacher says he's "a math leader" -- and an artist. He's turning into a Real Person before my eyes. So is TwoBoo, who charms pretty much everyone he meets. And whose vocabulary is now developed enough to say clearly: "I... don't... like it, Mama."

So many firsts for them: TwoBoo's first haircut, The Boy's first school bus ride, TwoBoo going to a friend's birthday party, The Boy clearly reciting Hanukkah candle blessings. And they still like to play with each other. Amazing.

Although I really enjoyed the exhibits I did this year, I'm going to spend 2011 a little bit differently. An art/business class I took made me realize I need to spend more time building up art inventory. And I think The Boy and TwoBoo may make more appearances when we venture to art shows and venues. The whole art-and-motherhood thing hasn't been easy -- or possible -- sometimes. But a conversation with two of my favorite people reminded me it gets easier to integrate these bits of life.

Happy New Year to all my friends and lurkers, from Chilliwack, BC and the Czech Republic to Marysville, Washington and Malaysia -- I'd love to hear from you in the comments or on Facebook!

At rest

My grandmother died the morning after Thanksgiving. She was 91.

Willie Myers was a vibrant, busy, generous person for all but the last four years of her life. She even helped raise her first great-granddaughter, the girl leaning on her shoulder in the above photo. She was the Fun Grandma. She used to come over to our house all the time when my brother and I were little.

You should've seen her dance at my wedding. She was shakin' it harder than people 30 years younger than she.

But she kind of gave up after my dad died in 2006. About a year later, I interviewed her about Daddy's childhood, and about her and my grandfather, and what a goldmine she was. Even though her memory was starting to fail by then.

 

Running errands with my brother helped me keep my sanity during the funeral preparations. Completely unexpected... it's been years since I thought of my brother as a haven from The Family Crazy, for many reasons.

I wish I had more time to tell you about Willie Myers, but this will have to do for now.  Try to appreciate the relatives who don't drive you crazy, while you can.