4.19.14 - Treasure

treasure - n.
3. any thing or person greatly valued or highly prized.
source: dictionary.com

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Treasure

I was walking down the hall when I passed one of the jr. kindergarten classes.  Every single four or five year old in that line excitedly exclaimed that it was egg day.  I look at the teacher with a curious look and she explained the duck eggs came in the mail and they were placing them in the incubator today.  I could tell by their excited faces that today was a really big deal.  

As I was walking back to the art room after supervising middle school break, I saw both jr. kindergarten classes huddled around a teacher sitting at a green table.  Realizing I had a few extra minutes before my next class I popped in to see the excitement of egg day first hand.  The four and five year olds were excitedly planning the names of each egg as a middle school helper carefully took the eggs from the box and handed them to their teacher, who marked them, and carefully placed them in the incubator.  Those eggs were treasures to the young learners.  

4.12.14 - Hope

hope - n.
5. something that is hoped for
source: dictionary.com

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Hope

It goes without saying that this has felt like the longest, dreariest winter ever.  At one point we had a combined total of eighty inches of snow.  Eighty. Inches. 

The past couple weeks we've had a couple of warm day.  Days that have melted the massive snow piles down to smaller snow mounds.  Days that have encouraged everyone to get outside a little more.  Days that have given us hope.  

Dane and I were taking Bella on one of the first longer walks of the season when I saw a tiny little flower blooming.  I always try and take a picture of the first spring bloom I see.  It's always the most hopeful, cheerful sight to see after a long, snowy winter. 

4.5.14 - Persistence

persistence - n.

1. the act or fact of persisting

source: dictionary.com

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Persistence

I was sitting at my desk, when one of the most adorable, quiet, sweet little kindergartners walked in with a box. Her outspoken friend announced it was her birthday as the little girl offered the box full of beautifully decorated, amazingly delicious smelling bakery cupcakes up to me.  I thankfully took one of the little gems out of the box while wishing the sweet little girl a wonderful birthday and asking if she had fun plans with the family that evening.  As they bounced out of the room, I set the cupcake on my desk and got back to work.  Here is where the persistence comes in...I gave up sweets for lent.  Here is this cupcake staring at me.  The sweet, sugary smell is tantalizing me, beckoning me to eat it like the cake from Alice in Wonderland. I mean look at it. This isn't your run of the mill, birthday cupcake.  There's marshmallow topping and whip cream on this bad boy!  It feels like such a waste to throw it away, so I offered it to a friend.  A special thanks to Erica for enjoying this sweet treat and giving it a good home.

3.29.14 - Ravishing

ravishing - adj.

1. extremely beautiful or attractive; enchanting; entrancing

source: dictionary.com

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Ravishing

One of my favorite places in San Diego is the Japanese Friendship Garden at Balboa Park.  It's winding path passes by quietly dripping fountains, a koi pond, bonsai trees, and beautiful flowers.  I can't explain how peaceful this garden is.  There's something about it that causes me to slow down and just enjoy the ravishing beauty of the flowers blooming along the path.  I happened to go while the cherry blossoms were blooming and loved the pale pink color of the blossoms.  It was so relaxing to stop and watch the bees buzzing from flower to flower before catching my flight that afternoon.  

3.22.14 - Radiant

radiant - adj.
1. emitting rays of light; shining; bright
source: dictionary.com

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Radiant

I'll be honest.  I had to take the past few weeks off from blogging.  Getting ready for spring break, traveling during spring break, and returning to school to finish up report cards was...a lot.  But I've tried to snap pictures along the way and see the beauty in each day, although some were easier than others.  

During the past three weeks I traveled to San Diego, CA to see family and attend the National Art Education Association convention.  I'll usually get nervous a few days before my flight, but as soon as I'm at the airport the nerves disappear.  I love speeding down the runway and that moment you feel the airplane leave the ground.  

Every single flight, I'm the touristy person snapping pictures out the airplane window.  The patterns, shapes, textures the land creates are so amazing.  This flight I was one passed over the Rocky Mountains and my breath was completely taken away by the radiant beauty of the snow capped mountains below.  

3.15.14 - Inspire

inspire - verb
4. to influence or impel
source: dictionary.com

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Inspire

I love watching little kids create art.  They haven't been constricted by art rules or the dawn of realism where everything needs to look "real."  They just create with a blissful happiness.  There are times I cringe as I watch them joyfully mix colors that I know will turn to a muddy brown/green.  In those moments I have to stop and remember that they have a freedom that many of us lost long ago.  They have an uninhibited creativity that allows them to throw caution to the wind and truly explore the medium they are using.  

Throughout the weeks I've been creating for this blog I've caught myself wondering if I should get focused in my media choices and stick to what I know.  On the other hand, I love the idea of creating with the joyful glee of a child and throwing caution to the wind, exploring all the creative world has to offer.  I don't know that there is necessarily a "right" or "wrong" answer.  There's benefits to both.  For the time being, I think I'm going to continue exploring, learning, and trying new things.  There's time for a more focused project next year, right? 

3.8.14 - Help

help - verb
3. to make easier or less difficult; contribute to; facilitate
source: dictionary.com

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Help

     Recently, I've become interested in hand lettering.  There's something incredibly beautiful about how others have taken the time to take ordinary words and creatively elevate them.  Many have wrote about how nice it is to receive a letter in an era of text messaging and email and I feel like hand lettering is letter writing's artist cousin.  When I decided to give it a shot, I realized how hard it was to actually line everything up, making it look even and clean.  I found a fantastic tutorial on the blog "A Pair and a Spare" The blogger does a great job explaining how to space everything out, get the right angle, even how to pick materials.  I've really enjoyed playing with typography and can see so many uses for it in future projects.

     The basis for this project was born out of a series of discussions and random pinterest pins. My week started by lazily searching around pinterest while drinking my coffee.  I came across one of those "faith in humanity restored" pins and made the mistake of not only clicking on it to read the whole story, but also searching for more.  Later that week I had a wonderful discussion with a coworker about the importance of serving others.  Combining these two moments encouraged me to choose a subject that would be a help to others.  I am a firm believer that small, random acts of kindness can completely change someone's day for the better.  I would also like to believe that these moments can encourage the recipient to pay it forward.  So I decided to embrace the surprise coffee movement that is happening so often.  I hope that by not only having the surprise of a free coffee, but also a little hand lettered message would cause someone to see the beauty and excitement waiting that particular day.  

Perseverance - 3.1.14

perseverance - noun
1. steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacle, or discouragement.
source: dictionary.com

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Perseverance

It may be a bit of a stretch to connect my picture with the idea of perseverance this week, but it is a picture four years in the making.  Whenever my husband and I come home Bella will happily trot down the stairs and scrunch up her nose.  It's adorable.  Her little scrunchy face seems to say that she's happy we're home.  I've tried for four years to snap a picture of it. Every time I think I have it, she'll be looking away or the picture will be blurry.  I've tried taking videos, but she seems to know I'm trying to capture it and will instantly stop the adorable scrunchyness.  I have begun to call it the elusive scrunch face.  Today, my perseverance finally paid off.  With the help of my friends, Hannah and Justin, we were able to capture it. Sweet, sweet scrunchy victory.

Grandma - 2.22.14

grandma - noun
1. the mother of one's father or mother
2. a female ancestor
source: dictionary.com

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Grandma

When I was little I remember watching my grandma crochet blankets, towels that hung from the oven door, pot holders, you name it.  Looking at the pieces closely, I couldn't figure out how it was done.  It seemed so complicated.  As I grew a little older she started to teach me how to crochet.  I realized the repeated slip-knot like motion was not nearly as difficult as I expected.  That evening, sitting on my grandma's couch, I created a gigantic chain of light blue yarn.  It had absolutely zero use, but I was proud of it and so was my grandma.  Unfortunately, my grandma passed away before I had the opportunity to learn how to make something more useful than a rope out of the repetitive motion.  Again, I wished to learn how to crochet, but lacked a teacher.  

My sophomore year of college I was sitting in the commons area when a friend walked up and started to crochet.  I found a teacher.  She kindly taught me how to crochet rows back and forth. I tried to make a scarf but gave up when it began to get narrower and narrower.  Time passed and I always thought about giving it another shot.  Between school and work I never really seemed to have the time.  

Recently, one of my dear friends found out she was having a baby girl.  I figured a small hat would be a good place to start trying to learn again, plus I had some really pretty lavender yarn left over from another project.  I found a fairly easy to follow YouTube video and set to work. After a few failed attempts, knots, and rewinding I finished the hat.  While I was incredibly excited to finally finish a project, it seemed a little plain.  Back to YouTube I went and found a video for an easy crochet  flower.  

I felt close to my grandma while I was creating this little hat.  I'd like to think that she would be delighted to see my little project and excited to see this tradition passed on.  

Patience - 2.15.14

patience - noun
World English Dictionary 
2. the capacity for calmly enduring pain, trying situations, etc.
source: dictionary.com

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Patience

This week I don't really feel like putting out a lot of explanation for this piece.  In short, patience feels like trying to calm my mind and heart amidst everything else going on in life.  Some days I'm more successful than others.  

Here are a few close ups of the middle squares. 

Influential - 2.8.14

influential - noun
2. a person who exerts or can exert strong influence.
source: dictionary.com

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Influential

My childhood is filled with fantastic memories of growing up on the farm.  I remember riding to the field with my mom to bring my dad lunch or dinner during planting and harvest.   I would often ride along with my dad in the combine or fall asleep in the back of the case as the planter dropped tiny seeds into the ground.  I looked forward to the bright lights of the combine coming down our long lane like a monster in the night when my mom let me stay up way past my bed time and wait for dad. 

One spring day, when I was about eight, I was following my dad around the farm.  We were walking from the shop to the house when he turned toward the field and motioned for me to follow him. When we reached the edge of the field, dad pulled the small screwdriver that he always carries out of the pocket of his overalls and bent down towards one of the ripples of dirt in the field.  He carefully brushed the dirt away with the screwdriver and picked something up.  When he stood up he slowly opened his big, farmer hand.  In it I saw a little kernel of corn with tiny green and white sprouts growing from it. He took the time to explain how the seed grows and pushes the tiny green sprout out of the ground while the roots grow down.  

I have no idea why this particular moment has stuck with me for over twenty years.  Like the many others, I cherish it.  Growing up on the farm was a wonderful experience, however, my amazing parents are who made it one of the most influential and cherished parts of my life.  

Ristretto - 2.1.14

ristretto - a very "short" shot of espresso coffee.
source: Wikipedia

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Ristretto

I pulled this card and figured it had something to do with restraint or restrictions.  I was so excited to find out it had to do with coffee!  According to wikipedia, originally a ristretto meant pulling a hand press espresso machine faster than usual using the same amount of water.  Now it means an espresso shot using less water.  

Since there still is an element of restriction or restraint in the definition, I chose a butterfly as my subject.  The caterpillar restrains itself in a cocoon and morphs into a beautiful butterfly.  To include the element of coffee, I mixed the watercolors with my leftover morning coffee to give the overall piece a more muted tone.  I tried to use as little water color as possible on the actual butterfly.  I only used just enough to give the color a little variance that I wasn't achieving with coffee alone.  I also wanted to restrict the time I worked on this piece, limiting it to two days.  While I'm far from becoming a watercolor painter, these quick sketches are a fun way to explore the medium and add the element of play that I'm hoping to achieve during this project. 

Daunting - 1.25.13

daunting - adj.
1. causing fear or discouragement; intimidating

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Daunting

Dane has this incredible ability to blindly stumble across any surprise I have brewing in my head for him.  I'm pretty sure in our five years of marriage and the three years of dating before that, I have only managed to successfully surprise him a handful of times.  The strangest thing is, he has never tried to figure out any of these surprises!

Last month I decided that for his birthday this summer I was going to take him to Chicago Music Exchange to pick out an acoustic guitar.  I knew he missed playing and would love to have an acoustic to play again.  I was going to make a day of it...lunch at DMK Burger, picking out a guitar, and then an awesome dinner somewhere. I was planning this now so I could start squirreling away money over the next few months.  It was going to be awesome....until he realized how much he missed playing and started talking about how he wanted a guitar again.  I came clean about my plan because I didn't want him to have to wait half a year to make this dream a reality.  At least I was able to surprise him by saying he should start looking for one. 

Literally the next day we were driving to Chicago Music Exchange to check out a Taylor he found on their website.  As we drove home with it in the back of the car, he looked like a kid that had free reign at a candy store.  He was downright giddy.  

Part of the deal was he had to start teaching me how to play.  That's where the daunting part comes in.  I'm not talking about fear or discouragement, I'm talking about the intimidating definition of daunting.  Music is pretty much a foreign language to me.  I'm at the can-somewhat-understand-a-normal-coversation phase of this language development, but application is a completely different story.  Bless Dane's heart, he doesn't give up trying to teach me new chords, even if I have trouble remembering the previous chord.  I asked him how I was doing he said I was getting an A in content but a B in class participation.  Apparently, I'm a little sassy.  I have not idea what he's talking about, but you know what they say...teachers make the worst students.  I'm just still hoping there isn't any truth to his threats of calling my parents for a parent-teacher conference!  

Bare Feet - 1.18.14

Bare Feet - feet without shoes.

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Bare Feet

Recently, our friends the Lambert's and the Yocum's, came to visit for the weekend.  The Lambert's brought their adorable two year old son, Lincoln.  Seriously, this kid is awesome.  He drums, he's incredibly happy, he loves hockey...and this kid can instantly charm you with his smile.  Dane and I often find ourselves asking the other if we saw the latest Lincoln picture or video on Facebook or Instagram.  

As I was basking in the friendship that filled our home this weekend, I noticed his adorably little shoes sitting next to the couch.  They seem so big compared to the two year old picture of Dane and I holding Little Mr. Lambert and Little Miss. Vaughn that hangs on our fridge.  I am incredibly thankful to have the opportunity to be witness to so many of the joys my wonderful friends have celebrated in the nine years we've known each other.  Their presence in my life is irreplaceable and a true treasure. 

Relax - 1.11.14

relax - verb
8. to reduce or stop work, effort, application, etc., especially for the sake of rest or relaxation
source: dictionary.com

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Relax

Dane and I ended our winter break with two unexpected snow days due to the extremely cold weather.  There we were, lounging on the couch and binging on the show The West Wing.  Bella, our little Boston Terrier, was curled up between us, burrowed under the blanket.  We were the purest definition of "relax."  It was absolutely wonderful.  

Eventually, Dane had to get up. When he turned around he froze and started motioning for me to get up and look at Bella. With the stealthiest, ninja-like moves I could muster, I quietly slipped off the couch and there was our sweet little dog wrapped up like E.T. with her little nose poking out.  

I started a drawing of this photo, but felt that I would need to spend way more than a week on it to do it justice. I might revisit this post in the future, but in the meantime I'm going to enjoy these small, relaxing moments with my family. 

Courage - 1.4.14

courage - noun
1. the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery
source: dictionary.com

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"You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give."

--Eleanor Roosevelt

Courage

Each week when a new word pops out of the deck, I like to google search it.  I read articles, quotes, poems, whatever I can find that will spark the stream-of-conscience, word association, or series of questions that goes on in my mind. After reading a couple articles from a psychology magazine and perusing several quotes, I started thinking about who I viewed as courageous.

While I was able to compile quite a list, my husband, Dane, stuck out to me.  I fully admit I'm pretty biased towards the guy.  That considered, he's one of the most quietly courageous people I know.  If you ask him, he'll humbly shrug it off and say something like, "I just do what needs to be done." Or "Anyone could do that." Watching him audition, perform, practice and develop a career in music all after kicking cancer's nasty butt shows incredible courage.  Like the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, he is able to meet whatever comes with courage and give it his all. 

For this piece I started by looking at images of cancer cells from a scanning electron microscope.  I am fascinated by science and the images these high-powered microscopes create.  I juxtaposed that nasty cancer cell with one of the sheets of music that make their way around our home. I ended up sketching the cell in colored pencil and ink.  I included the image of the piece as a whole and after I cut the cell away.  Like the cancer that was literally cut out of and removed from my husband, I wanted to cut this cell away from the music that has supported our family.  I lean more toward the second image because there is a separation between the cell and the music.  It's removed and falling away, far away from my family. 

Perseverance - 12.28.13

perseverance - noun
1. steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
source: dictionary.com

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Perseverance

       This picture symbolizes perseverance on so many levels to me.  The guitar in the picture is Dane's grandpa's guitar.  It is lovingly referred to as, "Grandpa's guitar" or "Grandpa's Gibson."  It's a stunningly beautiful guitar from 1950.  I was told Grandpa purchased it when he was young and has taken wonderful care of it ever since.  What make it a symbol of perseverance is that it survived the Washington tornado that took place on November 17, 2013.  A tornado that ripped through the beautiful town of Washington leaving hundreds of families, including Dane's grandparents, displaced until they can rebuild or find a new place to call home.  Thankfully, his grandparents are safe and sound. Even my dad asked about this beautiful guitar once he found out Jerry and Julie were safe.  The guitar has almost become larger than life. 

       There's another, more subtle, message of perseverance that is as beautiful as this guitar.  That's the friendship between Dane and his friends from high school.  I snapped this picture as Dane and Kyle (pictured) were taking turns strumming songs from memory on the strings.  They were like two kids with a beloved toy.  There aren't many people who can say their closets friends are the ones they made in high school.  The friendship between Dane and his friends has persevered through college, marriages, children, distance, and time.  They always seem to pick up right where they leave off.  I am so thankful they welcomed me with open arms as they played their guitars in the basement of my friend's college house so many years ago.  His friends and their wives have become the siblings I never had, my extended family.  

    I have to send a thank you to my brother-in-law, Isaac, for helping me edit this picture in a way that would allow both stories of perseverance to emerge.  As I was playing around with the photo, he mentioned that I should create an emphasis on the guitar by leaving it in color and transforming the rest to black and white.  I couldn't agree more.  He's currently studying multimedia/graphic design. I'm really looking forward to seeing all of the amazing things he creates and having a new person to collaborate with on future projects. 

Respect - 12.21.13

respect - noun
5. the condition of being esteemed or honored: to be held in respect.

respect - idiom
15. to pay one's respects
      b. to express one's sympathy, especially to survivors following a death; We paid our respects to the           family.
source: dictionary.com

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Respect

       There are sixteen different definitions for respect in the dictionary: eight nouns, four verbs, four idioms.  When I first pulled the card "respect," my initial reaction was piece of cake. I tell my students to be respectful all the time.  Then I sat down to plan out my piece and realized just how abstract of a concept respect is.  I felt like I really needed to understand the concept beyond the, "Hey make sure you're being respectful!" comment that I tell my students.  So I asked my very intelligent husband, Dane, "What do you think of when you hear, respect?" After a short rendition of him singing the popular Aretha Franklin song, I realized he was dodging my question and I needed to just google it. I came across the "Encyclopedia of Philosophy" by the fine folks at Stanford and decided to do a little light reading. I found the passage about showing respect for people who have passed really stuck with me. 

       When I first pulled this card, two weeks ago, several events had taken place.  There was the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy's death on November 22. Nelson Mandela passed on December 5th.  Pearl Harbor, as President Roosevelt put it, "a date which will live in infamy," was remembered on December 7th.  We remembered the precious students and teachers who passed a year ago on December 14th at Sandy Hook Elementary School.   I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer during this holiday season. However these events caused me to really think about how we mourn and pay our respects to those who have passed.  Whenever there is a tragedy, we come together, we leave mementos, we create memorials. 

       I wanted to create a piece that would, in a way, pay my respects.  Last year I went to New York City and visited the 9/11 Memorial.  I was struck by the repetition of names.  Names of people who lost their lives too soon.  Names and names of people who had families and friends. Names and names of people who had dreams for their future.  I snapped the picture of our flag left behind at one of the fountains.  It reminded me that as divided as we can be on so many political issues, we can still come together and help others when they are hurting. We remember those who have passed and show respect and reverence. I decided to use that image as my starting point and create an emphasis on the flag by coloring it.  This is where my one week project escalated into two weeks. I decided rather than simply color it in with colored pencil,  I would embroider the flag and then embroider flowers around the outside.  The stitches became my own sign of respect.  The memento that I created to remember those who passed in tragedies that rocked our nation. The memento that thanked whose who worked to make our world a better place.  A way I could show my respects. 

Snow - 12.14.13

snow - noun
1. Meteorology. a precipitation in the form of ice crystals, mainly of intricately branched, hexagonal form and often agglomerated into snowflakes, formed directly from the freezing of water vapor in the air.
source: dictionary.com  

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          Snow seemed like a fitting card to pull this week.  I've been much more in the Christmas spirit this year, especially after going to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's "Welcome Yule!" with my dear friend, Amy.  After the concert, when Dane and I were out walking, I was captivated by the sparkle of the lights against the fairly fresh snow.  Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera.  Today as I trekked out to go Christmas shopping, "Snow" by Sleeping at Last made it's way through my shuffle of music.  It reminded me of the walk the night before, so this evening I bundled up and adventured back out to capture this quiet little illustration of winter.   I'll leave you with the lyrics to "Snow".  Like much of his music, it's absolutely beautiful.  I encourage you to check it out.   In the meantime, stay cozy and warm!

"Snow" 

Sleeping at Last

The branches have traded their leaves for white sleeves

All warm-blooded creatures make ghosts as they breathe

Scarves are wrapped tightly like gifts under trees

Christmas lights tangle in knots annually

Our families huddle closely

Betting warmth against the cold

But our bruises seem to surface

Like mud beneath the snow

So we sing carols softly, as sweet as we know 

A prayer that our burdens will lift as we go

Like young love still waiting under mistletoe

We'll welcome december with tireless hope

Let our bells keep on ringing

Making angels in the snow

May the melody disarm us

When the cracks begin to show

Like the petals in our pockets

May we remember who we are

Unconditionally cared for

By those who share our broken hearts

The table is set and our glasses are full

Though pieces go missing, may we still feel whole

We'll build new traditions in place of the old

'cause life without revision will silence our souls

So let the bells keep on ringing

Making angels in the snow

May the melody surround us

When the cracks begin to show

Like the petals in our pockets

May we remember who we are

Unconditionally cared for

By those who share our broken hearts

As gentle as feathers, the snow piles high

Our world gets rewritten and retraced every time

Like fresh plates and clean slates, our future is white

New year's resolutions will reset tonight

Torrential - 12.8.13

torrential - adj.
1. of or relating to a torrent
2. pouring or flowing fast, violently, or heavily: torrential rain
3. abundant, overwhelming, or irrepressible: torrential abuse
source: dictionary.com

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        When I first pulled this card, I knew I felt an immediate pull toward the idea of a torrential downpour.  I also knew this piece had to be created in a watery medium, so I made a trek to my friendly neighborhood art store for a small set of watercolors.  I am not a watercolor painter or an illustrator for that matter.  In my mind, watercolors are a unique beast.  Just when I think I'm starting to understand how to use them effectively, color runs completely out of the area where I want it to be, following that whole "water takes the path of least resistance" thing.  As much as they drive me crazy, I find them incredibly beautiful.  This piece did make me at least begin to entertain the idea of taking a beginning watercolor class this summer. 

        I wanted to create a feeling of optimism in the midst of a grey, gloomy overwhelming background.  I love seeing bright colors on gloomy days.  I have a orange umbrella and pink rain boots for that very reason.  Thinking more personally, the past couple years were tough.  Going downtown twice a week for grad school while working full time was really tough.  I became more and more sarcastic and pessimistic because I never had a chance to stop and recharge.  Throughout the gloominess I had bright spots.  My husband, parents, old friends, new grad school friends, and new work friends all helped make different parts of the two years more enjoyable.  They sat with me as I read, wrote, and read some more.  They called, texted, messaged, and visited. They joked around with me in class and on train rides. They joked around with me before work and during plan times.  When I look back on that time, I don't think of the torrentially overwhelming amount of work and travel.  I think, instead, of the bright spots and I don't regret a second of it.