Life - Diet & Exercise

It would be far easier to lose weight permanently if replacement parts weren't so handy in the refrigerator. ~Hugh Allen

I’d like to be able to blame my recent weight gain on something like a medical issue so that at least I would have a really good reason to have sympathy for myself on this matter. Truth be told, I ate the food, and too much of it. And….I didn’t exercise enough! There. I said it. The ugly, painful, but honest truth.

So here I go again. Back on the track of taking better care of myself. Over the weekend I had to go buy myself some new exercise clothes, because I couldn’t fit into the ones I already have – well, I suppose I could squeeze myself into them, but the moment I did my first sit up I’m sure I would rip a hole the size of Texas in the hind end.

Hopefully in a few months I’ll be feeling and looking a whole lot better. At least I know I'm not alone . . .

Never eat more than you can lift. ~Miss Piggy

I've been on a constant diet for the last two decades. I've lost a total of 789 pounds. By all accounts, I should be hanging from a charm bracelet. ~Erma Bombeck

I have to exercise in the morning before my brain figures out what I'm doing. ~Marsha Doble

Aerobics: a series of strenuous exercises which help convert fats, sugars, and starches into aches, pains, and cramps.
~Author Unknown

Life - Diet & Exercise

My Kids - Happiest Time

My son, Dakota, and I have some really wonderful conversations every morning while he waits for his school bus. He’s eleven years old, and so full of life, joy, silliness, and energy. He’s such a cool kid! Yet, he can be pretty deep in his thoughts and questions at times. The other day he asked me when the happiest time and saddest time of my life was. The happiest time was really simple. NOW! I was happy to say. Because I’m FINALLY doing what I love (working as a full-time artist), plus, I told him that it’s also the happiest time because I have the most amazingly wonderful relationships with my kids (he agreed with me – which was cool!), I have an awesome boyfriend who makes me laugh, and takes me dancing “often” (which is my other passionate escape), and my relationship with my mother is the best it’s ever been. Then he asked if there were other happiest times. I said, sure -- When each of my kids was born, of course, and there were certain times that were really happy during my marriage to his father. The second part of his question was harder to answer – not because I couldn’t think of anything to tell him, but because of the emotional significance that still makes my stomach get tight. But, I did tell him.

I tell you, moments like that with my kids are priceless.

My Kids - Happiest Time

Today's Quote - Enthusiasm

Color in a picture is like enthusiasm in life. (Vincent van Gogh)

Today's Quote - Enthusiasm

Art History – Common Ground

Who was Vincent?

In high school History was one of my least favorite classes. Of course, the instructor didn’t help much with his drone, monotone voice! HELLO...! Then I discovered “ART” History in college. That was a whole other story! Although I must say, even ‘that’ instructor lacked enthusiasm in her teaching style. Regardless of her lackluster technique, I fell in love with learning about our world’s history through the magnificent renderings by artists through the ages! I love how artists recorded history via paint, brush and canvas. They painted about the lifestyles, the major events, the battles, the fashions, the people, the artists lives, and even the stories behind the stories – you know, the stuff that would be considered “tabloid worthy” gossip now-a-days. I was hooked! This was good stuff. I was an “A” student. (Pat myself on the back).

The study of history through Art helps to bridge the gap between then and now. It allows us to visually see that people back then really weren’t so different than us in our time today. Many of the fashions for women must have been dreadful to dress in just based on what I can see in the art – which shows that they were just as concerned about fashion as the women of this time -- the ridiculous clothes we wear all in the name of fashion, the hair, the makeup, the accessories, etc. And images of the bloodshed from wars, losses, and victories were no different in terms of the desire for control. Art history shows us how we’ve changed through the years, yet it also shows us the common ground that we share.

For instance, Vincent Van Gogh, with all his inner torment, would more than likely be labeled with “Bi-Polar” disorder by today’s analysis. And since there really weren’t any so called humane treatments or medications to help such individuals back then we can certainly come to understand that this brilliant genius of an artist shared an ailment that many people of our day continue to battle with. Yet, even with his mental battles, Vincent was no less of a man, in fact, he was pretty damned amazing!

Art History – Common Ground

Today's Quote - 'Taking Chances'

We must be willing to fall flat on our faces. Fearlessly putting ourselves out there is simply a required part of the process. At the very least, it results in the gift of humility and, at best, the triumph of our human spirit. (Jill Badonsky)

Today's Quote - 'Taking Chances'

Obos Moment - witness

Shall We Dance?

I love the part in this movie when Susan Sarandon is talking with the private investigator about why people get married. Her theory was that we each simply want . .
a witness to our life.

I suppose that's why we do things like build "Obos" towers , write blogs, and etch our names on desktops -- to say, "Hey, I was here. Would somebody please notice."

Obos Moment - witness

Graphically Wrong ????

Speaking of mistakes, or imperfections . . .

This past weekend, at the Carefree Fine Art and Wine Festival, there was a gentleman who walked into my booth and stood in front of one of my paintings for a fairly long time (10 minutes?), which is a pretty long time when it comes to looking at art at an art festival. Anyway, he had one hand on his chin, while nodding his head up and down, then back and forth. I finally walked up and stood beside him and looked at the painting with him. He commented that he liked the painting "A LOT", but that he hates when he finds something that is "Graphically WRONG" about a painting, because then he can’t help but focus on it every time he looks at the painting. I completely understood what he was talking about. I told him that I understood his sentiments, then promptly walked away from him before he had a chance to point out what it was that he had such a problem with -- with this painting. That was the last thing I needed. I didn’t want to know what “his” problem was with it, because then it would eventually become my problem... if I let it. It was better that I didn’t know in that case.

It reminded me of a story about one of my other paintings. Some of my closest friends know the story of the painting in question, which happens to be a favorite piece for many of my customers. This particular painting I’m talking about was one that I painted while I was living in Mexico in 2006. I struggled with it. I just couldn’t get it to do what I wanted it to do. It’s like it laughed at me. There were elements about it that just stood out like a sore thumb. So I packed it away figuring I might feel up to working on it on a clear day. Then when I moved back to the States (Prescott) I decided to pull it back out and make some changes to it to try to fix the problems, because the concept for the painting was something I felt strongly about. But I continued to struggle with it. So…. I finally decided to call it a done deal. It was a “lemon”; there was simply no way I could fix it! So one day I tossed it into the bed of my truck, along with a pile of other paintings that just didn’t make the cut, and headed to the city dump to purge it from my life. After all I could just start all over again with a blank canvas if I really wanted to. While at the dump, I tossed quite a few paintings away onto the blacktop in front of the deep abyss (hole) that the bulldozer would shove the debris in to. After emptying the bed of my truck I slowly walked toward the cab and glanced back to see the bulldozer making a beeline toward my paintings. I suddenly panicked and ran back to the pile of misfit art and salvaged the one painting that I struggled with so much. The one I wanted so much to come to fruition. I tossed it back into the truck and headed home to mend its tattered wounds. I placed it back on my easel, and scraped away at it. I scraped, pushed, pulled, manipulated, and reconfigured it to what “IT” wanted to be (not what “I” wanted it to be). Over the course of several days I finally stood back and was pleased with what I saw. Oh, it still has imperfections that I notice every single time I look it, but I decided that the imperfections represented life! I guess that's why I was so compelled to continue to work on that particular canvas instead of starting over with a fresh, clean one. I guess my lesson was that I needed to learn to accept and look past the imperfections, to notice all the other things that make it so great!!!

If you made it this far.... then I bet you want to know which painting I'm talking about!
Ask me and I might tell you.

Graphically Wrong ????