Ahhh, New York!

What a summer this has been. After the crush of summer school, I took a much needed breather and traveled to New York with friends and colleagues.

I was warned by some fellow Southern natives to be wary of the Big Apple - the hustle and bustle, the traffic, rudeness of the dwellers. "They" said "Watch out for the subway riders and the taxi drivers," and "The big buildings might make you claustrophobic" . . .

What utter nonsense.

I have no doubt "They" were trying to be helpful, but I had the best time of my life. Went to the glorious Metropolitan Museum of Art and my eyes beheld such beauty in the works of Monet, Renoir, Matisse . . . no printed copy could ever do them justice. Went to MOMA and saw Dali's "The Persistence of Memory" - and oh dear God the colors, I had no idea it was so small. Went to Central Park with dear friend James and listened to the NY Philharmonic on a blanket
under the stars . . . pure aural ecstasy.

Experienced my first transit train ride, NY cab ride, subway ride, NY pizza and bagels. Dear friend Ellen Zisholtz had a hugely successful first exhibition of her work in Soho, along with fellow artist and writer Pat Kaufman.

Gee. I survived it all, with much aplomb.

"They" usually mean well, but you cannot listen to their voices of fear. To be afraid of the unknown and unfamiliar is to stagnate and die. Even in these perilous times, and I think especially so, grab life, hold on for all it's worth. It is vitally important to sing your song, paint your masterpiece. Don't let "They" hold you back!

This kept playing in my head all the way back home. Thanks, Billy.

Kickin Back on Edisto

Hard to believe the glorious days of Summer are upon us. Where did the time go? Either we are living in extraordinarily busy times, or we have been already sucked into one of those tiny black holes that CERN may inadvertently cause when they fire up the big collider later this year.

In any event, I am glad to slow down a bit, dip my toes in the ocean, and just chill. I am looking forward to catching up with friends and family, and taking a long, deep breath. I'll touch paint to canvas, and pencil to paper, and hopefully something decent will come of it.

Here's a shot of a recent foray to Edisto, a quiet little island that I go back to time and time again.

Ya'll have a great 4th.

I learned . . .

Pleased to meet you all, I'm Harriett and I used to be a pretty regular blogger, until I started college in middle age . . .

Glad to be back! School is out, I did decently, and am getting ready for Summer school and then a month off before Fall semester.
I learned:

I can figure out m=y2-y1/x2-x1!!!!!! Took me all semester . . .

The immense value in disciplining yourself to do a sketch a day, even if it's seemingly worthless.

The comfort of friends who really understand if you don't return their call.

A new appreciation for those who struggle and sacrifice so others can achieve a dream (namely professors).

Here's a page from my sketchbook:

Back From The Dead

I just realized it's been over a month since I last posted! I have no excuses, just reasons:

1. Spring Break was just that - a much needed break from all things except food and sleep, Hubby and the company of treasured friends.

2. My new found respect for college grads continue to grow with each MLA -style -500 -word paper -that's -due -2 -days- from- now.

3. That goes triple for those 15 -color- hue- only -gray- saturation -figure- ground -reversible art projects.

4. "What do you mean you don't have 150 sketches - they are due tomorrow!"

But no complaints - I am learning . . .

It's socially OK, and even expected of you to text your 18 year old friend during a math lecture, even though you are sitting side by side.

Coffee is a magic elixir.

So is chocolate - but I knew that already.

Will post pics, of something, when I come back up for air. For now, back to looming exams. Yippee!

Coming Up For Air

Finally able to see a bit of daylight after being in the dark for a bit. I've been in the thick, tangled forest of school and work.

I am enjoying myself - the college experience is one I can appreciate more, given that I'm older than the average student, than I could have if I attended when I was younger.

I don't have to worry about fitting in - I don't and it's perfectly fine. Cool even.

I don't have the self esteem issues a lot of the younger students seem to have - I have a confidence that I've bought through happiness and heartache.

I don't abuse time - achieving "middle age" makes one aware of every tick of the clock.

It is a privilege to be able to go to college. Though the work load is sometimes daunting, time
has become a precious commodity (as if it wasn't before - now I'm more aware of how precious it is) and I am realizing how ignorant I am . . .

This is an exhilarating experience.

Photo courtesy of dcJohn

Act II

The second half of my life has begun. I began school last week, and much to my surprise I found it enjoyable. Of course, the key words here are "I just began". . . time will tell whether I'll regret this decision to the marrow of my bones, or just through to the first layer of dermis.

On this day, I'm off from both school and work, thanks to Martin Luther King, Jr. and our government, though lately I have major criticisms of said government, at least they set aside a day to remember this heroic fallen son of America. I am using this time to study and do homework.

I've found a fountain of youth of sorts, old school memories flood my mind. I'm much more thankful this go 'round, much more cognizant of the sacrifices the professors make each and every day, and of the incredible journey many students have embarked upon just to be able to be there. Everyone in their middle years should go back to school. Just sitting in a desk again, after 20+ years, is a miracle in itself.

Time to get a cup of java, and get back at it. Here's a sketch I did for my art class. . . pen and ink on paper. We are assigned to do a sketch a day, which is a great way to build focus and skill. I recommend it highly.

Yes, Yet Another New Years List

Like almost everyone else on the planet, I've been doing a bit of reviewing here at year's end. Here's a few things I hope for the new year:

• That somebody will TAKE charge, and get our men and women out of the train wreck called Iraq.
• That for once, just once, my bills won't exceed my earnings.
• That at least one person in the world will allow their inner artist to come to life. (OK, really I hope about a million will)
• That stupid Head ON commercial will just go away.
• That my head won't explode from school, paint, work, blog, school, work, blog, paint . . . (Hmmm, wonder if Head ON works??)
  
• That my hand remain steady, my eyes clear, my soul easily inspired.
• That no child will ever see a hand raised to injure them, and the ones lost find a way back home.
• That goes for pets, too.
• That I never forget to tell and show those I love that I do.
• That even though I posted this lame end of the year entry, you all will bear with me and stick with me for another year.

Peace.

THE Gift

Been very busy as of late getting ready to start college. I had no idea it was such an involved process. I guess I ignorantly assumed I would just march in and sit down and begin.

I have had to chase down health records . . . which after all that chasing left me with having to get shots anyway . . . been shuffled from one building to another, been given a new appreciation for reasonably close parking to a destination (only 3 blocks away? How fortunate!) and have filled out at least a pound of paperwork.

But it is worth all the fuss . . . I'm in!
I'm the first member of my family to go to college.

A Christmas gift above all other gifts.

Hope all of you have a splendid Christmas/Winter Solstice/Kwanzaa/Chanukah.

Rainbow Painter

Well, I've gone and done it. Really gone and done it.

As if I'm not busy enough, as if I don't have more things to do than ever, paintings that need to be painted, etc . . . I just had to pile one more thing on.

I have decided to go to school and get my degree. Full time. And still work. And still paint.

Documenting the whole chain of events that got me to this place in my life would take more time than I have at the moment, and more time than I'm likely to have for a very loooong while. Let's just say an incredibly special someone encouraged me and believed in me, and took steps to make it happen. I won't be getting a free ride, I have to continue to work to see the end to this rainbow. But for the first time in many years, I do see a rainbow, and there is a pot of gold there at the end. All it took was for my someone, my mentor, to sit me down and paint the picture for me. Thank God she's an artist, and a very fine painter.

I'm going to get my BS in Art Education. So I can paint pictures like the one painted for me.

Photo courtesy of Darwin Bell.

Revenir de Suite

I finally got back to my easel!!! It's been entirely too long . . . and oh how I missed it! I set aside some time this past weekend and worked on a painting I started a few weeks (months?) ago. The brushes in my hand felt heavenly, working with and mixing the paint like a reunion with a long ago friend.

Here's my painting, revenir de suite, (Be Right Back) which isn't quite finished, still on the easel, and a corner of my studio.

What has kept me away from my first art love has been another form of creativity - writing. I've begun the first ever art blog for my town's newspaper. I get to make people aware of what's happening art wise, and I hope to joggle a few folks into realizing art is as necessary as other forms of commerce, even more so. To those of us who create, and those who appreciate the creations, it is our lifeblood, our reason for being, not just a way to make a buck, although making a living off our compulsion is nice, too. I find it exciting, and a bit scary. I intend to trumpet the artists and the artists' creations, to show how much richer we are with them around.

The blog is called Drawing Attention. I hope you all like it.

Still Thankful

It's almost Thanksgiving again, and I suppose I will join the hundreds of other bloggers and report on the season. Not terribly creative or original, I know.

Thanksgiving, however, is a time I look forward to each year. Not for the obligatory food or family get togethers, though. Of course I remember Turkey Day's past, and instances of both family peace and drama.

What is special about the day for me is the call to be grateful, to be thankful, for all things. As I posted last year, here are a few things I'm thankful for:

Leaves that are more beautiful than any painting
The ability to see those leaves
Men and women who have the courage to fight for the freedoms I enjoy, sitting here writing.
Election Day
Friends who love me like we share genetic material
The sound and smell of the ocean
Coffee and chocolate
That feeling you get when you get home after a long day and your dog is wagging all over
A loving, supportive spouse

Have a super Thanksgiving, everybody. (Photo courtesy audreyjm529)

Eye Thoughts

Had to take my hubby for same day cataract surgery a few days ago - really really early. The sheer volume of surgeries on any given day probably necessitates this, but it's rough getting up and around before the light of day, especially when the "to do" list for that day stretches into the evening hours. The nurses were very efficient and pleasant and I'm impressed when I think of how they have dedicated their lives to the service of others. I'm sure their days are long and strenuous, and at times very technical with all the paperwork they have to do. The definition of "unsung hero".

All went well for hubby, but I was very nervous about the thought of his surgery. To think something as important as eyesight could be lost, with one all too human slip, one meandering thought . . . put a few things in perspective. And it made me thankful - for the time we live in where such surgery has become commonplace; for a loving husband who sees my art and knows the heart it comes from; for the hope that he will be able to continue to see beauty and inspire me with his unique viewpoint.
(Image courtesy of Scott Robinson)

A Dream Realized

Yesterday was an important day for me. A milestone. I hung my work at my first gallery, the Rita Smith Gallery in Columbia, SC. RSG is a small co-op of very diverse and talented SC artists, who I am looking forward to getting to know. Rita Smith is a real person, a very talented artist in her own right, who has owned and operated several galleries over the years. She genuinely cares about all the artists showing, and has developed long friendships with many of them. I am fortunate and honored to be under her wings.

After the grunt work, Jean Bourque came by & we had lupper (a meal between lunch and supper). We talked and laughed - go to her blog and ask her to describe how she adopted her chihuahua Toffee - it's a story you won't forget! I described a part of my long journey getting to my first gallery. . .

I grew up in a hardworking family whose members had lots of love for each other but very little economic opportunity or education. Having a daughter who wanted to pursue art was frowned upon by almost everyone, except my brother, Ron. Ron was the middle child, I am the baby, with a big age gap in between. I was probably a "whoops". Ronnie moved to NYC soon after high school, and became a successful cosmetologist. He and I stayed in close touch. He saw a latent talent, and encouraged and expected me to ardently sketch and mail him my work. He came home several times a year, with gifts of art supplies for me. He nurtured and cared for me, and respected and understood my dreams.

In my 16th year, Ronnie had an accident, falling from the 3rd floor of his apartment building. He survived, but was in a body cast for 3 months. We talked on the phone every week while he was laid up, sometimes more. We made plans. I was to apply to colleges in NY, and live with him while I went to art school.

I remember him calling with the news the doctors were letting him go home - he was doing well. Would I come and see him? I had never flown, he was making arrangements for a friend to escort me. Hesitantly, I said sure.

3 days later his lungs collapsed. He died in his sleep.

Yesterday was his birthday.