The winter is back!

It snowed today.  Hard for a teacher to complete with the first snow of the season.  It is exciting though, we've been waiting for it.  We've had nice weather for a while, but its November, you know?  Time for snow!  And it came.  But it didn't last.

I can't wait to get out my snow boots!

Invasion of the Bronchitis Baddies (or more appropriately, I'm sick.)

I'm sick.  There is no denying it- which I have been trying to do.  I went to the doctor's office, and its official:  I have bronchitis.  I begged him to make into just a cold.  He said that's not how medicine works.

Why does he make all the big bucks?  Al I wanted was a simple cold; a couple days off; legit naptime, and some homemade soup.  Nope.  Not me.  I like to go big or go home.  When I get sick for the first time in a season, I like to get sick.  I make sure I need anti-biotic medication, and 2 weeks in bed!

I've been told that I'm fairly competitive.  I wonder if my mind thinks that there is some weird competition: who can pile in the most mucous into on lung?  Or how much can my sinuses hold until thy explode?  A neighbour broke 2 ribs from her pneumonia- I think my body wants to beat that by coughing so hard that my sternum breaks!

Other great effects of illness?  Face sores? Check!   Back pain?  You betcha!  Stomach ache from medicine?  Or course!  Fatigue?  Oh my, yes!  I had to take 3 breaks from writing this blog post!  And its not even that good!

Send m some good vibes, I would love to be better.  Like yesterday.

Art of another kind

I spent my weekend on an art of another kind.

On a trip to an out of town flea market, we dug around and found this loom.  It was broken and missing a piece, but we bought it anyways.  The best thing I've found about doing art almost everyday, is that I am always full of ideas on how to make and/or fix things.

To fix this, I made another arm out of a yardstick and some dowels I had left over from making canvasses.  And it worked!    So now I'm using some wool and weaving a scarf out of it.  Wearable art!  I love the colors of this wool, and how its working up in the weaving.

I am still working in my journal, layering away.  Nothing that I think is finished enough to show... Soon though!

Journal: More fun than a barrel of monsters

I bought these really cheap watercolors (you know the dry kind kids use?) at the dollar store for my students, and I had one at home.

I decided to try them out on a bunch of doodles I did in my journal. They were pretty ok, actually!  I like how muted the colors are, it let me use as many colors as I want without it looking really busy.

I am torn for which my favorite monster is... I think I like the flying toast dude the best.  Especially because he has duck feet.

Painting: Heart Hommage

"8"x 8", mixed media on canvas

I found out that I have high blood pressure.  Apparently, I don't handle stress well- but does anybody?

I thought it would be nice for me to paint something that showed my heart that I do care about it; and I hope it won't crap out on me because I've been stressy.  This painting kinda grosses my partner out.  But I like it.  I like that if you look closely, you can see that there is an image of a heart under all the veins and stuff.

I am art!

My good friend Shira painted this portrait of me for the AWOL square foot show this August in Toronto.  She is a great painter, and photographer.

I've never felt like art before, Thank you so much Shira!

Street Art: Peace Stencil

I came across this little dude completely by accident:  I was walking down the street in my neighborhood, and this dog was sitting on the sidewalk.  As I stopped to take a picture,  I didn't realize that the dog was off its leash... at some point the dog came over to me.  As I was taking a picture, I didn't see the dog and-- with a yelp (from me and the dog) I fell over on the sidewalk.  I was okay, the dog was ok, but as I tried to get up, I noticed a little stencil near the ground.  And there was "the little peace dude" (at least that's what I called it when I showed it to my partner later that night.)  This stencil is really small, probably about 5 inches high, and right on the bottom corner of a huge building.  There are other stencils on the wall, which is probably why I never noticed it.

Art: Swept

Here's what I've been working on this month instead of my journal.  I was working on it to finish it for a friends birthday present.  She's been wanting something I've made for a while, and I finally had the time to make it for her.  I wanted to make something calming for her, and so I chose blues and greens.  I've been on a weird Picasso-esque cubist faces kick lately, so that made its way into the painting too.

Its hard to give something away that you've made.  I knew it was going to be a gift, but now that its done, I'm attached to it.  I can't keep everything I make, but it never gets easier when I sell or give something away as a gift.  I don't know if it will ever get easier either...

From the Antiques Market

Yesterday, my partner and I went to the Aberfoyle Antiques Market.  I had never been before, it was great!  Besides getting the worst sunburn I've ever had(!) I also picked up these great wooden crates and these printing press stamps.   The stamps are so cool, they come from a 1930's printing press (which wasn't for sale).  They are solid metal, and super heavy.  I'm going to use the crates to organize my growing collection of epherma, and paints.  I'm not sure what I'll use the stamps for yet.  D was really sweet when we bought them, he was like, "you could use those stamps in your mixed media!"

Journal: Do something epic

This page was made when I was inspired by some "motivational graffiti" I saw spray painted on a wall.