printed cards

In light of the five weddings I'm attending in the next three months, I decided to make one of my paintings for class into wedding cards. It's my first time giving any sort of personal art work away..it feels kinda weird actually. It's also the first time I've made prints of my own art work - I didn't realize how expensive it was to print things. Each card here ended up costing around $1.75 (I did not do my own scanning this time, so that contributed to the cost). It's cheaper than wedding cards I would buy at the store (and more personal), but I was still a bit surprised by how the costs add up. I guess I understand better why greeting cards can be so expensive. Anyway, all that aside, it was fun making these prints and I am excited to put them to use!

you & me

Something quite unexpected happened yesterday - I think it will probably be the highlight of my week. I was half-joking with the husband that he should do a painting exercise with me - and he took me up on it! We spent 30 minutes painting side-by-side. He was serious and focused. I think I was smirking the whole time. My straight-edged, mathematical, economist husband was PAINTING. And not a structured, realist painting...but free-form, abstract, no subject-matter/nothing-to-copy kind of painting! I gotta say, it was quite thrilling to watch him paint, and for me to have a painting buddy for the night. Here are our two paintings from the exercise...take a wild guess who made which one. :)

What can I say, I married a good man. :)

saturday morning meditation

Laden with guilt and full of fears,/ I fly to Thee, my Lord,/ And not a glimpse of hope appears,/ But in Thy written Word/ The volumes of my Father’s grace/ Does all my griefs assuage/ Here I behold my Savior’s face/ In every page./ This is the field where, hidden, lies/ The pearl of price unknown/ That merchant is divinely wise/ Who makes the pearl his own/ Here consecrated water flows/ To quench my thirst of sin/ Here the fair tree of knowledge grows,/ No danger dwells within./ This is the judge that ends the strife,/ Where wit and reason fail/ My guide to everlasting life/ Through all this gloomy vale/ Oh may Thy counsels, mighty God,/ My roving feet command,/ Nor I forsake the happy road/ That leads to Thy right hand. ~Isaac Watts

summer goodness

Time seems to be flying, it's already mid-july. Lots of summer goodness to take in and enjoy, like... Our yellow heirloom gooseberry tomatoes, ripe and ready to be picked (and eaten)!

Blueberry picking (at Parlee Farms)!

Blueberry jammin'

And celebrating the gift(s) of life

It's been a good week.

sketchbook

And back to the art class. Last week, our assignment was to set up our work space and create an inspiration board. This week, we begin work in our sketchbooks. One of the first things we had to do was to make a list of things we hope to accomplish in the next 5 weeks in the class. Here is my list:

The class is a painting and mixed media class, and while I haven't quite gotten the paints out yet, it's been fun trying to mix different "media" pieces I have lying around the house- like fabrics, paper, colored pencils, oil pastels...oh and come to think of it, maybe I should add some yarn in sometime too. This is my first sketchbook assignment, with one of my favorite quotes:

And a second assignment for this week - to create something using the assigned prompt. Mine was "Sunny Yellow, Shady Tree, Try a Sketch, Happy".

What can I say, I'm loving this class. :)

convergence

I will interrupt my usual rantings and ravings about the domestic life, kids, crafts, and arts...to write a post on something else that I care about deeply: my work and my faith. More specifically, the convergence of the two. It is this convergence that first got me interested in human rights work, got me into the legal field, and landed me a job as an immigration attorney at Catholic Charities. Since starting at Catholic Charities almost 5 years ago, I have been somewhat on auto-pilot. I believe in the work, I am glad to be serving clients who otherwise would not be able to get service (or navigate the legal system themselves), help refugees and victims of domestic violence gain self-sufficiency, and help families reunite and move forward. But even so, much of my energy, thoughts, and inspiration in the last several years have been focused on family and home life...which has been an amazing and growthful calling. During these past years though, work felt like work - I continued working (part-time) because I believe in it, but the original things that got me excited about it seemed to be often overshadowed in this season. This last week, a couple unexpected incidents reminded me that there is something still very energizing to me when my faith and work converge. The reason I got into human rights and immigration work in the first place is because it felt like an area where my skills, resources, and opportunities collided with the desire to "love the least of these" and to welcome the alien, free the oppressed. In my 20s, the thought of living out my faith through the substance of my work was really exciting. It still is, when I really think about it. This past week, I talked to two clients who were brought to my attention through people at my church and another Christian organization that I've worked with in the past. I think what was exciting about it is that not only was there convergence in the SUBSTANCE of faith and work, but there was convergence in the COMMUNITIES of my faith and work. I was working together with others in my faith community to do what I do in my work community - and I was working with my work community (like consulting with my boss about possible options for these clients) to serve those in my faith community. What this feels like to me is partnership. And partnership in things that matter, things that serve others, and with people that I like and admire is....FUN. So, this morning, I am thankful for partners in the field, partners in the Christian body, and partners that have given insight and support throughout the years.

and a little art for mama

This week, I started my first on-line art class: Pages & Paint by Sarah Ahearn Bellemare. I am loving it! I think it has seriously had an impact on my day - I am happier, have more energy, go around smiling randomly...and I think about colors and images all the time! Jason doesn't really get it, but that's ok - he has a rather bubbly wife this week! This first week, our assignment is to create a "studio" work space at home - a surface to work on, to gather materials, and to put together an inspiration board or wall (some place to gather things that inspire us or make us happy - things that will hopefully inspire paintings and other art work in the weeks to come!). And so, this is what I've been doing this week when the kids take a nap, or at night after they have gone to bed... My inspiration board:

My materials box (oh and Collin's materials box, of course!):

My indoor work space (i.e. our bright and cheery yellow dining room for now):

My outdoor work space (i.e. our balcony):

Collin also has his own inspiration board (or "art board" as we call it, since he does not quite understand the word "inspiration" yet). It just has one thing on it right now, hehe. It's so cute. I love that even putting these things together has let me see our house in a different light - what was once a corner is now a new space to create! What's even better is that I've had to purchase almost NOTHING for this class - except for some new gesso boards to work on. All the paints, boxes, jars, etc. are things that I've had in the house for years. They are just now being freshly used. We will see what comes out of all this in the next several weeks!

a little morning art

I love Muckykids Art Studio! And so does Collin. It's amazing how an environment can affect a child's energy, creativity and ability to concentrate. With paints spread out, not being fearful of getting paint everywhere (something I am not quite able to replicate in the house - though I do dream of having a studio one day!), and allowing the kid to make a big mess - we were able to really enjoy the process of painting and creating. Collin got fixated on painting that bear blue (which if at home, he would likely be scolded for "ruining" a toy, haha!), and he sat there for a good 15 minutes with a paint brush in hand, totally concentrating on the task at hand. I think that was the longest and hardest I've seen him concentrate! He was so proud of his painted bear, which he made sure I took a picture of:

We also made a glow in the dark picture (which Collin has been somewhat obsessed with at home - he is often in the closet watching it glow), a cornstarch builders sculpture (which got taken home and torn apart), and had a great time building this "dinosaur cage", another creation that we had to leave at the studio, but Collin was especially proud of:

Given the right environment, art with an almost-three year old is a lot of fun!

weekending in new hampshire

One of the best parts of summer is taking little road trips to nearby states and towns. This past weekend, we drove three hours north to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. I have been wanting to go to the White Mountains for at least the last 10 years - I've heard they were beautiful. And so they were. They were big and lush - many times, it felt like we were driving into a breath-taking wall of trees. The scenic drives were probably the best part (and also when I didn't really take pictures). Though, for some reason, Jason and I both liked the smaller, more intimate feel of the Green Mountains (in Vermont) more than the grandiose White Mountains. But being amongst mountains is a treat regardless. We spent most of the weekend driving and marveling at the different landscapes. We did make a stop in Conway for a train-ride. The boys got their first experience on a real train...the baby was too young to really know what was going on, but his brother sure was excited. There is something magical about trains for little boys.

My favorite part of the White Mountains that we were able to see on this trip (a baby and a 2-year old can be somewhat limiting) was The Basin. A nice, easy hike on paved and well-trodden dirt paths allowed us to enjoy the little brooks, ponds, waterfalls, and "The Basin" along the trail. The air smelled so fresh and crisp...and the water was so clear and very, very cold!

A nice respite from city life. And so we begin another week in the city...