on my walls

What's on your wall: prints, posters, photos, paintings? What makes you want to hang something up?
For me, it's all about impulse.  If I like it, and I think I have to have it, (and I can afford it), I'll buy it and then figure out where in the world to hang it.  I have also purchased things I probably couldn't afford but knew I also could not live without.  It always works out in the end.

Most of the art in our home is stuff we have made ourselves: 
watercolours, charcoals, acrylics and linoprints, still life, landscapes, figure drawings and ttv photography.
oh, and the odd band poster because music and art go together like gin and good memories.

I really believe that if life had to be lived without art, I would choose to never leave my house.

the doors never closed

I've thought about writing again but figured it wouldn't be pretty.

writing is hard.

you place yourself on paper, hoping the right person picks it up and finds themselves in what you've said. and if they do, will you ever know?

so, today, I'll post the lyrics that found me at an Amos Lee concert, in Cincinnati, in April.
they kind of crept in quietly but stirred my soul nonetheless. I almost ignored them.
who knows what their future holds.


The doors never closed
at least not all the way
there are always remembrances
stories to sustain
dreams unfulfilled
things left unsaid
and some days i wonder
some days

Try to leave you behind
so i can move ahead
though it tears me up inside
to make my choice
never in one place too long
no forwarding address
though some days i wonder
some days

i know i said i'm not ready yet
but if you'd keep knocking
just keep knocking
please, please keep knocking
maybe one day
one day you'll find me here

You don't have to say a word
it's all been said before
i made it through this far
and i'll make the rest somehow
promises forgotten
minds rearranged
yet some days i'll wonder
some days

Never want things to end
crave experience too much
never want to engage
just like the feeling
of living
of trying to laugh
cause some days i wonder
some days

i know i said i'm not ready yet
but if you'd keep knocking
just keep knocking
please, please keep knocking
maybe one day
somehow
you'll find me here

Impressed by Impressions of Impressionism

This is one fun project that I did with a group of boys, last year, to present at an art show in our town. The first thing I had the students do was a lesson from one of my personal favorites: Drawing Textbook, by Bruce McIntyre.

It doesn’t look like much on the surface yet it packs a mighty punch of information that you and your family can use from age six to adult. You can read more about it here:

I then reviewed the Seven Laws of Perspective. This is what I taught, in a nutshell ... and you can read the rest of the article over at Heart of the Matter online









Some other related articles, by me:

Fall Into This Idea for Art, Part 1

Fall Into This Idea for Art, Part 2

Summer Art Projects

Saying Goodbye to Summer

monday madness

though I truly love my life right now, I am thinking that it should slow down a little. maybe.
it is only 4:46pm and I have already:
attended an Art in the Park meeting where I am secretary
did a small grocery shop so the kittens don't starve
ate lunch
drove to pick two flats of berries, realized I was dressed completely stupidly for said task but did it anyway ... picture to follow because now you are curious
(the donut preceeding the berry picking helped)
drove home
changed clothes so I could mow the lawn
got caught in the rain
noticed grass plastered to my legs so I showered
gathered laundry to start load
sat down to realize I haven't blogged since wednesday.
honestly wondered how many things other bloggers leave undone (again or still, however you want to look at it)
realized I should be making supper, not blogging ...

thursday throwback

last friday, my husband and I had the amazing opportunity to go.away.without.children.

wow.

I really don't need to say anything more, do I? but I will ... because God gave me lots of words.
we phoned the name of a b&b we have always wanted to go to but didn't get them in person. never mind, we are the adventurous type, so we jumped in the 'bevs' and started driving. my only requirements for the night/next day were:

1. I want to go away overnight somewhere
2. I want to see some art

wouldn't you know that the city had organized the SpOtlight event for the whole weekend? crazy cool. and half an hour into our drive, we got a call from little city farm, saying their room was available for us! yes!
the food is all organic, vegetarian/vegan and local. not to mention gourmet and delicious. the next day, little city farm was also hosting a slew of workshops, like creating and using natural dyes, carding and spinning, cold-press soap making, tinctures and so much more. I was in crunchy heaven.


I so want to go back here again soon.

tuesday timetable

this week is decidedly more mellow than last week, and that is good. some friends of ours have been through a traumatic experience recently, and I was asked if I was available to do some "art therapy" with their kids.
now I don't have a diploma in that or anything, though once upon a time it was my goal, but what a privilege.
homeschooling, how do I love thee? let me count the ways:
no one else who does it even bats an eye at the concept of being flexible
putting aside that "other thing you had planned" to help out where you are needed is normal, not requiring an absentee slip
there are places you can take your kids where they will be loved and respected and might just come back to you better people than they were before.
what goes around most certainly comes around

not that I am going to work a miracle or anything; this isn't really about me at all, but if you are in the fray, I think you know what I am trying to say here.

now, to buy some paints.

tuesday timely table

so there are blogs that you go to almost without thinking, like drinking morning coffee from a favourite mug, or putting on clean underwear, and then there are blogs that you really love but for some reason keep forgetting to read.

this is one of those blogs stuffchristianslike

and I was led to it again by one of those friends. and how timely.

Spirit Walk

Friday, the thirteenth (oooh) we participated in the Spirit Walk, as a family. I played Mrs. Rouse, a woman in 1883 with thirteen, count 'em, children and a husband (oddly his name was John) off with the war. I had considerably fewer lines than in Peril, which was fine by me. We sold out and had to turn people away! We did eleven shows that night, all twenty-five of us. It was a surprise to me as I thought I had to wait two years, at least, to be "on stage" again.

now ... here's hoping all the packing and moving goes as well this week. Soon I shall have to compose Ode to a Firehall.

tragedy sometimes strikes

for those of us in "Perils" it has struck three times this month. first, our director lost her mom, then, the next week, our assistant director lost her dad. her sister (and her husband) are also part of our backstage crew. just when we thought we could find some semblance of order for show week, yesterday our leading man, Sidney Slick, lost his grandson, at only fourteen years of age, to a stroke (they believe). opening night without a lead is not good, but it is, after all, just a stupid silly play and doesn't amount to a hill of beans in comparison. no one knew how to think let alone what to say.

frank has decided, rightly so, to NOT go on with the show. in his place was the original Sidney (circa 1976), whose lovely wife wrote Peril at Petrolia. he was happy to oblige us and will act in all three shows. he has blessed us tremendously and is an absolute joy to work with. the priviledge is all ours. he knows how to work a stage like no one I have performed with ... and I hear he is only in his 80's.

what a week.
thankful for much.

poetry blog slam

apparently I have some more inner healing to do. when I read sarah's latest post (latest at the time of my writing this at least. I swear she can post more in one day than I can think of in one week) my first thought was "poetry slam, huh? I wonder how long til one of my poems gets slammed." strange the thoughts one can think when there isn't enough caffeine in the bloodstream yet.

one thing I know ... my favourite poem (ok, two things. I also know my favourite number). I have digested and fallen in love with much poetry, but this one for some reason will not let me go. It is raw and stunning and not exactly homeschoolblogger material.

michael ondaatje * the cinnamon peeler's wife

If I were a cinnamon peeler

I would ride your bed

and leave the yellow bark dust

on your pillow.

Your breasts and shoulders would reek

you could never walk through markets

without the profession of my fingers

floating over you. The blind would

stumble certain of whom they approached

though you might bathe

under raingutters, monsoon.

Here on the upper thigh

at this smooth pasture

neighbour to your hair

or the crease

that cuts your back. This ankle.

You will be known among strangers

as the cinnamon peeler's wife.

I could hardly glance at you

before marriage

never touch you

-your keen nosed mother, your rough brothers.

I buried my hands

in saffron, disguised them

over smoking tar,

helped the honey gatherers ...

when we swam once

I touched you in water

and our bodies remained free,

you could hold me and be blind of smell.

You climbed the bank and said

this is how you touch other women

the grasscutter's wife, the limeburner's daughter

and you searched your arms

for the missing perfume

and knew

what good is it

to be the lime burner's daughter

left with no trace

as if not spoken to in an act of love

as if wounded without the pleasure of a scar.

You touched

your belly to my hands

in the dry air and said

I am the cinnamon

peeler's wife. Smell me.

my students worked like mad again this morning and were able to get a lot done on their lino. I am, of course, quite proud of their accomplishments and hope DickBlick offers another chance for us to display the end results. I didn't win anything last year, though having 24 students in our own home was reward enough (not to mention I was able to purchase my very own block press). this year, I would like to offer my students a reward for working hard and think that having your work displayed online is a great one. I also enjoy seeing the work of thousands of other students from all across the U.S.

here is a display of week four ...

late last night

late last night
I came to a bit of a conclusion. I cannot do everything on my own. wow. so I ordered a science curriculum package and when it arrives, I will put all the things I have gathered for science WITH it and it will, hopefully, be a wonderfully fruitful marriage. I am a writer of literature study guides, not science ones. It just took a while for me to finally decide to do something about it, and no, the kids won't fail because I took my time. They have barely even noticed.
Then, this morning, I received a few e-mails regarding my seriously stuck question and I put some of the words to an image in my mind and thought maybe you would like to share in that with me.


DECISIONS



ah yes the biggest issue we all face...how do we really know what the best plan is ... you will never really really know ...  all you can do is listen and try to hear to the best you can, to discover all you can about yourself and how what you decide will affect those who love you.

only one more show to go ...

Have I ever told you how much I love my hairdresser?



Well, she has changed the fairy look, progressively, with each show, and she teases the snot out of my locks each night, promising to make me more beautiful than the night before. I think she may just have achieved fairy fantastic here
I am thinking it would be tres cool to go to hairdressing school to be able to come up with this, out of your imagination, and re-create it on a human canvas. I always thought it would have been good to have mastered a skill that I could do "on the side" while being able to accomodate my desire to stay at home with the boys and homeschool. I suppose this is akin to my writing literature curriculum and selling it.

now, if I could just finish writing that song for tomorrow night's end-of-play party ...

as the snow flies ... dress rehearsal for rump.

Well, we were quite spoiled for November as far as weather goes, but "not no more". Saturday night had Neal and I driving home from London (usually just an hour's drive) doing no more than 60 km/hour in a 90 hour zone, and facing a blizzard from out of nowhere. It was not fun but we both said the usual line "we've driven in worse" which is funny because, really, how much worse than driving snow and sleet and reduced visibility with drifts like waves and not seeing the middle line or the side lines can it get? We left London shortly before 10pm and finally made it home at 11:30pm, stiff-necked and ready for a warm bed.

Then it rained, which is just plain sloppy and kind of depressing. I figured if we got stuck driving through it, the least it could do was stay in dreamy piles so the boys could play in it (especially since we just bought all the new snow garb). Today the boys will try to get all the basics done since the rest of this week is a flurry of meetings (some extremely discontented moms in our homeschool group and the directors get to figure it all out) and rehearsals. Tonight is cue to cue, tomorrow is dress rehearsal, then Wednesday we get our first audience.

Sure wish you could all be there. It is going to be fantastic ... and I get to throw fairy dust ... that is if my dress is let out enough so I can breathe and move by then. It has certainly done much to improve all our memories (not the too tight dress, but the acting) both literally and figuratively. I cannot imagine a homeschool year that doesn't include the stage.

Perhaps I ought to be a little more forgiving of all the "regular" theatrics around here.

Art Lessons for Four

This morning, as I type, we are finishing the last of ten weeks of art lessons with four students. I love the smaller class as compared to the twenty-four students Neal and I had together this time last year. I thought, perhaps, some of you might be curious about what was covered. I can post some pictures of the student's work later this evening, when Neal gets back home from work (with the camera) and we all get home from rehearsals.

Here is a basic synopsis of our ten week's work: We met at my home each Friday morning for 1 1/2 hours each lesson.

Week One : Introduction, Unique Drawing Experience, Line Types, Perspective Introduction, Shading

Week Two : Drawing Textbook lesson one, Shading practice, Line Types review, Pointilism, Drawing a shaded glass of water (stipple emphasis), Definitions of Oblique and Elipse

Week Three : Drawing Textbook lesson five, Watercolour Introduction, Value Scale, Monochromatic painting, Four Techniques in watercolour

Week Four : Drawing Textbook lesson on the Seven Laws of Perspective, Watercolour apple lesson (Watercolour for Absolute Beginners). This lesson will improve the sketching abilities of the students while reviewing the Seven Laws. Emphasis on dry brush techniques

Week Five : Seven Laws review, Drawing Textbook lesson one, completing watercolour practice

Week Six : Drawing Textbook lesson two, Shading/Toning techniques using different methods of shading, cross-hatching, swirling lines etc. Using charcoal

Week Seven : Drawing Textbook lesson three, Acrylic paint with Gel Medium for texture

Week Eight : Drawing Textbook lesson four, Conte crayon sketching draped fabric, tone/depth/shading. Emphasize perspective and shading. Sketching draped sheet

Weeks Nine and Ten : Pear Mixed Media project. Student should have a good grasp on shading, tone and capturing these in black and white as well as in colour.

* need a canvas 8x10

living in Canada

so, with the incredibly, unseasonably warm weather, we canadians will welcome thanksgiving weekend, Monday being the official holiday, and think about swimming over sweaters.  some areas of ontario are even breaking heat records.  must be a trickle down from tennessee ...

my in-laws will be relaxing on their deck, by the lake where they live, and we will be spending some saturday sweetness with my folks about an hour away from here.  the rest of the weekend will be for our family of four; time to catch up and slow down for a while.

we will have the stuffing and cranberries, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie, apple pie and chicken ... yes, chicken.  I forgot to buy a turkey and have had, instead, a few chickens delivered by a friend and it just makes more sense.  this will be the first thanksgiving without extended family in a long, long time.

this year I am thankful not only for my dad, who will be baptized the first weekend in november (truly amazing that he is still here with us, sarcastic sense of humour and all), but also for my husband, who is the love of my life.

I wonder what it will be like when we are old 

and we paint

together

on Wednesdays

will we paint on Wednesdays?

and will our art belie our age?

or will I paint flowers and puppies

and children out skipping?

will I have my hair cut short

just because I am old?

Our children will come

and bring their children with them

and we'll tell the same stories

again and again

but no one will stop us -

no one will say anything

they'll just listen

and be thankful

that they have us at all

And after they've gone

we'll sit at the table

together

alone

wondering how we got to this place

thankful to be in this place

where you still call me beautiful

and I still call you strong

where hours slip slowly

and memories mark time.

kristina campbell, august 25, 2007, onfirepublications                                                                                                            

middle ground

I'm looking for the middle
ground
while pulling up the weeds
exposing the soil
yet unsure where to
go from here
the landscape ever widening ~

the fruits of my
labour
like the song
written last month
complete in words
yet lacking notes
or the conversation
I almost had ~

would've carried out
if I thought I'd be heard
and listened to
but not judged
or corrected

like digging in red dirt
under copious clouds
white
with varying shades of gray
full of rain

or perhaps

a reflection
of the mountains
I've yet to climb ~ kac,may 12/o7

Northampton Altered Book Show

One of my altered books was accepted into a juried show in the UK, and I thought someone might be interested in seeing a few pages of the sort of thing I do.  If only they would award me with tickets for four to actually see the show in person ...

copying the copy cat

One of my favourite art posts happens to be right here at HarmonyArtMom. I wrote a post not to long ago about my frustration of having to read posts that criticise the "art" of copy-catting. This quote is an excerpt from Harmony's wonderfully well-put post.

page 11: Mona Brooke's Drawing with Children
"We need to stop mystifying the drawing process and explain to students how artists actually achieve the results they do. For instance, Picasso and Michelangelo both copied other artists' work for at least two years as part of their initial art training." She wrote this in response to the myth that "real artists draw from their imaginations and don't need to copy things". She then says, "They (artists) make sketches from other drawings and photographs, rearrange things, add ideas from their imagination, and create what is considered an original piece of artwork."

This is what I have believed for, well, forever, and wanted to share it with you because it is vital to real success as an artist. I will say it again, art is not created in a vacuum. We all need vision, yes, but where do we suppose the vision originates?

got the matches ... ready to light some fires!

Well ... today is the BIG DAY!!

This afternoon, at 2pm, Onfire turns into a real bustling centre of art and imagination. As of 7:30 last night, we have 25 students coming to learn all about the arts ... sketching, watercolour, upo paper, lino cutting and altered art are all on the menu for the next 5 Friday afternoons.

My husband and I were thankful for all the supplies we have been able to purchase ( really good quality stuff ) and for all the willing parents that emailed and called begging to send their little Monet's for two hours.

We were also blown-away by my husband's boss's willingness to let Neal go every Friday afternoon for the next 5 weeks so we could live out a part of our dream. Not only does this man NOT Homeschool, but he isn't all that into art, either ... how can he possibly care? Neal is the only one in his department that knows what is happening with the jobs he is pricing, so he is very valuable, and yet ...


I will post some pictures of the afternoon as soon as we get a chance.