Wednesday
Yellow Roses
“There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose, because before he can do so he has first to forget all the roses that were ever painted.” – Henry Matisse
“The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose.” – Kahlil Gibran
The Wind Across the Sky
After a rather hectic day I decided to take a walk to clear my head and change my attitude towards a rather frustrating situation. I also took my camera with me just in case I came across something I wanted to photograph.
Albert Einstein said, “No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it.
As the wind touched my face, eyelids, and hair, it soothed and calmed my mind and body. I felt a subtle shift inside me and simply let myself go wherever the wind blew me.
On my journey I came across …
Angel in the Garden
Squirrel Eating Nuts
“Sometimes I go about feeling sorry for myself and all the while I am being carried by the wind across the sky.” – Old Chippewa Saying
Happy Equinox
Today is the Autumnal equinox. It’s officially Fall. Equinox literally means “equal night”, and from here on out the nights will grow longer as we head towards winter.
September is a month of changes, we’ve had our summer fun, the night’s grow cooler and it’s almost time to bid farewell to the warm weather.
It’s also the time of year where I often find myself reflecting over what I have gathered and seeded over the past months. I take stock of what the seasons have yielded so far, the hopes and dreams which were sown in the beginning of the year.
What have I harvested?
What wisdom have I garnered so far this year?
I also ask myself what lies fallow, uncultivated? However, I recognize that sometimes dreams need a period of incubation in order to come to fruition, and remind myself that all fields must lie fallow for a season or they become infertile, a wasteland.
Today I am thankful for all the blessings in my life, including family and friends.
Autumn Leaves
I Love a Rainy Day!
The pregnant dark clouds rolling in, the soft sound of rain hitting my studio window and our dog lying next to me create feelings of warmth and gratitude for just being alive.
I believe it is so important to wake up, stop doing whatever we are doing, just step back and take a deep breath. Life is a gift!
It’s Friday, the end of another work week and we are both looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend.
My husband’s idea of a perfect rainy day is a white chocolate mocha with a mini chocolate cake. These cakes are so tiny and so delicious. Yum!
Mini Cake for One
He decided to eat only half and save the rest for later.
Mini Cake Filling
“Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.” -Langston Hughes
“Rain showers my spirit
and waters my soul.”
-Emily Logan Decens
Angels & Pomegranates
Yesterday afternoon my husband showed me this beautiful shadow on our living room wall… Wow!
I grabbed my camera and took some photos. The shadow was cast by a metal angel sculpture hanging on our front door.
Angel Shadow
Another shadow cast above a mirror
Later when I was watering the garden I noticed all the fruit on our pomegranate tree. It felt so peaceful to be standing beneath the canopy of this old tree as the sunlight played hide and seek among her leaves.
I felt like a little girl who had somehow found a secret magical kingdom. I closed my eyes and the sound of the traffic dimmed as I inhaled the sweet fragrance of roses mixed with jasmine wafting by. For that instant the outside world disappeared and my senses became more heightened and finely attuned to the sounds and smells of this small garden tucked away in the heart of a busy city.
When I opened my eyes again I saw this small pomegranate. I took a photo of it to remind me of how truly wonderful and magical life is and how very special these moments are when we take the time to pay attention to the natural world around us.
The sun was setting as I left the little girl beneath the pomegranate tree in the garden. My much older self closed the garden gate and returned to the everyday business of life.
Pomegranate
TGIF Fudge Brownies
TGIF fudge brownies on a Friday afternoon is the perfect way to end a work week… Just ask my husband!
My husband loves chocolate so I decided to bake up some fudge brownies for him. The moment they started baking he came out of his office asking me what that smell was, and as soon as they were done, he was there with plate in hand.
Fudge Brownies
“Fudge is made by chocolate angels.” – Alexis F. Hope
“As with most fine things, chocolate has its season. There is a simple memory aid that you can use to determine whether it is the correct time to order chocolate dishes: any month whose name contains the letter A, E, or U is the proper time for chocolate.” – Sandra Boynton
“Fudge is a noun, a verb, an interjection, and delicious!” – Jessi Lane Adams
The Searchers
I read this quote today on Leah’s blog Creative Everyday, and loved it so much I wanted to share it with you.
Bodega Bay
I
“Some people do not have to search,
they find their niche early in life and rest there, seemingly contented and resigned.
They do not seem to ask much of life,
sometimes they do not seem to take it seriously.
At times I envy them,
but usually I do not understand them.
seldom do they understand me.
I am one of the searchers.
There are, I believe, millions of us.
We are not unhappy, but neither are we really content. We continue to explore life,
hoping to uncover its ultimate secret.
We continue to explore ourselves,
hoping to understand.
We like to walk along the beach,
we are drawn by the ocean,
taken by its power, its unceasing motion, its mystery and unspeakable beauty.
We like forests and mountains, deserts and hidden rivers, and the lonely cities as well.
Our sadness is as much a part of our lives as is our laughter.
To share our sadness with the one we love is perhaps as great a joy as we can know -unless it is to share our laughter.
We searchers are ambitious only for life itself,
for everything beautiful it can provide.
Most of all we want to love and be loved.
We want to live in a relationship that will not impede
our wandering, nor prevent our search, nor lock us in prison walls.
We do not want to prove ourselves to another or compete for love.
We are wanderers, dreamers and lovers,
lonely souls who dare ask of life everything good and
beautiful.”
From “There Are Men Too Gentle To Live Among Wolves” by James Kavanaugh
Great Weekend
The Totoro Project Auction at Pixar Studios on Saturday evening was a huge success and we had such a great time! The art work was incredible and they sold everything. Congratulations to everyone!
The next day we decided to go out to Bodega Bay for lunch. We took some pictures and even did some sightseeing. It was so relaxing!
Bodega Bay – Photo by Rose Arizmendi (C) 2008
Bodega Bay – Photo by Rose Arizmendi (C) 2008
The Antique Store – Photo by Rose Arizmendi
Bodega Bay – Photo by Rose Arizmendi (C) 2008
“The three great elemental sounds in nature are the sound of rain, the sound of wind in a primeval wood, and the sound of outer ocean on a beach.” – Henry Beston
Busy Monday
It’s been one of those days where there’s so many ideas buzzing around in my head and just too many other distractions going on to really focus on them.
Hopefully I will have a chance to work on some of these tomorrow.
Sonoma – Combined Media – 8 X 10
“Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or the another, to cause vibrations in the soul.” – Kandinsky
Artist Trading Cards
Over the past few days I have been working on ATC cards instead of my other paintings, patiently waiting for me in the studio…
ATC cards are miniature works of art created on a 2.5 x 3.5 card, that are traded between artists. I am having so much fun and will post a few when I”m finished.
“Tell me the landscape in which you live, and I’ll tell you who you are.” – Jose Ortega y Gasset –