More Autumn Memories

It is a beautiful autumn day here and like all good things, I would be happy if it would never end. Many years ago, I lived in Vermont and the autumns were spectacular. People came from all over the country to enjoy them. As the leaves would fall, we would rake them into large piles and, much to my husband’s dismay, our children would run and tumble into the piles, scattering them everywhere. Laughter and squeals of joy filled the air turning it all into a wonderful game. It was legal to burn leaves then so when the games and the raking ended we would make mini bonfires of our leaf piles. I loved the smell of the smoldering leaves. Later we spread the ashes of our happy day across the garden to feed the soil. Tired and happy, the boys, piled into our gelding pony cart, would ride to McKay’s roadside stand to buy crispy McIntosh apples, cider and apple turnovers. The day would end with a treat of warm, spiced cider and pie. Those days are gone forever, but the memoires are still vivid enough to inspire this digital painting below.

October Memories

Every October when I see the piles of pumpkins at curbside markets, my mind and heart races back to a wonderful time in my life. I was a new divorcee and one of my first dates was with a delightful younger man. He was clay artisan, a talented potter, shy, blond and very attractive. We were exhibiting at the same art festival. At breakdown time, he approached me and asked if I wanted to join him for a snack and then see something wonderful. Who could resist such an offer? All through our meal, I kept asking what it was he wanted to show me. He would grin slyly and say, “It’s a surprise and it’s not here!” We popped into his van and drove out to the countryside. The sun was just fading to a sunset and then I saw it! A field rippling with colors of gold and orange created by hundreds of pumpkins! Never had I seen so many. The setting sun enhanced the colors and drama of it all. I was astounded! The scene and my date made a lasting impression on me. He picked out a small pumpkin, purchased it and gave it to me, saying, “This is something to remember our date.” Our paths went different ways after that, but I kept the stem of the little pumpkin in a small, decorated Altroids tin box. I recently rediscovered the pumpkin stem and decided to do this digital collage in memory of the occasion.

Celebration of Life

This collage is combination of a collage on watercolor paper and a digital collage. I was never happy with the actual collage so I scanned the parts I liked and used them for this digital collage. Because I used Ginkgo leaves, I titled it “Celebration of Life”. The Ginkgo tree, to my understanding, can have a life span of 1,000 years or more. China claims to have a 3500-year-old Ginkgo tree and the Ginkgo, revered in Japan because one at a temple survived the atomic bombing, called it the “Bearer of Hope”. This has special meaning for me now. Apparently, the stress of a flooded studio caused an acute raise in my blood pressure and a pounding heart. I ended up in the ER having every test imaginable. I was happy to learn my heart is fine, but I do have high blood pressure and arrhythmia. I do not mind the medications, but I must confess my new tasteless, low sodium diet without a glass of wine is not appealing. Creating this collage reminded me of what is important and reasons to celebrate my life

After the Flood

With my studio still piled with rescued stuff awaiting a new shipment of mold treatment, I am using my computer for my creations. Today’s image is a digital collage created partly from some photos I took when I was in New Orleans the spring before Katrina. The background is a photo of a section of the wall that surrounds the famous St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 on Rampart Street. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest existing cemetery in New Orleans. Seeing the devastation in our city and the little I experienced myself, fragments of New Orleans seemed appropriate for my collage.

Deep runs the water
A painful purging
Catharsis from the unknown

Nightmare Challenge

Atlanta went from drought in 2008 to flooding this year. Almost everyone is experiencing some sort of water problem. I feel fortunate to have only a flooded basement, some folks lost everything. For me it is the second time in the past week. To add misery to it, we lost our power all night. I did not sleep much worrying about the food in the refrigerator/freezer and not being able to wet-vac the water. Yesterday, during a rain break, I made some gutter and concrete repairs, but we still have water running in so it is coming from some other place. I know that I am not up to doing this anymore. I wonder if I will ever get back to painting in my studio instead of cleaning up mold and water. It is really a mess again!
I want to thank those of you who emailed me and commented on the Java Sunrise. Although no one sent an image to post,Layers , Leslie Avon Miller and Blue Sky Dreaming had interesting comments about their collages along with the insights of van Dyck. Check their comments and wonderful sites, you will not be disappointed and think sunshine for those of us who need it.Thank you!

Another Challege

The latest challenge for the online art group was to use some household item as the material for our creation. I chose to create a collage with coffee filters and coffee in all forms. Although I titled this “Java Sunrise", some said it reminded them of a bouquet or a wild garden behind a fence. Either way, it was a fun challenge that will continue for the rest of the month. I may do another piece if time permits. What would you chose for your household item? Care to share? If so, email the image and/or the link to your site and I will post it here.

Masks

I recently entered another online challenge. The challenge was to create a modern twist on Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Artists have done this many times over the years, so coming up with something new was a challenge in itself. Lisa Patencio’s video on YouTube was my inspiration, and possibly by the fact that lately I have not been able to work in my studio without a mask.

Because of the wetter spring and summer this year, my basement has been mustier than usual. A month ago, I decided to try to remedy it by cleaning up any suspect areas. I opened an old trunk filled with some old art booklets. I was shocked how musty everything was. Immediately I removed the books and dusted out the residue without gloves or a dust mask. Then I sprayed it with an aerosol Lysol. The spray blew the spores all over me and released them into the room. The next day I was wheezing, a rash covered my arms, and my basement was mustier than ever. I bought another dehumidifier, replaced all the filters with HEPA filters, and now I am preparing to fog the whole basement using a mold control fogger from Home Depot. I hope after this I will be able to work in my studio again without a mask!