this was at my grandpa's house, this ancient sleigh with ancient toys. I think one of the horses in the front had to get some repair done on his leg (when the sleigh moved to my dad's house) or maybe it was one of the wheels, regardless this says warm christmas to me.

this was the first year I got to help with the candy. wrapping them in tissue paper and hanging them on the tree. (I felt like such an adult - in a really good way)

In this house you hang the candy, then the lights, then the ornaments. that way you have to search to find the pieces of candy through out the tree. it is an extra christmas treat.

tree by the light of morning.

everyone have a very happy holiday…I'll be back some time next week.

*started my new journal

*sold almost everything at baz biz (two things left on the table at the end of the day) 

*got to make a trade there with Jamie Zollars whose work I love!

*love when the Boy and the Storyteller riff together…they make me laugh so hard

*there were two kung fu students practicing in a park near the new place we explored for breakfast

*the city is getting smaller and larger at the same time

*I went to stuart ng and got some beautiful books

*I realized the Boy and I are exploring the city the same way trixie explores the new apartment. She has a home base (usually the bedroom) then she'll come out and check out a new area. Then she goes back sort of 'tags' home base again to explore a bit further the next time

waiting in the sun

Today we'll be at the bazaar bizarre
Saturday December 16th
from 11am to 7pm at the Shrine Auditorium Expo Center…
if you are around come by and say hello.

sights & sounds

* a dad walking his son's in the rain…pointing out the puddles for jumping

*mac at macys (that is what his name tag read)…with the v-neck, chest hair poking out, and a gold chain with an anchor…

* I am a horrible shopper…(ask the Boy)

* I love the food court at the mall…so many possibilities

* I haven't paid attention to cars for years and now I have landed in car mecca, it is strange how easily I have slide behind the steering wheel

*our road trip was lovely

*the ocean makes everything better

*the ocean smells…sand salt and seaweed oh how I love thee 

* a bath makes everything better, with bubbles or without

*I think I am going to have to just realize that getting larger format film developed super fast was a new york thing…and just suck it up and relax.

*I am going to be selling my softies at baz biz this Saturday…if you are in the los angles area please stop by and say hello…it is from 11am to 7pm at the shrine auditorium

*I need to get a schedule & scan some things & get some of the word drawings painted & make sure I have everything ready for baz biz & relax since I have nothing pressing to do & & &…

*the smell of wet dirt & grass remind me of after school practice
*wearing flip-flops is strange
*the weather feels like I dropped into spring, but the trees say fall
*I gave myself two days to do nothing, permission not even to get out of my sleep clothes
*that felt nice
*we are already going to take a road trip
*the grocery stores are so huge, I forgot about using a cart
*one of the ralph's grocery stores is so cold that the workers wear gloves
*I am still not used to the light
*I started sketches on a couple of words
*I need to swing into a routine
*need some jars for water & gouache

*jetpuff is nowhere near as good as fluff

*I need to find a new camera store…the one nearby either doesn't carry 2&1/4 film or it is going to take days to develop…wonder where they are sending it out to?

*I have used my mobil phone today more than I have in the last month

*the Boy is already carpooling to work, so I got the car

*I don't know what to do with myself…although people that know me tell me that it is a good thing for me to do nothing, to have nothing to do

*who doesn't have salt & pepper or a corkscrew?

*tomorrow I am going to have to leave the house with the boy…and sketch at the local coffee shop…because otherwise I wander and do nothing, or start a lot of somethings

*johanna has some really awesome (and affordable) art in her shop…(I love the names she gives her paintings…they have almost as much character as the paintings themselves)

*I feel slightly tired

*it is exciting and scary, in a what am I going to do for the rest of my life kind of way, maybe that is why I am doing a lot of wandering

*7-11 is such an equalizer, you get all walks of life walking through the doors & they have branched out of the only junk food items…they had some naked juice and even yogurt 

*I owe a lot of people emails…I'll try and remedy that tomorrow

Until I get photos…you'll find some random lists here. Things I have done, things I have seen.
This was what happened today…

*woke up to chilly weather
*remebering the smells of california
*I went for a walk, in the city that doesn't walk

*I wonder why everyone else is at the Border's at noon on a monday.

The guy that is texting and reading rolling stone is actually meeting sophie (he got a call with a ring tone of his son talking to him)

The girl with the black tights, turquoise knee high socks, with black pumps a mini skirt and a walk with a major sway.

The woman reading 'the diving matrix' way too close, I guess she forgot to bring her glasses.

*the pigeons join me for lunch at fatburgers
*bright sky
*trixie coming out from under the bed
*I feel separate right now. In this bright space. Separate but present.

circles
36" x 24"

This girl was determined not to come easily. She probably took the longest so far. And she has details that you can kind of feel, rather than really see. Like the wood, the grain is under the red. She was coming through in fits and starts. But, the final product I like it. Here is a close up her face.

So September of 2005 I started doing a painting a week. Most of the paintings in single digits have been altered in some way. (altered aka painted over) Painted to make some of the newer paintings. My style has changed so much in a year. The first paintings just didn't fit anymore. A couple I reworked, so that they became another version of the same image. I think I would have to say when I got a painting challenge from the Storyteller the change in me began sprouting. I started to take myself more seriously. I was sketching so much more. Plus lisa s has spot on advice. I can see how I responded to some of her comments weeks or months later without even thinking about it. (thank you!)
Considering I have 50 odd paintings in my apartment now (most are unstretched, so they are stored rolled up)…it is good to gift out a few. I love that people want to hang my stuff on their walls and look at it. It makes me unbelievably happy. Let the paintings live another life.

a moment::
coming off the train walking to work. I look up the block and watch an older man in a dark blue knit hat, with a red rolling cart bounce a blue rubber ball up the street. As he passed I noticed the twinkles in his eyes.
::