zouzou's basement

Spiritual Journey: Part 6

2011-09-06T21:44:00.000-04:00

(this is a continuation of a speech I was asked to give on my personal "spiritual journey" in 2010.)

Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before how infinitely rich and beutiful life is in every way and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever

Isak Dinesen

Life moved on. The physical pain from the chronic illness continued, in different and lesser forms. The grief was slowly slowly mixed with hope as I continued to read and study the wisdom of Rabbi Kushner. Eventually, fairly quickly in the scheme of things, I was pregnant again. Thrilled, nervous, wary, excited -- it was a roller coaster of emotions. Finally, finally, my Raine was born, a wee bit early, on May 16 (if he had gone full term he would have been born on the day I lost the twins). Perfect in every way, except for the colic that made him cry for 16 hours a day. No time to paint. Lots of time to heal, and think. Eventually I began to find an hour here or thirty minutes there to paint. This time, my mind began to dwell on more domestic issues, and that's when the dessert paintings started. I have heard advice to writers, to write what they know about, and I suppose with paintin

g it's no different. I was practically weaned on sugar! I had been baking fun desserts for friends and family for years, (I really really loved cupcakes way before they were cool), and had been taking and gathering photos for a while. Clearly in a happier place, I have had a lot of fun including the many dessert references on the paintings that are such a common part of our dialogue. Some of the paintings' names are: Sugar R

ush, Save Room For Dessert; Cupcake Nation; Eat Cake; Eat M

e (a reference to Alice in Wonderland); Just Desserts; Hello, Cupcake; and Happy Ending, among others. I've done about 50 now, and I still love to paint a cake or pie. Here are a few of them:

Spiritual Journey: Part 5

2011-06-01T10:45:00.011-04:00

Death is no more than passing from one room into another. But there is a difference for me, you know. Because in that other room, I shall be able to see.

--Helen Keller

(This is a continuation of a "spiritual journey" story I began earlier.)

This was a dark dark time. I felt like I had a black cloud over me and was being punished for something -- divorce, sickness, now death. When my husband and I had met, we shared a fascination with cemeteries (mine I think was inherited, as I remember a birthday of my grandmother and all she wanted to do was go to the cemetery and look for relatives). We both were photographers and loved the statuary, especially, visiting famous ones in Paris, London, and elsewhere, Vermont and lots of country roads we drove down. One of the most beautiful cemeteries I've ever seen is Richmond's own Hollywood Cemetery, where our first two boys are now buried. Ironically, on our wedding day we were a few minutes early to our wedding feast at a favorite restaurant. To pass the time until it opened, we, along with a lot of our wedding party, drove through nearby Hollywood.

Foreshadowing?

Eventually our cemetery fascinati

on passed somewhat, we ended up spending a lot of tearful time in Hollywood through the next few months and years, but I had kept a bunch of the photos I took there. I found them recently and they still evoke a mood of both sadness and peac

e for me. I manipulated them some with paper and paint in the way I am working today. Here are a few:

The singlemost important thing that happened during this time was that I stopped believing God had control of things. This changed the outlook that I had carried for 35 years or so, and in essence, involved giving up my security blanket, which rocked my world. But simultaneously, I was able to give up the guilt and

the feeling that I was being "punished" all this time. The book that changed my thinking, my "Bible", which I have read about seven times no

w, given to countlesspeople, and raved about for years, is When Bad Things Happen To Good People by Rabbi Harold Kushner. This was written way back in the 1960s or 1970s but still speaks so loudly to me. I have read some of his other books and this one is by far the best. I am currently reading Overcoming Life's Disappointments which gives great lessons on how to act and think when the chips are down.

So with this epiphany, I began a brighter outlook and to recover from the many losses. We had gotten so many beautiful flowers at the deaths of our twins, and I had taken photos of some of them. Thus began my flower series, which continues today. By comparing the pieces above with the pieces below, you can see that my outlook truly changed.

Spiritual Journey: Part 4

2011-05-01T11:12:00.002-04:00

Don't go through life, grow through life.

Eric Butterworth

This is a continuation of the "spiritual journey" story I began several entries back.

Spiritual Journey: Part 4

As my illness got fairly under control, my clock was ticking. Since I was a little girl, I've known that I'm meant to be here to make things and to have a family. Although it seemed like we tried forever, it really wasn't so long: 8 months after starting, we were pregnant. We were delighted, ecstatic, worried, nervous...even more so when we found out it was twins. I wasn't surprised at all: my grandfather, who was born in 1902, was one of 9 children -- with 3 sets of twins! My mother and I had discussed at various times how it wouldn't be surprising for me to have twins. Carefully, very carefully, we progressed, until one day 5 months along, my water broke. With in the next 24 hours, we had lost them both. As I write this, it has been 8 years and 7 days. They were 2 boys, the last one we got to hold for a few minutes, perfectly formed, except on the inside. Needless to say, we, I was devastated. (On a side note, the night before I delivered, my father had had a disturbing dream in which he was walking down to the water holding the hand of each little boy. They began to run ahead and he told them to wait. They said to him, "you have to let us go", which began my fascination with the afterlife/spirituality/our proximity with another state of consciousness. Several other experiences occurred during my father's sickness, and preceded his death.)

Back to where this relates to this particular writing, soon my recovery

showed up in my artwork. Here are several examples of what I

painted during this time.

Spiritual Journey: Part 3

2011-04-21T07:00:00.004-04:00

In the end, what affects your life most deeply are things too simple to talk about.

Nell Blaine

This is a continuation of a story I began a few posts back, how I've noticed my artwork really does tell my story.

Eventually, the surgeries subsided and I slowly began to control this disease. A lot of the time, I felt okay. I was told many times by my parents, especially, how they respected me for my strength during these two major episodes, serious illness and a divorce. I went back to work. I travelled. I exercised. I painted.

I was drawn to recreating images from Old Masters drawings in monochromatic colors. The images I was most attracted to, and worked on, were of strong appearing women. Here is one I finished, a self portrait of sorts.

Spiritual Journey: Part 2

2011-04-03T11:18:00.001-04:00

Over the years your bodies become walking autobiographies, telling friends and strangers alike of the minor and major stresses of your lives.

Marilyn Ferguson

This is a continuation of a story I began about how I got to be where I am and how it's all recorded in the pieces I have created, unknowingly at the time.

Soon after my divorce I began to get sick, eventually being diagnosed with Irritable Bowel, specifically Ulcerative Colitis. These autoimmune diseases, so rampant now (or seemingly rampant because they are now named with diagnoses) are due to unknown causes but it is thought stress is a major factor. I am convinced that the stress of my marriage breaking up initially caused the disease. To make a very long story short, I eventually had to have my entire large intestine removed, replaced with a "handmade" interior pouch, functioning basically the same way. Unfortunately I was included in the 5% that are not healed by this process, and then I was re-diagnosed with Crohn's disease, which I live with today, and is similar to Colitis in many ways. For about a 4 year period I was really sick and had quite a few surgeries to replace and repair. When life became a little easier I noticed I was putting "stitches" on a lot of my pieces. Also during this period I my husband (7 years have passed by now) took a lot of photographs of my belly in an attempt to make my body look beautiful. He made a lot of "landscapes". Images are included below.

2011-03-28T21:02:00.004-04:00

I try to apply colors like words that shape poems, like notes that shape music.

Joan Miro

I'm still on the spring flowers set. I realized today that I've just finished 12 in the last month.(!) I have really concentrated on darks and lights as I've been painting, a few times thinking that I just need to do the whole background in dark dark red/blue/brown and then work lighter. But I suppose that's part of what the underpainting is about. I've been on a zinnia kick, in part because I plan to plant so many this summer, and I usually don't have as much success as I'd like, so I'm thinking about them a lot. But I'm determined. Zinnias are amazing flowers--their pretty faces come in sooooo many colors and the complexity of their construction--especially the middle part, is crazy beautiful.

Spiritual Journey: Part 1

2011-03-27T13:53:00.005-04:00

"The more trouble I have the stronger I seem to grow."

--Paul Gauguin

Last year, as a member of the "management" of my church, I was asked to give my "Spiritual Journey" during coffee hour, between the two church services. Isn't speaking in public one of the most stressful things you can do? (Along with divorce, losing a child, chronic illness, losing a parent, losing a job--check, check, check, check, and check. More on this to come.) I was encouraged to use my artwork with my story, which I knew would make things a little easier as the focus would be off me somewhat, but how could I tell my highly personal life story in front of 30 or 40 people???? Luckily I had six months or so to prepare. I let the idea settle for awhile, and ferment, and I knew something would come together as the date approached.

It was definitely a stressful event, BUT I have to admit that preparing for it was really interesting and cathartic. I had viewed the several grief events in my life separately, but had never put the whole story together with my artwork. I was reminded of this when one of my best friends sat that day in the audience in the front row bawling. I later asked her why she was crying when she knew all my "stuff," and she replied that she hadn't known my whole story, or at least my story from the last 15 years or so. What I was so surprised--shocked actually--was that it's all there in the artwork. I am amazed that I am actually using what I create to tell my life story (and not just making pretty pictures!).

In the end it was a positive exercise and I was thankful that I had taken a look at the big picture of my life. This, coupled with my father's death two months later, has sent me on an introspective and sentimental journey that will no doubt continue to influence what I create.

So here's the rest of the story: (part one)

Fifteen or so years ago I was living in Florida, married and miserable, but still in denial about how miserable. I had recently decided to go back to school to fulfill the education requirements to become an art teacher. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that along with the meteorology and math classes (to teach art???) that were required I needed more art classes (my first bachelors degree was in art and communication). One of the classes I took was an entire semester of drawing self portraits. I was enjoying contour and doing a lot of these drawings and after the critique, my professor asked to see me, he wanted to talk about this portrait of me, nude, arms and legs crossed, sitting in front of a bunch of different chairs, empty. "Is something wrong? Is everything with you okay?" he asked. "Yeah yeah everything is fine," I had replied thinking that it was.

Two months later I had left Florida, and my husband, for good.

Here is the portrait.

SPRING FEVER HITS!

2011-03-03T21:27:00.000-05:00

I've noticed that during the last two Januaries, the more the snow blows outside, the more flower bulbs I order. All I can do as far as the garden goes this time of year is make plans. A little frustrating when I'm really wanting to dig in the dirt. However, this year I found an alternative to avoid merely biding my time, and started painting flower portraits -- again. Oh how I forgot how their little complex faces make me happy! I finished 4 during the last week, in the middle of 3 more, and just started 7 more! Usually I split my morning hours (3 of them) between painting, doing paper stuff, making cards, etc but for the last two or three weeks I can't do anything else but paint. I've let all discipline go. One day recently I got to paint for 9 hours! More to come, but for now, Happy Spring!

MORE ANIMALIA

2011-01-05T15:12:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to dwell on the fact that I haven't had a post since July. Life sort of got in the way for a while.

Back to one of my resolutions.

I've been doing stuff with animals for ages -- dog oil portraits, photos, bird things, etc. And I'm not done with the bird thing yet, or the nests. Before the holidays I started some new collages with various animals; the one I finished, a lovely pink zebra, sold right away. I may do another. And I've been thinking about giraffes some. I printed some pictures from a field trip to the zoo that I took with my boys last spring. Here is one I finished in late December. I love the texture of the paper, and the depth it creates, and also covers up some painting mistakes/imperfections/trouble spots. These are canaries; I only thought canaries were yellow but I was wrong. They are the most beautiful shade of light pink and also robin's egg blue. Check them out in person if you have a chance. Have also been thinking a lot about peacocks...

2010-07-14T07:37:00.000-04:00

Have I really not written anything since February?

I'm trying to get back on track, my website was hacked in early spring, I decided to drop my host and build my own site on iweb, and I've just gotten it up and linked to my etsy account...lots of little details that distracted me from writing regularly...

Not that I haven't been busy in the studio: have lots of new cards, new journals, new paintings, and I head to "art camp" next week for 5 solid days of painting -- it's all good!

Orange and Green and Glittered All Over

2010-03-08T22:01:00.000-05:00

I am so excited about these new cards -- I started making them and became so enamored of them that I did them in 9 colors, and will probably do more. Actually had carpal tunnel return with my glittering frenzy. I don't think these pictures do them justice -- which is your favorite?

Where In The World Am I?

2010-03-02T18:42:00.000-05:00

I have been collecting maps for a long time, another one of those things I find, keep, look at over and over, and then, one day an idea comes to me. This idea I am doubly excited about because not only do I get to use all of these maps, but this also puts to use the piles and piles of small paper scraps I have stored here and there. It feels so good to clean out a little! Here are the first 2 maps I've finished. I pick a section, pick the colors, then start cutting and gluing. These are very time consuming projects! Still trying to decide on the way to frame them.

2010-02-22T19:53:00.000-05:00

This is a small commission I just finished as a baby gift (isn't Zeph a cool name?!). The parents are big fans of TinTin, a french childrens' book character. My father in law also happens to be a fan of TinTin and he had given our boys one of the books, so the material was easy to find.

Red and Pink and White All Over My Paper Pond!

2010-02-06T11:28:00.000-05:00

Have been asked by a few customers if I have Valentine's cards, both greeting cards and for enclosures."Yes, of course," I say. Is that time already here? Maniacally cut and pasted and printed and glittered and folded and had a blast on Thursday making these. Felt a little bit of pressure as my kids have been out of school all week due to snow, so I would have to sneak up to my studio in little increments of time. But here they are--

Starry Night

2010-01-26T20:30:00.000-05:00

One our our good friends has a birthday on Christmas Eve. In the middle of all of the Christmas rush we wanted to do something special as this was her 40th birthday. Luckily my husband supplied the photo he took last year of one of our sons (our friend's godchild) and her son watching fireworks over the river. I was able to quickly put this together for her--

More of the same -- 'cept different

2010-01-15T19:13:00.000-05:00

I've had the best time this week and last on these new paintings! Have done about 11 in the last 7 days. They're pretty small but I'm thinking of going bigger. More colors to come!

Renewal

2010-01-08T18:57:00.000-05:00

I don't know if it's just the new year thing, or being tired from all of the fall holiday shows, but when I went back to my studio this week I was sort of lost. I puttered for a day or two, cleaned out my desk, straightened up, trying to decide ... now what to do?

And then, on Wednesday, Epiphany, I had an just that: a new idea, a new set of paintings. Kind of similar to what I started last year, experimenting with color; last year's had a bunch of birds and sort of told a story (exhibit A) and this week I feel the need to delve a little deeper with color, I don't need to tell a story, but just do some stream of consciousness things, and I did 7 paintings this week as a result (would I be accused of being manic?...). Red+White; Turquoise+Red; Cream+White; Khaki+Red; Green+Green+Green; Turquoise+Orange+Reddish Purple+Yellows; Pink+Blue+Yellow+Taupe+White...Tricia Guild's decorating books are endless inspiration, I just want to eat her color combinations...

2009-12-08T16:56:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's been so longed since I've written, since I've checked in with myself. I've done 6 holiday art shows and have 2 to go...

I saw this paper a year or so ago and have had it "on preserve" since then -- red + pink is one of my absolute favorite color combinations; vary it a little with some orange and I'm like a kid in a candystore... so a few other paintings with this combo are here too. Happy Holidays ya'll!

Cake Love

2009-11-04T20:38:00.000-05:00

Here are a few new cakes I've done, one is a sample to be displayed for brides to consider. I always decide on colors first, then figure out the shapes and sizes, and think of the details as I go along.

For Gee

2009-10-26T19:34:00.000-04:00

My friend Missy commissioned me to do a dress painting to honor her grandmother, whose house she bought after her grandmother's death. Her name was Gee, and I met her several times while we were in college. Missy brought me her wedding dress to see if I could do anything with it --a gorgeous navy blue velvet number with a fancy tie at the neck. She got married in the 1920s, and this choice was not unusual. I just happened to have some navy blue glittered floral beauties that I had picked up in Paris years ago and saved; they were perfect! Here is the dress and the detail of the neck.

Getting Scary!

2009-10-22T19:49:00.001-04:00

These Halloween cards were so much fun to make! As usual I've taken scraps of this and that and cobbled them together. The vampire is my grandmother! At least these old photos aren't in a drawer somewhere gathering dust. Happy Halloween!

2009-10-20T20:30:00.000-04:00

This is a sample wedding dress that my friend Kristi, of FlowerGirls, is displaying in her studio. Brides come in to talk to her about their wedding flowers, and there they can see my cakes, dresses, and flowers in paint.

2009-10-17T18:44:00.000-04:00

BIRDS OF A FEATHER…

My friend Suzanne, of Silver Tree Art, and I vend together almost every week. We both love birds, circles, bright colors…she does jewelry and sewn pretties and linoleum prints and I offer my cards, paintings, and journals; they seem to work well together. We seem to be in the same place with our businesses, growing them, finding more time to make stuff, trying to get our names out there. We have been compiling some “kits” to send to some shops we like and want to have our stuff in. We are trying to include some cool stuff and just as important make the packaging look really fabulous. Give us your attention, please!

2009-09-25T14:33:00.000-04:00

I made these 2 sketchbooks for a potter friend of mine, Nga, for her daughters. Each page is half blank and half lined so you can write and sketch. I love these Bienfang notebooks. I always like to write in a spiral bound notebook with a felt tip pen. Most of the journals I sell are not spiral bound so I don’t have a lot that I actually use! (But I still enjoy looking at them…)

BIRDS OF A FEATHER...

2009-09-25T14:21:00.000-04:00

2009-09-23T20:41:00.001-04:00

I am in full on holiday mode. Almost finished Halloween projects, working on some Christmas orders. Have a lot of shows lined up. Am trying to remember, and enjoy, September. I work every morning while my boys are at school, I'm very disciplined. I do a little bit of this, a little bit of that: cut some cards, make new cards, work on some paintings, make some journals, talk to my cats, dance. Today I also taught two kids art classes, which were really fun. I feel very productive today, and tired....

2009-09-17T15:02:00.001-04:00

There’s nothing like the feeling of knowing you’ve discovered treasure. One day I was in Anthropologie and looked at the back of a bottom shelf and found some French garden urn catalogs that were well worn. I think they were used for display in the store so they were marked down to almost nothing. The covers were torn a little but otherwise they were in good shape. What a find! I’ve used the pages in various projects, and here is the latest incarnation. I hand drew the birds over the urns and birdbaths and then printed them.

2009-09-17T15:01:00.000-04:00

Even though I taught art for 8 years, I have been intimidated to take it up again; probably because my children are still young and I’m afraid to take too much on. My husband made the suggestion again, and this time I’ve run with it. I decided to do two little 6 week courses, one for 5/6 year olds and one for 7/8/9s. They start next week, and I’m excited about this new adventure! I’m calling the classes “Paint and glue and paper, oh my!”

Inspire Me!

2009-09-15T20:15:00.000-04:00

I've just done a couple of these cards with a few key words (another one says "Breathe" and still another says "Live Your Life", which I once saw spray painted on a wall and have never forgotten). This originally started out as a gift tag/enclosure card which is sort of like a sketch: if I like it I'll go further with it. Would love to do some other cards like these, but need some more words...anyone??? (By the way, I have already done another series with favorite words such as Amusement, Delight, etc.; the aforementioned group is sort of "inspirational", forgive the psychobabble.

COME AND GET IT!

2009-09-07T20:45:00.000-04:00

I am trying to get brides interested in my work, since I like to paint cakes, dresses, flowers...seems like a natural match. "Eat your cake and have it too!". My friend Kristi of Flower Girls (www.flowergirlsinc), has offered to hang some of my things in her studio to show while she meets with brides. I am doing a cake sample, a dress sample, and a flower bouquet sample for her to have. Here is the dress sample I am lending her. Brides: come and get it!!

TOPIARY--ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

2009-09-03T20:37:00.000-04:00

These are some oils I’ve been wanting to work on for a long time. Another series. I love gardening and feel the need to try to capture some of the things I see. I’ll never forget the incredible gardens I visited in the Loire Valley a few years ago. Villandry has left its stamp on me. I love the organization, collection of greens, sculptural aspects of these gardens. The wildest place was Chaumont with it’s theme gardens.

Bird Brain

2009-08-21T10:15:00.001-04:00

I saw these cool bird buttons a few weeks ago and snatched them up, knowing even if I store them away for awhile, I will find a good use for them eventually. They are so sweet. Will I ever get over this bird thing? I am still enjoying this “crush” so I’m going to keep on going with it. I’m reading two great bird books for even more inspiration, “Bird Brains” by Candace Savage and The Bedside Book of Birds by Graeme Gibson.

I happened to go back to the store today; all the bird buttons were gone…

SWEETEST THINGS

2009-08-15T07:34:00.000-04:00

Jenny Tremblay of Sweetest Thing Bakery here in Richmond has been generous enough to hang some of my desserts on the walls of her bakery! She meets a lot of brides there to plan their wedding cakes, and I'm trying to get some of these same brides to have portraits of their cakes painted. I realized when I took some paintings to Jenny that I'm low on "cupcake inventory", so I added a few this week. Someone showed an interest in one before I finished it. Here are the latest sprinkle filled diversions.

SPEED RACER

2009-08-13T16:02:00.000-04:00

I was just looking over my sales from July: I have been working my ass off! Usually I don’t take the time to appreciate where I’ve been because I’m already focused on the next thing, but, I have been working HARD!! I have also just had the most successful month ($) ever, so all of this work is paying off. Literally. A little breathing space. But I’m a little worried, this busy in JULY? But the holidays are coming! I already have a BUNCH of shows and events lined up and it’s only August. This is very very flattering and exciting but I’ve hardly had the time to think about it as I have been going top speed.

Above are pictures of a few of the items I offered at the Philly Wholesale Buyers Market.

Back From Philly

2009-08-09T15:50:00.000-04:00

Was lucky enough to be invited to the Philadelphia Wholesale Buyers' Market, and got back at midnight Monday. Exhausted all day Tuesday. There wasn't as much traffic as we had hoped, but it was great practice and met some great contacts, and got some wholesale orders. The Convention Center was right outside the Reading Terminal Market, a foodie's paradise. Here is what our booth looked like. I shared space with Silver Tree Art, Modern June, and Tasha McElvey Pottery. Thanks girls!

A Few of My Favorite Words...

2009-07-31T19:36:00.000-04:00

Repeatedly, I have conversations with friends about our favorite words and least favorite words (mine: "pus" and "bloated"). I was thinking of favorites and how nice they roll off the tongue and what beautiful connotations come to mind, and decided to put them on some just as beautiful backgrounds. Here are "delight", "bliss", "confection", "affection", and "decadence". "Smitten" is in process. Here they are--

2009-07-07T13:22:00.000-04:00

My sweet sister-in-law was visiting from Florida and asked me to give her some painting lessons a few weeks ago. So I got to have several hours to paint as well. She's now addicted! I looked for her once during the week around 10 pm and there she was, quietly painting away...I hope to visit her in Florida for our next lessons! Here is what she did--

Art Camp!

2009-07-07T13:19:00.000-04:00

Home from a week at Camp Nimrod in Bath County, Va. to paint paint paint...under the genius and hilarity of laura loe (www.lauraloe.com). Braved snakes, rain, lost dogs, and even a fire!! And came away with 7 new oil paintings (and did some stationery too), and also gained 5 pounds. These are my first landscapes other than flower paintings. Have been wanting to do these formal gardens for awhile. Tell me what you think!

2009-06-18T21:06:00.000-04:00

My friend Michelle is about to get a novel published, "The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors", and wanted to do something for herself to celebrate. She asked me to do a dress painting with"Perseverance" on the waistline. She had seen my whole series of these paintings, "You Wear It Well".

I actually found some paper with literature on it ("Tangerine Words") to use as the background to celebrate her writing. This was a fun project as she is eccentric and colorful and wacky. Her link is http:\\micheleyoung-stone.com. I was able to preview the cover of her book and I can't wait until it comes out! Here is the dress--

Ribbonerie

2009-06-18T20:25:00.000-04:00

I saw this stack of ribbons in my studio and had to take a picture. I am so drawn to these colors right now, I can't get enough of these combinations: orange+turquoise; turquoise+red; pink+red; red+orange...I suppose I have "branded" myself with these colors, but i'm afraid of limiting myself to this palette!! By the way, most of the stuff in my studio (storage boxes, labels, etc.) is pink and green, my other favorite color combination. There are so many options!!!!!!

2009-06-16T20:12:00.000-04:00

Well, I've finally done it, started writing on a blog...I've discovered that all of my good intentions to write in a journal the last few years have failed so this is my next attempt. I don't want to do too much navel gazing, just talk a little about processes, what I'm working on, what the struggles are trying to get my work out. So here goes.

My boys are in a morning camp this week so I rush home and race upstairs to my third floor studio. I have so many projects I'm working on at once, I like to think of myself as "Jeffersonian" because like the great man, I like to do a little of this and a little of that throughout my day. For example, today I stuffed some plastic envelopes with notecards, I finished up a few journals, I finished a dessert painting, I glued together some notecards, I rolled paper for a nest painting, updated some inventory stuff, packed some things up for a farmer's market this afternoon. Very task oriented, and much more exciting to me than it seems here. Happy with the new dessert painting, "Slice".