Before I begin my post…just some thoughts about Instagram.

I joined Instagram on January 7th, or 14 weeks ago as it is listed in IG time.  Since that post, I uploaded 766 photos to my profile…documenting art making, my pursuit of all that is sparkly, coaching and judging cheerleading, napping with my cats, angel bombing, and everything in between.  I have to say…I do love posting to IG.  I like the filters, and I like posting quick notes with my pictures.  However…as I mentioned in my last blog post, I think that IG has in many ways made me less likely to stay up that extra hour to complete a formal blog post…thinking to myself, ‘well, I already posted to Instagram…’

But sometimes it is good just to sit and write, even if I am the only one that reads it.

That being said…hello blog.  I sure did miss ya.

This weekend was a busy one, and I am going to mention it because it is related to art. 
I attended my college roommate’s wedding this past weekend in Winston-Salem, NC. 

A note about the trip there…

So it’s Friday.  In the morning I am out in the sunshine with the other Connections teachers supervising the March of Dimes Walk-a-thon.  Sun is out, there is an amazing breeze, 
I have my Hello Kitty water bottle…life is good.  I worked a half-day and then hurried home to finish up last minute packing and head to the airport for my flight.  Now let me say…I hate to be late or rushed at an airport.  I will HAPPILY sit for the suggested ‘two hours before’.  Yes, I am one of those crazy ‘get there waaaay early’ people’.  I have my sketchbook, this time I had some beadwork to finish on my dress…plenty to do, happy to wait.  First flight, no stress. 

On my first flight, I worked on my dress for Sally’s wedding, handstitching each bead and sequin one at a time, leaning towards the airplane window for light.  Nice and calm, no stress.  Then…we landed and I rushed to my second flight.  I had thirty minutes in between flights and it made me a little (okay, a lot) frantic.  I power walked to the end of the terminal, they were still boarding.  Whew!  All was well.  As I boarded noticed a lady off to the side, clearly in distress over something with her flight, tears in her eyes.  I don’t know if she saw me, but I saw her and I felt bad for her as I walked past her onto jetway.

Turns out…she was next to me on the plane. Her name is Ann.  Ann had traveled to Minneapolis (?)…once there she drove almost two hours in bad weather to attend her son’s graduation from boot camp.  She made it to his graduation and then back to the airport, her next destination was home to Greensboro for her daughter’s dance recital.  She had trouble with her flights and was worried that our flight would not get her back in time for the recital.  She promised her daughter that she would be there.  

Ann was stressed.

So, we talked some, the kind of talk that you do on a plane.  As we talked, I started thinking.  I didn’t being any angels; I wanted to give her one so bad because I thought she could use it.  Instead, I pulled out my paper and oil pastels and started to make my daily piece, a face in profile, eyes closed, calm shades of blue.  And I was more than happy to give that piece to Ann before we deplaned.  

I hope that it helped to calm her down, and that she made it to the recital.  Both of her kids are lucky to have such a loving mother.

So that was the trip there.  Now back to my Sally, the bride-to-be.  Sally  was in the painting program and we went through the Foundations program at East Carolina University together. I was also excited about seeing  Jason, another college friend, Jason, or ‘Mr. Jason’ as we call him.  Jason was a little farther in the art education program than us, and he was also in the sculpture program.  Sally’s invite was a take on Jan Van Eyck’s Arnolfini wedding, which added in my last post…her dress was hand sewn and embellished by her mother, Jason made the headpieces for the wedding, another art school alum was the officiant, I hand-beaded and embellished her garter and the event was in a Children’s Museum.  It was an artsy event.

Getting back…not as much fun.  I never, ever, want to run through the Atlanta airport again in ballet flats, but I did…I made my second flight…and I made my daily piece on the plane to calm my nerves.  And I thought of Ann, on my flight to NC and how stressed she was.  Yep, airport stress is one of the worst feelings…I was going to go back into this piece and work on it, make it more ‘pretty’…but then I thought…’Nope’.  It truly captures my frazzled state of mind at the airport.

I am still working with my ‘color’ theme…typical me…working progressively through the colors of the rainbow.  I am in the blues, transitioning into purple.  I am thinking that I will spend a few days this week with shades of purple…and then…I need a change.  I may change papers and start adding watercolor to my oil pastel, working with a resist…or maybe I will switch to chalk pastel…or maybe collage my surface first and then paint on the surface…I dunno. (Shrugging shoulders)

Besides that….I really need to work on some fashion illustrations and some works to submit for art licensing…and then I want to bead some more…working on my dress and Sally’s garter made me remember how much I love beading…

Summer vacation, hurry up!

Ever heard that expression, 'heaven gained an angel'?

On Friday, I created this piece in honor of Lajerrick, a 5th grade student that passed away right before the end of spring break.

We made cards and memory art all week in all of my classes to work through everything...had an orange and white day on Friday in honor of this young man, no longer with us.  We each did our best to celebrate his life.

Such courage.  I mean it, he took on so much in his twelve years on this earth, he was a warrior. He was even featured on ESPN's 'My Wish' series.  I had no idea...until after he passed.  Watching it just confirmed what an amazing child he was.  

One my students wrote in a card, 'he had a bad heart, but he had a heart of gold'.  That phrase just wouldn't leave me, and was the inspiration behind the angel I created.  In loving memory of Lajerrick, quiet and kind, who loved sports...taken from this world too soon.  I hope that he is up in heaven running and catching passes, and smiling, he had such a beautiful smile.  You will be missed.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my spring break.  Every minute.

I have not kept up with my blog (see my first statement).  But I did make art everyday.  

I do plan on updating the blog, just to write down a few thoughts about the March 'Black and White' series and also to think about where I want to go with my April pieces.  The optional theme is 'Color'.  Wow, that is wide open...so many possibilities.  

But for now...I do plan on enjoying this last evening of my spring break, my sister-in-law is in town...lot's of wedding stuff to do! More to come...in the meantime, here is a slideshow of my March series: