Plaza de Espana in Sevilla. OOOO... it was a hot long walk. Photo of the 3 of the 6 travelers was taken by Louis, my nephew.
This was also the site used for Naboo in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
& Laurence of Arabia. It is indeed a remarkable bit of architecture. Lots of majolica tile work and a huge arc-ing pool, no swan boats though.

Returning

...to journaling and home from Spain.
I did keep a journal while in Spain but I only cut & pasted emphemera of my days with the intention of working on text when I returned home. I regularly emailed family about daily events so I will rely on those emails for text for my Spain book.
Another fun plan is to make a small edition of an Abecedarium of the trip in accordion book form. I've done that before about a trip to Massachusetts and had a great time doing it. I relied on color copies for the edition & that is exactly what I will do this time. I plan on sewing in the images on the accordion pages.
These are the pages that I made this morning, my regular tried & true collage method. I did use a transparency on the Companions page. It was a perfect fit in both content & size. I must say, however, that we all traveled very lightly (not all like the baggage on the hand cart). I will never travel heavy again. It was bliss to have only one bag for 12 days! And since you asked: the greatest travel aids are a Kindle & plastic travel bags that squish down to nearly nothing. Same weight MORE space!
I am glad to be home. It is magical here too.

Bowls, Basin & Steampunk Desires

Feeling a bit manic these days. Is it Spring? Is it pollen overdose? Its that time of year when anything exposed to the outdoors is covered with a fine layer of yellow pollen.
So....my newest obsession is making Steampunk outfits. I DESPERATELY NEED TO MAKE COSTUMES. I can't help it. I sure wish I had a friend who liked to do the same. I have never met anyone in my life who liked to make costumes & then do something to wear them. I've been reading more about the steampunk community & have learned that there are events to attend. Why don't I live in a more cosmopolitan area where I can find at least a few liked minded costume-builders? I am still thinking & perhaps I will come up with a plan.
Now, I have started my painting project which is most exciting. There was a definite stumbling about with materials: too old, not enough colors, broken easel... things that can be fixed. I started 2 paintings. Both of dogs. I feel I am on my way. To where I'm not sure.

New Again!

So Rhonda & John originally planned to visit the Great Wall of China around the same time as 9/11. The tragedy kept them home, but they did take that trip in November, 2010. I received a photo of them at the Great Wall. That calls for a painting don't you think? This is a transfer painting combining elements of the original photograph with collage, all mounted on canvas. The piece is 12 inches x 12 inches.
I saw the film "How to Draw a Bunny"! Am I the only person who has never heard of Ray Johnson? Oh man! His work grabbed me by the throat & choked me up! I LOVE it. And then I felt that sort of creepy feeling of "desire of ownership". I want a piece to call my own to look at whenever I want to. I have requested the book through my library's Interlibrary Loan service. I can't wait!

Its July Already!

And my mother in laws apron hangs here. In the Studio North, freshly purged and organized. I found 2 aprons that belonged to Margaret, my husband's mother, one was usable. I pressed it and am passing it on to my daughter. The other is all used up. I pressed it and hung it in the studio. The beginning of my rotating exhibition.
All my fabric has been gone through, eleven bags have moved on for others to use. It took A LONG TIME! I was pokey about it. It was so overwhelming, too bad there is no before picture.
I decided to put notions in clear jars that I got from Ikea. I could write a poem about how I feel about Ikea.
Button jar
Big zipper jar
Little zipper jar
Trims jar
Snap & fasteners jar
Elastic jar.
Recently my sister and I discovered Japanese sewing magazines! Wow! Our lives seemed transformed! The designs are made for my aesthetic. I made one apron and one dress.

Cloud-less Sky

There is a nice quilt shop in Trenton, Florida. It is in the old Cocola (thats how its said) bottling building. I love the icicles on this sign. I didn't buy any fabric! They have loads of it; old timey, batik, asian, floral, even 108 inch fabrics for quilt backs! I didn't buy anything. I think I've got the Re-User Itch bad! Its my favorite! I love to use what has already been used or make due/do? with what I have. I did go to Hospice House and got a great linen skirt for $4.99. I wish I could have made a sound track when I was there.
There was a woman playing the piano singing gospels songs as if she was already in heaven. Her voice was loud and true. The experience was absolutely remarkable. One song after another. Sometimes there would be applause. She was having a great time on that piano. There were 2 pianos for sale that day. It would be a shame if one of them sold. I hope there is always a piano for her to play and sing as if she was already in heaven.

Holding a bubble

On the eve of Spring Break I look at the list I have been working on for 2 weeks of what to do with my endless days. Tomorrow is 'town-errands day' so that I won't have to leave the yard much after that. I want to get to Trenton's quilt shop just to browse.
I have been thinking of Jerry Cutler's thoughts on being a painter and finding a "Self-Sustaining Aesthetic". I'm afraid my self sustaining aesthetic is wobbly and as a matter of fact the search for a self-sustaining aesthetic has kept me from painting. I just like to paint.
So I have a wild hair.
My plan is to get some practice painting portraits of dogs. I saw a flyer at the vet's office last week advertising paintings of pets. I think thats a great idea. I remember hearing of another painter doing that same thing with portraits of people; she would charge $75 and if you didn't like the portrait you didn't have to pay. What a great way to get practice! I have no interest in working through a portrait to make the patron happy, I just want to learn what there is for me to learn from painting.
I need to put this on my spring break list. Then I will post the flyers in vet offices. Dogs only. Shoulders and head. From a photo. 16 x 12 or 18 x 24. $100.