Five things Friday #33 - Pictures and a busy week

 

My favorite coffee cup

Heavy fog or light rain overnight?

Tiny bouquet

I has been a very full and somewhat tiring week but the busy days have been balanced out by enough time to recover. No complaints.

1. I'm trying to get myself to make a habit of enjoyable visual hobbies again so doing a bit of drawing and taking photos on walks. I took a closer look at the details for the drawing class I was going to take and found it was way too structured for my style and patience. I did find at the library a book on drawing that I think suits me and purchased one for myself. I like drawing over painting at this point in time because the materials are simple and small. In addition the activity can be short or long.

2. I'm thinking I want a large attractive "bulletin board" type thing to pin my art, family photos, and inspirational items where I can enjoy them, but not have them be on the frig for example. Now where to find such a thing?

3. Last Friday we had a very enjoyable long lunch with our son at a new to us restaurant - his treat. Time connecting one on one with busy adult children is very precious. 

4. We were given some lovely yellow cherry tomatoes by a neighbor. Whether it makes sense or not, we have been leery of lettuce due to the outbreaks in other states (need to get over that!) and Hubby prefers the red ones anyway. I browsed the internet and decided to roast the gift tomatoes and use them over pasta along with sauteed green pepper and chicken sausage which we had in the frig. It was quite good. 

5. Did very early morning grandchild care and then morning school run and pickup as our son had outpatient surgery and our DIL had to take  him to the hospital very early. The day before we got the 3 year olds car seat, codes for nursery school access and detailed instructions for breakfast, delivery of both girls to school, etc. Son is fine and recuperating.

The next day our other son and DIL arrived for a 2 night stay on their way to a vacation in Oregon. They will stay longer on their way back. Their arrival motivated quite a bit of deep cleaning chore completion too. We ate at home while they were visiting. Dinners: turkey burgers on buns with tomatoes & lettuce, corn on the cob and orange slice; chicken, pasta, zuchinni and tomatoes. 

The dog had a grooming appointment in the middle of all of this. Then we will wrap up the week by picking up our older granddaughter from school and keeping her until bedtime so our son and DIL can have their monthly date night (the 3 year old has Kid's Night Out at nursery school).

Upping my arts time

One of my dreams for my 70’s that has been put on hold because of the pandemic is getting a new lease on life as I find alternative means to pursue it.

In the past I had been privileged to live on locations that gave me fabulous access to visual and theatre arts. Now I live in an area where that is less accessible or less easily accessible I should say.

So right now I am finding ways to increase my arts experiences within the constraints of where I live currently.

I watched to movie The Dig which led me me to a treasure trove of YouTube videos about the Sutton Hoo finds and fabulous virtual curator tours of amazing Angol-Saxon artifacts and artistry as well as the true story and history.

I happened upon a NPR story about the New Women and Photography which led met to the Metropolitan Art Museum YouTube on the exhibit. Also is the history of amazing and enterprising women. Both sides of my family had men who were early professional photographers but no women. I did have a great grandmother who earned her living as a hat maker and seamstress but no longer desire to sew. Check out the exhibit tour by the curator - The New Woman Behind the Camera

Then I made a personal commitment to spending more time in the right side of my brain (being a heavily left brain dominant person it is a relief and restorative to switch sides). I pulled out and made accessible my drawing supplies and started in on a page of this book that appealed to me at the moment.

My Dad was a very talented artist and took over my grandparents photography studio in Champaign, IL and in retirement did portraits with pastels. I don’t have his talent or patience but it is enjoyable.

I’ve decided to pay the membership fee for the local artist collective gallery so I can access member benefits and get notices about exhibits and lectures. We did that when we first moved here but the pandemic turned me inward and it is time to change that.

Next time we go to Berkeley to visit family I’m going to see if there is any exhibit of some sort that will appeal to my granddaughter. I do art projects with her and would like to take her to a gallery.

Light and Shadows

 

I was sitting in our den looking into the living room and really was surprised to see this play of light and shadow. 

An Art Moment

 I was browsing the web looking for the use of shells and specifically ammonites in design and art and came upon up these two marvelous modern staircases. Also a nice short article with examples.

shells in art and architecture

The first one is from a design for a Lego headquarters building.

This one was posted as simply a staircase in a “local museum”.