It's the first day of 2018, New Years day.  The holidays are officially over, and I had my birthday on Friday and have made it to sixty-seven years.  Today is the day I traditionally begin taking down Christmas decorations, or at least the tree.  I sometimes leave up the lights on the fireplace mantle, just because I like their glow on dark evenings.

Although the television news and the papers are full of the year in review and tips on making resolutions, I have trouble looking back over the past year, partly because of political developments that I find distressing, and all the violence and natural disasters, but mostly because of my cancer diagnosis.  Apart from undergoing major surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments, suddenly it seems that every movie I see and every novel or magazine article I read has someone dying of cancer.  It's difficult not to struggle mentally with thoughts of my own mortality, though I try to wake up every day glad to be alive and hoping to make the most of it.

I suppose that is my new years resolution - to appreciate every day and try to make the most of it. I used to wonder what I might do different in my life if I knew it would end soon.  So far the answer is, not too much.  I try to be loving to my family and friends, and to do the things that give me pleasure.  I read, watch movies, do some work on Find a Grave for Oak Hill cemetery here in town, and spend some time making art.  I eat and drink whatever agrees with me.  I sleep as much as I need to.  I make plans, but try not to get too upset if they don't work out.

Right now I am looking forward to the end of radiation treatments, which should happen by the middle of January.  If they were effective, I hope we can do a little traveling, something I have missed since having so many medical appointments. I also am happily anticipating my hair getting long enough to provide some warmth on my head.  In the meantime I am happy to have my eyebrows back.

Happy New Year to you.

First Post of 2016

When I first started this blog, back when I first retired, I tried to post every day - and I put up everything. I had photos of sunrises, recipes, pictures of food, poetry, family history.  And back then, people read each other's blogs, commented, and made friends over the ether.  But over the years I've narrowed my focus here to pretty much just art. 

I'm not sure that's such a good thing.

Of course the nature of internet posting has changed since I left teaching.  Social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest and so on have superseded personal blogs, most of which seem to be filled with advertising that freezes up the screen of my aging computer.  Pretty much nobody makes comments any more, and probably pretty much nobody visits personal blogs any more.

This might be OK.  With few visitors and fewer comments, I can post about whatever interest grabs my brain today. 

So, first off, I have only one resolution for 2016, the same one I had in 2015 and 2014, which is to find a reason to celebrate something each and every month, and to share a bottle of champagne with my dear husband.  This has been a fine resolution, and has led to some very enjoyable times. 

On the topic of art, I have mostly been doing informal sketches in my many sketchbook/journals.  I keep thinking that at some point I might offer an informal group to teens in town on this topic, but I never seem to be at a place where I think I have my act enough together to do it.

I did sit down last night to paint an 8x10 inch acrylic for Julia Kay's Portrait Party, an online group in which I occasionally participate.  This is Valerie, whom I have never actually met, but whose dramatically lit photo called out to me.  I had the feeling I wanted to try some portraits using very bright colors, and in a stylized way.  My first try (not posted) was only marginally successful, but I rather like this one.

New Year

Gotta say, I don't enjoy this time of year, cold and dark as it is.  I don't really like hunkering down in the house trying to stay warm, but there are some good things.  I catch up on my reading, watch some of the old movies that have piled up on my DVR, and I doodle and paint more than any other time of year.

Take this doodle, drawn yesterday in a successful attempt to avoid having to make some hard decisions about a collage/painting that is cooling its heels in the studio.  I had recently read an interesting book about Kurt Vonnegut's drawings, and spent a nice afternoon really looking at them, reading an introduction by his daughter Nanette, and an essay about his art from a critic.  Then I shamelessly copied a few into my sketchbook, since that seemed to be the best way to analyze his style.  For me, anyway.

Then I opened an email from Carla Sonheim, whose fascination with doodling into photos of sidewalk cracks leads to some very interesting, and often whimsical, results.

Anyway, I downloaded her "crack of the month" - which sounds dubious but is quite legitimate, and found myself channeling Kurt's style, more or less.  And I liked it. 

So, this afternoon I will quite procrastinating and go up and see what I can do with that troublesome collage/painting. 

Happy new year.