IMAGES OF ALASKA

I have been out and about with my camera this week and have some images of the area where we live. The days have been filled with long hours of much needed sunlight and blue skies. Today it is overcast and gray, however, and snow is forecast for tonight. It won't amount to much but I hate the idea!!

This is taken from just down the road from us. We drive by this empty house lot everyday both going and coming. When I took this you could get see the mountains to the south of us and they are quite a long way away.  

"Mable, are those really igloos?"

These are at the entrance to the road that comes off the highway when you come to our house. They have been there for as long as I have lived here and longer....at least 25 years. I don't know if they have been inhabited in all that time but they are the only igloos I have ever seen up here. They are made out of concrete and I think there are three of them. There is usually an American flag flying out front.

I saw this empty cabin as I was driving our dog, Gracie, over to doggy daycare. I was impressed that the "builder" put in such a cool looking window in the front.

I see beauty everywhere I look up here. The Birch trees, the snow, the old buildings that have left in all manner of decay, new homes, old homesteads, mountains in the distance, the beautiful sky, the clouds, and even the patterns in the pavement from the melting snow. I think it takes the fragility of life to make a person really SEE what is around them and not take it for granted. I am fortunate and am thankful each and every day for my "artist" eye and the ability to see things that other's don't.

I hope your day is filled with joy!!

Janie

Zentangle for today:

Giving and Receiving of Flowers

When I arrived back in Fairbanks from a recent trip to Seattle, my wonderful husband had a dozen red roses sitting on the table in a vase with a big red bow on them! I love flowers and I LOVE getting flowers. 

Roses sent to me by my Love while I was in Seattle

Some men also like getting flowers....and my man's favorite flowers are daffodils, which just happen to be in bloom right now and in my neighborhood Safeway store. So, I bought Him a bouquet in a vase a couple days ago. I left them wrapped in the tissue and plastic and put it on the kitchen table with a love note. He was so surprised!! They don't last long but He said that He still loves them. 

Daffodils I gave to my Love the other day.

It's not always about the flowers, it can be about feelings, about loving someone, about an apology, or just about letting someone know that you thought about them and they are important enough to you to send them flowers. Most often, just one single flower can be good but several are just more beautiful, are they not?


Perhaps my love of real flowers is what drives me to Tangle flowers so much!

A card I just did yesterday.

Have a great day! And give flowers to someone you love, even if it is yourself!!!
Janie

More Zentangles to Share

I have been finding some that I did while ago and I have been doing some small ones that I thought I would share today. I'm tired and when I'm tired all I feel like doing is Tangling! Hope you are having fun tangling too!!!

I think I shared this one before...has a black rub-on center and used blue ink.

This one is actually purple but for some reason it came through as blue. 

Very simple but it was fun and relaxing.

My version of the "squid" pattern. All done in black.

I don't like this one. It's pink and green and black rub-on. 

OK, I have to get back to my "studio digging out job"...my wonderful youngest daughter is on her way out to assist with the digging tonight. I'm feeding her pizza and salad...I guess it's OK for a bribe! Had my hair done today and I always feel better after I get my hair done. Something very "internal" happens when I have a great hair day!! ~giggle~


Hope your day is a great one and keep Tangling....if you haven't started, well.....START!!!
Janie

Big Changes

It seems that I have come to a place in my life where I need to get rid of things...a lot of things. My therapist was horrified at first but now she understands that there needs to be a purging of unused items and that it will be a good thing. 

Box of Flowers of all kinds.

My studio has been uninhabitable for the past 5 months...and it has mostly been due to my being so depressed that I just tossed things or shoved things in there and shut the door. But what that has done is keep me from being as creative as I need to be. The Zentangles have saved me...but it's not quite enough. I also like to sew and have canvases that are hollering my name to put something on them! 

Grab Box of Scrapbooking Goodies.

So....the purging has started. The mess always gets worse before it gets better because you have to take out of one room and spread it around three other rooms before you know where anything goes. In my case I'm making 3 "piles":

1. To sell (putting books on Amazon, supplies on ArtFire.com and ETSY.com) If by spring I have stuff left, I'm having a craft garage sale.

2. To store - this is a hard thing because I am having difficulty figuring out what I want to keep but not be able to put my hands on it immediately. ~sigh~

3. To keep in my studio - this too is difficult because the reason I'm doing this is to make room in my studio for what I need AND have a place to work. I need better ambiance, so to speak. (giggle)

So right now there are piles everywhere and it's driving me crazy. Alan is keeping it together and not giving me a hard time about it with is so awesome!! I think He understands that this process is painful and needful and that it will end. IT WILL END!!! I just have all these other things that keep me from getting it done....doctor appointment here and doctor appointment there, lunch with this person, a hair appointment, a dentist appointment, etc. ARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Box of Stickers.

Enjoy the sunshine wherever you are....and for my tangling friends, keep tangling!!

Janie

Blue 9-Square Zentangle.

Sunday Dinner

I was putting dinner on the table tonight and my thoughts flashed back to what I "think" were Sunday dinners at home in Wisdom, Montana. I don't remember much but I sure remember the homemade noodles my mother would make to put in her homemade potato soup! Yum! And for dessert we would have home canned cherries. Now my mother never canned anything but those cherries came from someone in Wisdom who did and liked my mom so much that they gave them to her....and on a regular basis because we had them often. I loved them!

My mother would make the best fried chicken in the world. It was a tradition that she made her fried chicken when we would go visit her (the first night for dinner), with homemade gravy, and mashed potatoes. She always made it for dinner on Christmas Eve too. I watched her make that chicken a thousand times but I still can't cook it like she did!! 

My grandmother would make me homemade cinnamon rolls. I stayed with her and my grandpa a lot because my parents went on trips together quite often. Every morning I would have homemade cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate. Her way of saying "I love you". 

Funny how food is such a big part of my memories about my mother and my grandmother Anson. Even my grandfather Smith would make cinnamon toast as long as I would eat it when I went to visit him and my grandmother Smith in the summers. 

Sunday Dinner

Anyway, tonight I made a roast and it reminded me of the many years I have made a pot roast for Sunday dinner. This wasn't a post roast but nevertheless it was good. 

I have learned to really enjoy the beauty of food through my daughter-in-law, Amy. She takes photos of food all the time and the photos are really good. I have tried to develop that habit so tonight I took a photo of our dinner. I hope you enjoy "looking" at the food you either prepare or eat. It brings a whole new meaning to the food we eat everyday. 

Janie

Newest Wrinkle in My Art

As most of you know I keep trying new things in my art. I decided to try color and I decided to try adding rub-ons so here are some more of my "rub-on" pieces (unframed):

Black Rub-on with Blue Pen and Ink on White Paper

Dark Brown Rub-on with Light Brown Pen and Ink on Recycled Brown Paper with White Pencil Highlights

Black Rub-on with Red Pen and Ink

Started digging out my studio today...am selling all kinds of things from scrapbooking paper, scrapbooking and card making supplies, beads and beading supplies, and lots of craft books, plus felting stuff, and maybe even some fabric. Purging!! It has been a long time in coming but it needs to be done and I'm in a place where I need to be rid of things I'm not using much anymore. Have found a few things that I never used even after I got them. Sad, really....Depression will do that! My studio is the envisionment of my depression...it is so messy that I can't even walk into it! I have started at the door and starting going through everything. Have posted supplies for sale on Artfire.com, ETSY.com, Craig's List, and Amazon. Did you know you can sell stuff on Amazon? It's pretty awesome, really. I have decided if this stuff isn't gone by summer that I'll be having a big craft sale out of the garage. Anyone want anything? Just let me know....I'm selling cheap!

Have a wonderful day.

Janie

I Think Spring Has Sprung!

The days have been sunny, getting warmer, and the snow is starting to evaporate and melt. The ice on the roads is more slick because of the running water from the melt off. Some days it is terrifying driving into town!!

I took more photos to compare so let's take a look:

Last week will be first and this week will be the second photo.

Our driveway one week ago.

Our driveway yesterday.

Saint Anton Drive a week ago.

Saint Anton Drive yesterday.

Well, you can see some difference, especially on Saint Anton Drive! The days are getting longer and longer and at least we have long sunny days now! The moon was so large last night and so bright....I'm going to miss the moon this summer.

Spring for me is both good news and bad news. I love having bare ground to walk and drive on! It feels so awesome!! But the sun bothers my eyes, and if I'm out in it much I get a bad headache and don't enjoy it. However, with the longer days of daylight I have more Serotonin in my body and am able to be awake more and feel better. 

I hope where ever you are that the sun is shining on you and making you feel better, physically and emotionally. 

Janie

I Am Devastated

Peaceful, beautiful Japan - pre-earthquake 2011

I have tried to NOT watch the terrible happenings to the country of Japan because it bring me to my knees in tears and sorrow. Today I watched a video that came through Twitter of a dog in Japan who would not leave the side of another dog who is injured. It is devastating.....I have always believed that man brings on himself terrible consequences of his own actions, but when an earthquake of this magnitude strikes a whole country, a people that through no actions of their own are left with nothing.....absolutely nothing.....how do they start over? How do they endure the loss of life, the loss of property, the loss of memories, the loss of a way of life that their ancestors have known for centuries?  How? There is no answer. I can only imagine being a mother there and wondering where my children are.....or being a child and wondering where my mother is. 

Pre-earthquake 2011 - Tokyo, Japan

Post-earthquake, 2011 - Tokyo, Japan

I would pray but I don't believe a loving God allows things like this to happen. I would go there and put on my gloves and help move whatever needs to be moved, but I would be one more person drawing on little to no resources, I could only put my arms around any person in my reach and sob with them....I know there are no answers to this terrible thing or all the terrible things left to play out in Japan, and I'm sure there are many....

My children are 1/2 Japanese, and perhaps this is one reason I feel so bereft for these people....they do not appear like foreign slant-eyed people to me, they look like part of my family. They look like people I love more than my own life. I am but one person but this one person extends to the people of Japan my love and my condolences and my tears. This one person would give everything I have to reunite a Japanese mother with her lost children or the children with their lost mother. This one person would give my life to bring a family back together and be able to start over. I am so blessed and shall never take it for granted another day of my life. I hope you don't either.

Janie

THE AFTERMATH

Fish carved out of ice at the Ice Park.

Art Expo 11 was a BUST!! I was under the impression it was for "fine art"....not crafts and "etc." In essence, it was a craft show and my work was really out of place and not in the price range most "craft shoppers" are looking for. I was very disappointed because of all the work I put into getting everything framed and ready to go. I sold not one piece!! That has never happened to me at a show before. My space was $50 (9' x 8') - a very generous space. 


Aside from the negative feelings I have from the show....some other "ideas" came out of it:


a. Copyright some of my pieces.


b. Sell my copyright pics to tattoo parlors or folks who make "skins" for cell phones and computers.


c. Hold a workshop (my idea of an all day workshop and provide supplies and lunch for $65). I had 5 women sign up for such a workshop.


d. Have classes for kids during the summer....a full morning or afternoon for 6 kids per class, provide supplies and snacks and charge $50 or so.


e. Take my work to some of the nicer stores in Fairbanks and ask if they might carry it or take it on consignment.


f. Find out if the University might hire me to teach during their summer sessions about the arts.


Well, these are potentially a way to earn money but on top of that I love to do the creation process. It is in my blood....I need it!! 


So, now I need to decide what I'm going to do.....


1. Get photos done of each piece


2. Get my pieces uploaded to ETSY.com, ARTFIRE.com, ARTID.com, and tangletangled.com. 


3. Go to a couple of stores to see if they would be interested in my work.


I had LOTS of feedback....lots of folks telling me how good my work is, how creative and beautiful it is, etc. It was great to hear but the fact is, no one liked it enough to take it home with them. 


I'll have to ponder on this and the other things and re-evaluate in what direction my art will go. In the meantime I am CERTAIN that I will never do another Art Expo with the Fairbanks Arts Association again. It will not be worth my time or effort. 


I hope you are enjoying the Alaska Sunshine....and if you aren't, too bad for you!! LOL
Janie


More Ice Park pictures for your enjoyment:

The aurora with a musher and his dog team done in ice at the Ice Park

Flower pods in ice at the Ice Park.

Is it Break-up Yet?

The other day I was down by the Chena River, the river that runs through the town of Fairbanks, Alaska. It was an absolutely beautiful day! The air was crisp and chilly (about 10 F) but the sun was shining out of a beautiful clear blue sky. 

Path plowed from parking lot to get to see the Chena River.

I stopped by the river to see if there was any open water. There was! And to me, open water = SPRING!! Well, I may have been rushing it because I was told later that the water is open there all the time because it is just down from the power plant. Nevertheless, I was very excited and the day was glorious so I shot a few pictures.

Ducks on the Chena River.

As you can see, it will be quite some time before we get rid of the snow and see bare ground, but the ducks are having a grand time and to me it really did feel like spring was in the air!!!

Parking lot snow plowed up by tree along the Chena River.

Walking path plowed along the Chena River

Oh, to you who live in the Lower 48, Break up is Alaska's version of spring. It's when the snow evaporates more than melts, it's when there is mud and more mud everywhere, and it's when we sigh with relief that we made it through another winter. It is not uncommon to hear someone say to another, "How many winters have you been up here?" because getting through winter here somehow feels like you have earned a badge of honor or bravery or something grand! 

The summers in Fairbanks? Well, they are GRAND!!!!!!

I hope it "smells" like spring where ever you are.

Janie

I THINK I'M READY

Famous last words, I'm sure!! By the looks of the pile and mess I had downstairs yesterday and this morning, I was sure I wouldn't be ready to set up for the Art Expo this afternoon. My daughter, Lisabeth, said she would meet me and help me set up.....

I managed to get everything packed up and in my car by 3:00 pm today and literally dragged myself to Pioneer Park (Although it will always be Alaskaland to me....long story for another Rant). Thanks to my wonderful new Windows phone I connected with my daughter at the appointed time and place. We got my stuff in and since I have never done a show with only my Zentangle Art, it was challenging to get it set up, to say the least!!!

I opted for two large tables and took my own smaller table because I was told that I should work on some of my art during the show because people like to see that and ask questions. So....this is what we ended up with when we left two hours later.....



I put a rose bowl with tiny pink roses and baby's breath in the center front on each table.



The little colored cards by each "art piece" has it's name (Title) and price.

This is the table I will work on and wrap any purchases.....assuming there ARE purchases!! LOL

Wish me luck. "I'm an artist..............., I'm an artist......., I'm an artist....." Do you think if I tell myself that often enough I'll believe it? I feel like a fraud....

Have a really fine day,

Janie

Bucket List

Did you see the movie "The Bucket List"? I did and I loved it. Ever since I saw it I have heard the phrase "Bucket List" pop up in conversations everywhere I have been. People started thinking about all the things they want to accomplish before they die. Some things on these lists include the almost impossible which other things are pretty simple to take care of.

So, I was thinking....dangerous thing, I know......about what's on my Bucket List: While this may not be my FINAL list, it is certainly something to think about.....So here goes..................................

1. Take cruise and European trip with my two daughters. (This will be completed, God/Goddess willing this coming August/September).

Norwegian Jade - Our Cruise Ship

2. Take a trip to Ireland/Scotland/England with my Love. 

3. Take a hot air balloon ride.

4. Participate in a Flash Mob Event - anywhere.   CLICK HERE

5. Be 135 pounds again.

Supposedly this runner is 135 pounds...but she is no 65 years old!!! LOL

6. Spend a week in Las Vegas, Nevada, doing EVERYTHING but gambling.

Architecture Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada

7. Have a professionally shot high fashion photo shoot.

8. Go to a live Bon Jovi Concert.....Well, maybe go to TWO live Bon Jovi Concerts.

My FAV Band of all time!!

9. See the Smithsonian Institute.

10. Direct a choir again. It was the thrill of my life and I long to do it again. 

OK, so I would love to hear what YOUR Bucket List is!!

Have a great day!

Janie