addicted

Knowing that I have problems with my wrists and find squeezing oranges difficult, a thoughtful friend gave me an electric juicer.

I used to give all my blood oranges away. Sorry, folks, now that I can juice them I'm totally addicted.

 Carnage in the kitchen?

If they have been in the cold they can be an even darker red than my camera picks up. 

Can you eat/drink too many in a day?

Today I am grateful for the electric juicer. 

make good art

May I share, after the last post, my favourite inspirational speech. Every time I think about painting to pay the bills I remind myself that I am better off forgetting about that, and should just "make good art".

Neil Gaiman's wonderful 2010 speech to graduating art students says it all for me.

Today I am also grateful for the advice to "make good art".

Thank you for sharing your story, and your wonderful advice, Neil Gaiman. I shall definitely aim to

make

good

art. 

frank comment

I have had to correct my title. As I leaned over to my computer (which is on a raised level safely away from watercolour paint tubs - I hope) I typed "rank comment". The error was perhaps every bit as accurate as the intended title.

As my next little bit of illustration dries enough to add to it, I read this rather frank comment about art. I read it on Sott.net (Signs of the Times) but it was written/published in 2011 by Glen Coco on vice.com and is entitled Corruption of Art: I'm sick of pretending - I don't "get" art. 

I don't condone the language used, after all the English language has many more appropriate words than those chosen, but you might enjoy/appreciate the article anyway.

I was once lucky enough to see some excellent and thought-provoking work by Tracey Emin, but in this instance I agree -at least in part - with the writer.

Today I am grateful for a heater and a hot lunch. 

still on the wrong side this morning

... but at least there were shadows! 

Today I am grateful for wonderful views. 

it's still happening...

I looked out this morning and there they were, rows and rows of them, in dark green, neatly lined up on the pale green grass. Still on the WRONG side of the trees.

You'd think, after I'd been keeping a careful eye on them for nearly seven years, that they would have got it right by now.

North and South are still upside down, the hillside I live on is drawn on the opposite side of the map from where I am so SURE it should be, and those shadows?

Yes, those shadows are STILL on the wrong sides of the trees.

Sigh!

And you all thought that living in Italy was easy?

Today I am grateful for sunbeams. 

i've come a long way...

I have just sent an email to my artist daughter with a link and the suggestion that she "google translate". Then it struck me that I had understood the article perfectly, accessing my translator brain for only the paragraph I particularly wanted to share with my daughter. I am a pretty slack mother, in that I didn't stop to translate if for her, but opted to blog instead. But I am pretty happy that I have come a long way with Italian, even if I still have a long, long way to go.

I am working with another artist on a project that could make July look as busy as May is looking. It's all good... but I must learn to leave the computer occasionally or it will be all planning and no painting.

Time to answer some emails, and then get some sleep. It's a cold night and the blankets are calling!

I don't seem to need to blog these days for myself so, for those who follow the blog, I give my apologies. Perhaps I will get back to it properly once a few more things are in place for other projects.

Today I am grateful for enthusiastic people.

I was trying

I was trying to work on simply being. On being a human being instead of a human doing. I wanted to stop and smell the roses more, to have more time for family and friends. As I tick jobs off an endless list I wonder how I can change horses, and stay in the saddle.

I like what I do. Mostly. I enjoyed teaching yesterday, and was only a little pleased to have the day to myself today when my painting student cancelled. But I do like to just "be" as well. I'm pretty good at being, mostly on my own.

I have officially, as of today, moved apartments. Internet is functioning in the upstairs apartment. Downstairs is available for rental. It feels right. With less to do, I can "be, more". If I rent out the apartment (available after June or July when my last visitors head back down under) then I can be, be, be much more. I have a tenant in mind, cross fingers for me!

Now to sort out some mats and curtains, it's a little chilly when I move away from the heater.

Today I am grateful for progress with plans.