Three Months Since My Last Post
Finished African Foxes and Pink Flamingos
This picture's idea was taken from a photograph I saw in National Geographic Magazine. Somewhere on the outskirts of an unknown African city, the silhouette of two foxes were caught along with the bright lights of the city. I took the idea, and I have been working on translating what I saw into a picture.
Life Updates
I haven't been able to sit down and really work for hours and hours on my art or writing projects for the last 3 months because my Husband and I bought a house in Tulsa Oklahoma close to where my daughter lives.
We've been fixing it up, you know, new fence, garden area, gutters, windows, leaky plumbing, and stuff like that. We are having a blast working with the contractors and unpacking all our stuff at the same time.
I love the opportunity moving gives us to let go of clutter mentally and physically, I have given old clothes to charity mostly. When we moved from Oregon to Oklahoma to spend time with my Daughter and Grandkids, we gave away a lot of stuff, so we didn't have a lot of stuff to let go of.
This last move we let go of being free to pick up and move anytime we want and are adjusting to owning property. I will go into detail about our new house in another blog, and I will have blogs dealing with gardening and backyard chickens too!
I still have a little bit of detail work to finish up on the "Pink Flamingo," watercolor painting. With all the physical activity going on I am finding it hard to settle down and get into my painting creative space. I try and set down at the same time every day to work on my paintings. I also set up a little creativity corner in my living room. I've never had a table just for drawing and painting before. All my energy and money went to taking care of my children, now that I am a Grandma I have the time, energy and money to invest in things that will help me grow as an artist and a healthy human being.
I found it difficult to adapt, most of my life I've painted on my dining room or living room tables. Dropping old habits gives space for new habits to take root and sprout can be uncomfortable, but I am well versed in the sensation of this discomfort from meditation and can sit through the discomfort of old habits dying and the work it takes to tend to the new habits.
New Projects
I am slipping into my art space painting subjects I know, love, and are simple, like this little mouse sitting on a leek flower. I find this is the easiest way to start and ease my way into more complicated projects, like my sport stars portraits, and a new project painting my favorite first presidents and patriots. I'm going to paint my favorite liberal, the 3rd president of the United States, President Thomas Jefferson. I want to write about the United States first presidents and the challenges they faced. I love the history of the United States, it has been a grand experiment, who knows how long the United States will stay a Democratic Republic with borders and an intact constitution. I feel nostalgic...
A link to My Blog
@reddust,
It's nice to see you back and would like to hear your meditation updates as well! I see you used your time to draw few great artworks as usual! Well done and wish you a Happy New Year too!
Cheers~
I hope to go on a 2 week retreat sometime this year @theguruasia, I will be going to one of SN Goenka's centers. I've tried a variety of retreats in Mahayana and Theravada, I like Goenka's retreat regime the best.
Welcome back @reddust I just wish that you would find more inspirations for what to paint about with your artworks there in your new home in Oklahoma.
So how is your neighbors?:P
Dear @cryptopie, I’m happy to see you are still on Steemit❤️
I have a todo list of projects waiting patiently for me to bring them to life. Hopefully our house projects go smoothly and I can slip into my creative space with ease. My neighbors are middle class blue collar (trades) and a few retired white collar professionals (college). Oklahoma reminds me of rural Oregon during the 60s and 70s, mostly Christian middle class small business owners but there is more racial diversity.
Tulsa has suffered from a racist past between whites and blacks and extreme poverty for the majority of people. In the past the Black community businesses owners were dynamic and building wealth, they even had their own Wallstreet, the rich whose color is greed didn’t want competition and crushed the black communities business through legislative regulations from welfare to breaking up strong black communities, there was much fighting between poor whites and blacks instigated by big money that controlled local governments. Most folk of any color were dirt poor and the only wealthy people owned big industry and did not want competition. Manufacturing a race war...
1921, race riots, Tulsa Oklahoma
The contractors I have hired are independent business people and I have had people of all colors and traditions work on my house projects, all have been professional, honest, and so polite. The South is well known for its hard working people who have excellent manners.
When I watch the news it seems as if everyone hates everyone but in real life I haven’t experienced that, I think the world is becoming a better place. I no longer watch the news😁❤️
I have truly missed seeing you around. Glad to know you are well and happy. Yes de-cluttering is good and there is joy in creating both art and home projects. Dad hero was Thomas Jefferson so yes I have been to Monticello twice. How is the diet coming? I remember when I first bought a house...exciting the possibilities! Keep up the good work. Will you be doing more Buddha posts? Again best to you @reddust.
@enjoywithtroy, yes there will be more Buddhist posts! We will stick with the history of Buddhism to stay safe, I am not a teacher or guru, so I feel out of my depth talking about practice stuff. The diet is ongoing and marvelous things have happened to both my husband and my own mental and physical health, my Husband and I joined the YMCA, and we both are lifting weights and swimming 3x a week. This is so funny, if we make our 3 days a week work out at the gym we get to eat out on Friday....hahaha
I will post updates!
Bless you, my friend, <3
I bet you look forward to Fridays! LOL I am happy you are embracing the fruits of life. Blessings to you as well. @reddust
Yes we are! We are taking our Grandkids to the YMCA once a week on Saturday, we are trying to instal healthy exercise and eatings habits in all of our family.
I'm thrilled to see your post!!! Congratulations on your new house and all the excitement that comes with moving and settling in to a new life. Good for you for reinvigorating your creative practice, a big change can really effect this!
@natureofbeing, thank you so much for your support, as a creative you know how difficult it can be to keep the creative energy flowing during times of change. I figured out how to use this new energy as fuel, I am a creature of habit, I take comfort from my routines. For me, I know for others, they thrive on change, but for me change is disruptive. Thank goodness for me I have had some great Buddhist teachers who helped me through some epic personal changes in the past and I could use their teachings right now.
I hope your creative garden is thriving, much love <3
The last picture is simply wonderful. You're a wonderful artist ... I'm glad to know you're fine, I thought something had happened to you. It's good to see that you have a small space to work more comfortably
@denissemata, something did happen to me...hahaha but it's all good stuff. My husband and I have spent the last 3 years with my daughters family, living with my daughter and her two kids was a wonderful experience and a great way to get to know your grandkids! My daughter and I have forged a strong bond as friends and learned to work together as adults. I also got to know all her beautiful and loving friends and the Legion, a group of Veterans that support each other, it is a wonderful organization. I am glad you are doing well knowing how difficult it has become to make a living and leave a peaceful life in your part of the world. I've said prayers for all my Steemit friends who live all over the world that our world will find balance soon!
It's good to know that everything has been good. I'm glad to see you here... I'm still in the fight as my mother says. With the hope that everything will improve a bit here at steemit.💕
Hi @reddust timeeeeeee without read you a pleasure having your talent again here :). Regards
Hugs and kisses to you @dim753 and your lovely Mother, I hope you are both healthy and happy during this great global transition.
Thanks a lot dear @reddust i hope you a great new year to share and enjoy your time and ideas in family. Regards
Welcome back to Steemit. You've got a fun gardening season ahead, then, at your new place. I hope you have some good soil to work with. But with your know-how and chickens, you'll have wonderful soil before long, no matter what! The composition and colors in your flamingo piece are great, and the mouse and leek has real personality. Enjoy your new place!
I have so much to do @habhazard-hstead, the dirt here in this part of Tulsa is hard black clay. I have to haul in a couple dump-truck loads of soil and loam, hopefully before early spring. We still have to buy a lawnmower and tiller. I have them picked out, but my garage at this time is full of packing boxes, only room for my car and freezer right now. I have to build a chicken coop, and I am going to do that myself, I can't wait. So much stuff to blog about...hahaha
I'm going to order an establish beehive from an Oklahoma group that has come together to help keep our honey bees alive. I spent the morning taking notes and setting up classes to learn how to keep bees. I kinda feel overwhelmed right now, maintaining bees is not a simple hobby like keeping chickens.
Hugs and joy to my gardening friend.
Glad to see you after long time. I hope you and your family are fine. You are best artist. I always appriciate your effort. You are to much hardworking lady. All paintings looks to impressive. Your new project is to much interesting. Fox painting is my favourite. Thanks for sharing.@reddust.
Oh My Goodness, you are so kind @asadchughtai, painting is a way for my intuitive, creative nature to fly free and dance with what cannot be expressed in words. I would create paintings even if no one liked my art, but kind words are a healing balm in this crazy mean world called the internet. Your words made me smile, thank you!
You are really talented and beautiful lady. I always like your paintings. I m big fan of your work. Smile is very important in our life. Keep smiling. And Most well come. Dear @reddust.
Damn life, getting in the way of art!
I hope that you are happy in your new house. Although it sounds like... its a house, and it does housy things, like its supposed to.
The gelpen wolves is very nice, and a good use of those pens.
I liked it before i read its explanation. I was trying to think of what the colored balls were.
That Mark Slater image (is it a photo or painting?) I think it is a painting, but that is a lot of detail. And the background makes me think its a digital painting. I really don't know how i would lay down a background from light gray to slightly darker gray before painting.
I know you do lots of detail to your mousy hairs, and so will be looking forward to how your mousy comes out.
I feel your background will make a more pretty picture... err, not as striking. More better for decorating lived in homes with.
Looking forward to more.
Thank you @builderofcastles, you and I both know most of my paintings are just so-so...who knows if I will keep the background of the mouse as is or do something more. That's why I like your feedback, we shall see...lolol
The house is just a house, a hard asset, an investment and maybe a long term home, although I don't know if we actually want a long term home. It is around 1400 square feet and has a huge backyard. I will be installing new gutters and a water catchment system for watering my garden. That's my next project after we finish installing new windows, the fence and the garden, which will be completed before the end of January. The house was built during a prolonged drought here in Oklahoma and didn't come with gutters, not very smart because it does rain a lot depending on cycles.
Glad to see you mam @reddust after long time later. Anyway your beautiful creativity is always highly appreciable.
It has been a long time, it feels like years have gone by so much has happened to us in the last six months. We all need to bring wise kindness and beauty into this world, your words are kind and beautiful @msena, thank you.