Ray and I are in Chicago visiting our friend Shireen Baker and also spending as much time as possible enjoying the art and architecture of this fabulous city. Here are a few photos of some of the highlights from the Chicago Institute of Art. Suffice it to say, we are both exceedingly happy to be…
Category: Art
Breaking Out of My Comfort Zone
Last night I went to my Still Life class at Barnsdall Art Center. Daughter Liz and I are taking this class together, but, unfortunately, my trips to Texas have meant that I have missed several. (Not counting last week when we played hooky and went to dinner instead.) Ray is taking a ceramics class at…
Repost: “Seeing” as a Kid
We had dark red linoleum in our kitchen at 902 East 9th Street where I grew up. The pattern had little bricks with gray jagged mortar lines and the bricks were slightly raised, as they would have been if they had been real bricks. The color was almost burgundy, and my parents had that linoleum…
One of Those Days
This has been one of those days. Up by 6 am to meet a student at 6:30 down in my den for 6 hours of work to finish her Senior Honors Thesis for her Bachelor’s degree in Gender Studies. I have learned a lot about the history and current status of reproductive rights for women…
First Painting Class Ever at the Barnsdall Art Center
Liz, Ray and I went to our art classes tonight at the Barnsdall Art Center in Hollywood. Ray is back in ceramics class and Liz and I are taking acrylic painting. This is quite a stretch for me since I have never painted anything in my life beyond elementary school art class where I don’t…
Repost: Great Quotes on Writing from Brenda Ueland
I have been reading several books in preparation for my presentation at Story Circle Network’s “Stories of the Heart” memoir conference coming up in Austin in a couple of weeks. One is If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland. This is considered by many to be one of the very best books on writing…
Last Stained Glass Class at Barnsdall Art Center Tonight
Liz and I have enjoyed meeting every Tuesday night from 6:30 – 9:30 at the Barnsdall Art Center in Hollywood to learn about stained glass. The teachers, a sweet couple who buzzed around helping everyone, were kind, supportive and helpful. I’ve never done one thing with stained glass – have hardly done anything in an…
Stained Glass Class Tonight
I have been to art class tonight at the Barnsdall Art Center with daughter Liz. This is a stained glass class, but there is also the option for mosaics. I have been working on a tree that I drew freehand, traced onto a sheet of copper foil, cut out, then glued onto a piece of…
The Road to Normal
My husband said to me today, “Thank you for being so normal.” I replied, “Thank you back.” Not that we haven’t had our share of abnormal, which can be defined as having a need for major drama. There was a time when drama was a daily part of our life together. Fights, misunderstandings, hurt feelings….
Fun in Stained Glass Class at the Barnsdall Art Center
Liz and I (and Ray on a rare occasion) have been taking a stained glass class at the Barnsdall Art Center in Hollywood. Liz and I are novices at stained glass; Ray, on the other hand, has done stained glass before and is pretty handy at it. Last night, Ray stayed home to tend to…
20 Minutes a Day 