Tea with honey and two of my daughters at Mi Fiesta....

Yes... I realize I should be working but today I was surprised to see Sherry Lynn and Tina Marie , two of my daughters standing outside my door of the studio...yes we did go to lunch and I had iced tea...but they were in a beach mood and shared Pina Colladas.
Just seeing them as grown women...laughing...loving... surviving many hardships in their lives ....well the gift of being with them was priceless. These two young women are mothers, sisters close in age and now true friends. Beautiful free spirits making their daily lives a joyful adventure. I love you girls...you are my gift from God. Do you remember this saying when you were small? The gift is still here.

I went back to the studio...the skies were gray but my heart was filled with sunshine. I began working on my portrait I had started yesterday...the face is filled with a life waiting to be told and as I added colors with pencils and watercolors I could begin to see the life coming forth. Drawing is real work...and I need to do more of this mental and physical exercise.

I forgot to mention my little friend Cooper was there at the studio when I returned..he calls the studio Mary's house. About once a week Cooper comes down with his Nana and mother fun lunch and I received my long hug of appreciation. Simple joys from a tiny heart. Smiles....

I went to my Michael's to pick up a one day special...Ditto stamp pads and stamps on sale for $2.00 each. I picked a lovely lime green, teal blue, luscious purple and of course a black refill pad ,,,,for the future stamping fun for my work in the studio with my alphabets and stamps. I also picked up some foils...adhere with glue I think, to play with in my assemblages and collages. I ran into on of the instructors from the school that is hosting the auction for Welsh Hills. In these times of economic uncertainty ...I am hoping my contribution will help them build up funds for future Art adventures.

I stopped by my daughter's home and she was next door...so I visited with Sabrina and Hannah as they delighted in telling me about their days in school and the upcoming Valentine's Ice Cream Sundae party. OOOOh this sounds like a party for me! I came home and had Chinese stir fry and took a quick nap...the cold weather has returned and tonight we will have the return of snow flurries. I am watching the new series"The River" on ABC about amazing things happening on the Amazon. Spooky ... well at least it is not a reality show! Have a great day in your studio and I do appreciate your encouraging comments. Blessings, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

Monday with sunshine and warm temperatures...

I went into the studio....and enjoyed the quiet peace of a Monday after lunch... as I reread a favorite book from 1973 ....May Sarton's ____Journal of Solitude. She is a wonderful poet and uses her decisive choice of words to create a quiet place to retreat in serenity. Funny I enjoyed this book even more than I remembered ... her words, her descriptions of the familiar... her working in the garden with her flowers and vegetables....embracing the subtle changes in the seasons in her New England home. Inow am taping the pages into the spine of this yellowed and cherished book. I felt as if I had just renewed a special friendship with an old golden friend and her kind gentle words.

Ironically I found my old passport this morning...and on this date in 1993...February 6... I had made my first international 23 1/2 hour flight to Australia. I tried to take a photo of my photo from 19 years ago ... but I was too close and they were blurry. Just holding the passport that changed my life ...I was overwhelmed with the realization of how privileged I have been to see this beautiful island country of indigenous peoples and the splendor of a South Pacific life. I need to locate my journal from this trip and my multitude of photos and memorabilia from this trip that totally empowered me and changed my life for the best.

I went to pick up a few more items and research for hand dyes and snow dyes ...if we ever get some reasonable snow fall in the near future I want to play in the snow in an artistic way. I found some new brushes to add to the selection of tools to employ when I begin adding the painting strokes. Natural bristles are highly desirable yet they are quite expensive. I am blending the synthetic with the natural brushes ...I will have to experiment with the effects of each brushes capabilities on smaller pieces of treated fabrics.

Ken and I enjoyed baked chicken with a noodle casserole dinner ...I added a salad for good health. We each had blackberry pie for the antioxidants ...LOL to help us both heal from our sniffles and coughs. I hope you have had a great day in your studios! Blessings to you all, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

I love witnessing silent companionship. A mother deer with her twin does greeted me in the morning sunshine. Her babies have grown quite strong with this mild winter season's weather. This afternoon I witnessed a well seasoned couple who have been together for many many years....comfortable in the afternoon sunshine over a cup of coffee and sharing a sandwich.

I did a quick portrait sketch in pastels...it is not very good but there are parts I do like so far. The eyes are too Zombie like for me....yuck!!

being mindful.... happy 31 to Tina!!!

I stayed in bed yesterday...I am really struggling to fight off Ken's terrible cold. He is still no better and today is supposed to call in for more medical assistance...stronger antibiotics. Ken's mother is now home with Vicki, her youngest daughter in Florida.... from the hospital. Our hearts have been heavy...it is so hard to be far away from those we love the most when they are frail and delicate. Yesterday was Tina's 31 st birthday and i had wanted to go see a movie..."The Lady in Black" and then have a great dinner together. She did not want to see a scary movie... and I was under the weather so I will have to recharge my batteries and re-schedule our plans. Sleeping filled my day with unusual dreams...I subconsciously dream of the way of the trees outside my windows. Sunshine and gentle breezes ...could this really be February in Ohio? My journal is growing with inspirations and the processes I am working on in preparation for this week's proposal. I am liking the message of my dreams and readings... I do feel I am building up my energies and feeling more empowered. For five months my home studio will share my time with the on the spot location ...for development and processes before I work out the installation steps. I am not a real football addict...I still do not understand this game but last night was a pretty thrilling game. Madonna proved at 53 she still has a lot to give...I missed the controversial hand signal ...but all in all I enjoyed her contribution to the ritual of Super Bowl! Now I am off to work. I hope to be back later tonight. Peace be with you. Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

ask a black man anything you wanted to know ...

Tonight I volunteered at our Midland Theater to welcome The S.E.L.L.O.U.T. Comedy Tour. This show was advertised as "tired of being told they're "too mainstream" for their own culture, for individual different comedians have come together to challenge all of us to go beyond stereotypes in this thought provoking show where laughter and learning collide with every day social elements.
Dilly D. Washington, Vince Morris, B.T. and Louis Johnson make up the BlackPack SELLOUT Comedy Tour. "We are who we are. Let us celebrate our individualism. Help us chip down stereotypes one joke at a time. Their motto is Be yourself. Everyone Else Is Already Taken.

This show was entertaining and thought provoking for our community. Ken was still too sick to go but I think he would have enjoyed their performance. Snow is falling now and I am grateful to be home safely. I will catch up on the rest of the blog worlds tomorrow. Blessings and Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

Exhaustion...

A little of this and a little of that...
painting backgrounds in yellow and greens...
adding bit is scraps torn into hearts...
gluing down embellishments like stars ...
time to add to the backgrounds before we add
the angel wings
set to take flight...
then the final
steps
print the collographs on top
the designed backgrounds...

a bit of this and a bit of that...
texts ...notes...photographs... the world is your own.
Blessings for this weekend! Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

Days of Creation...and mamagram day....

I spent my day sharing my joy for making individual marks with St.Francis Catholic school demonstrating how I might begin a fabric surface design project and the processes I might employ.
1. I began with asking them to fill a white sheet of paper with bright colors and a multitude of marks...text....spirals... graffiti...etc.
2. I then provided scraps of paper to build up textures and weaving the papers to glue down for individual design elements.
3. After introduction of what a collograph process is and working in a collaboration to make individual composition I demonstrated how the layers make our images more interesting.
4. I began demonstration of applying colors to the collograph and then using a brayer to apply the colors to the three layers on their individual compositions.
5. Just for fun, I added the elements of stencils ...hearts for the seasonal Valentine's theme and angel wings to add a rock star theme. We used sea sponges to stencil the images and the students enjoyed the discovery of sea shells inside the sponges. One shell fell out and the little girl squealed...Can I keep this? Smiles.
6. I then added the option of alphabets...foam shapes...foam stamps... but we ran out of time and with 28 little artists in the room I could read the disappointment in their faces. On top of this ....there was an official FIRE drill....the cooking class had a small fire disaster so the whole school ended up outside until the coast was clear. My paints were drying upstairs in the hot heated classroom .... Yikes!!!
At the end of the afternoon and the students said their afternoon prayer and blessing before their dismissal I was a little sad that no one was going to install these pages for a display or discussion of how each student felt working in this manner. Then after a rush of clean up after 56 students I rushed to the Women's Center from our hospital...to get my annual mammogram. There is nothing like volunteering to go in and squish my boobs between the cold plastic plates. I had a very nice technician and she was gentle but of course I was bruised almost immediately. Is it any wonder why woman sometimes avoid this procedure??? I came home and climbed into bed and slept until Ken came home. I know why I am not in the classroom full time....I just cannot do this active interaction with a large group of people.

Was i wrong to be a bit disappointed in the lack of delight expressed by the adults and teachers...I thought there should have been some type of recognition and display of their sacred marks. This simple step to show the works empowers the students in ways my words cannot totally express. Maybe the fatigue...maybe the interruption with a Fire drill... maybe the lack of strength and endurance ... I felt as if I had failed. I will share the few photos I was able to take ... and you can give me some feedback on what I could have done differently. I wish you peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

Happy Wednesday...and excitement too!!

I was working on several small projects and preparing for my Days of Creations at St. Francis Elementary School tomorrow. I have to gather all my supplies and make ready for the short trip ... I am setting up stations for the each step in the demo for creating layers of textures and printing simple collographs. I am thinking about a Valentine theme in bright, vivid colors. I plan on rubbings with different crayons, torn edges, and then planning the printmaking steps to create design elements for a unique creation. I am also scheduled for my mammogram in the afternoon. Whew this is going to be a crazy day for all of us.

Tonight we made small acrylic paintings in a very impressionistic approach and immediate response to the changing colors of the evening skies outside the studio. We were experimenting with a watercolor effect ...but as the evening progress each brushstroke took their own direction and depth. This is exciting to do and to witness. Not every one wanted this assignment so they worked in the colored pencils to recreate World War II episodes that had been told to them about their grandfather behind enemy lines. We were celebrating birthdays and valentine cupcakes plus ice cream cakes. All in all the place was a happy happy place to be tonight. Doug is turning 50 today!!!

I was suddenly made aware of thick billowing dark smoke blowing through the common area in our courtyard. A van had caught fire and I was told three children were inside and quickly rescued. The fire department and our police were on the job almost immediately and even though the van's owner was visibly shaken no one was injured and the fire was under control almost immediately. There is never a dull moment.

My dear friend picked up the special collage for her Art Auction. She came out even though she has been plagued by severe headaches over the last couple on months. She made a wonderful contribution to my studio costs and I nearly cried in appreciation. I told her I could stretch it for at least 4 or maybe 5 weeks. I am so amazed by the kindness that has been given to me as I continue my journey being visible for all to enjoy seeing how artists work daily. I also sold three Valentines ...for some very special recipients to hopefully enjoy. I invited her and her beautiful daughter to come visit me when I am dyeing and painting my fabrics for the Dawes installation!

Have a wonderful time in your life being an artist. We are so lucky to be living our dreams and making beautiful marks for the world to enjoy. Dream Big!!! Blessings and peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart