I am happy to here on earth but as I age I realize many of us will explore challenges we never considered in our youth. Finding balance in body and soul ....good nutrition...proper rest and adequate sleep...and a large circle of supportive friends who will be there to listen and make you laugh. Take the time to realize each day...study the changing world around you and sit still in solitude ...to find time to create daily. Memories of soft cotton dresses ...summers at the neighborhood pool... softball games after dinner in the empty lots with the neighborhood pals... cherish the moments we often fail to show gratitude for...a child's moment in time. Now in my 6TH decade I am renewing my childhood relationships with the computer and strengthening new ones with my circle of blog mates. I appreciate the time you often take to reach out and read my humble words and share encouragement when the times get tough. You have blessed my life and I thank you.
My student did not make it this Saturday but I enjoyed the solitude in the studio to just play and create. I worked on another layer of "Leave your FEAR at the door"...I created a couple of prints with the carved soft safety blocks. Even with my painful joints in my hands I was able to cut into this miracle design element without the pressure and pain when I used to carve into linoleum blocks...I experimented with stamping inks, acrylics and simple washes on several surfaces. Tea towels made from cotton, handmade natural papers, and scraps to alter and layer. I created a collage background to try next week with Stazon inks. The stencils were a fun exercise but I do need to practice a bit more and maybe get a stiff stencil brush instead of the soft sponge brushes. I enjoyed the music...the quiet ...the simple process time without interruptions. I love people and they are the most important but I do recognize my need to find a balance in studio time in solitude.
Have a great weekend and I hope they weathermen are correct and the temperatures will be balmy. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart
p.s. Happy birthday to a dear friend ...Helen and I have been friends for 25 years and I am so blessed to have her in my life today. She used to call ken and I "Ken and Barbie" when we first met at the bingo where we volunteered for the Catholic school fund raisers on Sunday night. Happy 83!!! whoops 38!!! to a strong courageous woman who has blessed our lives. Peace
Bodies don't work quite like they used to when we wore those sun dresses and ran like the wind...fighting a cold, not succeeding, so I am writing some letters do a little collage
ReplyDeleteand going to take a nap today. Hoe you are well on the mend and getting your strength back. Nice to have a day just to noodle around, those days will be fast fleeting for me with what I have coming, but it is so exciting. xox Corrine
So many good thoughts.
ReplyDeleteYou made me think of of my childhood during those summer days & evenings...we loved exploring our beloved mountains that were behind our homes...many caves were explored, many tadpoles came home in jars that lived for such a short time in the tanks, small pool formations in the rocks from thousands of years of erosion, filled with rain water, also, lots of green tailed lizards, horn toads...well, amphibians were our pets....until our parents made us free them into our back yards where they stayed and thrived! Many hours of hide-n-seek...going to "the ditch" and looking for fossils and climbing foothills and making forts...what memories!!
ReplyDeleteMary Helen, you always bring out the best in people and I too cherish our friendship. Take care and God bless.
xxoo,
Georgina
Naps and quiet moments are renewing for our bodies and souls. You have blessed my life. Peace, Mary Helen
ReplyDeleteAll your wonderful creativity, so much to see. Blessings on you Mary Helen.
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