Color, Color, Color

In spite of my having a brown couch in my living room (a regrettable decision, I admit), I love bright colors.  Which is probably surprising for a person with severe depression.  My love for bright colors is a strike back against depression.  I want to believe that color will beat back the darkness that consumes so much of my thoughts and so I defiantly wear t-shirts in bright pinks, reds, purples, blues (not yellow or orange - I look horrid).  And sometimes it does work.

Although a lot of my work starts with brown or sepia tones, I try to add color wherever I can, where it works.  In a journal that I've started, my base has tended to be vintage papers from books and newspapers, overlaid with colorful paint or elements.

These most recent pages from the journal started as usual with the old papers.

I wondered what I wanted to do with them once I laid down the papers, and decided to go back to paint and stencils.  I rubbed gold paint on the background papers first, then overlaid that with cadmium red medium paint rubbed over a stencil by Tim Holtz

and also punchinella (stencil waste).  I then got the idea to take a piece of bubble wrap, slather paint on the bubble wrap and rub that over everything.


Then I wondered.  What next?  And, I decided, nothing.  I would leave this set as is because I really like it as an abstract piece.

I decided to write a few words on the other set, words that expressed how I feel about color.

I think what I said probably resonates with a few people.  What do you think?

later,
lin

A Break in the Action

My life is not exactly exciting.  

I tend to have the same routine most of the time - doctors' appointments, shopping trips, errands, trips to Kinkos/Fed Ex and Staples to make laser copies of things, et cetera.  Occasional restaurant visits too.  

Sunday was a break in the action.

I live in a complex for the elderly and disabled, and the city where it's located will occasionally sponsor special trips to things such as Twin River (the local casino), the Blackstone River for a riverboat tour, and so on.  And it also has been sponsoring band concerts at the various complexes around the city.  

On the 24th the city sponsored a trip to the Botanical Gardens at Roger Williams Park in Providence.  It was the first trip I'd truly been interested in taking, and I was glad that my favorite ex-mother-in-law (who also lives in the complex) wanted to go as well.  

Let's just say that it was balm for the soul.  It's no secret here that I haven't been feeling my best lately, and this excursion was a boost in spirits, if only because it was something DIFFERENT.

But the artist in me reveled in the colors.  I don't know the names of these flowers and plants, but I post them here so that you can enjoy them too.


We discovered this small pool  where people could toss pennies and make wishes.

And there was a koi pond as well, with some rather large fish.  I joked that we wouldn't have to look far for lunch.

But I think one of the best things of all about the trip was spending time with my ex-mom-in-law who is my #2 Mom.  She means a great deal to me, and I think I mean something to her.  God bless you, Lucille Labbe.

later,
lin