Hot Days Ahead!

We're supposed to be heading into three days of hot and humid weather starting tomorrow.

I've been preparing by making ice, jello, iced-tea and orange juice pops...



I thought I had another set of these but I can't find it so this will have to do.

We don't really have the room in our freezer anyway. It's small and cluttered and well...it just is. But this will do for now.

I'm hoping it really isn't that bad. We don't have an air-conditioner and we don't have a car so we can't easily get to an air-conditioned area.

But we have fans and we're on the first floor so it won't be too bad. It's really too early in the season for this kind of thing in New England though. Not unheard of but not usual either.

If it's too hot to do anything i can just spend the day in front of the fan with a good book or three!

I just started reading Spirit by Bridgid Kemmerer. It's the third in the Elemental Series and I've liked the other two novels plus the novellas a lot so I have high hopes for this one too!

Where I Stand...With New Sneakers.

For the first time in a long time (over a decade) I have sneakers that fit.

 I've been walking lately and I live in a hilly area which makes even a short walk a bit more intense than it would be if the area were flat and I've only had my Crocs.

My feet are wide and short and very hard to fit but this past weekend I found a pair that fit nicely and they feel great!

What Am I Doing Here?

 

I’m not really sure what I’m doing with this blog. I originally started it when I was making art on a regular basis as a kind of public blog for my creative project. Something to link to when I didn’t want to link to my less public dreamwidth account.

But I’ve been out of visual art mode for a while now. I’ve been trying to work on my writing. I have been working on my writing, not just trying but it’s been slow going.

I’m working on an unnamed writing project at the moment. I’m working out background stuff and writing little character bits, though not all the characters have names yet. I’m slowly fleshing things out.

I did work on another project in April during Camp NaNoWriMo. That was fun and it kept me writing but the thing I was working on wasn’t holding my interest. I think I’m going to skip that sort of challenge for a bit now and focus on fleshing out this story I’m working on at whatever pace works for me. The key will be to just keep writing.

I’m still taking daily photos and I’m reading a lot (though not as much as I’d like) plus I’ve started working out again. I need to counter all the time I spend sitting around. Mostly I’ve been walking and dancing.  I feel it's been helping my headspace in general and in my creative pursuits.

So what is the future of this blog?

I don't know. I would like to post about the writing process as well as write about the books I love and maybe a bit about shows I love as well. I also plan to keep posting my photography.

I'm not sure how regular it is going to be but I'm hoping I can make it happen.

Yellow

Spring Flowers

Spring really seems to be settling in around here. I'm loving the warmer days and beautiful flowers.

Sunny and Warm

A beautiful warm and sunny day today.
We played outside. I took photos. It was so nice.
I'm starting to think that winter really is over for now :)

Overload

I'm finding myself feeling drained after last week.
News overload.
Time to unplug from some of those things.
Stop watching news twitter feeds for a while.
Relax.
Breathe.

Spring is Coming

Sometimes we need to be reminded that there are many beautiful things in the world.

Shadow Thoughts

I'm starting to think I should have had that 12 Seeds Project that I seem to have abandoned be a photography project or at least had a photo plus poetry option.

I think that may have worked better for me. I don't know what is up with me and art these last few years but I really haven't been feeling it in the same way.

I'd rather play with words and photos. Those were two early loves to be honest. Maybe that is where my focus should be right now.

I love the camera. I love taking pictures. It really centers me, where painting often stresses me out.

Writing is touch and go. Sometimes I'm angsty about it and sometimes it has me flying so high it's hard to come down.

Photography is like meditation but better.
<3

Sometimes

Sometimes all I want to do is read and read and read.
To fill myself up with story.
To escape the real and fill myself up with the unreal.
Sometimes.

Up To

 I seem to be letting art slide lately. I just haven't been feeling it (again). I'm focusing on my writing and my photography at the moment. I love taking pictures. It's the one constant in my creative life. I love my camera. I also love tea!

January's Seed: Winter

2 paintings and a poem...


12x12
acrylics
12 seeds Project




15x20
watercolors
colored pencils
white gouache

________________________________________________
 --Demeter's Winter--


Sheltered
Failed to protect,
her forever.

shame, loss, grief.

Dark skies, cold air.
Fields lie fallow.
Winter comes,
again.

Missing her daughter,
her girl.
Missing what they once were,
together.

Girl no more.
Woman and Queen.
Her daughter,
Persephone.

retreat, mourn, wait.

Longing for spring
her return.
Flowers will bloom,
again.



art and words © 2013 Poppy Arakelian

The 12 Seeds Project

 I haven't written about the 12 Seeds Project here yet...

At the beginning of the year my husband and I decided to do a joint art project that ties in our spirituality. I've been calling it our joint art/spirit project but then we named it Twelve Seeds.

Each month there is a theme that will inspire us to do a finished piece of art of at least 8x8 inches in the medium(s) of our choosing with an optional bit of writing a bit of poetry in the theme as well.

We're trying to inspire each other.

I may also tie in extra art work and writing with the themes as well. We'll see. I like the idea of themes :) I'm not sure if I'm going to make art quilts or paint or something. I may mix it up or I may stay with the same thing for each of the months. I'm not sure yet.

The Twelve Themes:

January--Winter
February--Shadows
March--Storms
April--Seeds
May--Crossroads
June--Growth
July--Stars
August--Sun
September--Trees
October--Bones
November--Roots
December--Joy

8x8 inches min.
Finished Piece
Any Medium
+Poetry

Snow!

a few hours later... I didn't do a check in for Creative Every Day this week. I'm bored with it to be honest. I'm being creative. I've been more creative this month than most of last year in general. I like the idea of the Creative Every Day thing but I'm just not feeling the need to really be a part of it and do check-ins and what not.

More Progress Made

Time to Paint

in progress painting (upside down) I spent some time painting today. I worked on this painting and my other "winter" themed painting. The other one is done in acrylics and I think it is done. I'll take another look at it in the morning and see if I still think so then. I just started the above painting today. I'm planning on doing two paintings for each 12 seeds project monthly theme. One in acrylics and one in watercolors.

work in progress

I've been busy working on a painting this week as well as doing some sketching and as always taking lots of photos.

Fun with Watercolors...

Background painting for an art journal page.

Winter Returns

Looks Like Spring

Very warm and sunny this afternoon. Not like winter at all. Also the the snow is all gone from the backyard now...

The squirrels have been going crazy the last couple days and digging all around the place...