Long Time, No Post

Wow, time flies when you're having fun.  I am still playing with the goodies I got at the Art Opera art retreat I attended in Redbank, NJ two weeks ago.    I have so many ideas for new projects, and so little time to do them in!

The next Art Opera in 2011 is shaping up to be incredible - possibly in Lambertville, which is not only close by, but also home to antique stores, art galleries, book stores, flea markets - I'm getting light-headed just thinking of all the cool stuff to do and see there.

I have a workshop with Pamela Huntingdon coming up on May 1 - she is a terrific teacher: organized, prepared, encouraging, and fun.  You need the organized and prepared part if you want your students to have a shot at finishing their projects, and if you want to be able to answer their questions.

Then I am taking a Newark Museum workshop on May 21 or 22, I forget which, in greeting card paper engineering, which I am really excited about.  I love pop-ups and want to learn as many "movements" as possible.

There is art I would like to get accomplished at home as well, but that is more difficult . . .

And switching from human art to nature's art - my backyard garden, raggedy though it be, is so fragrant I almost feel like swooning - lilacs, wisteria, and fragrant honeysuckle combine to create an intensity and sweetness of scent that I could get drunk on.

The roses are waiting in the wings:  heavenly-scented Heritage chief among them, a luminescent pink "Old Rose" from David Austin, creator of some of the most incredible looking roses around.  I also love my pink Eden rose, with large, cabbagey blooms.  I have the "old reliable" Blaze, a brilliant red rose, as well as a pink semi-double which blooms and blooms, a red and white stripe I adore,  a lavender rose, which like most purples is quite finicky and now sports a sucker, and last, a red, orange, yellow, and pink combination rose with a name from Disney which now is in near-complete shade, thanks to my neighbor's uncared for trees on either side of my yard which, growing unpruned for years, now meet and intertwine over my yard, making it more and more difficult to find a place where most perennials will be able to flower.

Almost everyday I stroll into my backyard and sniff the flowers ecstatically, and feel that if one has such beauty available, who needs material frills?

Art Opera Opening

Tonight I went to the opening dinner of Art Opera, the fantastic new art retreat in Redbank, New Jersey.

WOW!  And YUM!  What fabulous decorations and colors and imagination!The dining room looked like a magical seaside fairyland, with pink and aqua and sparkles everywhere; beach umbrelettes, sand pails, vintage images - it was enchanting.  The dinner was absolutely first-rate and delicious.  I admit that I am a dessert person - there was an individual ramekin with a warm brownie, strawberry ice cream, and a drizzle of strawberry sauce.  Really, really good - not too sweet, it really made my sweet tooth vibrate in ecstacy.

Incredible goodie bag, too.  Too much to write about now - have to hit the sack because tomorrow the workshops begin.

A special mention, though - Jenny Heide (sp?) was a standout of friendliness and style - she has candy pink hair that made my heart stop, it was so gorgeous.  What a talented person - I'll include a link to her blog and website tomorrow or the day after.

And kudos and congrats to the organizer, Lisa, and her sidekicks.  May they be successful and rewarded for all their hard work, and may Art Opera continue forever!

Life, Love, Art

I have an art retreat the day after tomorrow; a much-anticipated event which unfortunately requires planning in advance and considerable amounts of organization.  Not my strong points.

I find myself still picking up supplies, ferretting through the mountains of craft supplies I already own, planning last-minute nifty projects despite the fact there is clearly no time to even begin them, let alone finish them - in other words:  SNAFU - Situation Normal, All Fehpoodelt Up.

The fact is, there are things in life which are more important than being 100% prepared for an event, and in my case, being with Twin when he needs me is an easy winner.  He lost his father about a week ago, and his mother had died about a year ago; a lot of loss in a short period of time. 

So I may not have the skirt with the mermaid appliques I had been planning for the festive opening dinner, and I may not be able to complete more than one mermaid piece of jewelry to wear. 

But I was with Twin for his father's funeral, when he needed me, and deepened closeness and connection I feel for him has a significance and a beauty which more tawdry satisfactions cannot hope to impart.  Sometimes satisfying one's heart and doing the right thing are the same.  That was certainly the case for me here.

Now, if only I could figure out what to do with those mermaid appliques when I get back from the retreat . . .

Ah well, for now they get added to the teetering mountain of containers crammed full of craft supplies in my so-called studio,  which more closely resembles a grubby storage facility.  Someday, though, I will be in dire need of mermaid appliques, and who'll have the last laugh then?