Diana Trout's blog

Cartwheels

I woke up mid-dream turning cartwheels. And sticking them. Clearly a sign of improvement. When I was small, I could do a cartwheel. Somewhere along the line, I lost trust. I didn't lose the ability to turn myself into a human wheel but trust in myself prevented my legs from reaching for the sky. Self-doubt plays a huge part in mind, body and spirit.

Cartwheel Flower

I recently took up yoga after several years hiatus. One of the selling points on this class is it is specifically aimed at Seniors, which I am not. But that is OK. It is the right place for me.

The big intention on my part right now is Balance and Earth. I am very intentionally grounding myself and trying to strengthen my core in order to focus. I drew a metaphor the other night while working on the granny square project. It is tempting to go out and learn every granny square pattern online. But no. I am sticking with the classic. Turning the process into an artform. Improving every detail of my form. Reaching blindly into the basket of yarn and using whichever color comes to hand. Trust. 

Cartwheel Granny

And here is another metaphor: there is a cartwheel within each granny square. And I'm turning them. And sticking it.

Inspiration Addict

I am a sucker for inspiration. OOOOOO! Isn't that cool, beautiful, clever, magical?! OOOO! I wanna do THAT! 

But wait a minute ... what about all of the ideas that I already have? Chopped liver? REALLY?

I sat down the other day with my journal, a pen and a pile of index-worthy scraps. I found loads of ideas right there and didn't need my computer or a book. 

The de-stash is going well. I've winnowed my fabrics down to about a third of what I had. Ruthless, I am. The rubber stamps that have been taking up a ton of space are outta here. I am down to my handcarved, a couple of sets of alphabets and a few miscellaneous. Just what I use for art journaling and classes. 

If you are in the Philadelphia area, come to the de-stash giveaway event, Sept 22. Let me know if you are interested. I will send you the info. Nothing for sale, bring what you want to give to someone else and we'll all get this stuff to anyone who wants or needs it. Not me, though :)

Doing more with less.

Granny Didn't Crochet

Sharing this and that I've been up to during my self-imposed vacation and maybe some thoughts along the way.

Granny Squares

I figure it'll become a blanket. Monkey Brain tried to get a hold of me and I started off road looking at MANY different patterns for making these little suckers. But I'm backing off on that. Just playing with the colors and enjoying the classic pattern for the moment. I don't need to be the world's foremost expert on granny squares. Ha! 

Crochet Vessels

The honest simplicity of crochet and felted vessels is appealing. Crochet is making sense to me right now.

More Vessels

I'm using Debbie Stoller's Full O Sheep for the grannies and some wool I found in the craft store for the vessels. Where do you folks get your yarn? The local independents seem to carry only high end (pricey) and the craft store selection is limited (though it looks enormous). I've found Jimmy Beans Wool on line. 

And just thinking that looking at too much stuff gives me Monkey Brain. Did you read The Artists' Way? Do you remember the media fast? No books, TV, radio (and I'd add internet). Julia Cameron is right on the money. Too Much Information. I'm on a semi-fast because I can't stop reading novels. Nope.

Just an aside: I love putting things into the Unruly Posts category. 

Standing on a Ball, Spinning Plates

Human Containers, Diana Trout

So I got off the ball for the time being and am just doing the things I love best: painting, journaling, making stuff and writing. Monday, a full 3 days into the 2 weeks off from anything resembling business, I say to self (yes: aloud): "Hey, maybe I don't need TWO weeks." Then I say, "Uh uh, girlfriend, you are taking the full two weeks." Big Gold Star.

Fragile Egg Self, Diana Trout

 

Uffizi in Florence

Susan and I sure did get our money's worth out of our Uffizi gallery ticket. Big Tip: Call in advance to reserve your tickets to both the Uffizi and the Academia. I was particularly interested in Gentile da Fabriano's Adoration. Good Gawd, the red! The faces, the figures, the pattern, the color, the composition. Really transfixed.

Sitting in art history classes looking at crummy slides and tiny reproductions did nothing to prepare me for this visual feast. Fra Lippi was astonishing. I could have spent hours looking at the different facial expressions: best angels EVER!

Have I mentioned that we were pretty footsore and hot by the time we arrived in Firenze? Yes? *wink*. 

We were able to grab a bench seat right in front of Primavera. The gallery was crammed so SCORE! Susan pulled out her Badger Creme foot ointment and we sat there staring at this magical piece of art while massaging the ointment into our feet. 

Ooo ... feet-sy :) but I don't think that is what they had in mind when they named it.

 

Fabriano: Morning Walk

Waking to four sets of church bells ringing and birds (tweet-a, tweet-a ... the birds sing in Italian), cappucino, and up the hill.

Past this guy on the left. 

The air is filled with the sweet smell of the flowering trilia - a tree. There is something magical about textiles, no matter how simple, hung out windows.

Around the church

and then past the cafe that is open during the siesta time

Stop for a big bottle of water and a chat with Sylvia. Her husband called me "la americana" so he became "me italiano."

And then a left towards Museo della Carta

and there it is just ahead. Through the heavy oak doors and into the shop. That is Susan checking out the papers and books.

Through the courtyard, up the stairs and to the library. Where we worked.

Happy 4th of July, Americans, and happy July 4 to everyone else. We will be celebrating quietly with my newly-engaged daughter and future son-in-law. Yippity! 

Balancing Act

Edit: Really? I posted this twice? How the heck did that happen? Ah well ... I will leave this post because there are comments down below.

balance

The word that I will keep close to my heart this year is balance. There was resistance when it crept into my mind. I'm bravely taking it on. It is time. Do you ever feel as though you are standing on a ball, spinning plates? There are too many plates in the air. 

Lake Champlain

I allocated the behind-the-scenes stuff here on the blog. A huge weight (css and html-related) has been lifted. The time is right for me to let go of this and concentrate on my strengths (not html or css). 

Felted Teapot, Pamela MacGregor, 2011

Do you have a word for the year? How do you choose it or does it choose you?

Bookmarks

I was lying on the sofa last night highly entertained by Tif Fassell's book "dottieangel" (available here). Do you know her blog? She's quite a nice, funny writer and has very good words for things.

Since I'm a champ at losing bookmarks, the closest thing at that moment was a tiny scrap of cloth. 

It is the most visually perfect bookmark for this particular volume and I began to think of other things that have marked my pages in the past. Which led me to wonder what YOU have used.

There is the alternative of simply splaying a book or dog-earing.The dog-eared book, although it is interesting to see where other people left off and wonder if they were interrupted suddenly or just fell asleep. I've used threads, scraps of paper, chopsticks, paperclips, bobbypins, junkmail and a comb.

Another book works well when I have my sketchbook and a reference book, dovetailing one into the other.

The perfect bookmark for a magazine is, naturally, the postcard insert. That always makes me happy but then I get sad when I lose it. 

I've found all manner of bookmarks in rescued books. Postcards and letters, ribbon and old grocery lists. I like finding them. I once made a batch of origami bookmarks; they were a little different from these. Hmmm... I may make those. Very classy. 

Other possible bookmarks ... cat's whisker, fly wing, a sock - I've actually used a sock, it is bigger than the book and looks quite jaunty!

A leaf is a wonderfully metaphoric bookmark and a bit funny. A sticky note, a photograph, a napkin or tissue in virgin state. A coaster. 

It woud be handy to remember the page number but numbers and I are good bedfellows. 

'Fess up. What have you used to mark that page? 

The Cat in the Hat Makes Art

Today, I offer up the following re-cap  (or would that be re-hat) of The Cat in the Hat.  

The Cat, I guess he was he a beatnik, pays a visit upon two bored children one rainy day.  The cat stirs things up a good bit, doing tricks, such as balancing many household objects on his head while standing on a ball, and letting those wild, messy creatures, Thing One and Thing Two out of their box.  Throughout this entire ruckus, the pet goldfish - our critic?-  is saying things like:  “They should not be here while your mother is not, put them out, put them out” (said the fish in the pot).   

I wrote this Seuss-esque bit of poetry a few years ago for an issue of my zine "Springfed." 

There was the blank page, it was so big and white.

Just me and the page.  

Could I draw there?  Or write?

Then, something went POP

as I reached for my brush;

ideas came clear in a swoosh and a rush. 

To fill up that field, 

to make something new;

it  didn’t matter what, art or ba-bumazoo

Hey! This is fun!  Hey! this feels right!

Like driving a fast car on a wide road at night.

The picture in today's post is of my kitty Chopin, 1992-2009. She had a good life.

Now go read the Cat in the Hat! 

 

Advice from Popeye

Say it with me ...

Best advice EVER. Not flowery "I am unique" or "only I can be me" but with a bit of attittude. A bit of tartness. A bit of bossy. My new affirmation :)