TWU Fountain

I sketched this fountain on the campus of Texas Women's University in Denton. My friend and I were there exploring the chapel and the glorious azaleas this spring. I added some watercolor to it this week. Great spring day with a good friend and I wanted to preserve it!

Barachiel

I have been intrigued by these wonderful statues carved from dead cottonwood trees. They are on what is becoming a regular walk route for us here in Santa Fe. It’s along the Santa Fe River on the way to Canyon Road. I have photographed them and painted one of them. Decided to incorporate the face of the one I painted into this mixed media piece. I don’t know a thing about arch angels so I started researching them to find out who this angel Baraciel was. I found that this is “my angel”, coordinating to the day I was born, on a Saturday in November, a Scorpio. So, I added the Scorpion symbol in the lower left on the painting. I also added some words to the piece having to do with what this angel is about. You probably can’t see them but here is what they say if you look up close.
"Distributor of the blessings of God … for good deeds, entreats the mercy of God for people..."
If you want to read more about the carvings and the artist that created these go here>>
http://joselucero.com/outdoor.html

This type of expression, abstract/mixed media is foreign to me. But, I am trying all sorts of new things to find a new way of making art. Most of all I enjoyed the freedom, the story and the symbolism of the process. I am working on creating something totally different every day!

Clutter and Creativity

I am excited to share that I have a Creativity Coach! I am feeling that there is something that I am meant to create and she is going to help me “give birth” to it! She asked me what fears and obstacles I have that may be standing in my way. Hmmm…My fear is that I won’t experience everything I can possibly experience. So, I have to get busy! I can’t put my finger on what is standing in my way. I do know that clutter can stand in the way of many things, creativity being one of them. So, I tackle the “stuff” I own once again, wondering if it is keeping me from living a fully creative life. Having recently moved into a 3 room casita, I am having to dig deep to keep the place tidy and I have already gotten rid of massive numbers of “things”. When we got back from Colorado today, I had 5 newly purchased books which means 5 others have to leave this house. I rationalize that it doesn’t have to be 5 books, it can be 5 things that take up the same amount of space as the new books. Hey, these are my rules, I am making this up as I go! So, two pairs of capris that I never wear are stuffed into the Charity Box. Capris should be against the law anyway. I have never seen anyone look good in them. Bad design. Pedal pushers went out of style for a reason! Two more pairs of dress paints that would require heels that didn’t make the last clutter cut. A white shirt and a white tank top. I don’t look good in white since I stopped coloring my hair. ONE book, a dress that had a huge print that made me look like a giant flower garden (WTH was I thinking?)-GONE. Okay, that’s 7, so I get to keep the books!

The next set of clutter that works against this ADD girl will be remedied by my Artist’s Way Morning Pages. One of the books I came home with is actually a pretty new journal. I’m such a sucker. Like a 99 cent spiral wouldn’t suffice? So, three pages of dumping my brain on paper every morning rids it of all that chatter so I can be productive in some other way. That mind decluttering process begins AGAIN tomorrow!

Maybe I should change the 3x3s and incorporate the daily decluttering of my brain and my belongings! We will know if this process works, if I ever actually have any art to post on this blog! For now, an occasional photo will have to suffice. Those Aspens in Colorado were strutting their stuff! That's how I see it!

Unity Santa Fe and The Artist's Way

I added a little color to this with water color pencils. I don't really know how to use them, but its just seemed handy, so here you have it!



Rather than retell the story, I am sharing the letter I wrote to an incredible group of friends back in Texas.

Hi ladies!
Today I attended Unity Sante Fe. I was very teary as I sat there alone without my friends surrounding me. It was my first twinge of homesickness. I thought how odd it is that I have known you all such a brief period but it seems like I have known you forever. I looked around and wondered if I would find new friends in that room. I wanted you to know that I think the world of you. It was a special time at Unity Church of New Hope! Also, as a reminder of the special times that are created at your church, Cindy Baker and I donated that giant clock you may see sitting around. The time we had there with you was wonderful and life changing and we want that clock to be a reminder of that. I hope you continue to make the most of every minute!

Now, I am dying to share this with you! I am joining the Artist’s Way group at Unity Santa Fe in October. It is being led by….drum roll please…..JULIA CAMERON!!! Needless to say, I am totally beside myself!!

I hope your Sunday is wonderful. Please try to stay in touch and come visit us in Santa Fe!

Good thoughts,
Lisa

p.s. I decided to start sketching in church again and posting the sketches. It's so good for this girl's ADD. Hopefully, the speakers understand that it actually helps me concentrate on their every word.

I used an almost-out-of-ink ballpoint on raggedy piece of paper. Please forgive how out of practice I am at sketching, scanning, posting. Notice I have moved beyond the "blind in one eye" excuse. No worries, I have a list of excuses that will last way beyond this blog!

When Pigs Fly

According to Wikipedia:
"When pigs fly" is an adynaton, a way of saying that something will never happen. The phrase is often used for humorous effect, to scoff at over-ambition. There are numerous variations on the theme; when an individual with a reputation for failure finally succeeds, onlookers may sarcastically claim to see a flying pig. ("Hey look! A flying pig!")

We have hung this grinning, flying pig in our home for many years. He is now hanging in our Santa Fe Casita courtyard, making me smile and validating what some see as impossibilities. Make pigs fly!

Daily Creations

Since I declared so publicly my plan to create something new (hopefully daily) I thought I had better document when I actually do get my hands dirty. Our Casita requires creativity just to find a place to put things. I got some cheapo shelves at Goodwill and am playing around with turning them into something interesting. Here is the beginning of that process. After a few layers, I'll post the end result. I've started on some other white (shabby chic looking furniture) that I brought from Texas. We will see if I can turn it into something more Casita like. If not, it is going to Goodwill! I am getting very good at saying "Adios" to things that just don't suit me anymore.

3 x 3 s

Want to know what 3X3s means?

Okay. A few years ago, I had been beat up and beat down and so had my niece. We were jobless and depressed and had a hard time putting one foot in front of the other.
So, niece #1 and I committed to each other to share, via email, a system we called 3x3s. We wrote three simple lists daily to each other.
#1-3 Things we would accomplish
#2-3 Things we would do that were fun
#3-3 Things we were grateful for

Seriously, if you have ever been depressed, you know that these lists can feel insurmountable. Sometimes, getting out of bed, getting dressed, taking a shower were seen as great accomplishments.

Having fun lists. Really, we are pretty fun girls. But, in those dark days we struggled to find fun and had to rely on each other to figure out what might bring a smile to our faces. There were days that eating a pint of Hagen Daz was the fun thing and we praised each other for it! Well, that’s ALWAYS a fun thing, right?

Gratitude lists—we knew the grand importance of that component. But, sometimes we were saying things like “I am grateful I got to clean the cat box because it means the cat is still alive.”

The 3x3 system works. When I feel a friend is in that dark, cobwebby place, I invite them to play along. It ALWAYS works. Sometimes takes a few days. Always brings light to the darkness. You don’t even notice that you have stopped playing anymore. Life has simply returned to “normal” and is once again joy-filled. If you ever want to play with me, I am thrilled to do it. We will both be lifted!

So today, for me, it goes like this:
A (Accomplish):
*Empty those last two boxes from the move
*Wash clothes after dryer repairman comes
*Take stuff to Goodwill—okay..have Charles take stuff

F (Fun):
*Yoga
*Mexican Food for 1st time in 64 days
*Zozobra event—burning of Old Man Gloom! It’s a Santa Fe Thang


G (Gratitude):
*I am grateful that we followed our hearts to Santa Fe
*I am grateful for the windows and doors being open with a breeze coming in
*I am grateful for walking home from my gallery gig in the rain. How romantic and urban it was walking from the Santa Fe Plaza to our Casita a few blocks away!

3x3s—it’s simple-it works. Join in anytime! (You don’t have to be depressed to play!)


p.s. Linka encouraged me to try to paint BIG after I struggled with the tiny, detailed stuff I used to do. The painting on the blog is my wild and juicy attempt at big and abstract.

Blog Reborn in Santa Fe

My poor neglected blog. There were a couple of years that I was passionate about daily sketching, posting the inane drawings, photos and goings-on of my daily life. I learned so much from the process and from the many artists that I was dedicated to following. I made friends with many with whom I still stay in touch. Thank you for reaching out, wondering if I had fallen off the planet when my postings ceased. Most know that my creative side was diverted in a very big way to my now dearly departed Mecca on Main. The website is now down, too, but some of the photos that document that very impactful part of my life are on Face Book. I am Lisa Adams Reed over there, if you have not already “friended me”. Mecca was an artist’s collective with art studios, gallery, an event place, a café. We also offered art and yoga classes. It was an all encompassing and life altering experience for me and for many others. I could digress into that rich chapter and probably will refer to Mecca along the way on this blog. For now, my point of this post is to say, I am going to breathe some life back into “How I See It”. I’ve been loving Face book, but find I need a place that is bigger and can expand into other things.

My new posts will be flavored differently. For one thing, I have pretty much given up the sketching that I was enjoying so very much. It began when I was all consumed with Mecca. THAT was my creative outlet and took up every waking moment (and my dream life, too!) Then, a few months after we opened Mecca, I woke up with no sight in my right eye. They said it was permanent blindness caused by a stroke. Docs don’t know it all, so I thanked them for their opinions and went about the business of healing. I did regain some peripheral sight and THAT matters since it helps me with balance and other important things like that. I rarely fall down—and that’s a good thing! Nevertheless, I have allowed the incident to limit me and my ability to put pen and paint on paper. I know I can get more vision back and with practice can create something with the one good eye I have. So, you will see some of my attempts to express myself creatively on this blog. One thing I already know is that the blogging world is one of kindness and encouragement. If you know me, you know I am sensitive and critical of my own stuff, so I thank you in advance for not being too hard on me as I get rolling again!

This chapter will pick up in Santa Fe New Mexico where Charles and I moved on August 28, 2010. My journaling will include much more than any art I might create. It will be about my authentic journey through this world and some of the things that I am passionate about. Those things will always morph from one idea to the next. If I have a fear, it is that I will miss an opportunity to experience something new. It is a pretty bad case of ADD which I happen to enjoy quite a lot! Some think I should not start something unless I have finished the last thing. Don’t look for some magnificent completed project from me. My daddy said it’s the journey that is fun and that is where we learn. The finished product isn’t the point. Worrying about uncompleted projects immobilizes people. I just want to try lots and lots of things. I may not end up loving them all or committing to any of them. But, I sure don’t want to miss a chance to give something a whirl.

Some of the things I want to get onto paper (blog) with words, photos, or with paint or pencil are below and not in order of priority:

My favorite things
Things I want to do/try/see
Immersion into New Mexico
Good times with from family and Friends
Hiking/camping
Small Space Living
3x3s (stay tuned if you don't know what this is)
Playing with mixed media and collage
Furniture painting
Sketching-keep your fingers crossed :0
BIG Abstracts
Photography
Yoga
Artist's Way
Books I like
Marketing ideas for small businesses
Cooking and Eating for Energy/Vitality/Longevity
Adventures of Yao and Mo-the Wonder Dogs
Spirituality/Reiki/Meditation/Prayer
The most intriguing people I come across

p.s. Thanks, Anna! If you had not asked me to create something for your dorm room, I would still be making excuses! Give me a chance to get my creative legs under me and I will send you something created especially for you, from my heart. Aunt Lisa