6/12/11

Our First Summer Weekend 2011

Friday:

Pineapple and mushroom pizza from The House of Pizza on Friday.

That's my new favorite tee.  With the self-timer on my Olympus PEN E-pl1, since Bee was having a hard time trying to take a photo of me with her left hand.

We stopped to photograph my dream house.  I love it.  I wonder who lives there. (Black Slim Devil cam)

Stopped at Ascarate Lake and noticed a carnival going up in the place where the amusement park of my childhood used to be.  

Disco Fever!  I always have that.

Bee was trying real hard to take my picture, and almost had it. :) My Polaroid 340 had a minor malfunction, made me pretty sad at the time.

The most ghetto ducks I have ever seen in my life.

Saturday:

Our little cousin (meow!) came over, and we went to see Judy Moody, which I thought was AWFUL.  The girls liked it only kind-of.

After the movie, little cousin went home, and I took Bee to see some local roller derby action.  Our TexPistols blew San Antonio's Charmed Forces away.  I'm not surprised.  (That's Alkaline Trina jamming in yellow!  I love her.)

It's already edging towards the 100's here in El Paso. We love to get outside for the hour right before dusk...yes, that is the magic hour, when the light is perfectly golden, low, and wonderful. By 7 pm, the sun has eased up a little. Iced coffee and snow cones, that's how it goes.

Saturday, let's stop at the park, of course! Black Slim Devil, Fuji Natura 1600 iso film.

Bee took my picture with her left hand, and the shutter button is on the right side of the camera...she had to be crafty-that's my girl!


Sunday:

The beginning of my fancy cast drawing. (digital-Olympus PEN E-PL1)

I am not good with markers, but it was fun anyway. 

A happy cast now.

So, pretty fabulous weekend, and to top it all off, I'm going to visit my boyfriend-manfriend-whatever-I-don't-know-what-to-call-him, and we're going to watch True Blood together, tonight.  Ah, summer, you are not letting me down so far...

6/10/11

Nostalgia, my family.

It is a strange thing, getting older. It's not so much that I'm sad about aging, but looking around, and noticing that everyone else is also morphing on the outside-it's kind-of like a slap in the face, a shocker, the sudden realization of what's been happening all along.

The image that stays with you is the one that held you tight when you were a kid. Is it just me? It's the time before high school, when your parents were everything, and they could do no wrong. Time passes too fast, whether cliche or not, and although I would never want to go back and relive the past, I wish I could see my parents again when they were young.  I always thought I had the prettiest mother, and most handsome father. I know I'm lucky to have these pictures.

My mama before me.  She is on the left, c. 1974.

I love this picture, even if she doesn't-those were the days ladies did not show off pregnant bellies. c. 1979.

Honestly, life does not get better than this.  Look how happy I was! c. 1980.
Dad, little brother, and me, c. 1980.

Little brother and Dad, c.1980.

Me and my dad in Hondo, NM, c.1977.

6/8/11

Drawings for University

I still haven't been able to find the time to professionally photograph my drawings from school. I suppose it's because I feel that anything I have done specifically for school is more of a learning experience than final pieces for a portfolio. I plan on making drawings this summer which would be just that. I'm excited about working on my own, and about graduating with my BFA this winter.

6x6" (each) Watercolor & colored pencil on paper 

8x10" Watercolor & colored pencil on paper

24x36" Colored pencil on glassine (so difficult to photograph!  Better keep trying-also, sorry for the shadows streaking across there.)

Detail

24x36" Colored pencil on paper

Detail

Detail

6/7/11

Using creative skills in parenting.

I had a very busy weekend.  Bee had surgery on her wrist last Saturday.  She had a pin put in.  I am feeling very sorry for her, not to mention helpless, so I decided to do whatever I can to make her more comfortable through the healing process.  I thought that maybe some cute slings would be nice.  The ones the hospital gave are ugly and uncomfortable around the back of her neck.

Prototype. I had to make some adjustments to the pattern for this first attempt.  The shape, measurements, and fasteners were a little off.

I also made her a fabric covering for her cast.  She was sad that "they" (Dr., nurse?) put a white one on her arm.  She had been debating about the color (of cast) she wants all week.  It was all that mattered to her.  I understand completely!

 
Her new homemade reversible sling is pretty sweet, if I do say so myself, but I still need to figure out a nice way to make it adjustable without a hideous clip.  I think I'll try buttons on the strap for the next one.  I plan on making more until I get a perfect pattern and solution.  (Because I am craving a problem solving project?)  

She said, "I'm tired of smiling, I'm going to be serious, Mom."    

Since Bee injured her writing wrist, she can't really do much with it.  She tries, but it's too frustrating for her, with everything going on.  I think that with a little more time, her patience will grow, and her misery will soften a bit.  I'm hoping, anyway.  

It's the end of the school year, so it's not too much of a problem for her, and she has friends to help her do what she can't, but there was this one project that was due that she had waited until the last minute to start on.  Of course, she couldn't really do it anymore with her hurt wrist.

I called my own mother for some advice, because I was seriously considering letting her get the two zeros as grades for it.  I felt Bee put me in a position where I had to do something dishonest, and that is against what I am teaching her.  My mom told me that she helped me and my brother do countless projects when we were kids, and that this one time wouldn't/shouldn't teach Bee that dishonestly gets her freebies in life.

So, here is her biome project, crafted completely by me while she read all the information she could find about it on the Internet. 

I tried to make it look like a 10-yr-old did it-was I successful in that?  My drawing professor would be proud!

I thought the clouds were a nice touch...it's a summertime arctic environment.  I did the minimum.  I should have added a predator and a prey, but eh. 

In the end, she presented her biome to her class successfully, and was not permanently traumatized with the humiliation of not having done anything at all.  I told her to say she did everything except gluing and cutting the clouds if anyone asked.  Lies, lies, lies.  *sigh*  Oh well!  I told her this is wrong, but just this time!  

The psychology of that is confusing, I know!  See what happens if you are an educated mother?  It bothers me to know I am sending her mixed messages.  I'm letting it go.  It will be okay.  I was annoyed as I was working on this, until I started using oil pastels on the background!  That part was SO fun.  Can you tell I did the whole thing?  Has there been a time when you had to do your kid's homework for them?

6/2/11

Summer, you are our favorite, always.

With June 1st upon us and only a few weeks left of school, Bee has gone and broken her little wrist. Her right wrist, at that! She was playing softball at school, and ran after a ball in the outfield when she tripped. We were so looking forward to swimming and summer fun-art camps, sewing projects together, guitar lessons, ect, ect,ect!  6-8 weeks with a cast, we are so sad. At least we will have the second half of summer for everything.

Polaroid SX-70, PX-70 Colorshade Push!


We are going to have to do some left-handed art exercises. Some abstract art, and some other things, I have to think... It's too hot to do much here in El Paso during the day. If anyone out there has suggestions for fun indoor summer activities that might not require much 2-handed action, I would be so appreciative. Reading is a given, Bee loves to read, but she needs more.

I was feeling rather nostalgic about our summers together, so I went through some pictures, and chose some favorites to share with you. I think we will manage to make some memories this summer, too, I haven't lost hope, I promise! Here's to making another season under the sun magical.

Holga CFN with Fisheye lens

Holga CFN with Fisheye lens

Holga CFN, filter + color flash

Holga CFN, filter + color flash

Holga CFN

Holga CFN, double exposure

Holga CFN

Holga CFN

Holga CFN


Holga CFN

Lomo LCA

Lomo LCA

TTV

TTV

Polaroid SX-70, 600 film