Up Close and Personal
You saw her on FaceBook standing in the sun. Doing what a donkey does best. I squatted down to get a better angle. And then I called to her.
And she came.
She kept coming. And coming. Faster than I would’ve thought.
Oops…
Hay Girl
You know those pony pictures I’ve been posting every day over on FaceBook? Well, you ever wonder why I’m always wearing the same thing, depending on the weather?
Like this…da blue hoodie. Actually I have a couple of these because I like love them so much. If they were a couple of guys I would marry them. Both. At the same time. They are that wonderful. Soft. Warm. Comforting. They make my heart go pitter-pat because they are so perfect.
Like mashed potatoes.
But let’s get back to the question… why don’t I change up my outfit for the photos? Why do I put myself out there for the world to see dressed in my KMart men’s department baggy old sweatshirt?
This is why. Because hay. is. messy. I can shake and jump and brush it but it never fully comes off.
Just works it’s way in deeper. Like what it did to this scarf. I fed the ponies a little later that day, on my way to work. Whenever I do that it means I bring it with me to work, picking it out of my hair and clothes all day. Leaving little trails of hay bits behind me wherever I go.
Like on my chair. I discovered this first thing one morning, left over from the day before.
Well, as Mama used to say about damn near everything, that’s the scoop. That’s the reason you see me wearing the same blue hoodie in most all the pony pictures.
Monday Morning Lana
You may have already seen her on Facebook this morning, my sweet old lady.
Ha! Who am I kidding? There’s nothing sweet about her, at 33 she’s a kick ass pony. Always has been. Full of P&V. Piss & vinegar for those of you who weren’t raised by my Dad.
And no, she’s not skinny. She’s just old, at that age where the back sways and the hips jut out. But beautiful. Still beautiful.
I took this photo from an interesting perspective. I held the camera up over head and just shot. Didn’t realize what I had until I checked it out on the computer later on. She’s muddy and messy so I threw on some pretty colors.
See, this was from the usual perspective. I wanted something different.
And just because you came all the way over here to see today’s pony pics here’s one more, a sure sign spring is just around the corner.
Ponies in the Morning
We’ve been together a long time, two horses, a donkey and moi.
We’re all getting old. One of the horses is at the DMD stage, damn near dead. Except even at the overripe age of 33 she’s as healthy as, well, a horse.
The other one isn’t far behind. At 26 he’s pushing the age thing. And the last few years he’s had skin problems that make his life miserable every summer.
The donkey came to me as a rescue 13 years ago. I knew she had issues but I signed on for the duration. At 17 she’s the baby of the bunch. Just recently her gray coat has begun showing signs of the other kind of gray.
Just like me.
Last month I began taking their photographs every day. It was an exercise for Catherine Just’s Soul*full eCourse. I signed up for the class because I love love love love LOVE Catherine’s photography. And philosophy. And great big BEAUTIFUL heart.
This is not your average photography class. The word aperture has not been mentioned once. Then again, with a tagline of deepen your mind*body*spirit connection what was I expecting?
I wasn’t expecting to resume my long dormant daily meditation practice. Or take up Qi Gong again. I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with my gray hair or to feel comfortable enough in my own skin to take self-portraits.
Often. Like every time I whip out the camera. Just because I can.
Even though I always did my best to avoid being photographed. Even though I cringed at the toll age has taken on my face.
The first week of class we were given an assignment to photograph something in our daily life. And to keep photographing it every day. I decided to photograph the horses every morning when I fed them. Simple enough. Throw the iPhone in my pocket, snap a few pictures, post ’em online.
But it turned into something much more than that. First I began arting them up in one app or another, turning snapshots into something more interesting. And I began including myself in many of the photos. My first thing in the morning self. Pre-shower. Pre-coffee. Sleepy eyes, puffy face, uncombed hair and all SELF.
And as I documented this ritual, as I studied the images, I realized I was falling in love all over again. In love with old horses who will break my heart soon enough.
And in love with myself. Because I’m no longer afraid to love old horses. Or anyone else.
You can see more of these photos on my FaceBook page. And if you like what you see, please share with your friends. And say hello in the comments below. I love to hear what you have to say. As always, heart emoticons here. xoxoxo
Creative Oh!
Oh my sweetums…I have been to the moooooon and back this week. An over the top orgy of creative bliss.
I have painted. Waxed. Manipulated. With more than one medium. Sometimes more than one at a time. That’s right, a little Arty Life love bunny flitting from one creative satisfaction to another. Loving ’em all passionately. Moving on to the next in line while leaving the first out to dry. Or download. Or set up. Or percolate in my brain.
And now I’m kickin’ back in the living room, feet on the furniture. Sated. Purring like a twenty year old heroine in a trashy novel. If I could talk to that girl, the one in that novel I’d say, “Oh honey, it gets even better than that. Trust me. Someday you will discover the Arty G Spot, the one between your ears, and life will never be the same.”
At least I hope she does.
This is a tease, a look behind the scenes at some well used oil and wax toys. (No comment. Do NOT go there!!!) I’m currently working on five panels, none of which are in the show-to-the-public-stage yet. They’re shy, y’know. Perhaps next week, when our relationship is more developed.
And here’s a peek at what else I’ve been doing this week. There are many many MANY more.
This is where painting and I parted ways. This, my dearies, is a digital manipulation of a photograph. Imagine that!
As is this, today’s (and every days’) contribution to the pony series.
And (arrow pointing down) the oh so DRAMATIC self-portrait!
Which has not so dramatic roots….
Holy crappola, Batman! She’s finding inspiration in the work place potty! Which only goes to show there ARE no boundaries to inspiration.
But wait–there’s MORE!!!
Remember last week when I said Arty Life will be undergoing a transformation? That’s still in the works. Or in my brain thinking about being in the works. Which is almost the same thing in my world. I have great plans afoot, including, but not limited to, digital magic! Which is why I did not explain any of the apps I used up above. That will come in time. More detailed than I can do right now. So keep checking in. I’m thinking around Valentine’s Day for the grand unveiling. And then I realized that’s only two weeks away. So maybe not. But soon, I promise.
As always, looking forward to hearing from you in the comments. If you have any suggestions, things you’d like to see covered in the new! improved! Arty Life!!! be sure to tell me.
XO my best beloveds. Till next week. Or the comments. Whichever comes first.
Me and My Shadow
Ode to the sun.
Oh my sweetums, life is PERFECT! Yes indeed, perfect because the sun thesunthesun, that big old thing that lights up the days as we spin around in space…the SUN is showing her lovely face around these parts again.
And filling my heart with gladness, yes indeed.
Even though the days are short and continue to grow shorter (Boo! Hiss!) as we head towards the solstice, the storms and wretched dreary days of last week are GONE. Poof, just like that. YAY!!! They’ve moved on and taken their howling winds and fierce rains elsewhere.
Winds that kept me awake through the night, wondering if I would EVER see my children again. Seriously, I almost got up and wrote them LETTERS, farewell, my lovlies… but didn’t…because that might tempt the universe to dump a tree on the house.
Along with the wind came the rain. The heavens opened up and dumped over a foot of water over a few soggy days. The river rose high and ran crazy wild. And tera was no longer firma, just muddy soup.
The dogs planted themselves at the door as the water spill over the gutters and said, We’re not fools, we’ll pee in the house.
But now the rain, the wind are gone. Done. The dogs are doing their business outside.
And all is right with the world because the sun is back, the light is brilliant. And there’s a wee bit o’warmth beyond the late autumn chill.
But it’s the shadows that grab my arty heart.
The way the light comes through the curtains.
And bends Nana’s rocker around the corner.
The way it caresses the oaks in Mama’s grove.
And muffles shadow chimes silent against the wall.
But mostly because it gives me long long legs for dancing in the grass.
I hope wherever you are, the sun is shining today.
Oh, and hey…if you haven’t seen it yet, check out the video I made last week. I seem to have struck a creative chord with that one, it’s had quite a few FaceBook shares already. If you like it, please do me a favor and and tell your friends. You can find it on my website as well as my FaceBook page.