Mimi’s toys, thrift store acrylic paints on 9″x12″ canvas panel

On the occasion of our second visit, I did a painting of Mimi’s toys as a thank-you gift. Very limited selection of paints, a fun challenge.

Some drawings of Reality, drawing from photographs, and portraiture.

I’m still not walking, so I am focused on cementing a near-daily drawing practice.

I did get my boots on, though, and went to town last week to get my new phone set up.

I did these drawings in my bound sketchbook of Carlos (my portrait sketch teacher), and a profile from the Sketchbook Skool workshop. Wow, really difficult.

Years ago — I remember Clamity Jen handing me the sticker on the page that says XXXV, so that is the year 2000 — I started a drawing of the big oak tree at the Browns Valley Aerodrome campground, site of the not-quite yearly Memorial Day weekend music party known as Meadow Muffin.. Layers later, it is finally done. Trees are hard! Until you know how.

Started in 1975 as a birthday party/music festival, MM2000/XXXV was the first year I attended. The Cavepainters played, it was 10 years into my relationship with Stevie, I was not in the band then, and he was singing lead but not playing guitar. The recording of this gig (engineered by Matt Parker) was/is the quintessential Cavepainters recording, with Stevie in fine voice, John Havard and Ed Wray trading leads, Rick Purcell on keyboard bass, Scott-T on drums.

Photo, to follow, somehow. I would put a link here to Travels With Stevie, but there are no photos there, either. Somehow I have to get back into my photo flow, archives, old PC, whatever it takes.

I copied a series of fox and owl studies from my animal character Instructor Kevin W. Marvelous expression of demeanor and life.

I am working at putting together the animal band. There are some jazz cats that live next door when the Brementown Musicians end up moving into a house after a confrontation with some ne’er-do-wells in another town, which is how the story goes. It is a mis-translation, they are actually a singing troupe. I have never seen an indication that they played instruments. However, once they start hanging out in this house there is a porch, and a banjo, and bongos . . . etc. And a white mouserat, with wine. Why not.

week 3, Santa Rosa, CA

Here I am in bed in the guest room at mimi’s house, resting and drawing; or walker-ing to the bathroom, or the breakfast room, to the couch to watch movies, or out to the garden. Mimi likes to take care of us–and Art gets a break from running up and down the house bringing me things.

Did I mention I got x-rays? oy. Two fractures, minimally displaced. What a shock . . after three weeks in bed.

We are the Wholeness. Love, Beauty, Creativity.

CoQ10, Vitamin C, homeopathy.

I asked Mimi for some toys to draw, so she put them all over my bed. I drew the Japanese porcelain cat, the longy-leggy doll, and the bendy frog with Derwent watercolor pencils, in the messy, wrinkly, spiral bound sketchbook. So fun to draw in..

My Instructor KW suggested the Brementown Stuffies should play instruments, so I drew up Alliger pretending to trumpet like a cartoon elephant, and added watercolor, brush pen, white signo pen.

Kids books have alligators.

Here are some Richard Scarry illustrations from, I think, 1951?

Books and toys from Mimi’s collection, except for Aliger, from my imagination.

I am still immobilized by my bad fall and sprain, so celebrating my birthday month in Canyon, passing time with toy animals and cake. We expect to go visit Mimi in a few days so Art can get some downtime. He has been running up and down the stairs to bring me frequent snacks and coffee and other attentions.

Here is a portrait i painted of the new birthday possum I ordered from Mr. Mopps and had Art go to town to pick up–taking umbrage at being asked to play an instruments for Brementown. We are singers, he say, mistranslation.

Here are ideas for a puppy crittur, some cats based on Kevin W. sketches, and two origami pterosaurs to use as models for a predatory character.

On Monday April 26 at about 11 AM I lost my balance, pivoted 180 degrees, and fell into a hole, badly spraining my right ankle. Suddenly I am immobile, and more isolated that before. Luckily I was in Canyon- I tried to crawl but couldn’t move. I yelled and yelled until Art heard me, and came out to lift me up and carry me to the house.

I have been laid up in bed, being taken care of, well fed with healthy food; and, obviously, unable to work. Pluto stationing, heading back into my 11th house, Mercury and Venus piled up on my natal sun- Whew, I just narrowly escaped having to plan a 70th covid-tinged birthday gathering.

I am sketching a bit in my (s)crappy sketchbook, and it is really fun and soothing. I just found this little metal case, very handy for a small drawing kit. No drugs, no pain killers, I just here with my tools and a big freaking cake . . .

My sentiments exactly

I have a number of online classes I signed up for and not done much with. There is one that I have found approachable because the instructor’s demeanor is approachable, mild, funny, not at all intimidating . . . creating animal characters for storybooks. I have some critters around that I am drawing- little bigfoot, my stuffed animals as the Brementown Musicians, and some random animals around the studio.

For a Saturday class with David Pyle last January I bought some more colors, some half pans, and a thrift store snack plate, maybe even a new brush, but heck if I can find the painting I did . . . Gratitude in the small things. Chicken pie, rain, self care. Some things are just too heavy.

Moving forward with the creating animal characters course, it seems to be something I always wanted to do, animal portraits, but, a story? Human portraits, figure drawing, I don’t know. I’m just wandering in the wilderness. The plan for April is to not work so hard.

It’s a painful anniversary. Move along, nothing to see here.

I was gifted a sume-i kit, I just can’t seem to situate myself into doing calligraphy. Something about the edge of this round table, maybe the chair is too low. Enjoying the idea of vermillion. I have other brushes, ink, stone, paper. I had a harsh day, had to use black ink to cover a page in my journal.

Sorting things out is the MOST CREATIVE thing I can do, it reveals lost and forgotten projects and motivations, brings things together that I hadn’t seen before. Cleaning up is what I do best.

Moving studio, moving furniture, it is my true calling. Elderberry, Ashwaganda, all sound good to me, but get ferocious pushback on social media, I just don’t have any desire to associate with humans. Letting go, watching it unfold. Line jumping, parallel worlds, manifesting an upward spiral; I prefer solitude to having my boundaries violated. An online art class, tho, is almost like having a social life, and I can sneak out any time I like. Oops, lost signal, call back later.

March 2021

I had a lovely hike with my friend the homeopath. We were able to rant and outgas our outrage at the various effects of Stupid19, which seems to have become the new #metoo. Afterward I saw this photograph in a local tabloid and tweaked it a bit. Apologies to George Floyd.

It is astonishing to me how every new mind-control trend sweeps away any and all previous fads, and obliterates discernment in people I once thought anti-corporate and self-autonomous.

The Shattuck Theater re-opened, with re-strictions, so Art and I went downtown and saw a movie- Nomadland. No hot dogs at the concession, and pre-poured, one-size-only popcorn, $6. Here are some items of beauty I found on the street. The chair is what I believe to be in the Eastlake (victorian era) style, matching the hardware in my house of that period. I intend to reupholster it, sans springs, but saving the horse hair.