Moonshine!

http://effywild.com/moonshine

The ever-wonderful Effy Wild is doing this majorly awesome workshop and I so want to be a part of it! It looks like much fun...hmm...

March - In Like a Lamb, So Far

Wow, it's been a tough couple of weeks. I'm in the midst of a wicked flare (thanks MA for teaching me the meaning of the term "Wicked") and it's been hell. Stress over stuff always blows. One of my kids has nasty cellulitis and I'm worried about that. Worried about taxes. Worried about interpersonal relationships. Worried about money. The usual...LOL.

Anyway, trying to keep the focus of this blog to art and spiritual exploration...that's what Lothian is to me. It's where Gawain was born (possibly). It's a spiritual place in my mind. It's one of those Other Side places where I might reside in some form. My Ka or my Ba or parts of my soul are possibly there.

Check out the mermaids. I had a lot of fun with these! More to come. Between drawing folk art face from my imagination and life drawing, I'm enjoying the process. I'm also attempting to embrace the "Extreme Journaling" concept, but I'm finding my own path.

Anna

Anna

Anna

So, lets add some art. I did some life drawings recently at a Meetup (those are awesome for quick, couple-of-hours of art) which I consider an Art Date for Myself. I'll toss those up and possibly some other stuff.

Ann Bonny

I did a really fast layout that had it's focus on pirates and it's the result of my "Letter in a Bottle" exercise. I have always been fascinated with Ann Bonny.

I did a two page spread on pirates...focused on Ann Bonny, the female pirate out of Charleston, SC. The locals rumors is that she was a debutant from South of Broad - the richest part of town. She fell for the wrong kind of man and took to a life of crime. Her father tried to send her to the plantation he had outside of the city, but she escaped with her lover (possibly Calico Jack Rackham) and went onto a life of crime. Rumor also has it that after she 'escaped' her death sentence for piracy, she returned to 'high society" and to a life of being a wife to her originally intended betrothed. Hmmm...fascinating. I had a past life in Charleston/Bermuda just after the heyday of piracy and it's always fascinated me. Nope, I wasn't Bonny. My last name was Tucker in that lifetime - one of the only ones I've discovered via an indepth past life regression. Irony...I had my youngest son in this life in the hospital founded by my son in that life!

Initiation Extreme Journaling Workshop

An amazing thing happened on the way to the day after...Jule Coles gave me the chance of a lifetime. I signed up for her Quickdraw workshop and she wrote to me and said she was giving me the opportunity to join her in Initiation. Amazing woman. It wasn't the cost difference. The fact that there was $150 there between the said and unsaid was and is huge, but that's the sign that she's an amazing soul...a warm soul. The thing is I've bought stuff from her before - as many of her booklets as I could afford so that I could learn the process, never imagining that I could actually take a workshop with her responding and helping me along the way.

That being said, I found a book months ago...and set it aside for some future altered art book. A book with purpose that hadn't found it yet. I chose to go so far as to even thin it to prep it for future use. One of the first assignments is to start finding pics to collage of your perfect studio. What's amazing about this book was that it's title "Style for Living: how to make where you live you" says it all. It has awesome line drawings of incredibly artful spaces all through it. It was published in the mid 70's so it has yellowing pages yet the brownish ink makes it all the creamier.

I did a face. She turned out to be the green-haired Goddess of the book. On the page opposite, last night, I found some K&Company sea-themed cutouts and found this amazing palm tree. I'd looked through a Rolling Stone that was headed for the garbage and found this crescent moon necklace that was stamped and I tossed it in with a gear ring picture. The palm went alongside this. (Not realizing I was making the SC Flag...). Ghost Adventures was focused on the Charleston City Jail and it's art school in the background and I opened the only travel mag I could find (I bagged up my mags and hid them from myself) and pow! There was a two page article with a map of downtown Charleston. I found other pics that related and before I knew it, I had a collage with 'my' studio. My world.

Using intuition, I started blind and the God/dess said something very important - you are here now. You. Are. Here. Now. Oh...and Begin. I did a prayer page to help me get everything done I need doing and to protect my loved ones. I had already done a page on pain and that's hidden below my beautiful (if far from 'perfect') Goddess.

My art will start popping up here along with some photographs of my world. I need to be mindful and I'll use the camera's eye to find a way to do that. I need to blog. I need to start making this count. I have a wonderful, free opportunity here and it's time.

Sir Gawain

For those of you who know me, you're not surprised I'm fascinated with Sir Gawain. I have studied Celtic lore for over 40 years and I'm 50. I checked out my first books from the library at age six. I've never lost the yearning for the Quest. At present, I'm re-reading "Sir Gawain: Knight of the Goddess" by John Matthews. Sir Gawain is a fascinating book. I'm doing research for NaNoWriMo that starts in three weeks from today and the subject may be a form of Gawain. I can only hope that I can do the subject justice.

A Simple Sunday

Today was a lovely, quiet family day. Watching football with Holly and Sly became the focus or really, playing with Sylvester was my focus. I enjoyed watching him learn - ranging from him using cool little Melissa and Doug tools to saying some states and coloring them on awesome mats to watching him figure out the trigger system on his dad's weed eater (no, it wasn't charged). The most precious moment involved him cuddling me, letting me hold him to me and he used his foot to push off, creating a rocking back and forth as we sat/cuddled together in the floor while I sang nursery rhymes and songs to him. That's like a gift. My soul just glows with love for all of them. I'm a very blessed woman.

Monday

It's been a quiet day. Made an appt. with the CPA for next week and found my errant glucometer. Had a busy weekend, not as busy as the baby who partied two days in a row, one at the Highland Games and the next at his cousin's b'day party. He was wonderful.

I did manage to do a page yesterday related to the Games. On the left and not pictured is an ephemera page related to the games and what I bought for self/family. It was a lovely, warm day. Saw a few friends. It was also wonderful in that family was able to drop me off close to the wonderful shade trees! Oh the joy of listening to bagpipes and seeing the dancers! I heard but couldn't see the caber toss from where I was, but I did enjoy the parade of Clans.

Highland Girl...not the best pic, but, hey! She resides in my journal.

Painting Girls

My watercolor sketchbook is filling up with girls. I plop most of them and the progress on Facebook (Morgan Belinda Watson) and forget that I have a blog that could use some fancying up. So, here goes with a few pics from recent endeavors:

Binding Watercolor Papers

This started out as an adventure to make a watercolor journal for under $24.95 or approximately $15 after a coupon and to have double the paper in the commercial ones. It worked...perhaps not as I wanted, but it worked. I took two 11" x 15" pads to the local Staples to have them cut them in half, use the backboard for covers and bind with at least a 1.5" spiral binding. Ahem. What I got was a "substituted covers" mess and a tight 1" ring. Fortunately, even the manager couldn't figure out why they futzed the job this badly and refunded me for the cost. Somehow they wanted to charge me for cutting each sheet of the much thinner and too small cover product with the cuts costing $2 each.

I didn't invest much in the pads. They were on sale for 50% off so they cost $7 each. The binding should've cost no more than $6 each. So, for $13, I was going to have heavy covers, 60 sheets of a usable 7" x 11", 140-lb, watercolor page and the ability to decorate the covers to the high heavens. For folks old enough to know what that phrase means, it means "wildly" to me.

Instead, "Nick" substituted thin cardboard and bound the paper too tightly. Yes, I could un-spiral the bind and remove paper...but I'm risking damaging the spiral itself to do this since he cut it sooooo damn short it can't be bent back to hold. Why use 1" binding spirals on thick stacks of paper? Ugh!

Anyway, I did end up with two journals, sadly for free since they messed up the cuts and binding so much that even "Dan" (General Manager) didn't just refund the extra money for cuts I didn't order, but for the whole thing since it was pretty obvious that it was a mess. The key here is I had them note on the order to call me if there was a problem or any added costs. If you decide to make any of these for yourself since they cost so much less than buying two $25 journals to equate to each one, make sure you ask your copy store to put that on the order form.

In the end I have two, futzy, 60 page journals. I'm going to try to strengthen the covers, form some sort of a wrap-around covering for the bulging pages. All-in-all, I'd go back to Office Max where they seem to be able to do this sort of thing. Good news is, for around $13, you can have double the paper, bound with a cover of your choice, awesome watercolor journal...if you choose your office supply store carefully.

And, if you're so inclined, you could mix it up with wonderful, heavy scrap paper to give yourself some  already-made backgrounds...just for fun and inspiration!

The 20 Min. Pic

Another Face...20 Minutes

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151133536422435&set=a.10150241893682435.337692.563677434&type=3&theater

This one took 20 minutes. Too bad she's slightly cross-eyed. I was too lazy to fix!

Fantasy Princess

A lazy Sunday afternoon's fun.

I did a couple of paintings today in my new watercolor sketchbook that I had Staples make...more on that disaster later.

The Vintage Moth is the place for awesome copyright free images and info on other sites with the same. I have imagined at least 10 projects from just what I've seen tonight. Inspirations for things such as calligraphy, sketching, and collage await. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Girl

Go here to see the pic: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151081011097435&set=a.399942277434.175732.563677434&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nf

Sick. Spaghetti Girl Drawing

I've felt cruddy for a week. Weaned off of Celexa and since I'd done this once before, I thought, hey! No problems. Well, the nausea and accompanying "flu-like symptoms" came, waxed and waned and I figured they'd wane for good after a week. It's 10 days out and last night I was in Urgent Care getting fluids and Phenergan IV from vomiting. Today has been better, but I've also taken Phenergan p.o. and felt slightly just out of body all day. My WBC's were up and so, there's the distinct possibility that my 'discontinuation syndrome' was also a sneaky wicked case of the stomach flu. Bleh. I've kept down gentle food today (chicken noodle soup, banana, crackers) and I am feeling better. Here's to hoping it lasts! So, as far as proud things for this week, since Effy Wild is doing a Swoon section on her blog, I only have this sketch and it's kinda old. It was made during the nine minutes the spaghetti was boiling, so she's Spaghetti Girl. Suzi Blu's "Soul Garden" class is starting sometime today. Thought it was 4:00 EST as was announced on one area of the classroom, but then it said 4:30...and is that CST? It's no biggie. Might have to nap through it. Wanted to use it to distract, but I'm pretty wimpy. Got one project done for myself, but can't go farther without info, so I'm waiting on a text or call. Anyway, my crazily decorated hardcover journal became my Soul Garden planner over the three ring binder and that's the way of it. Startled me. Also, if anyone sees it, it'll never pass for a planner, monthly or life. It has Aphordite IX on the front and Spawn on the back from a 2000 Previews. I'm sure it'll be arted and tarted more, but for now, it's not blank. I should capture a pic of it and use it for swooniness, but nah. Partially naked red women and Spawn just aren't the 'kitchy' pink and greenness of Soul Garden. TTFN. Damn, I missed Amber last night. Had such plans!!!

Neglectful Wench

I so neglect my blog...I'm not a huge FB'er like so many friends and family. I don't live via my iPhone and sometimes, I even feel guilty. But! Huge butt, but it's getting smaller...size 14-16 right now... I have been working on a huge granny blanket for Suzi Blu and I'm three squares from finishing. I have to sew it all together and do lots of awesome border around it, but I'm really pleased how the squares turned out. Half are solid squares, some are miter squares, some are grannies...and there are over 40 colors in it!

Note the awesome grandson in the pic. He helped me pick them all up and replace them in the project bag. I love him outrageously! I've drawn faces, working on Ady's Junk Journal class, waiting on Suzi to start her August the 1st class on keeping a date book/altered day minder...falling in love with classes I can't afford or have the willpower to do! Normal Morgan stuff. Amber is back! In less than a week, I will be Jesse for a few hours...and if I don't make some decisions, I'll still be the luckiest Amberite of them all. ART makes me feel good, even if I have to make it from my bed. Make something today. I promise you'll feel better. It won't take the pain away, but it momentarily dulls it. Or meditate! Mediation will give you a few blissful moments of peace. Blessings to all!

Crayolas!

So, bored, crayolas, cheapie watercolors and Reeves (cheapier) wax crayons. Do I have better tools? Yes. Was this fun! Yes!

Fodder

This week is all about procrastination and fodder. I'm killing two birds with one stone. I'm going through all of my mail, turning everything not associated with what I want into journal fodder and art layers for backgrounds, saving some of it for little books I'll make, and the rest is being recycled. I've never done this before, turning junk mail into fodder, but it's highly recommended. I also found a great biology book to decimate and I'm currently catching up with magazine pics in my portable file for use with art journaling and scrapbooking. 


Got both of my knees stuck with goo for the final five of five visit at the rheumatologist's office and hopefully that's it for six months! Pain to reduce pain later. It's a fair trade. Also, these injections keep me out of the OR for knee replacement so far. 


I'm still working on faces and venturing into the human body a bit. Wish me luck with my thousands of ideas and a daily fight with procrastination!


Canvasses and journals await! I've got two pages prepped for my novel ideas altered art journal and five other journals in the making. Enough jabbering. I'm going back to action! 

BOOK OF DAYS!

I have found a wonderful art site called Book of Days by Effy Wild. Book of Days is a yearlong process that you can begin at any time and it's full of vids and .pdfs and tons of fun. I was shocked at the amazing amount of content. Where most classes that I've taken have, at most, one video per week or some, like Lifebook (which I love...) has a formal class every two weeks with interviews and such in between, Effy manages at least two videos a week and has Ustream/LiveStream once weekly and contains another adventure within the premium program for yet another video a week!

Amazing...

Most amazing of all, she has a large amt of content online for Basic Members who can follow along if they can't afford either the low monthly fee or the deal coming in June!

Her spreads are awesome. Her girls are beautiful. The content is great. (Yes, I can go on, but just go there and see! http://bookofdays.org)