Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

in memory of Dad

  I think I have my head swirling about. I told myself that today I don't have to DO... just BE. I've been running around so much I kind of feel like I am in a whirlpool. I wanted to make some hot glue stencils but can't find the glue sticks. Found the glue GUN though.

Thinking about my dad. The things he created-- anything wooden. Furniture. Buildings. a house! He and my mother designed it and were their own contractor.  He made the house with cement block. Plenty of wood in it though. He made the most beautiful exposed aggregate sidewalk.  A greenhouse. a couple tree houses. A barn. A chicken coop within the barn. Walls, doors. Shelves.

My uncle Lloyd loved to do stained glass, and my dad did some of that. He painted ceramics. He built a wooden car. Made toys. He taught my children (those who wanted to learn!) the basics of wood working. They helped him build walls, a tree house, a doll house.

It didn't dawn on me until recently that my father was an artist. He made the most amazing garden at the facility where he lived. When he could no longer garden, he made photo albums of activities, pets, people... and of course the garden He inspired other people to get involved too.

Inspiration for my journal page. Picture to follow when it is dry and photographed.



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Tuesday, April 14, 2015

motivation and art

Wanting to do some creating other than washcloths. I mean, that's good, but it isn't really expressing anything, it is just distracting myself from the stresses of my life. Today I gathered prompts. There was an idea expressed on Art Journal Junkies facebook group to decorate a deck of cards and then put prompt words on each card. Then when stuck, grab a few cards and get going. Then I found some sentence prompts, here: http://www.blacksburgbelle.com/2010/10/50-art-journal-prompts/

Today I went to help my mom with the display about my father. She has some wonderful things lined up to display. I think my favorite is his Bible-- an old, tattered thing. My dad was not a Bible scholar, but he was a seeker, and lived his faith by loving people and helping them cope with Getting Old and having to Live in a Facility. Along the way, he did stained glass, ceramics, and a LOT of creating with wood, including chicken coops, a barn, fences, tree houses, furniture, and a house. And gardened. And gardened. Fruit, vegetables, and glorious flowers.

Remembering. Joy and sorrow mixed.

So tonight I will clear off the table, wash the dishes, declutter the living room.... and go to bed early. And tomorrow, some art journaling. About my father. His compassion, his loving. His faith, his actions.

Dad, I miss you.


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About Me

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just a crafty grandma experimenting with all sorts of things. My main interests are paper craft of any kind and quilting/sewing. But I've done leatherwork, polymer clay, on-the-wheel pottery, painted molded ceramics, papier mache, stained glass, plaster casting, linoleum printing, paper making... you name it, I've probably tried it. A few I actually stuck with. :)