Please Forgive the Lapse in Posting...and thank you Judy!!

I'm so sorry I haven't been posting lately.

I've been dealing with some major issues with the Meniere's Disease.  Vertigo nearly every day, has severely limited what I can do.  I have drawn some, worked on some things in progress, ect....but I need to scan them, and that I haven't gotten to.

I'm having Surgery on Thursday, December 1st.  This surgery will hopefully help with the vertigo.  If it doesn't stop it, it will at least hopefully slow it down quite a bit.

Judy Westerfield

Max!

I would like to thank Judy Westerfield and Max over at Creativity to the Max, for the encouragement and healing wishes, and for putting up a post featuring Mr. Notgoodenuf, you may remember him from a previous post.

Here is a link to her post.  She is the therapist who suggested this exercise, so hearing her take on Mr. Notgoodenuf, was thrilling.
http://judithwesterfield.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/mr-notgoodenuf-shows-his-face/comment-page-1/#comment-3361

I promise to post some of my recent work soon...very soon...I don't feel I've been as prolific as I was being, but I've made some strides, and some set backs, but that just shows I still have much to learn.   And I'm going to have fun doing it!!!

Hope you are all enjoying this holiday season.

AEDM 5 - Letting go of the Inner Critic

My friend Judith Westerfield has a wonderful blog called Creativity to the Max.

Judy is a licensed Marriage, Family Therapist, Certified Clinical Hypnosis and Guided Imagery Therapist.

She teaches workshops in Creative Therapeutic Expression.  (I wish I lived close enough to attend them!)

Luckily for us she has a page on her blog for Tutorials.  I love going to her Tutorials page and letting myself go.

Last night I worked on Funsson Lesson #1.

Getting Rid my INNERTIC (Inner + Critic = Innertic) - 

For detailed instructions please see Judith's Tutorial page....plus you'll find lot's of other creative endeavors you can work on.

First she gives you instructions on how to create your INNERTIC, then comes the therapeutic part....

This is my INNERTIC:

My Innertic, "Mr. Notgoodenuf"
With messages I have for him written all around.

When you finish drawing out your Innertic, you finish it off.  First tell it off!  Write words and phrases that you want to tell your inner critic...hurt his feelings - make him leave you alone.

Next you destroy him!  That's right, scribble all over him, tear him up, heck...feed him to a goat!  (not one of Judith's suggestions, but if I had a goat that's what I'd do.)  

Get rid of your Innertic.

If he starts coming around again...repeat this exercise.

Free yourself from your inner critic!

This post is part of Art Every Day Month and NaBloPoMo..

Many Days to Catch Up On Aug 21 - 25, 2011

The day before having my procedure I decided to attempt a contour drawing.
In a contour drawing one only draws the outline of the object, very slowly, trying to feel the object.  A blind contour drawing is one step up from this.  You draw the object very slowly, while never looking at your page.  You never take your eyes away from the object.
In this exercise I started working on a blind contour, but will admit I had a hard time keeping my eye off the page.  When I finished, it just didn't look finished.  I should have taken a photo at this point, but I decided to alter the drawing a bit.  I added the inner lines, and some color.
This little stuffed animal, makes me smile.  I just couldn't leave him all naked with no expression.  He has such life, I had to share it with all of you.

Monkey, Monkey, Monkey!


The night after I came home from the hospital I decided to draw what was on my nightstand.  I was still a bit loopy, so please understand this is not in proportion.  I'm still re-learning to draw what I see, instead of what my brain is interpreting.

After Surgery Aug 22, 2011

I created 3 paintings on ArtRage this week, but I can't figure out how to post them.  How did I post the water color of Sandy?  Perhaps my husband can figure it out when he gets home.  If not, I'll try and take a photo of the computer screen...can't imagine that will work very well....but I can try.

Today, I am working on Mandala's. (Just coloring in Mandala's that someone else has created.  But, it is relieving stress, and it's fun!) I've been drawing out one of my one, and it has been giving me much joy, however, it is taking a bit of time to complete.  (I just keep changing my mind.)  Here's the partially completed version:

You can see, it has a long way to go!


Until I can figure out how to post those paintings I created on ArtRage, I guess, that's all for today.  Hopefully, I will be able to get those 3 paintings posted.  If not, I don't think I'll be using this program again.  Not even the demo version.  Humph.  


I hope you enjoyed these creations.
Please share with me what you are doing!
Remember!  Create Art!  Have Fun! Feel Better!
I realized the other night when I was drawing the mandala, that I felt better.  I had been in a lot of pain all day.  Horrific headaches, my back was very sore from the procedure....but when I was drawing that simple little circle...I felt better.


If you are curious about the procedure I had on Monday, I posted a play by play with photos on my other blog.  Picnic with Ants here's the link to that specific post: http://picnicwithants.wordpress.com/2011/08/25/cerebrospinal-fluid-patches-with-tisseel-a-photo-journey/

If you have any questions, please ask.
If you'd like more details about the art projects I'm doing, please let me know.  I'm not sure how much is too much, or too little to be interesting.


Is there anything you'd like to see here?

When I'm feeling a bit better, I will be doing some collages, masks, out door sketches, figure drawing (in a number of ways)...but mostly I plan to concentrate on putting down my feelings in my art, each and every day.  The number one thing I want to accomplish is a drawing journal.

But I want to help you get through your stuck times too.  We're in this together!

wendy 

Two Days of Doodling

Yesterday I had a particularly bad day.  But I did manage to doodle a little.  However, I did not open my computer.  So today, you get two days worth!  (or more!)

My dog, Sandy, is a very important part of my life.  She will be 18 this year.  She has bladder cancer,  we were told in July 2010, that she had 6 months to a year to live.  As of now, she is still going strong!  She has a few minor issues, but what lady doesn't at her age?

Can you tell that I was doodling while watching TV?  Can you guess what I was watching?  
Could that be the Doctor?
Yes, I am a Doctor Who fan.

A Doodle of things I've been doing lately.  Mostly sketching and reading.

Some interesting books I've been reading...or re-reading...These are great for inspiration!

Polka Dots Can Be Fun

My nails, Purple with bright green polka dots.

For the past month..or a little longer..I haven't been able to do much.  Stay in bed, stay on the couch....keeping horizontal most of the time.  (this seems to help the symptoms right now)

A good thing that has come from this?  I have beautiful finger nails right now!  I mentioned this to a friend and he said to paint them Purple!  I went a step further.

It just has to make you smile to think that a 48 year old woman has purple finger nails with bright green polka dots!


(and I was able to do all of this while lying on the couch)

Day 2 - An Evil Goblin In my Head

I have Meniere's Disease.  Lately, it has been controlling most of my life.

This day, I was having a particularly bad day....

This is a drawing of Mr. M.  He lives in my head.  Some days I don't even notice he is there, other days, there is no way to ignore him.

Looks Evil Doesn't He?

A more detailed Sketch of the Mr. M's Head.

These are a few of the devices he uses to torture me.

Perhaps Mr. M isn't really an Evil Goblin.  Maybe, he doesn't know that he is putting me through Hell?

If you have a friendly goblin, gnome, elf, brownie.....anyone, who speaks goblin, I would appreciate it if you could kindly ask Mr. M to find a new home.  

If I could Evict the Creap myself, he'd be on the street!!