Move-in day at Yale University

Waiting curbside for Ezra Stiles students to help her up to the 5th floor! :)

Waiting outside the Yale President's house for the reception to begin.

Caitlin and her wonderful, dedicated, and all-around amazing DAD!

We spent a wonderful weekend in New Haven, Connecticut helping our daughter move into her Yale college, Ezra Stiles, which is located in the Old Campus section (Lawrance Hall) for the freshman year. The weather was fabulous, and the memories made will last a lifetime. Best wishes to you sweet girl as you begin your studies this coming week. :) And best of luck on those violin auditions as well. You rock! xoxoxo

Peonies

This morning the green fists of the peonies are getting ready

to break my heart

as the sun rises,

as the sun strokes them with his old, buttery fingers...

... from the poem "Peonies" by Mary Oliver

Peonies... colored pencil and graphite

the muse

I'm finding it difficult to produce anything creative this past week. I suppose my mind is distracted on the college events that are unfolding--so much to do! I imagine it will be easier next year; we will be veterans, and the packing and shipping won't be as daunting.

For  now, I will have to settle for this quick graphite and colored pencil sketch in the moleskine to start off my day.

The music room

Our music room will be quiet in between college breaks. We will miss the Bach, Sibelius, and original music compositions that have filled our house throughout the years. Our private concerts were always a special treat. We are excited for our daughter as she begins a new chapter in her life. We've truly been spoiled beyond measure.

This weekend we enjoyed some time with family and friends at my Mom and Dad's house, saying good-bye and enjoying the excitement of new beginnings. Go Bulldogs! :)

part of me

Composition Notebook Journal

To my daughter,

I write and glue and wonder if it will even make sense someday. Surely some of what I leave for you will be a mystery I suppose. But there may be answers within these pages. There will always be an attempt at something beautiful, even in pain or confusion. Some days I admit, I could not find the right words, so I chose collage--a tapestry of images I had to borrow. Some days the message came from inside me, and it was possible to draw or sketch or paint what was there. Some days I skipped the act of recording entirely, for words and images failed to materialize. Rarely will you find angst or anger, for I have no need to make such emotions permanent. I have found that negative emotions fade quickly in light of the beautiful world God has given me to enjoy. I hope you will find these journals comforting someday. Inspiring? I don't know. Some entries are mundane, others may exhibit more depth and sensitivity. But each one is real--a reflection of me. And I am so blessed that you have loved me completely, all of me. Thank you.

Love,

Mom

oil pastel landscape

Oil pastels feel big and clunky in my hands, but once I give them some due attention in the studio, I end up enjoying their chunky color and unique blending properties. Of course it is difficult to use them in the smaller moleskine, but that is what I attempted this morning because I didn't want to tackle anything too large. The smooth moleskine paper makes the oil pastels smear effortlessly. Not sure if I like the texture between the paper and the oil stick though, as it is quite slick.

I'm going to get out some vellum and do some other studies on various types of paper. I read about a mixed media technique using oil pastels, pencil, and ink in a book entitled, The Pastel Book, by Bill Creevy. He uses a unique oil pastel though, one which dries to a hard finish rather quickly, allowing you to work back into the oil layer with more ink. Unfortunately, I have a cheap set of oil pastels, which I believe makes this particular technique impossible. I was able to work back into mine with graphite. I will have to check out the ones he mentioned, the Edding 650 Grafic Painters. I think they are oil "sticks" and not oil "pastels"--so many terms! But it's all fun.

abstract forms

Abstract mini studies are my favorite way to jump into art, especially when the day offers no concrete plan for either journal spreads or actual full-size paintings. I'm happy if I can at least accomplish one or two of these as I rush around handling the never-ending "to do" list.

college prep

No more playing in the woods of North Carolina! Today is college errand and shopping day. We are seriously getting closer to the Yale start date, and there are a lot of things to purchase and get in order. I have woken up the sleeping beauty early this morning, and we are heading out to get something productive accomplished! I have my LIST!!!!! :)

road sketches

                                       

We spent the weekend on the road to Greensboro, NC to pick up our daughter from Eastern Music Festival. It was a nice opportunity for me to sketch along the way. With Botti and Bocelli playing in the car stereo, I enjoyed capturing a bit of the road scenes through South Carolina while Jeff handled the driving.

The trip back on Sunday was brutal, as we drove straight through from North Carolina to Central Florida. It sure was nice to get out of the car and be in our own house and sleep in our own bed. :)