One More Saturday

Greetings -
Today is the last Saturday of 2012 - a year that went dinging ringing chinging far too slowly and quickly.

Medical bleahs aside - the year held new friends, old truck adventures, and our best garden ever. Or, so far.

I've discovered the great pleasure of an early morning light-box. the rest of the family HATES the brightness. Oh well. Right now they are still abed.

But for me there is oatmeal to eat, tea to drink, and a backpack to prep. Heading for a shift at the Gift Gallery in the Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson, Wisconsin. this facility is well-used year round, and we are lucky to have it within an easy drive.

Here in Stillwater, Minnesota, our Artreach St. Croix building is coming into its own as a center for writers, artists, and performance artists, and class instruction. Ever-changing exhibits are bringing in more and more viewers, and this year has also brought some excellent programs featuring writers, storytellers, musicians on a frequent basis. it's located across from our treasured Stillwater Public Library.

Another Stillwater art doing is the Van Gogh Cafe. After a couple months off, this group of folks interested in learning more about artists should be convening again shortly. Topics vary WIDELY, but each presentation has been well received. Open to all - free free to bop in for a visit. We have been meeting at Valley Booksellers but hosts are looking for possible different location. Google Van Gogh Cafe for more info?

So, on to the day. Book-keeping awaits - oh, goodie! But I'm bring a sketchbook, too. And a good book. Books, books, books.

Oh, there is an excellent hand-made paper/hand-made books exhibit at the Stillwater Library. It will probably be up only for till the end of the month. Inspiring work for us paper and word addicts.

On to 2013 and all it's Grand Adventures! GO PACK!!!!

- Fare-thee-well,
Sue

Using Stuff

This coming year I'm re-newing vow to use the stuff we already have around. This morning I thought there was so little ink in an old Sharpie Marker that the pen could be put to use on one last bear and then tossed away with joy and satisfaction in Job Well Done Old Pen.

Not to be. So a piece of paper is no longer blank, I've learned a lesson in potential, and the pen remains on the table - resting up for it's next adventure.

A day before Christmas I mixed up a batch of molasses cookies for the first time in two years. Lack of ambition and ill health had yielded ZERO cookies last Christmas Season. Not good. This year our ancient vintage old heavy-duty Hamilton Beach mixer came down from the cupboard and roared to life. It whipped those spicy buttery ingredients into shape with speed and efficiency. Appliances made in the 1950's continue to bring Joy to our household. Especially ye olde 2-slice Sunbeam Toaster (1950's) whose bread goes down automatically and come up the perfect golden brown. I have a life-long love of these toasters. My husband thinks I'm nuts. I love their style, toasting, and continued loyalty to the art of toasting.

                              On that note, here's a toast-colored bruin made fresh this morning.

On to the last days of 2012. May 2013 find you where you want to be, or on the journey, path, adventure heading on the way!

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

Remembering

Remembering Pearl harbor Day. Somberly, respectfully.

Remembering Summer Garden 2012. With Joy and Hope for 2013.

Snow and ice are forecast for tonight. It's time for some Stillwater Summer Greenery:

Now we can face Winter head on

And start the planning for unfrozen soil

On to our varied days. Time to frame a custom order, send greeting card orders, and hope for the best for the future. Looking forward to the movie, "The Hobbit." A reading by an 8th grade boy to our 5th grade class of the part where Bilbo and Gollum first mention "My Precious" changed a part of my brain forever.

Like a great tomato will. And Pearl Harbor Day...

Fare-thee-well,

Sue

A Bear for the Day

Greetings -
Too many tiny tasks.
Must remember to tackle them, as stated by Anne Lamott's father, "bird by bird."
 Keeping Lists in small notebooks is a must this days. Just don't start writing in too many notebokks.
AND DO NOT LOSE THESE NOTEBOOKS!!!!!

Sent one Christmas card. Am hoping to have ambition to write witty Christmas letter this year. Last year, well..... adventures, good and bad, were not chronicled.

Here's a Bear for the Day:

Some days that's all you can ask.

Time to get back to organizing greeting car orders and finishing custom work and finding some "Not Really Balanced - Don't Really Care" tees in the basement bins.

Playing excellent jazz all day in honor of the passing of the great Dave Brubeck. Some days are filled with Bach. Today it's Mr. Brubeck's turn.

On to this December and all that it brings - may you find a bit of Play in your day!

Fare-thee-well,
Sue
Our Sue Rowe Studios Facebook page is always willing to take on a few more "Likes". Sitting at 99 - maybe we'll hit 100 before year's end? And who knows the Mysteries waiting in year 2013? Must get back to some Challenges. Suggestions?

Quick Post

Greetings -
For fun, and through a friend's joining, I, too, have become a member of Facebook's Art Abandonment group. Sharing a surprise gift is usually a wonderful thing, and it's amazing to see folks from all over the world doing this sort of thing.

So far, and with the help of cousin Ginny, last Friday, I abandoned a lovely floral greeting card AND a great book on many things botanical, somewhere in Tomahawk, Wisconsin.

This was the day of the Annual Venison Feed - so Todd and I joined the lines of folks waiting for their venison burgers. The morning was gorgeous - and colorful. Lots of camo, blaze orange, and Packer Green and Gold. Two thousand burgers got grilled pretty darned quickly. It was fun chowing down our burgers and chips at an event we'd never hear about - though this was it's 47th year. Hunt safely, mighty hunters!

Am working on a series of quickly-drawn bears, done mostly in the morning, but sometimes while waiting for the chiropractor. (Yes, a whole year of "interesting" health stuff.) But, if you have a small plastic bag with paper, pens, pencils, and the like, it quite amazing what can be scribbled in the "I'll be back in three minutes" time - which may or may not be three minutes.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all. I am thankful that a sister-in-law is hosting the day, and I bought the ingredients for our bit of food to be shared. The squirrels and birds appear to be thankful for the sunflower seeds that they seem to be sharing.

On to our Grand Adventures, and where in the heck did November go?
Scribble if so inclined!

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

Adventures?

Adventures? Mixed emotions. I admire The Adventurers - great and small, but do not feel part of their gang.

I read books about rock climbers, but am too chicken to make phone calls.
I know folks who run marathons. I walk three miles every now and then.
I've seen the tiny boats in which single sailors have crossed huge oceans. I don't feel comfortable in a snug rowboat on calm Lily Lake.
I watch documentary films on world travelers. I have driven alone, in one day, to Colorado Springs, Colorado. Yippee-yi-o.

Some folks FEAR the blank piece of paper. I do not. Here be Adventures!

How people are brave enough to attempt and complete their adventures is always interesting. Daughter, Tara, has been to Japan twice. Loved it. Son, Tyler, took off for Ireland on his own shortly after his twenty-second birthday. Loved it. I fear ordering a plane ticket to Anywhere. But I can now address crowds with little reservation. Fear and shyness have their levels.....

Life remains mysterious. My head is still ringing/feeling like there's  high-speed drill inside. This is it's own Adventure, and soon the trek will be a year in - with no destination in sight. Some days are Bad. Most days are Standable. Many people have given much advise. Some things I've acted on, some things are written down - still to be considered.

But, ever onward. No Adventures scheduled for today. Prepping for some indoor shows and boutiques.  There are a few phone calls to be made. Buck up. Thousands, millions? of people spend their whole days making phone calls. It is what they DO. You scribble bears on paper. You try to make people laugh and consider. You do not paint or maintain those poles that keep our cell phones working. You do not have to float on a tether to repair things in outer-space. You do not have to spend the most of a year in a submarine or on high alert in a war zone. Quit bitching! Have some Fun! Get a massage! Pat people on the back! Suggest ways that folks can enjoy creating! O.K? O.K.

Life is O.K. Hoping your is O.K., too. And as full of adventure as you choose.
On to The Grand Adventure -
Sue

Red Leaf Day

Yesterday the Autumn leaves were raining down in Stillwater. Our back yard is full, but the ones that caught my eye were the tiny red maple leaves in the Walgreens parking lot. I picked up one and another and another. They all had reason to be rescued. They were red, they were small, they called out "Me! Me!" If people were watching I really don't care. It was fun to focus on which few to grab without caring why. Reason set in after taking about 5 or 6; plus, I didn't want to get run over by an innocent sort just wanting to park.

So, off to The Bikery. There, armed with a cup of herbal tea, small sketchbook, bag of colored pencils, and some "you-deserve-it" time, it was time to choose a leaf. Took one with some fret-work in it's body and placed it on the page.

First, I did a few light orange passes to serve as background. Then as it says in the notes - time to Focus. And draw that fine line between wanting to be perfect and letting go of perfection. Remind oneself to observe and make a mark, measure again and make a mark, choose a color and make a mark. It was amazing how quickly the minutes went by. And how complex and beautiful this one small leaf was.

Yes, I did stop to goof off on-line from time to time. But not often and not for long.

Using only six pencils kept decision-making easy. Details were noted and refined. Colors were intensified by layering. Yes, some areas got more attention than others and I missed some open areas in completed drawing. Had to say to self "It's O.K. if it's not perfect." Little Life Lesson: 994002744.

Of course, the day held other plans. But drawing a leaf for an hour and a half was something, too, that needed to be done. And was. Yippee!!!

No, it's not perfect, but it's as finished as it will get. Botanical artists - you have my admiration! Maple trees, ditto! And sole proprietors of small local coffee-shops - hats off to you, too.

Tomorrow (today) holds getting-back-to-real-work, but I will treasure this  time spent in the company of a particular leaf.

 If you need a subject to draw or paint today pick out a leaf, rock, or piece of something that just happens to be nearby. Treat yourself to thirty minutes or an hour focusing on a small drawing. You might learn things you didn't know. (Write these down!) Have fun. Relax. Enjoy. And appreciate Small and Impermanent, now, maybe still Small but a bit more Permanent because you chose to take some I-deserve-to-draw time out in your day. Hooray!

Fare-thee-well,
Sue