Tired, But Onward

 It is easy to be too tired to right the world. I’ll be 72 in June. I do get tired. I take an afternoon rest now in between my working sessions. It restores me to go forward with my day. I work six days a week to run my own business. Most of my peers are retired, doing as they please. I’ll never retire. I like painting.

 It is very easy to be tired of the politics swirling around us. I no longer watch much of the news, as it is depressing for me. Politics wears us down into numbness. Left, right, or moderate, there are always going to be ugly politics. I would like it if more people studied history. I have learned that in every era of politics, there have been ugly, nefarious plots going on. There have been incompetents running the world since the cave men. I don’t think our thoughts and actions should be about our political persuasions.

 Instead, they should be about the business of being decent, honest and kind  toward each other. I have many conservative friends. We treat each other with respect, find common interests, and value our friendships. We find ways to improve our little part of the world together, without politics.

 It is easy to wring our hands about the ills of the world and do nothing. It is too easy to ignore bad behavior, instead of making an effort to behave honorably ourselves. Every kindness we extend matters. Every bit of respect and positive effort we give matters. Every penny we donate to positive and decent organizations matters.

 Protests look impressive, but I would rather use my energy supporting the natural world organizations, and the organizations who support human decency, than to stand around with signs. We cannot change minds with anger and hatred. We can change minds with kindness welcoming others into our circle. One day at a time, one friend at a time matters. I won’t let being tired stop me from using all my potential.

 Life is wonderful for artists…..

Partnership of Art and Food

 Some of you know that I was a professional chef for 13 years. I was raising two little girls on my own and needed a predictable income, though I still did art too.

That skill set has really helped me as an artist in terms of entertaining guests to my studio. My tea parties have thrived with fun eats and great tea.The most popular teas are cranberry blood orange, ginger peach, and blueberry green. 

I found two new recipes this week I am going to try out for the parties. One is sweet potato bread. The other is brie and orange marmalade baked in puff pastry. 

I'm going to make lovely cream cheese sandwiches with the bread. I regularly add good recipes to the parties. At one party, I served brownies, fresh fruit, and corned beef pate' on rye crackers topped with pickles and tomatoes. Lately I have been making charcuterie boards with genuine white chocolate bark. Another favorite with guests are my homemade chicken pot pies. 

In my view, food and art are a great marriage. People are tired of the wine and cheese thing. They want real food. I stopped serving alcohol at my parties about 10 years ago. No one seems to miss it. The best part of that decision is that the people who used to come only for the free booze and food, no longer come, wasting everyone's time. There was a guy who came to every art opening in town, never talking to anyone or looking at art, leaving after he drank free wine and food. He no longer comes to my parties. Lucky for me!

Artists have a wonderful life......

Our World Now

 We do what we are able to in difficult times. I think it is all important to keep a positive outlook in any circumstances. 

 

Finding small ways to succeed become more important than ever. I realized yesterday that we have been dealing with  Covid for nearly 3 years. Remember when that seemed unthinkable? We adjusted our lives to it and 1 million US deaths later, we still have hope for an end. We have learned to live with masks, no longer going places unless we need to. We see our friends and family on FaceTime and Zoom now.

 

When we are hit by ill health or big changes to our lives, we adjust. I try to do a little work every day at my desk. I do little drawings and paintings at my design table, and make paper collages, though I’m not able to paint as much now. I always know that I will find my way back to my beloved routine. 

 

Keeping a work schedule helps me avoid despair. A purposeful life is the most important thing I can do. Now that we are in a new year, we must move our minds forward to a purposeful place as well. We all have influence in our circle of friends. Let’s use that wisely in positive ways.

 

Life is swell for country painters.....

Tree Love

 Ya’ll know how much I love trees. I have been studying and painting them for many years. I have taught many a workshop on painting trees in my career. Yesterday I read this in my Science Daily report:

 

 

“A new study involving more than 100 scientists from across the globe and the largest forest database yet assembled estimates that there are about 73,000 tree species on Earth, including about 9,200 species yet to be discovered.The global estimate is about 14% higher than the current number of known tree species. Most of the undiscovered species are likely to be rare, with very low populations and limited spatial distribution, the study shows.

That makes the undiscovered species especially vulnerable to human-caused disruptions such as deforestation and climate change, according to the study authors, who say the new findings will help prioritize forest conservation efforts.”

 

I think this is good news for trees, though they face many challenges. People have the idea that trees are just like statues. In fact they have fascinating lives. They have communication skills with each other and are highly adaptable to their position in the natural world. They provide us with shelter, shade, the oxygen we breathe and have been witness to every occurrence throughout history. I only hope they can survive our careless disregard.

 

Country painters love trees…