yesterday our car sat still on the road for almost 2+ hours as roads were closed and backed up on our way to Lake Tahoe. i dont recall ever sitting in traffic for so long. and because grew up in the City of Angels, that is proof of the craziness of the situation.
there was something almost magical about it. granted, i wasnt driving- but technically the driver wasnt either. something happened though. people got out of their cars taking walks up and down the highway. couples in love waltzed, teenagers laughed moving clumsily, babies released from their seats holding their moms nervously and dogs galloped on leashes to smell the grass- only to see another dog close by. people shouted from car to car asking questions. a sea of parked cars suddenly became a neighborhood of newcomers.
i looked at the paved road closely for the first time. concrete mixed with colorful stones sunk into the grey. i longed to touch the giant pebbles with my bare feet but the grime and dirt got the better of me. i slipped my shoes on. i got out, stretched in the heat and sat back down. taking the opportunity to just sit. i so wanted to take a photo of the road but my phone was dead. i wanted to make lists and look at facebook and read other blogs. but i just sat. read my book. and then sat some more.
thoughts began to creep in. my ideas, plans for the future and how i want to develop this blog, increase the reach of my classes and the products i make. how i can design classes that incorporate art with health and wellness topics. all these thoughts come up so often and feel like w whirling dervish but today in the traffic i just sat and wrote about it. it was lovely. ready for me to start with once i am done with vacation.
a photo of a funny air freshener i saw on our trip
have you had experiences like this? what have you learned in traffic?
the camera features on phones astound me. i downloaded an app recently that is compatible with instragram and i was fiddling around with it today. i stumbled upon one feature that pieces together different photos. i made one, and fell in love with what i could create. i havent been able to stop. i created a series of photographs made up of other photographs- creating blocks of color. when you look at these images, they are made up of many different colors but still communicate one color. i am not sure how i feel about the cheezy frames but it will do for now.
enjoy! i would love your feedback!
summer is flying by and time is filling up before it even happens. this weekend i have been trying to slow down, to flutter around and enjoy everything. i spent time alone in a place i love so deeply and photographed one of the my favorite spots.
often when i travel i leave a camera behind. i tend to get so caught up in taking pictures that i dont look at the experience as a whole but in little segments. i always try to capture every last bit of what i am seeing but this is usually futile– things rarely look the same through a camera lens as they do in real life.
on the other hand- taking pictures forces me to slow down though. sit and look for the best angle. clicking away looking through a lens works to capture images, moments, glimpses of experiences, and tethers time into an image.
here are some of the images from an afternoon of unhurried time.
the branches with they’re crickle crackle whisper, speak to each other
and the eucalyptus leaves fell
its easier to love myself when i love where i am standing
sometimes when we take that leap- it feels like we’re flying
Here is this week’s Passport To A Healthy Me! post with a great recipe that I am obsessed with!
A piece I wrote about buying Local Produce!
i recently came back from a mini vacation to visit family and friends. it was everything i could ever want, really… and i found myself writing a little poem at the end of the long drive. as i was lying in bed getting ready to fall asleep i decided to do a little sketch to accompany this poem.
on the edge of this journey
from end to end, front to back, head to toe.
long, long drives & back street boogies
brought us to beaches & sails
fake meat feasts
cocktails & pacific sea dips
friends from far and some from near
family love & sweet puppy faces
walking in flip flops in warm weather wonderful
bits of nature mixed with new adventures
flashbacks mixed with 90’s tunes contrast with new baby faces
just to watch health grow
accomplished contentment
accompanying a rested body & mind
nothing else needed
i have a lot of goals this summer. one of them is really attending to my own paintings and really make some work! and finish pieces that are in progress.
here is something i started last week and i am sooo excited to be flying through this one. there is lots left to do… but im at a good place with it. i love taking photos of the pieces i am working on to see it through a different lens (literally!). this helps me address the glaring things I cant see with my naked eyes because they are hidden behind the veil of familiarity.
16×20 Acryclic & watercolor crayon, with collage on canvas
Little Girl Lost in Progress (copy-write avenues of artistry)
do you remember the first time you ever heard a song that seeped through your skin, burying itself into an unknown place inside your body?
how often does a song pull you through space, time and into an earlier version of yourself?
sweet!
i just received the best “thank you” note from a class i taught a few weeks ago. this beautiful note reminded me to post the kids art and report on the project i developed for this class. ( you may remember i mentioned the class on facebook….if you aren’t following avenues of artistry on facebook, please do! i post articles, thoughts and images about art, health & happiness.)
i love all the little cutouts they made!
the more time i spend in the health & wellness sphere the more i try to fuse artistic expression and holistic wellness in my lesson plans. i remember listening to music and drawing along with the songs some point during elementary school. so for this 4th grade class learning about the jazz era, i took this concept to a new level and created a project that combines music, art that also touched on emotional awareness.
the kids walked into the class from lunch looking excited. but as they sat down i noticed they started shifting uneasily in their seats unsure of what to make of the new person in their class room. so i led the class in a few breathing exercises. this helped them transition from lunch back into classroom time (and helped me transition into being in their classroom with them!). i was shocked at how excited they were to participate in these breathing exercises. the experience of leading these exercises was one of the highlights of this whole experience. it really concertized some of the things i have been learning about.
i showed the class a list of colors and explained how different colors are said to correlate with different emotions. then, we listened to 4 very different songs. i asked them to listen to each song, interpret the language of the music and to visually communicate the emotions each song expressed. they had the option of using the color list i shared with them to express the range of feelings or use what ever colors they wanted to create the images. each student also had the opportunity to draw a mini self portrait and paste the cut-out onto the drawing to further express how they felt listening to each song.
at first most of them were hesitant and unsure how to interpret the songs because they were searching for the “right way” to illustrate the song. i had to explain individually to almost every one of them that they should just try to decide for them-self how they wanted it to look. how scary it is when you are living in a world of “right answers” to be given the opportunity to come up with your own answer. i know this is sometimes difficult for me too.
i could write forever on this (and maybe i will in the future)… thanks for reading & here is their work!
[slideshow]
you want to listen to the songs? i thought you might. here they are…. can you guess which segment of each kids art work goes with each song (each song has its own 1/4 of the paper)?
Miles Davis- So What
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqNTltOGh5c&w=560&h=315]
Souad Massi- Raoui
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peujg2cKcHs&w=420&h=315]
Rafael Mendez- Flight of the Bumble Bee
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNnoTqvmdM4&w=420&h=315]
King Mo Dee- Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Spring (Massive Scratch Mix
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NJs_2FCOk8&w=420&h=315]
take a listen lemme know what you think. or even make your own little art piece. what songs inspire you? comments welcome!
oh my dear blog & blog followers- 
i have missed you. one of the hardest things about checking back in, is knowing where to start. life has been like a beautiful flowing ribbon, sometimes flowing smoothly into uncharted territories, sometimes getting snagged or tangled. either way- life has been wondrous & scary lately. i look forward to getting back into the swing of things and posting regularly!
one of my projects right now is being an intern, programming and facilitating an employee wellness program. among the many things i am doing in my position is blogging about health & wellness. this week i wrote about an ongoing lunch ‘n learn series about healthy (& tasty) snacking. so check out this week’s blog i wrote!
on the artistic front- here is a little mixed media piece i made recently called Eclipse.
wishing all a wonderful weekend! more soon 🙂
alice
image copyright of avenues_of_artistry
so i guess it is time to tell the world. i don’t know how to ride a bike……
well, i didn’t until last week!
in celebration, here is the greatest bicycle song of all time…..
be forewarned. this is the original music video & has some nudity in it. but it is currently posted on youtube with a warning.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt0V0_1MS0Q&w=420&h=315]
the bruises and scrapes are starting to heal. my butt is finally starting to feel more like my normal butt instead of a cowboy’s- so it’s time to keep practicing.
i’ve never felt like i could revel in bicycle art, appreciating it outwardly seemed beyond silly, hypocritical even. since, i’m not a part of bike culture and before this past week, i didn’t even know how to ride one. truth is though, i haven’t stopped thinking about bicycles since i reached this milestone most people tackle by age 5.
so what i want to share with you all today is a collection of bicycle images of art i’ve cultivated- sharing with you dear world- shouting from the rooftops- i’ve learned to ride a bike. finally, sharing a true love of mine- bicycle art.
please comment! share your first bicycle riding experience or if you are trying to learn! i would love to hear your stories AND see your bicycle art!
antique-cycle
power to the ? all i know is the image, the texture and the simple complexity of it made it stand out.
Mucha, an old love of mine
antique fabric bicycle buttons
cycles gladiator wine’s breathtaking image
I found this octocycle by accident. But if you google “bicycle and octopus” you will be amazed
canning jar mugs. amazing! since most of our cups are jars anyway…seems like we should have these also.
birds on a bike, classic colors and images
sweet little maze i fell in love with this image!
bicycle & butterflies old timey & butterflies! one lucky find.
classic red bike. with a twist. the little print accents on the brown paper make this a unique little illustration.
skull on wheels. hee hee. found this last minute and thought- how fabulous would it be if someone had this!
again please share your bicycle stories & photos!