summer revisited~phoenix lake

 photo by Skylar

When Gary and I lived in California this was one of our favorite places to go hiking.  We walked the path around Phoenix lake numerous times, in summer and winter weather, before we were married, then after our wedding, then throughout my pregnancy, and then with baby Skylar in a backpack.  I remember one hike when we talked about our dreams of what kind of a family life we wanted to have with our children, what kind of traditions we wanted to create, and we actually went through the year, month-by-month, highlighting all of the holidays.

So of course we had to take the kids hiking there this summer! 

multicolor

mosaic in San Anselmo, CA

 my drawing, oil pastel and watercolor

 shopping in Venice

Multicolor is an inspiration for art, everywhere I have been in the world.

green

To me the lush green countryside, the smell of pine needles, and the soft earth under my feet...is oxygen.

corner view~countdown and an answer to last weeks' questions

No countdown to Gary's birthday!  It's today!  Today he records three new great songs in the studio.  

Happy birthday Quie.  You are my favorite.  Life with you is a blessing indeed.  Let's have a great day today!

Love, T

wasn't he an adorable tyke?

p.s.
There were so many varied responses to my painting from last week's corner view.  It evoked a wide variety of emotions in people.  That's the beauty of viewing art.  Some of you asked about my state of mind when I was painting   At the time I was feeling really happy to be painting again after a long break.  I was playing with the colors.  For me my abstract paintings are always about playing with colors.  When I look at it now I see a landscape, and despite the whirling colors, and lack of mirroring imagery, the horizontal line in the center somehow gives it balance.   

red

There are so many different hues of red.  I love punches of red when I decorate with blue, green and yellow.

blue

I'm joining Francesca today at fuoriborgo in this blogging experience of a week of colors.

I made this painting this weekend, completely forgetting that Monday we would be writing about blue.  Well here it is!  This is the first time I experimented with dripping paint, it was fun.  I have to be careful not to use too much blue in my artwork because it is my favorite color.  

I have been sooo busy lately with the kids' new school schedule.  It is far more driving and activities and weekly days off and half days than ever before.  So I was really happy when Gary took the kids out this Saturday to play tennis and later shop for new rackets, because after I cleaned up the kitchen I decided to paint.  Painting and blogging are my creative outlets, so when I take the time to paint or blog it is a way for me to do something I enjoy.  When my life is organized and I have free time I blog more, so when my life is busy and I take the time to blog anyway I feel an expansiveness, like I still have free time.  It is a luxury I give myself even when I have other things I "should" be doing.  And trust me, the "to do" list is still there, unfinished.  But we all have to figure out a way to find balance.

summer revisited, mill valley

Years ago when I met Gary he was living in this house in Mill Valley, California.

Here's what I remember about it:

It was surrounded by redwood trees and there were great hikes right out the door.
There was a beautiful hot tub inside the house, in a room with a cobblestone floor.
The windows opened but had no screens on them.  You could open them up and, during the right season, pick wild black raspberries right from the dining room table to put on your breakfast cereal.
There was a magical loft room.  You had to climb a ladder to get up there.
There was a music studio with a black Steinway grand piano, and a red Oriental rug hanging on the wall, and postcards on the wall that Gary hung with scotch tape.
From this house you could take nice walks and see interesting yards and homes.  Some were like little gnome huts.  Some were modern mansions, but in a down-to-earth kind of way.
You could walk to Whole Foods from this house, and ride a bike to a wonderful trail that went along the San Francisco Bay.
The neighborhood smelled of jasmine.

I remember lots of music, everyday.  Piano lessons.  Concert rehearsals.  Jamming with other players.  I remember Gary writing songs, and playing piano and guitar.

This is where I fell in love with Gary, in this house.

So it was very special to take the kids to see this house when we were in California this summer.  It was a perfect sunny day.  We parked the car and took a walk in the neighborhood, a walk I took with Gary many times years ago.  We spotted many black raspberry bushes along the side of the road, and the kids were disappointed they weren't yet ripe, but it was June.  Then we found a tree filled with tiny ripe plums and all ate a bunch of them.  We took the kids by one of my favorite houses, set deep in the woods.  It is a sprawling, funky, artsy abode.  If I could build a house, I imagine it would look something like this. 

me in front of my favorite house

a sky celebration

One girl.  Four teenage friends.  Sister made the helix carrot design.  Homemade red sauce by Miss Sky herself.  Some pool action.  A Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds sing along.  And build-your-own ice cream sundaes for desert.  Lots of laughs.  A perfect day.

corner view~emotion

What emotion does this evoke in you?  The art therapist in me wants to know.
 
I made this painting some years ago when Shawn was a baby.  Probably 2005 or 2006.  (I didn't sign it, silly me).
I had taken a many year hiatus from doing paintings, immersed in mothering my three little ones.  But one day I sat down and decided it was time to do some art by golly, and while Shawn was napping I did a few paintings.  It was a magic day.  I get there every once in a while these days.       

like i said

We had a sweet time.