Dead battery

Looking

She was all alone and quite vocal at her small table.

Being authentic

In the course of the film, "coming out" becomes a metaphor for all closets and for all inauthentic, frightened behavior.

Which parts of you do you hide simply in order to fit in?

Perhaps we all have closets to come out of.

A trip to the Wisconsin River

So this is a story about going out to the Wisconsin River. Brush up on your geography skills. The river is clearly visible in the SW quadrant of this satellite photo. So brace yourself, it's longer than usual.

PS: Jean wrote a really beautiful book about living on the river. It is called "To Thank a River." I recommend it highly.

I'll be back soon

Sea monster

This is a post about children's art and the art that my nephew Charlie creates.

On a recent blustery Sunday afternoon, my niece Sarah (12) and I walked up the street to my local cafe/wine bar. We were to meet up with her family who had gone cross-country skiing.

Once they arrived, we took a large corner table and spent the next two hours talking, playing tic-tac-toe, knitting, reminiscing, and having hot chocolate with ginger cookies.

Charlie (8), in drawing mode, was a bit in his own world. I love this drawing. I love children's art. I wish to see a museum of children's art in every city.

He couldn't think of a title, so he asked for suggestions. These are the ideas received so far:

-"Santa Claws and his friends" Goldendaze

-"Attack of the Sea Monsters" Dreaming Tree

-"Come in, the water's fine" Anonymous

- "20,000 Crayons Under the Sea." From the Faraway, Nearby

PS: In the interest of highlighting process, here is the uncropped version of my drawing. The perspective and composition are awkward. Drawing that corner there is very difficult! I cropped it (above) hoping that it would hold together better. I'll go back and try it again.

Hafez, Rumi and Laundry [final chapter]

Here's an interesting link to Rumi for Kate at Kate's Smudges.

Hafez and laundry, chapter 3

This is what my work looks like when I'm somewhere between rushing and frantic. I did these this morning before work, and am posting them now just as they are. Artistic readers might print these out, edit them, and then add color using crayons or colored pencils.