Getting Old is Not for Sissies!

Self-portrait in SUN! 06/04/11

Helen Hays, in her seventies, made the statement above. It seems that the older I get, the more work it takes to sort of stay even. As I age (64 now), it's important to discover for myself any advantages of aging. I know all the obligations: daily exertion, stretching, good food, brain exercise--learning for the joy of it, giving--to others And myself--continuing to push, explore, and DANCE!

Here in the NW we have the season of Light, and the season of Darkness, when everyone stays home, and I try to immerse myself in creative projects.Today is June 4th, with light from 4am-11pm. I wrote this on Hollywood Beach. Everyone is outside: Farmer's Market, marathon, Hollywood Beach downtown, yard work, dogs and kids, soaking up the sun while it lasts. Some of the kids may learn to play, rather than just being passively entertained. Some were standing in the frigid Strait, with long branches of kelp over their shoulders, pretending to be were eagles.


My back yard, at almost 9pm, specializing in ground cover, lavender, red glass ornaments...I'm going to try some driftwood, painted in red/purple/turquoise for vertical interest.









My favorite Kokopelli real fish and chips, journalling in the sun. Alone with people all around downtown. Good Saturday!

The importance of the ever-present journal to the Creative Life: ideas, words, drawings. Danny Gregory has made a career of it. A journal that's small enough to take with you. (thank goodness cameras are small now, too, so all this and a book fit into my red bag. Ideas, words, drawings, names of books and movies: my idea stack is never depleted, and I'm constantly training my eye and hand.


Like exercise, eating right, and letting your friends and family know you love them, drawing can be a part of every day's routine. Then you'll KNOW that you are not only the effect of one bad day or stupid boss, but that you are bigger and more connected than all of that.

Last weekend I had the extreme luxury of four days off in a row, and finished my Sara painting, by doing very little to it...what a large part of ART is learning when to stop...and not letting one self compare to others' work too much.







Keep playing with the idea! I transferred the image to heavy watercolor paper and used collage and paint in the second one, utilizing images from my friend, Loel Annie Barr in the background.

Sara did body work on me before I moved West. I was agonizing about leaving comfort for the unknown, and she asked the key question: If you were on your death bed, would you regret not having done it? Thank you, Sara, and here I am.




This experiment spawned another painting/collage on watercolor paper (I'm too cheap to buy and store endless canvases, but do have a flat file in the garage for works on paper).


BECOMING MYSELF: I'm working on this life time project. Doing interesting side reading these days on brain function: how do we know who we are, and what is this creature that we construct and call by our name?

Find the things that are important to you and Do them! Don't worry about what the others are doing or thinking, and don't forget to DANCE!