Love Your Family

So everyone always talks about us torched artists. It's true most of the time...we go through so much that we either need to express the dark or build something beautiful.
Saying that I have been really down lately.

But the honest truth is we are all human and we all have tough times. I think we forget that everyone at some point in their life has going through something traumatic even if to you it seems small or not so bad.
Everyone has their own limits to pain.

This is a door from my dad's house

I took a nap with my little one today and had a dream that was hard for me.

Because of my dad's suicide I am sensitive to seeing him in my dreams. When he first past away I had a dream about him but only could see his hands. I woke upset that I didn't see his face or get to say anything to him...there was a fence in the way.
This time was so intense I woke with tears streaming down my face before I could even realize why.

I was visiting some place...it seemed like a prison or something. I had lily in my arms. I heard my dad was there. I was told we were to late to see him everyone was inside talking to people. There was a large thick piece of glass between the people on one side. I saw him from a far and held up Lily high in the air for him to see...there was to many people in the way. I ran pushing through people till I reached him. I held up Lily to the glass and he (for some reason) Held up a little black baby boy. Then I pushed even closer till we were right up next to the glass. There was a little slot that he could put his hand in. I placed Lily's foot into the slot...He touched her foot (tears are pouring out of my face as I write this) They see each other eye to eye and he rubs her little foot so softly.
At this point I physically wake up for a split second for some reason and I see Lily asleep right in front of me and she has a huge smile on her face!! (more tears)
I hurry and close my eyes to fall back asleep!!!

I see him there and he is looking right at me. His hand is almost to big for the slot...he struggles to get it in the slot turning it up and down...finally I reach my hand in and we touch fingers. (deep breath) I tell him "I am not mad at you!" he looks worried or like he feels bad...he keeps trying to give me candy. It's in a small bag. He says, "It's made with REAL lemon!" I insist he needs it because he is in there. He then looks at me and says strongly, "LOOK AT ALL YOU KNOW" .............. then I wake up from a phone call.

The Road to my dad's place...We all have a path to walk.

SIGH ...what does it mean!

Well I think that it is him trying to tell me that he is proud of how much I have grown and how hard I am trying to become someone.

Anyways...I miss him SO MUCH... it was nice to see him and hear him after 9 years.
And I am really happy he got to meet Lily!

Thanks for listening.
To cheer you all up after that crazy dream I will share a video I watched this morning with Lily right after the dream... YO GABBA GABBA!
Gotta love THE ROOTS!

Have a loving day!

Books! Wonderful Art Books!!!

Sometimes I want to post pictures from books that I am reading at the library...Show you the wonderful things I am looking at for inspiration.
But pictures can get you into a lot of trouble if you don't have permission and I didn't know that!
(I did post pictures but they are of my own work...in regards to the topics)

All the rules and things you have to be careful of posting can become quite a bother at times
So I guess I will just tell you.

There is a very big and amazing book I found:
500 ANIMALS IN CLAY
Contemporary Expressions of Animal Form
A Lark Ceramics Book
www.larkbooks.com

I have to say that this book is really quite interesting.
Great pictures, Lovely descriptions, and it really gives you a look at the many different things you can do with clay!
I love clay it has been a love of mine for a long time...

One of My Clay Animals

 Either way building something with your own hands shows expression in ways a paint brush can't.
Textures are important. Think about a sculpture that has sharp jagged edges or maybe it's smooth as glass.
The glazes they use...matte, high gloss, and even metallic!

But this book!!!
THIS ONE IS MY NEW FAV!
It is a coffee table book for my house...I will be buying this book some how!

Title: WHAT IT IS
Author: Lynda Barry
The cover of this book was enough for me to fall in love!

Picture a collage look.

I Sold This Collage!

 That yellow tablet paper with blue lines...on top of this paper is amazing images!
Marker, ink, paint, cut out paper,embellishments, and hand writing in both ALL CAPS and Curly hand writing too! Colors of all kinds...your eyes don't even know where to look as you see all the details the amazing reality hits...its like a journal with images!!!
I didn't know what it was about...(kinda still don't) It seems to be about what is an image. Very fun and creative!

Reading it makes me feel like someone gets me though. strange odd stories, questions, and maybe answers. either way I FEEL THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!
The women who is a Painter, cartoonist, writer, illustrator, playwright, editor, and teacher...reminds me of me and yet my good friend Post!



Someday maybe I will have book?!?!

This was A Painting I Did for a Book I Started to Write.

"Catfish Pearl"

One day most people stopped drawing...
Why?

Trying, Inspiration, & Some Sketches!

So there have been times here and there in my life when doing art I find out new things about my self!
It's so odd to me, you think you know everything about your self but yet...inside there is plenty more to find out.

Bryan (my soon to be husband!) told me about this guys conversation that was an inspiration to him.
one man said to another, "So can you play the violin?" He answered, "I have never tried, but I could be an amazing violin player!" simple and short but the thing that we liked about this was that you never know what you might be good at until you try!

I one day decided I was not worth much because I had no talent! So one day I found some water colors and just started to paint. I had no idea what I was doing! Then after a few paintings that day I knew that it felt good to do and I thought maybe I could be good at this painting thing. Days and days went by with me painting over and over! Some were really good! Others not so much. Now something like 6 years later I am trying my hardest to prove to my self: I AM WORTH IT! I DO HAVE A TALENT!
Strange how things start!



Also finding your inspiration in many places is always interesting!
The other day I was at a family BBQ and my nephew Noah came up to me and showed me his cool drawing. I looked down and....

 there was this amazing shaped animal guy thing! He looked a little nervous to be showing me. I looked at him and said, "Dude that is so cool!"

Right when I got home I did my own version of this guy and added another little fellow to the mix. I really like it...It's just a sketch but who knows what might happen to these little characters.

his is still way better!

I have noticed that kids have a great way of doing proportion and just letting it be loose and so fun!

The sketches continued through out the night...

Don't ask?!?! Sometimes I don't even know what they are after!

Just a chill girl at the beach!

my guy in space, looks like he took a bite of cheese out of the moon there!

So if these are good, bad, need work, they are just strange little rough quick sketches that came from one awesome nephew's drawing...
Thanks Noah!

Also to note!
His sister Jasmine, she drew me a hippo and that is where this guy came from:

Gotta love it!




All Characters and images are under copyright by Holla Watson
Thank you.