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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Ink & Paper & Historical = Art (?)

The question mark is for others, not me.  I know that those items in combination or separately can justifiably be art.  Can is the operative word for me.
Can any creative item be called art?  
Good question, but too broad for me.  Since I am not an expert but can offer an experiential opinion, then opine I will ( I know you love it when I opine).    
What qualifies as art?  
To my mind art stirs the spirit within.  It has an aesthetic balance, even if it is jarring to the senses.  It soothes my anxieties or shakes the internal tempest; either softly quieting in order to hear that still small voice or setting spurs that infuriate me to action or even the valley in between.  The more I observe, the more I see.   It stands the test of time, not just trendy or popular.  The spirit of the artist behind the piece is evident.  
(Side note-I find it very helpful to know the intent of the author behind a book I am to read.)  Intention, agendas, slants, & influence are important to know for verbal exposition or the written word (even digital media).
Back to art:
Is beauty in the eye of the beholder?
Actually I can testify to the veracity.  I own a mixed-media canvas, titled Ethereal by Cory Legge... http://www.facebook.com/pages/Random-Acts-Of-Color/111438805551327 .  I have found it captivating since I first noticed it.  Bob doesn't see the attraction, but willingly purchased it for me.  It has been prominently displayed for several months, I still see newness in differing lights.  We can let others see what they may.
Is there a difference between art and craft?
Yes.  Though I hesitate to draw the definitive line.  Again, referring to personal experiences, a craft piece can become art, in my eyes, when it hits my triggers mentioned above.  I have also experienced fine 'art' in museums and galleries that hit no triggers and sometimes even whipped-up disgust.  Again, not in my eye were they considered art.  Is it possibly an issue of consensus, i.e. a large body of critics choose to label a piece art?  Personally, no.  But to the general populace, yes it seems so.  I have a few famous 'artists' in mind that fit that bill.  I still shake my head over a few, BUT again not in my eye, remember?
When is the creator of a piece considered an Artist?
Tough one.  Unless you have been endowed with fine art skills that wow the public, a working artist with a BFA, or have grabbed onto the title with bravado; you have tip-toed around this issue  and quite possibly still are.  I am not sure.  Maybe when you move from a craft and/or technique to a mastery.  Maybe when you are comfortable with the title and your work defends it.  Maybe when your production volume supports the marketing label.   Ok, I probably don't buy that one.
Leonardo Da Vinci was an artist, scientist, engineer, and inventor to name a few.  Definitely accomplished, definitely earned, definitely a Renaissance Man.  I like that title better, tho I have a lifetime to go... see  Answers.com definition below.
Are you an Artist when you are still exploring?  Such as Van Gogh's entire art career.   He wasn't even popular with his own family and friends.  In death he is considered a artist?  
Grandma Moses started painting at 76.  Was she an artist then or when Caldor bought them?  I have noticed that those drawing the Artist delineation want the label saved for their derivation.  Yep I said it...their kind, their breed, their class.  My working class perspective.
So go ahead and call yourself an Artist, just be able to prove it....to yourself!
Is art important?
A very general question but valid.  Wander the halls of any museum or gallery, local or far-flung to view the answer for yourself.  Yes it is important.  For the soul, for the current life you are living, and for historical purposes.  Art has kept an interesting record of where we are as a people in culture, in time, and in our own individual or collective design.
So why ink, paper, and historical?
Well, for me I need ink (any form), paper (any type), and an historical effect to shape my personal art.  Ink is subjective in form-it could be paint, paper is as well- the canvas could be metal, but the historical is most importante (Spanish intended) to me.  It must contain meaning, passion, & personality from memories and experiences.  It must carry a personal import.
That is all for now, this horrendous cold has clogged the cerebral flow.
Please post more questions...but only if you really want me to answer.  
Please comment yea or nay.
Love ya,
Trishalish---Renaissance Woman Extraordinaire 
**Answers.com definition:  Meaning #1: a modern scholar who is in a position to acquire more than superficial knowledge about many different interests.  Synonym: Generalist.   
P.S.  Maybe next time I will list my many and varied accomplishments..hah.  Actually they will be general areas of understanding.  Toodles.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The End is Near

The end of another year is approaching and instead of regrets and/or what-ifs I am content and also excited by the prospect of 2011.


2010 has seen me leaving a mega-stress job, closing my chapter with Stampin' Up!, becoming an economy/bad-decision statistic and losing my home, having landlords again for the 1st time in 17 years, a new grandson (Jaxon James on 10/20/10), my daughter Gina's family moving out of state (taking grandchildren away should be illegal), another daughter's family, Brittany, having to move in for a while, Vanessa and Brit finished school, Kim is in her Senior year and already accepted at 3 art schools, Bob is actively shopping for a local job, I revived my writing and art, I survived my 1st year of grieving for my Dad, I reconnected with several friends from my various high schools, lost 35 pounds, and made a quick trip to MN, TX, and CA.  I am sure there is much more .


I may take that learning curve in the granny lane but I have grasped a few things this year:
Instead of my censure, warnings, or well intended 'help' people just need me to love them.
Just when I think I know all there is to know about myself, God has just the cure for me.
Showers need to be scrubbed weekly to avoid a broken hip.
Making and sending cards are essential to a healthy mental life.
Someone out there does want to read my books.
Writing is work like any other job.
I will never look 18 again and I shouldn't want to.
Grandchildren are the greatest because if they turn out a mess it is finally NOT my fault.
Jesus loves who I am today and the Holy Spirit has not left the premises.
Finally...this is only my 2nd Stage.  Apparently the 3rd Stage starts at 50 and is AWESOME!  And most great people do their best work in the last Stage...cool for me!  It is not too late...hah.
We are having our New Year's Day Open house on 01/01/11 from noon to 10PM.  Come eat, chat, watch the games, and dance the night away!


Love to you all,
Trishy, per Pam Goodwin or Trish the Sis, per Jennifer Lee Capes or Mom, per everyone, or Woman, per Bob-at times, or Renaissance Woman Extraordinaire, per me...

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Changes Just Keep Coming

Since I am effectively married to my home these days I decided to make good my commitment and write away.  I am going to set up my counter for all to see...yikes!  The goal for November 2010 is 50,000 words...I have 460 at this writing...double yikes!
I hope to at least preserve my sanity with this mission since I am even unable to stamp a card as people, large and small, are living in my bedroom/studio...sigh...sounds rather pathetic and whiny doesn't it?  I do whiny rather well tho so whiny it is.
Kick my booty occasionally or just ask me what I have written.  I will resent the intrusion but know that I need it.
Write On,
-Trishtastic the Author in Training
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Friday, October 29, 2010

Quitting SU

It has been a sad week as I have had to be realistic with myself and recognize that my Stampin' Up! business had not been supporting itself, I have.
So, as I let it pay for itself this year I have now run out of time and customers to support it.  The 31st of October is my last order and blog on SU..sniff sniff.
BUT, I will now concentrate even more on my mixed-media art and my writing.  This website will be better served and my business, Chickenscratch, will be followed here.  Subscribe to this blog to keep updated.
Thank you everyone for all of the fun, the orders and allowing me to teach in your homes.
Love you all,
-Trishtastic has left the SU building.

Friday, August 13, 2010

QUICHE! Recipe Warning: "Taste of Spring Quiche"

Don't you love making quiche?  It is a multi-tasking meal...quiche will clean out your refrigerator, feed your family, bake an entire 'pyramid-filled' meal in one dish, present itself beautifully, and meet the stringent Trish requirements of a hotdish (5 identifiable ingredients).
Also, is it for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, or a snack?  It is portable, can been eaten hot or warm or cold.  It even tastes better the next day. 
What a workhorse.  It is by far my favorite dish to create...lets go!


"Taste of Spring Quiche"


1 pie crust (I usually cheat & use already made. Still haven't mastered pie crust).
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
1/2 c. leftover chicken, diced
1 medium sweet yellow onion, diced
3 stalks tender celery including leaves, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 c. mozzarella cheese perles (tiny balls of fresh mozzarella, packed in water).
2 Tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, snipped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 large eggs
1 c. milk 
2 Tablespoons heavy cream


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place crust in 8" or 9" ungreased pan-I use a non-stick round cake pan. Pierce bottom of crust with fork, brush mustard over crust.  Add the rest of ingredients except for the eggs, milk and cream which need to be whisked together then poured over all of the goodies in the pan.
Drop temperature to 425 degrees, place uncovered pan in middle of oven.  Bake 35 minutes, or until middle does not jiggle when slid back and forth.
Remove and cool on baking rack so the quiche can finish its job. Yes, food continues to cook after it is removed from the heat.  It needs a resting time.


Serves 8-10 or 4 Algers.  
Today I served with Caribou coffee latte, my new favorite beans.
*Just one of a million quiche combinations.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

AU Here I Come

I am so excited....Kim and I are heading out to our 1st class with AU this year.  PMC Organic Freestyle Rings with Donna Lewis.  Can't wait to learn how to properly use my PMC and come home with finished product..woo hoo!!
I'll keep you updated on the highs and lows.
Ciao for now,
-Trish creates...

Sunday, July 4, 2010

My Patriotism and Gratitude

Today is the 4th of July 2010.  This holiday began as my favorite many years ago for personal reasons that did not include our country.  Since then I have had almost 18 years to gain an appreciation in depth rather than just familiarity or childhood  influence for my country .  Songs of "America, My Country 'Tis of Thee", "The Stars and Stripes Forever", "America the Beautiful", "Battle Hymn of the Republic", "God Bless America",  "Its a Grand Old Flag", and "The Star Spangled Banner" resonate with sharpness and pride.  More than lyrics sung chorally amidst heavy auditorium woods darkened rich with age they are a shaft sunk to the marrow of my understanding.  Like a string of eclectic beads individually unique, of various hues and properties, proportions and shapes differing; we are united as one strand creating a glorious adornment that pleases the Wearer and in turn edifies the strand itself.
Read, listen, watch for the time is now to appreciate, understand, and act.  
Exercise your fragile American rights with care, diligence, and a trembling that surely motivated and solidified the actions of our Founding Fathers.
Celebrate the Independence still being hard-won and cherish the knowledge that we are 'One Nation Under God'.
God Bless America,
Trish

Monday, May 31, 2010

Call Girl for a Night

My one and only night as a Call Girl was very interesting.  It began with the first call at around 5PM.  Nice, well modulated voice.  Sounded like a young, no-nonsense, executive.
"Hi Kelsey, I'm here at the Embassy Suites by the Paradise Mall."  
My obvious response, "Who is this?"
"This is ____."  Sounding slightly amused
"I don't know a ___."  Not amused at all.  
"You posted your number on the internet."  Now with slight confusion.
"Well, I have had this number for 5 years and this is not Kelsey.  Try 602 instead."  Obviously perturbed.
"Okay."  Genuinely baffled by my tone and verbiage.
Well, that was ridiculous.  
7 phone calls later over a 3 hour period from 7 separate polite, articulate men asking for Kelsey that I responded to in similar fashion and then I realized that the hard working woman had incorrectly posted my number as hers and I was the beneficiary of a lot of misplaced love...hmmm.
True Story per May 27, 2010.
Trish-alicious for one night.



Thursday, May 27, 2010

Multiple Blogs

I find most of us are working with more than one blog these days.  Since they serve different purposes it is difficult to combine them.  How are you doing with yours?
Here is an update to my SU business blogtp://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/trishalger/blog?directBlogUrl=/blog/2019194/entry/old_olive   
I love, love, love my Old Olive as you can tell.
What is your favorite color?
Toodles,
-Trish-delish 

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Freedom to Be Me Too

Well here is the next installment of how/why I am now free to be me.
The 1st blog showed the ins and outs of my work situation.  This blog examines me, myself, and I.
Living in my physical skin has become difficult as time marches on.  Too much weight, neglected exercise, and toxin-ed to the gills.  Apparently my metabolism has been napping for a few years. Dr. Hampton NMD has done a great job in setting me on the right track, but I realized over the course of months that I didn't feel like me anymore...physically.
Many internal conversations with myself, a 90 minute confab with the good Dr., and a confirmation call with the best husband in the world and I knew I needed to recapture me.
This course of action included scrutinizing all avenues of who Trish is/was/will be.  Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, creative, and any esoteric area left unmentioned.
Physically-diet, exercise, detox...check.  Mentally-garbage in garbage out, what makes me happy, natural Lithium...check.  Emotionally-hormones under control, de-stressers in place, drama-free zone...check.  Spiritually-consistent fellowship, daily Bible study, prayer...check.  Creative-multiple times a day, planned projects, time to dream...check.
Well all is on the road to better then best.  A few side-notes:
It seems that needing an adult beverage before bed is not a good sign of your mental health status.
You do NOT have to endure for endurance's sake.  There is no 1st place trophy.
Never throw the baby out with the bathwater.  But watch where you aim the water at.
You are never too old to change the channel, I choose Lifetime...especially if Valerie Bertinelli plays me.
Toodles for now, my doggies are barking from the 5 miles today.
Trish-tastic

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Freedom to Be Me

Hmmmm...a very ambitious title to be sure.  I do not believe I will actually achieve this aim until I am dead since we are in process until that infinitesimal speck of time has our soul separated from our fleshly cage.  Fleshly is a very gucky sounding word.  It resonates, usually negatively.
Anyways (for those Mr. Hartung fans), at my previous place of employment-cue week 3 of gainful unemployment- I could not be me.  
There are several facets to this:
1.  The work itself is self-defeating, you will not be able to complete the tasks set before you.  I believe they wish for the work to be completed but either the training/tools/resources are inadequate or incomplete and/or the staff is now in a state of apathy and cannot assist themselves or the rest of the department.  Hence...2 years later and the same issues apply.
2.  Goals achieved or challenges overcome are not rewarded, even verbally.  Feedback is essential for the care and feeding of the employee.
3.  Political Correctness -PC- is blinder than Lady Justice.  The "rules" apply unevenly.  My opinions will offend, but I am obliged to tolerate that which deeply offends and sometimes disturbs.  They will never know the real me in that office environ.
4.  Wading  with piranhas is not as fun as it sounds.  Like my favorite magnet states; "Raising children is like being pecked to death by a chicken".  Piranhas are nibbling their way to shark status, but the bites still hurt and the accumulation leads to an eventual transfusion in order to live.  I for one do not wish to navigate my entire life wearing a suit of armor.  It is heavy, awkward, hot, rusts easily, and no one will ever see me...ever!  And I do not wish to contemplate too much on how knights went to the bathroom.  Yuck. 
5.  Friend today, speed bump tomorrow.  It is inevitable, you will find yourself thrown under the bus voluntarily or otherwise.  Wise as serpents...makes it hard to access the dove within.
6.  Misery breeds contempt.  The lowest feeling in the joint is the lowest common denominator for a reason...we love to wallow, especially corporately.
7.  You are expendable, trust me on this.  Mud will ooze over an opening like lava rushing to the sea.  And yes they will find it easy to forget whatever you did for them.  Tomorrow is another day indistinguishable from any other.
***One major change to recapture me****
Becoming Trish

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Sundays

Sundays have changed over time.  Years of getting up early for Worship warm up before the actual service.  And we usually had to drive 30-60 minutes away depending upon where we went to church that year.  One certain Pastor liked to preach for a very trying 2-4 hours then lunch together after, potluck style.  Whew!
Now we only drive 5 minutes away and enjoy a reasonable worship and a great message able to be delivered in under an hour...all is completed in 90 minutes.  Wonderful.
We have tried to adopt family day for the Sunday afternoon, depending upon what is going on with everyone.  Now Gina and Terry have moved to Prescott and they will make it when they can.  They made it today but Brit and Maddox did not and Vanessa had to work.  
This morning before church I tried out some techniques I saw at the convention yesterday.  My scenescapes were messy and not as vibrant as his.  I did love the stamp of a baby and Mom sleeping...used a brayer with dye ink over the stamped image on glossy paper and placed it over another sheet of white CS run thru the Big Shot with a cute Spellbinder diecut.  I brayered dye ink over that as well.  Loved the results.  Added the small  glass stones in aqua and lime green and amber.  It will be great on a journal.  
Judy www.awingandapear.blogspot.com has been making journals to take to the Phoenix Children's Hospital and I would love to participate. 
Have a great background now for my sexy Marlboro Man mixed-media piece I have been gathering for.  He will be taking shape soon.  Stay tuned.
Sang How Great Thou Art today and it made me think of Grams...it was her favorite song.  Jen and I sang it at her memorial service.
Rough time this year.  Dad was dying this time last year after fighting so hard since January.  
Time for beddy bye.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Wow I am bigtime now. I can blog from my BB. Woohoo!!
Judy is getting a Mac & blog lesson from Kimbo. A delish dinner, dreamy dessert, & delightfully dark drink