Changes

This August we will have been living out here in the burbs of Chicago for 13 years!

When we bought the house, the house was all white!

but let me remind you, I wasn't an artist yet :  ) 

When I decided I wanted stripes in the dining room, I should have known something was stirring on the art side of my brain

 So here we are now at least 10 years into these yellow stripes and its time for a change

I know these stripes will be missed by many. 

The dining room is the room you walk through before entering the art room

the dining room is a room of many gatherings and photo shootings.

Mr. Pe Joe with Ms. Coco 

 While clearing out the dining room I found one of my many art blocks that I have collected throughout my early art entering. 

I remember this painting being for sale on Ebay by one of my all time favorite artists and wanting it so badly and finally winning it.

Made me feel all warm inside :  )  I sure could use a new little art from my purple potato lady friend.

Have a great weekend. Besides helping Mike with dining room stuff, I plan on starting to cover me new stretched canvases I got yesterday.

Enjoy the day!

Lisa D.

Aril 24, 1999

13 years ago tomorrow, my son Jake was born

 my brown boy is what I first thought when I saw him. 

He was only with us for a few weeks, 

when we unplugged the ventilator, we new we would only have a few more hours with him, 

possibly a day.

 He lasted until the evening.

 I was 31

If I even ever had any religion, it was forever changed thirteen years ago. 

When I was six, the most important person in my life left me, 

then six months later another important person left me, 

and my life was forever changed.

I guess my thoughts on today, the day before Jakes birthday 

go into the world every day as if it were your last, love every day as if it were your last

you are in charge of your choices

Lisa D.

I can't get to the blogs I follow?????

My studio is a good size with plenty of windows and nice light

but when you are working on these jumbo canvases...it gets crowded 

and I'm a sloppy painter, so I need to somehow protect other painted canvases from possibly getting splattered on.

 so I spent the day moving paintings around the house

I have a few spots that are 4 or 5 canvases deep...big ones...lol

I told Mike the other day..there was too much art in this house!

I'm feeling like its every where 

 and the next day I'm telling him that I'm in need of a big blank canvas to slosh paint around on...lol...life with an artist.

 this doodle painting above is almost done.

I find when painting these smaller canvases, my arms get real tight

and when I paint big canvases, like this one below, my body is more comfortable.

This year I set out to make some changes with my art

four changes

1. learn to work with a different color palette

2. force myself to learn shading

3. not to paint a swirl branched tree

4. alter my usual looking flowers

Out of the four goals so far, I've accomplished one, and the photo below is a tree that I like enough and its branches are not swirls. 

I did make myself try a new color palate, but it bored me. I did learn things from that challenge though.

Shading continues to be a down fall for me, but I don't really care.

My flowers have changed some.

its all about evolving  

one last thing...I can't seem to get to the blogs I follow any more

is anyone else having this problem

and is there a button I'm not seeing?

Have a great weekend

Thanks for listening

Lisa D.

21 days past due

Seventeen years ago today

 I had my Hannah Grace.

 At first sight, she gave me a fright

She had bruises on her face, her arms,

felt like they were all over the place.

I entered ICU

to see you

the iv 

in place

just above your face

I knew 

we would be challenged 

and we both moved with a force pace

They told me you would come home with the ventilator,

I said come again later

we were going to beat that ventilator 

They told me she would be wheelchair bound

21 days past due

Hannah came home with us

still bruised, still having seizures

still not knowing what to think
but I had some ideas of what to do

work work work

I learned all I needed about CP

we did physical therapy 

 many hrs a day

we sang, we read

we gave love, hugs and stimulation

I am a woman of passion 

Doing everything within my power

to raise Hannah to be to be as self sufficient as possible

Today my Hannah Grace
over six thousand days since we started this journey

 Hannah with 2 of her friends from wheelchair basketball

 Hannah getting her end of the year award

 Hannah &  cousin Cal

As you can see, my Hannah Grace is doing very well
beating the major odds that were against her
She has her struggles
 as I tell her
most people do have struggles
even I have struggles
 its all about how we look at those struggles

For a girl that was born with severe scattered brain damage
She is simply remarkable

Lisa D.

Since I last checked in...

This is how the table has been looking 

Nine years ago when I decided to give this painting thing a try, I had no idea what I was in for, I don't think Mike did either  :  ) 

 The month of March seems to be taking on a new pattern of people coming to visit while on their spring breaks. We've had so far, Char, my sister Hillary. My niece Eleanor (10) will spend this Wednesday with me in the art room. Friday when Hannah returns from her trip to GA, she will have cousin Cal with her. Cal will be with us for a few days, when he departs on Wednesday, I will depart with him and spend a few days with my in laws. To get home in time for Hannah's 17th birthday! 

While Char was here with us, she talked us into getting Ms. Coco Chanel West 

Baby anything can sleep so funny!

 

little look into the studio

 I'm working on a 6ft and 2 5 ft canvases 

loving it!

 

This painting is called the five layer painting

I worked on this canvas for weeks! Nothing I put on it made sense 

but the layers are wonderful!

 almost done

 I also finished this 20x20 flower

This is my 6ft 

for several days I painted with drippy wet paint, making swirl after swirl!

Not sure what I'm actually doing with these. So for now I'll just keep adding layers

Hope you are doing well

Lisa D.

Today

The boys napping, I love how Chunk has his body in the shape of my bag he is on.

While I was making room to bring in my new 6 X 4 canvas, I had to put things away and even make new spots from recent projects. The first shelf photo I found a painting tucked in there :  ) Behind this cabinet are several large paintings on wood, this shelf thing holds so much! 

Here is the new big one

I've never done a canvas bigger then me...I love it! 

 

Here are four 9X9 canvases I'm doing for my friend Suzanne's birthday

then at the end is one of my art books to put any left overs in there.

While on the ladder I decided to take a photo of the upper shelf

all my Tasha's, Jane's & Hannah's paintings 

The snow is back!

been missing it this year

 I think I'm done with the doodle painting

Hope you're having a sweet day 

End of the week

 Here are my stretcher bars

 

 The tools I used 

Stretchers, canvas, stapler & rubber mallet 

 

And wala!

 After a good hour I finally managed to cover the stretchers with canvas! What a job. Will do it again though, the price to do it myself is so much less then buying one this size already stretched. 

After seeing so many people doodling I decided to give it a try

 and then started painting it in

The Story of A Beautiful Girl...I recieved this in the mail this week from my mother in law

Have a great weekend

Lisa D.