Felting away

Here it is again, cold days, long evenings, chilly winds and I am reaching out to the wool again. It might have something to do with the season, or might be a much needed change of pace.
I have completed t he ebook Tails of the Big City and am working on two more books, for self publishing authors. But wool felting is my escape for now.  After several years of doing it I finally feel like I am comfortable and not poking my fingers.

As for the rest, time to get a Christmas tree, time to dig out the cookie receipts (I bake them once or twice a year, so I don't remember how to do it without google), time to  make some more painted cups and mugs (I use them for gifts each year).  Winter is a good time of year for me, if I don't have to drive much.

A recap of our summer

Summer is almost over.  I have finished my first season as a gardener, and I loved it! The book Tail of the Big City has been  fully funded on Etsy and is in the making as we speak. As a matter of fact, it is amost finished. My wonderful friend Sofia Lindeman has agreed to work with me on it, and has been writing lovely poetry. And I have been busy painting 12 spreads with various animals and birds that are our neighbours here in NYC.

As a gardener I feel I have been fairly successful. Having never done this before, I have managed to grow a few croooked carrots, a number of rather prickly cucumbers, a handful of raspberries,  some wild strawberries, some blueberries, dill, onion, lettuce and a few tomatoes.  The key was to water and weed regularly, and not to buy to many new plants and try to grow them on a very limited space that I have. The conclusion is to be more organized next year, plan the garden in advance and try to stick to the plan. I am way to greedy when it comes to gardening. As I see something I want to plant it in my garden, and the bottom line is --IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to have everything. :) This is more a note to myself, than anything else, since I will try to do it again comes spring.

As an artist, I think I did well this summer too. It was a difficult project, I have never designed a book by myself. And I am not a very consistent or organized person. So to stay focused for such along period of time, designing and redesigning the page layouts, picking the best, working with the poet, managing the campaign...I somehow managed to do it, and keep the husband, kids, cats and plants alive. And most importantly I think I am still sane:)

Something completely New

I am very excited about this. Etsy is running a beta project on funding project for Etsy sellers, and I am one of the first one to be in it.
I am trying to raise money to make an e-book about the Nature of NYC.
Made a video, painted some pictures, a friend of mine is writing some AMAZING poetry. And it is running LIVE NOW. Please take a look!
Tails of the BIG CITY

The BOOK is HERE!

And it is gorgeous! A wonderful poet Warren Ross had written amazing poems to go with my watercolors, giving them a whole new life. Like little riddles put together they work to make it come to life. I am absolutely amazed how he did it. The quality of the book, the pages, the hard cover, the dust jacket. I am absolutely amazed at the final product. I know I am bragging, but I can't help it. It is my first hard cover:) And I love it:) I have 5 more left to sell for now, and they are in my Etsy shop.
I will be happy to personalize them for you , just leave a little note for me ot Etsy or on Facebook.

15 minutes rule

Just read a book about how important it is to sketch 15 minutes a day. Somone might laught, but to me 15 minutes of sketching is not something to be taken for granted. So I promised myself i will do it no matter what. Let us see how long it lasts. Meanwhile, a few new paintings here and there and a lot of gardening. I am trying to make a garden out of our back yard. So far it is a big mess , with lots of trash that needs to be taken out ,pieces of a pool we took down and not too many grean things growing. It will take some time, before anything worth picturing will come out there.

Easter 2015

Big holidays are always a time of reflection. A time to think what was happening at this time last year, the year before....This year as we were driving at night on one of New York beutifully lighted bridges and looking at the city asleep, I was happy that we are still doing "it". It being "being together during Easter night", cooking, getting dressed in all white, driving at night, holding Easter baskets, arguing and    being late.  It is not very easy for us to keep doing things year after year after year after year. But I am so thankful that we managed to walk through this fast together and complete it and be happy. There are many challanges, that come up as kids get older, as work load increases, health issues come up, and I am glad we can put it all aside and do this drive at night. We usually come back around 5 am, when the birds start singing and fall into beds to wake up the next morning to eggs, and kelbasa and baked goods. And it is one of the best mornings one can imagine.

Plates

 I have a new "thing"! I am painting plates with Pebeo paint. It is a very different feeling than doing watercolors, and I really enjoy the cleanness of lines and the smootheness of the materials. It could be my new favorite medium for now.

Winter mood

We were supposed to have a "snow storm of a century". Ha ha! I believe we got 12 inches at most, but oh what a fuss had been created. All cars were ordered off the streets, grocery stores were empty, everyone was waiting and preparing. Nothing came of it. But I did clear the driveway all by myself. Took the kids sledding, and had a fabulous time. And finally got stuck in the parking lot. It was such a mess! Half of Staten Island was pulling me out, just like the fairy tale Repka.  4 big guys were pushing my car, 3 were pulling and finally someone came along with a towing tross and pulled me out. They did say that they are working for their ticket to heaven , but I can only imagine what they thought of me. And yes,  the little one had to go to the bathroom then as well (he is not in diapers any more). It was fun:)

Here are a few pieces I manage to produce every now and then. All of them listed in my Etsy shop.

Waiving good buy to 2014

2014 was very good.
Briefly we baught a house (first one our family has owned), planted some trees ( I hope they grow big and strong), made 2 books, got Anna a kitten (she really really really wanted one), learned to start a fire in a wood stove,  felted 12 animals, painted 6 cups,  went snowtubing for the first time (hated it),
had many many many cups of tea with people I love. Thank you all for being there with me!

Life in Our Kingdom

So, as promised I am trying to keep documenting our life. It is such a great way to capture the moments, that will otherwise go without noticing. We painted a chicken, and a deer, built a tent, decorated part of the house and painted some more. I am coming together again and starting to pick up the speed with some projects here and there, and I think this keeps me really alive. Even painting the silly old chicken. Nobody knows what I will do with it, since it is rather large, but I've developed a soft spot for it, so it stays in the house:)

I'm back

At least I will try to get back. It is cold outside, the Christmas lights are on, the fire stove burning, and everyone in the family is asleep. Except for the cats of course. Life is good.
It is hard to keep oneself steady and calm and consistent day after day after day. Especially when all the projects come at the same time, and the oldest child decides that you don't understand him and the middle one is upset because you criticized her art, and the little one just want your attention all the time(and you are not Mom but actually a bear who is supposed to go berry picking), and the roof all of a sudden decided to leak and soccer and ballet are scheduled at the same time, and your husband gets back from work around 9 pm daily...Well, you know....
But then dinner is somehow ready, and everyone is fed, and finally even upstairs in bed, and the fire is so comforting, and the cats come to say that they still think I'm the best, and there is an hour or two of quiet painting.
I have my work table set up , for the first time in many years I have real work space, with shelves and a table of my own, and a lamp and all those fine supplies that have been waiting in boxes. So, I am making things! Making things , painting , felting makes me feel alive. And I am thankful for that.

My first real charity

I do not post much these days, because I simply do not have enough time to make Art.  I try to keep going at least a bit at a time, but it is minuscule in comparison to what I used to be able to do.
However, the little that I make these days to sell and a big portion of what I make I send to the wounded Ukrainian soldiers. This is not to say how good and charitable I am, there are people who are  REALLY doing something, but I wish to help even in the small amount. So, when you buy from my shop please know that I try to use that money to send to the volunteers who are helping the wounded.
Wishing peace to all the fighting countries in the world these days. There seem to be so many.

Ukraine

I just want to have this here. I wish Ukraine peace. With all my heart I wish that no war will strike and no people are killed in this absurd political game that Russia is playing. I have been watching the news daily since November, and I am not a politically inclined person by any means. I feel that I am with them mentally even though I live thousands of kilometers away. Peace, let there be peace . And Hope.