Tuesday, November 18, 2008

I've been TAGGED!

I've been tagged by one of my students, Debbie Melman, who happens to be this incredibly talented illustrator and you have to go to her blog to see some of her shared images and links to her children's books.

She is also the one that told me I should create a blog, besides as earlier posted, it's something that runs in the family. Visit her at http://www.blogdebsart.blogspot.com/


Here are 7 things you might not know about me.....







1. I really, really wanted to be in the circus. When I first went to the circus I was small child and I remember the magic, the music, the costumes, the animals, and the pretty women in fantastic costumes and the big muscular men. Yep, that was it for me, I was sold, I was ready but my Dad wouldn't let me. He told me horrible stories about traveling from town to town on the train and never getting to see your family. The closest I could get (at that young age of 7) was to play dress up with the kids on the block and lead all the kids on a march and we paraded all over town as the posted photos show. My cousin Andrea is pictured as the little girl to the left on the group picture of the 5 of us.
LISTEN, and I will tell you I can still envision myself, buff and all, with tight white shorts with sequins!

2. I love Bonsai Tree's.
I have some bonsai trees that have been with me for more than 25 years! There is something about working with nature and envisioning something and doing bondage on trees! There is a relationship that is shared throughout the different seasons, transplanting, repotting, pruning, wiring, resting and of course the growing season.

3. Besides my Circus career I also wanted to be a famous movie star and sinful singer of torch songs. So dramatic! I actually travelled to the East Coast when in school to travel with other like minded folks during our Bicentennial to sing and dance in Washington DC, New Jersey, Philadelphia and New York. I also worked at the Circle Star Theater and was a part of the Junior Theatre, working as an apprentice actor, working on costumes, sets and all the fun and magic of theatre.

4. I was a fashion designer for awhile, and knitted my own sweater line for a few years. Made my living knitting morning to knight (pun intended). I can't believe the guts I had, I walked right into Fred Segals on Melrose (in LA) and asked to see the buyer, the girl I spoke to said the buyer was out, but asked if I was showing anything I had on, I replied "yes, the sweater" She introduced herself, she was the assistant buyer and bought them all up, right on the spot.

5. When I had hair, I used to have a mohawk!
I started off with just bleaching my roots, and adding crazy color like Turquoise or Iris. You couldn't really tell there was any color unless I was lit from above, and then it glowed. Then I worked my way up to a full or fool mohawk.

6. I made my grandmother teach me how to crochet when I was eleven years old. She refused, but I insisted, she asked "what will your father think?" I of course replied "what difference does that make!" I was such a knotty boy

7. I came out of the closet because of Harvey Milk, I can still remember hearing him speak at the gay day parade and then felt such an incredible loss a few months later when he was shot to death along with Mayor George Moscone in November 1978. I thought the world was coming to an end, this all happened around the time of Jim Jones and the kool-aid massacre.

I am just having a heck of a time working with Photos!!!!&*$^#@*"&@

Sunday, November 9, 2008

4th Grade Transition!


Ok, when leaving Catholic School (Hallelujah) and moving to Public School, my brother and I went to "Summer School" which ended up being so much fun for me. My teacher was an artist and she taught us all how to paint skies wet into wet, darker colors at the top lighter colors as we move down, and to blot out the color with tissues for clouds. She also taught us to really look and observe what we are seeing, where is the light coming from, where are the shadows? All these great questions. Some days we would all go out for a field trip, with some paper, our ONE handy dandy watercolor brush, a jar of water and paint in the little rolling hills where I grew up.
This is a painting I did back then, sky, clouds and my favorite trees, see all the shadows?
My mom found this little treasure, thought I'd share it.