Published, Well Sort of...Well, Actually, Yes!

This may be the most egomaniacal post yet, but I just had to say "hooray!" I'm published in one of my favorite national magazines, Somerset Studio, issued bi-monthly by Stampington and Co., in California. This gorgeous magazine is considered the altered artists' definitive manual by many, and it is certainly the most luscious kind of eye candy.

Now, before you start mailing issues for autographs, let me clarify by saying I had a letter to the editor published (Jan-Feb '08, p. 5). I know, it's not art. But, it's about art. And they chose my letter from surely hundreds. So I am excited and flattered. And, I'm hoping this will signal good things to come. Certainly, it spurred me on to pack up some real art, write up the necessary documents and get them ready to mail off to sunny CA. I'll keep you 'posted,' pun intended. And by the way, as I was uploading this, I noticed it is indeed my 200th post! Here's hoping my art can be as prolific as my words. Happy New Year everyone!

Lovin' Zentangles -My New Therapy

As prescribed by me and introduced to me by Jade Adams and her mom Vonda Robert of ARTchix, ATC World, ZettiZoo (and well, where aren't they?), Zentangles are the best relaxation therapy ever.

They take time; you have to concentrate and focus on only them, and it's fun! It took me a while to find a pen I like, breezing through Pigma Microns of various sizes, Uniballs, a Gel Extreme 0.5 and a Sharpie extra fine (Santa put some of those in my stocking).

Today I packaged up six of my first eight for an ATC World swap hosted by Ms. Vonda. Can't wait to get some back. Besides being relaxing to make, they also make you think when you look at them. For more information, go to http://www.zentangle.com/.

See what you see in my Zentangles.

What I Did On My Winter Vacation

So far, I feel like I have been piddling my time away, being lazy, but I guess that's what vacation is for, right? Today I got up at the sinful hour of 10:30 a.m., and at 4:30 p.m. I looked at the clock and asked myself what in the world I had been doing for the last six hours. I couldn't really think of anything! Eek. I did package up some swaps and mail stuff. I spent a lot of time reading friends' blogs. I took some pictures and uploaded them to Flickr.

I am glad to say my pictures have a static address now, which is:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lillysoflondonish/.

Makes it a lot easier to direct friends to photos like the one here of Cabbage Patch Jacob Alexander Dye. Now hold your comments! He wanted to pose like this! He got Matchbox sets. Cousins Chloe and Logan got the Cabbage Patch(es): Sophie Madison and Billy Somebody. Kids always like the boxes best.

It has been about a month since I got this glorious swap box from Michelle of Hold Dear http://michellegeller.typepad.com/ in Oregon. We've been hatching a plan, or actually she has, about a Mermaid Swap. I've been waiting until she announces her plans to post these pics, but I just couldn't wait any longer. Tonight I sorted through her goodies again, and I just feel so fortunate to have such wonderful blog friends. I can't wait to meet some of them in person next year. I also sorted and filed goodies from fellow Memory Works 'worker' Lynn Darda of Winamac, IN who sent me a huge box of Western US memorabilia and the wonderful DeBRiNa Pratt of spark*your*imagination on ebay and flickr. I have more goodies to show in future posts.

We are still enjoying all the remnants of Christmas treats here, although I spent that day in bed under the weather, and missed the Cabbage Patch opening altogether. Right now I am writing this in my new Lands End flannel pjs and contemplating a Lands End peppermint cookie...or a Godiva's...or perhaps some South Bend Chocolates...maybe some Chex Mix....or, I know! A deviled egg. Egads. Holidays + vacation = strange eating habits + strange sleeping hours. Love it!

Oh yeah, I forgot. Maybe I am lazy today because I stayed up until 2 a.m. this morning crocheting: nine hats to be exact. Lester models the one with Elmer Fudd earflaps here. They're actually for the Blythes on that 'other' blog http://bly-me.blogspot.com/.

Art and Poetry, Poetry and Art

...And so often the twain shall meet. Being a moderator for the ZNE Verses forum, I decided I should join the ZNE group Artists and Poets. Artist Jodi Barone runs a separate blog for this group http://artistsandpoets.blogspot.com/, one of her two blogs.

I didn't know I would find already-blog-friend Laurie Marshall of Loud Life fame http://loudlife-laurieblaumarshall.blogspot.com/ with some cool poetry and a fabulous journal. I am also enjoying other ZNE friends' creative work and inspirational art- published there to jumpstart poetry.

What I also did not expect was to find myself featured there on the home page so soon, with one of my first works, shown there to evoke well, something, in someone(s). You can see it here http://artistsandpoets.blogspot.com/2007/12/gina-smith.html.

Jodi asked me what it meant, and first I told her the usual: it means whatever anyone sees, blah, blah, blah. But then I decided to figure out why I had made it as I did. Certainly, Teesha Moore's style inspired me http://www.teeshamoore.com/ and also Karyn Gartel http://altereddiva.blogspot.com/.

I also said I find that those who are too too outspoken and judgmental and presumptuous usually have to eat crow later, and to that I say, "would you like fries with that?" In other words, dig in.

Finally, I told her I might just eat all five cupcakes in one sitting and in numerical order if I want, and all of my family, friends, colleagues, customers, etc., whom I find have treated me differently since gaining a little weight can just eat crow. Or they can eat cupcakes with me. So enough of that. That is exactly why I hate explaining (or even thinking about) what my art means.

On the poetry subject, joining the group made me dig out my earliest poems, from about age 16, when I wrote a bunch. I was lucky enough to get one published by Indiana University in a book of mostly adult poetry, called Indiana Writes, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. Several other poems, including this one, were also published in the local newspaper, at that time called the Anderson Herald.

Genius

You sat there figuring the square
root of a multi-digit number.
There was a calculator in its case,
but only a worn down pencil and
a stack of paper was good enough
for you.

Your face mirrored your mind
working, and I was in awe of
your anger as another wadded up
sheet of paper was sent flying
to the trash can. If it wasn’t
math, it had to be history or
science, and of course weekends
were reserved for English.

I always said, “How brilliant.”
Or “That’s wonderful.” Then I
Hopped to the pencil sharpener
So you wouldn’t be without a
Sharp point. Other times I went
Off in search of more paper
For you.

That was a year ago and you’re
still the great genius you
were born to be and me-
well, you made me wonder why I
wasn’t an algebra book or
a grammar lesson or even a
pencil sharpener that you could
turn and turn until your pencil
was resharpened.

Gina Smith

Tagged Again, This Time By My Roomie

I discovered today quite by accident while blog-hopping that I have been tagged by Elaine at Artful Spirit http://artful-spirit.blogspot.com/. She is going to be my roommate at Art & Soul in Hamtpon, VA in May 2008, so I guess we'd better get to know each other! I can tell you she makes fabulous folk art sculptures from paper clay. Elaine was tagged by two other mutual blog friends, Viv, hostess of the snowman swap, at http://vivs-whimsy.blogspot.com/ and Sadie Hartmann, maker of Betsy ornaments and more at http://craftilyeverafter.blogspot.com/.

So I am supposed to tell five unusual things about myself. Although I am not feeling very unusual at the moment and seem to have the holiday blahs and a muse slump, here goes:

1) I am a little bit obsessive-compulsive, and this is not to mock anyone who is medicated for this. Perhaps I should be. I like to hang my clothes by color, line up my shoes neatly, organize my canned goods in my pantry by type, and much too much to even name. When I was little I had a collection of porcelain animals on my dresser, and one of my girlfriends took pleasure in rearranging them. It would actually make me cry. So it would when my nieces and nephews messed with my Barbie house arrangements. What can I say? I was a brat. An OCD brat.

2) I used to be fluent in Spanish, having majored in it in college, having hosted briefly an exchange student from Chile and having taken honors Spanish all through high school as well as French in college. By the time I graduated, I had read a novel in Spanish and written a term paper. I wish I had done more with it and have lost much of my ability.

3) Sadie Lou said she bites her fingernails, so I am going to steal that one, although I don't anymore. I did from toddlerhood to age 15, and then stopped cold turkey in 10th grade, probably the only cold turkey thing I've ever done. Moreover, I can't believe I ever did it, because I am so fussy about my nails now, girly and I don't like to stick anything germ-y in my mouth, like fingers (more OCD coming through). I don't even like to touch my face with my fingers, except when washing my face.

4) Can't sing or dance a lick, although I try. I absolutely love all music, know the words to a million songs, could play Name that Tune or Songburst until the cows come home, but no one can stand to be around me when I do. Although I was short, I got moved to the back row with the tall boys in second grade choir (that's how bad I was), and I pretty much got kicked out of junior high band. I was just awful-really. Several years of dance lessons also did no good, although by the time I took ballet in college, I was okay, except for leaping- ugly! And I would start to giggle- and ballerinas can't giggle, or even crack a smile.

5) I wouldn't mind living on a farm. I like all the hard work, baking, cleaning, gardening. I have driven a tractor and a chisel plow before. I like the big old houses, big open spaces, animals, natural foods, vegetables, canning. I can ride and saddle a horse. And all this is funny because my friends think I am a prissy city-slicker.

Done. And in the spirit of the busy holidays, I am not tagging anyone! Aren't you relieved?

Imagine and Believe, 4 x 4 Friday

I created this 4-inch by 4-inch book page, front and back for the weekly challenge at http://4x4friday.wordpress.com/. The challenge was to create a 4 x 4 piece of art using blue and silver. Being active also in The Artists of Chubbyville on Yahoo!- a fat book group, I always like to make my 4 x 4's into double-sided pages so I can swap or bind them later.

Like blue and silver, I like the contrast of "Imagine" and "Believe," and I certainly think you can do both. As well, this is no commercial for anything. I say: Believe Whatever Works for You. But, the little turquoise cross charm came in a swap from Dale http://dalemclain.blogspot.com/, so it seemed perfect for this once I had drawn the earth.

Peace on Earth to everyone.

It's Winter Everywhere

At the suggestion of another Flickr artist, I cropped my Charlie Brown tree photo, and found it was well received, enough even to get some "winter photography" awards in Flickr. Cool. Actually freezing. Award at right, buried under 15 inches of snow.

And although the Blythes are supposed to hang out on their own blog http://bly-me.blogspot.com, Lilly just wanted to say Happy Holidays and show off her angel wings from the Victoria's Secret catwalk, because some of her photos got the new Faerie Zine Award of Magic, also at right.

Have a Magical Holiday!

Happy Holidays From The Faerie Zine

After the Snow Fell, Part I

Charlie Brown tree gets Blizzarded
Originally uploaded by Gina2424

And now, presenting the miniature Japanese cherry tree, aka Charlie Brown tree, in the blizzard of 12-16-07. I'm not sure which season I like the best of the three pictured here and below, but I know which one I like to be the shortest!

Tree in Fall, Before the Snow Fell Part II

Sunrise pratice
Originally uploaded by Gina2424

Here's the same backyard in fall, with the cherry tree in the right foreground. Not a very good pic but a foreboding of what is to come.

Before the Snow Fell

Backyard
Originally uploaded by Gina2424

This is the same backyard looking the opposite direction. The miniature Japanese cherry tree is pictured between the two smaller windows. Sure looks good about now! So does the sky. And grass. And clouds. And green. And blue.