straw hat

Already the Grand Canyon trip is becoming a distant memory.

Last time to see the Grand Canyon dirt on my boots

How fast that happened. At least I’m continuing to do longer hikes and they are really just as spectacular and fantastic as the Grand Canyon.

Boots with new dirt

I have a new hiking hat.

I wanted a straw hat and last week I had the opportunity to check out two neighborhood thrift shops. I found what I thought would be the perfect hat. Cost $3.50 minus 60% making it $1.40 and no tax.

There was a couple of modifications need. First I cut up a bandana and weaved it in, providing softness against my forehead, and a nice sweat band. Then I attached a cord with toggle for adjusting tighter if needed in winds.

The hat worked beautifully. Provide shade, sopped up the sweat, and let the breeze whip through.

The hat made lots of people smile and laugh.

What a good hat.

keep it clear

The bike ride today was really nice. I rode with a group and they worked me hard. Now I feel very relaxed, or am I really tired, no relaxed.

I like how in the present I can be while riding with a group or anyone I have to keep up with.

I am pushing myself physically.
I am aware of car traffic.
I am conscience of cyclists in front and back of me.
I am breaking.
I am scanning for road hazards.
I am looking further up the road for traffic signals.
I am feeling my heart beat.
I am breathing hard.
I am shifting gears.
I am not thinking about anything else.
I am focused on riding.

I must notice and work on being in the present more often.
I can see it helps keep my mind clear, or clears it out.
Which ever, it is good.

back to school

It seems to be that I really will not make a living with my art, and I am absolutely fine with that. But, I do need to help financially, and through this attempt I find myself back in school.

I am studying Interior Design at the community college. This is my first semester and I am taking one class, Intro to Interior Design.

In the class there is a research paper in which we choose an architect or designer.

It took me until yesterday, 6 days to make a final decision on who to research. Thank goodness the instructor approved my choice, since he was not on the list.

There will also be a project. We will design an elevator interior using the person we have chosen as inspiration, reflecting this person’s life, accomplishments, motives, philosophies, passions. We are not to design in the style of this person, we are to use specific guidelines, and we will construct a model to scale.

In our library for a long time we have had this book:


To have this opportunity to study R.M. Schindler and his work is rejuvenating. This paper will not be extremely comprehensive; the class is only 6 weeks.

I am very fortunate to be going back to school, to increase my knowledge, to study design, to be creative, and I am excited.

My life is full of extreme good fortune and I am grateful.

fantastically amazing

On Facebook today I saw that a fellow artist joined the LACMA group. I checked it out and found that LACMA also has a Flickr page. On the Flickr page I was able to see the pictures from the reenactment of the Allen Kaprow Happening, Fluids.

There are also pictures from the original Happening.

It is amazing how through technology I can experience a bit of it.

It is amazing that I was able to find out about this through someone I have never met in person, living over 3,000 miles away from me.

It is amazing how we can share information quickly, and seamlessly.

It is amazing. It is energizing. It is inspiring.

It is fantastic, sharing.

LACMA Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacma/

today's gift

Time really got filled up this week. By Thur noon I was feelings overwhelmed with everything I committed to, on top of everything I wanted to do. It was difficult to find the time to do yoga, mediation, exercise, read, and sleep well.

Through doing the Thur night hike I have quickly come back to a calm.

Today I woke up easily at 5:15am, made lunch, washed the dishes, did yoga, mediation, some office work, watered the vegetables, and sent off some art packets, all before 9am.

I am remembering that I will have the time to do what is needed.

I am starting to understand how those feeling of being overwhelmed can suck me in, and it could easily become a downward cycle.

I am grateful that those feelings of being overwhelmed lasted a relatively short time, and at least for today, I know I have all the time in the world.

What an amazing gift, all the time in the world.

new perspective

It is interesting how everyone has their own very personal perspective.
I am just at the wee beginnings of understanding this. It’s not easy to let go of how I perceive and experience and get a glimpse into another’s.

My mother read some of my blogs. She called laughing, and telling me how she did not realize how funny I could be. At first I was a little dumb founded, I really don’t think of myself as funny.

A friend found one of the blog writings sad. Again I was a little dumb founded, I was not sad when I wrote it.

Another time I was told by an artist colleague that they found the rejection letter pieces depressing. More often than not, I know someone has taken the time to look at my work and that brings me great pleasure.

If asked, what do you want from people as they look at your work?
My reply would be that I would like them to spend time with a piece. I would like them to have their own experience, without having to understand what my intent, process, or experience might have been.

I wonder if this is possible.

And I can see that for some it is possible. They can have their own experience with my work.

And through them I have a new experience.

I hope they enjoy their experience

And I thank you all for taking the time, and showing me a new perspective.

funky industrial green local affordable

Our floors are almost done. Today I have been clear coating the hall and most of the living room. For such a small space, (we did not even do the bathroom and kitchen), it has been quite a big project, but it should be done Wed.

OSB (oriented strand board) was our flooring of choice.

It’s funky, industrial looking, a green product, made in the USA, and inexpensive.

I LOVE IT!!!


When I first got back from the Grand Canyon I found myself at times with my head looking down mesmerized.

A friend came over yesterday. She asked what was going over it.

Nothing, I don’t even want throw rugs.

She didn’t like it, not at all.

That’s okay.

It’s funky, industrial looking, a green product, made in the USA, and inexpensive.

I LOVE IT!!!


The bedroom is as put together as it will be for a while, and it soon the living room will also have everything put back it.

What a shame, I don’t want the floor covered up.

It’s funky, industrial looking, a green product, made in the USA, and inexpensive.

I LOVE IT!!!

taking the time

All the pictures and videos have been uploaded to Flickr, and I am ready to start working on the series using source photos from the Grand Canyon.

Before I can start I need to figure out how exactly I will do this work.

I feel there are a lot of pieces to come, and I do not what to increase my footprint by printing on archival paper, processed to be printed on with archival pigment ink, using the ink jet printer.

I have to be very environmentally conscience, it’s a must.

I need to find a way.

I’m not sure if the work should be all digital, maybe displayed using one of those LCD picture frames (these could be used over and over again), or maybe the Grand Canyon National Park has returned misprinted permits I could print on.

It is very important that I figure this out first, before I start working on this series.

I am very much ready to work on this while the experience of being there is so fresh, I don’t want to forget.

I must trust I will not forget.

I must take the time to find the right medium for this project.

I will be patient, I will trust, and I can find a way.

This is exciting.

back at home

Spending a relatively short period of time out in the wilderness proves to be exhausting, stimulating and refreshing.

I cannot even think of the words to explain the experience of hiking down into the Grand Canyon, maybe they will come to me some day.

I took over 500 pictures and 5 videos. So far I’ve only gotten 32 off the camera and onto Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/vklips/sets/72157605562494863/
Although it will take time to get this all organized it is a pleasure to see it all again.

I wish I was still there, and I am excited to be back.

A lot of the pictures I took are source photos, and I am ready to start working on a new series. Once I get caught up with emails, paperwork, laundry, storing the backpacking gear, cleaning, downloading/uploading pictures, formatting the videos, and uploading them, I can start.

I better stop looking at the dust on my boots.

first time to the bottom

My backpack is packed.
When I get home from the Thursday night hike all I have to do is pack the overnight bag, and get the snack food for the drive ready.

I am excited and nervous. I have not backpacked since leaving the San Diego Mountain Rescue Team. First it was no time, then no money, then the ankle injury.

Now I’m going and I’m as ready as I’m going to get.

No emails, no phones, no QuickBooks, no fax, no art, no blog, no Facebook.

Sat it’ll be 35-38 pounds on my back, down down down, descending to temperatures in the 100”s.The un-essentials I’m hauling on my back are 1 liter of red wine; cell phone flask with brandy, iphone (must try emailing a picture from the bottom).

What was I thinking when I got my friend to get me on her permit.

I was thinking, the GRAND CANYON, never been down there, might as well go.


Hang out at the bottom, do a little hike on Sunday.

Then Monday up up up, I hope with only 28-30 pounds on my back, and I hope the temps drop quickly as we climb out. Monday night it’s a hotel in Flagstaff, and drive home Tuesday.

This will be a very good adventure.

food growing

Our brussels sprouts are coming along.
I never knew this is how they grow.

It makes me wonder how many other foods I have no idea about.

It is nice to be growing some of the food we eat. I had thought it was going to be a real chore, but it turns out they don’t really need much from us.

They know how to grow on their own.

my color for the 08 season

At the beginning of fall 2007 I cleaned out all the ¾ - ½ full nail polish jars I had in the closet. They had all gone gooey.

As I through them in the trash I thought to myself, what a waste.

I only use the nail polish on my toes, and only during sandal season. And although I live in San Diego I do not show my toes between mid Oct and the end of May.

I also thought it was a waste of my time; that time spent looking at different color options. I told myself, at the beginning of the next sandal season I would choose one color, buy one jar, and that would be the color for the season.

I chose my color for the 2008 sandal season a couple of weeks ago, and today I applied it. As I was putting it on I started laughing and shaking my head. What is this color? It is really bizarre. Who in their right mind would choose this color.

I did. Just thinking about it puts a smile on my face. It’s really a bad color, at least for me, but it will be my color. I wonder if I will get used to it. It may be best not to look down.

materials

My sister has always made these beautiful photo albums. There is such delight in picking one up and going through it. I often thought I should do that, but never have.

Because I have not, I am so pleased to have my Flickr accounts. I am able to be very organized without storing more CD’s, photo albums, and slide albums.

Although it is not nearly as delightful as picking up one of my sister’s photo albums I am able to easily access pictures and derive much pleasure from seeing them.

I embrace this digital technology in so much of my life, yet I hold on to having my person touch with parts of my art practice. I wonder will I let that go. Should I let that go?

But for now I cannot. I have far too many of those so called ‘traditional’ art materials to use up. At some point when materials are used up, I wonder where my art will go.

I will just have to wait for that time, for it does not matter right now. I have plenty to do, plenty to work with.

refresh button

The hike yesterday was fantastic. It really is a cleansing experience spending the entire day up in the mountains.

Today I am a little tired yet exhilarated and refreshed. It’s like the refresh button was clicked and with that click of the button things become a little clearer.

When I got the contract to exhibit my work at LA Artcore it felt strange. It’s been so long since I’ve shown a body of work. I was excited and apprehensive. Today I signed the contract and look forward to the opportunity so graciously given to me.

I am a fortunate person that my refresh button yesterday was to go to the mountains, hike 15 miles with a great group of people and Pumpkin the lab.

What a luxurious refresh button.

I know the place I am at today is because of many choices I made, and I wonder how much of it has been luck, how much is karma.