Self Portrait

I was having a particularly bad day a few weeks ago. Instead of wallowing in my funk, I picked up a scrap of cardboard and started to draw my self portrait. I felt like shades of grey and brown but I mixed bright colours with my gouache. The light pencil lines and the rhythm of filling in the shapes felt therapeutic. Before too long the fog was lifting and my shoulders straightened.

It's one of the better likenesses of myself I've created. It's honest; I look tired and a bit worn.

This reminds me of  My Many Coloured Days by Dr. Seuss; a book I often read before I put my daughter down. Specifically these two passages:

Some days are yellow.
Some are blue.
On different days I'm different too.

But it all turns out all right, you see. And I go back to being...me.

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LE Sketchbook: Suitcase

 
The suitcase sits by the front door again. Ready for another week away.

See the rest of my Limited Edition Sketchbook pages.

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Mail Art Monday: Colour and Postcards

This week had a colourful package arrive to a dear friend. My first collaborative postcard and a small surprise arrived in my mailbox.

In their postbox...

Kye received the most colourful package I could gather together. I enlisted the help of my minions children to paint some cards as a thank you for the little mail art bags that Kye sent to them. I decorated a couple of small envelopes to match and tucked then inside a larger envelope with prints, stamps and clippings.

In my postbox...

The first postcard in our new exchange arrived in an intimidating timeline. Jessica's first piece shows a masterful use of materials, balance and restraint. The words on the card read "you and I the entire species represented in paintings". Lovely, right?

Her package also included a wealth of ephemera including clippings, stickers and string for my contribution.

I have been working on her reply and it appears that I may need a few rounds to get my collage kinks out. I don't seem to have Jessica's talent for balance and restraint. The fact that it makes me a little uncomfortable is a good thing. It's a challenge and it's making me push my limits a little.

Catherine put together a delightful collection of items shortly before welcoming her first child into the world. Along with pictures of boats and sheep, she included a card with her first repeating pattern.

 
My orphaned postcard from Post Muse arrived this week to my surprise and delight. I sent her an email in September and had long since settled on my email being lost along the way. This fountain in NYC holds a special memory for my husband and I. We visited the fountain on one of our two trips to New York in the Fall. On this occasion I didn't feel like battling any crowds and we spent two glorious days walking through all of central park.

 
This next week will be a mix of mail art, scanning and mailing my Limited Edition Sketchbook, and lots of gardening, if the weather permits. What are your plans?

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LE Sketchbook: Time to Go. Again

 
The leaving routine starts again.

See the rest of my Limited Edition Sketchbook pages.

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