Fun on a snowy day

It's been a long time since this California girl of the last 20 years has played in the snow. It started snowing about 4 hours ago here (in Missouri where I will be a couple of more days). And I'd say there's about 3-4inches on the ground now. I couldn't resist making a snowlady.



(that's me showing off my creation)


(my dad's house)


(I can't believe I'm letting you all see me look so awful, no make up or hair done, such a slob, but I wasn't planning on posing for pix today. I am not photogenic anyway so even if I was looking my best, it would still be an awful picture. Anyway, here I am with my dad and then in the next picture is my dad and his wife, Neva. He looks pretty good for all he's been through!)

Have a good weekend!

Do you still remember me?

I feel like I've been gone forever! I am just stopping in quickly this morning to say "hi" and let you know I'll be home on Tuesday and back to blogging, emails, and making art! Woohoo! I almost can't wait to get on that plane and I never thought I would ever ever say that!

And, I wanted to thank you for putting up with all of my personal stuff here lately and sending all the good thoughts and prayers - they are surely what has gotten me through all of this and I cannot express how much I appreciate all of your support and the support of my perfect hubby and family. It has been more difficult than I expected on this trip and round two is coming up in the next couple of months. Now that my dad is healing from the bypass, they will go back in as soon as they can to fix the aneurysm that was the original problem. So, we are not out of the woods or ready to take a big sigh of relief, but we are almost over the first hurdle. It was emotional and tense and stressful the last week and now I am just plain old homesick and itchin' to be back in my little niche of family, friends, art and routine.

I hope you all have a great weekend and I can't wait to see all that you've been up to. I will have a lot of reading and looking to do next week and I can't wait. I love you all!

She's Out of the Hospital

Today Marsh's dad was released from the hospital so Marsh was freed too. They are back at the family home.

Her dad and she are doing better. The worries about his health are fading a little, but then she listens to the news and now wants to worry about the actors again. They can't seem to come to some agreement about what they will be paid. This and today her brother had to get back to his job.

I want to thank Mr Bell for coming up with the telephone. It's not nearly the same but my shoulder has gotten a lot of work over the past couple of days. Marsh gives me much more credit then I deserve for making her feel better. All I have to do is listen, add a couple of I knows, and after she's talked it all out, tell her I love her. She does all the work.

I will keep you posted. MAKE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL.

Hi from the hospital . . .

(you can use this picture - it is from the Library of Congress and copyright free)

I left you a picture so that you'll have something to look at besides boring personal stuff. Kent, my sweet hubby, it seems has done a good job keeping you posted but I am afraid I will lose some of my followers for being so light on the art and heavy on the personal news. I have read some of the posts and some of the comments but they made me cry so I had to move on before I embarrass myself in front of the other waiting room folks. Thank you for all of you love, prayers, and good thoughts. They are helping.

I am in the hospital . . . . still. Well, not as a patient as you know, but here none the less. This is the first I have been on the internet since I left home a week ago. I just have not been able to concentrate or find the right time or right spot in a waiting room. We have been here everyday all day and sometimes nights since last Wednesday - 12-18 hours at a time. That is a lot of waiting and being on edge. My brother has been taking the long night shifts and I have been taking care of my dad's wife in the motel we are in nearby. I am tired and bored and tense and lonely and very homesick. At least I won't worry about flying home - I can't wait to get on that plane! I think I will be here another 2 weeks, maybe a little less. My brother is leaving tomorrow to go back to work. I will stay behind and help my dad get home and finish easing back into normalcy. We are not sure when he will be released yet, but things are going well. They did not stop his heart during surgery for fear it would not start again, but they were somehow able to work around it, one section at a time and he has done very, very well. He doesn't feel good, he's exhausted (from trying to sleep sitting up for 3 days), he won't eat, and is very grumpy but he is really doing fine - all vitals are good and he walked without a walker or any assistance the very first time he tried yesterday.

I tried to take a break today from the hospital and go to Hobby Lobby for my first time ever, but it was closed on Sunday, darn it. Well, at least I won't know what I'm missing.

I miss you all very much and all the blogs I love to visit. We could not get my computer to connect to the internet at my dad's house so it made it difficult for me to go blog hopping let alone anything else. I will try again next week when we get out of the hospital. I really hope you are all well and I cannot wait to to get all caught up with you. That's all I can say for now or I get too emotional. Love you!

Good Morning Marsha Fans!

Well it is me again and not that lovely, salt and pepper beauty you were looking for. She is doing well, but the hospital routine has not lent itself to being able to get on to her blog. I read her your posts and I can here the smile in her voice. She then gets a little sad because that voice gives away how much she misses all of you.

Saturday they got Jim up and out of bed. It was normal to start him walking and getting around, but I guess the nurses were amazed at the pace of the walk and it was done without a walker.

Marsh's dad is a good old guy. Good mid-western stock fighting from a difficult childhood to raising a great family. She said he's a bit grumpy, but they were warned about that because of the pain of having your chest stretched.

They expect to take Jim home Monday or Tuesday. Hopefully Marsh can get to the computer. She sounded homesick and a little bored.

Thanks for the continuing support. Keep up the battle to fill the world with art (that what Marsh wants)

kj

P.S. I know this blog is about art with obviously a little personnel stuff stuck in. Marsh may not have wanted a sports report here, but if she doesn't like it she shouldn't have left me the keys. Our daughter Lauren has finished her soccer season on the league championship team. They ended up ranked 13th in the city of LA.

The first part is done.

I talked to Marsh a little bit ago. Her dad is out of surgery and doing okay at this time. This is a big relief to the girl. Earlier today she had to have her dad's pastor and her brother call me to give me updates (she didn't think she could get through it without tears).

Marsh wanted to thank everyone for the thoughts and prayers. She has had some problems getting on line, and she's not felt much like it so I've kept her up to date and read comments to her. She will get back in the swing soon.

Her dad is in intensive care and will go to a room tomorrow. Marsh is staying in Springfield near the hospital with her brother and step mom.

Marsh or I will type in more. Stay up.

kent

She made it!!

Hello all.

Marsh asked for me to help keep everyone up to date for her. With a little chemical help Marsh got on the airplane with her brother. The two of them had a uneventful flight, and they landed safely.

I will do my best to keep you informed, Marsh's lesser half.

No clever pix . . .

Hi everybody,

I wanted to make something for tonight's post but just didn't get it done. As most of you know, I am leaving Sunday the 15th (tomorrow) for Las Vegas where I will meet my brother and fly from there to my dad's in Missouri. We fly on Monday. My dad's surgery is the 19th. I will not have access to the internet much the first week I am gone. I hope to return home after two weeks, but it could be longer. I will do my best to keep you posted here either through me or my husband. I will let you know when I am home and making art again, hopefully very soon! Know that I am thinking about you all and missing you more than you know.

I love Cha Cha, I do . . .

My friend, Cha Cha from Noodleroux takes such good care of me. She's my buddy. She emails me offline just to check on me (I know several of you do that and I appreciate that so much), she offers to pick me up at airports and drive 4 hours out of her way to do it, tell me dirty jokes if I need to laugh in the middle of a good crisis, yes, she even gave me her phone number so she is brave putting that in the hands of a good stalker. Well, today I got my first ever TLC package from anybody since my mom sent one and that's been a good long time since that happened - 20 years maybe. And it came from my beloved Cha Cha. I'm about to make you jealous.

Just look what Cha Cha sent me . . .

Candy! Yummy!


Some very delicious smelling goat's milk soap! mmmm.


Some b-e-a-utiful earrings and an antique postcard book with lovely pictures inside!
Wowee!


And my most favorite and excited to get, 6 vintage photographs! Can you believe it? Holy cow!

( had taken another picture that showed more of them but it won't upload, but that's okay or you would be even more jealous)

And, a lovely card that made me get teary eyed. Cha Cha, you rock! You are the coolest chick to ever get me to write a haiku! (I will work on a better one on the plane.) Your package came at the perfect time. I needed the TLC right now. Thank you so much, sweetie! I am so shocked, surprised, delighted, and touched I can't tell you!

Now, if you haven't already, go over and start reading Noodleroux's blog. You will fall in love with her big heart and down to earth wit about the ups and downs of life. She is so real and will remind you of things you think and don't put into words, yet there is a freshness to everything she writes about. She has become so special to many of us that follow her regularly and I look forward to meeting her in person some day. We have lots of girl talk to catch up on that just isn't the same in blogland.

Fly

copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 2.12.09
3 x 5 collage on matte board using scraps as background, some watercolored, Images include face from curiousdigitals.etsy.com, bird and word from lisasalteredart.etsy.com, wings used with license agreement with Butterfly Utopia, dress and shoes from the public domain.

I am really getting nervous about flying Monday. Whewwww. Can you tell? I am obsessed with birds today.

One World One Heart Giveaway Today

It's here! It's time!


(as it will be sent in it's matte)

The day has finally come to draw the winner of my OWOH collage! It has been an amazing event that was so expertly designed and hosted by Lisa of A Whimsical Bohemian. If you particpated in the event and haven't already, please join me and be sure to stop by and thank her again for all of her hard work. I have not made it through the very long list of participants by a long shot, but I will continue to visit them as long as the list is available. I have made some instant friends and seen so many beautiful people, creations and perspectives. It has been a simply wonderful experience and I hope to participate every year.

So, without further delay, the winner whose post number was drawn is Tammy of Art and Inspirations! Woohoo! I will contact your blog for your mailing address.

Thanks to all that have visited here and left such kind comments. Thanks especially to those that took the time to really look around and write a short personal note - I am impressed, touched, and grateful and hope you visit again and again!

Winged Things

copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 2.11.09
5 x7 collage on a watercolored, stamped, and drawn background using birds from lisasalteredart.etsy.com, drawn legs, hat and boots from Dover clipart and numerous other pieces from image sharing groups, all reprinted, carefully trimmed and many are hand-colored.

Time, well, more accurately posting, flies! I'm already at my 200th post and it seems like we were at a 100 just the other day. Do I write that much? Holy cow.

Well, I'm not sure what will be posted here or how much blog visiting I will get done the next couple of weeks. My trip to take care of my dad is fast approaching and I have many things to do to prepare. I have a lot to do today and tomorrow. I leave on Sunday and will have limited access to the internet, but some. I won't be making any work or posting it for a couple of weeks, (which seems impossibly awful right now) but I will try my best to keep my eye on everyone a bit. I have a few other posts to put up before I leave but I'm not sure how much art will get done from here on out until I return. Anyway, more on that later. I'll be around a bit another day or two.

Clown Prince

copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 2.11.09
5 x 7 collage using boy image from collagevisions.etsy.com, frame, wings and crown front from suppliestogo.etsy.com, arms and feathers from Dover clipart, letters, partial background and words from photo sharing groups, trim created by me, all reprinted, carefully trimmed, and hand-colored.

My new identity . . .

This is my temporary and new Tumble Fish Fairy, her name is Stud. I am just cracking myself up with this idea (I am so easily entertained by my self even if no one else is). Yesterday the -io was left off of Studio (as in Tumble Fish Studio) so it just read Stud in a post somewhere and it struck me funny and I liked the idea so much, I made myself a stud fairy. I totally borrowed the body without permission so it is just a temporary post here and will not ever be sold or traded. Thought you might like to see my alter ego.

Random Pondering #1

Really. This is just a random wondering pondering moment. I will try to post these as they happen from time to time. I have no answers, just questions.

I was doing some research on books and artists and visual purpose tonight and all of a sudden I wondered if I'd be making art as I am right now if it weren't for the internet. I use the internet all day long . . . . for inspiration, knowledge, image collection, image "deposits", comradery, instant gratification of sharing a finished piece with an audience, instant gratification of seeing someone's most up to the minute recent work. I wonder if I would be making what I am and as much as I am if it were not for the internet. Hmmmm. I'm kinda scared to think on it too much.

For my best friend . . .

. . . my man, my hubby, my kids dad, our parents son, my touchstone, my rock, my everything
(you might want to turn the music off here before linking to this)

http://www.last.fm/music/Snow+Patrol/+videos/5487507

I can't make a picture of this.

p.s. this is my valentine

Wanna Play?

Recently I invited myself to join the Flickr group, Collage Play with Crowabout, hosted by Nancy Baumiller. You all know I stink at journal pages - just can't get the backgrounds right and struggle with adding words to my work. These are things I want to eventually overcome. So, I joined the group to play and learn. Nancy gives you everything you need to play. If you'd like to find out more just leave me a comment here with your flickr name or go to my flickr on the right side of this blog and flickr mail me! I'll invite you! You can visit Nancy's lovely blog (linked on the right too) here. Here's my piece for this week's challenge.



copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 2.11.09
5 x 7 collage on a watercolored background. All images are from Nancy of the Collage Play with Crow About flickr group, except the shoes (from Dover clipart) and legs (drawn).

Bingo Fairy

copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 2.9.09
3 x 5 collage on a background borrowed from Mar, using a face from Outsider Artists, dress and fish from my own collection of vintage pictures, wings and hat from an image sharing group, boots from Dover clipart, and borders from Anahat Katkin's Spare Parts book.

Just so you know . . .

. . . I am still here until Sunday, but I put my Etsy on vacation mode.

I'm not good at being deep . . .

I have decided to delete my very long and deep post about my internal philosophical struggles and recent personal enlightenment regarding art and how I feel my art fits into the scheme of things. Some of you feed to my blog so might still be able to read it. I don't know if you can read the comments or not. They were all great and I appreciated them, but I felt I might be leading everyone into deeper discussions than my small experience and knowledge can manage. And after rereading what I wrote and some of the comments I felt I was inviting a critique of someone else's work here which I do not want to host and we may have been edging in that direction. I am not qualified or interested in critiquing anyone but little ol' me either personally or privately or publicly. I don't even critique ME in proper form! And that was not my intended goal of my long post. I failed at communicating a significant turning point for me and that's okay - some things are hard to put into words. After rereading it all yet again, I sounded far more pretentious than I have any right to and that happens when I make everything about me and I was and it's not.

So, back to light and happy posts over here! (that may still be about me but I guess it is my blog, hee hee) Here's some light and happy in progress . . . (I'll credit images when the piece is done if I keep working on it - have to tweak that mouth a bit (kinda mussed it up in a hurry) but you get the idea)

Finally finished a work in progress

You may remember me posting this piece a few days ago as a work in progress. I finished it today and it took about 9 hours - that is how very slow I am! Holy moly.



Double Vision in Comfortable Shoes
(you can click on it for more detail - I even polished their nails! Please do not copy or download)


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 2.8.09
8 x 10 collage using numerous vintage images, reprinted, carefully trimmed, and many hand-colored or tinted, all arranged with original trims on a watercolored background. Images: comfortable shoes from Suzan Buckner's freebies, other shoes from Dover clipart, tv screen made by me in Microsoft Publisher, legs and necks drawn by me, head gear made from numerous images from the public domain or image sharing groups as is some of the top and lower border and the glasses, arms from an old clipart page, dress and faces from paperstreet.etsy.com, and main wings used with a license agreement with Butterfly Utopia.

Symbolism for this piece, if you care to read. It is a very personal piece for me.

• Mainly, this piece has to do with me searching for and defining my ideas about art in general, and then specifically how my art fits into the world. It is about my personal struggle with my artistic abilities and the frustration of not being able to execute what I see in my head.
• The two heads and their glasses represent 1) my abilities and seeing them realistically with a lot of self criticism and 2) seeing and appreciating other art in the world without that self criticism.
• The tv screen implies that I am not finished investigating or committing to my present theories and maybe never will be. It is a fluid ever changing thought process.
  
• The shoes . . . The big shoes in their hands represent the big art shoes that are too big for me and too hard to fill. The smaller shoes on their feet symbolize a comfort in my own quirky style and in my little place in the world. They have slightly yellow arms representing my fear of letting go of those shoes and just doing my own thing without a second thought.
  
• The vertical words next to the figure are from a french shoe polish can . . . meaning I will always be polishing those big art shoes and my own comfy sneakers, tweaking my little niche.
• The rulers have to do with measuring up, sizing things up.
  

I am still working on an art-icle about these ideas and a recent experience with them. I'll try to finish it and post later tonight or tomorrow.

this link should work . . .

http://www.theartof-art.com/

I don't know why you get misdirected in the previous post.

Down by the sea and a "trust me"

I have no pictures to show you with this post. I always hesitate to do that to you because I know a fair share of you are visual followers and don't want to read big long posts. But, not all of my journey that I record here is captured in pictures.

I took a day off from art and everything else and my hubby, mom-in-law, and good friends Oz and Jolene and Tracy (who just got home from her second tour in Iraq and is going back in May) went to the beach to look for sea glass. We were enjoying a break in our big rain storms and it was a beautiful day at the beach. There was no sea glass to be found however. The rocks it hides in were all gone or all covered up with sand. On hands and knees here and there we managed to find some teeny tiny pieces I like for my sea glass capsule necklaces (on my etsy). We saved an upside down stranded crab, a starfish, and a sand flea. The sand flea entertained us for quite awhile with its flips and monumental hops and then seemed to fall over dead all of a sudden as if it wore itself out performing for us. But Oz and Jolene, a couple of the biggest creature lovers I have ever met, took it down to the water to see if it would perk up and it soon crawled in the sand. Maybe it was doing another trick for us and showing how it could play dead. Before coming home we stopped at Borders to buy Lisa Kettell's Altered Art Circus for my plane ride next week and dined at the very trendy and classy Arby's (one of my favorites and there aren't any out here where we recently moved). When I got home I got to talk to my buddy, Suzan Buckner (Thrifty Collage Artist) on the phone as I did last night, and it ended a perfect day.

Suzan has been such a mentor for me and hugely supportive. She has helped me move along this journey more than anyone else. She has convinced me to look into printing my pieces so that I have those to offer for sale at a cheaper price as well. When I get back from Missouri I will get some made and then get everything listed on etsy. Anyway, I just wanted to tell Suzan what a great and generous person she is and I am glad to have her as my friend.

I get to sleep in tomorrow and then it is an all day art day. I did manage to make some backgrounds last night (staying up until almost 3 a.m.) So, I have lots to work on.

Before I leave you tonight, I want to share another link with you. As one thing leads to another in blogland, I had the pleasure of meeting two incredible artists yesterday that resulted in an incredible experience for me. I will tell you the story another day but I want you to visit their site before I share it. Understand that their art is very different from what we tend to focus on in "our circles" of altered art. This is fine art, very important art of our lifetime. This is one of the "trust me" adventures I sometimes send you on and your visual fix from me for today. Please go visit http://www.theartof-art.com/ Be sure to read their biographies and you will be better prepared for my story coming later this week. And, don't be shy over there. If you love something, leave a comment. Franny and Anthony are very down to earth and love hearing from their audience as much as anyone else does.

Hope you are having a good weekend!

I didn't leave a good link . . .

For the photography mentioned in the previous post, I left the link for just one photograph. You can still click the "back to the flickr photo page" link at the top to see his photostream or here is the proper link for it http://www.stumbleupon.com/toolbar/#topic=Photography&url=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.flickr.com%252Fphotos%252Fstocksphotography%252F3253161973%252Fsizes%252Fl%252Fin%252Fphotostream%252F
I especially wanted you to see his landscape pictures. I like the city pix but the landscapes are magical to me.

Yay for me! (sorry)

Just have to brag a second, humbly . . . like if I write it out here it will be more real. I'm so excited! One of my pieces is featured on the public ZNE Network page for the next few weeks. Here's the link http://www.znestore.com/page/page/5081100.htm Be sure to visit all of the cool parts of the network and see what all of the incredible ZNE artists are up to. Chelise Stroud Hery has done an incredible job with this group and venue and I have been very proud to be a new member of it.

While sharing links . . . you have to look at these http://www.stumbleupon.com/toolbar/#topic=Photography&url=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.flickr.com%252Fphotos%252Fstocksphotography%252F3253161973%252Fsizes%252Fl%252Fin%252Fphotostream%252F I am rarely emotionally, almost physically as moved by someone's art as I am these pictures. Amazing.

Can't wait to see Coraline!

The circus mice spelled my name but it won't upload for some reason. I am going to be playing on the website all evening! Some of you know about my button phobia - wonder how I'll do with the movie! There are lots of buttons in it! Maybe it will be good therapy, or my worst nightmare! I can't wait to see it nonetheless! Go to http://www.coraline.com for some fun, lots of fun. I already know this will be very inspirational to my art work. You will be able to see the evidence I am sure! Have a good weekend!

Well my blog face lift is somewhat done for now. The one thing I hate about blogspot is the limitations you have on arranging the layout. I really wanted my banner larger, all the way across, but I cannot figure out how to get it done. It won't center. I can make it larger but it will not move to the left, only to the right. Anyway, I am proud that I figured out how to put the background in. I may add some more to it. Blogspot's layouts waste so much space, it drives me crazy. Oh well.

Fairy Tale


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 2.5.09
3 1/2 x 5 collage on watercolored matte board with pix from lisasalteredart.etsy.com, paperstreetetsy.com, outsider-artists.net, and Dover clipart reprinted, carefully trimmed, and hand-colored, and ribbon trim.

This piece was made for The Artist Callenge website.

Under Construction!

I am going to be playing with a new face lift on my blog today so if it looks weird, you'll know why!

This is me flapping my wings . . .

. . . wishing I could fly like a bird all the way to Missouri. We will get schedule confirmation tomorrow, but it looks like my dad will have his bypass surgery on the 19th which means I will be flying from here to Las Vegas to meet up with my brother and then we will fly from there together to my dad's probably around the 15th or 16th. So at least I know when it is all happening and now have to prepare for it. Have to figure out what I can take to do on the airplane since I can't collage on the flight - that's too bad cuz I could've stayed very busy doing that. I will prepare a bunch of stuff to work on once I get there though. It may be a long 2 weeks without a chance to make art or blog! Wow . . .

Some trips for you to take & miscellanea

You know how one link takes you to another link to another. Well from visiting people that have visited me and then sometimes visiting those that visited them I find myself visiting a lot of places. Here are a few things you should see if you haven't already . . . (I didn't post any pix since I don't have permission to do so - just trust me!)

• I found a couple of great links that I'll share in a minute from Penny Raile who found me and then I found her incredible work on flickr. She creates beautiful drawings and very unique digital collages that you will love looking at. Please visit her lovely blog. I have already linked her in my links on the right so I can return many times. Through her blog I was taken on many wonderful side trips.
  

• One you should take would include a visit to The Thieving Magpie. There you will see the most magical sculpturesque furniture pieces, mostly enchanting giant sized clocks, that you have ever seen. Be sure to visit the gallery. Click on the pictures to see them larger and please take note of the tops of these pieces. I just absolutely love them. If I could interpret through collage what Richard Dunbrack does in these pieces, I would be so happy. You may seem some evidence of my inspiration from these works in my future pieces! And, if I ever work up the courage to assemble some 3 dimensional pieces, it will be in a style very similar I hope.
  

• Another little trip I took from Penny's site left me here at Original Talley, another great furniture artist. I have told my husband that if I win the lottery I want to build a house just like some of the ones you can see in Toon Town at Disneyland. Furniture from both this artist, Dale Talley, and Richard Dunbrack would fit right in! They would furnish my dream house. In fact, some of Dale's pieces have been used in dream houses on Extreme Home Makeover.
  

• The journals of Dan Eldon. I had visited this site before and forgot about it (somehow) and was reminded of it yesterday while visiting The Artist Challenge. Take time to read about Dan. It is quite a haunting and moving life to read about. His journals can be seen here http://www.daneldon.org/journals/index.html

So, I am anxious today. Thanks for all of the good vibes, thoughts, and prayers. Today I find out when I am flying. Of course I am more worried about my dad than me flying, but I wish I could snap my fingers and get there and it would take some of the stress of the situation away. I am already trying to imagine myself drawing in a journal on the plane since I cannot take scissors! I need a sketchbook. I wonder if they have some with framed pages. I have found that having a frame to work in helps the blank page not seem so gigantic and intimidating. I'll keep you posted.

I just uploaded #100 to flickr. Here they are . . .

#100 . . . Fluttering Zetti Sisters with Glasses
(you know what they say about Zetties in glasses)


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 2.3.09
3 x 5 collage on watercolored matte board with pix from lisasalteredart.etsy.com reprinted, carefully trimmed, and slightly hand-colored, handmade legs, shoes from Dover clipart, wings used with license agreement from Butterfly Utopia, scrap trim.

#99 . . . Zetti Sisters in Pink
(you know what they say about Zetties in pink . . . just kidding, I have no idea)


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 2.3.09
3 1/2 x 5 collage on watercolored matte board with pix from lisasalteredart.etsy.com reprinted, carefully trimmed, and slightly hand-colored, handmade necks and hearts, shoes and hats and birdcage from Dover clipart, wings used with license agreement from Butterfly Utopia, scrap and ribbon trim.

Well I've made a few more than 100 pieces if you count the ones that ended up in the trash and the others that never made it to flickr and are saved to remind me where I started. I hope Suzan (Thrifty Collage Artist) doesn't mind me telling you, but she sent me a picture of one of her early pieces that involved pipe cleaners, not that pipe cleaners are a bad thing. We all have some evidence of our beginnings, most of mine is still on flickr and if you look back at the set of "older works" you will see, even I see, that I have grown some since starting this adventure in September. I've told you before that I only like things I make for a very short time so me leaving anything on flickr or here for more than a few minutes or hours astounds me.

I know some of you are waiting on Etsy listings. I'm sorry. I know it is weird that I am putting this off when me selling work is part of the reason I am allowed to make it in the first place and not be working at a real job. I don't know what wall I have hit and why I can't seem to bring myself to list things. I think I am really in limbo with my dad's situation and I am being so careful of what I put on my plate. I am really just escaping into making art and listing and mailing and all that is too real for me right now. It has been a very long couple of years for me and my family and some of you know all that we have been through. I still get tears in my eyes when I allow myself to think of it all. There are just times I feel worn out and protective and . . . feel like escaping reality as much as possible. All of that are stories for another time. Just know I'm not trying to be a poophead! It will all be listed as soon as I can tackle that process.

I find out when I have to fly to Missouri for my dad's surgery tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.

And, know, please, that I am not depressed nor mean to sound as if I am. I am actually very happy. A little fragile maybe and anxious and self protective right now, cocooning a little bit. But I am fine and don't mean to bring anyone down. Be up!

Little pieces

I managed to get a couple of quick little pieces done tonight with older matte board backgrounds I haven't been using lately. Still haven't figure out the work in progress. Maybe tomorrow. Happy Groundhog Day! (I miss having little kids that remind me of such things)

Zetti String Bean Sisters


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 2.2.09
3 x 5 collage on watercolored matte board with pix from lisasalteredart.etsy.com reprinted, carefully trimmed, and slightly hand-colored, handmade necks and legs, shoes from Dover clipart, wings used with license agreement from Butterfly Utopia, scrap and ribbon trim.

Zetti Sisters


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 2.2.09
3 1/2 x 5 collage on watercolored matte board with pix from lisasalteredart.etsy.com reprinted, carefully trimmed with some hand-coloring, handmade crowns, wings used under license agreement with Butterfly Utopia, scrap and ribbon trims.

Work in progress

I know. I wasn't going to work today, but here I am doing this instead of what other things are piling up. Laundry's kinda done though. My shoulder pain is just one little area over my left shoulder blade and I am right handed, but it seems to hurt the most while cutting and working on art pieces. It really is a pain in the arse despite it's actual location. I think it is just some kind of muscle burn going on like I have somehow exhausted that one little spot - makes no sense.

Anyway, I may have to give up on this piece before it is done. I have no idea what I will do for a background. Backgrounds are my weakest and most dreaded part to work on in my pieces. I just cannot find a way of doing them that I am happy with. They may be colorful but they are boring and plain and empty. They hang me up constantly. So, you'll have to come back later to find out how this turns out.



copyright by Marsha Jorgensen. Please do not copy.

Shawn is doing fine. Stayed home one more day to rest. All is good.

What a day . . .

So, didn't take pix today for Etsy, didn't make backgrounds, didn't do a hoot worth of anything. I explained why below the picture. Struggled far too long with this but here it is - don't like it on the computer screen as much as I do in person.

Feesh


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 2.1.09
3 3/4 x 5 1/2 collage using images from lisasalteredart.etsy.com, wings from Butterfly Utopia and fish from Dover on a double layered watercolored background with scrap trim and ribbon.

Here's the exciting part of the day - excitement I could do without. It involves a trip to the ER. I woke up this morning to my 17 year old son still vomiting. This has gone on since Thursday and yesterday and Friday his head and neck really hurt. So, finally I gave into my worry about dehydration and it finally dawned on me that we should maybe make sure he doesn't have meningitis, so we called the doc. She sent us to ER without any discussion. Off he and I went (hubby was at a board meeting). We got in surprisingly quick and they immediately realized he was very dehydrated by taking blood pressure and pulse, so they started the first IV. They added something to the IV for nausea but it didn't take long before Shawn became very distressed, agitated, and anxious. I felt like we were about to be in an episode of House! I just knew something was very wrong by the way he was acting and looking, ran to tell the nurse and he and the ER doc came running back and it took them 2 seconds to confirm he was having an allergic reaction to the nausea medicine. They stopped that medicine, x-rayed his chest for some reason, took lots of blood, swabbed his throat, and knocked him out. Hubby showed up to relieve the distressed troops (me) right at this point, thank goodness. 4 hours later and another IV of fluids and they let us take him home. He didn't have the bad scary kind of meningitis, might have had the viral kind but they would have let it take its own course anyway so they didn't bother to confirm it. No strep or infection. We think he just needed his tanks filled up and he seems much better tonight.

On another note . . . my shoulder blade is really hurting. It's so weird. I am going to have to take a day or two off I think from making art and rest it. It burns beyond words as I cut things or work on collaging. I can type and blog, etc. But no art making for a day or two and maybe it will get better. I might start some re-vamp work on my blog and severely neglected website and just visit my buddies.