by Lynaea
on July 25, 2013
Make a Dress in Four Hours, Or…A Vintage Midsummer’s Dream
“My soul is in the sky”—Shakespeare, “Midsummer Night’s Dream
First, the Dream.
It’s all about the photos, really. Vintage-y, quirky. Taken on date night, downtown. I can almost convince myself that they were taken decades and decades ago, in some secret garden. They suggest (to me at least) otherworldliness.
And while I like how they turned out after I played with them, I really cannot take them seriously. I was there. I remember very well that I knew not what to do with myself. [continue reading…]
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by Lynaea
on July 22, 2013
Actually, I’m Probably Not Qualified to Dispense Hiking Tips. But You Should Read This Anyway.
Either To Learn From My Mistakes (A Cautionary Tale?), Or To Feel Transiently Smug Because Your Outdoorsy Mistakes are Superior to Mine (I’m Totally Ok With That; We Can Still Be Friends).
Tip #1: Don’t forget your shoes. Bring both of them. [continue reading…]
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by Lynaea
on July 20, 2013
Poppy Dance Painting: Oil on Muslin
I think one of the things I love most about poppies is how their silhouettes are always changing. If you’ve ever tried sketching a cluster of poppies in a breeze (I have), you’re tempted to holler out, “Hey there girls! Hold still! Stop dancing a moment and let me see your faces!”
Maybe that’s just me. [continue reading…]
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by Lynaea
on July 18, 2013
For Mischances and Mishaps (and Further Adventure), All You Need is A Great Big Old Ugly Orange Dented Railroad Truck
Once upon a time,
(once a pond a time)…during the last month, my daughter moved into her own apartment. Well, her own apartment…with roommates. Much different from living with parents, siblings, or other relatives. No sooner had she staked her domestic claim than she began to think of furnishings. Giddy with autonomy, she and her new roommates rummaged the local thrift store. They found a couch, soft and comfy, reminding them of grandmas (when I saw it, I realized that 80’s means grandma to them). And a table, painted bright blue (someone’s previous repurpose). And chairs (blue too). All for under $100. And my daughter remembered her parents telling her, when a for-real launch was still just a pigment of everyone’s imagination, that they would love to help her settle in. So she texted her father to exact her share of the parental promise. [continue reading…]
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by Lynaea
on July 17, 2013
I think I’ll call this painting “Little Muse”.
I reserve the right to change my mind. But for now: Little Muse, because…hmm. Wordplay? She looks like she’s musing. And she is the smallest of my five muses. All my children captivate and inspire me, not just artistically, but…what. Anthropologically. They are all marvelous, fascinating people. [continue reading…]
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by Lynaea
on July 16, 2013
Lavender Companions, Horticulturally Speaking.
I do love lavender. I admit that perhaps, at times, I’ve gone to extremes in my efforts to make it mine. I am a little crazy…yes, true…But. At least I’m nice about it.
I make sure that my lavender has good friends, that it blooms in the best society. [continue reading…]
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by Lynaea
on July 11, 2013
Oil on Canvas: Mara On Sunday
This is a painting of my sister, Mara Lee. I adore her. I always have, always will. She is the third in our large family (I’m the oldest). With my feisty sister Leah between us, it was natural that Mara Lee and I would be allies, if an ally happened to be needed (Leah was either our best friend or worst enemy). When we were children, Mara Lee seemed vulnerable to me. Large blue eyes, quiet voice, easy pace (my daughter Maurya reminds me of her). I loved to mother her (when it occurred to me; children can be pretty self absorbed). Even when we were teenagers, hoeing in wheat fields for my dad or meeting strangers, I instinctively shielded her. [continue reading…]
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by Lynaea
on July 10, 2013
Oil on Canvas: Shari’s Poppies Painting
I painted these poppies with oil on canvas, using a photo from a garden magazine as inspiration. I’m not a plein-air live subject purist; I’ve even painted the face of a woman in a margarine advertisement. She became Mother Earth. But that’s another story. [continue reading…]
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