jamie at 15

one more photo of jamie when he was a young man. he looks so different now. its hard to believe.
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if any of you would like to see the workshop and results from my paintover workshop monday, you can view them at www.sillysalcreates.blogspot.com. uhm, the lady who looks like me (in a lavendar top) but has a huge gut ---is not me. er, but it would be me if the gut were smaller.

i had a great day and if you look at the results (the paintings posted) - you would agree that these ladies did well.

this friday morning - i am going to go to Paper Tails in point loma (san diego) for their one year anniversary sale. i am going in order to show my support and respect for a store who has bravely opened during a period when scrap book stores are all disappearing off the face of the earth. and also because they are having a great sale and cake. see you there. later in the morning i will be spending it was my art pal meredith cummings - she will come over to my house so that we can create all day long.

mom and me at the beach......

i had a great day hanging out with my very funny friend, kathy olsen. she can make me laugh harder than just about anyone i know. one of these days we are going to go public with a webcam and do art and laughs in real time....but for now, we just hang out - shop for art supplies, create a little and most importantly - have lunch. today we went to the barbeque pit. i nearly never go there and love it - especially the cole slaw.

OK so you know what day of the week it is ?--- yep, american idol, its time for my run down.
i have to agree with my cousin fred - adam is the most gifted artist in the group. i can't believe he wasn't signed years ago. how did he hide himself from agents?
my favorite tonight was again danny gokey. he just speaks to me - i don't know. i also thought alison was wonderful - she is always good, but great tonight. i enjoyed chris too. he is very audio-able (is that a word?)- easy on the ears. and you know, i have wanted to see the end of matt for weeks. he was so sure he was going to "nail it" tonight too. he was pretty good, but not good enough, for me. i don't know. they are all good. and i know they will all get signed -
i think anoop would have been good tonight - but Oh well. thank goodness susan boyle lives in the UK, then we would have real trouble deciding. (talk about overnight success!!) my word. there was an english singer last year named paul (?) potts - he went on UK's got talent last year with a pudgy stomach and broken front teeth and sang beautiful opera! he is worth looking up.

as for me and my family. the news is my son --- or at least it is imminent. he wrote me a teaser today saying he had a secret that he can't tell me yet, (because i'm a BIG mouth) but that it is good news and has to do with his career. (again). that boy is going to be the most successful one out of the family - i just know it.

brooke is busy under stacks of homework - plowing ahead getting through college. and rosie is just rosie --her high school swimming is very entertaining, she is a top competitor (freshman - varsity) and we love to watch her. can't wait for CIFs.

workshop....

i taught a "paintover" workshop today at a very nice lady's house in la jolla. her name is sally. there were 9 students. each person was very kind and fun and great at art. the food was wonderful, the wine, excellent - all in all, the experience made me want to start teaching workshops again.
workshops are not all easy. even though i am the only expert in my style of art, i feel shy speaking to strangers --and i easily go on sensory overload. i know that i am this way, so i try very hard to prepare myself with a pep talk before going in and tackling the workshop crowd. but this crowd was so cool and fun, that i soon felt OK. also the wine at lunch helped a lot.

one thing i figured out today is that the pace of a workshop is slower than i had estimated. there really is no way i can introduce and teach the "paintover" method in one half day. so tomorrow i am going to sit down and hammer out the paintover workshop in smaller increments - including a couple of step-by-steps to help the new painter along while jumping feet first into this technique.

i get so mad at myself for feeling shy. i know i needn't feel that way - but tell that to my nerves. maybe if i have done enough workshops, i will overcome the shy factor. i was able to overcome it many years ago when i began to teach swimming, so i think i can do it here too.

nevertheless, the participants enjoyed the workshop and turned out nice work. that's the most important thing.

relaxin' sunday

a pic of father daughter watching the tube. (notice my "studio" in the background - plus lots of bottles of wine) i am busy preparing for a "paintover" workshop tomorrow. i am very excited to meet my new students.

remember those paper bags a couple of days ago?

i started to follow my muse and ended up painting in negative spaces on these paperbags (flattened and painted burnt umber). there is more work to be done, but thought you might be interested.....click on them and you will see more detail.
when i started painting with warm white (in the negative space) the figures began to emerge out in positive. it's fun and delightful.

a bit spooky, huh?

this is worth watching (needs sound)

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2539741

i got this from my beautiful and very hip niece, kim

my son Jamie, age 15

well my son, jamie, is now a grown man at the age of 24 and getting ready to go off to University of Buffalo to earn his PhD in literature. so, i thought i would take a little trip down memory lane. these pics were taken when he was about 15....i had a professional photographer take a pic of each of my kids at this time. rosie pics were taken in a field of flowers, brooke's were taken in a studio environment and jamie's were here at Bird Rock, Pacific Beach.
i remember when the photograghy session ended there was a whole string of pubescent girls lined up on top of the rock watching as though he were a teen idol. he coulda been one, if you ask me.
i am placing these pics up here for another reason. because tonight is american idol and i mentioned before that scott (the blind guy kicked off a few weeks ago) reminded me of jamie. they both have/had such a look of innocence to them. of course now my jamie is looking more like a beatnik (which makes sense in his line of work - writing), but there was a day when he was healthy, young, rosy cheeked and teen idol looking. at least to his momma. what's life without memories?

***********
OK, now that i have watched american idol this week - here's what i think: first of all, i can't believe the panel wasted a vote last week and saved matt g. - i think he should go tomorrow. so that's one off the show.
i was not that impressed with lil rounds - she had good spots but at times she was screechy--- and her moving around the stage (i guess it was kinda dancing) felt very awkward, confusing and disorganized to me.
my favorite singer this week is chris!- i love how he changed "she works hard for her money", very clever, very beatnik.
2nd place goes to danny gokey - he has a great voice and inspires celebration - celebration for and of life (knowing his history helps me love him - his wife died just before he came on the show - in case you didn't know that). i liked anoop. anoop and his mom and dad are very lovable. adam and alison are predictably great - so i am a bit bored with that.
i am confused about lil rounds. i love her voice in parts - but she is inconsistent, so i guess she is the other one i would vote off tomorrow. the others are so great - i agree with what the panel kept saying - there are too many great artists in this idol this time. what do you think?

guess what this is....

yep, you're right - if you guess flattened and painted in burnt umber - brown paper bags - small ones. why are they on my creating table?
i'm not sure, but i'm thinking of cowgirl or american indian theme.

i was so shocked and upset today to hear about those race horses dying suddenly of heart failure - maybe i will create a tribute to western riding...horses.
i don't know, i'm still thinking.

more old lady birthday party....

party favors.

old lady party birthday party essentials.....

doddering old fools.....

i have been busy creating a set of birthday favors for an old lady birthday party. what would a birthday party be like if it were attended by really old bitties? how about little old tea toters who have attitude. well, tomorrow i will capture what i think it might be like - i will photo my art that is going ot be in somerset holidays and celebrations mag (later this year) and leave a sample here on my blog).

this painting is called "dream house" --- and while this dreaming spinster might be a bit old, she is not THAT old.

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lawry's the prime rib.....

Oh my gawd....i don't think i could eat another piece of meat again. ever. after going to lawry's, the prime rib restaurant in beverly hills tonight, i just can't. this prime rib was the eats of a lifetime.

this place is totally awesome with their 1938 sherman tank built machined-metal carving carts, filled to the brim with prime rib, all cuts and cooked at all degrees of wellness or not...it is a step back in time to decadence and elegance and grandeur.... included in the presentation are supporting staff; with the carving master, maitre d' and the little helper maids with starched white aprons and hats....the booths are something out of an old "i love lucy" show when they travel to la. its not the brown derby (god rest its soul) but has the same air and old hollywood feel.

if you are ever visiting l.a., more specifically beverly hills, i suggest giving "lawry's the prime rib of beverly hills" (thats right, lawry's as in the seasonings) a go....but first, be sure to bring a carload of cash.

water transfers to cloth

yep, i'm the go-to person for water transfers. here are some great samples of pic to cloth. if you are interested in knowing more, email me at lisabeiart@aol.com

now for the important stuff.

american idol:
OK now it is getting kinda boring. alison and adam are the idols- and okey dokey--- that's it - the rest are good but not that good.
i think matt g. needs to go because he sings off key and he doesn't listen - even dokey hit an off key, but i forgive him because he is so touching to me.
lil round is good but not an idol,
anoop is ok-good but not an idol.
chris and dokey are tied for third in my mind.
i think scott was better than matt g.
the end.

matt stephens....

love his work.

couldn't resist this pic.....

i saw this on "could you be love" - blogspot and fell for it. i love kitties and bunnies.

happy day late easter.....

happy easter

my visit with my relatives will be over in the morning.



i will be sad. : (

relatives coming

my sister-in-law and her husband, (thats gastone's sister) are coming tomorrow to stay through easter. it will be a wonderful visit - we love them very much.
gastone's sis is very very easy to get along with and same applies (maybe even more so) with her husband. they are coming from north carolina. we visited them last year when we went back there for the PBS taping of "paint, paper and craft". i did a speeded up version of my workshop for a short segment. it was very cool.
but my sister and brother in law are the best. we have some plans of showing them around. last time his sister with her daughter kim, we took them to Tiajuana (mexico) . the kids rode a mule on the beach together - jamie and his cousin kim. i was a laugh to watch them try to control the mule. we taped it. rosie was just a baby in a stroller. times sure change.
now kim and jamie both have finished college and moved on (see last post about jamie). kim's married and moved away to kalamazoo. she coaches swimming there. swimming runs in rosie's family - both sides.

rosie has friday off and back to school monday because she already had her two week spring break.

what's been going on? well, i have been busy clearing out the house. tying to. its very hard for me to throw things out. i can't believe i turned into a hoarder. no one else in my family hoards - that i know of. the bad thing is - gastone is a hoarder too. ugh. trouble with me is, i see everything as a possibility for my art. everything becomes art fodder. things every person in the world throws out, i hesitate, like junk mail, envelopes, (things that come in the mail), magazines, newspapers, cancelled checks, pieces of cardboard, books and books and books- this is the burden a collage artist bears. but enough is enough. its a true love/hate relationship i have for my stuff. i hang on and on, then one day i heave it all out blindly in one big effort. it is a day of reckoning and devastation. this day of reckoning will be tomorrow because i have run out of time.
i will feel better, i am sure, once i do this. but for now, ugh, it hurts.
oh
about american idol - i could not report last night of the show because we were out too late at one of rosie's high school swim meets, (she got 2 firsts - again) if you are local, you can read her name in the SD Union Tribune - high school sports section. she has been in the papers a lot lately because of swimming.
but anyway abut american idol....it is getting down to the point that it hurts to see any of them go. i really like scott, but i don't know, i had said he was not really idol material - i'm not so sure now - his personality was just starting to come out. he seems like a fun guy - he still reminds me of my son, so it hurt to see him go.
i am sure he will get work immediately.
i think the idol should be adam. the little troll is almost as good. i have always liked danny and he is very good too. and anoop.
why in gawd's name can't matt g get that wart removed? annoying....lil rounds and chris are under the radar, i think..so who will go next week? i guess lil rounds.....

my son's BIG news

i know, i know, my son IS BIG, but he has some great news...i'm so proud of him.

jamie just accepted a great offer from the university of buffalo, new york. (SUNY) where he will go to get his PhD in literature.
here is the letter from UB he recieved (in part):

Dear James,

I'm writing to let you know that you've been awarded a Presidential fellowship by the College of Arts and Sciences at UB, the most prestigious fellowship available. Congratulations! This fellowship will be worth an additional $x,000 a year for four years, meaning that our funding package to you will be $xx,000 a year for your first four years, and then $xx,000 for your fifth year.



i'm so proud and pleased....but not surprised he has worked hard to get here.
i'm a proud momma. what an experience and change from southern california!

(oh yeah, this pic was taken of us during xmas - we were standing in a store.....in case it looks funny).

big time BOLLYWOOD

i love bollywood and the movie "slumdog millionaire" satisfies.

we just watched it on HD blueray and it was an eye and earful. i suggest it.
what a love story only a bollywood indian performance could master.

water transfers and paintovers

just did some fast paintings of bridal girls which i then transferred to cloth and then create an art quilt. i'm still experimenting with this new technique.

now for some amercian idol talk: so tonight we lost megan. well i love her voice, but she is a clown. and awkward, can't dance or move to music. she is pretty, but mostly she has a cool sounding voice. i know america didn't agree with me -even the bob marley song that was a bad choice for her - i still loved listening to her - BJUT not watching her. that was a train wreck.
anoop is a train wreck to watch too, but he can sing well enough. megan's voice is just different.
i changed my mind totally about chris. don't get me wrong - he does do weird stuff with his mouth ---- it kinda twists into a cartoon figure eight as he sings. but he did a great job.
matt g. what a bone head. he was already warned to not go r&b when he did cold play a few weeks ago. and what does he do with his free choice? tries to push his r&b on us again.
adam was a nice surprise --- again. i keep expecting him to do something bad -- but he doesn't - he will probably win.
he needs to start working out though, cuz his complexion is doughy.
danny - performs well every time, but no surprises. he holds his emotions well, because i was crying during his song as it hit in the gut knowing his personal tragedies. (wasn't it, if i could only see you again? waaa *sob*). oh yeah, the little troll - i dont know why her outfit got so picked on - it was OK, the truth is...... its her face that needs help.
lil (not so lil) rounds. she can sing (i love watching her lips - always a delicious color - she is queen of lipstick wearing)
she's a good singer, but probably won't be idol quality.
oh yeah. scott reminds me of my son when he was about 19. he looks similar and he is definitely built the same. my on has long hands like him too. he has some of the same expressions too. no, my son isn't blind, but like paula said, sometimes you can forget scott is. he i talented and very pleasant but not idol material - but certainly songwriter/singer material. i liked his hair yesterday, but it was a mess again today. he should, i don't know, just wear a hat and maybe get highlights in his hair.
still thinking of my jamie, when jamie was a little boy, he always had still effortless smile on his face - he would show all his teeth when he smiled (in a pleasant, guileless way) - like scott.

so you could have skipped reading this is you aren't interested - as i say my family is not intersted in my opinions about am. idol.
oh and simon was brutal to megan. he acted out spitefully in the end because megan had said she didn't care what he thought....ouch, i'm sure she didn't mean it personally - just that she didn't care if she was sent home - i think she missed her kid.
i guess i get into it a bit much - i would love to be a judge for a day.....
again, tonight i couldn't really understand paula---and she looked like she had on her lavander slip and bra and nothing else.