Goodbye 95 Toyota Camry Wagon!

Oh my, how to begin!
Well, I said goodbye to my 95 Toyota Camry Wagon today.
It was a beautiful large green bean of a car, a magical fat long little bullet of a car,
a car who for 11 years had no real 'car' name or gender, but was the ambiguous hero of my adventures. I finally ~sorta~ settled on the name of 'Mac' and I imagined the car as an older and crass woman who didn't give a shit what she looked like or if people sometimes mistook her for a guy.
This car had 2 extra hidden seats in the back, making it legal for 7 passangers. I felt like a secret agent with such a cool hidden feature! I RARELY used those extra seats but they were there, making me proud.

'Mac' was my first car. I got her near the end of my college years, and she stayed to protect and adventure with my family while I was in England for a year. During my time with the Camry wagon, we traveled all over the midwest selling my wares at conventions and hauling my paintings to art shows. I was not the kindest owner. I'd forget to fill the fluids regularly, the oil changes were less frequent than recommended, and... she could have been cleaned a lot more often. She'd give me new quirks and I took them in stride, proud that we could both come to an understanding. By the end of her ride, she was held together by love and zip-ties.
She never 'died', but she grew tired. After several repairs this past month, my mechanic found that the head gasket was probably going to go soon and I should start looking for a new vehicle.

I sat in my car and we had a brain conversation. She was exhausted, and I didn't have to feel guilty about giving her up. She was ready to pass on the torch to a newer, younger adventurer.
So we started looking and and together we found a White Honda CRV who seems ready and willing to be my travel beast. I laughed Maniacally when I discovered that my newer car has a great retro feature - it has a TAPE DECK! ^__^

Lets see where this next road takes us!!

The Cold Sea of Social Media and a Warning to the Self!

I'm obviously not good at keeping up with a daily blog. Although I think daily blogs are unnecessary unless they truly have inspirational things to say. It also seems that no one has the attention span for deeper personal expressions these days. I know I don't really either. There are several friends I feel I'm neglecting, who's words I otherwise love to read. Perhaps if I spend less time on status update social networks, I'd have more time for deeper, more inspirational and informative stories. Time spent getting to know someone in more depth. I have such a shallow understanding of so many people, and in return I feel that masses of people have a shallow understanding of me. I watch the comments other people leave on other people's words, and notice this. Passions, misunderstandings, inspirations, ideas and flames can arise so easily with these types of conversations, as fire more readily burns on small and thin timbers, and burns out just as fast.

Now if you give me a moment, I could also write a compelling argument FOR those types of social medias - and those are the reasons I stay  - the ability to connect more readily and to recognize the names and faces of the people I interact with, even if that interaction is brief.

Yet I shall go further and say that perhaps all this social networking is a huge distraction to begin with? facebook, blogs, websites, etc. I feel an urge to get back to real life. Instead of filling moments of my day with public self expressing and reading the copious amounts of other personal/public spewings, perhaps I should instead get back into reading and researching my interests for the sheer joy of it. I miss the obsession I felt in college where I collected and studied the lyrics of songs, the names of gods and demons from mythology and folklore, plants and trees and the metaphors associated with nature's creations. Maybe I should limit most of my interaction to in-person face-to-face togetherness. This may generate deeper collaborations and idea generations. There is a spark to these connections that is missing online, where I feel as if we are all drifting in a sea, on unstable pieces of plank and driftwood - we speak to each other as we float by - we wave and smile or curse and nod our heads in mutual miseries, as our bodies get colder and colder from the emptiness below us.

I want to promise myself that I will:

Live more, Adventure more, Travel more, 

Art more and Obsess more.

I will look suspiciously at the warm glow of my computer screen, and place obstacles between it and me. I will use it with purpose - to make art, and to write, and to collect my obsessions, and to hold only a brief line of connection to the great wide sea of people.
I will use my personal library more, and engage in the art of marginalia. I will grow my brain with the attention given to delicate orchids - to feed it a strict and timely diet of necessary substances.

No more waste!

*raises fist to the heavens, and points a warning finger at the self*

That is all for now.

An ode to my dying car

Greetings fiends!

My daily posts have fallen to the wayside! Oh dear!
I've got an excuse. I've been spending the last few days searching for a new vehicle.

#inktopia drawing number 3
"An Ode to my Dying Car."

CAR:
There's my beautiful 1995 Toyota Camry wagon, driving off into the ether.
It still runs great and I just did a lot of repairs on it but there are some major possible repairs coming up that make the prospect of getting a newer car much more practical. (Aside from all the small worn things that make having an old car a bit troublesome)

SO, here I am, lamenting the loss of my favorite car in the world (who's back floor folds out into 2 reverse seats for a total of 7 possible passangers!) You don't get cars like that anymore. And recently, I've heard a lot of compliments and comments on the greatness of this model.
But I'm also celebrating a beginning. I am excited to try something new, and I'm humbled at some of the help and support and cheerleading I've already gotten about this change. I won't name the possible new car until it actually happens.

THE UNIVERSE is all up in my business:
Of course, this changes my game plan. I keep wondering what possible reason the universe would have for pushing me to make this change. At a time when things seem to be coming together in a delicate web of dreams and finances and pathways, a new car could be as devistating to that balance as a giant bumblebee flying through the newly formed web of a garden spider. My plan as it stands will not sustain this RIGHT NOW.

But as I think on it deeper, if I must assign a reason to this change, a reason other than just random circumstances and the obviously long overdue car refresh, then I have found a positive reason. The universe is pushing me to do greater things. I must be more wise with my time and my money. I must be more vigilant about my plans and projects. I MUST get on a solid and productive track of creation and promotion - and this will all be for the best. Yes, its all for the best. *cue godspell song*

MOVIE:
Speaking of 'Godspell', we just watched the movie via library rental. After a conversation earlier this month in which said movie was discussed, I realized I had never seen it. After watching previews
I realized for CERTAIN that I had never seen this. Odd, since I participated in a community theatre production of it when I was younger. It was very intriguing, somewhat inspiring, and I was pleased to hear those songs again (although we've been singing 'All for the Best' for days now, with much amusement.)

ART:
~TUESDAY~ I was able to complete 2 commissions.
The first one (of which I cannot share a photo of at this time) was complicated. I was attempting to draw an intense and horrific goddess character. I had done sketches, and thought on it for months. I started a new drawing for her but it just would NOT FLOW. So, I decided to get my charcoals in on the action and *POW* she appeared. I took a good photo and manipulated the image, adding in details and highlights digitally. I am quite pleased. When in doubt, change tactics!

Second, I completed a commissioned dog portrait. I am having quite a great time painting animals. It is not how I want to define myself, but I am enjoying them and very open and willing to paint more *wink wink* See below for details.

9x12 portrait of Layla the dog who's obsessed with shadows
Acrylic and colored pencil

~WEDNESDAY~
I began the shared journey through ink with the online challenge to draw an ink drawing daily. The challenge is identified via the hashtag #inktober. Its fun to see what other people are making as well. (#inktober number 3 is the car drawing above)

#inktopia drawings number 2 and 1

I also teach art on Wednesdays. I get super inspired to make art when I teach it.

~THURSDAY~
This day was mainly spent searching for cars. I took a shiny black 2008 Subaru Outback for a test drive. It was pretty and awesome. But, it was out of the bohemian price range. I have a new appreciation for cars.

~FRIDAY~
Hey, thats today!! (Tomorrow by the time I post this)
More searching for cars. Dad visited, and it was an adventure: dad, David and me, driving all around town looking for the right vehicle. We even visited a seedy little used car lot in a seedy part of town, just for the seedy experience. Gotta have all sorts of experiences - fodder for the art brain!
I also visited the Stutz gallery to see the newly opened residency show with the works of Lukas Schooler and David Hicks. http://stutzartists.com/2014ResidentsShow.html

ADVERTISING:
In light of my new car experience, I'm kicking things into high gear and any support for the studio would be greatly appreciated!

Etsy Link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LydiaBurris

If you don't have the new braincandy yet, please consider getting one!

Brain Candy! Strange little art book zine.
$15 and it comes with a sketch!

I also uploaded some new small original works to Etsy. You can either buy from there or directly though me. Arrangements can be made to see my studio in downtown Indy.
I am also open to making more animal portraits! Pets, favorite creatures, etc!
Current price for Animal Portraits: $150 for an 11x14 and $100 for 9x12.

For those random art and letter enthusiasts, I am offering fun mail art. Inside there are random arty tidbits and things from my studio. Tiny art pieces and/or tiny prints, possible snippits of fun words, poems and prose. One never knows what will end up in these envelopes, but it definitely brings smiles! (also on etsy!)

Crazy Mail

LAST RANDOMNESS: 
And sometimes I just like to play with my work.
Here is a digital remix of one of my drawings.

Layered realities, layered.

  Don't forget to comment, dance and blow the trumpet.