Judy Lange Photography & Artwork

No, I’m not writing about catsup or ketchup or whatever you call the red, tomato-y stuff in a plastic bottle. I’m trying to catch up on what happened since my last post. Here goes:

Nothing much…..awwww. Don’t be sad, it just means nothing bad or dramatic. I like calm and peaceful and happy. So let me wrack my brain….

I’ll start with the weather. Isn’t weather a socially acceptable and politically correct topic? Well, in my book…errr, blog it’s worthy of a word or two. Winter was almost non-existent. It was so mild with little snow and lots of unusually warm weather. “According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), more than 15,000 temperature records were broken or tied in the U.S., continuing a year-long streak of hotter-than-average temperatures that many scientists are linking to global warming.” STOP. Not crazy to read “linking to global warming”, a politically incorrect topic I believe.

On to something else….let’s see…what else…

A CUTE DOG IN A CAR!

* * * *

The weather was so nice, so early I pulled out “Baby Blue”, my bike:

I plan on doing more bike riding than the last two years. It won’t be a hard record to break. Matter-of-fact, I think I broke the record already….three rides….yup, I’m pretty sure the record is tied.

oooooo….BIG NEWS. Can’t believe I didn’t blog about this. I really can’t believe I didn’t. Really. Ok, here it is…..I went to Waukon, Iowa. Yup. Me….and Dena [should it be Dena and I??? oh well, you get the idea]. Waukon…Waukon, Iowa. Two and a half hours away.
[proof I was REALLY there]

Why, you ask, would anyone make a trip to Waukon, Iowa? Because.

Shortly after turning off Highway 20 there were flashing lights in my rear view window. Must pull over so the squad can pass….oh wait, he’s pulling over behind me. Oops. I jump out of the car [never do this or you may get shot..really. He had his hand on his gun..really] to retrieve my driver’s license which is in the back of the car. The officer yelled at me for jumping out of the car, hence the warning I wrote in the previous long-winded sentence. To make a long story short I was [gasp] speeding. I got a ticket. Welcome to Iowa.

Anyhow, the Waukon stay is only amusing to Dena and myself so I won’t bore you with any information.

However, if you want to visit an interesting town in Iowa go to Decorah (just down the road). They have a food co-op [cool] and an excellent restaurant “Koreana” with delicious food and a very interesting women’s bathroom. You must check out the bathroom. Even if you don’t have to go, go. Can’t speak for the men’s room because, well…I didn’t go in there. Make a stop at Ruby’s for their Ronnie’s cinnamon rolls…most awesome, huge and tasty.

More stuff:

I uploaded to the galleries (on the menu just under the Galena photo) an album of my favorite flora images. Take a look. I think you will like what you see.

Had to post this image ’cause it another one of my favs:

Well, those are the highlights since my previous post. My days consist of walks with CJ (my Jack Russell for those who don’t me well), arting (spell check doesn’t like the word, but I do), surfing the ‘net and other miscellaneous stuff.

I’ll try to create more interesting happenings in my life so I’ll have something to write about. Until then “keep calm and carry on”.

Other things distracted me from creating art in the last week, but I was busy yesterday.

Spray and liquid ink:

Playing with my newest toy, Portfolio Series Oil Pastels:

Drawing with the ink dropper:

And finally, drawing with a dip pen:

Whew, all that creativity exhausted me.

Today, I am spring cleaning, make that spring organizing…..put away winter blankets, space heater, gloves and mittens and start a pile of stuff to go away.  The doors and windows are open…..HAPPY SPRING everyone!

I spent more time thinking of titles for my photographs than shooting and processing.  Is it really necessary? Since I’m only entertaining myself I’m not going to…so there!

Here are a few collages done recently:

The pieces look much better when you see them first-hand.  I work hard to reproduce them, but to see the textures and pieces up close is much more rewarding.  Just wanted to share what I’m up to lately since I’m leading a minimalistic life.  Much more time to do the things I want to do.

CJ has more friends than I do.  I want to get their pictures ’cause they are all a bunch of loves.

Michael likes to chase CJ.  However, he can’t keep up.  He lets her do the running and when she gets in close Michael tries to pin her down.  No luck.  CJ’s fast!

Walker is a shy boy who is slowly coming out of his shell.  He romps with CJ but prefers to stay close to his people.

Can’t wait to photograph Andy, Zeus, Chief, Molly, Harvest, Ozzie, Sophie and all the rest.

This is what I got:

Maybe next time.

This was included in Philip Humbert‘s weekly newsletter:

Some of the artists of the 60′s are revising their hits with new lyrics
to accommodate aging baby boomers.

They include:

Herman’s Hermits— Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Walker.

Ringo Starr— I Get By With a Little Help From Depends.

The Bee Gees— How Can You Mend a Broken Hip.

Bobby Darin— Splish, Splash, I Was Havin’ a Flash.

Roberta Flack— The First Time Ever I Forgot Your Face.

Johnny Nash— I Can’t See Clearly Now.

Paul Simon— Fifty Ways to Lose Your Liver

The Commodores— Once, Twice, Three Times to the Bathroom.

Procol Harem— A Whiter Shade of Hair.

Leo Sayer— You Make Me Feel Like Napping.

The Temptations— Papa’s Got a Kidney Stone.

Abba— Denture Queen.

Tony Orlando— Knock 3 Times On The Ceiling If You Hear Me
Fall.

Helen Reddy— I Am Woman, Hear Me Snore.

And my personal favorite:

Leslie Gore— It’s My Procedure, and I’ll Cry If I Want To.

…so we might as well dance. – Japenese proverb

I started reading “Life is a Verb” by Patti Digh.  The book came to my attention through an art friend, Effy Wild.  It’s called a self-help book (which I detest) but I want to give it a shot because of concepts Effy wrote about.

I love it….it’s about living intentionally and eschewing materialism….definitely up my alley!  There are wonderful quotes, such as the one headlining today’s post, and wonderful stories such as:

God Says Yes To Me

 by Kaylin Haught

I asked God if it was okay to be melodramatic
and she said yes
I asked her if it was okay to be short
and she said it sure is
I asked her if I could wear nail polish
or not wear nail polish
and she said honey
she calls me that sometimes
she said you can do just exactly
what you want to
Thanks God I said
And is it even okay if I don’t paragraph
my letters
Sweetcakes God said
who knows where she picked that up
what I’m telling you is
Yes Yes Yes

from The Palm of your Hand, 1995.

So I’m gonna dance and live intentionally…..

WOW, three flocks of geese flying in formation and honking like crazy.

What are they saying?

Nonetheless, a beautiful sight and an interesting conversation.

As I minimize my ‘stuff’ I find time to play with ‘other stuff’.  Yesterday, I decided two more items shall go: the Bose Wave Music system and the Cricut Create.

In my younger days, I loved my music blaring through big pulsating speakers.  As time when by, manufacturers made smaller and more dynamic systems.  I just had to have a Bose.  The system’s purpose was to enhance the atmosphere in my studio/gallery by playing a variety of classical, jazz and pop music.  But at home, I loved the silence.   I still do: in my car, in my home, at work.  So the Bose system is unnecessary and needs to find a new home.  Thank goodness for Craig’s list and Ebay!

I thought the Cricut Create would be useful for my art.  It’s not.  It, too, must go.

Bye, bye.

Ahhhhhhh……..

A couple of years ago I began simplifying my life by getting rid of the excess.  I did pretty well.  But a few weeks ago as I was shopping with my friend Jane, a comment she made woke me up to the fact I lightened my load in a few areas, but became accumulating in another, my artwork.  hmmmmmm

Over lunch Jane & Tom told me about a blog, The Minimalists.  After reading it I decided to do more work on removing the excess in my life.  As I posted previously, I cleaned out cabinets, drawers, and the closet.  The garbage can was full and Goodwill was thankful to accept the donations.

Knick-knacks went to the resale shop this past weekend.

During this time a great deal of thought went in to cable TV and internet.  Do I really need it?  What are my alternatives?  There are three programs I enjoy.  Is it worth the $30.00+ I pay?  Found out I can watch the programs on the internet!  Even more reason to cancel the cable.

The next decision is the internet:  keep or cancel?  I do spend more time than I like on the internet.  In my defense, I use it for educating myself on art techniques and products, inspiration, and keeping in touch with my artist friends.  And now I found I can watch my favorite TV programs at my convenience!!!

OK, talked myself into keeping the internet.  Think I’ll switch to AT&T so I can get the $19.95/month service for a year.  That’ll save me some money!

How are you doing with your resolutions?

This year I decided to choose two words to be my guide: “Creative Focus” and it’s working very well.  I’m experimenting, creating and having fun.  Here’s some of my recent creations: