Hints of Spring

The days are staying light longer and temperatures seem to be milder.

Spring is beginning; the small birds that sing every morning remind me it's so.

(As does a little bird from Japan...xo)

Some decorative pieces from the Met.

The panel of blues and turquoises is Egyptian.

I sat at my drawing table for a short time yesterday and rearranged the clutter.

Hope to be working again soon.

It's all about time management...

Lions and a Priestess

I never really noticed before just how many lions there are in 

the Egyptian section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Here are just a few that I was able to photograph.

The very lovely Priestess Tagerm is positioned

inside the Temple of Dendur.

Doylestown, Delaware River and Cheesecake

snowdrops and aconites

herd of deer

entrance to furniture craftsman George Nakashima's home and workshop

looking down river

cheesecake before baking

On Monday I took my brother down to Doylestown for lunch.

We ate at a terrible restaurant but the coffee shop where we had dessert was cute.

Tired from our NYC adventure the day before

we decided to just take a ride home up the Delaware River.

I was so thrilled to see the winter flowers had come up!

The world is beginning to wake up again

*smile*

Back home D made me the most amazing raspberry swirl cheesecake!

Not only is he a great brother but a wonderful baker too.

The next day he boarded a plane back to Florida.

The apartment is very quiet...

I've had a bit of a relapse in my health but hope to be feeling 

well enough to start making things soon.

For now, back to bed.

New York City

5th Avenue

Grand Central Terminal - 100 years old

New York Public Library

Temple of Dendur - Metropolitan Museum of Art

Central Park

Times Square

D and I spent a very cold day in New York City yesterday.

The temperature was in the 20's with wind gusts up to 50mph

making it feel like single digits.

On 77th Street we actually saw a woman knocked over by a gust of wind!

There was a Matisse show at the Met that I was very excited to see.

Despite the sub-freezing temperatures we had a great time.

Maybe next time my other brother will be able to join us.

Dunnfield Creek, Delaware Water Gap, NJ

brother and sister boots

poor lost handmade mitten

tree hugging rock - winter

Today my brother and I went for a short hike at the Delaware Water Gap.

This is the same walk we took 6 months ago when he visited in the summer.

There were patches of snow and some dramatic icicles along the way.

After our walk we stopped by a local diner for an egg sandwich and a burger.

Although I couldn't walk very far or fast, still have a cough from the flu,

we had a great day together.

Happy Valentine's Day!

                                      

I love Valentine's Day!

On my way home from work I stopped by the local park

to scratch a heart in the snow.

While walking by the baseball field I spied the
white tailed deer print that looked so much like a heart.
And then the little melt spot on the road.

Thank you to my dear friends who made or gave me cards today.
I appreciate it more than you know.

xoxoxo, j

Thomas Mann Workshop

The Friday before last I attended Day One of the Thomas Mann workshop, 

"Design for Survival: Entrepreneurial Thinking and Tactics for Artists."

Although I have been running a business for over 25 years I never quite

understood how had the confidence to apply business thinking to my artwork.

Listening to him speak and explain the thought processes behind building

 a working budget and managing your "brand" I must

admit that I came away with a confident set of ideas and goals that 

I can now apply to my work.

Day two we were supposed to bring in our own work,

along with artist statement, press release, etc for discussion.

I learned from a friend who was able to attend that she and others

walked away with a sense of confidence in their work and 

a suggested direction for their efforts.

I'm sorry the flu took me away from the second day

but I do think I learned quite a lot even just on day one.

Thanks to all who wished me well during my bout with the flu.

I'm finally feeling better.

Back From Planet Bed

It feels like I've been away forever!

Last Friday I had a headache, by Saturday afternoon 

a fever of 102F that didn't break until Tuesday morning.

Sunday morning found me on the doorstep of the local Emergicenter

and then the pharmacy.

This strain of the flu was like no other I've experienced.

Exiled to Planet Bed for four days, unable to read, knit or even watch a movie,

I silently cheered on my white blood cells in their battle against the virus.

Victory finally came as my fever broke but I am left exhausted from the battle.

I have information about a workshop I attended pertaining to 

entrepreneurial thinking for artists that I'll tell you about soon.

Now, thoroughly exhausted from my first day back to work, I'm off to bed.

'night, j