Super-Quick mail art

pear sketch

waiting

Mailed Andrea's Moleskine off to Mike, made a couple very quick acrylic sketches on the envelope.  Still sick, but feeling slightly improved today after a bad day and a bad night.

Moray Eel

Moray Eel
mixed media
by me, Mary Stebbins Taitt
first half of a collaboration with Mike Kline
please click image to view larger

Normally, When I am doing the first half of a collaboration with Mike Kline, I like to work in somewhat graphic black and white to make it easier for him to collaborate with me.  However, I had just received new acrylics from my kids for Mother's Day (HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!) and wanted to play with them.  You know, kids with new toys?

This is a two page spread.  The first 1/4 of the spread (half a page) is with the new acrylics. The second quarter (1/2-page) is with a combination of watercolor, gouache and acrylics.  Then, 1/8 spread (1/4 page in black watercolor, followed by Faber-Castelle pigment pens.  The purpose of all that was to hopefully create something to which Mike could easily attach his work.  (I hope).

This could be one long eel, an eel coming out of a hole, two eels entwined, an eel being scooped up by a new, or any number of things--so I hope Mike enjoys it.

This completes my work in Andrea's moleskine for rotation I of round 4.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!

Me, Mary Stebbins Taitt
with my mother's day gifts
Click images to view larger

Moray eel, in progress
in Andrea's book
with new paints

I was very excited to receive a package from my kids for mother's day, new paints.  I plunged right in and have been having fun mixing violet, yellow ochre and blue in Andrea's book.

I wish a happy mother's day to your mothers, grandmothers, wives or to you, if you're a mother.

When Confronted with our Worst Nightmares

"When Confronted with our Worst Nightmares
I like to fight back with Flowers"
Collaboration Andrea and Mary
mixed media
water color, acrylic, pigment pens, colored pencil
click image to view larger

I wanted to do the girl (standing in for my child-self) in water color, but ended up coloring the background with black Faber-Castell pigment marker (A gift from Hennie Mavis) and then painting over that with glazes of blue acrylic.  I drew the flowers on the girl's pajamas with colored pencil and then painted them in with watercolor.

I have a lot of dreams of being chased down dark alleys by men who intend me harm.  They are nightmares, because I wake up terrified.  Not sure if that's what Andrea meant.

Click on the image to see it much larger.

I am still sick and my work is going slowly.

Jogging in Place in the Shower

Jogging in Place in the Shower

I want desperately to take a shower.  I haven’t been able to take on in a number of days because of the pain.  It’s been hot, and I’ve had to use a heating pad nearly continuously, and that causes sweatiness.

But the pain makes it hard to stand.

Some of the things that help the pain include:

• Ø  hot water, hot baths, hot compresses
• Ø  walking, running or leaping about, depending how bad the pain is
• Ø  hugs and touch, massage
• Ø  ibuprofen (takes the edge off a little)

No one is here to hug me.  I’m an hour and a half into this round of ibuprofen.

The hot water helps some.  When it doesn’t help enough, I march in place under the water.  When it still hurts too much, I jog in place.  The washing and shampooing become hurried and urgent.  Luckily, no one is here to see me. 

I wonder how far I’ve run, if I were going forward.  Three quarters of a mile?  I‘m going pretty fast and that’s about how much ground I’d cover on foot in the time it takes to wash up, shampoo, shave my legs.  Shaving my legs at a dead run is pretty tricky though, I have to slow down to easy jog for that, then quick speed up to knock the pain down.  Owy.  Well, I did it!  I'm clean!

During the high-pain phase of the flare-up, I ran around the house (upstairs only, for the most part) reorganizing things because it hurt too much to sit.  Moving rapidly around seemed to help.

Mr. Gnu in his Canoe

Mr. Gnu in his canoe
Raced Yak in his kayak
click image to view larger.

This is my second painting in Andrea's Mole, an illo for San Cassimally's Animal Carnival.  It is done in acrylics.  It took me ten days to paint it and two more to scan and post it.  I regret to say I'm still sick and it's taking a lot out of me.

I posted the steps (4 coats of paint) here, but don't have time to do it again.  At least, not now.

Suicide

Tulip Collaboration
with Gail Slaughter
(She took the photograph; I painted it)

This first section is copied from the New York Times and is only part of the total story there:

Suicide rates among middle-aged Americans have risen sharply in the past decade, prompting concern that a generation of baby boomers who have faced years of economic worry and easy access to prescription painkillers may be particularly vulnerable to self-inflicted harm.

More people now die of suicide than in car accidents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which published the findings in Friday’s issue of its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. In 2010 there were 33,687 deaths from motor vehicle crashes and 38,364 suicides.

Although suicide rates are growing among both middle-aged men and women, far more men take their own lives. The suicide rate for middle-aged men was 27.3 deaths per 100,000, while for women it was 8.1 deaths per 100,000.


“It’s vastly underreported,” said Julie Phillips, an associate professor of sociology at Rutgers University who has published research on rising suicide rates. “We know we’re not counting all suicides.”


Another factor may be the widespread availability of opioid drugs like OxyContin and oxycodone, which can be particularly deadly in large doses.

*     *     *     *

I've written about suicide before.  More than once.  It may be a real option for me, later.

Last time I had this condition, I began to seriously consider suicide.  The unrelenting nearly unbearable pain, the worst pain of my life, went on and on and on.  How would I do it?  Sleeping pills, of course.  I guess.

So now, I'm reconsidering.  Thinking about suicide again.

I'm not ready to do it--I generally like being alive, except for this pain.  And, I'm afraid of the pain of dying and afraid of death itself.  I keep hoping for healing.  For some relief from the pain.  But when it's bad and I consider the options, suicide seems like one of them.

I recently threw away eleven bottles of sleeping pills.  I should have saved them.  If I do do it, I want to do a good job, not a half-assed one.  I do have more, and the others were expired.  I don't take sleeping pills any more.

*     *     *     *

Tulips, on the other hand, are one reason to stay alive.

Featured!

My poem
made into a poster.

Suddenly flowered

dresses everywhere. Hurray!

The snow has melted!

The poster that was made by Jennifer Theiller from my haiku is being featured this week (the week of April 30, 2013 only) by the Syracuse Poster Project.  Here is what they say:

In light of the beautiful weather we've been experiencing, we thought we'd celebrate the wonderful fashions of spring. This week's poster, about the melting of snow and blossoming of floral patterns, comes from the 2002 series. This week, you can buy it at a discount at our on-line store.

Suddenly flowered dresses everywhere. Hurray! The snow has melted! Poet Mary Taitt drew inspiration for this haiku from the "blossoming" of women in the spring. After witnessing women and young girls transform with the change of the seasons, Taitt gave a nod to the spring fever that takes over closets.  Artist Jennifer Theiller focused on the imagery of floral dresses. Her dislike of snow set her up for this haiku about melting. After finding different prints from old catalogues, she created this beautiful image to honor the many dresses of spring.

An 11 x 17 poster on quality poster stock is $18 (on sale this week) and the money goes to support The Poster Project. The Poster Project partners SU art students with community poets and puts art and poetry in the city.  You can learn more about the Poster Project here.

Like Snail, who chose the rail, Crane also took the train.

Crane and Snail ride the train
acrylic on Moleskine watercolor paper

Like Snail, who chose the rail,
Crane also took the train. 

San Cassimally, Animal Carnival

This is my illustration for San Cassimally's Animal Carnival, which I am no longer officially illustrating.  I did it for Illustration Friday last week ("train"), but because of my illness, I was unable to get it done in time.  (Took me a whole week, so I may be running late!  Sorry).

This is actually on my LAST page, I think.  (The other pages are still blank.)  Because of my pain, which is usually worst in the mornings, I can't paint until evening.

Andrea's "Arrove"

ELEFUNKS!

As of yet unfinished painting

The first three are from Andrea, the last is mine,  (Not finished.)