September 2005 Archives

Wouldn't you know it. My muse appointment was interrupted by a bomb threat. The second one in as many weeks at Daniel's school. I guess it is the price we pay for living so close to the nations capital. At least it isn't snipers this time.

So, the kid is home while the school undergoes a search. Again.

Nothing quite like getting a recorded message from you kid's school telling you to be calm. Don't get me wrong, I am really glad he is home safe.

But Rammstein is blaring in the next room and my muse does not like Rammstein. I think they are cool, but they tend to distract the muse. She prefers Sting.

I promised the muse that we would spend some time today, after a few chores are done. Content creation for the planet is my biggest thing right now. All the other hats I have been wearing lately have taken so much time. Authored a couple of articles that I hope get web-published and need to do more. They speak to the nature of the artist in the church culture outside of the team-building, serve the pastor, church model and focus on what potential there is when artists are given their voice without restriction. Other hats include working on new marketing strategy revolving around the web. We have hardly tapped into this and so I spent a day learning about meta tags. And the bookkeeping, my least favorite hat, is a little messy (OK really messy) right now. It will have to wait until monday. I have one shirt to iron, a little laundry to fold, filing, mail, and I haven't even brushed my teeth yet....but by noon I will be painting. I promised the muse.

finishing this series this morning for the planet.

Listening to beatles this morning. We have very broad musical taste in our house, but I think I am the only one that ever listens to beatles.

Today is the first day of wet, slightly cold, dismal weather. And this truly messes with my emotions.

So the song, Let it Be, fits just right.

When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be.
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

And when the broken hearted people
Living in the world agree,
There will be an answer, let it be.
For though they may be parted there is
Still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be.
Let it be, let it be. yeah
There will be an answer, let it be.

And when the night is cloudy,
There is still a light that shines on me,
Shine on until tomorrow, let it be.
I wake up to the sound of music
Mother mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be.
There will be an answer, let it be.
Let it be, let it be,
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

Of course in my ipod collection the next song is, Come Together, which is totally screwed up not to mention a real mood changer.

Now everything seems groovy and weird.

Ok. enough beatles for one day.

Ok, it is just too weird. I just found out via the Daily Show...

Pat Robertson went commercial with an "Age Defying Diet Shake".

There are no words.

Well maybe a few.

Like non-profit? or tax-exempt? Misrepresentation? Breaking the law?

Or at the very least, Really BAD taste. And I am not referring to the shake.

honestly.

It is amazing the heights and depths that are possible for the human hands. This weekend as we continued to stay tuned to the latest in hurricane news, praying for those effected, we as a family prepared to celebrate an accomplishment on Saturday. Daniel was getting an award.

But friday night news spread that a student at Daniel's high school was murdered at the football game. Six girls apparently ganged up on one with a baseball bat, a knife, and ultimately ran her over with a car. None of these girls were actually students from Blake, but that was little comfort. Just considering such a violent act made me sick. For me high school football games were times to hang out with friends and play my horn (I was in the marching band). High drama consisted of who was breaking up with who, or maybe at its extreme, who was having sex with who. No longer. I was relieved that Daniel has never been interested in going to the football games or the dances. Now I know why. Things have changed.

And as we got in the car Saturday morning to go to the award ceremony I couldn't help reflect on the incremental actions that when all assembled display a life well spent (or not). Choices made can either nurture life or take it away.

Back in may Daniel competed for a Maryland Distinguished Scholars Award. It is a monetary award that encourages students to stay in their home state of Maryland to attend college. 3000.00 a year for four years if the winner keeps up their grades. Reality is that with the cost of college this was a drop in the bucket, but the honor was more significant. 4500 students applied in the academic category and 710 applied in the talent in the arts category. You have to be nominated to even apply and Daniel was. For him it was in the visual arts category.

So back in may we went to the "audition" which for him was a review of his portfolio and an interview. Students from all over the state gathered to show their stuff. Competition was stiff and while Daniel went into a room with a panel of judges, Bryan and I waited with all the other parents wondering, what if. I marveled at how some parents were primping their soprano daughters, or pep talking their sons, all dressed to the nines of course. Suits and ties. Nerves blazing.

Not Daniel.

I had to wonder what the judges thought as he calmly strode into the room wearing bell-bottom-zipper-laden-torn-to-shreds jeans, a cirque du soleil t-shirt, and his hair in a bun with chop sticks. Of course maybe the look helped, although I know for Daniel that didn't even cross his mind. He wasn't dressed to impress. He was there with his art, for his art. Nuf said.

Of course after the interview I wanted to know all the details but would have to settle with a cryptic response of how it went until we received news in august.

In august the letter came. He had been selected. 350 total, out of that 85 in the talent category, out of that 27 were visual artists.

Who'd a thought.

So Saturday we went to Bowie State University to sit through some speeches that recognized the winners. They also had the visual arts winners exhibit their work.

During the exhibit Bryan and I found a vantage point to spy on our son as he stood with his work and discussed it with interested viewers. A proud moment for mom and dad. Later, in the auditorium, as he was asked to stand with all the other winners, I had to hold my breath. More pride.

And I thought of the murdered girl.

How is it we can have such a spectrum in the same society? Accomplishment and violence in the same education system? It seems impossible.

And as I listened to the the applause for the winners, sitting next to Daniel looking up at him as he stood there, (this time with his hair in a bun, various colored hair wraps with silver trinkets hanging from them) the moment slowed down and caught in time for me. It was one of those visual snapshots that becomes a memory.

Congratulations Daniel. We are so proud of you.

Remember this?

Now it looks like this.

Detail with inlaid ammonite.

One of the seams and the leaf impression that crosses over it.

And so the ongoing project that is the anderson house continues. Next concrete project is the top of the island around the cooktop. What fun.

Ok, I worked until two today but my desk still looks like it was hit by the perfect storm. I finally stopped the madness to meet with the muse who had almost given up on me entirely. Can you blame her? After all I have stood her up for our regular friday date six weeks in a row. So today we met and renegotiated creativity, she smacked me upside the head and let me know that working too much does not an artist make and I humbly apologized. So at two oclock I put on some music, moved the current painting (sisterhood) out of the way as it was producing a block and squeezed out some paint.

Although it isn't really how I feel at the moment, I had done a sketch that dealt with the idea of mourning and because it required a complete shift in gears regarding color scheme, it seemed the right thing for creative block.

Brush in hand, music full blast, I painted until my arm hurt. I think my muse and I are friends again.

It's a start.

Working on the stained glass collection for the planet today.Sifting through yet more images from europe is such a joyous chore.

I have forsaken my artist date for yet another friday thanks to work. With the exception of painting a little last week I have not kept my precious creativity infusing appointment since before we went to europe. I am starting to feel a little dry so next week I will need to take measures. It has also been the cause for lack of blog.

Working on a collection called Urban Landscapes for the planet. It looks like it is going to be around 120 images. Here is one of my fav's. I shot this in the car on the way to harper's ferry last year. We followed a small convoy of us military vets around the beltway. I got a couple shots that are really clear and sharp, but I liked this one with the little blur.

cover for it.