Original Art, Here and There

Lately, I’ve been in a make-all-the-art-and-share-it mood.

First, there were the door signs. I posted them, one at a time, near the door in our apartment building until someone made it clear they weren’t amused.

I wasn’t shocked. This sort of thing happens. There are people who, in their own misery, can’t stand reminders that life can be fun and beautiful, and worth sharing.

So, I never place art where others can grab, deface, or destroy it, unless I’m okay with someone doing that.

I choose to believe that enough people benefit so it’s worthwhile to make my cheerful gestures, now and then.

However, I also know when to pause.

When the response is intense, like someone tearing down the art, slicing it, and throwing the pieces on the ground?

Yes, that signals a time-out. Especially now when people are especially vulnerable and volatile. (Of course, I know this is exactly the time when people need art and uplifting messages.)

But, for now, I’m not posting new door signs. Not in our building, anyway.

I may find some other public space to share them. (The art doesn’t stop. Ever.)

Instead, I’m revisiting art that I share online, and reminding people it’s still there.

In this case, it’s my Easter egg coloring pages. I drew them a couple of years ago and made the PDFs available to download, free.

Here’s a link to five of them. (You’ll download the black-and-white versions. The colored one is just an example I created yesterday, when I was testing some coloring pencils and watercolor markers for Amazon.)

Meanwhile, downsizing and going as minimalist as seems right (for us, anyway), we’ve been weeding-out the storage unit we left in NH for nearly 10 years. (We’ve rented a smaller unit to transfer the keepers into, as we go through the dusty, musty old boxes. For us, this is a visual cue telling us how much progress we’ve made, as we go along.)

As we go through the old stuff… Wow! So many memories.

But also a lot of, “Wow! Why did I think I needed to save that?”

So far, I’ve lost count of the many trips we’ve made to Goodwill, donating items. (Yes, we get receipts, but not for every carload. Maybe every third one, so there’s a record.)

Yesterday, I found a quirky old American flag that I’d bought at a flea market in Hollis, New Hampshire, years ago. (I’m kind of addicted to vintage fabric items, and really old paper items.)

Of course, I’m going to iron it (very carefully) and frame it.

And that’s a classic example of why weeding-out is so challenging: I keep finding cool things. (Like that flag. And some of my wearable fabric art from 20+ years ago. And pottery made by my maternal grandfather… the one who founded California Paints and invented acoustical plaster, etc. And Disney-related games my mother designed, back in the 1950s.)

Other projects include:

• a book of my 2021 torn-paper collages, that should be available later this month.
• catching up on classic Disney movies (thanks to Disney+) – So far, Toy Story and Moana.
• and I’m testing brownie recipes. (For upcoming road trips, brownies are an easy, portable snack.)

So far, the Easy One Bowl Brownies were oh-my-goodness tasty but too flat. More like gooey fudgy wafers than actual brownies.

As an alternative, the original Betty Crocker Cookbook brownie recipe (not online) is easy, cake-y and delicious, but not fudgy enough. The not-yet-devoured brownies started turning to stone in about 24 hours. I’ve put them in a zip-lock sandwich bag with a damp paper towel, and they’re softening a bit. At least enough to be chewy again.

I’ll continue testing brownie recipes, and share the best with you.

Other current (or in the next week or two) projects include revising and updating a bunch of my websites’ articles.

And then there’s the quirky photo series we’re planning, which may include a shabby wedding dress and a visit to a windy, deserted beach.

Also, I decided to rename this site “Aisling’s Diary,” because that’s where my online story began, first at GeoCities (SoHo Loft 6708) and LiveJournal, and then Aisling.net. Those site changes are imminent, here.

And that’s what’s happening in our corner of Maine as spring slowly arrives. (How slow? Well, we had snow a week ago, and piles of it remain in some local parking lots. The photo at the top of this page is a recent one, updating the view I shared in Things We See in Maine #1.)

It’s always interesting in our home, and I love sharing the fun with friends!