Soul Humming

anyone lived in a pretty how town

2013-04-01T11:05:39-07:00

this has always been one of my very favorite poems. i woke up today with it on my mind so i thought it would share it here, with you.

anyone lived in a pretty how town

by e.e. cummings

anyone lived in a pretty how town

(with up so floating many bells down)

spring summer autumn winter

he sang his didn't he danced his did

Women and men(both little and small)

cared for anyone not at all

they sowed their isn't they reaped their same

sun moon stars rain

children guessed(but only a few

and down they forgot as up they grew

autumn winter spring summer)

that noone loved him more by more

when by now and tree by leaf

she laughed his joy she cried his grief

bird by snow and stir by still

anyone's any was all to her

someones married their everyones

laughed their cryings and did their dance

(sleep wake hope and then)they

said their nevers they slept their dream

stars rain sun moon

(and only the snow can begin to explain

how children are apt to forget to remember

with up so floating many bells down)

one day anyone died i guess

(and noone stooped to kiss his face)

busy folk buried them side by side

little by little and was by was

all by all and deep by deep

and more by more they dream their sleep

noone and anyone earth by april

wish by spirit and if by yes.

Women and men(both dong and ding)

summer autumn winter spring

reaped their sowing and went their came

sun moon stars rain

Nothing Seems to Go as Planned

2013-03-04T11:31:10-08:00

the last two mondays i've had high plans. and both mondays rose their sleepy new week heads with a child being sick.

today it is the oldest. he had a fever all of the day yesterday. and for at least the last four nights he has been up every single night at 3:00 a.m. unable to sleep. a girl starts to feel like a ping pong ball in a clothes dryer after this. i can't imagine how he feels. but, after a plate of apple slices and triple ginger cookies with a glass of cold milk he feels a little better. that's what moms do even when mom wanted to go shopping with her birthday gift cards.

The closest I've come to being creative is planning sculptures I want to make while sitting at a red light. I'm sure I must look utterly absurd as I measure them out with my hands sure as if they are right in front of me. A girl has to work with what she can wherever she finds herself. And, being a mom is my main job now. With my oldest turning into a teenager I find my emotional tasks running a long list of things to do. He and I are both super intense, highly sensitive people and we can either butt heads or see eye to eye with very little middle ground. I am sometimes in too deep and busy with a back peddle. I used to keep a textural journal about my every day life, inner and outer. When my second son came along I shelved it. There wasn't time. But now, I think a journal, a visual journal, is truly something I need. Where else will I put my fox self?

Happy Valentine's Day!

2013-02-14T10:14:11-08:00

kelly snelling

Nature

2013-01-13T12:24:22-08:00

Margo Polo

Today's creativity prompt is Nature and the wildest thing in our house is usually our little kitty, Margo Polo. When I first met her she was hanging out in a tiny hammock in a metal cage at our local rescue. I went up to her and she stretched her paw out through the bars to touch my face. That was it for me. We had no idea she would turn into a long haired beauty. Nor did we know anything about Maine Coons, which we learned she is a mix of. She loves to play in water, chase lights, and makes a noise more like a chirp then a meow.

Inspiration for the Year

2013-01-12T16:43:51-08:00

Hands

The calendar turning to January seems to hold so much promise of commitment, creativity, and endless days of dreams.

Every year, about this time (mid-January) I always pull a Homer as I realize I wanted to start a cool year-long art project but didn't (again).

I always run across so many inspirational projects happening in January. You can do a 365 days photo challenge. Or, all kinds of 52 week photo challenges are out there. There are lots of challenges at Instagram, too. And some artists challenge themselves to create a doodle, a journal page, or a painting every single day.

I always have the best intentions. But not such excellent follow through. Excuses abound (kids, animals, dishes, blah, blah, blah) but in reality, I just don't do it.

So today as I was running across lots of online projects I thought, I'll make my own list. And it will start today, January 12. And I will follow along with my prompts and make them happen. Here it is...

Now, I might take a photo but I might paint something. I'm not going to tie myself down with rules. :) And, while I will do these things on the appointed day, I may not post them on that day. I will try to post them. 'Cause I'm the Baroness of Commitment like that.

If you want to use these same prompts and play along, that would be amazing! Seriously, I would Love it if you did. And if you do, give a holler and please leave a link to your image in the comment section so we can all check them out together. A bit of inspiration is fueling.

I made the list before I made today's photo. That's it up there at the top of this post. And, while the word is hands, I managed to create an image that is completely devoid of them. Sometimes, what we most desire is what we do not have. My hands are my most important tool. There have been several times in my adult life where I have been unable to use one or both hands. This little frozen Charlotte reminds me of those times when I was bound up and handless. I'm very, very grateful for the blessing of my hands.

Ok, your turn!

Click the button to follow me at Instagram.

Rocks, Paper, Crayons

2013-01-11T16:09:19-08:00

My youngest son has been home sick all week. I was really looking forward to getting back into art when the kids went back to school after winter break. But, the little guy only made it back one day before he got strep throat and bronchitis.

In an attempt to combat cabin fever today, we heated rocks (in the oven at 200 for about 15 mins) and drew on them with crayons. All crayons are not created equally. Some melt and run and are great fun to push around. Others (Twistables) do not seem to like being melted. We managed to melt our way through at least half a dozen rocks, which he thought was a lot of fun. Other than reading, watching cartoons, and lying in bed, this was the most exciting thing this little guy has done all week.

Then I kept on going and used a heat gun to paint with melting crayons onto a paper sack. Sometimes you just HAVE to spend ten minutes being creative so you don't come unglued! I hope your week has been full of good health and lots of creativity!

Join in with Acts of Kindness for Newtown

2012-12-18T14:17:24-08:00

If you would like to Do Something simple to show support to the children and people of Newtown, please join in with Leighanna Light as she gathers together prayer flags. Read on to see her message...

"On the news yesterday, I heard someone from Newtown say that she suspected life would go on & people would soon forget about them. That what happened at Sandy Hook would just become another news story. When I heard that, I immediately knew that I wanted to do something.

I’m not sure what I’m getting myself into, but here is my idea... I would like to get as many people as possible to make a prayer flag & send it to me by January 2nd. I will string them together & get the flags to Newtown by the time the kids return to school. Think about how easy this would be & what a wonderful way to let them know that we care & will never forget. For our strong art community here on FB this is a no brainer, we participate in swaps & trades all of the time. For those of you who claim not to be creative, this doesn’t have to be a masterpiece- just a quick easy thing that we can do to show that we care. It would require very little money, and maybe an hour of your time.
Tom said that he could get his English classes to participate- about 80 kids. I plan to go over to the high school today & see if I can get something going with them before school ends on Friday. This could really grow fast, with just a few schools and a few of you on Facebook.

Diana Trout first planted the idea of using prayer flags, and I have not been able to stop thinking about it all weekend. This was also a very selfish decision, I can’t seem to stop thinking (or reading) about it & this would be something constructive that I could do that would keep me focused on the positive & away from the computer!

If you would like to participate, here are the details...

-This is about hope & good wishes, not about any specific religion, or even praying if that is not a part of your life. It is about showing that we care. If you want to include a prayer, wonderful, but it is not required.

-Your flag can be made out of any cloth material... An old piece of clothing, an old sheet, canvas, - you don’t need to go out & buy anything.

THE SIZE OF EACH FLAG SHOULD BE 5” X 8”, so that the chain remains uniform in size.

- Please sew or glue the top of the flag over, leaving a one inch gap so that I can run a string through it.

-You can make it as simple or elaborate as you’d like. You can paint on it, write on it, sew on it, make a little heart in the center- anything goes EXCEPT please refrain from addressing the person who caused this or the names of the victims. This is about hope & I think it’s a good idea to keep it as positive as possible.

-Please make sure these get to me by January 2nd. If they do not arrive by then, they will not make it to the school, & probably won’t be mailed back to you.

-Mail them to:

Leighanna Light
PO Box 2861
Ranchos De Taos, New Mexico, 87557

if you have any questions you can also email me at lklight@copper.net

FOR LOCALS IN THE TAOS AREA
I would love it if you could join us at the Taos Art Space on Friday at 5 PM to create a flag. Please bring your own materials, I will bring some paint & some art supplies to share.

I hope that you can join us!" - Leighanna

This is a great project that you can do with your children, Sunday School groups, neighbors, and families. It is a simple and kind way to offer love and support. I hope you will take part and spread the love of healing to Newtown.

Christmas Creatures - My Handmade Ornaments for 2012

2012-12-08T05:00:00-08:00

Sheila

So this year we did not have a 12 Days of Christmas Exchange as in the past few years. Instead, I exchanged a few handmade pieces with a smaller group of friends.

My Christmas Creatures - 2012

And these are all the girls I made. I wasn't sure exactly what I would be making until one day my friend, Deryn, posted a picture of her Welsh Terrier puppy.

I just wonder what she is thinking as she is giving that money such a look!

It seems that Maisey had made a snack of some ten dollar bills.

Lottie and Maisey

And then I decided to make this little imp named Lottie with her gilded golden ears and her pup, Maisey, who has the corners from a $20 flying around around. Lottie is supposed to help Maisey learn to be a good girl but I'm afraid she is a terrible influence. It was all her idea to eat the money.

Lottie before she got all dressed up

She is the biggest of the girls, coming in at about 9 inches long.

Soon other sisters followed, each with their own grand stories to whisper as they came into being. As a group they are called The Promise of Spring as they bring flowers to remind us that winter is not too long. Soon there will be sunny skies. And the little flowers were given to me years ago by my husband's Grandma Hope, who loved making beautiful miniature dolls.

Addie is ready for her first fancy dress party. She even oiled her freckles. She has to bring extra flowers for spring in case she needs a snack.

This is Clara and Bluebelle. Sometimes Clara keeps Bluebelle's egg nice and warm on the back her neck. Bluebelle is the True Bluebird of Happiness.

Leanora is the most shy. She comes from a very fine old family & once traveled across the land in a big, black car. She has a penchant for sundown and biscuits.

Lucy likes roses and the heat of summer best of everything. She is especially superstitious but feels safe when she is in Texas and if she has the proper number and size of Xs to wear.

Ella has an easy disposition. She loves to play jokes and is very fond of shiny things. She is prone to pinching gold objects and loud hammers. Compliment her on her horns and she will give them back in the night time.

Lastly, is Sheila. She comes from off the coast of Sydney. If you say her name very quietly it sounds like the waves of the sea. She is lonely and misses all her friends. I've promised her that I will make a school of mermaids for her before Christmas. Maybe there will be one extra for you.

Too Much Like December

2012-11-28T09:42:15-08:00

Here I am. Here you are.

The end of November.

But it really feels like December. I have no idea how people in Portland manage. Or Seattle.

I live in Southern California and on these grey days I often crumble inside like wet tissue paper. I lose my vitality. I've often wondered what it is like to be a person who floats on the water with a steady even keel. I am the leaf. I am the droplet.

I am influenced by the raging 13 year old who lives with me. I am bombarded by the dogs, the cats, the people, the television. Not every single day is like this but some are.

Today my grandmother is being buried and here I sit across the country in my stupid squeaky chair next to a sizzling air filter that is taunting me. The hard drive fan is so loud.

I think I should go for a walk. It feels too much like December.

Instagram

2012-11-02T12:07:03-07:00

American Gothic Calavera Style

I've not been here much. I know, I know. As my kids are growing so are the ways in which I spend my time with them. I need to be more present as my oldest just became a teenager. The homework of middle school, the social scene, it is all different than when I was a kid. And my husband and I are working so hard at keeping up with all the technology he has at his disposal. We want both our boys to be men of strong character and there are lessons every day. So my painting/creative time has shifted. I'm doing more things that I can accomplish quickly like iphone photography on Instagram.

Remembering Who I Am

I like this sort of creative outlet because it is fun, fast, and deals immediate communication with an audience. I don't have to write a long post. I don't have to find my favorite paint brush. I can do it on the fly but it still feeds my creative hunger. I'm still working in portraits, lots of self-portraits as I'm always here when I need to be creative.

Found

Do you have an Instagram account? I'd love it if you would follow me there so I can keep up with my Soul Humming peeps! Click the button below to find me or look me up there where my user name is @soulhumming. Look forward to sharing photos with you all!

Sunlight

2012-09-15T09:30:01-07:00

The Word

 Down near the bottom
 of the crossed-out list
 of things you have to do today,

 between "green thread"
 and "broccoli" you find
 that you have penciled "sunlight."

 Resting on the page, the word
 is as beautiful, it touches you
 as if you had a friend

 and sunlight were a present
 he had sent you from some place distant
 as this morning -- to cheer you up,

 and to remind you that,
 among your duties, pleasure
 is a thing,

 that also needs accomplishing
 Do you remember?
 that time and light are kinds

 of love, and love
 is no less practical
 than a coffee grinder

 or a safe spare tire?
 Tomorrow you may be utterly
 without a clue

 but today you get a telegram,
 from the heart in exile
 proclaiming that the kingdom

 still exists,
 the king and queen alive,
 still speaking to their children,

 - to any one among them
 who can find the time,
 to sit out in the sun and listen.

--Tony Hoagland

Girl with Red Hair - A Painting Challenge

2012-09-10T18:05:05-07:00

I am stubborn (aka lazy and unorganized). So when the mood strikes me to paint, I will paint. Even if I only have 15 minutes, no water, one brush, a piece of an old Swedish hymnal (I always thought it was German until I tried to translate it via Google) as a substrate, and a couple of colors of paint.

My goal was to keep it very loose. With no water and one brush it was fun to work super fast as I was in my garage (it is 90 degrees outside) and the paint was drying very quickly.

I feel like it was a boost to my creativity. I had already made seven pendants earlier today by the time I painted this. So I was feeling the mojo. It was good to hear those "painting voices" in my head turn on again. I love kicking the critic to the curb and enjoying the process intstead of judging it. In the end, it was lovely to get back to creating.

Making Unique and Easy Artist Gift Wrap

2012-08-26T13:13:16-07:00

Funky wrapped gift for my friend's birthday

When I finally finish making something by hand for a friend, I dread having to wrap it. Usually, I hate wrapping gifts. All the work went into making the present so I just want to be done. But one day last week I needed to wrap something and found a small painting I had done on a very old page from a German hymnal.

Fun and funky, highly original gift wrap.

So I wrapped the handmade item in tissue, taped the painting to another hymnal page, tied it all up with kitchen twine along with a metal tag, and Voila! Here's what I did...

My main tool for these pages below were pastels. I used super cheap but boldly pigmented Porfolios (available at Staples) and more expensive and lovely Caran d'ache (available online or in art supply stores).

What to draw? My cat walked by so I quickly doodled hert on the page and colored it in with pastels.

Could not be easier!

You can draw stripes, hearts, or stars if you want a more simple design. It's up to you. You could also draw something specific to the gift recipient like robots for a little boy, an angel at Christmas, and so on.

And if your gift is handmade with love, you could trace your hand and make that the central image. Trace your kid's hand if the gift is for Grandma.

She would love that!

I added a metal tag to a couple of these gifts. I used sheet brass, cut it out with my shears, filed the edges and then used this awesome metal punch to make a hole in it to hang on the wrapped gift.

I love this little metal punch. You use it just like a regular hole punch that you use for paper. I've tried the metal punch that is a screw punch where you turn and turn that metal bar. Bleh. This one is so much faster! I got it at Amazon.com!

I cannot find my Letter V metal stamp so I was happy to use Letter U, upside down Letter A, and upside down Number 4 as stand-ins. Afterall, love doesn't care what it looks like.

You can get a great set of letter/number metal stamps at Harbor Freight for only $10.

"Love You Sweet Friend"

If you don't want to mess with metal, you can make a super cute little tag with an old photo. I have lots of old black and white photos from the flea market. I use them frequently on gifts and cards. First I wrote right on top of the picture with a white paint pen from Sharpie. Once dry I wrote on top of that with a pink Sharpie.

I think she is precious sitting there playing. Perfect for a birthday girl!

And if your photo is particulary special to you, make a photo copy and use that as your tag. If you have a photo of the person you are giving the gift to, make a copy of it and doll it up as the tag.

Aren't these pretty? Turquoise crosses with big, old rhinestone drops made for my friend. They are getting the fun wrap treatment.

I put these in bubble wrap, keeping them fairly flat, then taped the edges of the hymnal papers together.

Next up, I found a fun little necklace my kids got at a birthday party. It's a little plastic heart full of soap bubbles to blow. It will make a great bow!

Love, love, love YOU

Think outside the box and use what you have on hand. Turn something ordinary like old photos and book pages into your own one of a kind orginal wrap!

This is the perfect size to put in a bubble mailer and pop in the post. Wouldn't this be a fun package to get in your mail box?

Traveling with Kids and Dogs

2012-08-24T14:52:23-07:00

My boys, pups and me at Cadillac Ranch

We've just returned from a three week road trip that we took from our home in Southern California to my childhood home in Mayfield, Kentucky. My husband and I drove in our happy blueberry pearl minivan along with our two sons and our two smooth collies.

We love our Town and Country van! The seats fold down with the push of a button, it has two video screens (with wireless headphones for the kids so we can hear our music). The kids can even plug in their Xbox and play games on long trips. And it gets pretty good gas mileage.

I expected it to be a bit of a pain driving for four days with the boys and dogs but it was surprisingly easy. I prepared with lots of their favorite tv shows on DVD, books on tape, a new card game, and a travel journal bin complete with watercolors, stamps, colored pencils and more. My husband and I ended up writing in it more than the kids!

If you are traveling with dogs, I recommend La Quinta Inns. They take all sizes of dogs and don't charge you anything extra. At each of the six we stayed in during our trip, we met lots of friendly folks traveling with their dogs. That made it very relaxing for us.

Us playing at a dog park in Tulsa, Oklahoma

I did a lot of research before we headed out on our 2,000+ mile start to Kentucky. I found some great websites with info about traveling with pets. One that proved especially helpful was Pets Welcome. They have a wonderful resource that shows you off-leash dog parks along your journey. Every town in which we stayed luckily had a dog park nearby. So each morning before we hit the road again, we would drive to the dog park and let the pups and the people run around for a while. Driving all day is tough on everyone so this was an excellent way to stretch and play. I highly recommend finding dog parks if you are traveling with your dogs.

The beautiful terrain of Sedona, Arizona

We loved traveling cross-country with our boys. This country is so vast and varied. You can't see much of it from an airplane. So it was a pleasure, even at 75 miles an hour, (that's the speed limit for most of the roads we traveled on) to see this beautiful country up close and personal.

Flowers in Arizona

Oklahoma City Memorial

Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, Texas

Ft. Smith, Arkansas

Somewhere out there

We were always surrounded by kids and dogs in Kentucky. And it was Awesome!

Now we are back home, washing clothes and attempting to get back to a routine again. Soon school begins so there's much preparing for that. Summer is my favorite time of year. I plan to get as much fun as I possibly can from the next week. I hope your summer has been beautiful, too!

Dog Days of Summer

2012-07-20T12:43:12-07:00

Summer is in full swing here on the west coast.

So we are hitting the beach.

And spending five or six days a week with Swim Team.

I'm also taking time to smell the flowers wherever I find them.

While I am slowly finding tiny nuggets of time for creating jewelry/art, most of my artistic endeavors are happening with my iphone. If you want to keep up with my photography, please follow me at Instagram where my user name is soulhumming.

Last but not least, I have a cool give-away coming in the days ahead. So stay tuned!

This is Your Song

2012-04-26T05:00:00-07:00

emeli sande

I love, love, love music. Before the coffee is made or the dogs are fed I hit play on my Ipod each morning. Some people don't care that much about music. That's just not me. If I'm not listening to music, I am singing, humming, or dancing to my own inner song. I've always been this way. Many years ago I was actually reprimanded by my old boss for "being unprofessional" with all my humming and singing. :) So funny.

I trade music lists with a couple of friends which is a wonderful way to find new songs that I might never listen to otherwise. So I wanted to share a slim peek of some of tunes I'm listening to lately. All of these may not be new this year but are new to me. Please chime in on the comments to share what you are listening to and loving lately. I am always super happy to discover new artists.

Our Version of Events - Emili Sande

I think I have the import version of this as I notice that it isn't out in the US until this summer. Who new I was so current? LOL! I've been listening to this for a while now. I really like her voice. It's powerful and crisp. Heaven was a big hit for this Scottish girl in the UK. The album is a mix of different styles. There's a bit of something for most everyone.

Step it Up - The Bamboos

I don't remember how I first came to hear The Bamboos. I think I got a free download of one of their songs somewhere or followed a link trail and found them. However I found them, I love this Aussie funk band. At least this album, which is all I've heard. It is awesome! If you are looking for music to make you get up and move, this will do it. It is old school in a way back kind of way (a rocking flute). It is mostly instrumentals but they are just so jamming and so much fun you can't help but have a great time grooving along. It's a favorite of mine lately.

Sweet Sour - Band of Skulls

Band of Skulls

I especially like the title song on this one (and the album cover is awesome). It is a rocking, guitar dripping song that hooks itself into my head every time. "Sour by the minute but you're sweeter by the hour"

I heard Alabama Shakes for the first time on KCRW back in February. The live version they did of Heavy of just amazing. I immediately got their EP (pictured above) and gobbled up every sweet drop of Brittany Howard's vocals. She sings like Etta James pressed up against a wall in some dark alley. She can scream and growl her way through a song with the best of the classic blues singers. And the band is powerfully rocking through every note from start to finish. They just released their first full album, Boys and Girls, which is excellent. It was the soundtrack to our recent family vacation and loved by all of us.

Lana Del Rey - A.K.A. Lizzy Grant

This album by Lizzy Grant (aka Lana Del Rey) is no longer available. It came out digitally for two months in 2010 but the label didn't have funding to keep it around so it was yanked (or some such story). If you click on that link above you can get a free download of A.K.A. Lizzy Grant but it will come to you along with a lot of junk (new toolbar you don't want, emoticons, malware) that took me 45 minutes to get rid of. I already had half the album from another source but couldn't find the rest of it since it disappeared. It might be worth the trouble of deleting all that junk just to hear Gramma (Blue Ribbon Sparkler Trailer Heaven).

Decide if it is worth the bother (or wait as it is supposedly going to be re-released).

Otherwise, listen to Lana Del Rey's Born to Die. It's more polished but she still sounds like what I would imagine a drunk young child would sound like sitting on a wall singing their little pink heart out. I like it. :) I especially like the song Summertime Sadness.

A Creature I Don't Know - Laura Marling

I first started listening to Laura Marling late last summer. I'd gotten a free song once again from KCRW (I highly recommend visiting their daily download for great new music free five days a week). She sounds a bit like a young, British Joni Mitchell. Then, at Christmas, Bill Flanagan recommended her music on CBS Sunday Morning for a great holiday gift. So I got I Speak Because I Can and her newest disc, A Creature I Don't Know. She's mellow and moving and good.

Lover Boy - Brett Dennen

Just about a year ago I heard the reggae influenced pop song Can't Stop Thinking About You by Brett Dennen. It's such a feel good song. I got this disc and got hooked on him. I'm also busy enjoying So Much More, which is an older disc.

To Be Still - Alela Diane

I think I heard the title track for this on television last year and used an Iphone app to find out who it was by. This disc is earthy, sort of country, sort of folky/rock. It's good for when I am painting or making things and just want to chill. She has a new record out with a her dad and husband called Alela Diane and the Wild Divine. I haven't picked it up yet but I hear it is great.

And, today I just picked up Jack White's solo record, Blunderbuss, which came out yesterday. I have been loving the first cut off of it, Love Interrupted, for a while now. I'm really looking forward to digging into it.

I hear Rufus Wainwright has a new record out but I've not heard it yet. There was a period of my life where I listened to him constantly. His voice is like a cashmere sweater. He's just so smooth. Ooh, you can hear it all here.

Also, I've gotten the Shin's newest, Port of Morrows, but haven't had time to give it much of a turn. And Santigold has a new release, Master of My Make-believe, which I haven't heard yet. I was crazy for Light's Out and am looking forward to checking in to see what she is up to.

Lastly, if you want to keep up on new music, check out First Listen at NPR for articles on new music along with tracks before records are released. - Happy Dancing!

don't fret

2012-04-25T14:27:42-07:00

life shouldn't be so complicated.

Earth Day

2012-04-22T15:28:08-07:00

In honor of Earth Day I made a necklace with a painted branch from my back yard, a clay bird bead I made, Royston mined turquoise, vintage feathers, and vintage beads.

Also, we picked up trash, worked in the yard, and rode bikes. Love the Earth! It's the only one we've got!! If you want some good tips for being kind to your Earth, check out this Earth Day post from green days past.

Morning

2012-04-21T09:07:08-07:00

It's a gorgeous day here. And my sweet friend Pilar is coming over so we can head to Gilding the Lily together. Perfection!!!

Demanding

2012-04-19T10:52:25-07:00

Sometimes I will see a face and have no choice but to pull it out of my pen and put it in my doodle moleskin book. It arrests me, calls me, demands that I acknowledge it for its rare qualities or its vague sadness or its normal mundane beauty. This guy was like that. He was very demanding with that gaze.

also putting a few more in the book...

i especially like the tiger my youngest son contributed.