Art Therapy and G-O-D

The Universe or G-O-D has an uncanny way of answering my prayers; let me explain over the years I have had an dilettante like interest in Art Therapy. I have read articles and books on the subject and practiced it in my own creations.
The Wikipedia dictionary definition is: Art therapy is a form of expressive therapy that uses art materials, such as paints, chalk and markers. Art therapy combines traditional psychotherapeutic theories and techniques with an understanding of the psychological aspects of the creative process, especially the affective properties of the different art materials. Boring.

I am not a professional art therapist (yet) with a Masters Degree in psychology, yet because of the assemblage class I did for the Two Spirits Gallery the universe has provided me an opportunity to work with the Mental Health Consumer Web doing art workshops. I don't know everything about the psyochotherapeutic theories and techniques but I do have patient compassionate nature combined with a desire to help my fellow man. I do know how to make and facilitate the make ing of art that is individual and helps the creator understand themselves a little better.

Monday I will talk to Hossanna and more will be revealed...........Thank you once again for prayers answered.
Love
Judy

The Joys of Garage Sales

Daughter and I went to G-Kids school for a tea party and entertainment.


On the way home we were bitten by the Garage Sale bug. Years ago I released my inner pack rat and started to comb second hand stores, yard sales, junk yards etc. Once, I lost my old boots to a shoe repair shop, they had been all over Europe with me. I found them at a flea market, it was like finding an old friend. I actually shook with excitement at seeing them.

My mother, grandmother, sister are junk collectors they seriously save everything. My Grandmother had a box car filled with magazines, clothes, newspapers, records, can labels, diaries simply everything. My mother also horded and saved she shopped second hand stores compulsively collecting purses. Patty my sister is a master collector with the most amazing ephemera, bottles, trunks, trinkets, jewelery, boxes, old glass chaskies. It is packed in boxes in the attic for her grandkids to discover. She knows the secret pleasure of snooping just like me. I have an excuse for collecting junque, it's for art.

Quote out of the Art of Assemblage

Junk culture is city art, Its source is obsolesce, the throwaway material of cities, as it collects in drawers, cupboards, attics, gutters, waste lots dumps.
Objects have a history: first they are brand new goods, then they are possessions accessible to few, subjected, often to intimate and repeated use; then as waste, they are scarred by use but available again… Assemblages of such material come at the spectator as bits of life, bits of the environment. The urban environment is present, then as the source of object whether transformed or left alone. Lawrence Alloway


Here is what I bought:

• Doll heads and body parts. .50


• No hands magninfing mirror .75


• Old mason jar for Folgers coffee 2.00


• leather toolers letters (some missing) .50


• Blue pottery bowl med 4.00


• New Lancome brush set, eye makeup remover and cosmetic bag 3.00


• Big Lace crochet doilie FREE


• Bottom Line 10.75
  

Yesterday I took my $75.00 winnings and bought myself a new comfortable pair of Burkenstocks for $71.00 and treated myself to a black tea chai smoothie, yummy.

Whos The First Place Winner of the Raven Show? Me Thats Who

First Place- Judy Vars "How the Raven Steals the Light"...Second Place- Amber Johnson "Abstract Raven" and Third Place and also People's Choice - Dena Tanquay "Kutqli, A Raven Reborn"
How the Raven Steals the Light
by
Judy Vars

In the beginning the world was in darkness. The raven who had existed from the beginning was tired of groping about and bumping into things.
The raven knew of an old man who lived with his granddaughter. He had a great treasure, a box that concealed all the light in the universe. The raven vowed to steal the light. Raven changed himself into a pine needle and dropped himself into the river just as the girl was dipping water from the river. The raven slithered down her warm belly and grew into an odd looking human baby.

Despite his odd appearance grandfather loved him anyway But the old man promised dire punishment if raven baby ever touched the precious treasure box. Nonetheless the raven child begged and begged to be allowed to hold the light just a moment. In time the old man yielded, and lifted from the box a warm golden sphere, which he threw to his grandson.

As the light was moving toward him the human child transformed himself back into his raven self with his beak open in anticipation. As the beautiful ball of light reached him raven captured it in his beak. Moving powerful wings, raven burst through the smoke hole in the roof of the house, and escaped into the darkness with his stolen treasure

And that is how light came into the universe

Assemblage Class @ Two Sprits Gallery

My Assemblage Class is Saturday and Multi-tasking

I am not a multi-tasker in the past I knew how to multi-task but not anymore. Trying to do several things at once makes me feel crazy, I notice that I am trying to do multi things I start walking around in circles and talking to myself and not being productive. When I am on the computer please do not try to talk at me, I am not listening. When I am watching my stories don't interupt me with questions, when painting I'm in my happy place and don't like to be interupted... It's so funny to notice how easily distracted I am, example: While cooking dinner (Ok I'll admit it, I don't like to cook) and trying to blog or check my e-mails and talk on the telephone, dinner gets burned or it's sub-par. It's much nicer to have dear one cook my dinner.

Today am learning how to slow down stop and listen to people when they want my attention.
I make it an active meditation to focus on one thing at a time, do it and do it well.
My blog has not been getting my attention but everything is great, I am getting up earlier, Peter & I walking 5 miles, we are eating better and communicating better.

For the past week I have been concentrating on preparing for my assemblage class and not painting anything. http://twospiritsgallery.com/pages/art-classes
August it is my ta,ta,ta,taaaaa art show at the Madd Matters Gallery, I have 86 days until my show. I do not know what to call it yet. I drempt of myself in a purple dress. Any suggestions???

p.s. My Raven Triptych sold for all the dough!

One-Day-At-A-Time

Ok so here is the skinny, I'm giving myself a birthday present and lots of attention so here are my goals.

To quickly improve my health, outlook and apperance in time for my show at Madd Matters gallery August 8th, 2009 and on time for my 57th birthday!

1. Lose 2 pounds a week until I reach my goal weight


2. My birthday is 16 weeks from today I will weigh 32 pounds less!


3. I will continue to walk everyday and eat heathfully


4. On July 1st 6 weeks from my art show I will go to the gym and work on the weight machines and sculpt my figure.


5. On my birthday I will have fun and continue my live-it improve my well being and life.
6. My show will be a success and I will be happy with the Judy I am.

I'm a Proud Grandma in Bloggersville

This is my 484th post just 16 away from 500! Woo, Hoo I should throw a party for my blog! Here is my grandson Max at Midnight Suns talent show. It's not like I am a proud grandma and my grandsons are not talented because they are. Max is only 10 he got an electric guitar for Christmas and this is how he can spank that thing.
This one is better if you can get to it http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1676784108&v=feed&story_fbid=1028478847019#/video/video.php?v=1073739968234

Max plays Electric Funeral by Ozzie Ozborne

She should put it on U-Tube so the world can see it, he is sooooo talented.

Is This Kitschy ART?

Me the ever self effacing, I go to Girdwood yesterday to pick up some of my art work. There is a piece that I did out of an old window frame, It has birch bark, encaustic wax, moss, it's a quint folksy piece and would work in a rustic Alaska cabin or with someone who likes fun artwork. But I find it in the gallery bathroom, no one wants to buy the bathroom art. So I say to the lady at the gallery,"I 'm taking this home I think it is a little too kischy for your gallery." She just nods, smiles and agrees. Snarkey, snarkey.

Peter laughs at me and tells me kichey is not a word. So I ask my Jewish friend in San Francisco, Marty, if it is not a Yiddish word for low class or tacky? He e-mails me back and says: No, I don't think that "kitchie" is a Yiddish word...I think it's modern slang, meaning like "it's a bit too much", but who knows?

Then daughter Nicole finds the definition with a different spelling, bingo I am right on! When it comes to vocabulary I am better than most.

Kitsch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kitsch (/kɪtʃ/) is the German and Yiddish word denoting art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art. The term kitsch was a response to the 19th century art whose aesthetics convey exaggerated sentimentality and melodrama, hence, kitsch art is closely associated with sentimental art.

However, this beggs the question is this piece of artwork Kitchey or should I add some kitchen curtains???

How the Raven Steals the LIght

by
Judy Vars

In the beginning the world was in darkness. The raven who had existed from the beginning was tired of groping about and bumping into things.
The raven knew of an old man who lived with his granddaughter. He had a great treasure, a box that concealed all the light in the universe. The raven vowed to steal the light. Raven changed himself into a pine needle and dropped himself into the river just as the girl was dipping water from the river. The raven slithered down her warm belly and grew into an odd looking human baby.

Despite his odd appearance grandfather loved him anyway But the old man promised dire punishment if raven baby ever touched the precious treasure box. Nonetheless the raven child begged and begged to be allowed to hold the light just a moment. In time the old man yielded, and lifted from the box a warm golden sphere, which he threw to his grandson.

As the light was moving toward him the human child transformed himself back into his raven self with his beak open in anticipation. As the beautiful ball of light reached him raven captured it in his beak. Moving powerful wings, raven burst through the smoke hole in the roof of the house, and escaped into the darkness with his stolen treasure

And that is how light came into the universe