january 1 2012

happy happy new year!!!! wishing all love and joy and peace in the new year. starting off the new year with 2 new journals one for written work one for art work.  pulled together my children's book and hope to send it to a publisher within the next week or so. also screwed up my courage and am posting some journal pages to somerset studio journal. here's a look at some pages from 2011, love brigid

december story cont'd

 as she heaved the cardboard box carrying all that remained of her work-a-day job into the dumpster, she felt like a kid who was let out of school for the summer-absolutely free. and  even better than that she was tossing away all the stuff that had threatened to hold her down, like an automaton and make her become like them: with  their nervous slightly worried  dispositions, constantly looking over their shoulders, just waiting to make that  final mistake that would be written up in their job performance folder, a black check next to their names in the book where such things are recorded until the day when all the black checks added up to a pink slip slipped under their door,telling them their services were no longer needed.. this time she wasn't worried-they could plaster her entire cubicle with pink slips and fill her folder to the brim with black checks-she wouldn't be there to read them. she'd wasted five years of her all too finite life, behind the desk of the xyg gallery doing what   she was  supposed to do, and she was no further ahead than when she was hired, no promotions,not even a job well done, and she had had enough- she had reached her limit, she was going to pick up the pieces of her long neglected creative life before it was too late.
 the first thing she had to do was move. she could no longer afford(in fact she never could afford) the apartment she shared with four other girls in manhattan. not that they would miss her- for every person leaving, there was always someone coming, so her space would not stay vacant for long. she was moving back to staten island, the forgotten borough, where rents were a 1/4 or  less than those in manhattan- she could probably get a house, for what she would pay for a studio apartment. she could live with her sister for awhile, until she got a part-time job and could afford to look for an apartment.

 installment 2. this will have to go into january's story because  i doubt if i'll post again before christmas, but you never know.have a wonderful holiday everyone and i'll be back with some more of the story and some pictures of my new paintings. i'm going to try over the christmas break to put together something to be published in one of the somerset magazines or other publications. i'm also going to look into starting a web site to showcase my paintings, also plan to work on my children's book. a little too ambitious for one week i know- so if i get to doing some work on each thing and do a little painting ,i'll consider myself lucky. merry christmas!!!brigid

december story

one minute she was safely ensconced in her office on 23rd street, the next thing she knew, she was out on the street with her work things crammed into a cardboard box trying to hail a cab on tenth avenue. it hadn't been much of a job, she thought ruefully , but it was a JOB , and now she was back on the street again, with the dreary prospect of posting her resume online, talking to head hunters, going to interviews, and trying to sell herself to some bored middle management drone, who would be looking at her breasts(not big enough) instead of at her face, where his/her eyes should have been. the trouble with jobs she thought was that they were jobs and not doing work that made her pulse quicken and her heart throb with joy,the way it would if she was doing what she'd been put on earth to do, to be an artist.that's when it hit her- she was 35 years old, unmarried, childless and she was going to do what she'd been wanting to do for 30 of those 35 years, she was going to become a starving artist. she put her hand down as a cab pulled up and shooed it away. starving artists didn't take cabs they took the subway, and on her way to the station she threw her cad board box which contained all her office paraphernalia, into a dumpster,and set off to begin her new life. this is the first installment of my fantasy new life- in reality i am 57 years old, married with 3 children , stuck in a job that i need to keep because my husband has been kicked out of his job. i went to a retirement consultation, and they told me i could have retired 2 years ago, so i'm hoping and even praying to a god i don't believe in, that ian will get a job and i can retire in september, and spend the rest of my life making art and writing. and what of my fictional counterpart? her name is ingrid murphy, and you'll be hearing more of her fictional adventures in the blogs to come.

it's about time

hello again. no excuses, sheer fatigue and depression.. but i'm back and i'm holding  on and plan to carry on with a new positive attitude. i've gone back to painting mostly, combining figures and abstract art, and a whole bunch of new encaustic paintings, which i'm not sure i like, but i'm giving it a shot. . i don't really know what i'm doing, i should really take a workshop, but i can't afford it. so i'm muddling through on my own.. ian has a possible new job which would take some  of the pressure off me-i've been feeling like the major breadwinner for some time now. i've also been confused about what direction my art is going in,but right now i figure i'll just show up in the studio and go with the flow. where ever it takes me. i should close with some positve affirmations folllow your bliss, let your spiritual energy soar, believe in yourself, you are enough, life is a gift  go for the gold, hold on ,live for today- you already have all that you'll ever need, hope for the best, you get the idea but  i really mean it.  but i'm really tired and i have to sleep so i can get a headstart on my brand new positvd me. good night. brigid

squam at last

autumn

hello again
it seems autumn has arrived
without my noticing.
the temperature's dropped
 the wind is skittish.
i want it still to be summer
i'm not ready for this
my clothes are too skimpy
my thoughts too scattered.
i haven't even begun to figure out
where i want to go from here'
my art is indecisive
my plans incomplete-
how did this happen so quickly?
i have more to say
but no time to say it;.

i'll be back. brigid

re-entry

hello all- so tired. some time soon i'll write about squam, but not yet, i'm too tired, too overwhelmed with memories, thoughts and inspiration, and 3 days of playing catch-up at work, working like a dog. here are a few journal entries. i'm going to take this really slow....good night, brigid.

summer's over!!!

some pictures from my show

hello hello- i can't believe that my long awaited summer off is over in one week, and i have to go back to  work !i'm sure that those of you who have worked all summer don't feel a bit sorry for me and you're quite right. it is an absolute privilege to have the whole summer off, and i have to pinch myself quite hard to believe that i do have it. this summer has gone by so fast, i feel like i'm pedalling backwards to keep up. there is so much to do every day,that i never seem to have time to get to it all- i feel like i get up, blink,drink some coffee and it's midnight again and i have to think about going to bed. tonight i am going to start going to bed earlier so that getting up at 5:30 or 6:00 won't be such a shock to my system.this summer has been jampacked with art and all kinds of mindblowing experiences, so mind blowing that i can't even remember what they were tee-hee.i've had my work in 2 shows, spent 6 weeks at art lab, taken 2 e-courses, did some block printing (love it) and some encaustic painting (loved that too), am starting to think seriously about starting a creative business,putting my work up on etsy, designing a web page, and starting to  twitter and post more on facebook, lived thru a hurricane-we had to evacuate from my beloved beach house- no damage, all is well, many thanks to my wonderful sister kathleen and her husband alan who graciously put us up for the night and made us feel so welcome-that experience deserves a whole post of it's own. hilary leaves for london in two days and i miss her already. never mind that she would be going back to school anyway-i can drive to philadelphia and back in a day, not so london. i am truly happy for her to have this experience, but i will miss her terribly.anyway it's past my new bedtime already, so i won't bore you any more for the moment. be well, thanks for listening lol,brigid.

saturday dinner party

this is what i really look like

picture of me trying to take a self portrait in the mirror

hello hello, my guests have gone home and i am waiting until it's time for my son to go to bed, so i can have some down time. i'm not so good at entertaining- i don't do it frequently-usually because my house is a mess- but today we had friends over and had the best time! we started off at the ferry where we picked them up from mahattan and drove to snug harbor to show off my  etchings in the"process to print " show which has been up since july 9th . today was supposed to be the last day, but i spoke to the director who said they're keeping it up until monday so if you haven't seen it you have 2 more  days. i am honored to be in a show with pat decicco, bill murphy,&phyliss featherstone, to name a few of the talented artists whose work is showcased.we showed off the gardens and other delights of  the harbor to our friends who were duly impressed, and after the harbor we headed home,driving  along front street with it's fabulous views of the shore line, down past the beaches to our shady home in midland beach, which i grow more and more fond of as the years roll by. our friends thought staten island was like living in the country, a million miles away from the city. which in some ways it is, but in others-let's just say the traffic and s.i.'s drivers leave a little to be desired.once home, the kids pitched in and we had dinner on the table fairly quickly. hilary and alex were wonderful, making salad, setting out pre dinner snacks, getting the table set and the food on the table- we all worked together, and had a blast.. our friends, who we love dearly, seemed to have a good time and we plied them with jewelry, books and one of my paintings, which to my delight they seemed to love..it was truly marvelous to spend time with them- they are wonderful people i never get tired of, and we all promised to get together soon and to spend more time together, and it was great that hilary was still here-she leaves for london on the 31st- eek!i leave you with a quote from martin luther king:"all men are interdependent...our destinies are tied together." and so it seems. good night, be well, brigid.

keeping the committment

me and hilary hanging in philly before i cut all my hair off

hello hello- i'm really psyched tonight. i've been learning so much from kelly rae robert's course flying lessons, i still have two more weeks of vacation,i'm loving spending time with my daughter before she flies off to london for a semester abroad, and also enjoying time spent with my husband and two boys. i'm getting really excited about going to the squam artists workshop in september in new hampshire. i've been wanting to attend saw since i first heard about it several years ago- i can't believe that i'm actually going! i'm working on getting products ready to sell at their fair-even if i don't sell a thing it will be worth it because it's the first time i've ever done anything like this before, so it's a real learning curve for me. i'm working on my blog trying to improve it, am considering opening an etsy shop and putting together a website. the best part is that ia, my husband, and the love of my life, is coming on board to help me with all the business parts of the business, leaving me free to do the creative work, which takes a huge load off of my shoulders. we're actually going to work on it together and i'm so excited. i just have to take a few deep breaths and remember that i don't have to do everything at once. i'm going to have to pace myself, especially since i have to go back to work at the end of this month, after such an exciting and glorious summer. i'm going to try and post a picture of me and my daughter but i'm not so good at finding the exact picture i want so it may be something entirely different=i'm still learning how to do all of this stuff so please be patient. until we meet again, brigid.

whew!

hello all-so much has been happening i don't know where to begin.i just finished my summer class at the Art Lab and it was as usual outstanding.i received a great critique from Marie Roberts who said my work is definitely progressing and when  i asked her what artist i should be looking at she said lucian freud-who is one of my absolute favorite painters(he has a gem of a show at the met- some 17 or so fabulous paintings-his use of paint is both rough and luscious at the same time- don't miss it). i am now re-taking kellyrae roberts flying lessons e-course-so good. i am learning so much it's mind blowing and this is my 2nd time. lots of stuff about the importance of blogging-so iam committing myself to at least one if not 3 or4 posts a week from now on, and i plan to revamp the whole blog in the days ahead- i'm really excited over all that i've been learning.i hung my solo show in new hampshire on monday and i've already sold two paintings!  a fantastic beginning. we had a fab time with our incredible hosts colleen and jack foley, who co-own and operate the Cold Mountain Cafe in bethlehem new hampshire.great food,great service- i can't thank them enough for hosting my show and their incredible hospitality.- so if you are in the north country of new hampshire please stop in for a look at the show and an outsanding lunch or dinner. it's so beautiful there and the people are so friendly, i never want to leave. if my circumstances were different i'd move there in a hot minute. well that's it for tonight thanks for listening and come back to see the blog revamping. good night, lots of love, brigid

bliss;summer continuing

hi all- as you can see by the title i am totally enjoying my summer "off", and i'm busier than ever. between preparing for my show,taking an e-class and going to the summer program at the art lab,along with experimenting with other art materials and substrates, i'm having a ball.and i haven't even started working on my children's book,or trying out encaustic painting, which are 2 of my goals for this summer. life is good. and i'm so loving staying up until midnight or later and waking up when i wake up- usually around 9 or so. i could so get used to this on a permanent basis. retirement is a magic word. i don't know how many years i have yet to go-3-5 probably- but it can't come soon enough for me. still for now i'm enjoying having the summer off, and am very grateful for it. today i painted all day and spent a little time working on the bookmarks i've made for the show.tomorrow i plan on more of the same, unless i start doing some encaustic work, or work on the book. i'm a little behind on my e-class work, but i'll get caught up soon. it's very time consuming, what with doing the work, scanning or photographing the pieces, and then posting them on flicker. i've also joined something called maryjane's farmgirl sister hood which looks like a hoot. anyone heard of them? it seems to be a kind of girl scouts for grownups-you can earn merit badges, talk to other members, and hopefully meet some of the girls in the flesh eventually.well i guess that's enough gas bagging out of me for now- i'll be back with more news as the summer progresses. lol, brigid.

july's sweet s0ng

hello everyone- i've been on vacation for nearly a week and haven't. had the time to post. let's see if i can do better than one post a month over the summer! all kinds of things going on. tomorrow is the first day of art camp at the art lab-6weeks of drawing, painting, and art history lectures 3 daya a week. this is my 4th year i think. i just love it. seeing old friends,doing art together it's a blast.. my printmaking teacher pat dechico called to ask if i wanted to put some prints in an art show

 at the lab. of course i said yes and so will have a few pieces up starting on friday. come by and see. also gearing up for a one woman show in early august- september at the cold mountain cafe in bethleham n.h., which is owned and operated by my two old friends coleen and jack foley(and  partners). so for the best gourmet lunch or dinner in new hampshire,if you're heading to new england, stop in and eat and see my paintings too. i just ordered the postcards for the show-i'm calling it "women and other figments of the imagination". it should be good fun, and maybe i'll actually sell something. the summer is fling by already and i have so much art work to do. on that note i'll leave you so i can get to it-cheers brigid.

june at last

hi, y'all i just wanted to check in on this beautiful spring day and tell you what's going on in my world and get to hear hopefully what's going on in yours. i'm waiting to hear if i've been accepted into the summer studio program at the art lab. i've gone for the past 3 or 4 years and it's a great time. we draw in the morning from the model and paint in the afternoon it's a great program.irecently exhibited 3 etchings fom my ptint making cass at Art by the Ferry.  it was an interesting experience- artists of all kinds exhibited their work for 2 days as part of a festival. a wide range of different art forms some of them quite good.here's a shot of mein front of my work taken by another class member. i also just signed up for the SAW art retreat for september-5 days and 4 nights in new hampshire making art. i'm really excited about it-it's my first art retreat ever, and i've been wanting to go forever! until next time-brigid.

memorial day 2011

 lhi friends
let's remember all those
who laid down their lives
because they thought
they were paving the way
for freedom for those
who don't live with the privileges we do.
let's remember the ones
they left behind
the wives the sons and daughters
the mothers and fathers
who died too with their loved ones
on all those empty battlefields,
often not knowing why
they were sent to their deaths
or if the purpose was worth
the dradful price they paid.

what would happen
if all over the world
people and nations
put down their bombs and their guns
and their weapons of mass destruction
and just said no we don't want to fight anymore.
enough with the childish war games
we choose to live and let live
we choose peace and love and harmony
and don't want anymore memorial days
of our collective guilt,of our abominable hate
of our petty arguments
and thirst for blood and power?

why can't we have a memorial day
for those who choose life over death
friendship over enmity
peace over all the useless wars
fought for all the wrong reasons
by young men and women
who haven't even had a chance to live
before they met their deaths.
why can't we behave like civilized adults
instead of like petulant children?

be that as it may,
if there's one grain of truth
in the fact that they died
for somebodies freedom
and not for the pipelines
that hold our precious oil
i salute ther naivite and thei bravery
for all those who still fight
and for all those who went before
i wish for a peaceful and meaningful memorial day.

a day to remember and others to follow

hi friends-this morning i woke up at 530 to drive alex #1 son and ian 1 &and ;only husband to the airport where they flew fom n.j. to dallas and from dallas to la to spend a week among the weak andwonderful california brothers and sisters.today i got to hang arounnd with chris-something ian does weekly without complaint, and i;m a harried mess eating everything un sight,thinking of drinking although i haven't had a drink in 17 years an it's now 700 pm too early for bed ... i never got to finish this post-it's now may3 and i'm all alone until saturday, the 7th i didn't  know i would miss them so much. i feel like a lost child, wandering through the house, talking to myself.-i thought i would relish the time alone and get alot of art done, but it's torture to get myself into the studio and when i'm there i kind of flit from one thing to another, unable to commit. one thing i did notice is that even if i'm just flitting i physically need time to do art or else i  get  antsy as i did when i had to watch chris on my own for two days without any me time.may 9th- made it through the week and back to work on a lovely monday afternoon with not a care in the world.seriously things could be a lot worse - igot my boys back and my daughter's coming home for summer break this week.and i get to make a little art every now and again and rumour has it june is just around the corner.happy days brigid.

april come she will

bet you thought i dropped off the earth or gave up on my blog.naah-just seriously lazy this week. i've been on vacation and it's been BLISSFUL!!! i could seriously get used to being on permanent vacation-or retirement, whichever comes first. doesn't look like i'll be retiring anytime soon, so i'm going to kick back and enjoy the remaining four days of vacation. so far i've painted 4 paintings done a bout 6 journal pages, worked on my book, worked on an etching done many sketches, read 2 books and a gazillion magazines, watched 3 movies, walked 3 miles a day, ate everything in sight, swiched my winter clothes for my spring ones(it had better warm up by the time i go back to work or i'll be freezing my butt off), slept as much as possible and got my haie done, and went down to philly for the day to see hilary. like i said i could get seriously used to this. i'm attempting to post one of my newer paintigs, and also an etching of the same  painting- i'm trying to do a series of prints made from paintings- tbut everytime i try to upload more than one picture it doesnt work for some reason anyway tootles for now and a happy and blessed Easter and Passover to you and your loved ones.cheers ,brigid .

march winds

hello- it seems to becoming a monthly blog-not quite what i had in mind,but the stats speak for themselves. maybe that's why i get no visitors to my blog. we'll have to see what we can do to rectify the situation.if anyone is reading this thing, please take amoment to tell me what i can do to improve my visitors, and what i am doing wrong. i just finished reading artful blogger in which everyone talks about how blogging changed their lives,and about all the wonderful friends the've made in the blogging community.that has not been my experience and i'm really asking for help here. what's missing in my blog? any and all responses would be greatly appreciated..... on another topic we just got home from a  trip to philadelphia to see hilary in a play called"que(e)ry", a bittersweet production that the actors wrote themselves as they rehearsed for the play. it was an extraordinary piece about life as a gay/lesbian/transsexual/transgender/asexual /bisexual/ heterosexual did i leave anyone out? person in the modern world and all the quetions that go along with trying to decide who you are and having to live with the consequnces of whatever choice you make. it was a series of vignettes about the question of sexuality in modern life, and the complications that each individual's choice creates,with flashbacks to certain characters childhood experiences with innocent sexual experiences, that made me think of how innocent we really all still are, and what difference does it make who you choose to be and whom you choose to love in this crazy mixed up world we all inhabit-somehow the way it was presented indicated that it really doesn't matter, and reinforces a belief i've held for a long time, that in this world if you're lucky enough to find someone you love and who loves you back it doesn't matter what their race or religion or sexual orientation is- what matters is the love and the pleasure and comfort and happiness that love brings to the individuals involved and on that note i'll say goodnight. cheers, brigid

the last time i saw february

hello hello- this is the last day of february-tomorrow march begins and we start to slither towards spring- i can't wait! to see the first little green shoots poking up through the dirt brown earth, tofeel the first warm breeze, to experience the beginning of daylight savings time march 20th- the first day of spring . i'm looking forward to so many things-daily walks, open windows, laundry drying on the line, planning a garden. this year i want to plant a garden full of vegetables and  all kinds of flowers, i want to clear out the yard and the house and get rid of all the clutter that's clogging our lives both physically and mentally. i want to simplify  and get rid of all the things we've never used, no longer use,and realistically have no time for. i want to do some plein air paintings, some encaustic work, maybe some sculpture. i'm planning on expanding my studio onto the deck to do some work that needs space and good ventilation, put an easel and a table out there and throw paint around to my heart's content..we are shorter on funds now, so i want to use what i have without buying much more in the way of supplies-making do when i would have headed out to the store to purchase whatever i needed for a project. i plan to use my creativity to the max and see how far it takes me. i want to do a thorough spring cleaning of my house , my studio and my brain, figure out what's the best use of my time and resources and plan accordingly. i'm excited by the strides i'm making in painting and printmaking- i just have to take some more photos of my wok so i can show it here. i'm working on my portfolio too, and am planning to submit some work to galleries and magazines in the not too distant future. i'm also going to finish my book, and get started on the second one. i'm planning on collaborating on that book with both hilary and ian -it should be lots of fun.well ta-ta for now and happy spring-cheers brigid

time to blog blog blog

hello friends and almost friends-so sorry for the long delay.i've just been working too hard at my fake job but now i have 10 count them 10 days off to do whatever i want to do and blogging is high up there on the list, along with painting, collaging, writing,sleeping ,walking, doing nothing,cleaning(HA-HA), spending time with my man and sons, doing yoga, setting up my studio so its more user friendly, thinking about my new portfolio that i have to make, visiting many blogs that i haven't had a chance to look at, and visiting my shrink to get my head screwed on straight, going to see some art, catching up with old friends. i think i need to retire, nevermind taking a week off! well we will see how much or how little i accomplish.major bummer the art lab turned me down for a 1 woman show, and i'm not exactly sure why. i think i must discuss this rejection with the director. they said they liked my stuff sort of, but that i didn't have a cohesive proposal, and they couldn't visualize it as a show. at least i think that's what they said-they also said i should have submitted a resume of where i've studied and showed my work, which i could have given them had they asked. oh well. they've encouraged me to submit a more together proposal inthe future, which is one reason why i need to put together a good portfolio. i have no ego, i'll submit again.boy i wish that were true-the bit about not having an ego.i don't have much of one, thanks to the good budda and pema chodrun and ian, but rejection hurts. back to the drawing board as they say...in the meantime i have two paintings ih the open exhibit which comes down in about 10 days. i have one painting high up on the wall on the right as you come in, and another in the gallery itself, on the lower right hand side as you go in, both mixed media portraits of women. so enough for now- i have to tell you about the two cool courses i'm taking, and what i'm working on now, but i'll leave that for another day. shine on cheerio,brigid.

a tribute to pat passlof

i can't remember the first class i took with pat as i was rather shy and awkward then -she probably terrified me, but it wasn't a terror i held onto because i studied with pat for many,many years. or at least it seems that way. i was in love with her of course,and in the big word she held in her beautiful hands-the artist word,the word that tauunts and terrifies and beckons us fom afar, and although i think she called herself a painter, she was an ARTIST to me,the first real artist i had ever met. now that i've started i'm not sure what i should say about her-what do you say about someone who irrevocably changes your life, who takes you on a journey to a place you never even knew existed. who lights in you a flame that never goes out-in short a person who makes a blind person see, and she did all those things for me especially the latter. i was blind and she taught me to see. and as an added bonus she taught me to paint. she set me on the path i continue to travel today.and though i don't know what she would think of the work i've done in the last year or two, it doesn't really matter. i am on my own path now, the one she set me down on, and she will always be the most important art teacher i have ever had; and though i have studied with some fine teachers,none of them even come close to teaching me what she did. she turned me upside down and cracked me over the head with a look or a word or a paintbrush taken out of my unsure hands and into her capable ones, to demonstrate something there were no words to convey.i wish i could do that now- take a brush in my hand and convey what words cannot, to try and do justice to her, and to thank her for all that she taught me ,things i have no words for. i can only hope in some small way that i do justice to all that she gave me, and that she knows how much i love her and continue to learn more about all that she tried

to teach me all those years ago. to pat with love, brigid.

snow snow snow or i know ican iknow i can

hi everyone-at least the snow is on the ground and not in my head anymore. i'm back to my sunny delightful self and thanks to all of you who responded with a kind word or words of empathy- it meant alot,knowing i'm not alone in all of this life poo-we all doubt ourselves,and sometimes feel as if we're the only ones who feel this way. it helps to know that you aren't alone.because that's whats scary about life sometimes-you feel as if you're the omly person on the planet who's plagued with self doubt and the old "who do you think you are,calling youtself an artist YOU'RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!! but really that's what i am- good enough. not the best, not the worst, but all right, and i plan to be good enough for a long,long time to come.stay tuned there's more to follow, but right now i have to go be good enough in my printing class . cheers-brigi ps the painting in this post is a small version of a series of mixed media porttraits of women tnat i'm currently working on- this one is called small woman#1.d

happy new year 5 days too late

ello ello ello-HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! never mind that it's jan. 5th- at least i got the month right. this promises to be a splendid year- i don't know why but i promise anyway.i've been busy being off from my fake job and working hard on my real job as i'll soon show you. i have been doing portraits-only one of which is a real person and i will post them as soon as i take pictures of them,which will

be very soon.two of them will be exhibited at the art lab's open show, which opens on sunday the9th at the art lab so go and see the show. it's going to be a blockbuster,with every artist on staten island jockeying for wall space.exciting stuff,thanks to my wonderful ian who wired them for hanging and drove them to snug harbor to submit them for me. and thanks to leigh at the art lab,, for accepting them a day past the deadline.my christmas was lovely and it was even fun to get snowed in on hilary's birthday(the26th). we ate alot of nonvegan chocolate-though we did have a vegan dinner with stuffing as the main course(who needs tofurky), and a vegan chocolate cake, played scrabble and dominos and drank endless glasses of sparkling cider and cups of tea. we laughed alot and i got dressed up in steampunk finery for a laugh. which reminds me-i've signed up for two classes at the artlab one of which is a steampunk jewelry making class taught by the inimitable laura delprete, and printmaking with the ever enthusiastic and extremely talented pat decicco. this time i'm trying a self portrait, god help me.i tried to upload some images to go with this post but i don't know if they're going to fly.if not my words must suffice. i'll be back very soon .pip pip