What is art?

What is art? Every one of my advanced level class in collage stared with this question from the professor. And a round robin of bubbling answers wold fallow from the class. We might argue a little, say art is the definition of space and form as it imposed it self on the world. Or Art is an artist interpretation of the world around her. (Yeas I am so bold of a feminist to use her) There would never be a definitive answer. We live in a post modern world, art is or can be any thing, or nothing. I graduated in May of 2002. I guess the new art movement is post 9/11.
I would stumble around this question. I believe it is the same as, who is god? Or what is the meaning of life? The answer in only the answer to who is answering it, and everyone wants a answer.
My four year old told me the other day.. “Mommy you are and artist because you sew pretty things on your sewing machine.” It made my hart smile
I am an artist, one who used to wild a torch and hammer on steal, than turned mother. I have not picked up a torch in 7 years. But do I look at the world any differently? Well of course I do, no one should live seven years with out changing a perspective or two. That would be sad.
I am an artist because I approach the world in a way that interprets it, and spits some thing back out. I wield cloth and cake batter now instead of bronze or steal. I experiment on dinner, birthday cakes, my kids (for better or worse) to see what will happen. I live in constant cayuse, and love it. I experiences the place and space I call home, and learn from it.
What is art?
Art is what is left, once someone has lived, and not just breathed. Art can be felting or as lasting as stone. (By the way the Greek bronze would still be hear had the Romans not melted them down, inferior Romans, made there statues out of marble, it cracks, and is pores, bad for a peninsula where it rains)
I may be draw three pitchers on quality paper a year. Last year I can think of two. I am pretty critical of the fact that I am not “in the art world” so to speak. I stared a juried art show three years ago, that has yet to decline a piece because it get so little work.
So what is art? I am one of throws people who still believes art is beautiful. But it does not have to be refined. It can and offend is sad. Art can make a statement, about the world, or just it's self. Thank you Mr. Polick.
Yet when I sit down in my studio, and let all the random things around me come together in to some shape. Siting there in the sunshine with no interruptions, I tap in to the god with in, and out comes something new, the world has not seen. And my four year old, call it art. So maybe I am an artist?

Sick Days Soup

As a kid I would fake sick just to stay home. I hated school. There are lots of reasons for that, most I still harbor as someones els fault, yet we are all responsible for our own happiness in life. Mine was just found at home, drawing.

Sick days now are just more work, often my day is still going on, just in a has of cold fog. I log a way at the task at hand, falling behind and dreaming of sleep.

When I kids stay home from school, they miss school. I would love to say this is my doing. Only my kids are responsible for our own happiness, just as I am.

My daughter is home with a fervor and cough, the same one that both the boy have gone throw. The baby is staring to be better after a bout with tow ear infections on top of a cold that make you cough up a lung. I am grateful this is only the second full fledge illness of school year. Lat week you would have not seen me puttering around the house, it was a being much more akin to a crazy person. There is nothing that makes you worry more than a baby with a fervor that will not brake. And what did all this worry do, well it did not heal a sick kid. But It did let the same cold in. Ya' I doped my iron gard of immunity, and the cold set it.

So what do I do on sick day.. Make a big pot of chilly

Sick Day Chilly

2 cans diced green chillies in juice

2 cans Black Beens with liquid

2 cans Garbanzo Beens with liquid

1 onion diced

4 cloves garlic minced

4 stalks of celery chopped

4-5 carrots chopped

1 can corn

½ red bell pepper diced

½ green bell pepper diced

2 cans diced tomatoes in juice

1 2/3 cups TVP

1 tsp cumin powder

4 tsp mild chilly powder

4 tab. Olive oil

1 cup water

Heat oil in a large soup pot.

Cook the onions, garlic, and chills in the the oil till tender, add spices.

Add diced veggies and cook down slightly.

Add all caned beens and veggies, TVP, and water.

Bring to a light boil and turn down to a simmer.

Let simmer for 15 to 20 mints, till veggies are tender.

I serve mine with grated cheese.

This is a large batch, and can be halved if you wish. I like making a lot, so it can be 2-3meals. Less work for me when I am feeling down. You can make this with dry beens, they are cheeper and less wast, but I take a few short cuts when I am sick.

To your health.

P.S. my daughters favourite food when sick is miso.

Food Inc.

I can not say enuf about this movie.. If you eat food or know someone who does pleas watch this movie.
http://www.foodincmovie.com/

Peas Pleas

Yes another amazing day of weather in the garden!!

So to day I planted peas, and hope to plant more tomorrow.

I planted sweet snap peas.

They are a claiming plant that likes to be planted close together. So I put some tomato cages in the ground and plant peas in a circle around the bottom.

You do not need to work the ground to plant pees, and often are the first thing to go in, in the spring. It has been so warme that I did work our triangle bed, added ash, calcium and a good helping of peat moss. We had issues last year of needing more calcium in the soil. This bed being only a year old, needed more loam. I like to find three to four worms in my soil every time I turn it with the fork. If I do not more organic material goes in. Here in our little part of the world we have lost of clay, so the more the merrier when it comes to adding to the soil.

Happy planting!

Frist Planting of 2010

Today with the high of 55 degrees F, my yard called. It also called to Jeremy who has spent 5h at it also, parly brcaus he feels better, after spending two full days in bed with a cold.
Jeremy has raked the yard, turned over all the beds, turned over the compost, and a lot of little clean up.
I focused my energy on my long north west bed, it is fully thawed. The huge benefit of raised beds is that they heat up faster in the spring and stay warmer longer in the fall.

To day I planted
Radish
Bulls Blood Beets
Arugula
Lettuces Mix
Spinach
Carrots

I hope to be be harvesting my own salad in late March.
Happy Planting!!

Brestfeeding info.

This is a really great sight..
http://www.kellymom.com/index.html

My family

I would love to say my family is my greatest creation, but truly they are my greatest gift. Jeremy and I have been together for 9 years. We have three kids, and work daily on loving one another so are children will know how to love a spouse.

Some of my favourite pitchers.


My oldest Boy.

My favorit of the baby and I.



My daughter.



This is us in late summer,