An Update for Right Now

   Edit:  Since making this post I've found out that the quote I referred to was probably not something said by Morgan Freeman, and that there are differing accounts about what actions Victoria Soto took to protect her students.  However, I still feel that the content of the wrongly attributed quote holds water, and by all accounts Victoria Soto did protect her students.  

    It is time to give the blog some attention.  I'm down a job these days, once again.  Honestly, I hope this helps me turn things around.  Maybe I need to go about things differently.  I'm planning on getting internet at my place, at last.  It might not save me money, but it will very likely save me time, and I've found these things to be of similar value.

    While I think of these everyday things, people in Connecticut are coming to terms with an unimaginable and so far inexplicable tragedy.  No explanation will be satisfactory, but not knowing anything about why this happened is maddening.  Does it seem as if 2012 has had more than its share of this kind of tragedy?  2011 was pretty chaotic too.  I just read a quote apparently by Morgan Freeman, pointing out that these are the things that make the news, that people who do these things may well be looking to go out in a memorable fashion, and are being helped in that by the way the media reports on these things.  This comes up alongside gun control and mental health issues, and you know, it seems to hold as much water.  Gun control and healthcare may have had something to do with it, but fame is a major motivator for a lot of people.  It's still hard to imagine how a person can feel it's worth innocent lives, but we have seen it happen.  In another case, a student named Jun Lin might still be alive today if not for this very thing.  Someone on my facebook posted a list of the names (and ages) of the victims in the Connecticut shooting.  I'd like to repost them in the same spirit:

Charlotte Bacon, age 6

Daniel Barden, age 7

Olivia Engel, age 6

Josephine Gay, age 7

Ana M Marquez-Greene, age 6

Dylan Hockley, age 6

Madeleine F Hsu, age 6

Catherine V Hubbard, age 6

Chase Kowalski , age 7

Jesse Lewis, age 6

James Mattioli, age 6

Grace McDonnell, age 7

Emilie Parker, age 6

Jack Pinto, age 6

Noah Pozner, age 6

Caroline Previdi, age 6

Jessica Rekos, age 6

Avielle Richman, age 6

Benjamin Wheeler, age 6

Allison N Wyatt, age 6

Rachel Davino, age 29

Dawn Hochsprung, age 47

Anne Marie Murphy, age 52

Lauren Rousseau, age 30

Mary Sherlach, age 56

Victoria Soto, age 27

    I don't know that I'll every be able to remember all these names, but they are the ones that deserve the attention.  The last name here is that of a teacher who saved all her students by hiding them in cabinets and closets, and saying they had gone to the gym.  Imagine the nerve this must have taken.  This is her picture.  She definitely looks like someone I'd have liked to know.  Fewer are the clues that she had courage like that - at least that one picture can tell.  

     Hopefully these will be the people who are remembered after this.  Let us remember the heroes, heroines, and good people among us, and let the villains fade into oblivion.  

    Since this is an art blog, I should post some art before I leave.  I finished this a few days ago (before all of this happened).  I'd started it months ago and put it away for a while.  Finally got it out and finished it.  

It's called "Guardian", and while it's not exactly related to this tragedy, it seems appropriate in this case.    I think I'll wrap this up here.  It's been a bit of a meandering post, but it's what I've got for today.  Remembering the good people....

PS:  I apologize for the patchy colouring of the text in this blog.  I can't for the life of me get it to do what I want right now.  

Art and Dance (plus an impromptu lament for my favourite TV show)

Good Day, Blogger world!  

     I've got today mostly free, for which I am thankful.  Once again, it's been a while.  I've been keeping on.  Got a few things to share with you:  

These were works I got done on Remembrance Day as well.  Always glad to have time to make art.  I felt like doing more dance-themed work, especially now that I'm having fun with the expressive potential of ink again.  I've been doing a bit of crafting too:  

This is a partially finished coin belt I'm making, hopefully to try out in belly dance class :).  It's a combination of crochet, chain mail, and even a bit of beading with the bells and coins.  If it works out well, I may have to make more.  I've actually been collecting the coins that fall on the floor from other coin belts during the course of the classes, which is where all the coins you see on this belt came from.  Anything to save a few dollars ;).  

     Dance has been a major inspiration for me.  I started when I was 16, and I've tried a few different styles.  Belly Dance has been my favourite, but jazz and ballet classes have also been really good for me.  I like capturing motion and energy in my work, so going through those motions helps a lot.  But beyond that, I just find it beautiful and inspirational.  I'm a huge fan of So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars, and America's Best Dance Crew - and I'm still not over the cancellation of So You Think You Can Dance Canada ;_;.  Of course the finale of the last season would have to land right on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, when so many people would be too preoccupied (rightfully so, of course) to tune in >_<.  It just seems so needless to scrap it then.  It's nice to see some of the Canadian choreographers on the American show, at least (heck, they were there before SYTYCD Canada existed).  Anyway, I could go on, but that's not what this blog is about.  

    Dance is a beautiful thing.  That it is connected with music brings together my 3 favourite forms of creative expression.  I've often thought of music as a form of magic.  Few things stir up the emotions and imagination quite as powerfully, and dance is evidence of that.  If I can bring that to my work, all the better.  I try to keep a good balance of dance, music, and visual art in my life (and craft, which I tend to think of as visual art too).  They're good for the soul, and the mind for that matter.  Dance has the added advantage of being good for the body.  That's why it was such a good thing for Canada to have its own SYTYCD >_<.  And I'm at it again.  Sorry!  

    That is all for now.  Glad to have made it back here again, and hopefully I'll be returning before too long (lets say a matter of days rather than weeks).  Until next time, Blogger world :)!  

A Day at Home Art Making, Remembering I am lucky.....

Greetings, Blogger world...

I spent the morning and afternoon of this Rememberance Day at home, drawing.  I observed a moment of silence, along with the radio announcer on the program I was listening to (I think it was In Concert on CBC Radio 2), and then went back to drawing.  Whatever it is I'm doing at any given time, chances are I have the veterans of past wars to thank for the freedom to do so.  Not all wars are justified, but the ones that allow us to live in freedom and peace are worth fighting.  When I was little, all the veterans I ever saw were elderly, and wars were something that happened in other places.  Hard to believe there was any span of time at all when I child could think that.  Hopefully there will be more of them as the decades and centuries pass.  

Here is the work I finished today.  I wasn't thinking of Rememberance Day when I drew it, but it ended up being kind of appropriate....

Title:  Shade XII

My First Youtube Upload! Also, Recent Work.

Good day, blogger world!

I just finished uploading a short video to youtube - finally, after years of having an account, I have actually uploaded some content. It's not much - mostly a test, but it features one of my current projects. 




Usually I don't go quite this largescale, but I've had the idea in my head for a while, and I wanted to try it. 

Life is interesting.  I am still in 2 jobs, and the problem with the latest one has become not so much the job itself, but rather the co-worker element.  Specifically working with the same co-worker who answers every question with annoyance and or frustration and deals with her stress by browbeating me each time I make a mistake.  Asking her to explain things yields precious little, as she is low on patience and clearly unimpressed with the fact that I was not borning knowing how this particular workplace works.  Every gaffe on my part is a source of grief, and I've come to think of this job, or rather this job situation, as a form of torture.  Fortunately I don't do full-time hours there yet.  Unfortunately, my earnings between both jobs are only just covering my mortgage payments and condo fees.  So the job search continues.  On the plus side, I have been making a little more money making art lately.  I've had a couple of commissions, and some sales in my Cafepress.  Not much, but it's not nothing. 

To wrap this up, I'd like to show you one more piece of my latest work.  The inspiration was a beautiful performance by Anya Nesvitaylo of the Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada, dancing the part of Carmen in a short pas-de-deux during theABTC's  "Intense" Gala. 

 

 

Anya is one of the principle dancers of the ABTC, and her roles have included Christine in Phantom of the Opera and Lady X in Don Juan.  The ABTC has had some really good work out these past few years, pushing boundaries with established storylines, and more recently addressing serious issues, as in the production "Ghosts of Violence". 

 

I have to wrap this up now.  Thanks for stopping by, Blogger world, and I'll see you next time!  :)



I am an (artistic) anxiety machine O_o!

    Just give me a few crossed wires, a little pressure, work that requires speed and accuracy combined, some verbal cues to over-analyze, and off I go!  You'd think after a while it'd just become white noise.....But no.  How is it that I keep putting myself in jobs that require speed and accuracy?  Not deadline speed, but spur of the moment speed.  On the plus side, having an extra job means I have a little more freedom to look for a job that fits me a little better.  In theory I have the skills and experience to do this job, but efficiency has been a problem in the past.  Hopefully I'll get faster as I get used to it - more hopefully, I'll find a job that fits me better.  I've got a job that fits me just fine, in addition.  That's why I'm hanging on to the 2 shifts/week I'm getting from that one.

    On the online front, I made another cafepress sale today :)!  2 of them in fact (2 different greeting cards) - first time in a while.  Seems to happen every time I go into an extended frenzy of uploading - and it's almost never any of the things I upload O_o.  Perhaps seeing my new items, customers also see some of my older stuff go by.  Hey, I'm happy with that :).  I also made an order of swatches to Spoonflower, so hopefully I'll have a lot more designs in my shop after that arrives.  My exploration of Spoonflower has lead to one entry for my hitherto hypothetical list of dream jobs:  Fabric print designer.  I'd love to just make the designs, get paid royalties for them, and see them put on fabric to be made into all kinds of things by people all around the world.  I'll have to develop this list.

And now, since you've been so patient, I have new work to show you :).  Actually it's recent work colourized in Photoshop, but I feel really good about it:


Art Minis - Dragon I in Colour by ~Eseopia on deviantART

It is available on items in my Deviantart Printshop, and in my Cafepress. 

That is all for now.  Thank's for visiting today, and come back soon :)!

Life Shift

Good day Blogger world!

I hope you'll forgive me for being a negligent blogger.  I've had a bit of a shift going on in my life.  Moving into a new place - first time actually living in my own place.  Also a new job.  I do clothing alterations now.  It's daunting, but there are a few things I'm good at here.  I've been in survival mode for a lot of this.  Hopefully I'll have the energy to do more than just survive before too long.  

Not to say I haven't gotten any new art done.  Here are a few that I feel pretty good about:  

Cat at the Window by ~Eseopia on deviantART

Girl at the Window by ~Eseopia on deviantART

Art Minis - Snake I by ~Eseopia on deviantART

At least I know there's something I can still do while running on empty.  For some reason, drawing fits into that category.  Pen and ink, to be exact.  They can stain things something awful, but there's no dust to clean up, and pens are nice and portable.  

This is my offering for today.  Hoping to bring you something more substantial in future days.  Later world!  

Extra Post: Blog Consolidation

I've decided to consolidate my blogs into one again.  I tried making a go of a craft book review only blog, but that's slow going right now, and I think I might as well combine the traffic.  I only got 2 posts in, so now is the best time to combine the two.

I'll still review craft books - in fact, I think I'll start reviewing a lot of things, art and craft related.  Maybe I'll splinter the book review blog off again once I really get this one on its feet.  For now though, my life is in a little bit of disarray.  I'll be able to keep up the blogging, though perhaps not in an orderly fashion for now.

First and last posts of the Art Rat Craft Book Review:

Post 1:


Hello Blogger world :)! I am sitting here surrounded by stuff, because I’ll be moving out soon. I hope to sell at least some of it to defray the costs of my new condo. As I pack up, I’m looking at all the craft books I have. Barely used, most of them. I have a lot of craft books, and a lot of craft stuff. I find it very hard to resist buying them, especially when they’re on sale. I guess there are a few reasons why. All those possibilities, all the ideas and little gems to dig up….like catalogues of things I can make exactly as I want them. Somehow I underestimate the time, energy, and (frankly) excuses I'll have to use these books on a regular basis :P. BUT, all that is about to change...

This blog is going to be dedicated to reviewing craft books. I will endeavor to make my reviews as informed and objective as possible – yes, you guessed it – by doing the crafts. Will I become a better craft person from this? Hopefully. Will I become rich? No, but with any luck my growing skills will at least help defray material costs through Etsy, or the occassional craft market. And who knows? I may well end up making something I need every now and again.

I think the most appropriate book to start with will be, “It’s a Wrap – Sewing Fabric Purses, Baskets, and Bowls”, by Susan Breier. I’ve chosen this book for a few reasons. Firstly, I’ve already tried the crafting technique described in this book, and I like it. This will make it easier to keep up with my blogging responsibilities while moving, having done some of the work already and still having supplies left over.

I was fortunate enough to have come across the book as I was wishing I could somehow convert my leftover fabric stash into something useful that wouldn’t take that long to produce. This book offered an unusually fitting solution. It does require many yards of cotton clothesline, and many more yards of sewing thread, but it’s pretty satisfying to be able to cut those old remnants into a pile of strips and watch that pile dwindle away to nothing. In the end I am left with a flexible but relatively solid vessel, and since I'm often looking for things to put other things in, this is actually pretty practical.

I will be documenting my work as I go through this book. I won’t be doing every single design in the book, but I will try to at least do one craft from each section. At the end of the month I will write a full review. In the meantime, I will also use the time between the beginning of the month and the end to review other craft related products. These may or may not be related to the book of the month – they are simply to keep this blog interesting.

I'm starting this blog with the hope that I'll be able to sustain it within my means. I currently have a pretty good surplus of crafting goods, but I will be on a limited budget as to what I can afford, at least at first. Hopefully I'll be able to keep this up for more than a little while. At any rate, I feel like it's worth trying. If you are reading this first entry, thank you kindly for stopping by. Until next time, blogger world! :)

Post 2:


Good day blogger world!

It's been a week of crafting for me.  Between "It's a wrap" and a knitted birthday gift project, I have spent the time being crafty.  Here is a peak at some of the wrap craft work I've been doing:  So far it's an enjoyable book, now that I've got a an excuse to read it in depth.  Still fighting the urge to jump ahead, but as always, it's worth it to read the preamble.  And, the directions - that too.

While I'm on the subject of fabric crafts, I'd like to showcase a site that came to my attention a little while ago, and which I'm still pretty psyched about. It's called Spoonflower, and I love it! It's like the best parts of cafepress and deviantart, in a site that allows you to design your own fabric.  To explain what I mean: like on Cafepress, and to a lesser extent Deviantart, you can upload your designs for use on printed product - in this case, various natural fabrics. There are a number of repeat options (for creating patterns with your designs), and the option to size your fabric design too. Like deviantart, you can follow different designers, giving and receiving feedback on your work. And like both sites, you can have your own shop, where other users can purchase fabric with your designs on it. You do also have the option of keeping your designs private, just for you to purchase, which one may have reason for. I've worked up a modest collections of designs myself, and the samples I've bought have been pretty satisfactory (particularly now, with the new & improved colour system). I should also mention that they have a designer tool built into the site as well, though I havn't actually tried it yet.  Anyway, this is Spoonflower in a nutshell.  Here is a link if you'd like to see for yourself:




 ...and, if you're curious, here is the link to my shop:



I do so like widgets ^_^.  They make a blogger's life much more enjoyable.

This has been the second instalment of The Art Rat Craft Book Review.  Still getting a feel for this project, so I hope you'll bear with me.  I'm already reconsidering how I originally planned to structure this, but I will do my best to keep the content coming, and interesting.  Later bloggerverse!