What did you do during the summer...back in the day?

Tiny Clay House
Listed on Etsy

When I was in school, we filled our summers with activities that took some creativity and imagination. I have always liked to do artsy and crafty things, but I think that came about because we had to entertain ourselves.  I have always enjoyed creating little houses and villages and creating little imaginary places. Even to the point of creating a little village in the dirt, using moss for the grass and little sticks for trees, and the little boxcars that I played with back then.  Yes, I played with dolls some too, but little cars were up there on my playtime to do list.   We had to find things to do to entertain ourselves during the long summer months. (summer vacation was actually 3 months long back then...in the 60s and 70s).  Of course, this was before  I was old enough to drive, so I had plenty of time to fill during the summer.  This was also before video games, cell phones, computers or internet, and probably even cable TV!  I don't remember when we actually started getting Cable, but I do remember the summer when the only thing on the 3 channels (+Educational the channel with things like Mr. Rogers...ugh)  that we got on TV was non-stop coverage of court hearings about some boring old political corruption called Watergate!  Being too young to drive, I was pretty much stuck at home to play outside in the heat, ride my bike to a friends house, or ride my bike to the pool.  I even played softball a few summers, even though I am not athletic...at all! My sister was the athletic one. I was the creative one.  I certainly was not interested in watching Watergate hearings.  So when it was too hot to go outside, we (my sister and I) spent time reading books, playing games, and stitching designs on dish cloths for our Mom, going to friends houses, talking on the telephone (that was plugged into the wall).  I didn't have a lot of art supplies like paint or clay or access to a kiln back then.  I can only imagine what I would have done if I had had that!  (After I started driving, that's another story!)  But now I am never 'bored' or have 'nothing' to do.  I have paint, colored pencils, and clay to create my little houses and buildings and accessories. So this summer will be filled with some creative time, mixed with time to relax and watch some TV (not much), even though there are 100s of stations on the TV now, and  internet time (which I love), and maybe even a little cleaning around the house (not too much).

What did you do during your summer break...back in your day?


Beth♥  

One more week...

...and I will have more time to sleep, play with clay, draw, paint, and maybe even take some time to clean the house and paint my studio! I've been avoiding that last one for a long time now. If you knew how much stuff is in my studio, you would understand! If you are an artist, you understand! It is definitely due for a good clearing out of things that I don't use anymore, but that takes time to go through and decide what to do with those things that are perfectly good art supplies!

Mixed Media Collage
Acrylics, paper, and feathers

So for now, I will just share a couple of photos of projects that I have been working on at school with my students.  The Altered Book project is a work in progress. And the Mixed Media Project might be finished. You never know when I may decide that it needs something else.
Have a great weekend!
Beth♥ 

Altered Book pages
Some progress...but not complete

Old Friends and Week One of Summer Break...

...has begun.  Last Friday was my last day of the school year for teachers.  Friday afternoon I traveled to Alabama to spend the weekend with my long time girlfriends. Six of us have stayed in touch since Junior High School.  Half of them were actually in elementary school together, but all of us have known each other since high school.   Over the years, some of us have moved away to live our lives, but stayed in touch. Sometimes we didn't talk often, but when we get together again, its like there was never a break in our connections. We spent the entire weekend talking, laughing, eating, reminiscing and just enjoying our time together. We promised to continue this as our new annual tradition.  We have all turned 50, or will, this year, so we all realize how important it is to stay connected to our closest friends.  It was so comforting to be with people who have known me since I was the young, shy, carefree girl that I was in the 70s and 80s! Before the responsibilities of children and jobs and married life.  So you can expect to see more of the influences from those relationships in the future.   The 'girls' all loved my little houses and all went home with at least one!  So they are very supportive of the artist part of my life.  Some of them even benefited from my art while we were in art class in high school!   Thank you Girls!

So for the first week of summer break, I am catching up with some chores around the house and just relaxing a little bit and planning some projects for my time in the studio! Looking forward to getting a lot accomplished over the next 2 months!  Hopefully life will cooperate with me.

Thanks for stopping by!
~Beth

Santas Vacation?

Have you ever wondered what Santa does during the summer? Well apparently they go meet with other Santas! And they dress very cute!

Apparently this group meets here each summer and learns how to be great Santas! Of course Santa needs to be good at what he does, but he also needs to stay up to date with technology and the latest toys and gadgets that kids like these days!

So I guess Santa does get to leave the North Pole and go on vacation! This one seems to like barbecue. Of course you have to come South to get a good barbecue!

Doesn't he look cute in his red and white flowered shirt?

These two must be discussing the latest in Santa furniture!

Only 6 more months till Christmas!

~Beth

Back to School...

My summer break is already over! Teacher in-service started yesterday. Students come back in a week and a half! Where does the summer go? I am grateful to have June and July off, but it sure does go by quickly! Especially if you take any trips or have alot going on. Since I started the summer with the trip to France and ended the summer by moving my daughter, it just seems like it only lasted a few weeks!

I had hoped to get more accomplished with my art, but I did not have as much time as I would have liked. I did do alot of promotion and setting up of my new Etsy shop, so now I hope to start adding some more pieces to my shop. This year will be testing the waters as far as sales go. There are tons of blogs that give wonderful advice on selling, especially for the holidays. I will have to spend some time reading through some of them. Of course, that is more time out of the studio and I really need to spend time this weekend in the studio.

The Eiffel Tower

Day 3 in Paris - Eiffel Tower

View from the Hotel

This is what we saw as we left our hotel each of the 4 days that we stayed in Paris! The Eiffel Tower was right around the corner. It was a bit of a walk, but that is what you do in Paris! It really is an amazing sight as you walk towards it. I knew it was big, but it was much bigger than I expected it to be.

Eiffel Tower
On our 3rd day in Paris, we took a tour of the Eiffel Tower early that morning. Jos, our tour guide, suggested that we do that early to beat the crowds, and he was right. We thought it opened at 9:00 am, so we were there in line a little before that, but it actually didn't open until 9:30. So we had to wait a little bit, but we were close to the front of the line. But as we were leaving the tower around 11:00 the lines were very long. So if you want to tour the Eiffel Tower I recommend that you go early to beat the crowds. Note: We also went later on our last day and watched the sunset from the restaurant in the tower! It was an amazing night!

Third Level View

View from the same level, other direction.

You can walk up the steps to the first level, but we chose to ride the elevator. There is a gift shop and a restaurant on the second and third levels. The next level is the top.

View from the top

If heights bother you, you may want to skip the top. Heights do not bother, so I loved it! One lady was having her picture made, and she obviously was afraid of heights, because she would not let go of the steel beam that she was standing beside, and that was on the 3rd level! I don't know if she went up to the top.

View from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

As you can see, they have wire fencing to enclose the space. I suppose it is to prevent people from jumping. Actually there were 2 levels on the top. There is a set of steps that take to to the very top section where is was pretty crowded. Each level is smaller than the last.

Next Up: The Musee d'Orsay visit.

The Eiffel Tower and the Musee De L'Armee Tombeau de Napoleon

Lunch at the base of the Eiffel Tower

After our long flight, we arrived early Tuesday morning in Paris. After we dropped our luggage off at the Hotel, we immediately started our tour of Paris. The group that I was with, consisted of 12 teenagers and 2 adults (including me). We were all tired from the all-night flight, but were very ready to start looking around the city. Our hotel was only blocks from the base of the Eiffel Tower, so that is where we started. We bought lunch in a local grocery store and had a picnic in the park next to the Eiffel Tower. It was nice to sit and relax, but the weather was a little cool and there were alot of small school children at the park. Apparently it was Eiffel Tower day with the local schools.

Museum of the Tomb of Napoleon

After we left the park, we walked to the nearby Museum of the Tomb of Napoleon. Here we looked around inside and out. The tomb of Napoleon was very interesting, but everyone in our group was getting extremely tired from the long flight and lack of sleep. It was finally late enough for us to check in to our hotel, so we returned to unpack and clean up before dinner at the Hotel.

After dinner, some of us decided to take a walk to the Eiffel Tower to get some evening pictures of the Eiffel Tower. As we were leaving the Hotel, it started to drizzle. We went anyway and eventually it did stop raining, but it was very chilly. By the time we returned to the Hotel, we were ready for a warm bed! The ones that did not go on the walk, had already gone to bed. This busy day was only the beginning of our very busy, hectic days to come.

Up Next:  Notre Dame and The Louvre.

I'm Going to France!

  

One Week!
I'm going to France! I get to help chaperone a group of students on their trip to France. I am so excited!
I only have two more days to work for this school year and I have 6 days until I leave for France! The end of school is always great! We all need a break from our routine of lesson plans, duty, school activities, and the students and teachers need a break from each other. But this year the excitement of packing for my trip makes this end of school year very different. Usually, I'm making lists of things to do around the house for the summer, but I haven't even started that list. I've been getting together luggage, wardrobe, passport, and money for this trip. So I don't have any new art right now, but hopefully, when I return from 'the trip' I will have lots of ideas and reference photos to work from. Here is a photo of the Eiffel tower (obviously) in 2004 when my daughter went to France. 

Links to My Trip to France:
Musee De'larmee
First Full Day in Paris 
Notre Dame Cathedral and The Louvre
The Eiffel Tower
The Arc de Triomphe

Down Memory Lane...

"Jason and Gramps"

Oil on Canvas

Beth S. Macre © 2008

I've been spending lots of time going through old photo albums looking for pictures of my son. Since he is a high school senior, we needed old pictures for various senior activities. I came across the photo that inspired this painting. So since I've been going down memory lane, I thought that I would share this painting and some details about it. First of all, this is an oil painting, about 18 x 24, I think. I haven't oil painted in years, but I think I would like to try it again someday. I will have to put that on my to do list.

When my children were young, we usually tried to go on a trip during the summer with my parents and sometimes my sister and her family. This trip, we went to the Alabama Gulf coast. I believe this was Gulf Shores, Alabama. We spent the day at the beach, of course, and while there I took a photo of my father "Gramps" and Jason. They were sitting on the lounge chair and looking at a camera. (But I changed the camera to a bottle of sunscreen.) Being the picture taker of the family, I took the picture because I loved the interaction between my father and his only grandson. My sister has two daughters and I have one daughter and one son, so my dad was excited to have a grandson. Because this photograph was so special to me, I decided to paint it and I gave my Dad the painting for father's day that year. (I don't remember what year it was...but it was probably around 1992 or 93.) So this painting still hangs in my parents' home. It makes me proud to see it hanging in their home.

Summer Break is here...finally!

Well finally school is out. The school year lasts about 9 1/2 months and summer lasts a mere 9 weeks for teachers. That 9 weeks will fly by! I love my time off during the summer. Things slow down quite a bit around here. I do tend to sleep a little later, but I also stay up a little later (or wake up in the middle of the night like now). I often make a list of things to do for the summer. Usually things like serious spring (summer) cleaning of closets, garage, and an annual purging in the art studio. My art studio consists of a small room without a closet that is full of furniture to try to compensate for the tons of art supplies that I 'can't live without'. There are supplies in there that I have had for years, but I can't throw them out because: 1. I may need them... 2. They were not cheap in the first place... 3. If I can't use them, maybe someone else can. So the dilemma is always an art studio that is too crowded. So Monday I will start to go through old supplies to make room for the new ones that I will buy during the next year.

Of course I need those supplies so I can create works of art...because I have to. Many artists say they paint or draw or create things because they have to. I put myself into that category of artists. I don't paint or draw to make a living...that is why I teach. But I paint and draw because I feel like if I do not 'create' artwork, then I'm not living up to my potential. I guess I define myself with my art. I am an artist, even though I do not sell my art on a daily basis. Although I would, if it were easier for artists to make a living with their art. The average non-artist does not appreciate the value of artist as professionals. Understandably, the average person cannot pay alot of money for original art. Of course that is a subject that is discussed by artists all the time. How to earn a decent living on your art based on what your art is worth. So artists are looking for new ways to market their works. The internet seems to be a good tool for artists. Even that is changing constantly. There seems to be 'new' websites all the time to change the way we market our work. I am in the early stages of this new technology. Hopefully one day, I too will be able to make a living off my art, not just supplement my teaching income. So along with the cleaning of closets, drawers, and the studio, I must begin my summer routine of drawing and painting to use up some of those supplies, so that I can reach my goal...to be recognized as a professional artist...not just an art teacher.