Illustration Friday: Red

I don't generally use a lot of red in my work. I tend to gravitate toward cool and neutral colors, and prefer to think about the life and quiet work of the soul in the people I draw. Lately, however, experience has forced me to embrace colors and feelings about which I am unsure, colors that make me uncomfortable. There is something inherently not safe about red for me. Risks have always come for me in awkward lumps, like sleeping on an unmade bed. Then, in the between times, I am floating in a cool water, safely knowing the bottom is in reach.

Just now I am wrestling with the covers, in a lumpy bed, half awake, waiting for morning.

http://www.cafepress.com/ottoblotto.112435994

Illustration Friday: Super Hero

There have been a lot of super heroes in my life recently. A very close brush with death in December allowed me to become acquainted with a number of super heroes including, but not limited to the paramedics, surgeons, and nurses at the hospital, my loving family, and perhaps a couple of angels. [Good thing I wasn't getting my teeth cleaned - see previous post.] The best of the super heroes was, of course, my husband. He took off work for a month to be "me", carting children around and taking care of the house. In January, he happily fled back to his job, working on the tv series Heroes. It's a good spot for him. And I am back to art at last. It's a good spot for me, too. http://www.cafepress.com/ottoblotto/3547093

Valley of the Sun

It sounds so warm and pleasant, Valley of the Sun. One envisions palm trees, sparkling pools, and happy people with umbrellas in their drinks listening to Frank Sinatra on transistor radios by the aforementioned sparkling pools. Not. I often think I must have a third eye, as people tend to act as though I have fallen here from another planet. I suspect the feeling is mutual more often than not. Adapting to a new environment has not been easy, and perhaps I am too old to make this transition gracefully, but I am persevering, nonetheless. Still, I run afoul of local custom too frequently. Who knew one must show up at the dentist with your own set of xrays? It's the law, here, I'm told. If you don't bring your xrays [like I carry them around in my purse] then you can not have your teeth cleaned. Interesting concept. The people at the Department of Motor Vehicles make up their own rules as they go. What is OK by one teller is definitely against the law with another. It's a bit like the twilight zone. I intend to make this work. Maybe I need to slip an umbrella into my lemonade and chill a bit by the pool. As soon as it warms up. http://www.cafepress.com/ottoblotto/3547076