Daydreaming

When’s the last time you looked for images in clouds?

I haven’t done that in so long I can barely remember and so I thought since I was asked for the hundredth time to take the teens to the pool, I’d at least make my Iphone camera useful.  These are the spectacular skies I saw today.  Had to share but I think you’ll get more out of this post if you take a moment and look into the clouds (or erect trees).  There’s all kinds of stories in the photos below!

I see a few naughty ones myself.

 

Cloud 1

Cloud 2

Cloud 3

Cloud 4

Cloud 5

Cloud 6

Cloud 7

Cloud 8

Which is your favorite?

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Solitude of Open Spaces

I love this photo!  Do you see that expansive space?  The blue sky?  The puffy white clouds?  The “amber waves of grain”?  And there, right in the center is the wonderment of childhood, so tiny really, in comparison to the vast environment.  And the silence…ahhhh. Oh, it had little to do with the fact that my 6 y/o was soooo far away because I used a wide-angle.   Instead, it had more to do with the fact that there were no cars, no people, no noise but the gentle sounds of Mother Earth doing her thing.

I’m a home body and in all honesty, I miss the home that provided the feeling of such space and solitude, -especially the quiet- without having to get dressed and walk uphill about 15 minutes just to get to a city park.  The playground is another 15 minutes from that!  Our home in the Savannah region has a backyard playground and faces about an acre or more of open grass space before we see a house on the other side.  The privacy, the peace, and the visible blue skies remind me of what we had on a regular basis:

I don’t think I’d feel this way if I were younger, childless or single.  OMG.  Wait.

I don’t think I’d feel this way if I hadn’t friggin’ sat in the middle of the American Dream come true for comparison!!!!

I love the city and the feeling that I’m part of life without having to be in the center of it.  However, the sights and sounds of motherhood for 14 years eventually resembles the chaotic headspin of a city’s hustled life.  I must be aging.  The hustle has been mastered, thank you.

So glad I experienced city life in its “nature” and its history because I’ve always wanted to live this dream:

…and of course, I’m glad for the experience of child rearing…because you know, I like wearing an apron with high heels while I pretend to be a French Maid who will get her kicks later.

So, I’m quite glad I don’t have to live in the city forever as the noise encroaches on your space of mind.  And, I’m so glad one day when I clean a room, it will stay that way.  There’s sunshine in the smallest of places.

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Toys on us

No where in America would you EVER find the coexistence of adult* and kid toys so close in proximity. But, you know, there’s a convenience factor here worth consideration for time crunched and sex starved parents. I’m not one, of course. I’m just helping out those in need for options.

*location, btw, is in the Darmstadt area, by Loop 5. Just in case you find yourself close by.

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INSPIRATIONS: Sunday Afternoon (video)

I had a wonderful weekend I’d like to share with you.  This is the first of a series of videos I want to do under the “INSPIRATIONS” theme.

“A walk in the park”, Wiesbaden, German (Kurhaus)

My husband and the 6 y/o took a stroll through the city, visited an art exhibit, drove out to Mainz to chase windmills and went window shopping on the way home.  Though the day didn’t go without some rough seas from the whines of a child – “I can’t walk anymore!  My legs hurt” (followed by fake expression of agony), I experienced sun and color as though the first time in months.

The day was passionate to my senses and my camera eye.  My husband and I spent quality time together outdoors soaking up the much missed sun and I couldn’t get enough of the blue skies.

While there’s more to the day I’ll share in the coming days – the Dali & Picasso exhibit specifically – for a relaxing journey of INSPIRATIONS, click below to view my short video. (And sorry I can’t paste it in.  Looks like WordPress charges for that service now.)

INSPIRATIONS video: A Sunday Afternoon in the City  http://animoto.com/play/N3c0Ys2JF0ElBMYd0MnO3A

Enjoy.

Tatiana

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Positive change

I don’t know about you, but I have days where stuff like this is helpful so I pass it on.

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Life is… change

The decision is final: we’re returning to the States.

My European adventure has been satisfied and I’m expated out!  All it took was achieving the American Dream and then ditching it for the Euro roots I thought had the ooze to make life rich like molasses.  Yes, well, the Euro dream turned out to not work and the American Dream turned out to have been the ticket.  Who would have known though, had both not been lived for comparison?  It was a risk and with it came sacrifice but the way in which the year and a half in Europe thus far has transformed my family and me has been enormous and so the best way to look at seeming mistakes is merely additional sidenote to life that must be taken in order one may tweak the road map ahead.

“Life is difficult”, said M. Scott Peck in “The Road Less Traveled”. As a previous bookseller, I’ve sold that book hundreds of times and never picked it up. Figures my psychologist quotes it all the time. I figured I could make headway if I just bought the damn book and read it. Fifteen years past my bookstore days,  I confront the reality of that road less traveled I consciously embarked on many years ago and I understand everything differently now. There’s clarity in a way but the truth always seems to hurt and so the clarity is a slow process of acceptance – with a lot of profanity before it.

Certainly, the most difficult aspect of facing truth is realizing that Truth does in fact point to “Life is difficult”.  This is true as well when we look in the natural world at animals, bugs, and plants, all pushing for survival. The most delicate flower must come up from the depths of the earth. As human beings our cognitive abilities place us higher than mere animals but have we become smarter or just better at the illusion and fooling ourselves?

Anyway, my thyroid medication hasn’t been balanced quite right yet and I’ve slipped – again. My dosage was increased a couple days ago and I wrote this while I had the energy for it. There’s a lot to say but none of it will expel itself. Sure, there’s a little me trying hold up the floodgates of words. The wise one in my head knows very well the potential of the verbal flood.

And so I paint and  I’m generally silent because I’m working on personal healing or I’m not good to anyone.

Some good news linked below is I’ve completed THE ART CURE DIARIES Ebook and I’ve been titled a “world changer” in an upcoming new book by Renée Phillips .  I’ve also nailed a “yes” for art workshops in the military community, the one the USO turned me down for.  It’s through a different organization and since I’ve learned so much I haven’t yet shared (sorry!) about the “becoming an artist” process, I’m looking forward to doing some of that through my art workshops – and probably here in the future.

Somewhere out there I have an audience who still peeks in to see what’s going on. Thank you. I know this only because of WordPress stats and so since someone’s still interested and so long as that’s the case, I’ll push myself to write something, though pictures serve me best at this time in my life.

I’ve changed and I’m not quite thrilled just yet to break the cocoon.

WEBSITE UPDATES:

1. I’ve managed some updates and changes for my website. Check it out at http://www.vontauber.com.  What’s mainly new is I’ve finally registered The Art Cure Diaries with an official ISBN status, created an Ebook and rather hesitantly, a print on demand press book until I make further decisions about future publishing.

Also, for breast cancer patients in mind, I’ve left the book on full preview so if money is tight but depth of soul needs a lifeline of inspiration, you can view it online free. I think everyone should have free access to lifelines and inspiration.

View The Art Cure Diaries here.

2. I’ve completed The Art Cure page on my website. Please pass along to Breast Cancer patients or survivors!!

3. I’ve been honored by a mention as a “world changer” in Renée Phillips wonderful new book, “Vision, Passion & Purpose: ARTISTS AS World Changers”!  Check it out here for ideas on how art creates positive change.

4. Plus, if you’ve not visited in a while, I have some beautiful new artwork available. I’m now working on my 4th Archangel painting. I hope to finish & post this weekend.

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