This has been a busy week so I guess we’ll get right down to it:
1. I went to the Yarmouth Art Festival opening last night and was amazed by the showing. St. Bartholomew’s church in Yarmouth was packed with art lovers. The show will be up through Saturday if you’d like to see it. Also, you can preview the works in the online catalog.
2. I had a great visit with my parents who came up to leaf peep this past week. They enjoyed the maples and the grandchildren and gave hubby and I chance to go out on the town for our…
3. Sixteenth Anniversary! Every year is better than the last. How long have you been married?
4. My son I. tried out for travel basketball and didn’t make it. There were enough kiddos there for two teams but they could only have one. It got me thinking that the kids who DID make it, are automatically the Varsity team for highschool. That’s it. Decided in 5th grade. The kids who made the team get better coaching, a team with more skillful team members to learn from, and more experience with challenging games. Of course the 5th grade travel team becomes the 6th grade travel team, and the A-team in Jr. High and then high school. What a shame we don’t give all kids the chance to succeed. (This sports situation is of course true for music and academics as well.)
5. I did not get an interview for the teaching job I applied for.
6. Had to ask for an extension on my MFA packet because things have been so busy. Must complete.
7. If you have a MG or Picture book fiction or nonfiction) coming out this year, I’d love to review it. Tell me in the comments or contact me at anna at annajboll.com
8. Must work on image for the Maine Illustrators’ Collective Classics Reimagined show!
9.Brrr… I think winter is right around the corner. Windy and cold enough to turn on the heat.
10. Looking at puppies.
Tag: about me
It’s still Friday!
Okay. If I’m going to get my five on Friday in, I’m going to have to do it quickly.
1. I’m extremely excited to tell you all that two of my fine artworks have been accepted into a juried show. The first annual Yarmouth Art Festival will take place Oct. 15-17.
Forty-five artists are slated to display and sell their work – including photography, painting, etching, sculpture and digital media – at the inaugural event in the church’s bright, post-and-beam space in a wooded setting about a mile from Cousins Island.
The jurors were Chris Thompson, an associate professor at the Maine College of Art in Portland; and Kevin Tierney of Falmouth, a longtime art enthusiast and founder of the online marketplace www.maineartcollectors.com.
The gallery will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. Admission is free each day, with donations accepted. Sponsored by St. Bart’s, the festival will open to the public with an artists’ reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, that includes music and refreshments. I’ll be there! I hop to see you then.
My piece are: Rhododendron, which is an oil painting,and Patriot Reflected, a pastel.
2. Another oil painting of mine will hang in the Harvest Show and Auction to benefit the Maine Farmland Trust. That show will be in Belfast. The opening reception for the HARVEST show at Maine Farmland Trust Gallery is set for October 23rd, 5-7pm. The 10th anniversary celebration with the silent auction has been scheduled for November 16th. MFT Gallery, 97 Main St, Belfast ME 04915.
3. I spent an amazing day at the Art Educators conference. My gosh, I didn’t realize how lonely I was. (Writing and illustrating is a lonely business.) It was great and I learned a ton from the VSA maine outreach educator. Thank you Rachel!
4. (Ack. I only have 15 minutes until Saturday and 15% power.) My parents are coming to visit this weekend!
5. Hubby comes home tomorrow after 2 weeks of single parenting. Just in time to celebrate our 16th anniversary! Hooray!
Five on Friday
1. My husband and I were talking about Banned Books and commenting that if a child/teen really wants to get their hands on information they want or need they will do it with or without their parent’s permission. I think my job as a parent is to make the information and myself accessible at the same time. This way I am available to discuss my children’s questions when they arise. Looking at the banned book list on the ALA website (use the sidebar to navigate these lists) I’m surprised by how many of the books are nonfiction books about puberty and sexuality written for children and teens. As an educator, I know that this is information vital. Along with the information, though, they need the support of their parents to help them learn about responsible and respectful relationships.
2. Hubby and I enjoyed a long and lovely bike ride from our home, looping into the farmland near the coast and back to home again. Sometimes it is great to have him at home while I work, but I’m afraid that I take too many breaks when he’s here.
3. Working on inking those sketches for my September 30th illustration deadline.
4. If you live in my area, check out the new Lion’s Pride restaurant. The place has only been open for about two months and is sort of tucked into a mini-mall setting but inside the oversized labels and amazing blow glass tap pulls create a cozy atmosphere. An awesome pub for the over 30 set. Our waiter was incredibly knowledgeable and attentive. I had a great glass of wine and Chris tried a local brew. The food was great (fish and chips, the Philly cheesesteak, the belgian frittes, and the Capitole salad). Portions were huge so sharing is definitely an option.
5. Five, hmmm… time to write!
It has been a crazy couple of days here in Maine. In order to complete illustration sketches for a Tuesday meeting, I stayed up until 3 am Monday night. I had completed most of the sketches previously and had planned to scan and print them to create a draft dummy. However, when I found the moving box with the scanner, I could not find the power cord. Very frustrating. I ended up re-sketching all the images.
Last night, a fire alarm woke my two kids and myself at 3:30 am. We high tailed it outside, called 911 and waited for the firefighters to show up. Luckily, it was a false alarm. Perhaps a faulty fire alarm device. We were back in the house by 4:30 but none of us could sleep. It’s hard to sleep when you are scared that maybe it wasn’t a false alarm. The two kids ended up in my bed. Then they fell asleep fine. I couldn’t get my heart to stop thumping through the blankets. I kept hugging and holding them. The alarm went off again tonight. I think it is faulty so I replaced it with another that we had. I hope that will be the end of that.
Of course our night time schedules have not changed the last-week-before-school-starts-day-time schedule. Days have included school shopping and a trip to Funtown Splashtown USA. (I hear you singing the theme song, Maine-ahs)
On a writing note…um…well…
So kids are going back to school on Monday. Maybe that will help things out.
Meme
Okay, I haven’t done one of these in a long time but since it is dark and my roommate is sleeping and I can’t read, I’m going to fill it out. Just for giggles. If you want to be tagged you are. If not, the world is not going to fall apart because you don’t fill this out. In fact, your day will probably be better if you just turn off your internet browser right now and go grab a good book, liike Grace Lin’s new book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.
Rule #1:
If you open this you take it. (copy and paste into your notes)
Rule #2:
You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages you and asks.
Rule #3:
Tag 15 people.
LAST PERSON.
1. You hung out with? Melanie
2. You texted? Chris
3. You were in a car with? Mark, Caroline, Sue, Melanie, Helen, Terry
4. Went to the movies with?Mark, Caroline, Sue, Melanie, Helen, Terry, Sean, Lindsay, Katie, Sharry, Sam, Meg, Jess, Hannah, Laurie, Stacy, (I know I’m leaving someone off, sorry)
5. Person you went to shop with? Isaac and Ethan
6. You talked on the phone? Isaac and Ethan
8. You hugged? Lisa
ANSWER TRUTHFULLY…
1. Sun or moon? Moon
2. Winter or Fall? Fall
3. Left or Right? right
4. Sunny or rainy? sunny
5. Where do you live? I think Maine but I’m not sure anymore.
6. Club or pub? Club if that means dancing.
7. Are there 1 or 2 people who you can always trust and rely on? yes
8. Do you want to get married? not again, nope
9. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it? twirl
10. What time is it? 7:16 am
11. Are you afraid of commitment? no
12. What is your greatest hope/wish? That I am happy in my work and feel that I grow intellectually.
13. When’s the last time you cooked? maybe Mon. July 6th, hard to say
14. Current mood? peaceful
IN THE LAST 48 HOURS HAVE YOU…
1. Kissed someone? no
2. Sang? no
3. Listened to music? no
4. Danced Crazy? no, but I should
5. Cried? no
6. Liked someone you can’t have?yes
25 FIRSTS …..
1.Who was your first prom date? John
2. Who was your first roommate? Brianna
3. What alcoholic beverage did you drink when you got drunk the first time? warm beer
4. What was your first job? camp counselor
6. When did you go to your first funeral and viewing? middle school
7. Who was your first grade teacher? Mrs. Niedenfur
9. Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane? Italy
10. When you snuck out of your house for the first time? never
11. Who was your first best friend? Nyani Colon
12. Who was your first Best Friend in high school? Roxanna Hopps
13. Where was your first sleepover? Mike Learmonth’s
14. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day? Mom
15. Who’s wedding were you in the first time you were a Bridesmaid or groomsman? never been in wedding
16. What’s the first thing you did when you got up this morning? pee, check email
17. What was the first concert you went to? James Taylor, DAR Constitution Hall
18. What was the last concert you went to? Garrison Keillor, Wolf Trap (does that count?)
19. First tattoo or piercing? 1981 ears
20. First celebrity crush? Anson Williams (Potsie, Happy Days)
21. Current celebrity crush? Matt Damon
22. First crush? sailing counselor at camp
23. Current crush? a school principal
24. First date? Star Wars w/ Keir
25. First time you tied your shoe laces? Can’t remember
Five names you go by:
1. Anna
2. Mommy
3. Mama
4. Dear
5. Get me
Three things you are wearing right now:
1. U of R tank top
2. under pants
3. blanket
Three things you want very badly at the moment:
1. a job that gives me room to do my mfa
2. intimacy with my husband
3. snuggles from my children
Three people who will probably fill this out:
1. Mona
2. Val
3. Joyce
Two things you did last night:
1. Saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
2. Tried to create a bibliography with zotero and failed.
Two things you ate today:
1. nothing yet
2. I guess water
Two people you last talked to on the phone:
1. Isaac
2. Mom
Three things you are going to do tomorrow:
1. workshop someone else’s writing
2. listen to lectures
3. read my work at a student reading time
Two longest car rides
1. Maine to Florida
2. DC to Florida
Favorite vacations:
1. St. John, USVI
2.Bar Harbor, ME
Favorite beverages:
1. Tea
2. Orange Juice
3. Milk
Five on Friday
Locked so that my prof doesn’t see this.
1. Thanks to those of you who gave me a little kick in the rear yesterday. While the art history paper is still on my list of things to do, the research is drawing to an end. I’ll work on it next week in the mornings and then turn it in by Wednesday if I’m lucky. The good thing is that because I am who I am, the research is exciting. I love to find out new things, and you never know, perhaps this could be a book or at least an article, some day.
2. Part of the reason it has been so difficult to complete (read: care about doing it) is because the class actually ended last Thursday. For the class, we completed a 3 page essay, a 10 minute class presentation w/power point, a mid-term take home test (with numerous lengthy essays), an in-class midterm (short answers), and a final test (with numerous lengthy (3 page) essays. Which begs the question: How may pieces (and what kind of) assessment does an educator need to have a good understanding of what you know and who you are as a student? Considering there were only six people in this class, and it was an entire semester compressed into three weeks, I’d say that was enough. Never the less, I will prevail and complete the paper.
3. When I’m procrastinating, I’m busy packing our house into boxes for our move back to Maine. We are really excited to go back to OUR home. I’m also excited to sketch and paint the view from my windows. There is so much texture in the Maine landscape.
4. I’ve been applying for what seems like a kagillion jobs and hope to get interview calls any day now. If I’m lucky, I’ll end up with tons of offers, but I think the reality is that luck would be AN interview or A job.
5. My show invitation…
Five on Friday
1. I am just home from the dentist and feel like a drunk chipmunk. She had to remove a crown, fill a cavity and give me a temporary crown. The worst part was keeping my mouth open for so long. I’ll go back in a few weeks to have the permanent crown put in.
2. I’ve just completed two whole semester classes compressed into three very busy weeks. Well almost complete. I have a paper and a take-home final due for one of the classes still. One was an art history class the other a plein air painting class. The coursework in the time allowed was very challenging. The Art History class included an essay, a class presentation, a mid-term (half in class/half at home), a final paper and a final exam. In the painting class we completed 5 oil paint canvases (including a transcription), 2 pastel drawings, and many other ink, charcoal and graphite drawings.
3. I’m going to show my work from the last two semesters at our Maryland house on June 20th in the afternoon and evening. I’m hoping to post the images online for people to see. All work is for sale and the proceeds will pay for…
4. The MFA Writing for Children program at Vermont which I will be attending this July!
5. I’m really looking forward to getting back to New England and the Brunswick community. I’ve missed the Maine Illustrators’ Collective and my writing partners so much. The end of the tunnel seems a little closer each day. The kids are out of school next Friday.
Days of Yore
I’m pleased to say that the edits for the folder inserts are done. (No thanks to me, Anindita was Super Copy Editor Woman extraordinaire. slicing off commas left and right!) Conference things must be clearing out a bit, though, because I’m finding time to check status updates on Facebook and write on Live Journal. We are down to the nitty gritty. Food, travel and folder stuffing. This Sunday, a troop of brave volunteers will stare paper cuts in the face and say, "Bring it on," or something more eloquent. (They are writers after all. ) And fill all the colorful folders that we’ll give to 400 wonderful conference attendees. Oooo! I’m so excited. By the way 23 days and a wake up.
On Monday, I turned in a paper and art project I had for my color theory class. To do this, I had to revisit the days of yore. You know: staying up till midnight to finish my work, then getting up early the next day to REALLY finish my work, then arriving at class late because I had to finish my work. Crazy. I just keep telling myself that I’m doing pretty darn great considering I have kids (volunteering at my son’s elementary school production of Willy Wonka and oh, yeah, baseball has started), I’m running a huge conference, and I’m still trying to do some creative work. If you missed my most recent grumbly post, check out (not me) the comment from my friend Kim where she posts the link to the movie Who Does She Think She Is? Wow!
Something I learned while editing the workshop descriptions…word of the day… elision.
My Life. So similar to yours I’m sure.
When I wake up in the morning (around 6ish) my brain kicks into overdrive. With my eyes closed, illustration ideas play for me like a slide show. Sometimes I squeeze them harder trying to make out the details, the colors, the gestures, space, composition… Without fail they fade as I open my eyes.
I take this time to plan too. "Today," I think, "I will jump right up, do some research for my class paper, write the "one-month-left" letter to faculty of the conference, revise Regular Bus, I need to dummy up First Came the Deer"… and on and on until I’m so overwhelmed that the warmth of my husband and the bed lull me to inaction for another half-hour.
Then it’s up and at ’em. Unload the dishwasher, get up the boys, make lunches. Has everyone has breakfast? Get your lunch box, shoes on, shoes on, homework packed. Mom did you sign my… Shoes on! Let’s go. Run, run, let’s not miss the bus…
Then quiet. Clean the kitchen or check email? Check email.
Oh no, I’m late. Shoes on. Get to class.
Did I mention one month left. I’m so excited for the conference but part of me wishes it was April 27th. Maybe then I’ll get to that 6 am list.
Sick Monday
Except it is Tuesday, and I’m not sick, it’s my kiddo. Which means that all my plans, including going to my class, are scrapped for the second day in a row. I’m only grumping a bit, because when I get sick (worshipping the porcelain and sleeping all day from a fever) I want my Mommy. I hope that when he grows up and gets sick he’ll want his Mommy too.
Creative Chaos 