Posted on

Spring Spring

 

April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks Go.  ~Christopher Morley, John Mistletoe

This is one of the few times during the year that I love living in Texas.  Despite the wind, Spring is fabulous here and I am in love with all the green finally emerging.  This is a great time for Jude as he is almost a pro at the whole walking thing and really (really, really) likes being outside.  The kiddie pool (cheap, plastic, and awesome) is already full of grass clipping and crazy, makeshift toys afloat.

We have worked super hard to get something of a vegetable and herb garden started and I vow…. do you hear me?….I VOW to really put an effort into maintaining our beautiful organic veg and herbs this year.  The last few years have really been a wash <insert excuses excuses excuses>.  I am still determined to do buckets, containers, and raised beds since dirt here doesn’t exist.   Honestly, I was shoveling up some dirt on the side of the house and came up with fully formed  clay pots.  It is not good dirt.

So forgive the absence as we were really enjoying the sunshine.

Wenders

p.s. The above photo was taken at my parents West Texas farm.  My sweet baby cherry tree was in full bloom.  It was a root transplant I took from my grandmother’s cherry tree and is 3 years old.  It makes my heart sing to see it thriving.

Posted on

Girl Scouts of Awesomeness and More

What a great spring break so far!  It is always a good mix of chaos, fun, and inspiration when I head west to my old home town Merkel, Texas.  It was definitely a full agenda today.  I had a photo shoot mid-morning with one of the sweetest and most pregnant women I know!  She was actually due yesterday and I begged her to hold on until I could take her “belly” pictures.  It is a good thing she waited because even this test shot was gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous.  Jenn’s sweet girl Bailey was having a hard time warming up to the camera but she was still sweet and cuddly when I was taking some aperture test shots and getting the feel for the shoot.

 

Can you believe this lady looks this good over 40 weeks into her pregnancy!? (I promise, I didn’t look near this put together and calm!!!)  I love to capture images of women who handle life with such ease and grace.  It is so very inspiring to see inner beauty and outer beauty mix so wonderfully!  All in all a very pleasant way of spending my morning.

(Also, if you didn’t already notice, I totally just gave away the name of the latest branch of Wenderflonia’s creative endeavors.  I really wanted my photography to have it’s own separate identity.  So… look for a new shop to open soon under the name of Shabby Hippie Photography! )

 

_______________________________________________________________________

Continuing on…

 

The warm springlike day continued to roll on with the inspiration.  I had the honor of being the guest speaker for the combined Girl Scout Troops of Merkel! I spoke about what it was like to be an artist and I hope I made a lick of sense, because I was so excited to be there and talk to such an eager and talented bunch of girls that I must have rambled on and on!  Thank you wonderful ladies for such a fun opportunity to blabber endlessly about my passion.  I loved all of your questions and input.  I wish I could have been there for hours listening to all of your excellent examples of your artistry.  Keep drawing, painting, creating, and learning!! I pray that you all stick with it and keep your creative spirit alive no matter who tells you otherwise!  If you can dream it, you can be it!

 

I have no doubt in my mind that there is a wonderful and creative future in store for all of these of these sweet girls.  If any of you ladies make it over to my blog I just wanted to let you know I really enjoyed my time with you and hope to cross paths again really soon!

 

With stars in her eyes,

Wenders

Posted on

Word-full Wednesday

 

 

Maybe  the concept of Wordless Wednesday escapes me OR maybe I can’t keep my mouth shut long enough to let pictures speak for themselves.  Either way, I must shout out to the masses about the enormous gratitude I have for the men in my life.  More-so now than any other time, I have come to realize the value of good role models and teachers for our boys.

I am seeing glimpses of the man Parker is to become not only in his appearance (he has already shot up way past my 5’7″ self and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon), but also in the sophistication of his thought processes as well.  Of course, that was in between all the eye rolling and begging for a candy bar at the store, but it is there, ready for emergence and being put to test as he takes up a role of protector and teacher to baby brother Jude.  It makes my heart sing to see how natural it is for the two to interact.  Big brother is now the role model and he does it effortlessly.  It also speaks well about the men who have had influence in Parker’s life.

They are both very lucky to have strong uncles, grandfathers, and a wonderful father as a powerful launching pad to the men they will become. and for that I am eternally grateful.  That is not to say mothers and women are not equally important, and there are a dazzling amount of amazing women in their lives as well, but the man teaches a boy how to be a man.  Today, that is what I am grateful for.  I believe that one of the most important things a mother can do for her children is to surround them with the people who have the qualities she want’s them to have.

 

 

 

 

With love and joy,

Wenders

Posted on

In the Studio

Man I hate those days where I just feel off.  I knew I needed to paint, edit photos…and do bunches of other stuff, but quite frankly the only thing I wanted to do was sit on the porch and read a mindlessly entertaining book.  Then, I wanted to eat hamburgers and fries, drink beer and watch a good action flick.  Maybe a spy, whodunnit movie on Netflix….

 

However, I was a good artist and pushed through the laziness and painted.  Nothing was finished unfortunately, but I did wind up a few steps closer….maybe.  What ended up happening was the repetitive action of adding more layers to already layered layers, and I still can’t tell if I am happy with it.  It is days like this that I really question my process.  Why can’t I just gesso a canvas, envision a composition and, with great precision, paint it all with beautiful and controlled brush strokes?!  Wouldn’t that be nice!  Realistically, I know I am not that kind of artist. Every layer is meaningful and my painting technique is full on emotional.  Ah well, maybe Bob Ross wouldn’t be too disappointed in my trees…

Other than a case of the lazies and “why the hell am I doing this” thoughts, this past week was a very productive time in the studio.  My favorite day was coming home to find that BFS dragged out his beautiful palate to creates a few masterpieces of his own.  I love love love that his technique and process is so very different than my own.  I am also obsessed with his glass palette which can be considered a work of art in itself. The layers of color  he uses are amazing.

 

 

Just for future reference, We stared working on a collaborative  project that just makes me giddy with excitement.  If you look closely in the above pic you can get a glimpse of one in progress!  Hopefully soon we will have something more to show.  With so many irons in the fire these days it is hard to keep it all organized sometimes.

The only other bit of studio news is that I am working on a project that involves glitter and sparkels… Very challenging to keep the artistic vision and sparkels in balance, but I must say it has been really fun (messy!) so far.  Who knew ink and glitter worked well together 🙂  No pics on this one yet as it is a commission and the owner gets first peek!

Peace and Love,

Wenders

Posted on

My Week Without Facebook.

It was a much needed productive week in Wenders’ world this week.  Mental clarity reigns supreme and all it took was a social media cleanse.  Just in case you didn’t know, I am kinda, sorta (am absolutely) addicted to Facebook, Twitter, and Google Reader (which is overfilled with an unmanageable amount of blogs). However, I stayed off all week….Ok, there were a few exceptions when I needed to contact a friend or family member and Facebook was the easiest mode of contact.  However, I did not tweet once and I only looked at my reader once, twice…maybe three times….Whatever, anyway, I even stood strong when I received phone calls imploring me to return immediately (xoxo dear friends).   So what did I do in the mean time!?

First, I went through a bit of hardcore withdrawals.  I’m not going to lie, DT shakes might have been involved.  Even though I managed to get through the rest of the week just fine I still had this very odd need to tell someone what I was doing all day no matter how mundane.  At this time, I would like to thank my BFF and BFS for putting up with all the boring texts that involved taking out the trash, informing when I started a new painting, what book I was reading or what cute thing Jude was doing at that very moment…..ok you get the picture.  The truly odd effect was I started thinking in status updates or played the game of what would I tweet now.  In the end, I learned that I really missed informing people of the boring, trivial parts of my day.

Secondly, I did a lot of reading and soul searching.  I must say my favorite read so far has been The art of Non-Conformity.  This book has really knocked my socks off and helped jump start my “thinking about stuff” mode.  As author Chris Guillebeau put it, I was doing some “unremarkably average” things and that shook me to the core.  I realized I was still living part of my life ever day to follow status quo…..and that is definitely not me.  My ideas are big, my personality is big and I would say my bravery factor is higher than most. Despite all that, there are still parts of me that are resisting.   Don’t be mistaken, I do believe I have a good start at a very fulfilling art career and I adore my life.  However, I am ready to take it to the super sized level! <insert a hell yes! and a fist pump here>

So all week I have worked on mapping out a plan for Wenders’ Wenderflonian Empire!  I have a business plan started, and a budget outlined, and the frame work to open a new line of photography and prints, and one year goal lists, and 5 year lists, and just for fun lists, and even a grocery list…. ok lots of lists.  But the doing is not in the making of the lists.  Many people spend a life time making lists.  My lists are lists of action.  The only thing that stands in the way are misguided priorities and fear…and I ain’t afeart no more…well mostly…but I am at the ready.  There will be no sitting around on this.  That being said….I still like lists…

Here is an example of a few things I put on my Life’s List of Goals List.

  • For our children to be happy secure and not burdened by the cumbersome limitations society tries to imbed in their beautifully open brains.  Go forth and rule the world my childrens!
  • To have financial freedom to travel at will, cover our meager bills and be a successful artist who keeps evil supervisors at bay. And in doing so, still save for a secure old age where we are not a financial burden.
  • To continue on the exciting road of life (for at least a half century) with BFS who brings out the very best of me.
  • To regain the elasticity of skin that I once had as a youth…ok there has to be at least one unrealistic goal…right!?
  • But definitely, for sure absolute, to treat my body the way it deserves is top priority.  Mainly because it is the vessel that I have to use to keep me grounded on this plane of existence for the aforementioned half century plus.  My ass is living to 100 and more.  I have things to do!

(This list is noway, nohow in entirety.  These are just a few of the biggies that I felt necessary to share  in order  to complete the point.)

What I desire is not excessive nor is it unrealistic. In fact, most of these things are already in motion.  I think that is what gives me the greatest belief of success.  If I prioritize things by what is most important then I am unstoppable… already am unstoppable.  Redirecting my energy into more positive channels is not a new concept for me but it feels good to go full heartily with the support coming from where it really matters and finally being able to let go of the fear of disappointing those that it really doesn’t matter anyway.

So how does this all tie into staying off of social media?  Like I said, the above musings are not new concepts, nor am I currently living an unpleasant existence.  In fact, my life is better than anyone could ask for.  I’m just looking to tweak it and ensure that it only gets better.  What I also know is that I have a highly addictive personality and tend to over-do many an unhealthy habit and Facebook especially became an outlet for ALL of my social activities.  I am foremost a stay at home mommy for baby J and a notorious hermit when I give into my introverted self.  Yet, the extrovert will escape in any way possible and social media is like gold for me.  Not that it is a bad thing except that I was feeling too cloudy and not communicating with the real world nearly enough.  Too many negatrons on the internetrons I suppose.

In the end, I will definitely return to Facebook and twitter.  Most everyone that I love and care about engages in some way or another there, and it also appeals to my voyeuristic and exhibitionist sides….ok, mainly because I am a raging narcissist :-))) Yet, it is definitely time to clean house again.  Going through that friends list and determining if there is any inherent value in keeping a person active in my life seems a bit harsh but necessary.

In the week without social media, I realized It was time to get my canvases in a row and really commit..I mean reallly commit to the future of my life, family, and artistry.  A time of inward reflection really was what I needed.  I definitely feel, without a doubt, that getting rid of the static that these networks provide for a week really opened up a rusty frequency of true self reflection.

That being said, it is also not good to live too internally.  Finding a healthy balance between outward and inward me is in full swing.  and I think that is all I have to say about all that.

Love and Clarity,

Wenders

Posted on

Musing

Yep, I’m going to think about that one for a while.  This has definitely been a night to smile and thank the higher powers for.  I laugh at myself for all the years that I pondered and lamented on what my higher purpose was.  I now know that it definitely, most absolutely, most specifically does not have anything to do with having a mildewy, blue-carpeted office that comes with an equally bitter and stale supervisor named Marjorie.

….but that is just me.

I love my world,

Wenders.

Posted on

Studio Sunday… pulled in so many directions!!!

What a weekend so far!  So many plans for a new and improved Wenderflonia are flowing through my head.  I feel the creative spark just igniting within.  I just wish my time management issues and organizational skills were equally “sparky”.  Being a stay at home mom AND trying to build a creative empire is TOUGH!  So it goes without saying that my workspace gets a little chaotic at the moment!

I can’t even tell you what is going on in this photo except that it is a big mess!!  (You don’t even want to see the table behind it either!) As you can see, there are so many exciting new projects I am working on it is hard to keep them all straight!

One exciting adventure you can look for soon is a new direction I am taking with some of my work.  There will be announcements soon about a spinoff of Wenderflonia Studios which will branch out specifically with photography.  There will even be a whole seperate store!….Speaking of the Wenderflonia store, that is also about to get a whole new look and home as well…..  but that I will save for another day.

In the mean time here is a little taste of what I am working on.

This piece is a limited “Print and Paint” series I am doing on commission. … and that is all the details I can give for now….the sleepless one awakes…. BTW, does anyone have any tips on what to do with an insomniac one year old?! 🙂

Love you forever,

Wenders

Posted on

Wordfull Wednesday: Hey Jude, It’s your Birthday

For the benefit of Mr. Kite
There will be a show tonight on trampoline
The Hendersons will all be there
Late of Pablo-Fanques is there, what a scene
Over men and horses hoops and garters
Lastly through a hogshead of real fire!
In this way Mr. K. will challenge the world!

Being for the The Benefit of Mr. Kite~ Beatles

I can’t believe that one year ago I was blessed to look into the beautiful eyes of my Jude Micheul.  It has been a whirlwind ever since.  HE has been a whirlwind!  We celebrated his one year birthday is style this weeked.  We had a Beatles themed extravaganza and so may of our wonderful family and friends joined us in celebaration.

The party was a huge success and a splendid time was guaranteed for all.

Especially for this little guy!  He loved every second of it and had a blast having so many people in the house to entertain him and feed him goodies.  The cake was a great hit.  We had it “commissioned” by the wonderful and fabulous people at The Cake Stand in McKinney, TX.  It was by far the most beautiful and tasty cake I have ever had…. Pretty sure Jude agreed.

We put so much time and effort into the decorations that the house looked amazing.  Honestly, it looks so lovely I didn’t want to take any of it down. I will definitely post more pics later when I have more time.

We also had tons of fun with our very own Yellow Submarine.

What a celebration!  We seriously partied all day!

___________________________________________________________________________________

.

.

After it was all said and done, I can’t help but reflect on some of my favorite highlights from pregnancy, birth and this magicaly exhausting year.

.

.

Thoughts about Jude.

~It was such a quick and uneventful pregnancy.  Once he started moving around in my tummy he never stopped.  I haven’t slept in well over a year!

~I was sad that I couldn’t deliver naturally and had to have Jude by scheduled C-section, but it was a fleeting sadness as I have a beautiful and healthy child and that is all that matters in the end.

~Going into Labor and delivery was a fun and happy ocasion.  I was fun to watch Simon freak out.  We prepared a playlist on the ipod to have playing in the OR and at aprox 1:07, while the Dr.s and Nurses were belting out “Na Na NaNaNa…Heeey Jude” (song #2 on play list), Jude made his grand entrance.  He was born to his name and that is one of the best memories of my life.

The nurses wouldn’t keep him in the nursery very long because he never stopped screaming.  He wouldn’t sleep unless he was breast feeding or being held…..he still will not sleep unless he is breast feeding or being held…..We are still VERY tired.

The following months were some of the most intense and happy months of my life.  Jude has a spark that is blinding at times. Jude has a determination that is stronger than most adults.  He doesn’t go around anything.  He either barels over or through whatever obstacle is in his way. That includes sleeping or not sleeping, eating or not eating, and furniture.

He is notably very serious and studies everything.  It is hard to get a picture of him smiling, yet he smiles and laughs all the time. He already shows he has whit and sense of humor.

Jude is a tiny little thing at just over 18lbs, but there is nothing delicate about him. He has grace and is well coordinated.  I am reminded of this constantly when I find him on top of tables and chairs, standing up in his highchair or balancing on the edge of anything he can.

Jude likes to french kiss pit bulls.  (Much to our dog Magners’ delight and my exasperation)

I have so many more thoughts about our life with Jude but I must go rescue the little booger, who has managed to climb inside his dresser drawer and is stuck…..

All you need is Love and

Wenders