The Chat Thread

I'm doing well. In pain right now as a woman pulls my hair through one of those stupid hair caps ready to colour it

Youch

"Anyway, for now I think I like it. May that continue when I look again tomorrow with fresher eyes..."

I know how you feel. I often go through various stages of hate/love with a drawing or painting. Sometimes my opinion changes months after it's finished!

So far just a typical day in the office here...boring.

My experience with those images, Joseph, is that they never grow on me. I always associate them with struggle. I hope your experience is different. ;)

I got a tattoo yesterday, which I love and has meaning for me, so I'm happy about that!

I have a huge render running on my computer, and it seems like it will never end - I want to start new images but I can't until that one is done... so I'm a little frustrated there, but I suppose it will finish rendering eventually. I hope!

A very long process in my line of art work was my Rose which took about five weeks. I needed to revisit it five months after it was done and give it a black background and frankly auto tone it. I also needed to do one cloning out of a tree.

Now I greatly like it. It was inventive. I respect it now. But the last night of the five weeks working on it was an all nighter from hell.

I am working on tee shirts. But not for here. The process is to take my images as you see here, not the old master stuff for the most part, and put them into PNG files. I was grateful for that topic a day or two ago here in the forum. Very timely. It is an easy process. I have everything saved in layers going all the way back.

Dave

David K—yup. Nothing quite like months down the track thinking, "huh, that actually just straight sucks, what was I thinking..." :)

Cynthia, it's a reasonably common occurrence in my creative process. The journey can be agonizing, but if the finished product is satisfactory, there are zero negative associations. Tattoo? Pics or it didn't happen. By the way, really looking forward to the next manifestation of creative genius from you.

David B, that's a great idea. Most of the peripheral paraphernalia (shower curtains, battery chargers, etc) don't appeal much to me, but t-shirts are different. If nothing else they're a good advertisement. Beyond that, I just love cool t-shirts.


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Joseph Westrupp
bestilled.com

The apparel industry is getting ever more online. Shower curtains? I guess so, but nothing to write home about.

Tees might be the leading edge of apparel getting ever more online.

Dave

Well, today the image still seems to pass muster (to the extent that I uploaded it here). That's good. The couple-months-down-the-line-test is still pending, obviously.

Now for another one that's doing my head in, but this time for a different reason. I'm trying to fabricate a shadow on a complex shape with the light source at a crazy angle. Working through it, though.

What're you up to? Are you well today?


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Joseph Westrupp
bestilled.com

I'm doing great, had to mix up a new batch of my signature 17 spice blend Ras El Hanout as I had a rush of 10 different orders come in over night. I have no idea why sales for this particular spice blend have taken off? but I hope they keep on coming!

Ha, you sell spices? Learning that alone has made this thread worth it. And now I feel like I could use some African food.


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Joseph Westrupp
bestilled.com

Lol! Yes I do Joseph, under the name of Old Bombay Spice Company. I cover a few continents with my spice blends, curry, chimichurri, and ras el hanout. :-)

Yesterday and today we are receiving plenty of spring moisture, not my favorite weather that's for sure but it's necessary.

As for art, well I'm just fooling around with a bit of drawing. The advantage to drawing is the process and tools are far simpler yet it's infinitely challenging, also paper takes up less space than panels and canvas and is much cheaper, (usually). While works on paper aren't as marketable nobody is buying my paintings anyway so that is a moot point. lol.

I'm working on nature right now.......in my yard......everything is beginning to bloom so as I pull weeds, rake leaves, mulch, trim trees, etc. etc. etc. I may get some inspiration to paint something "springy".

WEEDS! It's weed season here too. I am obsessed about keeping them at bay. I get 'em when they're just starting, no bigger than nubbin. My weapon of choice is a hula-hoe, and I am relentless. Today I'll hit the northwest quadrant and with a hips-a-swayin' fever, will wipe out another evil patch of the little buggers.

I have a new series of low end illustrations that I am producing, that will shore up another revenue stream I manage. I'm big into that cash flow thing.

-YoPedro
Twitter@YoPedro

"I'm big into that cash flow thing. "

Me too, that's why I have a job. lol

Ditto, I have a job.

One of the kids is very dependable to give me his shifts. He just called, but I have plans for a change. LOL He sounds down and out about not going to a sporting event. More like a casino.

I am bigger into that save money thing.

Dave

Hi Mario,
I just googled "Old Bombay Spice Company." It looks like if I want to order your spices I have to go through Ebay or whatever. Do you have an Old Bombay website where people can see everything you sell, and order directly from you without going through Ebay?

I don't have anything in particular I need right now, I just wanted to see what you had to offer, and maybe try some things - a gift boxed sampler of different spice mixes might be of interest.

Cheryl, I have like a dozen websites sometimes I forget there names, Lol! but I don't have my own website to sell my spices, go figure. I sell on ebay and amazon at present time. I do want to eventually have my own site for the spices but ebay really makes it easy for me.

I have been wanting to offer a promotional pack like what you mention, just another of those things I have not gotten around to.

Cheryl, here is a link to my current listings some 42 items , I have more inventory but again have not had time to list list everything.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/bombayspicecompany/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=

Mario, thanks for sending.
Can you send me the link in a PM, then I can save the email, it won't disappear when this thread disappears.

How dare you, Cheryl, this thread will never disappear! :)


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Joseph Westrupp
bestilled.com

We've had mostly sunny weather and temps well above average for over a week, today it's snowing and the temp is below average. Quite a shock to the system.

I think we have all been there Joseph, some pieces are an extra labor of love than others.

I myself have been having a rough couple of weeks, just seems like life is in the mood for kicking mine and my husbands asses lately. But we will get through it. As for the weather, it has been ridiculously cold here the past few days, yesterday my car wouldn't start because the cold killed my battery. Cannot wait until spring actually shows it's face around here!

Shana,

Hope things look up for you two soon,

Dave

It was so cold the other day my car rattled, shook back and forth, and kept making weird noises.. felt like I had 4 flat tires. In other news, started another piece of art that will never sell, so I'm pretty excited about that. lol This is why I don't quit my day job because nothing is moving at the moment, but I still love to draw stuff anyway..

"This is why I don't quit my day job because nothing is moving at the moment, but I still love to draw stuff anyway.."

That's where I'm at too. Just worked on a small piece in Conte, something I've never really done before.

On a more positive note on Instagram the Jordan River Commission shared one of my drawings inspired by a scene on the Jordan River Parkway, so that's pretty cool

If I were to quit my day job (my home repair business) then art would be my new full time job and then probably not as much fun as it is now due to the pressure of having to make sales consistently, not to mention I would likely be much poorer. :-)

We didn't take pics yesterday but I'll see her a bit later this week and try my best to capture the cuteness. Waiting for a sunny day.

I'm glad I resisted the urge too! We are maxed out and I need to behave like an adult once in a while anyway. The latest update is that Madeline is with her mom this afternoon and strong enough to nurse without help. Her mom is doing a great job keeping her warm so it looks like she'll be fine. I think there are already something like 4 or 5 bottle babies by the fire in the living room so it's good that Madeline gets to stay with her mom.

Sounds adorable, Kathleen!

Waiting for those sunny days...isn't that the truth? Gurgle, gurgle: Getting weary of so much drowning rain! I guess you heard that California is no longer called the "Poppy State." It has now officially become the "Mold State." ;)

LOL! I keep going around the yard, dumping out everything that collects water. It's been such a struggle the last few years to keep stuff irrigated and now I have to keep plants from rotting. Last summer my poor little 'Spotty Dotty' had only 2 bedraggled leaves but it hung on. As of this morning, 8 new leaves are unfurling! Apparently it doesn't mind being drowned.

Good idea on dumping out the water collectors, otherwise you end up with far too many busy mosquitos! How are the frogs doing?

Sporadic calls throughout the day but the all-night-long frog fests have tapered off. Haven't seen the toad people yet but they should be showing up on their porches as soon as we have a string of warm days. I just read that there's about 20 feet of snow in the Peak parking lot so summer irrigation is looking good. But whenever the wind blows off the mountain springtime freezes in place till it passes. It's hard for plants and people to keep up with such rapid changes.

You are out toward Tomales/Pt. Reyes no? How's the wildflower season on the coast this year?

Hello All.... I'm new to the site and getting very frustrated! Need help, please.

Apparently, when I edited photo of painting on iPhone, the image size enlarges....
Pixels (?) to 2300 or so instead of what is needed... around 600? ...
Does anyone know how to help me with cropping, & uploading paintings from iPhone, please?!
Thanks ahead of time.
(Special thanks to several folks that are trying to assist... but so far, no luck with results.). 😟

Anyone else notice a correlation between how well you slept, mood, and how much credence you give your art? Terrible sleep last night, and the image I've been working on for days seems to have very little merit today. Actually, the whole portfolio reflects the same.

Cursed human foibles!

Hard leg workout scheduled for today, too. That should be fun in this state...

Hope you guys are feeling more refreshed. How are you, anyway?


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Joseph Westrupp
bestilled.com

Storm cell sat on top of the house for about an hour, starting around 2:00 AM. Lightning striking continually, and very close, with thunder right on top. Shook the house big time. Had to comfort freaked out dogs and never got back to sleep. It dumped a lot of hard rain, enough to take out the satellite signal. I won't be able to garden for quite awhile now because the ground is too swampy. Had been planning to put in a full day of extremely tedious work for a client but I feel like a zombie. Hoping enough caffeine will clear the fog. Doubtful.

Joseph, I'm kind of the opposite...I haven't been sleeping well at all lately due to excitement about good sales and creative juices flowing on a couple of new projects. I get like this every once in awhile and get lots done, but sleep is cut in half.

Day before yesterday I went for my first qigong class and really enjoyed it. Even though we have to drive an hour each way, I'm going back again next week. That evening we went for a pot luck at the home of a couple who just returned from Guinea, West Africa. They're building a home there. The man is a master drummer and the woman is an amazing dancer. We used to have a little band together but I hadn't touched my drums in quite awhile...until the other night, when I got right back into it. Looks like we're going to make it a regular thing again. Which leads to more loss of sleep! Hard to get the music out of your head afterwards.

That's a fantastic reaction the the physiological stress of inadequate sleep, Peggy, I'm envious.

What's qigong?

Your band has two drummers? :)


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Joseph Westrupp
bestilled.com

Peggy I teach Tai Chi and Qigong - you will really see the benefits of regular practice. The drumming sounds like fun. One of the founders of Greenpeace had a house near us and we got to know lots of the people really well. Great parties including lots of drumming which I loved. Once the main person died they all moved away - I miss those days! Joseph it is a type of Chinese exercise that combines physical postures with breathing and focus of the mind.

Hello all. Checking in just to say our cyclone Debbie has just passed, our countryside is devastated, our towns destroyed, our heroes saved all....incl dogs,Bulls,horses...it was pure terror....up country in Queensland, and now floods everywhere.....and still it rains.......and the kids are surfing in Main St....
always such larrikins. The cleanup, rebuild estimated to be years, cost in millions from Insurance......proud To Be an Aussie, (from Philly 80 yrs ago)...Wish
us luck.......cheers from Sydney .

Dorothy...a good friend is demonstrating somewhere in Germany with/for G.P. Gets all of 5 euro a day!

Viva we saw it was all happening on the news - dreadful! Central Italy is still coping with the effects of the earthquakes last year.

Five euros a day! I have no classes at the moment as I have major problems with my knee (waiting for scans to see what next). I charged 12 euros per class per person and they thought it was value for money - small classes, four or five people so lots of individual attention.

Edited to add: I specialise in working with people with health problems, Parkinsons, severe arthritis, cancer etc which is why the classes are so small. I leave the lithe young things to teachers who have the energy (and the knees) to run a big class!

Dorothy, I think I get it, basically like tai chi?

VA, sounds brutal. Central Sydney was hit?


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Joseph Westrupp
bestilled.com

Hi, Dorothy, my friend has devoted his recent life to being useful to those in need, mentally and physically...yours/his are special 'callings'....truly heroic your efforts. These natural disasters ask so much ... The Salvos are there. We are sparsely populated here, so much of the care given is voluntary, by many with their own health issues...always the way, sigh.

Josef, the city was spared, but the eye of the storm caused alarm...it was a huge system, many were hit , miles between them....and the sea was treacherous, boats lost forever from their moorings, etc, buildings so fragile and old, ripped off. foundations...I'm listening to thunder right now, wow. We are on the Pacific ? Ocean.

The Florida hurricanes and Katrina come to mind.

Oh, lord, "gimme shelter"..........

Hasn't been on our news, at least in the last few days.

I'm a New Zealander by birth, so pretty familiar with Australia. Wasn't that long ago I was in Sydney, actually.


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Joseph Westrupp
bestilled.com

Joseph there is a difference in that with Qigong you focus on a particular movement and a particular energy and you repeat that movement several times. It can be aimed at specific diseases or conditions. Tai Chi is like a slow dance of set movements where the focus is the same as in Qigong but over all parts and all movements, it is not aiming at one area. Tai Chi also has martial art aspects which some teachers teach, some don't. I find them useful in trying to get someone to understand why they have to have an arm in a particular position or step a certain way.

We don't have tv or radio so I see the news headlines on the internet. A lot more informative and less drama!

Viva, I am so sorry about the devastation in your country. I'm a news junkie but haven't seen any mention of the storm in Australia. They talk about our "situation" here 24/7, so that leaves no room for anything else going on in the world.

I've only been awake for a short time, and this is the first thread I've read this morning, starting with Peggy's post from 20 hours ago. I've always liked you guys a lot but I've gotta say that your recent posts fill me with hope. You've made my morning! Often feels like our world is so off kilter and filled with evil intent that it can't be salvaged, then I'm reminded that goodhearted souls like you walk among us. You are such a blessing!

Thank you, Kathleen, in all humility. I am blessed with fine examples all round me, including yourself, the ultimate survivor, on your own terms.
Unfortunately, at the moment, I am the scourge of my family, for reasons I won't explain, and they have disowned me. Still, I survive. One has to. Guess I'll see myself out. So be it. I have my own truths to which I reply, now, whilst I still have choices, and Art is deeply rewarding.

"ARTIST'S LIFE"

Of all the waltzes the great Strauss wrote,
Mad with melody, rhythm--rife
From the very first to the final note,
Give me his "Artist's Life"!
It stirs my blood to my finger ends,
Thrills me and fills me with vague unrest,
And all that is sweetest and saddest blends
Together within my breast.
It brings back that night in the dim arcade,
In love's sweet morning and life's best prime,
When the great brass orchestra played and played,
And set our thoughts to rhyme.
It brings back that Winter of mad delights,
Of leaping pulses and tripping feet,
And those languid moon-washed Summer nights
When we heard the band in the street.
It brings back rapture and glee and glow,
It brings back passion and pain and strife,
And so of all the waltzes I know,
Give me the "Artist's Life."
For it is so full of the dear old time--
So full of the dear friends I knew.
And under its rhythm, and lilt, and rhyme,
I am always finding--you.

Poetical works of Ella Wheeler Wilcox, copyright.

Vivian,

Hope you keep safe and the losses are only property.

Dave

Thank you, David..........that's so kind of you.
We've lost only one soul, who should not have braved the waters in a dip in the road that filled to two meters, in their car.
There's no electricity, fresh food, water now.........am sending to the Salvation Army to help sustain those who were ordered out
of their homes, with just the shirts on their backs. It will be an ongoing tragedy, but, we will rebuild, and are...alive.

Dorothy, that's so cool that you teach qigong and tai chi! My husband has been practicing at least an hour every morning for a couple of months and he's noticing differences in his body and mind. He's thinking of teaching eventually but doesn't know yet exactly how to go about it. I've done a couple of tai chi classes in the past but for some reason didn't take to it like I did to qigong.

About the drumming...I've been involved in all-percussion bands in the past, and usually big bands at that, with up to 10 members. Played with leaders from Barbados, South America, and mostly West Africa. Hand drums including djembes, dun duns (bass drum played with two sticks, sometimes one hand playing a bell while the other strikes the drum), congas, bells, shakers, and sometimes balafons (the African version of a marimba). I stopped playing when band members moved away.

Kathleen, I know what you mean about the state of the world and how disheartening it can be. I don't listen to the news or read the papers (or watch tv for that matter) but every time I'm on the internet I see some horrible story. Luckily I live in a very small community where people help one another and there's very limited crime.

Viva, I hadn't heard about the situation in your country...how terrible. Sorry to hear about the family trouble too. That can be so upsetting. Stay strong!

Peggy I walked with a walking stick and discovered Tai Chi. Not long, no walking stick, stopped falling over, it was like a miracle. I got hooked, studied it seriously and then studied to teach it. It made a huge difference to my life and that is why I try and work with others with physical problems. Of course my knee has currently prevented me from doing much but if I have to have a knee replacement then the Tai Chi will be brilliant as part of the recuperation.

Drumming - one of the best evenings people just started drumming on anything available, there were a few drums, some used upturned litter bins etc. Totally spontaneous and wonderful. I have a drum I confess!

Viva it will take a long time as we are finding from the earthquakes. Still a lot of homeless people, people who lost their entire house and belongings, animals that people are desperately trying to feed and keep alive whilst they try to reunite them with their owners and it was now over six months ago. We all donate what we can. As for family, big hug.

Thank you Peggy and Dorothy. I appreciate your understanding and support. Maybe I shouldn't have posted all that......I just blurted it out......of course, my psyche is 'slightly' disturbed, as is my judgement....................................

May I join the Chat Thread, please?
Darby, from the US....
an eclectic mix of personality, experience ... very introverted--yet not.
It appears several of you converse enough to have a cyber/art friendship from all parts of the world. I'd be honored to be included.
Thank you for your considerstion.

Darby, you made me laugh!

You don't have to ask, just jump in the pool and get wet!
This thread is a bit loose, and not as structured as the others, the topic is very non technical.

Glad to see you here, and I have seen your other post about the iPhone question, but it sort of needed to be put into it's own thread, jumping on a thread in an unrelated way or topic is often met with silence.
Sorry you haven't been able to resolve that iPhone issue.

-YoPedro
Twitter@YoPedro

Dorothy, I should probably get going on regular qigong practice. I'm having some problems with my shoulder...feel like I'm always frozen in front of a computer these days or making jewelry with my hands in front of me. Need to move around more!

Welcome, Darby. What was your iPhone question? I didn't see it. I don't know if I can help but I have an iPhone...