Author Archives: Old as Dirt & Proud of It!

Unknown's avatar

About Old as Dirt & Proud of It!

Welcome to Older Than Dirt, and Proud of It by Karen Samenow. I named my blog Older Than Dirt because that's where I am in life. You may find art or music, or inspiration included because, I'm an artist, a spiritual medium, and I'm always learning more and exploring. I hope you find us interesting. My focus for this blog is to bring a little levity to well seasoned women. Sometimes it actually may help!

Good Morning Tuesday

Image

IMG_0767

Today is a beautiful day for art! Even if it’s raining, or cold and icy, it is always a beautiful day to paint!

I ‘ve been dabbling a little in art, and I’m starting to get re-inspired once again. Unfortunately, I have dry spells. As I’ve been trying to figure out why I’m having a dry spell, this is the obvious, and what I’ve come to realize is the demise of my creativity.
It has been a while since I’ve taken any trips or visited a museum. With winter, and cold wet weather, come hibernation. I guess I’m not only a Goldie Locks Girl, but I tend to hibernate like a bear the minute we have a time change, it starts getting dark early, and winter sets in for real. This is not beneficial to any artist, but particularly not to me.

We all need creative energy, and although it has been the topic of many conversations, where do we get that creativity?  I tend to hunker down at home the minute it gets dark, and in all fairness by the afternoon I get tired and run out of energy.  At that point, vegging out seems the best option.  If I cook, it needs to be started early so I haven’t any choice but to finish for dinner.  If I paint, that too needs to stop by around three in the afternoon.  Three seems to be the vegging hour for me.  I can get quit a lot finished between the hours of nine in the morning and three in the afternoon.

My husband Les and I have been talking about vacations this year, and one of the places I love going to is Yosemite National Park.  There is something about connecting with nature in a forest of huge ancient trees that washes away all the stress and dirt from the big city.  Walking amongst the trees, listening to wildlife, finding little treasures like leaves that inspire, or  a branch that has fallen, walking in the streams, and visiting a meadow with deer grazing is what I need to replenish my creative energy.  There are other things also that help with creativity, like a gallery or museum, heck it all helps.  But, hunkering down in a heated hark house away from people, and places doesn’t do it!

IMG_0768

My blogging has been sporadic lately, and not what I had anticipated, but I’ve been blogging now for three plus years, and even if I’m on vacation, my blog has gone out  five days a week.  I don’t want to give up my blog, nor do I want to give up creating.  Not surprisingly, I want to paint, and cut back on my blog for now.

I’m still here, I’m just busy creating a masterpiece!  As a friend once told me, it’s never going to hang in La Louvre!   I laugh because years ago I was in sales, traveling sales one might say.  Each day of the week I had a large handful of clients to visit, and supply them with product for their hair salons.  What I haven’t told you is that I was driving a truck stocked with all kinds of products that the clients used on a daily basis.  Isn’t life a journey?

I loved being able to be on the side lines of the beauty business, and will always miss the people, the smell of the products,  and the exhaustion of the tight schedule that took me all over San Diego, and into Temecula in Riverside County.  This story I tell you because creativity comes from everywhere, and manifests in many ways.  I didn’t have time or energy in those days to paint, but I was creative in the way I helped the cosmetologists, and store owners.

IMG_0824

I leave you today with the idea that we all need to go places, and do things that will inspire us, and fill us  up with creativity.  Even a walk maybe on the beach to breathe in clean fresh air is a big part of energizing. A hike in the mountains, down a path, or in a meadow.  Where ever it is, I wish you much happiness, and creativity on your own journeys.

 

Return of the Used Paintbrushes

Image

IMG_0925Over the holidays, I got so hungry for art, and not having much time to myself, I decided to start some Art People.  I know you’ve seen my brushes I had created from old used and worn out brushes, and these are an extension of those.  Simple at this stage, but gaining personality by the minute, for sure you’ll see the next step as they morph into real people with a personality, and style!

IMG_2234

Aren’t they fun?  All of the finished brushes are now living with another artist, and the newly created brushes will be available soon.

Retirees Paintbrushes

Retirees Paintbrushes

Have a great weekend, and I want to thank all of you for following my blog.

 

Thursday Time Out For Art

Image
"Each Day a Gift!"

“Each Day a Gift!”

Over the last month of 2015, This little collage was created for a Birthday Gift for a friend.  It was fun to do, and I sincerely hope she liked it.  Since her birthday, it has been chaos, and I really haven’t seen her.  But I know she appreciates the things that remain important……waking up each morning, having her Family and the Friendships that we all share!

Inspiration comes in part from Zebra Designs & Inspiration

How to paint Van Gough Sunflowers

Image

Happy New Year Everyone!  I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday, and a safe, happy New Year Celebration.

I much appreciate being able to take a little break from blogging the month of December, and focus on family, and making Christmas perfect for our kiddos. Now I feel revitalized and ready to get back to painting, blogging, and just plain having fun!

Today I thought this video from YouTube would be a great start to the new year.  Ginger Cook is doing this one, and I really like the way she takes it step by step.  She describes her process in a way that beginners, and seasoned painters alike can find helpful methods for using color, texture, and dimension alike to explain her  process.

It is my hope that everyone will find something they can use in this demo.

It’s good to be back, and look forward to another wonderful year of Stone Soup!

‘Twas The Night Before Christmas….

Image
Our Christmas Wreath

Our Christmas Wreath

When all through the house,

Only Kramer was stirring, in hopes of a mouse!

The socks were placed in the dryer to dry, desiring warm feet, as we waited by it’s side.

Daisy was nestled all snug on our bed, while visions of frolicking dancing in her head.

Les in his boxers, and I in my Tee, had just settled in for some really good TV.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, we sprang up to see just what was the matter.

The moon on the ground shown the drenching of rain, it’d been pouring for days with much to be gained.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear, a miniature sleigh, and two mechanical deer.

It all worked in sequence, with lights blinking fast, a Santa with presents, set up on the grass!

The names of the reindeer we couldn’t make out, as hard as we tried to figure it out,

One had to be Rudolph with his nose shinning bright, the other was Comet sitting just out of sight!

Off to the kitchen to make us some tea, we’ll eat a few cookies, while we watching TV.

The Emery's Tree

The Emery’s Tree

Counting the days ’till we open the gifts,

In our heads we knew it was the right thing to wish,

Nolan's Tree

Nolan’s Tree

Everyone, “A Merry Christmas,” and a warm cozy night!

With Christmas right around the corner, shopping finished, and only a few presents left to be wrapped, it’s finally time to kick back and take a deep breath! Every year I think I’m going to cut my shopping in half, and then I see things someone wants, or needs, and I just can’t help myself!

This year, as almost every year I was really a bad girl, and all my shopping, with little exception of  came from the internet!  I’m not proud (maybe I am just  little), I thought I was incredibly clever to be able to pull this off – shopping without leaving the office, sometimes even in my PJ’s! The only thing better than ordering from Amazon, is if Santa himself dropped them down our chimney all wrapped and ready to go. Wait a minute, we don’t have a chimney! Scratch that… I would leave a key under the mat if Santa would do that for me!

Have a wonderful, blessed Christmas. May the time spent with friends and family be magical.  I wish everyone good health, warm nights, safe travel,  and a happy New Year!

Good Night my friends, until next year…….