Spinning Plates

Sculpture Garden Lafayette Gallery Red Balloons
Originally uploaded by Julee Herrmann HeArt Collective

Summer Break is a whole new animal to this Mommy... Since Alexia has been old enough to be social she was in preschool even during the Summer. Now that I have my business in full swing and my kiddo in public school she has the summer off and I have been thrown for a loop. No wonder all of the working Mommies in the area have their kids in camp after camp... duh!

I have always struggled with finding the balance between work and family and household stuff pretty much throwing myself fully into what ever it is I am doing at the time. If I am making dinner the art work and workshop prep is the furthest thing from my mind... If I'm in the throws of creativity its every Herrmann for themselves when it comes to eating... if I'm hanging out with The People I try to get them to take me out to dinner... and now I find myself in the 4th day of Summer Break thinking.... holy crap! I'm never going to finish anything ever again!

I have mostly finished a project that I started last week... should have taken me 1 day to finish - it took me 3 and its still NOT done. I have one sewing project on the machine... the laundry is done and folded and The People (a.k.a Herrmanns) ate last night... do I have to cook again??? Oh and Lexee has played, painted, planted, done letters and numbers and read a dozen books... she's gotten more sewing done than I have. The puppy has a new cape, a "do rag", two pillows and a sleeping bag with her name embroidered on it! Right now we're mostly kid focused as you may be able to tell....

So here's the question... how do I keep the plates spinning? With art, house, family, home-all-day-all-night-all-week-KID and SELF plates staring me in the face I'm about to throw them all up in the air and go lay by the pool.... *DUCK!*

Happy Birthday Cool kid...

Cool kid...
Originally uploaded by Julee Herrmann HeArt Collective

Little girl turned COOL KID... where have the weeks, days, moments gone?

I am so proud of the little girl you're turning into.

Funny giggle

creative soul,

energetic adventurer

you ROCK!

I remember like it was just yesterday how I would miss you while you slept in your crib. I would sneak in there to watch you sleeping

cozy, tiny, girl in that big crib...

Testing out your new walking skills at the Vatican was hilarious...

Watching Shrek and then running from the room anytime something scary would happen... a daily occurance

putting on my mascara

picking broccoli in your Great Grandpa's garden in Montana, swinging your feet in Grandpa Richard's creek, RAWRING the cats, playing princesses with Opa, meeting your cousins at Door County, singing Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Star Spangled Banner, with that baby lisp... oh and Yellow Submarine...

Loving The Beatles

Watching World Cup Soccer in Germany, learning Spanish when you were 3 and then translating for us in Mexico when you were barely 4...

finding rusty things for art, adventuring through the forest, saying good-bye to our kitties, "Knocking the House Down" when you performed Yellow Submarine and Little Red Caboose on your Grammy's birthday last year

swim lessons, fishing, camping,

learning to love dogs...

Kindergarten, making new friends,Friday Family Nights, becoming part of your community,

a fantastic reader, learning Math Magic with Daddy, saying sweet things when Chauncee passed away, creating a dream of Mermaids & Warriors with Mommy...

How do you do it all with such openness... grace... love... curiosity...

Happy 6th Birthday, Little One...

Love,

Mommy

Art Talks at Knoxx

Today is the big day... I shouldn't say that...every day for the last two weeks and the next two weeks is a BIG DAY, but today is the day that I get to dazzle The People with my whit... in PUBLIC!

http://www.diablomag.com/D-blog/Best-Of-Editor-Picks/June-2009/Art-Talks-at-Knoxx-begins-today/

Can't wait... come on by if you're around. Who can resist free snacks and cute art girls?

xoxo

jul

In DOG we Trust included in Lafayette Gallery's newest show

In DOG we Trust
Originally uploaded by Julee Herrmann HeArt Collective

"Feathers, Fur and Fins,” the new exhibition at the Lafayette Gallery, honors the creatures large and small that enrich our lives. The show is open from June 1st to August 15th, 2009. Upon entering the gallery, the viewer is greeted by a multitude of animal companions, dogs, cats, chickens, and horses all parade before your eyes. The myriad artists experiences with the world of creatures great and small are all reflected in the artists’ personal interpretations . Through the medium of paintings, prints, photography, sculpture, ceramics and mixed media works, the artists draw us into their world. In this exhibition, respect, love, joy, humor and praise are all in evidence for our fur, feathered and finned companions.

Nancy Hartley's’ cat, Hercules, is shown in all his feline glory. Maggie Lucas Hills’, painting on silk, glorifies the grace of horses galloping free. Jeannette Baird paints dog portraits which are filled with the personality of each dog portrayed. Sherry Smith Bells’ print, “Pick Me,” illustrates the dilemma of trying to chose a pet from a litter of adorable golden retriever puppies.

On Artists Market Day, Saturday, July11th, an animal caricature artist will be available to draw your beloved pet
As a special feature during the show, the community is invited to bring in pet photos and related quips to be posted on the gallery’s bulletin board. Let the gallery visitor enjoy your stories of life with your pet. The show co-chairman, Hilary Lambert Mills, comments, “They are our friends and our family. They comfort us when the world seems cold and indifferent. They celebrate with us when we are happy. They make us laugh and cry. And their passing takes a toll that non-pet owners can never understand.”

On Saturday, August 8th., the last Artists Market Day, a drawing will take place from entries posted on the galleries bulletin board. Two lucky winners may choose an artists portrait of their pet as a special prize. During the exhibition, a portion of the gallery sales will be donated to the Animal Rescue Foundation to benefit our creatures, great and small.

For further information contact show co-chairman,
Hilary Lambert Mills, at
or Susan Erickson, at

Doors Open

In our small town a teen died this past weekend. Today, during our meditation group tears were shed for the boy's family and our own children's near misses. The question came up about "God's plan" or just being with the tragedy... allowing the tragedy to just be sad and not have to have a result.

As a parent who has lost a child I have known this grief for more than half of my life. Pain and deep ache and grievous sorrow don't begin to describe just what that feels like and I hope that no one who reads this can begin to understand what I mean. That said, I do see the things that I go through as part of the whole experience... Every day we find an opportunity for growth through any number of life's trials, this happens to be one of mine. It has changed me, how I parent and how I see things. 

The loss of this young man, a dear part of our small community, tears at the hearts of Moms and Dads and the child in all of us all over today.

Hold and be held in loving spaciousness today.

Mermaid Warriors Hear This in Their Souls

Cool kid...
Originally uploaded by Julee Herrmann HeArt Collective

This is a song for every girl who's
Ever been through something she thought she couldn't make it through
I sing these words because
I was that girl too
Wanting something better than this
But who do I turn to

Now we're moving from the darkness into the light
This is the defining moment of our lives

'Cause you're beautiful like a flower
More valuable than a diamond
You are powerful like a fire
You can heal the world with your mind

There is nothing in the world that you cannot do
When you believe in you, who are beautiful
Yeah, you, who are brilliant
Yeah, you, who are powerful
Yeah, you, who are resilient

This is a song for every girl who
Feels like she is not special
'Cause she don't look like a supermodel Coke bottle
The next time the radio tells you to shake your moneymaker
Shake your head and tell them, tell them you're a leader

Now we're moving from the darkness into the light
This is the defining moment of our lives

'Cause you're beautiful like a flower
More valuable than a diamond
You are powerful like a fire
You can heal the world with your mind

There is nothing in the world that you cannot do
When you believe in you, who are beautiful
Yeah, you, who are brilliant
Yeah, you, who are powerful
Yeah, you, who are resilient

Yeah, you, who are beautiful
Yeah, you, who are brilliant
Yeah, you, who are powerful
Yeah, you, who are resilient

Yeah, you, this song is for you
Yeah, you, this song is for you
Yeah, you, this song is for you
Yeah, you, yeah, you
You are brilliant

Beautiful Flower by India Arie

I have been on a blog-cation

... well, i don't know what to call it, but you know when you have 14 things to do in 15 minutes all day every day for oh, about a month? yeah, me too...

sometimes i just have to leave something aside so that i can focus.  well, much of the

 extra-ordinary excitment has disspated (please) and now we should be able to get on with the silliness of Spring and planning for the Mermaids & Warriors Art Camp!

This month we've had fun with friends:

These were taken during ZNE's Convenzione... The talented and always lovely Alison Downey laughing at me (very likely because I'm wearing 2 pairs of glasses - WHATEVER!) AND the charming Lisa Kettell and I donning the luscious lips! 

Taught Classes on the FLY!

    

Created a whole line of Reliquary Kits with a little help from my friends:

Hosted a little Altered Dominoes Swap on Facebook - too cool to hold all of that art in my own little hand to see more pictures of these up close on the flickr

Learned how to make jewelry in a WHOLE NEW WAY thanks to Ruth Rae!

From her class I learned how to hammer metal into beautiful links of various size and pattern...

so MUCH FUN! Every person's work was more beautiful than the next! 

From seeing her work in person I really was inspired to sew... much to my Mom's utter GLEE! I used scraps from my mom's work room and her knowledge to create a cuff today... Shhhh don't tell Stacey... its coming her way as soon as I put a few finishing touches on... hammered copper of course!

Gosh... then we had Jon Troast here with about 40 of my closest friends, family and neighbors!

If you don't already know this guy you MUST go to his website and check out his music. You can also subscribe to his podcast... you can hear our silliness on #50 half way through his 100 concerts in 100 days! This guys music connects people through his wonderful knack for storytelling.

Before we knew it I was so darned tired that this:

and this became the normal scene...

And now I have all of these lovely things to think about, be inspired by and play with!!!

Dream on... Dream on .... Dream until your dreams come true...

xoxo

jul