Carla Jimison

Transit of Venus 2012

To view the transit of Venus today Isabelle and I grabbed our eclipse shades and headed up the block to find our neighbors Jaime and Allen Morton with their grand daughter Lilly in the observatory in their back yard.

They were busy recording and documenting the event but were happy to share the experience with us. Allen is a retired astronomy professor and is so much fun to be around when anything is happening in the sky.The sun had been hidden by storm clouds and had just shown through when we arrived. They said three year old Lilly had prayed that the sun would be visible and her prayer had been answered right away.

We could clearly see Venus crossing the sun using our eclipse shades but the telescope projected an image of the sun onto the wall of the observatory that we could photograph. You can even see sun spots in this projection. Allen had a camera set up so he could take photos through the telescope, he takes some amazing photos and has had some in the National Geographic magazine. But alas, these are only my photos of the event.

The dot near the edge is Venus which is about the same size as the earth. The other spots are sun spots.

This is a close up taken by Isabelle.

These guys are so much fun, and they have been great friends. After we got these photos the wind picked up and the sun was envelpoed by heavy clouds again. I can't wait to see the images Allen took.

Lizzy House Fabric Wallet

My wallet finally wore out, so I made a new one today out of Lizzy House fabric.

This fox is so cute, I usually don't fall for cute but this fox has style and happens to be cute at the same time. Lizzy is an amazing designer, no wonder it is so fun to use her fabric. And it comes in the most wonderful colors.

When my oldest daughter was about twelve she bought a fabric wallet from the Hmong people in Salt Lake City. Somehow I ended up using it and I fell in love with the function of it. I don't know any Hmong here in Idaho so I had to make myself one.

This is patterned after the Hmong wallet except I've added a couple extra pockets and an extra zipper because pockets and zippers are so useful when it comes to wallets.

And of course I had to make it match my bag! Thanks Lizzy for the fabulous fabric, I had so much fun with it today.

Jon McNaughton...Nailed

Allen and Nick this post is for you.

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/414028/may-09-2012/jon-mcnaughton-s--nation-under-socialism--artwork?xrs=share_copy         

      

Your Favoite Color, You Know...Orange!

 

When we were growing up and still in Elementry school my younger sister Vannie decided that my favorite color was orange. I remember her telling me that she chose something for me because it was my favorite color. I asked "What color is that?" She looked surprised and said "Your favorite color...you know...orange!" I said "Is that your favorite color too?" Thinking maybe that's why she thought I liked it. She said"No, it's yours! Blue is my favorite" She was so convinced that I loved this color that she gave me no room to disagree.

My relationship with orange has never been the same since. I've grown to really care about it, but it seems to choose me rather than the other way around. For example a few years ago I just couldn't find a color to paint our living room that worked well in the room. My daughter Sarah suggested I used the perfect color, one she found in the background of a Niki magazine add. She was right, it was perfect, and it was orange (Sherwin Williams Summer Day).

When I'm at the San Francisco Moma I love to take friends portraits in front of large modern abstracts. The last time I went my friends made me have my picture taken. When I asked them which painting should I stand in front of they chose the Rothko, you know...the orange one! They didn't know about my orange thing, it was just orange choosing me again.

I still don't think of orange as my favorite color, all of the colors are so wonderful and useful in their own way, how can you chose just one as a favorite? But orange and I keep meeting up like someone who chooses you to be their friend, how can you not like them back?

 

 

 

Dreamtime

   I got knocked off my feet this week by an illness. I hate being sick especially if it takes more than a day. Besides not feeling well, being sick makes me feel like I live in dream time. When I'm sick ideas flow in and past me like I'm dreaming probably because I'm not busy doing all the things I normally do and have loads of time to think. This can be good and bad. It's bad when my thoughts go in circles but good when I make connections or get new ideas, especially about art. The Aborigines of Australia talk about their creative time as The Dreaming or Dreamtime. I like that. In dreams all things are possible, we exist in a different realm and this allows us to freely create what ever we will. One of my professors at BYU (Jim Christensen) called it getting into the "flow". That mental space when you're making art and all the world melts away and you loose complete track of time. What ever you call it, that creative time takes you beyond yourself to such greater possibilities.

I've watched our cats a lot while recovering and I suppose I should give Ginger (above) some credit for modeling for the lost Kitten Collages of the previous posts. Not that she even cares really.

Tomorrow is Monday, my full teaching day and I am looking forward to diving back into the semester. The beginning printmakers will be learning and doing soft ground, should be fun.

 

The Last of the Free Kittens

 

 

The Free Kittens exhibit was fun show to be part of and I enjoyed making these collages for it. Some of these pieces will be available at the Hats Off to the Arts Auction. Check them out, they do such an amazing show every year!

Yes that's Right it's More Free Kittens

 

There is just one more post of these to came.

Free Kittens Continued

 

Two more Free Kittens and more to come.

More Free Kittens Collages

 

Here are a couple more Free Kittens.

 

Free Kittens again

This is another Free Kittens piece. And happy Friday the 13th!