Stephanie's Studio

All good things come to an end. I've survived the April 2015 A to Z Blogger's Challenge . I don't use a lot of "Z" words so no need to try to force any out now. One aspect of "Z" I thoroughly enjoy is catching my Zzz's and now is as good a time as any to catch them, regarding my blogging. Salvadore Dali, "Sleep" This challenge, with its request that you blog six days a week, with just one day off, is a blogging marathon alright. A marathon is set up to push you to your maximum. Maximum reached. I've never been shy about catching my Zzz's. I love a good rest, call it beauty sleep if you want. Whatever, I know my body and mind well and realize when the Zzz's are needed. My body and mind have requested a rest. Z Request noted. So listening to my body, mind and tapped spirit, I'm off for a bit, taking my blogging Zzz's. William Powell Frith, "Asleep while Reading" Nighty night.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of teaching children for me is the volume they can reach if unchecked. I teach art and naturally that is a cause for excitement in children. Some feel it's a chance to let their hair down but for me it has this sort of effect: And I do love kids. Their energy is wonderful and many have a sweet and creative nature. I'm just one of those people who loves quiet. I like to speak quietly and play my music quietly. I get stirred up when sound bombards. I was at clinic recently when this bombardment occurred. Three flat screen televisions all on different channels, in close proximity to one another made me feel as though I was losing my mind. You'd think at a doctor's office there would be some awareness to the fact that when people aren't feeling well they might not like sound coming from every angle. These unwell people might find it grating on their nerves. They might even want to run out of the clinic because all...

A while ago, I was carrying laundry, in a rush to the basement at about 6 a.m. and missed the second to the bottom step. You can probably imagine what happened next. I came tumbling down, dispersing dirty clothing everywhere. I landed on the top of my foot rather than the sole. Needless to say, I dislocated the ankle and fractured it in two places. I remember Googling 'fractured ankle', trying to learn how long it would take to heal. The amount of weeks I saw that it would take was awe-inspiring. During that time I spent time in a wheel chair, on crutches, in a motorized cart while shopping and in a boot. I also had surgery, which was scary. For a former dancer and someone who loves yoga, this was a humbling experience. As you know from reading this blog, I have been going to restorative yoga for healing my body and getting more in touch with it. One class I go to is strictly restorative in the best sense of the word. The other one calls itself restorative but include...

It has been a winding, crooked path to meet my goals for weight loss. As many of you who have been following this blog know, losing weight was one of my New Years Resolutions. I have much to be proud of. I have stayed on that path without deviating even once since taking on this challenge in January. My body, however, has different ideas. Those of you on this journey with me know all too well, the body will drop its weight in chunks, then hold off, sometimes for weeks until it stabilizes before it will drop any more. This happens though I consistently eat the same way. Looking at this photograph of the pathway, it is easy to engage in the notion of journey. Yes, you can get to that destination promised in the picture but there is much to enjoy along the way to getting there. I have reached a major milestone. I am at the 30 pound mark, which means I am 1/3 of the way to meeting my goal. I get frustrated when I reach plateaus, such as where I am right now. Since my body is meanderi...

Ever since I was in art school, in my junior and senior year, when I had my own studio at Tyler, I have been fascinated with still life. That fascination carried on when I went to graduate school at UCSD and ended up being the topic of my thesis. Implicit in the depiction of still life is food.                                     (Edouard Manet, 1866, "Still Life with Melon and Peaches) Shown above is a reproduction of one of Edouard Manet's still life paintings. Manet is one of my favorite painters to this day. He imbues his food with such a luscious quality through his brush strokes and the oil-laden paint he uses, that you literally want to reach out and into the painting to eat the food within them. His facility with paint and the love that he seemingly has for his subject matter is a continual source of awe and inspiration.                 ...