The Urban Landscape

These first 2 photographs (above and below) are taken by my son, of his toys. Though these are not THE best creations of my son's but it's what I have pictured at hand in this quick moment of posting.



These next few are images are of the wonderful urban landscape for vehicles that we made together. All of this made possible with these fantastic freeways and the long table/seating/storage area custom created by my husband!

Life is simple and joyful

More-I just love so many simple things I see and have the privledge to witness in living life with a child, seeing the wonder and joy in their eyes and hearts.

Not a dilettante

I am so new to this blog thing.... Though I am spending minimal time researching and reading a few other blogs- especially artistic and parenting blogs (and there are a lot...)- I am looking. They all seem so developed and published with a lot of viewers and followers and products and books...Somehow, as always, the grass is always green-er on the other side- those moms seem to be living in the country in houses with lots of nature and lots of time to take care of their kids, play with their kids, make art with their kids, and lots of free-time without their kids to blog. Well this seems beyond anywhere I am today living in the city, working several jobs, living in a one bedroom apartment with some plants and no studio space or "room of my own"....but I am writing this blog now, while my son sleeps and I am grateful for it. I am not trying to be something I am not. I am just learning, after all these years, to be the best Sheila, the best mom, the best person I can be.

The thing that I am troubled with most on this blogging thing is what visuals to post. I am a visual artist, not a writer, as many of the really good blogs I've read are authored by. The pictures I have and take most are of my family. I am not sure how comfortable I am posting these pictures quite yet. So as it is now...THIS POST HAS NO VISUALS...and that feels so boring...so incomplete...so amateur.

More Things I Love

A small bunch of wildflowers is my gift at Highland Meadows.

Things I Love

Thing I Love 1


I decided I wanted to post images of things I love in my life today. Focusing on my gratitudes and giving me more appreciation for them. I had to start photographing these things to bring them here. It can be difficult to shoot ideas, not just visuals, but of course I do have the text option too.

So I started with my house. My beautiful sun-filled house (correction apartment). My head: I wish I had this, I wish I had that,... including a garden... but then I look around and I saw MY beautiful garden that I do have- flowers and all- how wonderful!

Earlier this week, my family took a trip upstate for the weekend. We did our first camping trip with our son. It was great! We all loved it. Some of the most magical things, for me personally, I will post here- the family magic, I will post later.



Thing I Love 2

Absolutely nothing compares to the feel of a cool summer breeze on your skin. I love walking in the wild grasses and flowers that grow. This is a peaceful, gorgeous location we often visit in South Kortright, just on the outer edge of the swimmy Catskills. It feels wider and more open in this region. I got out and smelled an amazing aroma. I couldn't distinguish the scent until I found a small patch where the grass and plants were kind of stunted... I looked down and noticed that it was thyme growing wildly. Couldn't get more magical than that moment all my senses filled.


Thing I Love 3---I wish you could scratch and sniff this thyme and place.



Thing I Love 4
I don't even have a photograph to even describe this next thing. It was just sensation and memory long forgotten... We went to this large field in the town of Phoenicia. It was a field surrounded by hills and trees and houses. We went there looking for a trail to hike with our 3 year old son. The field was considered the public park of the town and there was, of course a playground - slide, climbing web, see-saw and swings. I decided to go on the swing. I began swinging higher and higher looking up at the trees feeling the cool air rush over me on this very hot summer day. It was glorious! I just kept pumping higher and higher with my head back, like I was flying to heaven. And I was! Memories of being a young child experiencing this exactly flooded me, filled me. Frankly, I couldn't have asked for a more amazing moment to remember, to light up my every day.

The Real Madonna of Mercy

Here she is holding the space and protecting her children.
I sit here today searching some virtual places and endless words on the internet for answers, making phone calls, being "productive" but... I've even crossed some things off my list but feel so empty and glazed over. I will go out to take a walk and pick up my child- this being "my day" to -not have to go to work, not have to child-sit my son and I am lost.

Some Hero Moms

The Madonna of Mercy. A protective mother image, holding inside her cloak all her "children".

This is an image from a book called Meeting God. It is a photograph of a mother painting while HOLDING HER CHILD! (I have a few pieces-in-process, made while holding and feeding my sleeping child - inspired by this- Thank you Deb!)

Following is another image, not the famous photograph, from a series of photos taken in the 1930s by Dorothea Lange. This is a Migrant Mother, feeding her child while she works. The second career, Mother, so entrenched with life. Seamless. I sought after these models of mothers. This is yet another image I collected of these Divine and Pedestrian mothers being Mothers while performing rituals of life and sustaining life on all levels.