let your yes be yes, and your no be no

I saw The Interpreter the other day. The main character stated that she became an interpreter because too many wars were fought based on words that were misinterpreted.

Years ago, Best-in-Laws wanted to know what I would like to receive from them for my birthday gift.

"Oh, I would love to have a wall clock in my studio," I replied. "I want one with a clear face so that it's easy to read at a glance!"

My birthday arrived, and they were very pleased to present me their gift. "We looked everywhere for this, but we finally found it!"

I was a bit confused at it being such a difficult task. Their faces beamed with delight at the success of the venture. I was so surprised when I saw the clock. The clock was transparent!

Wow....

When I asked for 'clear' I meant 'unobstructed' as in no design clutter among the numbers and hands like flowers, or fruit, or dots, or checks, or texture, or....

They heard 'transparent' when I said 'clear.'

No wonder it was difficult to find! I hadn't the heart to say 'transparent' wasn't what I meant.

The trouble with the transparency, though, is that I've had to put paper behind the clock so I could read it!

yellow and blue make pink

About 15-20 years ago I worked part time with a design company. They'd hand me swatches of fabric, and I had to copy, exactly, the color and pattern onto accessories such as picture frames or plant pots--in acrylic paint. This meant that I had to mix paint colors lighter than the actual color required and anticipate how much the acrylic would darken as it dried--and yet match precisely.

Friend-who-encourages asked how do I know what colors I need to mix the color I want? She often ended up with a muddied version of her desired hue.

I replied,"I dunno. I just look at it."
"But how do you know?"

I shrugged,"I just see it."

"But what's your method?"

"I just look at it and know." How in the world to I explain something I know so well intuitively, but have absolutely no idea how to explain in words!

Last week I discovered how. While perusing my local library, I stumbled upon this gem of a book: Blue and Yellow Don't Make Green by Michael Wilcox. This book clearly explains in words what I've intuitively known all along. Thank you Michael! Highly recommended.

what a day!

What a day the art fair was! There was a blizzard the night before. The roads were loaded with an average of 8-10 inches(25cm) of snow with drifts up to 4 feet(1-1.5m) high. And it kept on snowing. Few roads were plowed. As soon as one main road was cleared, it had to be plowed again immediately. The snow was relentless. It accumulated faster than it could be cleared. Those who did venture out inevitably came head on with an oncoming car. The problem was that there was only one set of tracks, so one car had to plow into a 2 foot snow bank to allow the other to pass through. Buses were sliding sideways down streets. Semi trucks were left stranded in drifts. The news later showed photos of people who were kneeling beside the roofs of their cars, trying to dig them out!

And we had an art fair today.

Man......

Who would go out on a day like THIS to visit an art fair?

I live quite close by, so Sweetie-pie-love-of-my-life and I loaded up the 4 wheel drive and headed out. It was a journey alright, but I made it. I tip my hat to my fellow artists who had to travel much farther and yet braved the elements to uphold their commitment. Yes, we artists are a tenacious bunch.

What truly amazed me, though, was the reasonably significant volume of people that came to this little, out-of-the-way, off-the-beaten-track (literally!) fair.

It was a good day. Connections were made. I sold a few art cards. More took my b'card. I met another artist whom I had known years ago when we both were members of the FCA. This venue was fun. I may come back for a show of my own at some point.

But I think I'll plan for a warmer season!