Back in the 90s, I lived in two of the bays of an old abandoned fire house, where the town fire trucks had been kept.
Playing with My Buddies
There was a big parking lot out front. At the beginnings of our daily walks out into the desert, my dog IO (pron. Ee-oh) would come out into the lot and run big circles around me, round and round, with a huge shit-eating grin on her face.
Before that, we lived in the Winch House south of town.
I’ve studied healing plants for years, and have always wanted to honor them somehow – the ones I have used always did such wonders for me and my family.
False Hellebore, False Solomon’s Seal, Ginseng
So I’m working on creating a series of designs featuring plants used for healing. Each one of them has specific properties that help with various different types of pain or illness.
There are some days when things in life seem so shitty that I can’t get my mind bent around a single thing – except drawing. Drawing is my life-saver.
Salmon playing in the waves
Today was one of those days. I’ve been completely occupied with the travesty happening in North Carolina - I got totally sucked in.
I try to not do that if possible, so I avoid as best I can all the news and shows that drain your energy like vampires.
I’m so used to creating bold designs using bright colors that I forget the there are people who prefer more quiet beauty.
Violets repeat design, in coral-ly pink
I was doing the primary design of this piece, all full of really bright colors and bold strokes. The app I use to draw on only has a few basic colors, so I’m kinda stuck using them. After I have completed the original drawing, I import it into photoshop to modify it.
Every year, hundreds of birds would swoop down and eat all the cherries on our trees, whether they were ripe or not.
Birdies, Snails, and Wormies all loved the cherries
We finally trimmed the branches of the trees so it would be shorter, and much easier to put birdie-proof nets over them the next year.
Success! We got full crops from then on, and the birdies had to make do with the ones that dropped to the ground. Oh darn so sorry, not sorry!
There are days I’m so full of ideas and images they feel like popcorn popping and bursting and trying to get out of my noggin.
Let’s stop running and have a party and invite all our friends and eat all the cherries!
Today was one of those days.
Usually, before I open my eyes to fully wake up, I spend a bit of time appreciating what I’m most grateful for, and then going over my basic plans for the day.
Today that wasn’t possible. I had so many images rushing through my mind that I thought it would crack my skull. So many critters and scenes and colors and ideas!
It was so intense it was ecstatic.
My ma had the most awesome organic garden. She had every veggie known to man and some we had no clue what they were.
Despite it being the source of so much deliciousness, we kids hated that garden, because we had to go out and weed it every weekend.
It was only when I finally had a garden of my own, when we lived way out in the hills of northern California, that I really appreciated having gown up with such bounty. Or how much more work it was than Ma’s garden! Hers was small – ours was a full acre!
Maybe you’ve never noticed how sometimes your kitty can be just downright silly. (Silly? Kitties? Never!)
Whoddathunkit, playing with the mice he’s supposed to catch! Only this time, it’s Leo the Leopard – he just can’t resist all those meeces!
-=-=-=-=-=-
Leo’s Playtime
© Angela Treat Lyon 2024
The Park Fire here in northern California tried to snake its fiery fingers right into my world, coming within three miles of my house. It freaked the living daylights out of me, relentlessly debilitating me for a whole month.
The fire is still raging, many miles to the north, over 450,000 scares burnt, lives cut short, homes and businesses destroyed beyond repair. It’s too devastating to think about how close it came.
My neighborhood was on a on-your-toes evacuation alert for a seemingly endless two weeks. We didn’t know up from down – whether to go, stay, eat, sleep, go to work, escape to out-of-town relatives . . .
I was dumbfounded how completely the aura of fear and chaos saturated every aspect of my life. I even kept my phone by me 24/7 – which I never, ever do – staying on top of the alerts.
As I drove down an obscure, insanely rough, red-dirt road in Baja, I came around a corner, there on my right suddenly reared up an enormous storm-grey rock, as big as a two-story house.
What is that doing there?!? I slammed on the brakes. I had to check this out. As I looked closer, I could see that it was indeed a house! Windows peppered the sides of the stone, their glass glinting in the sun.
The palm trees swayed and shissssed, and gulls swirled around the top of the rock, way high up in the air.
And there, sitting in the shade of its overhang on a ledge above me, surrounded by three huge dogs whose coats shine like silver and gold in the sun, you sat untangling and folding a pile of a little kid’s onesies.
Today we had 101 degree heat. I melt at such high temps.
My mind disappears into the deepest crack in the sea, and try as I might to sit up and work, my body refuses to function.
Just about all I can do is turn on the AC and get horizontal until the house has cooled enough for me to be human again.
When I was a kid, I loved running out in the spring rain, jumping in puddles and splashing until I was soaking wet drenched, head to foot.
Now, of course, I’m staid and demure, like a proper old lady should be. Hahahahahahahaha! Go on – believe that if ya want!!!!
I just posted this purple version in my Redbubble shop – I’m including the links below if you want to get some fun socks, tote bags, shower curtains, pillows, blankies – all with this design!
I also put the same design with a red background, and a gold background there, too! Continue reading
Penguins are the silliest looking critters, aren’t they?
But I love how sweet their mannerisms are, and how amazing they are underwater.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
© Angela Treat Lyon 2024
Do you like hot, spicy foods?
I do, but my body? Not so much! Instant reactions!
So here we are, eating our favorite east Indian dinner – and then – Ooooooh!!! Hotttt!!!! Yeowie! Yikes! Whew! Hand me the napkins!
Wouldn’t a silk scarf of this be funny? You could wear it out to dinner with your friends when you go to India Cuisine and get Garam Masala, or when you go to the Thai Noodles restaurant!
-=-=-=-=-==-
Hot! Hot! Hot!
© Angela Treat Lyon 2024
I have this Thing for Hummingbirds.
I think they are some of the most miraculous beings on the planet. Imagine having to suck multiple times your body weight in liquid food through a long skinny pipe every day!
And being able to look in the mirror to see all those flashy bright colors on your head and chest!
My mother’s mother was the first to photograph them flying backwards – or, that’s the Family Story, anyway. She had hundreds of photos of them. All in black and white, of course.
In a kind of odd moment as I sat glomping my lunch a couple days ago, I looked out my window to see my neighbor’s cats sunning themselves on the window sill, and they just looked so happy.
Have you ever wished you had your own safe windowsill where you could relax and be totally unbothered, and you were able to just lie there peacefully in the sun? I sure have.
Here is the same image, painted in different colors. I’m planning to make stickers of the cats, and silk scarves of the entire image. Stay tuned – I’m in the process of opening a store so it’ll be easy to get what you want, lickety-split!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Cats x 3
© Angela Treat Lyon 2024
Supposedly . . .
As you know, I’ve been taking a highly intense, galactically-comprehensive course on the business of being an artist. Comprehensive is the biggest understatement ever!
They may do something similar, but what you do has your breath within it, has your dreams behind it, and has your signature energy inside it.I’ve had this phrase running in my mind all day long – driving me crazy!
I finally realized it wanted me to draw it. So I did!
I can be pretty slow sometimes . . . but eventually I get the hint.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Early Birds
© Angela Treat Lyon 2024
My newest scarf! It’s 26″ square, rich colors on a lovely pure silk charmeuse – I love it!
A friend told me about how he’d gone fishing, and actually watched as the fish gathered around his hook and bait and, laughing all the way to town, didn’t bite all day! He never could figure out why they did that, because the next day they took the bait like crazy. How weird is that! So this is to celebrate the no-bite day!
Let me know if you’d like one of these!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Fish Bait
© Angela Treat Lyon 2024
It’s printed on a 1/8″ board, has a satin mat finish, wonderful rich color – and a twiney thing to hang it with! I’m thinking this would make a cool Christmas gift, yes? Want one? Contact me (see contact page HERE)!Very smoky here today – hard to see or breathe. Not fun at all.
This image is how I feel about you. I’m so fortunate to have your loving support. It’s been such an emotional rolly-coasty this week!
Huge gratitude for all of you who are envisioning me safe – I really appreciate that – it’s very precious, indeed. I have felt vulnerable before, but never like I have this past week.
This last week has been such hell. 119 degree heat, the threat of the big California Park Fire being within 3 miles of my house, the smoky air burning our eyes – I don’t remember any August here in Chico being so damned hot, every single day.
And not having a car! When I gave up driving 5 years ago I never dreamed I’d regret it! What with friends being out of town or not reachable, I have felt so vulnerable.
If I’d had to evacuate, I’d have to walk! Can’t you just see a 78-year old woman stumbling out of town leaning on her walker, back-pack on, slippers on her feet? That would be me! LOL!
Isn’t this how it oughta be? Friends getting together, hanging out, playing, singing, dancing, celebrating life, in all its beauty? I say yes!
I’m completely overwhelmed and exhausted by all the upset, violence, anger and fear coating every aspect of our lives.
How did we get here?
Somehow, we gave ourselves permission to spew gouts of hatred everywhere. Not to mention the raping, killing, maiming, and destroying – not just of humans or material property, but the world itself. It’s disgusting.
I got a wild hair and started working on next year’s calendar!
(Like I don’t already have plenty to do!!!)! Here’s the December page – waddya think? I love it! I left it crude this time (no image trace). I like the rawness.
I’ll let you know when the calendar is ready for a pre-sale.
-=-=-=-=-=-
© Angela Treat Lyon 2024
With this ring, and yellow flower, and bunny dance, and birdies, and meeces, and ferrets, and sun, and pink and red flowers, and the sun, I thee wed!
Sometimes ya just gotta shed the got-to list and do the fun list. This wasn’t on any list! But I’m feeling low energy today, and it was the perfect pickmeup to do this design.
(Check out everybody’s nail polish – put on exclusively for the wedding celebration!)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
© Angela Treat Lyon 2024
I don’t care if you love someone of the opposite sex, the same sex, no sex, weird sex, pronoun sex, or any sex I forgot to mention.
I don’t care what rules any outside agency sets up.
I don’t care what your mother, father, sister, brother, aunty, uncly or other family member believes about love. Or your teacher, doctor, lawyer, or Indian chief.
Love is love is love.
Here’s a little inspiration for you if you are worried, anxious, scared, or having a desperately hard time. Or maybe it’s for someone you know.
I’ve heard you say, “I failed.”
I’ve heard you say, “I’m so tired.”
And “I’m so afraid.”
I know it’s hard when you’re exhausted and it feels like you have failed somehow.
And you’re so afraid of ‘what might happen if . . . .’
You have to remember: you have done your best, this whole time. What do you think you ‘should’ have been doing? Or ‘should’ be doing even better?
Do you ever start something and end up doing something completely and utterly radically different? I fought it, but that’s what happened today.
FISHIES GALORE
I started out tonight intending to write a story about a disastrous sailing adventure I had when I was 15.
Then I started thinking about how, in the past three or four weeks, people who have said they would meet me at an agreed-upon time either never showed, or were an hour or more late (pet peeve!!!).
