I often miss my grandparents and infact hardly a day goes by when I don’t think about them. In this painting I have painted myself and my husband as we may look in our old age.  If you look on the paintings and photographs on the wall behind us, some of those are my version of actual paintings that we have on our walls that were painted by my talented father artist and sculptor Ted Jonsson. (The REAL paintings I have photographed and posted below for you to see:)

My grandparents on both sides of the family were the loveliest of people and I do deeply regret not spending enough time with them.  One reason for that was as I entered into the teenage years hanging out with my friends suddenly became really important and then the other that we immigrated to Australia and distance kept us apart.  Unfortunately by the time I had started to model and earned some serious money to go over and see them they had all already died.  If you fancy a read about our recent trip to Sweden here is a travel and art blog 167. THE ART OF LETTING GO

THE ART OF NO REGRETS

So these regrets I have inside is something I didn’t want my own children to be burdened with and therefore spending time with their grandparents is something I have always prioritized for them.  I found a lovely article on the subject in the Saturday supplement to the Advertiser by Mark Dapin which I would like to share with you here;

Here’s to you, Jimmy (by Mark Dapin, from SAWeekend)

“I had a drink with my grandad last week, although he’s been dead for 24 years. It was a ritual I used to observe, a pledge I’d always planned to keep: every time I found myself alone in the bar, I’d toast Jimmy. I’d think of him, and share my thoughts with him, as if he were there. Because, in life, Jimmy was always in a bar, raising his beer glass to clink with another, or lowering his whisky glass under the table to take a surreptitious refill from his hip flask.

He died the week I left England, so I couldn’t go to his funeral. For many years, asleep in my bed in Australia, I dreamed he’d ask me to go for a beer. I’d tell him I couldn’t, because he was dead. He’d say it was all a mistake, and we’d set out for the pub, happy and relieved. And then I’d wake up believing it was true, that I was still young and my grandad hadn’t died.

One night, the dreams ended, and Jimmy never came again, although occasionally in my sleep I’d find myself in the warm, dark living room of his tiny terrace house, with Jimmy asleep on his armchair and my nan perched fretfully on the lounge.

We probably stopped having our first beers together when I had children. Then I got my first iPhone, and gave up the few small spaces in my life I used to fill with memory and contemplation. I texted the living rather than drinking with the dead.

Jimmy took me for my first drink at a pub called the Mansion in the middle of a park, and I brought him his last, in a hospice as he lay dying. We had a couple in between, but too few, far too few.

There were so many things I didn’t ask him, so many answers I thought I’d never know. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve grown into him, and now I realise what his life must’ve been like, and there’re many things between us that can go unsaid.

Which is just as well, since he’s dead.

But last week I was sitting alone in a country pub, a snug steakhouse bar with a log fire, and I was about to message a friend when I remembered Jimmy, and I sipped my beer and gave him the time of night. I thought about the tickle of his whiskers as he rubbed them against my cheek when I was little, and the smell of alcohol on his breath and on his skin.

When my meal arrived, I remembered his favourite dinner (he called it “tea”) was steak and chips, and the way he’d mop up my nan’s gravy with soft slices of white bread. I could see the bubbles of fat in the gravy, taste the salt in the juice. He liked HP Sauce on his chips, and it’d been years since I’d thought of that.

I tried to build a picture from there, to recall all I could about the house where they’d lived: the odd things they’d kept in their cupboards, the treasures they’d stored in their drawers. I thought of their dictionary with its section of maps and I wished I had kept it so I could look at it again.

I have so little of my grandparents: a handful of photographs, and a sprinkling of memories which fade, in truth, into memories of memories, until they become just stories I have told or been told.

They lived through the Depression, the war, the blitz, rationing, austerity and the end of Empire.

Jimmy saw children’s bodies smashed into kindling and crushed among the bricks of bombed out homes. So by the time he had grandchildren, I think he understood how fragile and temporary we were.

Across the bar in the pub I saw a boy eating out with his grandparents. I watched him ignore them as he played games on his iPad. I wanted to tell him to look up from the screen, and make himself some memories. Because one day he would need them more than he could ever guess.”

An article well worth reading I thought and even though it is something we try to keep in mind I still made the whole family read it!

Here is a quote I think fits well here by Alex Haley;

“Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do.  Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children.”

Till next time happy painting, sculpting and also spending lots of time with your own loved ones.

Love Marie xxx

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

I have PMT and a Hand Gun, any questions?

My girlfriend had that quote on her fridge for many years and it always amused me greatly.  Hormones have a lot to answer for don’t they, too much or too little and we all fall apart.  Remember the teenage years with the angst of emotions due to the raging hormones, when we didn’t know where we fit in and who we were and even what we were doing half the time.  Couple that with the stress of school, homework, nagging parents and peer pressure and there is no wonder that teenagers in general do some crazy stuff.

CERAMIC AND MOSAIC SCULPTURE

This ceramic and mosaic sculpture features the Scotch College students in Adelaide rowing, sculling a sport which  has people of every age enjoying life to their full capacity.  This is not a sport just for teenagers and I do have two good friends who still compete on a national and international level in the Masters Games at 65 and 85 respectively.   So OK, as you get older you may require a top up of those hormones but hey that’s no big deal!

GRUMPY OLD MEN AND ART

At the other end of the scale from teenagers, there is the Grumpy Old man syndrome and that seems to me to be a direct correlation to the lack of testosterone or thyroid problems which also has to do with hormones.  I figure the grumpiness comes from feeling tired, unhappy and depressed with a flagging sex drive – who can blame them really, that’s enough to make anyone feel low.  Often there may also be an underlying medical problem such as high blood pressure, diabetes and blocked arteries.

THE ART OF SEX HORMONES

Testosterone is vital in puberty responsible for the voice being deepened, helps to build the muscles and keeps the bones strong and also boosts the size of the penis.  After the age of 30 there is a gradual decline in the testosterone; however that should not normally lead to a lack of interest in sex.  So before you go and reach for the Viagra have a health check and sort out the other medical issues first and then check the testosterone levels and if need be get a boost.

THE ART OF HUMOUR

What I think is vital in tackling any health issue is a good sense of humour and that is what I try to do with my art.  Sometimes tackling the bigger issues through painting and sculpting to give you all something to think and laugh about.  Why not also with a joke; so here is one for you; Did you hear about the man who swallowed his Viagra too slowly?  He got a stiff neck!

So you would think women would be used to having to both deal with and talk about hormones having all suffered from PMT – Pre menstrual syndrome for a large part of their lives.

THE ART OF NOT MENTIONING THE WORD MENOPAUSE

It therefore perplexes me that women are finding it so hard to deal with and discuss Menopause.  Mention that word at a dinner party and find the women shut up, and the men looking around too scared to speak.   It is something glossed over and just not talked about unless it is during a heart to heart with a very close girlfriend.

Is it because for some, it signals that the child bearing years are over – well you can understand the sadness when menopause strikes a 30 something woman, or is it that it makes them feel old?  However for most women the “change of life” comes along in the 40-50 age group, with forty being the new 20’s and fifty the new 30’s that’s just not old anymore.  So just like hormones played havoc with your body in the teenage years so the pesky little devils try to again.

Now luckily we live in an era where we do not have to put up with that – I mean who would voluntarily  put up with the Oestrogen deficiency symptoms such as; hot flushes, light headedness, headaches, irritability, depression, unloved feelings, anxiety, mood changes, sleeplessness, unusual tiredness, backache joint pains, muscle pains, new facial hair, dry skin, crawling feelings under the skin, fewer sexual feelings, dry vagina, uncomfortable intercourse and urinary frequency, loss of memory, muddled thinking and heart palpitations.

It is bad enough to have to suffer through one or two of these symptoms never mind having the smorgasbord effect, lol.

THE ART OF GETTING YOUR LIFE BACK

So women of the world unite, don’t suffer in silence.  Go and speak to a Doctor who specializes in menopause a normal GP will not do (unless you are lucky enough to find a GP with very sympathetic ear and all the specialized skills required).

There is help out there in form of HRT and it is not the bad guy that the press have been making it out to be either.  Best medical information has HRT as very safe for the otherwise healthy woman.  However what is important is to get the dosage right and that takes some consultation over a few months and the added benefits apart from the oestrogen deficiency symptoms disappearing is the long term reduction in diabetes, bowel cancer and osteoporosis.

THE ART OF BEING HEALTHY AND SEXY

GET YOU LIFE BACK, feel as vital and energetic, positive and sexy as ever.  Menopause once treated is no big deal at all.  What’s made it a big deal is the way we have handled it for so long, swept it under the carpet and talked about it in hushed tones.

So here is a quote for the boys by Rita Rudner that I think fits very well here;

“Male menopause is a lot more fun than female menopause.  With female menopause you gain weight and get hot flushes.  Male menopause – you get to date young girls and drive motorcycles.”

Although the ladies may prefer this one instead by an unknown author;

“My husband, being unhappy with my mood swings, bought me a mood ring the other day so he would be able to monitor my moods.  We’ve discovered that when I am in a good mood it turns green and when I am in a bad mood it leaves a big red mark on his forehead!  Next time he will buy me a diamond..duh!”

Till next time,

Love Marie xxx

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

Today’s art blog was going to be about something entirely different but then when I turned on my computer and checked the emails I got sent “50 Life Lessons” by Regina Brett by a friend.  Well actually it was called 45 life lessons in the email and also said to be written by a 90 year old whereas the real author is only 56 however the contents and the life lessons that were brought up so resonated with me that I did want to share them with you.

ACRYLIC PAINTING

I though this acrylic on board  cat painting would go well here as it is called “Celebrate our nine lives”.   Underneath this artwork are “THE 50 LIFE LESSONS “and afterwards I will tell you a bit more about the wonderful author/columnist/journalist Regina Brett.

THE ART OF LIFE

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.                                                                                                                                  

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.                                                                                                                                  

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

41. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now                                                                                                                        

42. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift..

MORE ART BLOGS WITH QUOTES TO LIVE BY

If you want to read some more uplifting quotes by a variety of different authors have a look at these art blogs 136 Quote and Unquote in Art and 148 Art and my Favourite Quotations

THE ART OF THE AUTHOR

Regina Brett was born 31^st of May 1956 and is a journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist and writes for the Plain Dealer which is a daily newspaper in Ohio.  To date she has also written two books “God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life’s Little detours”  as well as “Be the Miracle: 50 Lessons for making the impossible possible” which was published in 2012.  She has been nominated for umpteen awards and also won several outright for her writing.

THE ART OF LIFE

Regina says her lessons in life comes from being a single parent for the first 18 years, struggling to find the right partner and battling breast cancer at 41 years of age.  Put that together with healing the bruises from a bumpy childhood and also what she has learned from her readers during her time as a journalist.  She says she is thrilled to be growing old – having battled breast cancer especially, however it is slightly amusing that she is said to be 90!

She says that she is happy for her life lessons to be forwarded on as long as her name is kept on them of course.

So I leave you then with Regina Brett’s quote;

“Growing old beats the alternative – dying young”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all.

Love Marie xxx

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

This artwork “Our Richest Treasures” made from handmade ceramic and mosaic is part of a public sculpture called the Federation Gateway Sculpture at the entrance to Balaklava a town in the Mid North, South Australia and celebrates the senior citizens which are among our richest treasures.   Here is some links to more about this Public Sculpture; 109 Stories behind the Wall and 121 Volunteers our Backbone

CERAMIC AND MOSAIC

The 1901 wall depict 9 separate stories and the 2001 wall tells another 8 stories of both ordinary and famous people who have connections with our district.  Their tales are told in pictures and words with my hand-made ceramic tiles surrounded by mosaic and the words which has been etched on aluminium plaque.

THE ART OF A SENIOR CITIZEN

As the Australian Government announced recently that they are going to pay employers a bonus for hiring and retaining older workers I thought this artwork of Mrs. Clare Bowers was topical for my blog this week. (More on Clare later).

The plan is to pay a $1000 bonus to employers that recruit workers aged 50 years or over for more than three months and the government are also extending programs that provide support  to employers who promote older workers and will put more funds toward career advice services and also education for mature workers.

I am one of these people that think that age is just a state of mind and the thought that there is that age discrimination in the workplace is just ridiculous.  A good mix of young and old and people from all different cultures and ways of life is the key.  You need young people who can look at a task or problem with fresh eyes and ideas and also the older person with life experience and some mileage under their belt to provide a balance in most work areas.

That said my first occupation as a Fashion Model was a very youth oriented profession, although I have looked on with amusement as there has been quite a movement there too into the older woman who still looks great. To me it does make a lot of sense to have the clothes that are aimed at the more mature bracket modelled by the women that are actually going to wear them.

THE ART OF STAYING YOUNG

From my observation it all started by Lauren Hutton being retained by Revlon during the 80’s and 90’s and then followed by the likes of Elle MacPherson, Christie Brinkley and Jerry Hall.  In the last couple of years the Couger trend has really caught on and the oldest model rumoured to be hitting the catwalk is Carmen Dell’Orefice who at 79 still looks fantastic (with a little help I presume).

Mia Freedman from Mama Mia said recently “ As far as I can tell, there are only two ages for female celebrities: Dame Judi Dench and 30. At Dame Judi’s end, it’s pretty lonely. Just her and Betty White. At the other end, it’s gridlock with everyone from Courtney Cox, 47, to Lindsay Lohan, 26, visually colliding at the age of 30.

This is weird. Especially when – like me – you fall into the twilight zone between 30 and Betty White.”

Mia does have a point and she is not suggesting that we stop dying our hair, fight wrinkles and go without makeup but she does go on to say that there is a time when you go from looking amazing for your age to looking a little weird and then seriously weird, lol.

These days the designers in New York and Paris are getting on the band wagon and hiring the older birds, much to the audiences delight who laughed,  clapped and chatted  throughout the shows which is not always the norm at these events.

THE ART OF AGING GRACEFULLY OR NOT

What has made me cross in the last couple of months though is the flack that both Demi Moore and Madonna have been getting from some reporters.  In this day and age when so many of us are careful about what we eat and stay fit and healthy.  Why shouldn’t Madonna be up there on stage for the release of her new album, dancing as if her pants were on fire!  She is probably fitter now than ever, looks great and sounds great.  Maybe there is something in the saying; “ that you are only as old as the man you feel.”

Madonna had the last laugh though as her album has shot up the hits list and went straight to number one.  MDNA is Madonnas 12^th album to top the chart, beating Elvis Presley’s record which stands at 11.  So obviously she still resonates with both the young and the older demographic.  Demi Moores story on the other hand has been a little sad as we have watched her desperate attempt to keep up with her daughter and her young friends through a haze of alcohol and drugs after her very public breakup from her much younger man.

I would be the last person to cast a stone her way as I still love to party – if there is music playing I will still dance till the sun comes up and partake in a drink or two.

THE ART OF GROWING UP

Chili Davis quote “Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional”, which brings me back to this Centenary of Federation Sculpture and Clare Bowers.

When Clare was eighty years old she was most interested to see the silos being built in her home town of Balaklava.  So on one of her shopping trips she asked one of the builders if it was possible to go to the top of the silo.  The arrangements were made and at 5pm on the allotted day the residents to the local old folks home where Clare lived, were ushered outside to a prime viewing spot on the footpath.  They were all very surprised to see Clare hoisted to the top of the silo in a safety cage.

Clare certainly had a zest for life and at the age of eighty-seven she again soared to great heights, this time as the eldest passenger of the Balaklava Gliding Club.

I think these quote fits well here the first one by Judith Regan;

“The key to successful aging is to pay as little attention to it as possible”

And the second from Henry David Thoreau who said;

“None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm”.

Till next time  happy painting and sculpting and staying alive to you all,

Love Marie xxxx   (c)

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

]]> http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/132-age-is-just-a-state-of-mind/feed/ 1 http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/still-smoking-hot/ http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/still-smoking-hot/#comments Fri, 24 Feb 2012 02:18:44 +0000 http://www.mariejonssonharrison.com.au/new/?p=3183 PAINTING INSPIRATION

This acrylic painting is called “Oh my god, my gown won’t shut I’m showing my butt” and was inspired by my own stay in hospital some years ago.  So true isn’t it why do they like you to have your bottom hanging out when you are sick!!!

I woke myself up giggling this morning and just couldn’t stop, lol, you see my mother is in hospital – yes I know that in itself is not funny at all of course, but she is funny, so let me explain.

MUM, ART AND LOVE

My mum is in her 70’s and not that you would ever think that to look at her and she is on the go all the time, still working and running around a million miles an hour.  There are lots of things that I like – yes love about my mum and one of those things is her sense of humor, she knows how to take the Mickey out of anything.  If there is some fun to be had she will find it and if she cannot find any fun she will make her own and grab me or whoever is near and have a little dance, her favorite the tango.

ARTISTIC IMPRESSIONS

So backtrack to yesterday and my visit to my mother who is in hospital with pneumonia.  The pneumonia she has had for quite a few weeks but of course she has not taken to her bed but kept up all her engagements as usual, not missing a beat.  When she finally showed up to the Doctor to get her third lot of antibiotics, the Dr decided rather wisely that she had to be admitted to hospital.  So there she was in a ward of 6, coughing her lungs up and with oxygen mask attached to her face and a drip with antibiotics in her arm.  The other ladies around her seemed much older and some were decidedly ‘off with the fairies’ and that’s where my mum’s hilarious impressions come in.

You see the lady in the bed opposite must be suffering from some kind of dementia because there she is smoking in hospital – not just one cigarette, oh no she puffs on one after the other all day!

My mum did a sterling impression; you see of course you cannot smoke in the hospital so it’s done with either a straw or a red pen.  As mum showed, the cigarette is held elegantly in the right hand, and then a big drag of “smoke” is inhaled and blown out again, whereby the ash will then have to be flicked into an empty water-glass on the bedside table.  This scenario is repeated continuously throughout the day, so much so that when the TV man came by to see if my mother wanted the television connected she said she didn’t have time for that when there was such an interesting view across the room.

ART AND NUDITY

So Mum had my father, brother and I in stitches with her renditions of this smoking lady but of course there were more tricks to her repertoire!  There was of course the undressing – the lady in question obviously did not like clothes much, perhaps she was one who had enjoyed the freedom of the nudist clubs in her past.  Well either that or it is just one of these things as you get older and lose your faculties, the thing is at every opportunity the lady took her clothes off.  Much to the annoyance of the nurses, who had to turn up at her bedside 18 times a day and put her clothes back on.  My mum cried with laughter as she relayed the goings on, and as if that wasn’t bad enough the lady in question liked to lie in the bed with her legs far apart!  Mum said it was really lucky for them all that the lady was wearing nappies!

THE ART OF MAINTAINING A GOOD ATTITUDE

Now of course this in itself is very sad for the lady and her family – but I do think my mum is on to something with her attitude.  You can either get depressed and think how sad and tragic life is and worry for your own future, I mean my mum is in her 70’s  after all.  Or you can live everyday to the full and enjoy each minute and find a laugh where it lands without judgement or thought.  We all got to die sometime but until then let’s just celebrate and find the humor around every corner and remember that you only live once.

ART AND OLD PEOPLE

My mother in law also made me laugh last time she was in hospital, she was rushed in for another heart attack, number 4 thank you very much!  She spent the first few days in intensive care and then was supposed to be put in another ward.  However when she heard which ward, she put her foot down and said indignantly  “What, there is no way you are moving me up to that ward – that’s full of old people”  The funny thing is she is 82 years old, lol, that’s the spirit isn’t it!

So here is a quote that I love on the topic (author unknown)

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming; “WOW WHAT A RIDE!”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting and laughing to you all,

Love Marie xxx

Here is a link where the painting can be viewed on my website Paintings for sale.

(c)

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

]]> http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/still-smoking-hot/feed/ 2 http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/102-mother-in-law/ http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/102-mother-in-law/#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:05:24 +0000 http://www.mariejonssonharrison.com.au/new/?p=2805 ART AND MOTHERS IN LAW

There is always a joke or two about the mother-in-law, isn’t there?  Here is one to get us started;

“I haven’t spoken to my mother-in-law for eighteen months.  I don’t like to interrupt her”  or how about ;  “ Honolulu, well it’s got everything: sand for the children, sun for the wife and sharks for the wife’s mother.”  (Both by Ken Dodd)

The acrylic on canvas painting above is a subject matter I have visited many times, happy memories from my childhood with artistic licence of course.

THE ART OF ALWAYS BEING THERE

Well I am very pleased to say that I actually like my mother-in-law, as a matter of fact LOVE her.  Her name is Avis (as in rent a car, lol) and she has been a constant influence and full of love and advice and always been ready to lend a hand no matter what.  She is one of these people that you can truly rely on.

So that said and made clear, she also drives us nuts, LOL.  Yes I know, I do always say that it is a wife’s job to drive her husband nuts and I do a good job of that myself, so I don’t need any help on that front.

Let’s just say that over the last 30 or so years my husband or I have called Nanna up in the week or 2 leading up to an important occasion, like a birthday, Easter, Christmas, Mother’s day, Father’s day or the like.  Asking very sweetly what the plans are for this occasion so we can put it in the diary.

You see we live very busy lives with the diary full of work commitments and social engagements of our own or the kids and also some time reserved for just chilling too.  So we like to know ahead of time so we are prepared.

THE ART OF MOTHERS DAY

Let’s take Mothers Day this year; I made the call to my mum and to Nanna.  Dinner with my side of the family at 7pm, however Nanna said “No I am not going to have anything this year, but if you want to pop in your welcome”.   That suited us, stop and see Nanna and Pa late afternoon on our way out for dinner.

So with that in mind we planned a lovely day, I got brekky in bed, leisurely got ready and went to the Botanical gardens where we planned on having lunch and seeing an art exhibition and looking at all the botanical exhibits too.    We had only just got there when we received a rather frantic call from our daughter asking where we were.  Nanna had lunch ready and were waiting for us!  What the!!!

THE ART OF FATHERS DAY

So much for the lovely day right!!! Mmmm… then it’s Fathers day,  I make the phone call again, same deal,  Nanna says she ain’t having anything, as she is feeling a little tired.  So I said ok that’s fine, we will just pop in on our way to my mum and dad’s around 4PM for a coffee.

Father’s day comes around, hubby gets brekky in bed,  big treat for him, I am very fortunate to get that rather often (yes I know, I am spoiled!)  Anyway hubby was lapping it up and planning to do boys stuff that day, potter around and play with his new cordless drill and other exciting things like that (you have to be of the male sex persuasion to understand the joys of power tools I think, beats me!)

Well you guessed it come eleven o’clock in the morning  and I get a call from Nanna who says “I am feeling better today so got up at 9am and have been cooking up a storm since then, so you have to come for LUNCH now!

Lol you should have seen me trying to tell hubby that his lovely plans for his Father’s day had gone out the window yet again.  The added problem we have is the four heart attacks and one stroke that Nanna has had, so we don’t want to upset the apple cart so to speak either.

THE ARTFUL SURPRISE

Anyway yesterday we were all invited for a BBQ at Hillivis boyfriend’s house.   Both sets of grandparents were coming up, hubby and I were picking up Nanna and Pa originally but they decided to instead take their own car.  We were expected to arrive  at 5.30 and had set off for the drive up to the country when Hillivi called in a panic from the shower “Mum what’s going on its 4.15 and Nanna and Pa are outside,  the house is a mess, dishes everywhere and I am washing my hair, why are Nanna and Pa here already?”

Well beats me, but I was glad it wasn’t us this time.

So with affection Nanna and with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek, here is another quote that amused me on the topic, by Henny Youngman;

“Just got back from a pleasure trip: I took my mother-in-law to the airport.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all,

Love Marie xxx   (C)

If you enjoyed this art blog you may enjoy this one too about my mother 123 Still Smoking Hot

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

Isn’t it interesting how friendships are, how people come and go in your life?   Some are there all the way others appear and disappear only to reappear again.

Just like I imagine these cats do in my painting “Cats in Case” in a Louis Vuitton bag (which is also available as a limited edition Giclee Print)

If I think about my own friends and I do have quite a few, although I could probably count on 2 hands the ones I could run to if I was really in trouble and know that they would come to my aid.  That’s not saying that I don’t treasure the rest any less as each and every one of my friends has added value to my life.

THE ART OF THE FAIR-WEATHER FRIEND

Now I won’t count into that number the “fair-weather” variety that did me wrong over the years. Oh yes I have had my share of those, as I think most of us have.  You know the type they come across all sweetness and light and you just love them to bits when suddenly you find they have just pulled the carpet from under your feet.

You are just like “I swear I was just standing on carpet a minute ago, what AM I doing here lying on the floor”!   With time you learn to dust yourself off and get on the bike again although it does hurt just as much as when you were little, it is lucky that with the years you learned some coping skills.

We just had this discussion with the nephew who said he has many different circles of friends and we are just the same.

FROM ART TO MONEY

There is the” Hippy Variety” – into having a good time and looking after the environment, “ The Cashed up lot” – when we go out with them we end up spending a week’s wage on one meal and need the magnifying glass to find the food on the plate,lol and have to stop at McDonalds on the way home!

“The Teacher group” – loves books like me & always interested in everything,  The “Arty-Farty gang” –  doing the art galleries, film and theater events,  “The Swim friends” – where it’s all about health & diets and the “Farmer mob”- oh you guess it, all about the weather at first, but then you peel a layer and there is lots more to them too.    I still see some of my “Modelling friends” where it’s about old times, botox and menopause, lol  – it used to be more fun when they were into sex, drugs and rock & roll!

THE ART OF LIVING LIFE

Not forgetting our kids, their friends, nieces and nephews as well, I have to admit I am rather fond of the younger generation – they are lots of fun and haven’t gotten that grumpy old man or woman syndrome yet either which is always a bonus.

Anyway what’s with the grumpy syndrome anyway – take a chill pill and enjoy life it’s way too short to waste on negativity (I do make exception for one grumpy friend lol somehow he is cute & grumpy and makes me laugh)

The thing is I enjoy all of their company and feel very lucky to have such a broad range of people who are all interesting in their own way.  So with such a cross section of friends there is not a chance to get bored.

Now over the last year I have acquired a new category the Facebook friends – and yes a lot are of course just acquaintances; however there certainly are some of those with whom a deeper relationship is developing, reaching out across the world from Scotland to South Africa, Indonesia to Hongkong, Turkey, France, USA, the Middle East and even Russia.

ARTISTIC WEBSITE

A rich diverse and very interesting lot they are.  So today I would like to share a poem from one of these friends, her name is Annamarie Causer and she is a writer, columnist and author of many poetry books.  She also writes for a website called  CRAIGMILLAR (look under Memories for Diary of a Countryside Lady) or find her on Facebook FB CRAIGMILLAR (for news, opinion, history and events)  Annamarie was inspired to write this from the “Cats in case” artwork, and I hope later on to share more of her work with you.

“ODE TO FUZZY FELINES
Kitties to the left of me,
kitties to the right.
out the box
they pop,
playfully causing fright.
Some with white sock.
A suitcase laced
with a li’l
bitty
kitty.
Legs braced
agin their tangling,
wrangling,
and dangling
furry body.
Their whirlish dervish
and devilish laced
antic
cause endless frantic
a worrisome flurry
and such a worry
(but only to cat haters)”

Here is a quote I like from Abraham Lincoln,

“No matter how much cats fight, there always seems to be plenty of kittens.”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you,

Love Marie     (C)

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALEand SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

You know sometimes you meet people and you just love them right away and wonder why you just haven’t been friends forever such inspirational people both for paintings and art blogs and life in general.

That has just happened to me-I have just met a couple of new friends,  I guess the only unusual thing is that these two new friends are quite a bit older than me- so if you ever think age is a barrier to friendship you may have to think again.  In the future this painting or any others I do of the older generation will have to depict them doing much more interesting things than knitting!

I will tell you about Helen first, she was introduced as the mad cousin of a photographer friend of mine.  Helen told me she likes a chardonnay or two and that she doesn’t do mornings and then proceeded to have me in stitches telling me not to be surprised if she dances on the bonnet (hood) of the car by the end of the night, as that has been known to happen!

THE ART OF AGING

Not unusual you say- well maybe just a touch if you are 81 years old!  My husband Bryan was sitting next to Helen and opposite me for dinner, and the whole time he was crying with laughter and had tears rolling down his face as this gorgeous and vivacious woman told her tales and entertained us all night long.

Making us laugh about birth, death and everything in between.  One such story was this one:

Helen had promised to take her rather new 95 year old friend out for her birthday.  The lady in question was in a nursing home and did not get out much.  Helen had been very busy with this and that and had not got around to cleaning out her car, however just before she was due to pick her friend up she had the guilts about that and got the vacuum cleaner and car polish out and made the car shine.

THE ART OF DOING THE RIGHT THING

She had set the table like a 95 year old would appreciate with nice crockery and doilies and flowers and the like, and then set off to the nursing home to pick her up.

When she got there her friend was sitting in her room in the wheelchair all dressed in her fineries with a hat on her head looking like she was asleep, and the nurse told Helen to just wake her up and get going.  However that was easier said than done as the lady in question was really quite dead,  stiff in fact.  However that did not seem to register with the nurse who started to call in her walkey talkey  and asking for the oxygen to be brought in, as Helen tells it- that might have helped an hour ago but it wasn’t going to make any difference now. LOL

Helen stayed around and called the next of kin (although she did not know them or the lady that had died terribly well) However she did the right thing and helped with what she could.  Anyway a few days later this woman’s two daughters appeared on the doorstep of Helen’s house and Thanked her ever so much for everything and said that they had some things of her mother’s that they would like Helen to keep as a thank you.

MORE ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS

Helen told them there was really no need as she did not want for anything and she thought the girls should keep all the possessions for themselves.  But they insisted and said they could not think of anyone else who were more deserving of this small inheritance. Helen did not know how she could contain her laughter when they finally revealed their gifts to her; they were a Mega pack of Steradent ( a type of false teeth cleaning tablet) and a MEGA pack of incontinence pads!

Helen graciously thanked them very much before they left, never revealing her true feelings, lol, she may be 81, she knows that, but for goodness sake she needed neither.  She said she uses the Steradent to clean out her red wine decanters and they do a very good job of that, and she thinks she may have to use the incontinence pads to take of her makeup with.

Another art blog featuring a Public Sculpture that I made on the topic of living life to the fullest no matter what your age is this one;132 Age is just a state of mind

I so wish I had met her earlier and also met her late husband Stan, apparently he was a character too.  He loved his garden and would go out and water his flowers and plants every morning-in the nude-mind you, well maybe not completely as he always wore a hat and tie, but nothing else.  What a sight for sore eyes.

So I keep telling myself do not judge a book by its cover, you never know what treasures you may find inside.

I feel sure this quote is one that Helen does not live by, lol as said in jest (I’m sure) by Janeane Garofalo.

“The glass is always half empty.  And cracked. And I just cut my lip on it. And chipped a tooth”

Till next time happy painting and sculpting to you all!

Love Marie  xx

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

]]> http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/48-art-in-a-surprise-package/feed/ 0 http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/23-dont-let-your-arthritis-get-in-the-way/ http://mariejonssonharrison.com.au/23-dont-let-your-arthritis-get-in-the-way/#comments Fri, 18 Jun 2010 05:19:15 +0000 http://www.mariejonssonharrison.com.au/new/?p=759 PAINTING ON THE COVER OF THE ADELAIDE REVIEW

I was thrilled when I found out that my painting Don’t let Your Arthritis get in the way was going to be on the cover of  the Adelaide Review it was printed in conjunction of an art exhibition at the time.

Quite amazing to me that one can have two completely separate occupations and both ended up gracing covers on magazines.

THE ART OF GROWING OLD

Funny though you would never get a cover in modelling showing old folks like this.

Shame isn’t it that growing old is not celebrated more; you often hear that youth is wasted on the young and in many ways that is true.

Although I must say in my own case that each passing year just gets better than the last.  Yes sure, there are always hick ups along the way, life happens to you whilst you are busy doing other things…. as Lennon said.

But for the most part, it’s such a joy to be alive, I’m just not totally happy with the allotment of time…..are we talking round the 100 or so years at the most, give or take a few years.

How is that going to be enough, there is so much to do and see and experience and equally important are the quiet times, sitting cosy by the fire with the rain falling on the iron roof, kicking back with a good red and the latest movie.

On this painting you will find me (30 years or so into the future) the one, in the middle kicking my legs up, yes I do that still and intend to till the end, if I can still muster up the energy.

Bryan is by the bar, hair grey now (it really is grey now although I always paint him still with his blond curly hair and blond moustache)

PAINTING & FRIENDS

The others in the painting are our friends, and you may not have noticed but we have been a little to boisterous in our attempts at some good old fashioned boogying that we have all lost our false teeth, they are all around us on the floor.

Well let’s hope that not all my paintings come true, I would really like to keep my teeth were they belong, and not in a glass by the bed.

Here is a thought by Albert Schweitzer (humanitarian and philosopher) that I like.

“An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight.  The truly wise person is colour-blind.”

Till next time, happy painting and sculpting!

Love Marie xxx                             (c)

Here is another art blog with my artwork on 112 Artlink Magazine and also as a model on the cover of Playboy.

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALEand SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.