loving art, science and creative kids
8/28/2015 4:36:03 PM
Window To Home
Acrylic painting on canvas, 20- x 15- , $ 325
We have art throughout our house, our own and that of others, creating a gallery for contemplation and enjoyment.
Passion for Art
Running the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry was a high-stress job. I had to keep 350 employees busy with new exhibits, education programs, a submarine and Omnimax films. Staff managed and operated the restaurant and the gift shop. Fundraising, also the job of the president, included soliciting donors, lobbing for legislative money and writing grants. It was a fun but a very exhausting position, and I knew that I had to have an outlet to manage stress. I exercised and meditated but my mind was never clear of work-a day worry.
Fortunately, Martin, my former artist husband, came to the rescue and convinced me to take up painting. He made me an easel for Christmas and set me up with paints, saying, -Go to it.- At first I was shy about painting in front of him since he was a successful professional artist. I did not want to take lessons and have to -learn the right way to paint,- because, frankly, that sounded like too much work. Instead I was encouraged to just enjoy myself and not to worry about what anyone else thought, nor think about producing pieces worthy of sale.
So I brazenly followed his advice and painted following the techniques and styles of the masters, and I didn't worry about being good. Often, I redid the original art I put on canvas, painting only for myself. My husband was wonderful, always complimentary, only offering advice when I asked for it.
Painting became an all-encompassing passion. It helped keep my blood pressure low and enthusiasm high. It is impossible to put a dab of paint or a line on a canvas and think about anything else. Try it. You'll see what I mean. While painting, my mind is clear of daily concerns for I am totally absorbed in what I am doing.
I started this hobby 30 years ago and have been at it ever since. Slowly, without realizing, I improved. Instead of always following the masters I began developing my own style. People began asking if they could purchase my paintings and I submitted some to be shown at festivals, winning awards and selling here and there.
Art has helped me see the world more clearly. Walking through the city or a country lane is a new experience with every step. I look at plants and houses more deliberately than before, noticing colors, shapes, unusual flaws and quirky images. I study eyes, noses, smiles, and shadows and consider how to portray a 3-D world on a 2-D canvas.
When I met Ray, visits to art museums became part of our travel experience and we became more focused on our home's interior decorations. At first, I put my paintings up everywhere I could find space. Ray's masks and totem poles were also liberally sprinkled throughout the house. After we became more knowledgeable and critical we started looking at works by other artists, buying their paintings and bringing them into our home. Summer street fairs became a search for the most unusual appealing art by local artists. A swatch of color here and a mood changing image there has transformed our house into an eclectic gallery. It is fun to look at the pictures and sculptures, remembering the artists who produced them and the circumstances of the purchases. Friends enjoy visiting and studying the variety of works that enhance our walls, sharing their impressions with hours of comment afterwards.
Raven and Sun by Ray Losey
From time to time my grandchildren asked to paint along side me during their visits. Sometimes we would go outside with chalk, selecting an interesting scene to draw. Other times they sloshed paint on paper, mixing colors and images that matched their own imaginations. Visits to art and craft museums gave our family an opportunity to talk about what we like or don't like, what the artist was trying to portray and how styles have changed over the centuries. Very often their insights were more astute than my own.
Yes, art is now integrated into my life at every level. My studio is entrance to a woman-cave where time stands still. Painting has taught me patience, not to be too self-critical and to realize that practice certainly is necessary for improvement. It is wonderful to be retired and have opportunities to create art and to match visual expressions with written words. Most of all, art has shown me that having a passionate hobby is fun and mind expanding. I recommend that you give it a try! You won't be sorry.
Art work is always for sale at: For more information go to eichingerfineart.com or raylosey.com or contact me at [email protected].
I would love to hear from you below.
8/21/2015 12:46:50 PM
Hood River Bed and Breakfast
Acrylic painting on canvas 28” x 32” : $ 399.
When traveling we often stay in a bed and breakfast.
Summertime—Was the Living Easy?
Vision of My Young Self
School is over and the fun begins. No more homework! Lazy days lie before me with nothing to do and no where to go. I can’t wait to get out my bicycle and go exploring the woods with my cousin. I’m going to sleep late and do nothing, nothing, nothing! Maybe I’ll see a few friends, eat a lot of ice cream and swim if it is hot. A whole two months for play. . . Mom, I’m bored. There’s nothing to do. I miss my friends. When does school start again?
Vision of My Parents
The kids are home, what am I going to do with them? They are underfoot, tracking in dirt, bored, wanting me to entertain them, constantly hungry and exhausting me. I have to take them everywhere with me: to the grocery store, to the cleaners and to their play dates. The good side is that I don’t have to wake up early and run around like a mad woman to be sure they are ready for school on time. No school lunches to prepare.
I need to get organized, plan fun things to do together like going to the park on our bicycles. Do I need to do more? Is it true that children lose a lot of what they have learned during the school year when they stop academics in the summer? I suppose summer means that I am the teacher or counselor. What do I want them to learn? The school suggests daily time with work books that they sold at the end of the year. Should I have them spend some of their time doing math or writing so they will not fall back in school? Perhaps I’ll send them away to camp or sign them up for swimming and tennis lessons. Maybe we can go to the beach for a family vacation and stock up on vitamin D. Do they still need to practice the piano during vacation?
I can’t wait for school to start again. Yea! it’s finally time. The kids start next week. My sister’s children returned in mid-August. Imagine that! Lucky her.
Vision of Myself as a Parent Before I Started Work
It is so much more relaxing when the kids are off from school, but I need to organize myself to ensure they are busy. It’s no fun when they hang around bored. I want them to spend a lot of time outdoors but I also want them to keep learning. This is my time to round out the gaps in their school education. Nature camp or science camp for a few weeks seems like a good start, but my budget is tight this year. I will plan to arrange for a few excursions of my own. We might start with a tracking expedition in the woods. Later we can use our underwater scope to check out the creek and collect water samples to analyze. Food is a big issue so working on a garden would be fun. I think I will get a food dehydrator so we can take fresh fruit and make our own snacks. Fun, fun, fun! I like being the home teacher but I am lucky that I do not have to go to work.
Well, you can get too much of a good thing. I can’t get anything done when the kids are underfoot. When does school start? I’m liking forward to Labor Day.
Vision of Myself as a Parent After I Started to Work
The kids are off from school. How am I going to manage? Do I just leave them home by themselves all day or do I have to pay for a babysitter? There are lots of summer programs but they cost money. Perhaps I can arrange different hours in order to take turns with my husband for home time. I wonder if my mother or sister will help out a bit. This is going to be a very exhausting summer. I have an idea. I am going to speak to my friend and see if she will exchange care time. I’ll take half a day and she can take the other half. If I have to work longer hours, then I will just have to pay for a sitter. We will plan for a family vacation and do some fun activities each day. The kids can help out around the house. I wonder if there are any free parks and recreation programs available this summer?
Why don’t the schools take responsibility for children over the summer? They should institute year round classes? Camps are too expensive. Labor Day is soon approaching. We’ll have a family barbecue to mark the occasion and then off to school the next day. Yea!
But, so sad too. My high school graduate will be entering college and I have to drop her off next week. I will miss her . . . even the arguments. A bitter-sweet time for sure. Hope she will be all right on her own.
Vision of Myself as a Grandparent
My grandchildren could be quite a burden on their parents this summer. The 16-year-old is lucky because she found a job, but the others are going to need attention. I think I will send some money so they can go to a week of camp. Ray and I will be taking two of them to the coast for a week, maybe even the mountains. That should help, and it will be a great time to get to know them better. When I was a child, my grandparents were always there to for me. I was lucky because the women and children in our extended family went to the beach for the summer. Men visited on weekends. That is not commonly done these days. My kids work and their children can’t be left alone. Too bad government austerity is making our city’s parks and recreation department cut their programs. I am glad the swimming pool is still open, though. I do wonder about my grandchildren. They do not appear to have the freedom to roam that I did as a child.
Oh my, I do miss having my family around, but on the other hand I like to travel. We always wait until the children are back in school before planning a vacation. Who wants little ones running around the tourist sites and crying in restaurants?
Art is always for sale. Contact me at [email protected] for more information.
8/15/2015 1:11:52 AM
Surf’s up!
Nature shows us the way to deal with the unexpected.
Crash! Bam! What happened?
Two summers ago I broke my arm. Though I tried to think of exotic reasons like rock climbing or motorcycling to blame on the injury, it happened weeding in my garden. I tripped over a rock while reaching for the recycling bin. So much for doing my part for the environment!! Having a cast on my right arm was not the way to enjoy summer.
Accidents happen quickly. “I am going to be more careful,” I chanted to myself. Be here now became my motto. “You just have to pay better attention to what you are doing,” nagged Ray. He is right, as he usually is, but I wondered how in the world I was going to follow through.
Can accidents be prevented and how far should we go to protect ourselves and our offspring? My father used to say “God made children right….low to the ground.” Children fall but seem to bounce back immediately. Their bones are not as brittle as mine and when they do break, they heal rapidly. Playgrounds now have wood chips or rubber ground cover which helps protect a child who falls from a climbing structure. This is a step forward, but let’s face it, most childhood play does not occur in a supervised playground. Children fall off of bicycles, skateboards, and bunk beds as well.
I wanted to find out if some people are more accident prone than others. What I discovered was a resounding, yes they are. According to msnbc.com there are four major reasons – stress, hurry, worry and multitasking. But what is an accident prone brain? The article continued;
“After reviewing the results of 79 studies which recorded the mishaps and misfortunes of nearly 150,000 people from 15 countries, researchers at the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands found that accident-prone people do actually exist. In fact, one out of every 29 people has a 50 percent or higher chance of having an accident than the rest of us. Some children are accident prone because they seek attention from friends and family.”
Researchers at the University of Delaware studying the question discovered that there are neurological differences leading to increased accidents. Reaction time appears to be one factor. Some people have a slower time processing speeds or may have weaker visual/spatial skills. There advice is to understanding yourself better in order to slow down the mishaps.
Multitasking seems to be a major cause of injury, even ranked higher than stress and anxiety. There are things that can be done to minimize this type of brain conflict. Planning telephone calls to be received after you get home rather than while driving will involve training family and friends to be aware that you will not accept calls while in the car. The antidote to negative factors is to learn to live deliberately and in the present. Thinking ahead or about the past while employed in a task leads to carelessness. Hurrying or doing more than one thing at a time is a recipe for injury.
Stress and Anxiety do not help. A parent chopping carrots for dinner can not be distracted by the stress of loud noises or a crying youngster. Putting down the knife to take care of the child or learning to tune out the distraction will keep fingers safe.
Vacations seems to up the ante when it comes to accidents. Jet lag, sleep deprivation and inner ear issues often lead to misfortunes. Sightseers get rushed and pressured into doing everything the travel brochure prescribes. Those seeking relaxation may have a drink or two, walk in unfamiliar territory while looking around and voila! take a spill! I watched a friend fall on broken pavement in Europe. It was not a pretty site and it took many months for her arm to heal. Being present and totally mindful becomes more important on distant journeys than in familiar territory.
Distraction is getting a lot of attention from researchers as a cause for accidents since more people text while walking or phone while driving. Yet other people do not have good situational awareness and don’t follow rules or take precautions. According to Berkeley researchers, young men have the most crashes and injuries because they feel invulnerable and take lots of risks. Those who climb ladders without taking the time to secure them are also foolish and likely to get hurt. I know of one man who died when his ladder fell when he was painting the side of his house. And, my own carelessness led me to crash while reaching for a high picture. My back hurt for months.
Medical problems may be indicated by those experiencing a lot of accidents. The British Medical Journal reported a correlation between injuries and children diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Drug and alcohol use, medications such as tranquilizers, poor emotional or physical health and neurological disorders like MS also result in frequent accidents. So talk to your doctor if trips and spills seem outside the ordinary.
I was pleased to find that there is automobile training for experienced drivers e in accident avoidance. 1.2 million people die each year in car accidents in the US making it the leading cause of accidents. It is estimated that 70% of these accidents can be avoided. Classes teach people defensive driving skills including skid control, learning how to stay calm under pressure, how to break properly on a sharp turn, and how to increase reaction time when faced with unavoidable situations such as a deer crossing your path. These skills are not taught in driver ed classes and are most useful to those who are already practiced drivers.
There are many things parents of young children can do to minimize accidents in the place they are most likely to occur - the home. Grandparents too need to take heed if they are to have little ones visiting. A bit of planning can go a long way to keep your young child safe.
- Check to see if medicines are in a childproof container in a secure place.
- Are electrical cords lose or secure from tripping and are outlets covered?
- Can you slip on a loose rug? Keep tripping hazards away from the stairs. Have strong balustrades and well lit stairways. Keep climbing furniture away from windows and toys put away when not in use.
- Put hot drinks away from the edge of tables, turn pot handles towards the back of the stove, don’t hold a child while drinking a hot beverage, be sure the bath water is warm, not hot..
- Keep matches away from children, have a fire extinguisher handy. Outfit your home with smoke alarms.
- Supervise your young child at all times.
- Educate older children in safety issues at home, in the playground and about how to deal with strangers.
Lastly….Risk is part of life and it is important not to go overboard and not let your child (or yourself) try new adventures. Just be sure that mind and body are well trained for the new task. Be aware of personal limits, practice to expand abilities while targeting attention. Good athletes are cognizant of the need for focus and spend a great deal of time training their minds. We can follow their lead and train ourselves to give complete attention to the task at hand.
Art work is always for sale. Please contact me at [email protected] or visit my web site at eichingerfineart.com for more information.
I look forward to hearing from you. Please comment at below.
References
http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-mind/mind-body/article/accident-prone-personality - Accident prevention and the accident prone.
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/30710797/ns/health-behavior/t/walking-disaster-why-some-are-accident-prone/#.Vcjgs2CsZHg _ why some people are more accident prone.
8/7/2015 10:17:41 AM
Clarity
With age comes a degree of wisdom. A gift you can give your child are the habits needed to live a long life.
Longevity - a gift by example
The American Medical Association on Aging has sketched a do-it-yourself check list of how to live longer and better. The list suggests a balanced diet, regular elimination of waste products, enough rest of both mind and body, pursuit of interesting and specific recreational activities, a sense of humor, avoiding of too much emotional tension, common loyalty of friends and family, pride in a job, partaking in community affairs and continued development of knowledge, wisdom and experience.
Heard this information before? Nothing to it, Lets do it !!! It seems to me that to end up with the above characteristics it would have helped to be in training since childhood. Perhaps a path to longevity is a gift you can give a child. Instead of reading a to-do list in middle or old age, you can benefit a young one by example. How do we begin this training?
- Nutrition . . . . Across the United States Americans are finally getting it together. According to the New York Times, after decades, average weight has gone down, especially among the young. Michelle Obama has played a big role in this by getting restaurants to give caloric information along side the food they serve. School lunch programs are serving more nutritious options, and corner grocery stores in minority areas are challenged to carry fruits and vegetables. Farmers markets that have sprung up across the nation have also make buyers conscious of healthy choices. The greatest impact, though, is that full calorie soda drinking has decreased by 25%. There really is no reason for childhood obesity and starting children on a path to adult diabetes. Parents who grapple with this issue when their children are born are giving a gift to their young ones. Nutrition books that are available by the hundreds are easily available. By gaining control of your own body as an adult, you set the boundaries for others in your family. If you are overweigh don’t hesitate to join programs like Weight Watchers. Acting alone can be very difficult.
I know of one family that went so far as to lock their refrigerator door and kitchen cabinets to discourage unhealthy snacking between meals. This may be extreme, but parents can educate and involve their children in nutritional meal planning, lower the fat content of the milk, eliminate cookies and ice cream at home, and introduce chop sticks as a fun way to dine. Chop sticks slow down eating and encourage attention to what is being consumed.
- Rest and relaxation? Lots of children, especially teens, do not get enough sleep. It is also a problem for aging adults. Tired children go to bed late and are not alert for their morning classes. I have often wondered about school schedules and whether they take into account naturally recurring circadian rhythms. Many high school students have to be in classes at 7:30 or 8 am while their elementary school siblings do not hear the bell until 9. This schedule seems backwards. High school students tend to stay up late and needs to sleep in while young children arise up early. Parents are often late to work because they have to stay home until their elementary children leave for school. Why not reverse the hours?
Average Sleep Needs by Age
3 to 5 years old 11 - 13 hrs
5 to 12 years old 10 - 11 hrs
12 to 18 years old 8.5 - 10 hrs
Adults (18+) 7.5 - 9 hrs
- How do you create a sense of humor in your child? It starts with laughing at Kock, Knock and other jokes your child espouses. Do you look at the funny side of situations? It helps to laugh at awkwardness in yourself, for by doing so you demonstrate that life and you are not perfect. I remember our family in a tent in the mountains of Colorado while it was being blown away during a storm. We had to sit in the corners to hold the material in place. My children were terrified so we sang songs and told jokes, quickly forgetting the outside elements. We all relaxed, had fun and we laughed at the storm while we remained alert for our safety.
- Why wait until you are old and ulcer prone to think about stress? Childhood stress is getting a great deal of media coverage these days. Booked up schedules, pressure to perform perfectly, and lack of time for reflection are having a toll on children. Recognizing and discussing the symptoms of stress, and devising ways to reduce it create teaching moments. Does it help to exercise? to get homework done early rather than late? to develop a daily schedule? to find a friend or adult willing to listen without comment? To meditate? If a young child learns to control stress, then as an adult he or she will have developed excellent coping mechanisms. Stress will always be in our lives, at times bad and often good when motivating. How we deal with it is a skill that can be learned young. As we age it is important to maintain a sense of purpose in life and maintain a balance of activities. Too much stress at any age is not good.
6. Friends, loyalty, and participation in the greater world starts with involvement
in your family, expanding to neighborhood, school, clubs, and community. As a
parent we demonstrate the qualities of a good friend and citizen by example.
The time it takes to develop friendships should be valued as worth doing. I know
many an elderly person alone in their world because they forgot to that
friendships have to be continuously renewed. In old age and old acquaintances die
then new ones have to be sought. Friendships require sharing, giving and as
well as receiving. Participating in meaningful endeavors is a way to find new
friends. Meet-up is a wonderful social media site for finding like minded
individuals. Start showing your children the way by involving them in community
activities like the food bank (one of my daughters did this), delivering food on
wheels (another daughter’s family participated), or collecting money, as I did as a
child for the cancer society. By having your child spend some time giving to others
you are training a future adult to make and keep friends and have a positive impact
on society.
- Jobs are on everyone’s mind in today’s economy. Start building skills by getting your child passionately involved in something . . . collecting comics, model building … music … art …. dance … karate. It does not make a difference as long as it involves some effort to learn a skill and the activity gives a deep sense of accomplishment. When a child feels passion and has pride in his or her accomplishment (even if you think it is foolish) then there is carry-over to the job of the future. Work done with passion is exhilarating and leads one to crave finding that special job that allows for it develop. Experienced when young ,the adult will find his or her way to enjoyable work and hobbies as he ages.
6. Exercise - Why do it? It is one of the most important activities to help people
lose weight and lower the risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and
high blood pressure. Exercise burns calories but to do so you need large chunks
of time to reap weight-loss benefits. Best of all, exercise boots brain power and
reduces stress. It also builds bones, strengthens muscles, expands lung capacity,
reduces risk of falls and enhances the immune system’s ability to detect and
fend off certain types of cancer so why not set an example in your family?
Exercise is a life saving, life extending gift to give your children.
7. Wisdom starts with birth and grows as the child experiences the world. By
providing a broad range of experiences, demonstrating lifelong learning, and
encouraging curiosity you are directing your child towards a life of vigor and
enjoyment. Parents demonstrate their wisdom by example. Grandparents too
make a contribution because they have had more years to test life. They are often
better able than a parent to transmit their knowledge without pressure.
Grandparents can love their grandchildren with abandon, take the time necessary
to get to know them and avoid the pitfalls they fell into when they had a young
family.
Following the advice of the Medical Association on Aging can be your greatest gift you can give your children..
Art work is for sale. Contact me at [email protected].
It is a pleasure to hear from you. What have you been doing to pass the longevity gift on. Please comment below.
References:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/25/upshot/americans-are-finally-eating-less.html?_r=0&abt=0002&abg=0 - Nw York Times article on Americans Eating Less.
www.helpguide.org/articles/sleep/how-much-sleep-do-you-need.htm- How Much sleep is needed at various ages.
http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/aging-and-sleep - Aging and sleeping from National Sleep Foundation.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/researchers-explain-why-exercise-works-magic/ - Scientific American about rewards of exercise.
