Virtual Brush Box

Awareness of the outside world. ANA: National Nurses Week History

~~~

ASHAA Derby Day Fun Show
Stepping Stone Farm
Chelsea AL
Saturday 4 May 2024

Optimus. Thank you to The Bearden & Gray families.
10 Academy Driving – 1st of 1
40 Academy Showmanship Adult WTC – 1st of 2
41 Academy Equitation Adult WTC – 2nd of 2

The barn busted out with Kentucky Derby costumes & decor.

Hats for all. Skittles shows his Derby style. Photo by Courtney Huguley.

The Classes – First

Apparently I have bad habits that only come out at shows. How to fix?

Coach Courtney, from the sidelines: SADDLE SEAT!

Me: Oh. Right. (Back of saddle, hands up, knees in, etc. etc. etc.)

The Classes – Second

Optimus spooked. Twice!

Optimus: Eeek! A person! In a swirly dress!

Me: Seems legit. It’s a place where people usually aren’t. How about we cut off the end of the ring next time around?

Later.

Optimus: Egad! A tent!

Me: No. You’ve seen tents all morning. You are just looking for an excuse.

The Plan

I said I wouldn’t. “Will I do this again in 2024 for the 2025 banquet? That is not the plan. Twice is enough. Time to move on. Grow. Try new things.” [Achievement Unlocked]

Let’s be real. We all knew I was gonna cave.

The particular manner of caving came about because there is a show later in the year that Coach Courtney thinks is fun. If I only do one show, I should do that one. Well, If I do one show, I only need one more to qualify for the year-end awards.

This show popped up. A big show canceled. Stepping Stone decide to put on a local show as a replacement. Not only a one-day fun show, but at home. This show & the one later in the year would be my two shows for riding.

I was going to stick a toe out of my comfort zone and ride another horse. Bubba? Maybe? I mean, even if it all went pear shaped and we lost all our canters, if we at least made it to the line up, the show would count, right? Then, some off-blog stuff came up and I ran out of spoons, frogginess, pick your metaphor. I meekly asked if I might ride Optimus, please, thank you.

Likelihood that I will do a third show to qualify for driving year-end? Yeah, pretty high.

Onwards!
Katherine

Art of the outside world. Artland Magazine: 5 Artists Whose Diaries are as Inspiring as their Art, Wolfe.

~~~

Art Journal Workshop with Chris Cruz
Shelby County Arts Council
Columbiana AL, USA
16 March 2024

Instructor website, Chris Cruz Designs

The Photos

My table at start.

My table at finish. Different table, I switched before we got going. All the tables had basically the same gear.

The Thoughts

My understanding of an art journal is of a recording of events with illustrations, such as BORDER CROSSINGS: A Journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway by Emma Fick. Or perhaps constituting only pictures. Either way, I think of a journal as a diary-like object. [Recent Reads, Mostly Memoir]

The idea here is different. Colors, textures, mixtures being recorded rather than events. This is journal as test bed. Take a watercolor paint. Use lots of water. Label the result. Now paint with the same color, with less water. Label the result. We were encourage to experiment with watercolors, and pastels, and inks, and tissue paper, and anything else on the supply table that struck our fancy. The goal was to try things and keep records, not to make designs. Then, when you were ready to paint for real, you had ideas of what colors, textures, etc. you would want to use.

Since I do not own a single tube of color in any form, nor a single paint brush, this is not likely to be a process I will use. However, I had fun learning the theory & great fun playing with all the supplies. I may have made the artistic equivalent of mud pies, but I had a good time.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. May The Fourth Be With You Party.com.

~~~

Changes to content categories. State of the Blog [Archives]

Friday

Drop: Fitness posts for the first Friday.

Add: A fourth photo post.

Why? Posts were becoming same of a sameness. Daily walks. Check. Monthly 5K. Check. Other activities – swimming, rowing machine, biking, tai chi, stretching – not as often as I’d like, but more than none. Check. All good and useful to do. Not the stuff of riveting reporting. Particularly right now as our daily mileage is posted with the Virtual Tevis. [Archives]

In order to keep up with photography every week, I will expand from the SLR photos. Options include interesting shots with phone camera, as yesterday. Post production. Photo projects. Photography is a wide field. I should be able to fill four posts each month. We shall see.

Ideally, I’d be posting horses, or horse-related, content each day. That would be more on topic.

No.

Ideally ideally, I’d be so busy riding my horses and writing my novel that I would post once a week, if that.

But I digress.

Sunday

Currently, fractal alphabet every other week, alternating with an art adventure post & a design post the other weeks. Fifth Sundays are extra.

I have thoughts for two more alphabets after this one to keep me going well into 2026. I wonder where we will all be then.

Update. Gonna drop the Graphic from the Sunday subtitle, for the sake of simplicity. Decided while proofing tomorrow’s post.

Thursday

Dropped State of the Now a while back. [Back on Social Media, Deleted Project]

Line Up

Monday – Horsekeeping.
Tues & Wednesday – Home Team.
Thursday – Other horses, other animals.

Friday – Photography.
Saturday – Fiction & nonfiction. State of the Blog.
Sunday – Graphic art.

Onwards!
Katherine

Photography of the outside world. Nick Brandt. Wildlife & nature photographer. Images on the effect of climate change. Poke around site for behind-the-scenes images. These photos are a major production. Per him, walks the walk. Returns royalties to portrait subjects. Projects regrassed & carbon neutral. I saw him on a virtual gallery talk hosted by Lehigh University Art Galleries, 18 March 2024.

~~~

~~~

~~~

~~~

~~~

~~~

Technical Details

Bonus photo from my camera.

Appeared when I downloaded the ribbon images from the banquet. Note, purple does not exist in the subject. [Achievement Unlocked, ASHAA Banquet for the 2023 Show Year]

More photo flukes
[In The Field, Accidental Photography]
[Foto Friday: Accidental Art, Horse & Cart]

Onwards!
Katherine

Cats of the outside world. catstamps.org, The Feline Philately Homepage.

~~~

Stepping Stone Farm

Ricky in Repose

Lucy Lounging

[Cat Pause, SSF]

Onwards!
Katherine

❤️

~~~

Awareness of the outside world. Helmet Watch. TV Commercial has helmet. I think western saddle. Brief clip at the beginning with paint horse. You Tube: Twenty Years of Making an Impact | Wounded Warrior Project’s 20th Anniversary.

~~~

Rodney – 6 miles this week, 24 miles total
Milton – 7 miles this week, 24 miles total
Tuesday 23 April to Monday 29 April

Virtual Tevis Cup 2024
100 Miles in 100 Days
10 April to 21 July

All one-mile walks in hand.

Virtual Tevis Posts [Archives]

Onwards!
Katherine