Taos Rhododendron 1

Taos Rhododendron 1
Originally uploaded by Ricky Holtman

Here's one of my sketches from vacation. This is done in one of my little journals. Can you see how much I was enjoying myself with the watercoloring of this flower? Let the healing begin...God is good. Now go do some journaling or copy this flower for your own enjoyment. Use colored pencils, crayon or whatever floats your boat.
God bless
Ricky

I'm BACK!

Hey fellow friends.......I'm back from a glorious vacation. WOWOW! We took off on a Friday, the day after getting unplugged from chemo. I made it to Trinadad, Colorado from Kansas City. That night, laying in bed, I said "Lord what have I done here?" I was fighting diahrhea, fatigue and wondering why I thought I could make a trip this far from home. But I wanted to go back to where we feel at home...Taos, New Mexico.
We were getting ready to move there, a little over two years ago, when I was diagnosed with this demon. So everything was put on hold and here we are today. But GOD is good and I made to Taos finally. After two of three days the chemo started to reside and I was feeling better day by day. In fact by the time we were leaving I was feeling the best I had ever felt in a long time.
This trip was the best medicine in a long time for me.
I stopped off in Cimarron and saw some artist friends and now I have to do a one or two week workshop next June for the art community there. So....God willing I will return and do this.
I sketched and took a ton of photos for painting reference in the future. You'll get to see some of these as the weeks go along.
Out of all this I found out I need to push myself more physically and HOW much you guys mean to me. You guys wrote some wonderful comments under the last two blogs and I thank each of you and especially for your prayers.
Art and journaling is such a healing gift given to us and we should all take more advantage of it.
God bless each of you and I'll start blogging again soon and welcome to all our new followers....please feel welcomed to comment because this site is about you. GOD BLESS....LOL

Vacation!!!!!

Hey friends,
I got unplugged again from chemo yesterday and my doctor said my platelets are really low and the only way to get them up is give me some space between treatments.
As you know it is every 14 days for 3days 24/7 for me but he said don't come back for 3 weeks....Praise the LORD.
I've decided to try and make it to Colorado, and spend time at Taos and Santa Fe. I haven't been able to go there for 2 years so I am excited.
I plan on getting some art material and just RR with the wife. You know the colors and vistas are going to be so special this time around....Excited I am!
I'll post when I get back....so don't leave me..
God bless
Ricky

This is a test

Every now and then we must run a test to see if any one is following this blog. Please comment below this blog with a comment of yes or whatever you feel. I will check back to see if its doing anybody any good. Thanks

Learning

Learning is a growing process........so if we aren't learning we are not growing and if we aren't growing we eventually start decaying. WOW! Can you handle that statement? Are you guilty of putting off that awkwardness of trying something new?
I am talking about this process of journaling and doodling/art. Ask yourself why you haven't started yet or started and stopped? Is it to hard to start something new or is it..."I don't know that I believe what's being said here."
All of the above is a process we go through so it is all good...it is when you stop striving for the answers or process. It's hard to do something that is good for us....better food, more exercise, setting time aside for yourself, and in reality all of these not only benefit you but benefit those around you like a rock into a pond and the ripple effect it causes.
I pray you will get going with something that will help heal you mentally, spiritually and physically.
Choose you today what you will do.
God bless

LOOKEY!

Jun11Art
Originally uploaded by CaptElaine

LOOK at Captn Elaines art journal. Gang you must get on board with this theme.......I'm loving it. Great job Elaine.......YOU are an inspiration to us all.

Visual Language ?

I hope all are well because after another night of glorious rain the air is clean this morning....birds are so loud ........and the grass so full of chlorphyll and water I think the green could almost rub off on me. Oh well that's not all bad. What I really want to do is take my shoes and socks off and walk out in the wet grass just to feel it like a kid again.......ok?
Let's talk Visual Language because medical field has found out that words are a secondary language for us.....you heard it correct.........a secondary language.
Our primary language is visual inner imagery. This is how we communicate inside of ourselves between body and mind.....WHOOF! That's a lot to take in until you meditate on it for a while and then it starts to make sense.
This is why doodling along with journaling gets the inner language into an expressive language (writing and art) that we can start to see what our Holistice self is saying on a daily basis. In other words we are starting to listen to our bodys in a way that can HEAL us!
That's all I'm going to say today because this is very important info to digest and it will take some time.
Praying for each of you and I'm off to journal some and doodle.....are YOU?
Happy trails until we meet again........God bless.

Congratulations Captn Elaine !

Congratulations to Elaine, a follower of this blog, for her second anniversary since her bout with kidney cancer JUNE 4th. Elaine we are so happy for you and are praying for your continued health and healing in this area.
Elaine is a journaling and artist person. You can go to her flickr account and see all kinds of great stuff.
Some of you have read some comments she leaves at different times. We welcome all of these from all of you. This is a community we are trying to build here that will enhance all of our lives one day at a time and one journal at a time.
Click on Elaines picture under followers in the side bar and go to her places. You can do this with most any of our followers. Thanks guys.

Ink Pen

Challenge
Originally uploaded by Ricky Holtman

My Friends, I pray literally that this day finds you better in all areas of your life.
Here is a small black and white pen sketch I did in a small sketcbook. I used a ball point pen and black marker. This is all you need to sit around and let your imagination make different marks. Most of this is scribbles.
Yes I know the face takes some practice but pick an object in your house or the tree bark to practice.
This was a drawing challenge off of flickr. So someone furnished a picture for us all to try and draw.
My web site link will take you to flickr or just click on this photo.
Let's have your comments please.
God bless.

Rain on my parade!

Man Made Dam Sketch
Originally uploaded by Ricky Holtman

Friends,
Another day and GOD is so good! Walking this morning with the blue sky, 6 a.m., cool breeze on my skin and in my lungs, birds singing like an orchestra who is warming up before the main gig starts, the sight of Gods wonderful creation around me, colors, values, textures, edges both soft and hard, and being able to be in this is over whelming to me at times. Since my illness I thank HIM for putting what's important in life in its proper perspective for me. How much of this I missed by being in a hurry doing other things thru the years.
What am I saying.....just this.........be in the present moment totally because yesterday is gone, we don't own tomorrow, and we are to not be anxious for anything for today has enough troubles on its own. This is biblical.
My truck I painted yesterday is posted here for you to see. GOD BLESS!
I couldn't believe I ran in to this today. Rained all night here and then when I'm out sketching I got rained on several more times.. This page got wet numerous times but again the subject was unique in the middle of woods.
Why they used this old truch and debris to dam this creek I still haven't figured it out. But boy it made the water gurgle from underneath......neat sound while doing a quick watercolor and pen sketch.....there may even be pencil in there. I started and stopped too often and that old red oil barrel holding up the front end sounded like a drum when rain drops hit it. COOL and fun. I hope to do some type of painting composition of this sketch soon. Moleskine sketchbook.

Irish Gentleman

Irish Gentleman
Originally uploaded by Ricky Holtman

Hey Gang,
Here's a sketch that anyone can do...........by that I mean there are people around us all the time. Ask them to pose for 5 minutes. You'll find out that over time you will get faster and learn what you need to look for to make a picture. Concentrate first on a specific element such as the eyes or nose, mouth etc.. Just practice the parts and then practice putting them together.........TRUST ME it will work for you. More on this in a later blog.
Great day again and we had storms overnight but if it wasn't that it would be drought so go figure....thank GOD for taking care of us.
Now get out there and write, doodle, paint, draw and send some comments this way so we know how we are doing. GOD BLESS

Journaling Affirmations

Hey gang,
It's Sunday and we just got home from church....what a glorious day on my side of the planet.
The message was on saying things, rather positive or negative, that will affect us and our situations. In Proverbs 18:20 scripture says that Life and Death are in the tongue........wow! So think about that and meditate on what comes out of our mouths and what do we write in our journals is important. We must capture our thoughts to our benefit.
Dr Dwayne Dyer says we can change anything with our thinking correctly if we put belief behind it....faith some would say. As a christian I believe the scriptures to be truth so I have to agree with Dr Dyer. Many of our art therapy professionals say the same thing but maybe in different words, staying away from the religious aspects of this. But however we word it, the truth of it is not negated.
With that said let us pick up our journals and write what needs to get out of us, but then make sure we end with affirmations for ourselves about those conditions. For example I write about my treatments and may have had a rough week but end with the affirmation that I am getting stronger daily and try to describe myself healthy......then visualing seeing myself healthy, as described and going about my business. Dr Dyer saids this is most important the last 5 minutes prior to falling off to sleep. This allows the subconscious to dwell on the positive all night and not the problems. Our subconscious doesn't know truth except has we relate it to our minds. So our thoughts and affirmations should be on the positive and not the negative because soon the body follows the mind.
Don't ask me how this all works........all I know is it does and there's lots of years of proof of it even in the bible.
Hoped this was informative and not preachy.....God bless and let us hear from you.
See a picture of the little watercolor palette and brush I use for my doodling and painting.

Rolling Hills

Rolling Hills
Originally uploaded by Ricky Holtman

Hey Friends....thanks for hanging around this week. Yes I am feeling better now that I got unplugged yesterday from the chemo. GOD IS GOOD TO ME!
I celebrated yesterday with this watercolor sketch and wrote all kinds of things in my journal. I pray you are doing the same.
If you have questions etc.. please comment. Thanks Ricky.
Saw this view and thought what a nice painting that will make someday. So, I proceeded to do my watercolor sketch for some future motivation to turn this into a full sheet. This is appox 11 X15 on 140lb CP paper. Like all sketches not everything turned out how I wanted but that is why we do preliminaries.....right. Try, try and try again. The healing is in the process not the end result. Enjoy.

Red Panda

Red Panda
Originally uploaded by Ricky Holtman

Hey Friends,
This is what I did today while trying to sit with this chemo pump. Some of you know how this is. Anyway it's a little sketch and lucky it turned out at all because I haven't slept since getting up Tuesday for clinic. The steroids and stuff they pump in me doesn't help the old sleep department. Maybe tonight with any luck. Good news though...the doctors office called this pm and said my CEA (tumor marker number) is down again...Praise the LORD...going the right direction.
This is the cousin to the GIANT PANDA, big and black and white. Red Panda here is always confused with the Fox or Raccoon family but it's not. He travels the same bamboo forest as his cousin. The Himalayas and two provinces in China is where you will find him.
Watercolor and ink sketch.

Doctor Office 1

Doctor Office 1
Originally uploaded by Ricky Holtman

Well, I pray all is fine with everyone. I had a nice day yesterday but my little dog got his foot stepped on. We are going to the vet today and see if it is broken...God forbid.
Tomorrow I will be going to Chemo for the next few days so I will not be around to blog.
You guys must comment and carry on, if you will, til I return to duty. I would love to see a lot of comments when I get back. Let me know how you are doing or if this blog is affecting you in a positive way.
Happy Trails until we meet again........Ricky