HAPPY NOVEMBER NEW MOON!

October was a whirlwind month of travel for me. Last New Moon I wrote to you from Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. Since then I visited Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Salem and Boston. In fact, I spent my birthday learning about the Salem Witch Trials at the Peabody Essex Museum, doing a History and Hauntings Walking Tour and eating at the awesome Howling Wolf Taqueria (so good by the way) with my sister. She took me on the trip. I didn't take much more than cell phone pictures while in the Salem and Boston areas. I spent the time immersing myself in the sights and enjoying my sister's company. We'd never been on a trip together before. I feel very blessed that we got to adventure together. Especially since my travels are now down for a very long time!

Did you talk to a stranger last moon cycle? What did you learn? How did it go? I more than talked to a stranger. I made friends with an American woman at the Highland Heart workshop and invited her to tag along with me and my husband, on our adventures in New Brunswick and PEI. I am very glad that I did. I learned so much about her lifelong adventures and found that she had interesting perspectives on subjects that I am interested in. I'm also happy to report that we introduced her to her first Poutine and her first Donair! I love being around for people's firsts.

CURRENT EVENTS IN THE SPELLING ROOM

Museum of Fine Art Boston

My favourite thing we did on the sister trip was actually in Boston. We visited the Museum of Fine Art Boston. Unfortunately, we had limited time and didn't get to explore the entire Museum. But I learned a great deal about my own tastes while there. For example, I know that Monet's work is not for me, but Titian is. I am thrilled by the Greek statuary but not so much by the more mundane artifacts like jars. They had an exhibit called Strong Women in Renaissance Italy where I got to see a painting by Artemisia Gentileschi and an absolutely stunning embroidery work aptly described as a "painting with a needle." My cellphone photo doesn't do it justice at all.

The work that left the largest impression on me, however, was "Eruption of Vesuvius with Destruction of a Roman City" by Sebastian Pether. I spent the most time with this painting and I would love to have spent more. The longer I stood there taking it in, the more things I saw. Ultimately, what I love most is all the contrasts: light and dark, violent and calm, warm and cool, vast and tiny. Going forward, I will be keeping these contrasts in mind with my own work.

There is something magnificent about taking in physical work, especially for an artist who primarily works in a digital medium. My cellphone image of this work, and the scan shown on the Museum's website, pale in comparison to the real thing. The colours are richer and more dramatic, the brush texture adds something to it and there are things you might miss in the digital representation.

Bachelor of Photography (BoP)

I am currently working on designing my 19th course: Black & White Photography. I took a bit of time to relax but I'm excited to start working on this project. Part of me strongly wants to have all the courses designed and ready to go before I start. 40 courses would be the equivalent of a Bachelor's Degree so I'm nearly halfway there. Another part of me thinks I should have 20 ready and then start. Then as I am learning I can see what does and doesn't work so that I can adapt for the next batch. What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Face Off

Over this past weekend, we binged Season 4 and most of Season 5 of this show where people compete to make the best Special FX makeup. I'm obsessed. I was already considering creating a course or two on this subject (and I already have a textbook!) but what really has fascinated me is how often the competition themes are an alchemy of ideas. That's right up my alley! It also provided some sparks of ideas for some witchy shoots I've been thinking about doing but I am not yet ready share the details of that project.

Reading

I still have a couple of books on the back burner at the moment. At this point, I may need to start them over but it is what it is. With all the airport and flight time I've had of late, I have read quite a few books for the pure pleasure of it.

FICTION

Spindle by W.R. Gignell was an okay book. I wanted to like it but found the story a bit disorganized. It is about a woman who is awakened from a deep sleep by a kiss and is trying to piece together what happened and what is happening in the years since she went to sleep. The concept is cool, but the execution is disjointed. It was another example of emotional connections being kind of rushed.

The Winter Guest by W.C. Ryan was an excellent story set in 1921 in Ireland. This book is more of a murder mystery with a touch of ghost story. What I found very interesting is that the main character is afflicted with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It's a huge departure from the books I typically gravitate toward, but I do recommend it.

A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier is another story where the main character as well as her canine companion suffer from PTSD. A year after the death of their partner who was killed during the line of duty (army), they are out for a hike and discover an abandoned baby and the adventure starts. This book is the first in a mystery series. I liked it enough that I will continue on with the series. Who doesn't love dogs as major characters?

The Outsider by Stephen King was a fun read. It's been a long time since I picked up a Stephen King novel. I was a touch taken aback by how violent and heartbreaking the crimes against a child at the very beginning were. It was enough to make me hesitate about continuing with the book. Working for corrections, I used to read about difficult crimes every day and it's something I choose not to do anymore. I am glad I continued on with the book, but it is not my favourite King novel.

Everyone Knows Your Mother Is Witch by Rivka Galchen was a book I had high hopes for. It was longlisted for awards here in Canada but honestly, it was an ordeal to read. It was more like a mishmash of the accused's journal pages, her neighbour's journal pages about her being accused, and then a series of witness statements. Maybe having just learned about the Salem Witch Trials I expected more insights from the book, but I just couldn't wait to be finished reading it.

NONFICTION

I am currently reading The XX Brain by Lisa Mosconi and Maria Shriver. I didn't think I was ready to start reading non-fiction again but I have already learned much from this book. I purchased it because I want to learn more about how I can reduce my risk of getting Alzheimer's or Dementia. My maternal grandfather passed away due to Alzheimer's and both of my grandmothers had trouble with memory loss in their later years. This book focuses on prevention for women. I didn't expect to also learn about hormones and menopause and their effects on our brains. Nor did I expect to find some validation in my choice to stop using the Mirena birth control device when I realized it was affecting my moods and felt it was the root cause of the depression I was in for the entire 2 years I had it. There is science to prove that the hormone in that device is linked to depression. So, so far I highly recommend this book.

THE LATEST GRIMOIRE PAGES

I'm sorry to report that I again do not have anything new to share here. I feel like I've been failing in this aspect. I'm planning to share my Bachelor of Photography (BoP) journey in blog posts as I go. I hope you all will enjoy them and learn from them when I do. Please let me know if you have an interest in following along with that.

A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE

These were made at Hopewell Rocks on the Fundy Bay in New Brunswick, Canada. While I worked on my self-portrait, a number of tourists gathered behind my husband who was pushing my shutter button for me (I forgot my remote trigger at home and it was too far for my Snapbridge app to work) to see the back of the camera. It's odd to have an audience but I'm happy I took the time to create the image. What do you think of it?

A MESSAGE FROM THE POWERS THAT BE

Are you missing opportunities? Sacrificing them for others? Choosing not to take them because it is safer to do so? There are times in our lives when we absolutely must make sacrifices for the greater good. But is this one of those times? Choosing to try, is sometimes the scariest thing we can do. But we lose 100% of the chances we don't take. Ask yourself: Should I take this chance? Make a pro and con list if you must, but be VERY HONEST with yourself about the choice you make.

This card is from Deviant Moon Tarot by Patrick Valenza.

A CREATIVE MISSION

BLEND GENRES

As I mentioned earlier in this letter, one of the things I really enjoyed about the show Face Off is how they create challenges that blend together genres. Some of the themes they used were: Aliens and Circus. Candy and Creature. Microscopic texture and the full subject. Egyptian Gods and the Evil Dead. Future Frankenstein. Characters and Art Movements. There are so many ways to create alchemy by blending things together you wouldn't expect. Maybe these genres don't work for your art medium. So here are a few ideas of how you can apply the concept in cooking, dance, and sewing: Sweet & Spicy or Thai & Mexican. Graceful and Staccato or Ballet & Hip Hop. Baby Blankets with Norse Mythology or a costume that is both Scary and Funny. Happy Blending!

Tell me what you learned on this Creative Mission by replying to this email, or tagging me in your post about it on Facebook or Instagram: @theportraitwitch.

Thank you for joining me on this journey! I can't wait to see where we go from here.

PO Box 301, Meath Park, SK S0J 1T0
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