Lovely Wednesday: On Canvases and Phases and Whatsit

So I've been thinking about canvases a lot lately, and about how everything is a canvas. This is something I've always believed, but I think the world as a whole is starting to realize that (more than before), and that makes me happy. I think, though, when somebody identifies him or herself as an artist, people still assume that means paint, or clay, or pencil, or glueyness and found things, or whatever, but I think a painter is different from an artist, and so is a sculptor, and a drawer (is that the word I want?), and a collagey-person, I think those are all great things to be, but being a member of one of the typical "artist" professions does not make one an artist, as being an artist does not mean one must therefore belong to any of the above.

I think scientists are artists, or can be. This is not a title I would grant to all scientists, just as I would not grant it to all "artists." I suppose what I'm trying to say is that, to me, an artist is somebody who gives little (or big) bits and pieces of themselves to make something beautiful happen, maybe like a magician? And it doesn't have to be a something beautiful that other people get to see, even, or experience, and it doesn't have to be beautiful in the conventional sense, certainly.

I don't know. But back to the bit about canvases. I'm glad that a canvas is not just something you buy at michaels (or that you get from a cow and stretch over a frame, or whatever), but rather anything you want it to be. It could be clothes, the human body, walls, music, a garden plot, a car, anything. I can think of other things but don't know how to word them, but I think you'll figure out what I mean anyway. Perhaps what I'm getting to with all this philosophical talk about what it means to be an artist and new canvases and whatsit, is that the reason I haven't posted in a while (read: all summer) is because I've been working on a new canvas and didn't want you to think I was switching over to the dark side for good. Also because I am lame and haven't taken pictures of the few and far between occasions on which I've gotten dressed up during the summer, so blah. BUT, point being, new canvas.

I've been working on nail artistry! (Don't look at me like that, I know what you're thinking, "NOT ANOTHER NAIL ART BLOG... " but I promise it's just this one post, because I specifically DIDN'T want this to turn into a nail art blog, but at the same time I want you to see what I've been working on.)
(Prepare for swarm of pictures NOW:)

RAINBOWDOTSBLARGH!!

Because a while ago I was all excited about summer break starting and whatsit but now it's almost over meh.

Because mushrooms are bleeding awesome. But not the drugs, just the cuteness factor.

Because I'm still pretty darn proud of how much stuff I fit onto this seven year old's frickin' TINY NAILS. Those are 2mm rhinestones, for scale's sake. Yeah.

African Masks, because African Masks are way cool, and in elementary school we had to make African Masks out of gourds (sp?) and cord and beads and nuts and stuff and this time I got to make them out of nail polish and rhinestones.

Feeling the Africa vibes, ja? Dad's girlfriend/stepmomish-type-person/Mary with a Sunset on the Sahara (because alliteration is good, and so are sunsets and zebras, and giraffes, and elephants).

Mary again with Jewish Fish. Don't ask.

Nobody in my family believes that this is leopard print, which it clearly is.

Haven't ANY of you EVER seen a blue leopard?!?!

Molecule Nails! I have made the picture bigger so that you can read the descriptions which I added.

Mary again with SALAD NAILS!! Like salad fingers only way less creepy because

everything in her refrigerator was dead when she bought it.

When Mary said she wanted salad nails, I thought--"this is ridiculous."

And then I remembered who I am and the sorts of things I usually wear.

Because my Dad lets me paint Hawaiian shirt patterns on his ring finger on his right hand (read: I have an awesome Dad).

Because even failed attempts at moonscapes still look cool.

My little cousinish-type-person (read: mom's cousin's kid) saw the monster nails on facebook and sent me some fabulous inspired artwork. I think he's three? Or less, maybe. But really cute. It's on red construction paper with yellow paper glued on and LOTS AND LOTS of googly eyes. :D