I was using this vase of flowers to prop up my phone at the kitchen table, as I doodled pictures from past adventures. Leaning back to take a break (well, honestly to internally fuss that my husband was still using the computer when I wanted to blog), I noticed how pretty this simple arrangement was.
So I drew them with a pen and colored pencils. Ta da… That was nice.
Yellow Flowers, ink & colored pencil doodle
I see Rosie the Riveter and Handy Manny in my mind. I hear the theme song from Rocky in the background of my thoughts… we got this.
I am a champion.
I dash back and forth a few times, 5 in 1 screwdriver in hand, and head down the front stairs. My older children watch me in confusion, eating their messy ice cream bars that I absentmindedly allowed in the flurry of sweaty chaos.
My AC is broken. My handyman Dad is out of town. My husband is at a funeral. It is h.o.t.
I’ve seen it done. I can do it. I am woman. Hear me roar.
Maybe that’s taking it too far…but still. I fixed my AC.
In my work dress and chignon, I took off the side panel of the unit, exposing the blower motor, capacitor and wires. I see that the capacitor has burned up (and YES! I even know what a capacitor DOES! Go team me!).
With my dad on the phone, we confirm the need to get a new capacitor. With the help of neighbors watching my kids, I’m able to pop off to the edges of downtown Birmingham, take my little self into the Washer & Refrigeration Supply Co., ask for and purchase a 5 microfarad capacitor for $10. Oh yeah.
I zip home in a jiffy and plug that sucker in. Voila! We have air flow.
I floated along in an internal cloud of success for quite a few hours that afternoon. I, Mary Liz Ingram, repaired my AC.
Washer & Refrigeration, 7×7 ink, colored pencil & pastel pencil on card
Me: “We’re going to a thrift shop.”
My 5-year-old son, very serious as he rubs his nose: “Where it’s $50 for a t-shirt?”
So… while he can quote it, my tiny boy seems to have missed the message in Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop.” We were about to change that.
The one rule for our outing: You must find something awesome.
Let the adventure begin.
First treasure goes to mom: awesome yellow sunglasses. 39 cents.
Yellow Sunglasses, Ink & Colored Pencil Doodle
We tour the facility, finding golf clubs, E.T., piles upon piles of unwanted, outdated, almost unusable items such as cassette tapes, VHS tapes, gigantic TVs, broken vacuums, horrible coffee cups. Our tiniest thrift shopper was ecstatic over the baby toys which littered the warehouse. It was a junk wonderland ready for our perusal…perfect for a rainy day.
Bright plastic shades, blue hats, orange carts…pops of color found amongst the faded, cracking grays and browns of dust-covered discards.
We recently returned from a wonderful vacation to Savannah, Georgia. We stayed with my sweet sister, brother-in-law and my tiny niece and nephew. Here are some quick thoughts, paintings and photographs from a beautiful trip:
The Marsh, 4×4 watercolor pencil
Thursday afternoon, June 27
Off on our trip, driving down I-20 packed in the jeep. Kids in a tight row behind me. Ready to throw off worries, enjoy life together, feel the free air of the coast. Listening to Cake and smiling at my husband. Enjoying the forward motion of escape.
Friday, June 28
Slow morning with kids and coffee, then off to the beach. An hour of sand pelting, hair flying, blowing wind & waves; guarding baby with a skim board, found relief in a tidal pool. Ended day around the table, warm meal with family & laughs.
Time to restock my cotton boll collection at Alabama Goods, an awesome shop nearby that features diverse, local merchandise. I’ve drawn a lot of cotton in the past few years, and I still enjoy finding the colors in the white fibers and dry, twisting boll.
As with all my pastels, I begin with black, layer on the color, and top it off with the brightest of Sennelier white pastels! Finished with a non-toxic, casein-based spray, these babies are framed and ready for sale…
It hangs above an old dresser, painted white and made like new.
A backdrop of light lilac, softens and surrounds its frame.
The mirror has seen life come, on the wall when life was new:
A third-time mother waited, and filled the dresser drawers,
day-dreaming in the mirror, wistful eyes on her stomach.
A new infant lay below, tucked into tiny diapers,
little hands by the mirror, ready to grow and become.
A baby sat up laughing, and kissing her reflection,
while the mother took photos, of the mirror full of smiles.
Now the baby toddles in, holding onto mother’s hand,
bedtime on another night, the mirror bathed in evening.
Time goes by in the mirror, and the mother soaks it in.
The Mirror, pastel sketch on card
I wrapped the soft fabric around me, bunched it up in my hand, pressed it to my face and inhaled deeply.
The smells of the exotic filled my mind, bringing memories of expertly pointed piles of spices, rows of scarves swaying from awnings, dusky light filtered between close market stalls; the sound of languages unfamiliar and brass clinking together as the crowds slowly flow down the cobbled path.
Here’s a quick look: Walk down a Jerusalem street
It’s been years – 12 to be exact – since these experiences were my own, as I travelled for a month through Jordan and Syria. And now my husband has returned from a 2-week journey to Israel, bringing treasures wrapped in Arabic newspapers, including my beautiful scarf.
As he lifted the scarf from his bag, I knew that the fabric would be holding the scents of the foreign. I remember opening my own suitcase upon my homecoming those years ago, and being hit by the strong smell of a different place, trapped in the fibers of my clothing.
So I held my gift to my face and breathed deeply and slowly, eyes closed, transported to a place I remember, an experience like no other so far.
The Scarf, 3×4 pastel on card
We have a very wee little house, and I’ve been in it with three kids for quite a few days in a row. They play, we have “dance parties,” they go in the back yard, the front yard, we chill, we eat, we draw…but like I said, it’s a small space for busy little people.
The cat and I find ourselves gazing out the window. We see the busy, worm-searching birds, the neighborhood cats languidly crossing the road; we see our neighbors take their dogs for walks, people coming and going, weeding gardens, washing cars. We look at the blue hydrangeas drooping in the heat, and I go out to water them.
I read an article the other day, while lounging in my window-side leather chair, as the baby napped and the kids played. It was about being privately vs. publicly alone…interesting little snippet. It says “To be privately alone can be difficult, because wherever we go, there we are, yammering away at ourselves,” i.e. driving ourselves crazy. Moping, getting grumpy, worrying, thinking about problems and to-do lists. (Also, being jealous and missing your husband while he’s on an exotic trip.)
The author recommends “mindfulness, a practice that sounds esoteric but simply means focusing on what’s around you instead of the chatter in your head.”
So I decided to stop wallowing, and soak in my surroundings: my sweet kids, even when they’re squabbling; the sound of “Mama” coming from my baby’s room as she wakes; the beauty of the tree in my yard, the quiet sounds drifting through my screen door.
Nosy Neighbor, 8×8 pastel on card
I raise a glass to the single parents out there, because my temporary single-parenting has kicked my booty. I salute you. It is hard, lonely and exhausting.
This string of strange, colorful barnyard beasts have been my unexpected therapy over this past week, letting my frustrations and irritations transfer from my mind to the paper. I have a solemn blue cow, a mellow purple pig, a feisty orange hen, and now a green billy goat.
This bearded fellow is quirky and odd, and I have to say I’m a little startled that I created a weird green goat. But hey, that’s what came out today. I was feeling some ugly emotions, and my almost creepy little friend told the story. I don’t mean for him to be creepy…he’s really a cute little goat until I turned him green.
As I repeatedly tell my kids: The good thing about art is that you can do whatever you want.
“What’s Got Your Goat,” or “Green with Envy,” 8×8 pastel on card
I woke up early to the sound of the baby crying, impatient to be lifted from her crib and deposited into her high chair for some Cheerios. The other two were scurrying around in their pjs, building legos and sewing felt animals, asking for their breakfast.
I stumbled my way to the kitchen for some coffee, and had one of “those” moments: where everything feels like Groundhog Day with Bill Murray.
All I heard was “Mommy, mommy, mommy” and I felt really tired.
For some reason, colorful barnyard animals have been popping into my head at these moments of heightened “sensitivity,” we might say. And this morning, as I sipped my coffee, I thought of a bright orange mother hen and her chicks.
A protective, attentive mother, a bit tired, perhaps letting out a sigh during a moment of weariness. Warm and cozy, but feeling a little irritable.
Well…that description came to me after I drew it. My first thought was of a tired, grumpy chicken.
I ADORE my children. They are unique, precious and beautiful to me, and I devote my life to their happiness, well-being and care with all my heart…
We shouldn’t feel guilty for feeling like it’s Groundhog Day, when the cycle repeats and beats us down. We still gladly protect our little chicks– we still fix their breakfast, comb their hair and smother them in love and kisses.
Mother Hen, 8×8 pastel on card
I'm a self-taught pastel & watercolor artist and instructor, raised and based in Birmingham, Alabama. I constantly collect stories and pieces of the world around me, turning them into works of art. Inspired by nature, I love to share what I've learned and build connections and community. I invite you to browse and join my site. I hope you find something that inspires you!
Voted one of Birmingham's Best Local Artists 2013, Birmingham News & al.com
Featured in Birmingham Magazine, March 2018
Visit the Commissions page on the top menu to find out more about my pastel & watercolor portraits. Portraits are drawn from photographs in a timely manner with the highest quality materials to ensure they will be enjoyed for generations!
Thanks for visiting my site! I am an awarded pastel artist and instructor based in Birmingham, Alabama. A self-taught artist, I have been working with pastels for over 6 years, selling in shops, galleries, shows and by commission. I teach pastel workshops for adults, and love to help emerging artists on their journey into the art community.
