I received an email in May alerting me that Pocket, the free save-for-later app I’ve been using for years to store all sorts of reading content, is going away. This change is a bit like mandatory closet-cleaning, forcing me to make my way through the virtual piles I’ve amassed, deciding what to keep and what to toss before it all disappears into the ether.
It’s been a handy app to have but, if I’m honest, I’ve used it like a virtual attic, forgetting most of what I’ve stowed there once it was safely saved. Rediscovering what is still relevant and getting rid of the rest is long overdue.
Here are 5 links I’ve unearthed that are worth saving & sharing:
- Jerry Saltz’s 33 Rules for Being an Artist
- “Making Your Life as an Artist” by Andrew Simonet
- “10 Creative Audiobooks to Artistically Inspire Your Mind Through Your Ears”, compiled by Sara Barnes
- “Drawing is the Best Way to Learn, Even if You’re No Leonardo da Vinci”, by Anne Quito
- Get lost amidst The Louvre’s collection, no matter where you are
✷
On the more creative side of things, you may remember that in March I began experimenting with knotless netting as another way to add textural interest to my paintings. Those explorations have continued behind the scenes while I’ve been pulling “Full Bloom” together and getting it launched.
Here are a handful of the pieces I’ve been working on. I’ll have more to show next time.
Unraveling ©2025 Elizabeth Fram, Watercolor & knotless netting on paper, 6 x 8 inches When I last showed you this piece, it wasn’t quite finished. This is the final version.
Great Blue © 2025 Elizabeth Fram, Watercolor & knotless netting on paper, 6 x 8 inches. The heron silhouette was painted with gold pigment watercolor that I bought from Daniel Smith when we lived near Seattle, decades ago. It’s a powdered pigment that comes to life once you add water – and the fact that it remains dry until you choose to use it is probably why it has lasted so well across the years. It’s lovely on paper but hard to capture in a photo.
Fleeting Recollections ©2025 Elizabeth Fram, Watercolor & knotless netting on paper, 6 x 8 inches What is it with the birds? I’m not absolutely sure, but “memory” has remained in the back of my mind as I’ve worked on these pieces. Somehow birds feel like a suitable metaphor for carrying that idea forward.
Memory Vessel ©2025 Elizabeth Fram, Watercolor & knotless netting on paper, 6 x 8 inches Moving on to objects… This pitcher is an old family item that doesn’t belong to me and probably isn’t worth much monetarily. Still, it holds within it a sense of place, and that in itself is priceless.
This series continues to just stun me with how it speaks so clearly to the fog of dementia. Thank you.
Thank YOU, John!
Betsy, I love Memory Vessel. So beautiful and powerful.
That means a lot, Jamie. You can see it in the flesh when you get up this way :^)
Just beautiful and uplifting. Unraveling brought tears to my eyes. My word of the year has been impermanence and this couldn’t be more apropos! Your drops of joy, contemplation, wisdom and sharing are like the gifts in a garden…lovely surprises to visit and savor. Delicious!
Adrianna, your comments are a gift – generous and thoughtful. Thank you so much.
Love Memory Vessel!
So glad – thanks!