I love Ambulance Rides

In a continuous blog post from the last one… Last week I had a seizure that lasted 15 minutes, along with 2 two-minutes seizures after. My caregiver called 911 which resulted in another trip to the ER in an ambulance. No lights this time though. While I was there, they checked my blood, chest x-ray, and other things that may have caused them. Although they couldn’t find a reason why, so I only spent 3 days in the hospital.

Unrelated to the above paragraph, every year Sister Kenny holds an art show where people can enter their artwork for sale. You can enter up to 4 pieces of all various types like watercolor, oil paintings, sculptures etc. This year my plan is to enter some of my watercolor paintings, although the deadline is March 17. I’m not sure if I will make that or not because I still need to pick out which ones I want, fill out an application, and upload pictures of artwork.

They also need to be for sale, but all proceeds go back to the artist. I have a collection, but I’m so attached to each one that it’s difficult to part with any. Although my dad pointed out that Picasso didn’t keep any of his paintings, which means I can always paint more aside from what I have in the past. I may just have to wait until next year when I can plan it out more in advance. Then I can create some new paintings instead of using some that I’ve already done. I’ll let you know what I decide to do and share the paintings that I picked.

Jenni

Continued Post

After the first day of standing again, I stood 10 more times for 30 minutes each out of the next 11 days. Although, on the evening of the 11th day when I got back into bed, I noticed that my left knee started hurting again. Each day since then, the pain has been off and on. Because of it, I've had to hold off on standing again.

There have been many of those days that I haven’t been able to do range of motion again because of it. I think what happened is that I may have pushed myself a little too much. I guess I was so eager to stand again after not doing for so long. Also, it felt great while standing and helped aid in changing position during the day along with fluid retention.

I’m thinking that the cortisone shot in my knee did help this time, since I was able to stand so many times afterwards. One unfortunate thing about cortisone is that there is concern that repeated shots might damage the cartilage within a joint. Doctors usually limit the number of cortisone shots into the joint. It’s typically shown that you shouldn’t get them more often than every six weeks, but no more than 3 to 4 times a year.

Other than staying off my feet, I have also been staying indoors most of February. The weather has either been below 0°F or in the single digits for a few weeks now. It’s not ideal whether for me to be outside, as my tubes can freeze, and my body can’t regulate its temperature. Today was 25°F and I was able to take Brody for a quick 15 minute walk down a couple streets. He was so excited to go and then crashed on the couch when we got back home. I haven't seen him like this for a while; he must have really needed the exercise.

Over the past couple days I created another abstract painting. It looks pretty similar to a lot of my other ones, only with different colors. I've been doing more smaller pieces, as it takes me at least an hour to get one done and my neck gets sore when I work on it. I posted a picture below.

Jenni

Update on Me

The past few weeks have gone by fast. Back in July, I talked about how I joined a Bible study group that meets once a week. Since starting, I have really enjoyed reading the Bible. Every story has a meaning, and it can be applied to life in different ways. I decided to join another group that also meets once a week but on another day.

This one is different in which instead of reading the Bible in a year, we are just studying the book of Genesis and it only goes until December. It is also more involved. There are lectures to watch, notes to read, and questions to answer along with the reading. I like both group studies, as they keep me busy. Probably the reason why I haven’t written a blog post for a while.

I have still been trying to get out every day, walking Brody. It’s been really nice outside, with temperatures in the 60s and 70s. It even got to 80° the other day. I’ve been enjoying the fresh air and change of scenery from my house. All the trees are starting to turn orange and red now that it’s fall. Pretty soon winter will be here and with all the snow it’s hard to go out. Not to mention when the temperatures drop below freezing.

Fall Colors in Minnesota

Brody and I on a Walk and Roll

Since quarantine started in March, I have only left my house a hand full of times. Because I am on a ventilator, I’m at such a high risk if I get the coronavirus. That’s why I’m so cautious about being around other people and going to places that may be overcrowded. I suppose I could go to a park or movie where I could social distance myself from others. I do have a couple of doctor’s appointments coming up in October and November so I will be going out, but it’s nothing like doing something for fun.

I have still been in a lot of neck pain. When visiting my neurosurgeon last month, I got an x-ray of my neck to see if everything looks okay. He also wanted to see if there was anything bone related that could be causing my pain. But when he looked at it, he didn’t find anything. In fact, he stated that the plate that he put in when I had surgery to remove a bone spur in my neck was holding stronger than he initially thought it would. I would’ve had to have another surgery to do a bigger fusion if it wasn’t. He said that my pain was probably just due to strain leading to tight muscles, especially because I can only move from my neck up.

Also, I’ve still been having trouble sleeping and with edema. My sleep doctor doesn’t want to give me anymore medications for sleep because I’m already taking a lot. I did get a prescription from my primary doctor for anxiety, which has helped a little bit with sleep. That’s one thing that keeps me up at night. He also referred me to a specialist within the University of Minnesota Fairview offices that can take another look at why I might be retaining fluids. I had a phone call with a doctor and he’s going to look over every test I’ve done and every medication that I am on to see if he can figure it out.

Other things that have been keeping me busy are playing games, watching movies, and painting. Yesterday I painted an abstract picture with lots of colors on it in which I posted below. I also shared a few pictures of Brody. He is quite the favorite around the house!

Avery and Brody

Brody on My Bed

Brody Sleeping on his Toy

Abstract Rainbow Painting

Jenni

Creating More Paintings

Recently I got back into painting; it has been a while since I’ve done it. I figured that since I haven’t been able to get out places that it would be something nice to focus on doing. For me, painting is very relaxing and enjoyable. It allows me to take my mind off anything stressful and focus on my creative side.

Depending on what I’m painting, depends on how long it takes me to finish one. Sometimes I can complete one in a single session. Other times I end up working on a specific piece for multiple days. I posted some pictures below of a couple different types that I’ve done over the past few weeks.

Abstract painting

Landscape I

                             

Landscape II

Landscape III

My favorite artist’s name is Kelly Ray Roberts. She does mixed-media art, and I have seven of her pictures hanging on my walls and a few on my desk. I just love how creative she is and how inspirational most of her artwork is. It’s definitely right up my alley.

Jenni

Painting of a Painting

 

I recently came across this photo of a painting of a girl in a wheelchair painting with her mouth. She’s painting a picture of herself flying free from her wheelchair. I found it very creative along with inspiring as well. It spoke volume to me as I feel free while painting with my mouth!

Jenni

Mouth Painting

My niece, Avery is very kind and enjoys spending time with me. She likes to play with her American girl doll. My aunt, Sandy got her a wheelchair for her doll a few months ago. For Christmas I got her a Barbie in a wheelchair. I had no idea there are so many toys these days for all types of situations. I’m glad that there are options like this out there. That way people and children can have a better perspective about those with disabilities throughout life.

One thing she likes to do is create houses out of boxes. She tapes them together and then paints them. About a week ago she was over creating one of her houses. My mom happened to glance over and saw her painting her box with her mouth. She asked how she knew how to do that, and she said, "from Jenni!" Of course, my mom knew she had to get a picture to capture the moment.

I thought it was very creative and touching at the same time. That’s when I knew it had to be shared with everyone. I know from experience by speaking to children to befriend those with disabilities and treat them the way they would want to be treated. Growing up around me has taught these exact things.

Jenni

Painting Again

Now that I have some free time, I've been painting again. It makes me so happy to be doing what I love. I tried a new technique as well as one I've done before. Check out the pictures below and tell me what you think.


I found this new technique involving plastic wrap on the Internet. For this painting I put a wash of two colors down and then while it was still wet had someone lay plastic wrap on top of it. Then I told them which spots to scrunch together. After letting it dry overnight, the plastic wrap was removed and this is how it turned out.


I did the same thing with this painting only I used three colors. It kind of turned out to look like some sort of scenery with water and a sunset. That was unintentional. What do you think it looks like?


I've done this technique involving leaves before. First the paper was fully wet. Then I painted color onto the tops of the leaves and turn them over pressing them firmly on the paper. While it was still wet, I painted the background. Then I let it dry overnight.


When it was completely dry, I pulled the leaves off one by one to reveal the pattern and color underneath. This is how it turned out.

The most exciting part of doing these paintings is having to wait till the next day to reveal them. I am really proud of every painting that I do. It's fun to learn new techniques and to show them off to others. I hope you enjoy looking at them too!

Jenni

How Great Thou Art Show

Yesterday I went to an art show at my church. I had one of my paintings displayed in it. The pictures above are of me next to my painting and my painting alone. You can click on them to enlarge. The theme for the art show was Wonder. It was based on Psalm 139:14 in the NIV Bible, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Whether or not someone's art was accepted depended on how well the artist interpreted the theme.

It was great to look at all of the other art as well. There were many different medias such as photography, poetry, painting, woodwork, and mixed media. I even got to meet some of the artists. They also had an artist directory that shared each artist, a description/
inspiration for their piece, and a brief bio about them. I went through and looked at every piece of art. For every one I looked up the artist and read the info about them. It was very interesting to read how they described an interpreted their work and shared their life. I hope to do it again next year.

Below is my info that I put in the directory:

Description/Inspiration: For this piece I used a technique involving leaves. I painted watercolor onto the leaves and placed them on a wet piece of paper. I then painted the background. This is the effect it makes after the paper dries and the leaves are pulled off. My inspiration for this piece was the beautiful work God has created and the power that he has to shine through it all.

Bio: My name is Jenni and I am 22 years old. On November 1, 2002 I was in a car accident. I broke my neck at C-1 C-2 and injured my spinal cord. I am a quadriplegic paralyzed from the neck down and dependent on a ventilator to breathe. Despite my disability, I live each day to the fullest. I use art as a form of expression. My unique way of painting involves putting the paintbrush in my mouth while my nurse holds the paper. Another form of expression I use is writing. I maintain a blog online at people from all over the world read.

Jenni

Good Weekend

Yesterday I entered one of my paintings in my church's art show. The show is next Saturday, but it's a juried show so they still have to pick which ones make it in. I'm sure mine will be in it though. I won't know until the 16th when they send me an e-mail.

Today I went to this thing outside in Wayzata, MN called James J. Hill days. They had a bunch of nonprofit booths and also an art fair where people could sell their work. It's pretty big with a lot of people. They closed off a long street for it. There was also about an hour long parade with about 60 entries, including the animal Humane Society with dogs and the Wayzata High School marching band. I like doing things I don't do very often. I'm not much of a parade watcher but it was fun and I enjoyed watching the kids run in the street and pick up all the candy people were throwing.

On Tuesday I have it interpersonal communication class again and I will be taking a quiz on chapter 2. I suppose I better get right on reading the second half of the chapter. I also have to read chapter 3 for this class and chapter 3 my creative writing online.

Jenni

Art Class Watercolor Paintings

I have posted a few photos of paintings that I did in my watercolor painting class. I learned many new techniques, one of which that involves leaves. The first photo is of that new technique. What I did was went out and found some leaves (picked them rather), got my paper completely wet, painted whatever colors I wanted on the front side of the leaf, and then stuck it paint side down onto the wet paper. After the leaves were on there and the paper was still wet, I painted the background. When it was completely dry I peeled the leaves off and the result is the second photo. I love this technique so much that I've done it a few more times at home, producing great results. Maybe I'll post pictures of those at a later date. The third photo is of a mountain scene that I'm still working on. I learned how to do the mountains in class. I have a little more to go on it before I'm finished, even though it does look good how it is.

The Art Center has scheduled one extra class for us because of the mixup of the first class. That will be on August 21. I'm excited to learn more techniques.

Jenni

Watercolor Paintings

Below are some pictures of my latest watercolor paintings. These are ones I've done on my own in the last couple of months. I'm very proud of all the work I've been doing. Every painting is different. I am hoping to start making copies of my paintings and selling them. I also would like to make them into greeting cards as they are easier to sell.





I'm not quite done with the landscape one.

When I finish a piece from my watercolor class I will post that as well. Let me know what you think.

Jenni

Watercolor

I had mentioned a couple posts ago that I have been painting a lot lately. Within the last week I painted four watercolor paintings. That is a lot for me. I love painting, but if I do it too much my neck gets sore.

Last Monday, I ordered 33 tubes of watercolor and 10 huge sheets of watercolor paper. That was a big order. It's easy to spend a lot when ordering art supplies. I already had 18 tubes of watercolor before. I'm trying to expand my colors and give myself some more variety to work with. I keep using the same colors only working them different ways. I will have to put up some more pictures of my paintings when I start using my new colors. They just arrived today. I'm so excited!

Jenni

Painting Again

The other day I painted again. I am glad that I'm getting back into the flow of doing it. It really helps me relax and reduces stress. There is a feeling of accomplishment that I get when I finish each painting and know that I may have just created a masterpiece. I wish everybody could feel this feeling with everything they do.

This painting turned out better than the last. I'm a little rusty still but it's good that I'm brushing up on my skills (no pun intended). I made this painting darker than the last one. I used four colors: phthalo turquoise, indanthrone blue, and a mix of new gamboge (a form of yellow) and perylene red to make the orange. Don't worry about pronouncing them right, I have a hard time myself.

I like looking at the paintings and trying to find things in them. If you look closely you might be able to see the bird on the right. I didn't intend to make it, it just turned out to look like one. That's the beauty of watercolor. I just put the paint on the paper and let it go where it wants to. I'm definitely going to be painting more often. I won't post every painting, but you'll get a good idea of what my style is.

Jenni

Back at It

I recently did a post on me painting and how I hadn't done it in a long time. I talked about how I thought that the reason why was because I didn't want to hassle with taking it all out and then putting it away again. I also thought maybe I was just in a painters block. I was right. Yesterday, I took the time to take all of my painting supplies out and finally did it! I painted and it felt great! While painting, I took pictures to document my experience and show others how I do it.

The picture above is a of me setting up for painting. I'm covered in towels because I use watercolor as my medium and it can get a little messy. While setting up, I have someone wet the colors that I am going to use and soak the paper in water for five minutes. The reason I soak the paper is because I mostly do abstract paintings, and when the paper is wet, the watercolor runs and bleeds together nicely. The picture below is of me painting. Someone puts the paintbrush in my mouth and then holds the board for me. I have not found an easier or more independent way for me to paint other than someone holding it. I have thought about using an easel but my neck just isn't strong enough for me to be moving it all over the place. That's why I have someone else move the painting for me wherever I ask them to.

I am almost always happy with the finished product. I don't ever have a plan in mind when I start painting. I just let the colors go where they want to. However, this one turned out a little bit too light for me. I think I'm going to go back and add some bright colors over a few parts of the top of what I have done so far. Or maybe I should just leave it the way it is. I'm not quite sure yet. The picture below is what the painting looks like now. I am planning on trying to paint once a month. I have left my painting supplies out so that I don't have an excuse. I really love doing it and expressing myself.

Jenni

Creative Juices

Lately, I haven't been in the creative mood. I need my creative juices to start flowing. I haven't painted since last summer (of 07). I am fortunate that I have found a way to express myself, however, I just haven't been in the mood. Sometimes I think it's just hauling everything out that makes me feel this way, but I need to stop making excuses. I also have a book that's sort of like a journal of quotes, poems, crafts, and other neat pictures. I haven't worked on that since last year either. What's wrong with me? Am I that busy that I don't have time for myself? Can anyone help me get my creative juices to start flowing? How do I get back in the groove of painting and crafting? I look forward to your comments. (By the way, the picture above is from 2005.)

Jenni