IS IT SAFE TO COME OUT?

"IS IT SAFE TO COME OUT?"

Mixed Media Collage - 16" x 20"

Well, I've not much to say this evening except that some time ago when I put the above collage together with scraps of world maps and tiny childrens' faces peeping out from the surface there hadn't yet been a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in Japan, nor a self-immolating merchant provoking protests and regime change in Egypt, nor missiles and planes falling from the night sky of Libya. 

Has it ever been safe for children to come out?  Will it ever be?  Can I make a difference in the answers to these questions?  I don't know - do you?

My work is fab!

"LOVE IS NOT ALWAYS BLACK AND WHITE"*

Acrylic Mixed-Media Collage - 12" x 16"

What a post title, what a bore, what a snob and elitist?!  Well, not really.....I don't think.  This week while sitting in on a conference call with my Life Coach and some of her other clients, I reflected upon a happening that took place earlier in the week.  With an amazing blurt out of joy and almost giddiness I allowed as how my rediscovery in the last few years of my own personal mark of creativity has and continues to give me an unbelievable amount of energy and productivity, along with a peacefulness and sense of spirit-filled work.  My ideas flow from one piece into the next, I have no fear of pleasing others, I'm content with my completed and continuing work...........what artist could ask for more?

The day AFTER I shared that giddiness with my friends, I suddenly felt my "lizard brain" - many of you know about that phrase from authors, coaches, lecturers across the land - kick into gear.  The questions and doubts were tumultuous, convincing, ridiculous!  The LB suggested that "my ideas will quit coming, nobody will want to review my work, or even like it, or consider owning it.  I'll look foolish, feel defeated and who do I think I am anyway pretending to do art?"  Oh my, I was devastated!

And, THEN, with a couple of great Life Coaches in my bag of tricks, I gave the "lizard brain" a kick across the room with the following:

*My ideas are fabulous - they will continue to flow - stop fretting

*My creativity is original and innovative - it makes me smile and others too for that matter

*People will like my art and will travel to see it - they do already

*Viewers will click on my site and say wow - they have and they do

*I love my art and that's a significant detail, this creation is from me, for me and it's all gravy if someone else likes it too - delicious gravy

*The joy of creation and the sharing of it is the purpose and product of my work - what could be better

So, how about you?  Do you have a "lizard brain" from time to time?  Please kick it across the room - the "lizard" will instantaneously feel relieved of its mission and with any luck at all will die a quick death in the corner of your studio.  

Say to yourself right now - my work is fab! - and believe it!


*xoxo to a fab photographer who gave me permission to use his graffiti heart shot in this collage

Coming Attractions II**

 

"SOUTHEAST ASIA TALKING TREES"
Mixed-Media Collage, 24" x 36"

"While role models are helpful, we are not called to copy other people.  Rather, we are to become fully the people God created us to be, living our own lives in response to our own calls - as Jesus lived out his life faithful to God's call for him.  So it is that hearing one's call is akin to discovering one's self."*
  

What interesting paths we are led or called to in our lives.....innocent and seemingly little acts of influence from others,  habits we develop,  urges, and magnetic forces take us where they will.  Role models' lives that we've admired or interacted with, whose mere existence seemed beyond our grasp, become easy acquaintances and not so far from where our own paths have steered us.

In my life right now, I'm amazed at forces that have brought me to this place of contentment that I find in my construction of mixed-media collages. I marvel at the energy that  is projected toward me and drawn from my own childrens' ambitious lives, the joy of sharing discovery in a sibling's life of her talents and achievements, the glow in my heart from living with a spouse who continues to follow his own call to work with people of faith and people of little and sometimes no faith, the tears shared, the smiles and laughter coming from friends recovering from grief, the recent joy of admission from a friend that she had been plagued by certain possible situations occurring in her life and her being surprised that when the events did occur, she actually survived them and marveled at how wonderful it is to be finished with those fears!  A rebirth, a reawakening of call, of existence, of life!

Coming Attractions II** refers to my one woman show scheduled for June, 2011, but coming attractions too also points to the vitality and conviction that I feel I'm stepping into at this time in my life.  How about you?  Are you feeling a call for something new, a long-held fear that should be erased, the knowledge that there is more to life than you've been allowing yourself to experience?  Why not embrace coming attractions too and get on with our amazing life.

*Quote - "Listening Hearts/Discerning Call in Community" - Morehouse Publishing

**Opening Reception - June 3, 2011 
Gallery at the Weinhard
Weinhard Hotel - Dayton, WA

Coming Attractions

"PEAR-LY THERE" 

 Mixed-media collage  12" x 16"

Opening Reception - June 3, 2011 
Gallery at the Weinhard
Weinhard Hotel - Dayton, WA

Away for a few days -

Hi everyone, I'll be away for a few days. In the meantime, this is a photo of my latest collage. It is a 24" x 36" acrylics on canvas piece and has just been juried and accepted into the Washington State University Tri-Cities Chancellor's Series, to be displayed from January 27 through May 2. I'm happy:)!

Restless

RESTLESS yearning for creation brush to paint paint to canvas scissors to paper paper to glue image to capture heart to prayer ear to God restless

Virtual Sketch Date - more fun

On January 26, I posted a sketch that I had completed as an entry into the Virtual Sketch Date event. Since then I have, of course, viewed others' entries and considering my little sketch pretty weak and incomplete against the others'entries, I've played around, re-sketched and now added acrylic colors into the piece.








Though certainly this month's competition is closed on VSD, that's not the point. My little sketch is a result of the practice, observing, learning opportunity and I'm happier with my reworked piece; all of this sketching and reworking is now destined to be a part of my work-in-progress collage piece here. More fun!

Split Personality

Well, here you have it, another self portrait, sorta, kinda. You can see from the title that today was one of those days.....I wanted to write, I wanted to glue, I wanted to watch a movie.

I've completed the glue things, these few comments, plus a little Facebook commenting are going to have to satisfy the writing and I'm definitely going to get in a movie or two this evening - so I'll see y' all tomorrow?

Happy Saturday evening!

January Art Journaling

January Art Journaling - what a great challenge found over at Misty Mawn's creative site.

I've had a couple of days to catch up with the challenge as -

#1. I'm renovating/finishing "A Book of Hours" (above, a little, soft sided, paper booklet). This little memorabilia piece was started during the art sessions of a fabulous retreat I attended the first week in Advent. The booklet I came home with was basically on white paper with a few pasted pieces of construction paper. To honor the weekend and some of the splendid readings I encountered during that weekend, written by author Thomas Merton, I felt there should be much more color and life in the pages - thus the reconstruct:)

#2. I've been filling another little journal with some of my "favorite" things, so as an incentive to complete those journal pages, I'm loving the idea of Misty's challenge. I'm sure it's "the more the merrier" if you'd like to give it a go!

The pink and green pages, are my latest entries into completing my "late 2008/early 2009" journal pages. (The pages are strips cut and reassembled into a collage - two photos - one of tulips and one a waterfall - the photos were given to me as gift cards on special occasions by a dear photographer friend - her signature is included on my pages as a remembrance for me.)

Life is a wonderful collage these days

Traveling, planning and arranging the "next" trips, reading, working in the yard, walking, jaunts to the gym, yoga, blogging, movie watching, volunteering, entertaining, dinner with friends, dinner with just the two of us, loving the beautiful July and August weather in the 80's, cooking outdoors, fresh fish and chicken, corn, peaches, blueberries, watermelon - the lazy days of summer in this early retirement life are wonderful blessings that I immensely treasure.

An additional treasure I've finally found for myself after imagining it for so many years is the drawing, painting, cutting, glueing - the art of collage. So comparable to early retirement in the fact that as I begin a new piece, although I've thought it over in my mind for a while, I never quite know what will truly materialize. The beauty in both daily living and daily collaging seems to be relaxing into them while learning to lean into the challenge and enjoy whatever my hands and heart and mind come together to create or to weather.

Yes, life and art are comparable collages. All of our lives, so busy, so full......I'm trying to savor each day filled with the joy of living! May you do the same.

collage - SS - Apple Joy

Isn't this interesting?

Searching through the bookshelves this week, I came upon a book I scarcely remember reading but examining it, I saw that I had turned down the opening page containing a quote from author, Anthony Powell, Books Do Furnish a Room. That is the quote I've found interesting enough to post this evening. The quote is -

"The General, speaking one felt with authority, always insisted that, if you bring off adequate preservation of your personal myth, nothing much else in life matters. It is not what happens to people that is significant, but what they think happens to them."

I'm mulling over what "my personal myth" is......do you think you have a personal myth?


Collage - SS - "Yellow Puzzle Pieces"

Artists creating - why?

After many years of not pursuing any artistic endeavor very seriously, I've taken up the paintbrush and canvas and jumped back in. I've had a couple of lovely little blessings fall upon me in that two of my recent small collage pieces have been accepted in two separate Juried Art Show events. A very encouraging start to getting back to the enjoyment of creating.

I do, however, have some thoughts regarding art and artists that I've observed over the years while "not producing" art and in the last few months of the reverse. And, that is -

1. Why do artists create anyway?
Fame, power? Seems unlikely as many artists seldom ever reach even a modicum of fame.

2. Inner peace, contentment - oh my gosh, how frustrating completing some glorious work and never being recognized by an audience, or buyer, or even by ones' self - that can't be inner peace, can it?

3. Daring, fearless - I think those would be long shot descriptions for many artists as seldom do artists have the same confidence outwardly visible in their behavior as that portrayed in their work. Many would rather eat bugs than discuss their work with an inquiring bystander or potential benefactor.

4. Nagging, inner demons crying to be released on a canvas, in a song, or sculpture, a poem, a book?....I hope not demons!

Having recently discussed this, "why do we create, why do others create" topic over lunch with a friend, I believe the closest I can come to understanding why I create, whatever it is I create (that remains a little bit of mystery right now) - I do it because I just NEED to do it right now. I have a yearning in me to create something of lasting value. I have a yearning to be recognized for creativity, I have a yearning to be recognized for intelligence, I have a yearning, yearning,......and for what other reasons do artists - I/you/we create?

Workshops, lectures, books, articles, doctors, learned professors speak of the creativity that is within us all. What do you yearn to create and why do you believe that you MUST and that you will and maybe even that you are already creating everything and more than you ever expected to in your life. I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject....

SS collage photo - Road to Hana

When was the last time......

When was the LAST TIME, you did something for the FIRST TIME? That's the caption - that's the message of this little personal collage.

Firsts don't all have to be so daring as taking a surfing lesson - although I highly recommend that idea - what's in your mind that you've wanted to do for a long time?
Why not talk yourself into it rather than out of it! Why not.....

-Write a blog entry you thought too daring for your readers
-Why not investigate a new blog writer that you've convinced yourself you don't have time for
-Invite a new acquaintance to lunch
-Invite a new acquaintance to dinner
-Take a singing lesson or two
-Find your local used bookstore that "everyone but you" seems to find interesting
-Pick out a totally strange, untested item on a restaurant menu
-Pick out a complicated new receipe and find out its not so complicated
-Walk someplace you've always driven to before
-Pump your own gas - no, everybody doesn't do that
-Send a get well card to an acquaintance
-Pray for your enemies
-Pray for peace
-Ask God to walk with you while you attempt to lose 5 lbs
-Enter a contest - any contest will do
-Write a letter to the editor
-Take a yoga class
-Visit your local YMCA for a list of workout classes
-Visit your local "something or another" that you've never visited
-Take your camera with you when you go out
-Take a sky dive - I know one of you readers of mine has done that before:)
-Eat oatmeal or poached eggs for breakfast
-View a sunset WHILE you're not on a vacation

Well, you get the picture. I'd love to hear about something you've done lately or are planning to do that you've never done before!

Collage by Sunrise Sister

Sans scanner - the snapshot of the collage will be the blog release today.

The collage is all about, are you ready for this? - it's all about paper and glue and having fun for no other reason than to have fun. I think it's commonly referred to as playing:) In fact in the lower left green half circle there is a quote - "I have two things on my to-do list: to play and to play":)

While in the midst of my collaging glue-fest, the phone rang and husband, Steve, said to daughter, Kari,
"Oh, yes your Mother is here. She's cutting out paper dolls."
Daughter to Mother - "Paper dolls?"
Mother to Daughter - "Remember, I'm retired; I get to do what I want to do and right now it's "paper dolls" - collage - whatever!"

Not having done a collage in years, I find there is a bit - a LOT - of fun and child-like abandon to ripping out colors, images, letters that appeal to one's self at the moment. Putting it together - freedom as well to glue in whatever spot seems appropriate, to re-glue, to add more and most of all to NOT get too crazy about where everything is placed. You may also notice that the word PERFECT is "not quite" PERFEC......hmmmm.

So, here comes the big question - Would my life change direction, or yours for that matter, if we looked at our daily assignments with a similar gleam in our eyes toward tasks to be accomplished? Would a little less insistence upon perfection, a little less fear of doing the wrong thing, a little less concern over the final outcome result in shabby completions or might it
free us to more creative solutions, more creative products, more creative lives?

.....and lest you think- what would I know about the real world of business and "playing hard ball," I have just retired from corporate life in a major industry and the remarks that I cherish the most on the retirement well wishing cards are those that say they will miss my sense of humor and ability to bring smiles to sort of "ugly" situations.

So, I may have already been playing for longer than I recognized but the new sense of freedom to play with creativity and with the bloggers I've been lucky enough to find is just downright fun - thank you all. You bring many smiles to my face each day I'm allowed to play with you!