art exchanges and meetings in cafés

i made this for jill zaheer, as part of an art exchange.  but DON’T TELL HER, because i just mailed it today.

ALSO i finally met my online friend, e.l.k. of the beautiful and poetic photographs, cards, and collages.  she and her husband were so kind as to come to the cafe to see my work on display.  she created a beautiful post about it on her photo blog. thank you elaine!

AND, in an unrelated trade, i RECEIVED this wonderful “n2theblue” collage from cory, in exchange for three of my blackbird “rebel cards.”  I LOVE MAIL!

gallery art cafe

can you read that sign?  yeah, i can’t believe it either.  for the next two weeks some of my stuff is hanging in the gallery art cafe, on jennings in fort worth (thank you ross and doris!).  if anything sells, it will benefit samaritan house, so-o-o, if you’re in the neighborhood….  the coffee and food are great here.  and the people!

for art’s sake?

a mini journal made from junk mail and gesso, in which i sermonize to myself about art.

 ( what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?)

6 1/2″ x 5″     my painted, handmade paper; scraps  of used sandpaper; gold chocolate bar wrapper.

etta’s book

etta’s book is made from my handmade paper and other recycled materials.     about 6″ x 4 1/2″

recycling day

 

made some paper for my book yesterday!   tried drying it on the window, which worked quite well.  lots of good information from”The Papermaker’s Companion” by Helen Hiebert, published by Storey.    many thanks to m. heart for the suggestion!  and if you haven’t already, check out the great storey blog she created.

a book?

why can’t i ever just decide to do something and then do it without it all changing on me?  i thought i’d make a fort worth journal–like a travel journal with bits of this and that, photos, postcards, etc.  (btw, if ft.worth has any attractive postcards i’ve yet to find them.)  i set out one day with point-and-shoot, paper and crayon for rubbings, and a few $, for a city walk.  i did a few rubbings from plaques on main street, photographed the horse on top of the fountain by the courthouse (the silhouette is now on a homemade rubber stamp) and rejected every postcard i found.  i walked by a bed and breakfast called “etta’s place,” picking up a brochure.  and that’s when the digression first began.  etta place was the sundance kid’s woman.  butch and sundance, and the rest of the wild bunch hung out in fort worth a bit.  the famous studio photo of the wild bunch was taken here.  not much is really known about etta.  some say she was a schoolteacher, others that she was a “soiled dove.”  i came home and started playing with her image, which then led me off on another tangent resulting in several small abstract somethings that have nothing really to do with fort worth, etta place, or …anything.  THEN i attended the postponed-from-last-spring papermaking day with the fiber guild.  WELL, that was such fun!  i made one sheet of recycled paper (seen in the photo above, folded in half).  we used a box deckle which is fabulous for making small quantities in small spaces such as our apartment.  (you pour into it rather than dipping.)  SO NOW  i want to make a book of these small somethings and other small somethings i’ve yet to make.  a sewn book, i think, because it’s been years since i made one.  and i want to make my own recycled paper for the pages.   now i’m waiting for the mould and deckle to be delivered from dick blick.  more later….

disintegration 6

i’m using more of my weathered papers, waste paper, and shu xuan paper (a gift from friends~thank you!) that i painted and stamped on to make a small (about 4″ x 6″) accordion book of little paper weavings.

i haven’t done anything yet on the other side….

disintegration 1-5

on 8″ x 10″ black cardstock.

i’m currently working on another project using my disintegration papers together with other papers ~ see disintegration 6

[for the story of this project, see previous post.]  and find all the collaborators under the disintegration icon on the altered page.

DisCo results coming up

here, in preparation for the  reveal,  is the story of my project.   back in january,  i joined a multitude of others  embarking upon a creative  collaboration with nature.    in my case,  it was nature in the form of wind, rain and sunlight, with a bit of dirt applied by the wind and rain.

as some of you may remember, i started with a small bundle of papers which i tied to a chair in my backyard. 

in february, this bundle flew away in a  storm (along with our skylight) and was never heard from again.

dismayed but not defeated by my tempermental collaborator, i began again with a more securely-anchored bundle which, happily, stayed put until may 1, the end of our allotted time for weathering.

my papers were faded, dirty, and wavy~quite nice, i thought.  i decided to  weave a lot of them into one biggish piece.  if you want to hear me whine about what happened with that, you can go here.

now it’s time  for us all to share something we’ve made with our disintegrating  materials.    you may see the results of the entire multitude ~ look for the “disintegration” icon in seth’s sidebar at the altered page.

inspiration

INSPIRATION

or

 Everything I know about art I learned in Mrs. Beckham’s Class

Even as a young child I loved paper.   I mostly scribbled on it.  Sometimes I crunched it up and smoothed it out again, making it deliciously crackly.  I took great delight in a stack of scribbled, crinkly paper.  And coloring books.  The pristine, uncolored line drawings excited me, and then the filling in with color…!  (I still love simple contour drawings and  wire structures.)

But in middle school I was in Mrs. Beckham’s art class.  New worlds of delight opened up.  She was passionate about art and about students.  We learned about line, form, shading,  perspective, balance, color theory, etc.   (Years later when my husband was in art school, he often came home telling me about something he had learned, or some exercise they had done in class and I’d say, “Yeah, we did that in Mrs. Beckham’s class.”)   We drew, painted, carved a lino block and printed, built simple looms and wove on them, made clay vessels (oh, these were shockingly awful, but she was very encouraging none-the-less), made enameled copper jewelry….   We learned about the lives of artists, saw works of art….    The first time I went to an art museum and stood, enthralled,  in front of an original Van Gogh painting,  it was in the company of Mrs. Beckham.

She was definitely inspiring then; and now, nearly forty years later, I still feel her influence.  Now I find inspiration in all sorts of places, whether a specific pattern or color scheme I want to use to make something, or just the general inspired feeling I get from a museum or movie that puts me in the mood to create.

The rest of the story:  Mrs. B. happened to be the mother of my best friend, so I, fortunate child, was accepted as part of the family.  She was always for me, and always an encourager and an inspiration.  She left this life six months ago.    ~we miss her ~    http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dfw/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=123118306

Go read what others are sharing about inspiration at The Weaver of Grass.

we take a walk….

walked  to “the quiet pool”  at the fort worth water gardens.  (did i tell you i love living here?)

after two or three days of feeling guilty for spending time playing with shapes and colors,  and determining that i must find a way to do  something that “matters,”  i took a walk and, alas,  found more  shape-and-color inspiration all around.

i’m really a blue girl, but right now i’m thinking rust and moss….

AND SPEAKING OF INSPIRATION

i’m joining the weaver of grass for her inspiration wednesday next week–you’re invited too.  tell us what your interests/passions are, and who has inspired you in that area of your life.

more floor

 

 

still playing with the design from the post office floor. 

6″x 8″

something new

this little piece (6″x8″) was inspired by a trip to the post  office.

the main post office in fort worth is a lovely beaux arts-inspired building from 1933.   walking  across the marble floor i felt i should be wearing a smart suit with a hat and gloves, and james should  have had a fedora.

confessions of a panicked collaborator

oh hello, remember the collaborating with nature project?  DisCo (disintegration collaboration).  i last posted about it may 1.  well, seth just reminded us the other day that we’re supposed to reveal something we’ve made with our nice nature-touched papers and things on SATURDAY AUGUST 1.

it just so happens that i used rather a lot of my papers for a biggish woven piece back in may.  and it sat in a drawer.  every now and then i took it out and considered what else i might do to it.  and then i would put it back having done nothing at all.  until yesterday!

yesterday i thought i really needed to do something about it, because i have to show it august 1, don’t i?  well, i didn’t like it yesterday.  and i was feeling rather icky and feverish, which may or may not have influenced me when I CUT IT UP.  imagine my horror, because, you know, i didn’t really like it cut up either.  then i went and dug out a few of the left-over weathered papers, and told myself i have more time and more materials, and relax, you’ll be fine.

SO ANYWAY i do feel healthier today and where there’s life there’s hope and so on.  so please come back AUGUST 1, and also visit the other collaborators ~you will  find them on the altered page.

the view from here

i am here.  i have not fallen off the earth.

we are settled in our little apartment.  this is the view from our balcony.  can you hear the church bells?  they come from the gothic-revival building in the center of the photo.  see the red balloon on the left?  it flies from the top of the old firestone building just up the block.  it is a constant, cheery presence that animates our view and welcomes us back home when we wander.

my art supplies finally found a home in the small closet ~ how many clothes does one need anyway?  where i eventually use them will apparently be a small kitchen counter.  hmmmm.   but i will use them again.

hope you all are well.

we dwell in possibility

it’s been a crazy ride since my last post.

on may 14 we made the decision to try to make the move from suburban family home to tiny city apartment.  by june 5 our house had been  fixed up and listed for sale.  on june 14 we accepted an offer (for more than our asking price).  closing is set for june 30.

stunned…grateful…excited….

more later.

(i photographed this cardinal nest in my mother-in-law’s rosebush a few weeks go.)

monochrome 1

about 8 x 8

colors of the day

disintegration

my disintegration project (inspired by seth apter)  began here.   my first bundle  flew away   and i began again here on feb 12.  it hasn’t been very long, but sun, wind and rain have done their part in this collaboration with nature.  papers are wavy, colors are muted.  a little paperclip rust, a little dirt . . . .  they’re still a bit wet from our recent rain.

the next step will be making  something(s) using these nature-kissed materials.  we’ll show those later.

seth has links to all the (many!) artists working on this project.  go see.

#617

UNAVAILABLE about 9 1/2″ x 12″

1/4″ plywood, brown paper bag, gesso, watercolor, acrylic medium, black pencil.

but which way’s up?

another use for those silver and gold chocolate bar wrappers.

THESE ARE UNAVAILABLE

second piece is 9 1/2″ x 12″   on 1/4″ plywood.

black and white

 

found these grackle feathers in the yard yesterday.  i just love the elegant simplicity of  blackbirds.

7 3/4″ x 10″    misc. recycled papers, matboard,  gesso, watercolor, acrylic medium, feathers, gold thread

april 22

NOT AVAILABLE

6×12″

ingredients:  scrap 1/4″ plywood,  junk mail envelope, newspaper (ft. worth star-telegram), brown paper bag (freebirds world burrito), haley’s tulle (used for texture and then pulled off), lauren’s greentea bag (tazo), black paper from old photo album,  carpet tacks, gesso, watercolor, acrylic medium.

the lunatic, the lover, and the poet

NOT AVAILABLE

the lunatic and the lover have been accounted for…now i just need a poet to find the beauty in this.

about 8 1/4″ almost square.

#3

on plywood.   12×12

another abstract

NOT AVAILABLE

cereal box, teabags, old journal page, studio waste, gesso, watercolor.  tacked to cedar board.

re: the woven-look of the background:  after using gesso and watercolor on the background, i glued on (with acrylic medium) some paper i had woven together.  i put on a dark watercolor wash and then wiped it off.  not liking the look, i ended up rubbing and peeling off the woven paper.  the watercolor that had seeped through the weaving left the image you see.       9×9-ish.

apropos of nothing?

 

 

time in “studio b” yesterday afternoon after a long absence due to spring and other distractions.  started with a cereal box, tea bags, and a brown paper bag.  a bit of gesso and watercolor.   metal from the  old compost bin i de-constructed recently.  mounted on reclaimed cedar.   about 11″ x 11″     unavailable

spring

i haven’t made a single thing since that tree last month, or kept up with my favorite blogs,  but spring arrived here ~ how on earth could i stay inside? 

on plywood.  6 x 6-ish.

UNAVAILABLE

#5

NOT AVAILABLE

on cedar.   about 9.5 x 9.5.   this scan cropped a bit off both top and bottom.

variations: first 4

cedar board.  about 4.5″x 6.5″  UNAVAILABLE

on plywood.  about 6″x 6″  NOT AVAILABLE

on cedar.  about 6.75″ x 9.5″   NOT AVAILABLE

on cedar.  about 10″ x 10″   this one didn’t fit in the scanner and the quality of my photo is poor.   NOT AVAILABLE

constructive criticism welcome.

patterns from pompeii

design motifs from Pompeii, cut from collaged recyclables and painted papers, mounted on scrap plywood.  each about 6″x7″

THESE ARE UNAVAILABLE

nevah, nevah, nevah give up!

second try.  papers secured to board with wire and jute; lashed to a heavy flagstone underneath.  on pedestal so dog won’t chew it.  sentinel on duty.

next stop oz?

yes, well, about that collaborating with nature project . . . . 

 last night brother wind came by and snatched away my project.  it’s probably  in the top of a tree somewhere.  he also sucked the skylight out of our roof, and sister water happily poured into james’s studio.  what fun.

déjà vu 8 ~ the end

NOT AVAILABLE

the last of this series.  this one’s for my daughter.  i started with 6 (free!) 8×10 canvases, but  decided one day to entirely redo the first two, so my series of 6 is numbered 3 through 8.

it’s the end of the “déjà vu” series, but not the end of my making things from recyclables.

saturday

 

 

déjà vu 7

NOT AVAILABLE

i bought some black gesso to try on this one.  first i collaged the entire canvas with recycled papers; then  cut out 9 leaves from leftover shelf paper, stuck them on, brushed on the black gesso, scribbled a bit with the end of a paintbrush, then pulled off the leaves.  after it dried i coated it in gloss gel medium (also a first for me), which gives it a lacquered look.

disintegration

thought i’d join seth and friends in this collaboration with nature project.  you can read about it here.  a cold rain was beginning to fall as i read the post, so i quickly gathered some of my paper scraps and a piece of cheesecloth, fastened them together with a stick and one stitch of waxed linen, and hurried out to tie it to a chair.  (this chair has definitely felt the effects of time and the elements, so i thought it would be a good place.)  we’ll see the results next spring.

edit 2-11-09:  see update

edit 2-12-09: nevah give up

hands

cut from old journal pages

5th, 7th and 8th hands not available

déjà vu 6

here’s #6 (made from the rejected #1 that i ripped up).  i stained the stretcher strips and tacked the canvas on.

any constructive criticism?

gourd basket

today i joined the local fiber guild ~ thanks carolyn!   they meet monthly and do a project together.  today we made baskets from gourds. 

looking over the schedule for the next few months i saw that the march meeting will be PAPERMAKING!  fancy that.

ice & a question

when i photographed post oak moon two days ago, it was 80 degrees.  today, it’s winter again.    texas is not only big . . .it’s weird.

one of the things i want to try this year is papermaking.  i’m thinking of  buying a kit.  any thoughts, suggestions?

post oak moon

 

last night we saw a nice little film ~ “how about you.”  one character plays a nocturne.  i think he said it was by saint-saëns.  i’d upload it for you if i could.

p.s.  thank you all so much for the crit!  i do so much appreciate it.

on the crit rail: déjà vu 5

UNAVAILABLE

as mentioned in my last post, i present déjà vu 5 for critique – anonymously if you so choose.  do you think it “works?”  why or why not?

i set out to do something in greys and browns with stuff from the recycling bin.  pretty early on i put on a glaze of matte medium with a bit of black acrylic in it and then wiped it off.  you know how each decision you make narrows your options?  at that point i realized i was going to make something that looked like it’d been run over in the street – and i was okay with that.  the further i took it the more it felt like winter in the city to me.  “mona lisa’s and mad hatters” started up in my head.  the last thing i did was add the twig.  you know how a plant will sprout in a crack in the asphalt or concrete?  it always gives me pleasure . . . and hope.

déjà vu 4

here’s my fourth try for the series.  recyclables and backyard leaves. UNAVAILABLE

i’m working on #5 now.  i started the fifth one with only one idea ~ it would be browns and greys.  i guess i did assume it would be clean, clear browns and greys, but in fact it’s getting pretty dirty and ragged.  i may hate it in the end, but i’ll post it anyway in a day or two and maybe some of you will give me a “crit.”

actually, that’s something i would very much appreciate.  i’m alone in my “classroom” with no prof to pick my things apart.  james is too tender-hearted to be brutally honest.  so, anyone up for a crit?  you may comment under anonymous if it makes you feel better.

p.s.  happy happy happy new year! it’s my favorite holiday.

déjà vu

UNAVAILABLE

six 8 x 10 canvases were shipped to us by mistake.  when james called to make arrangements to ship them back, he was told to just keep them.  he then gave them to me.  well, thought i, maybe i’ll make a series.  maybe i’ll use recycled “trash” and old journal pages and such.  maybe i’ll call the series déjà vu because it’s all stuff  we’ve seen before.  this is actually the third one i’ve made.  the first two didn’t please me  so i think i’ll cut them up and reuse the parts i like on another one.  (déjà-déjà vu.)

peace

(this ornament is unavailable)

&rew’s stars

andrew of urbanpaperarts sent me three of his stars for my star tree! they look wonderful with my green and gold stars ~ THANK YOU ANDREW!

and to all those who celebrate, i wish you a happy festival of lights!

my minimalist christmas

a fragrant wreath  (a gift from friends)

one small tree (my stars this year)

candlelight (these metal camels a gift from a friend); and a ceramic nativity (created by our talented niece).

 

“manny” hangs out year-round in our living room, changing positions when no one is looking.  at christmas he becomes angelic.

o. henry’s “the gift of the magi” is one of my favorite stories.  we bought this lisbeth zwerger-illustrated edition in 1982 and every year i cry over it again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

that’s all i’m pulling out of the christmas box this year.  we just add music, food, and people we love for our simple christmas.

now i  have a question for you:  i’d like you to tell me your favorite christmas movies.

1924-2008

mama

my mother was a seamstress.  she loved flowers.  she liked robert frost, thus the lines from “the tuft of flowers.”

gift

you’ll have to use your imagination for this one.  no photo available.

a couple of miles from my suburban home is a small park i often walk to with my friend lynn.   a walkway leads around the little playground, ending down by a small pond.  a murky little pond almost surrounded by native trees, virginia creeper, underbrush and litter.  we usually see turtles there, sometimes a few mallards, often cardinals and other birds.

when we arrived there this morning at 8:30, an area across the pond was lit up by sunlight, with a perfect reflection cast on the still pond.  bare trees, some autumn leaves, dry grasses, in a beautiful, symmetrical work of art.  and in the center of this bright vision, standing  just at the water’s edge, a huge, beautiful heron.

after a few minutes, we turned and walked back to our homes and families. 

simple gifts are the best after all. 

wishing you simple gifts shared with people you love.

star tree

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a couple of years ago i bought a small metal tree from smith&hawkin.  last year i folded paper cranes to hang from it.  this year i’m making stars from recycled odds and ends.  on a piece of matboard, i glued various scraps that otherwise would have gone in the recycling bin or compost:  some junk mail, ticket stubs, used teabags (i did put the tea in the compost pile), a doiley from a bridal shower, etc.  then i covered it with layers of acrylic paint and gesso.  after it dried, i cut out stars.  as i have time, i add a bent-wire hook, and some little embellishment to each one  (gold thread, a few tiny beads, etc.)  i also cut out some smaller stars and covered them with the gold inner wrapper from a chocolate bar (dark, dark, dark, choc!).  when i told james what i’d done, he decided we needed lots more of these gold stars . . .in fact, he feels one can never have too many small gold stars.  i’m okay with that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

nov afternoon

nov morning

i got mail!

as promised, the trading card post!  (our scanner, unfortunately, doesn’t do them justice. )

 

the very first card i received was, appropriately, from bobbi, my very first inspiration and encourager in artblog world:

 

two lovely cards from the wonderful sukipoet:

 

two fun cards from cathy parmelee, a fellow “maniac” journaler:

 

a beautiful little bluebird from karen mowrey:

 

the house i want to live in, by the lovely and talented lauren mowrey, also known as pajama girl:

 

a beautiful dragonfly print from pamela carriker, another “maniac” friend:

 

a dreamy little card from the uk by crissi harvey, yet another “maniac” journaler:

 

a beautifully simple image and thought from m. heart made with her own handmade and embossed paper:

 

two awesome and inspiring cards from the awesome and inspiring seth apter:

 

and just a few days ago, this precious little dutch angel arrived from the netherlands, the work of another journaling friend, audrey meijs:

thanks again so much to all of you for sharing your art with me!

ob-la-di, ob-la-da

my only recent photos were taken when stopped at traffic lights.  these strings of [living] ebony beads always delight me.

NOT AVAILABLE

oct misc

bois d’arc fruits from our walk to the park

1 & 2  NOT AVAILABLE

NOT AVAILABLE

NOT AVAILABLE

atc’s and rebel cards~trade with me?

NOT AVAILABLE

yes, i’m addicted to blue.  and blackbirds.

i photographed this grackle the other day at the botanic garden, and decided to do a series of cards with him.  also some pages from a tattered old copy of a midsummer’s night dream.

the next two are “rebel trading cards” and are about 3 1/4 x 3 5/8

beyond words

NOT AVAILABLE

“. . .our conscious minds are indeed only the tiny tip of the iceberg which is above the water, and the largest part of ourselves is unseen below the water, below the conscious level, and it is not easy to admit this, to admit it and not fear that large part of ourselves over which we have very little control, but in which lies enormous freedom, and the world of poetry, music, and the region of that deepest and truest prayer which is beyond all our feeble and filtering words.  We need prayers of words, yes; the words are the path to contemplation; but the deepest communion with God is beyond words, on the other side of silence.”  ~Madeleine L’Engle

new journal

four cards to trade

NOT AVAILABLE

i made these from painted papers and crayon rubbings on tracing paper.  they’re mounted on gessoed old-book pages (the taming of the shrew).  i also still have #2, 3, and 5 (left to right, top to bottom) from the last post.

karen has first choice.  i hope you like them.

not atc’s

UNAVAILABLE

so, when i told bobbi i wanted to trade atc’s with her, she said she only does rebel cards (no rules).  these are for you, bobbi, if you like any of them.  they are not 2.5 x 3.5 inches.  if anyone else wants rebel cards — these are actually about 3 1/4 x 3 5/8″ – you are also welcome to choose one.  they are my very first trading cards, and i had so much fun making them that i want to start some more tomorrow.  i’ll even maybe do some 2.5 x 3.5 . . . if i feel like it.  : )

NOT AVAILABLE

NOT AVAILABLE

NOT AVAILABLE

hi, i’m back

 yes, well i’m feeling better today.  i’ve had a couple of weeks to freely make messes in my journal and to mull over the whole idea of whether or not to share it.  no, i’m not a proper writer or artist or photographer, but i do have this urge to create.  the way i see it, if God made me this way, i should just go with it and not worry about some possible judgemental viewer who might think my things are amateurish and weird.  so i’ve decided to just let the amateurish weirdness flow. . . at least for now . . . .  this realization that it’s okay to make and share these things actually came out of my recent grappling with another issue i’ve been dealing with for years. 

it’s the old cry of “why did you make me this way?” (which believers are not supposed to say to God, but of course we do).   i’m shy, quiet, too sensitive, and somewhat agoraphobic,  but i’ve spent my whole life trying to act like i’m not, and feeling guilty when i fail.  why?  because it’s socially unacceptable to be shy and a homebody.  because i had this idea that “handicaps” are given to us so that we become stronger by overcoming them.  it suddenly came into my head yesterday that this whole idea might be nonsense.  my son has tourette’s.  can anyone imagine God saying to him, “i made you this way, but i will not be pleased with you if you tic.”   or can you imagine him saying to a crippled person, “i made you this way, but you must not limp.”  this thought made me feel a little better about my “handicap,” but then an even wilder thought came to me.  maybe God doesn’t even consider shyness and sensitivity a handicap!  maybe he likes quietness and sensitivity as much as boldness.     maybe he likes us to be who we are!

UNAVAILABLE

You see, the problem is I’m not a blogger.  Or an artist.  I’m just a person who keeps a visual journal for catharsis, and for the joy of playing with shapes and colors.  In an insane moment I started sharing online what had been private.

” . . .lives hidden behind faces, divided by fathoms of empty space, wrapped round in silence which one of them breaks then with maybe some word that in one way or another means Know me, Know me . . . .”    (Frederick Buechner)

It’s been two months today.  There have been 803 visits.  Except for a few individuals, I don’t know who looks at this or what you think.  I’m finding it harder to find the joy and freedom I felt before.  A journal page suddenly needs to be a work of art.  Something worthy of showing in public.  The thought paralyzes me.

. . .   I don’t know if I’ll completely abandon n2theblue or not.

(don’t worry, the portuguese note is to my husband)

UNAVAILABLE

(my paris stories)

THESE 7 ARE UNAVAILABLE

(spiral d)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

morning light

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

inspiration

 

 ”We also rightly speak of intuition or inspiration as a gift.  As the artist works, some portion of his creation is bestowed upon him.  An idea pops into his head, a tune begins to play, a phrase comes to mind, a color falls in place on the canvas.  Usually, in fact, the artist does not find himself engaged or exhilarated by the work, nor does it seem authentic, until this gratuitous element has appeared, so that along with any true creation comes the uncanny sense that ‘I,’ the artist, did not make the work.”   — from intro to The Gift, How the Creative Spirit Transforms the World,  by Lewis Hyde

 I never actually made it through this entire book, but read the intro far from home one cloudy day while sitting on an uncomfortable bench by the Thames.  My mother-in-law watched the river and the passersby; my husband did a little watercolor sketch of the Houses of Parliament; Big Ben chimed; the Queen Elizabeth cruised by with a wedding in progress, white-veiled bride and black-tuxedoed groom in the bow.  And I read this quote and thought, “Yes, that’s it exactly.”

Is it that way for you?  Comments welcome.

(prairie)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I was born on the prairie, where the wind blew free and there was nothing to break the light of the Sun . . . and where everything drew a free breath.”

–Parra Wa-Samen (Ten Bears) of the Yamaparika Comanches, Treaty Speech of 1872

  www.gprc.org

NOT AVAILABLE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

tuesday, driving home

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

as with many of these pages, there are layers of meaning here, but these questions primarily concern my interaction with art supplies in creating journal pages.  when they don’t do what i want or expect, i sometimes change direction and follow their lead, and i sometimes arm myself (so to speak) and try to force my will on them.  there’s a lot of “back and forth-ing” in the process.    the answer, “it’s a conversation,” was offered by my husband who has for many years been “conversing” with his paints.

(part 2)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 James gave me a little digital camera for Christmas!  In July!

Here are three of my first photos.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(mysterious ways)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I had always believed that the world involved magic:  now I thought that perhaps it involved a magician.  And this pointed a profound emotion always present and sub-conscious; that this world of ours has some purpose; and if there is a purpose, there is a person.  I had always felt life first as a story: and if there is a story there is a story-teller.”                  — from Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton

 

(recycled cats 2)

(recycled cats)

countercultural

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i don’t belong here

 

 

postcard to l.t.

UNAVAILABLE

sometimes i cut up journal pages for postcards, as here.  sometimes i work directly on 4.25″ x 6″ watercolor paper or cardstock.  i like postcards:  small images requiring small messages and small postage.

book

i discovered a torn-up page of experimental watercolor washes in james’ studio trash.   i taped them up, added more paint and my homemade rubber stamps, and wired together a little book.  i think the patches make it sort of wabi-sabi.

over the sun