Nurture Your Kind Heart

8X8 collage, paper, acrylic, ink, graphite on canvas. Contains antique key, vintage international postage stamps and rhinestones.

"When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it's bottomless, that it doesn't have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space."

~Pema Chodron

Planted Like A Tree

Hand cut paper and acrylic on canvas.  8X8. 

Stay planted like a tree. 

Let the winds blow through you. 

If you must bend, then bend. 

Feel the breeze through your leaves. 

Stand. Still. 

Stand. Strong.

Stand. Proud.

Stay planted like a tree.

Art Journal: June

A recent page from my art journal.

Sometimes the worries of life can get the best of us. 

Sometimes life requires more than we have to give at the moment. 

Sometimes the challenges that we face are steep and the paths are rocky. 

Sometimes we lose our footing. 

Sometimes we experience the pain of life as well as the joy. 

Sometimes it's easier (and more fun!) to dream of being somewhere else. 

We do what we must. 

We persevere. 

We keep going. 

Choosing to stay present.

Taking one step at a time.

And still dreaming...

peace. ♥

Untitled Collage

Nothing makes me happier than creating something the speaks the truth of my heart.

I ran across this quote today that encouraged and inspired me:

"How I use the material at hand is often more important than the material itself."
~Kurt Schwitters
From Launa D. Romoff's site

Time Machine

"We should strive to welcome change and challenges, because they are what help us grow. Without them we grow weak like the Eloi in comfort and security. We need to contently be challenging ourselves in order to strengthen our character and increase our intelligence."

H.G. Wells, The Time Traveler

I went looking for the post of this piece on my blog today and to my surprise, found it missing! So, I've re-posted it here. The Time Machine is a piece that I created a few months back and was published in the July/August 2011 issue of Somerset Studio. I used a bit of paper from Graphic 45, Steampunk Debutante, a compass mask, metal gears by Tim Holtz as well as tissue paper, acrylic paint and a copy of the cover from the original book.

Art Journaling: Dare to Jump into the Unknown

I have a confession to make.
My art journal has become my best friend. I love my art journal. I even have a small art journal that I keep in my purse along with a graphite pencil, .05 micron pen, a travel watercolor set and water fillable brushes just in case...when I'm out and about. You never know when you'll have an idea strike or catch some kind of inspiration! My art journal is where I can experiment with different mediums, try new things, take creative risks and speak my heart without fear of judgement or rejection. When I'm working in my art journal, I feel like a kindergartener on the playground! It's not only important for me to have a place to experiment and practice as an artist but I need it for my soul. Sometimes it's just easier to say things in colors and images rather than words. I can be simple or I can be complicated with as many layers as I want. I can lay stuff down quickly and intuitively or I can really think through my composition. It just depends on where I'm at and what I need at that moment. My art journaling actually started with scrapbooking. My scrapbooks started to become more than places to place photographs, tickets, certificates, maps, and other ephemera. They became a place to store my thoughts, wishes, celebrations and dreams. I longed for a place to play with color, paint and paper and juxtaposition those with my thoughts or quotes that expressed my thoughts or heart-felt sentiments. That's when my art journal became the place to document my soul's journey.

Here's a peak:

 There are so many ways to create and keep an art journal. It can be art focused as a place to practice sketching, say, or it can be the place where you keep your innermost thoughts or a combination. What I love the most about art journaling is that there are really no rules, you make up your own ways of doing it and you can use any kind of materials you want. Your art journal needs to be authentically YOU. You use your daily life and thoughts as the subject matter and with so much variety of materials available, you're sure to have a never-ending, plethora of ideas! The skies the limit, the only question is:

 How far can you let yourself go?

I'm inspired by those who art journal and who are willing to share parts of their art journal. Art journalists like Michelle Ward, Pam Carriker, Traci Bautista and Pam Garrison are a few of my favorites and there are many, many more! This magazine is to swoon over! Do you have an art journal? I'd love to see some pics! Share your art journaling links and your favorite materials to work with in the comments section!

Sneak Peek

Here's a sneak peek of what I've been working on lately:

Time...

...of finding the sense of life within.

We've heard it said that if you don't go within, you will go without. We are all completely unique and marvelous each in our own way and not one of us is like another. Though we may have similar preferences, not one other person shares your unique mix of what makes you feel alive. Your history, your perceptions, your attitudes, your preferences, your hopes, wishes and dreams. Finding a sense of life within is embracing those things; embracing that mix of unique characteristics that make you, YOU. It takes courage to embrace those things. It takes even more courage to bring it out into the world for all to see. Many of us walk in the shadow of society that tells us what we should like, what we should want and how we should spend our resources. Many of us experience the feeling of being left out or simply not included if we are constantly looking to "fit in". I love the scene in Monster in Law when she says, "I'm making the dress to fit MY body, not the other way around." As we journey together, let's find ways to Find a Sense of Life Within and encourage one another to bring all that wonderful, colorful stuff out. That's when we truly appreciate and enjoy what Life has to offer us in the way of opportunities. Going within and embracing what's truly there, is what brings fulfillment, peace, a sense of well-being and joy. Life's gift of Time is what provides us the means of the Discovery of Ourselves.

Taking Time to Go Within,

Soul Flight

"No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings." ~William Blake

 

I've been into blues lately. The color of the ocean, representing water, consciousness, soul. The color of the throat chakra: communication, expression. Calming, peaceful, flowing, beautiful blues.

I made this piece for my grandma who is 98 years old. She is beautiful, courageous, strong, hard-working, independent and loving. She has faced many adversities and not only survived, but thrived. She is the person in my family who showed me an open-hearted love and strength. I don't get to see her very often as we live in different states and I always miss her, but I love our talks on the phone. She has always been my hero.

A few years ago, she was featured in her local paper in an article honoring her for her number of years of volunteer work and support of her community. She is not much of an advice giver but was quoted as saying, "No one should ever be bored. There is always something to do."

Here's to you, Grandma.

Love,

What Keeps You From Doing Your Work?

This was made as a special order for an Etsy customer. I had so much fun doing her series. My favorite thing is to work with someone's personality and intentions to create an art piece that speaks their soul and helps to create the kind of life they want to create. She chose great quotes to work with which was inspiring to me as well.

Story : Overcoming Resistance : Persistence

"Courage is telling the story of who you are with your whole heart." 
~Brene Brown

Recently, I was contacted by a writer who had several quotes that she wanted me to create some artwork around. I was thrilled and agreed to do them for her. Here is the resulting series:

Everyone has a story to tell. And everyone tells their story in a different way.
How do you tell the story of who you are?

Strathmore Online Workshop Week 3 Update

Here is my page for the end of week 3 of the Strathmore Online Workshop by Pam Carriker:

Your Life

Ahhhhhhh....

In between work, phone calls, emails, waiting for phone calls, during the last couple of days, I created art. And I must say I feel better than last week when I hit the Winter Blahs (That's a capital B). To be honest, I'm not sure really what happened. I had tried to finish this piece back in August, but it wouldn't budge. Then in September...and October...Then I put it away. It just wasn't time for this one yet. Suddenly, yesterday, I felt it calling me and retrieved it from it's hibernation space. I could hear it quietly say, "It's time." So I got out my paint, my gel medium, some ink and paper and got to work. And it came forth...gently...easily. I love it when that happens.

"Your Life" is now in my Etsy Shop. This is one of my favorite pieces so far. Maybe because it made me wait for it. It's the last of the group of 9 Pieces I started in the summer. Now, I'm ready to begin my next group of 9...Time Traveling.

P.S. My daughter pointed out that there is one element that appears in almost all of my pieces. Leave a comment and guess the correct element and I'll send you a surprise. <wink!>

Strathmore Online Workshop Week 2

I joined the Strathmore Online Workshop Visual Journal Series and am just loving it! There are three different workshop series and Pam Carriker is conducting the first one on Recycled Journal Pages. It's so interesting to take finished art and look at it in a new way. The first week, we were to make copies of past art and cut and tear them to make elements for our new page. I used a graphite pencil and journaled between the torn strips and then covered the journaling partially with gesso.

The second week, we were to use charcoal to add definition and shadows. And THEN, oil pastels! I had never used oil pastels before, and what a treat! I just fell in love with them. I love how they glide over the page and interact with the gesso. It was so gratifying to push the colors over the page with my fingers and blend them into one another to create color, definition and interest.

I'm excited to see what Pam has in store for Week 3! Strathmore is offering these workshops for free and it's not too late to join. The Visual Journal is a great journal for working in with mixed media. It's a heavy water color paper that has the ability to hold lots of different media and layers.

Passport to Here

 Another art piece from my series of "9 Pieces". 

You can find it also in my Etsy Shop (see the link in the sidebar).

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Journey of the Soul

 

 I have definitely been on a journey during the past year. A journey to finding my voice through art. I find I can say what want to better with color, form, composition, and symbolic elements than I can with words. These are my stories, my poems, my songs. These are what I experience along the journey of my soul.

Delight

August is turning into much delight.

 Things have been very busy around here and I have not posted as much as I would like to. I have, however, been accomplishing a great deal. At the beginning of the summer, I set several goals:

• Create a series of nine 8X8 pieces
• Send off an art submission
• Take a photoshop class
• Take more photographs
• Create a Flickr account 
• Open an Etsy shop

Many of these are being realized now! I am almost finished with my 9 piece series. I've already sent off my very first art submission! (Yay!) I am really enjoying Susan Tuttle's Photomanipulation classes. I having so much fun taking more photographs to have some more raw material to work with. If you have not taken one of Susan's classes, I highly recommend them. I've created my Flickr account and have been posting my photoshop projects to it. All of these seeds I've been planting will come to fruition very soon, I'm sure. 

Stay tuned!!

I'm currently enjoying a visit from my delightful Aunt and Uncle and will, undoubtedly be taking LOTS more pictures while they're here (if my daughter does not take my camera away from me. She's kidding. She secretly enjoys it). I will be posting more later. Until then...

 Here is one more of my finished pieces:

Freedom

Wishing you much delight in the coming week.

Beauti-full

I've been working on 9 8X8 canvas mixed media pieces and they are coming along. I have the first two finished and here is the first one entitled:

Beautiful

It is made around the theme of sensuality. I envisioned the goddess, unabashed and free. I used a bold red as the base layered with soft pinks, blues and gold on top to communicate this.  The images of birds and butterflies flying free and roses in full bloom symbolize that the goddess cannot be caged. She must be and IS free to express her love and power. The same love and power that animates butterflies, birds and roses, animates us. It cannot be contained, must not be contained, must be expressed, must be free. 

There are two images of goddesses on either side framing the word "Lover". 

I used acrylic paint, distress ink, paper, stamp images, and covered the whole thing with Mod Podge Matte to seal it. 

Here are some more close ups so the detail can be seen more clearly:

Life's Messy...Make Art

It all started on Friday. A day off from work means getting out all of my stuff...

and spreading out over my ENTIRE work surface!

And I was able to leave it out all weekend to be able to work!

I don't know how to be neat when I create. I "get out my messy" and I let it spill all over the place. It feels good to be a little messy, to let things appear in disarray. I can see everything, get things out, hear what my heart wants to say without censuring anything, feel the art that wants to be expressed. I'm good with the chaos, in life and in art, and I have an insatiable curiosity to see what happens next.

I also have to be alone when I create. My creativity and ideas all seem to lie within that alone-ness. My greatest creative treasures come forth when I go into the deep loneliness, face fears and take risks. It's a journey. It's an adventure. A richly satisfying one.

It's not finished yet, but it's a good start and I'm looking forward to working with it some more this week!