Celebration and Blooming True

When I logged in today, I had a notification icon I’d not seen before. I clicked on it and behold – a wish of Happy Anniversary for 3 years of blogging here at WordPress! Really? Three? Wow… I just celebrated my 1 year wedding anniversary to my best friend on Sunday. I didn’t realize these two events were so close together! Synchronicity at work, I suppose.

For my “birthiversary” (my birthday is in 2 weeks and, as I mentioned above, anniversary was Sunday), my dear husband enrolled me in Flora Bowley’s e-course “Bloom True”. This was really unexpected and incredibly generous of him and I am deeply grateful for this amazing gift. The course began yesterday and I’m already experiencing some interesting insights.

If you’ve never watched this incredible artist at work, check out this video.

First, during a meditation last night, I hit a mental block with one of the images that was suggested for us. This image had very negative connotations for me and I knew I would get nowhere with it. This morning, as I began the meditation again, I shifted the image to something more positive for me, that I have no previous history with. And it worked beautifully! I was able to stay focused, quiet, and still for a full 10 minutes (a HUGE step for me).

This morning, I cleaned up my studio space and created my “sacred space”. I wanted to include art, images, and objects that I love. Here’s the result.

One of the objects I included here was a place card from a tea party I attended recently. The hostess had inspiring quotations at every place and we had to identify the quotation that most applied to us. It’s no accident that she chose this particular quotation for me.

“The Creative Process is a process of surrender, not control.”

After meditating this morning, I set my intentions for the course and posted them beside my painting space.

I couldn’t wait to move into the painting process. Flora’s approach involves lots of layering. Here are the results of just the FIRST layer on two canvases.

As I was putting the paint on the second canvas, I was moving more than my hand and my wrist. I was literally dancing with the paint. (Of course, the music I’d selected to play during this process was something that makes me want to dance.) If you’ve been around me at all, you know I studied dance from childhood until I was in college. Life got in the way and I quit. Now, I’m finding my way back. With Flora’s encouragement, dancing with paint on my hands was deeply emotional for me. I felt so … FREE! No one was watching (especially not me), so I wasn’t concerned with performing. I was just moving because it felt good. For that moment, I felt JOY like I haven’t felt in a very long time.

I cannot wait to see where this journey is going to take me next!

My First Mixed Media Canvas… With Video!

I’ve been keeping an art journal for about 18 months now. I love working with mixed media. I never really considered myself much of an Artist. I’m more of an artist. Art is something I do for me. I have fun with it. I play with glue, colors, images, etc. My favorite artist Bob Ross said, “There are no mistakes. Only happy accidents.” My art is full of these happy accidents as you will see. When I write fiction or poetry, my inner critic loves to stick her nose in and make rude comments. When I make art, she is quiet. I guess it’s because I admit to being a writer and a poet, but not an artist.  

** In the video, you’ll see me using Mod Podge (my favorite!) to attach pieces of dyed paper towels. For those wondering how I got the wonderful colors on the paper towels – it was a happy accident! When I dyed eggs with my kids at Easter, we used shaving cream and food coloring. These were the paper towels we used to wipe the excess “mess” from the eggs. I thought the paper towels had such pretty swirls of color, I had to save them. I’m glad I did!

 

Lines? What lines?

Crayon Art by Christian Faur – click image to view more

Use every crayon

In the box and make your life

a colorful place.

Draw your own picture

But leave some room for yourself

To take a deep breath.

Coloring outside

The lines also means simply

Leaving some white space.

The Blitz

Using the prompt found here: 
http://morgandragonwillow.com/2013/04/a-to-z-poetry-prompt-blink-of-an-eye.html
, I have completed my first blitz poem. I think I’ll call it Brutalized Soul.

Brutalized and bruised

Brutalized and broken

Broken body

Broken dreams

Dreams of stardom

Dreams become nightmares

Nightmares about monsters

Nightmares that never end

End of the road

End of time

Time to quit

Time to start over

Over my head

Over the bridge

Bridge the gap

Bridge of birds

Birds of paradise

Birds of prey

Prey on women

Prey on the weak

Weak minded

Weak in spirit

Spirit of God

Spirit of the dead

Dead zone

Dead head

Head hunter

Head of the class

Class war

Class picture

Picture of health

Picture this

This is the beginning

This is the end

End zone

End of the world

World of Warcraft

World domination

Domination and power

Domination and submission

Submission of a manuscript

Submission to the master

Master of the Universe

Master of my heart

Heart and soul

Heart of glass

Glass…

Soul…

The Day after NaPoWriMo…

…was a quiet day at my house. I was exhilarated that I was able to complete NaPoWriMo and took a moment to sit back and reflect on some of what I’d written. I began asking myself, “What next?”

My question was answered when I went to the mailbox that afternoon. My next project had arrived.

I was surprised to see how small the sketchbook actually is. It’s smaller than the books I’ve used as art journals before. I set the sketchbook on my table and left it there. And it’s been there taunting me ever since, daring me to mark it up. But mark it up, I will! And I will document this journey into my “art” here. Buckle up – it’s going to be another roller coaster ride!

The Audition

(The prompt at http://www.napowrimo.net today was to take inspiration from a work of art. My thoughts immediately turned to dance and the audition process. I know I date myself with the video clips that I have chosen as inspiration, but they both convey the emotions of this poem. The first is a trailer for the 1985 film version of the Broadway blockbuster A Chorus Line. The second is a scene from the 1979 film All That Jazz.)

 

 

Here we go again.

I hope I’m good enough.

I hope I have what it takes.

What is he looking for anyway?

Am I tall enough?

Am I pretty enough?

I don’t want to get my hopes up too high.

I don’t want to be let down again.

Can I be what he wants?

Or will this be just another failure?

I know it’s not about me.

It’s not personal, it’s professional, right?

But rejection hurts.

And being one of the chosen

Is one of the best feelings in the world!

 

 

 

Abstract

(This poem is entirely constructed of titles of artwork found at 
http://www.artsetter.com
. The only changes I made were to capitalization and punctuation. Each line is a title of a different piece of art.)

Knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Expect us,

Battle of the quads

Together against each other,

The day before walking Fifth Avenue.

The funeral of a cat;

Her eyes

Caught a fish.

She talks about the city, I talk about the sea.

On her thoughts,

The great unravel.

Purple crush,

Cold eyes,

Walking along the lines.

Remember me,

Music addict.

I’m a disgrace to the family.

Innocence?

Let me think about it.

I am innocent.

The ripper time;

Departure,

Trunks and behind.

Don’t worry!

Dream!

Enjoy the life!

Talk to the laundry.

Nothing is what it seems.

Show us the way…

Would you save us?

 

The Need for Artists

Blank canvas

Yearning for paint

Needing a painter to express

The beauty hidden within

Blank page

Waiting for words

Needing a writer to express

The story hidden inside

Blank score

Waiting for notes

Needing a musician to express

The emotions hidden in silence

Blank stage

Waiting for action

Needing actors to express

The stories hidden behind curtains

Blank clay

Waiting for molding

Needing a sculptor to express

The shape hidden inside

Pi at Subway

After missing yesterday, I know I need an extra post in the next few days. Life just keeps on happening! Tonight… Subway…

Red “Pi”per Clips

As a public school teacher, I have occasionally… ok, often… been inspired by my students. Today was one of those days.

As a math teacher, I have to find ways to connect with my students. The only way to do that is to get to know a bit about who they are as individuals and what makes them tick. One of my students this semester is heavily interested in the arts. He has shared some of his artwork with me and I’ve shown him a few of the things I’ve done. Today he asked if I had done any art over Christmas break. Have I?

I shared with him the concept of creating something new every day. I showed him some of the ideas of others who have already made this journey and told him of my commitment to making pi art. Below is an example that I created to show him how easily the task can be done.

By making this connection with him, I had his attention. That, with high school freshmen, is often a huge step.

small red paper clips on my desk