Sunday, February 27, 2011

"And all my tears like water flown ....."

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I have borrowed from both my love for classical art and  music that deeply inspires me  today to bring an 'echo chamber' to my blog post.  I extracted the woman  (1883 - La Nuit)  from William Adolphe Bouguereau - a late 19th century French academic painter.  One source on the internet claims that  to make extra money, Bouguereau designed labels for jam jars.  Such is the life of an artist.  The other images in the postcard are from Holliewood Studios.

"La Nuit" William Adolphe Bouguereau
 (1883) oil on canvas - public domain image

If you can spare 3-4 minutes today, consider listening to  masterful piece of music by Van Morrison - "Listen to the Lion" that follows below. It was the inspiration for this postcard for  Sunday Postcard Art - the theme "Illusions."   But HOLD ON, wait - that's the theme for next week!  These weeks theme was "Double Take".

They say if you want to know a person, look at the books in their library. If you want to know me, listen to the music I listen to.  And occasionally, the images I place next to each other will give you a hint to my heart's delight. :0)   Thanks for reading....and maybe for listening...too.


Listen to The Lion
 - Postcard Illustration (credits above)









Van Morrison - St. Dominic's Preview - For the Lion







Wednesday, February 23, 2011

L I F E

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L- I - F - E
(if you can't make it better, laugh at it)
 8 x 10 original illustration - to purchase click here 
Image Credits:  Tumble Fish Studio, Holliewood Studio and Two Dresses Studio



Sunday, February 20, 2011

Stand By Me - the inspiration, illustration and adaptation

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Original - "Stand By Me"
 8 x 10 Illustration Art Print
Image Credits - Tumble Fish Studio and Tangie Baxter with lots of personal modifications

Adaptation to include two of my favorite people - Emma and Hayley


Yadayada - Post Vacation "Progress and Multi-tasking Report" aka Procrastinating, Venting and a Hidden Little Free Offer

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ACCCKKK!    Would someone please clone me?   I confess I usually try to keep my inner thoughts/stress to myself here in blogville, BUT today is an exception!   How did I ever raise children as a divorced single parent and work full time!!!  Isn't 50 the new 40?  Why is there never enough time in the day?  ACCCKKKKK!  Phew, that feels better.  I think when I get too much on my plate, I    b l o g !  I blog often....what does that say about me?  Is blogging a form of procrastinating?  Any thoughts? 

 Today I plan again to  avoid less enjoyable tasks to bring to you  a new illustration I worked on this week, in between working and getting caught up with all of the things that didn't get done while I was away and patiently waited for my return home.  Many of which, I confess,  are still patiently waiting.  I have come to a place in my life where I am beginning to get a wee bit closer to Balance and know it is important to me to always spend a portion of each day Creating.  Otherwise, the day feels incomplete.   I may adopt this temporarily as my mantra until it becomes sufficiently digested into my psyche that it becomes an unconscious act.  Ommmmm.....serenity now.

 Like so many areas of the world, the weather here has continued to bring us below normal temperatures and snow.  Last week we did have a bit of a break - enough to melt all of the snow in our backyard, but it's back again and my hands and fingers are cold and stiff as I type out this post.  It is most definitely not a good winter to have a garage studio!  But it's my 'space' although I will be moving my still pajama-clad body  indoors in a few minutes to start sewing a few skinny pages to finish off a project I've participated in now for over a year. 

My new camera is temporarily collecting dust as I pencil in some time to find out why the images I upload in landscape translate into portrait and visa versa.  This then has stalled my BLIPPING goals - taking a photo each day and uploading it.  This is the GLITCH in the BLIP.  Accckkkk....it's on my list.

Back to this illustration.  It all started out you see  with a focus on a phrase in my muses eye  - "when the moon and the stars are aligned" and it morphed and evolved from there.  I rarely end up with an illustration that is the same as my muse original intended.    In this situation,  in  the back of my mind I was also considering a skinny page with the theme of lucid dreams. It all started  on Monday.  By Thursday, it felt near completion.  So, on Friday,    I  modified it into one side of  a skinny page for the above-mentioned project  and thanks to Marsha added new images to her portfolio, on Saturday I worked on the back page at which point in time it morphed into YIN and YANG.  The  postcard for Sunday Postcard Art I just finished this morning.  Each example is slightly different.

 Yes, I have resorted to  being efficient this week combining the original  image into three different purposes.   My conscience has censored me several times asking if this is permissible....I've decided it is because I am far from done.   The skinny pages you see have now been transferred onto cloth and are waiting for me to begin the sewing, beading and embroidery.  The person I am sending the pages to has requested the colors be non-primary and muted - that's why you see the different colors below. 


"Catch A Falling Star" - available here
 - 8 x 10 inch digital illustration art print






Sunday Postcard Art - Faces
Take a look at the other postcards here




Front and Back of Skinny Page - Yang and Yin
- original colors - each page 4 x 8 inches
Image Credits and HOT LINKS: Tumble Fish Studio, Tangie Baxter, Holliewood Studios, Paper Whimsy, my own images of altered  hands and
woman on right is from Dove via http://deviantart.com/ THANK YOU!




 The "MESS" waiting for me in my "Indoor Studio" - including the first stage of the skinny pages now printed onto cloth (don't know what I'll do with the second set on cloth- does anyone want them as is?  Note: This photo is somewhat desaturated as the colors are more similar to the images below...

Above - first try at translating the colors into softer, muted tones - printed onto cloth but to my eye still seemed too 'bright' and saturated for the project at hand. This is the one I'd be pleased to donate if you think you could find a use for it!
****UPDATE****
Lou Ann, who must have always read all of the instructions before she wrote an exam, read the details above (the hidden free offer) and I'll be sending the cloth version of the above skinny pages off to her in the mail)  Stay tuned for more hidden giveaways~!




Above is my second effort  - and the decision  now these are the pages I will work with - stay tuned for final photographs of the finished cloth pages.

Last but NOT least - A big thank you to all of the peeps who joined in during OWOH and are now following this blog - It's a driving motivation for me and I SO APPRECIATE it.  I will get caught up to visit all of you too!  I promise.

 Words of the Day:  
 Conscience:   is an aptitude, faculty, intuition, or judgment of the intellect that distinguishes right from wrong.
Yin and Yang -  is used to describe how polar or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn.
Procrastinate -refers to the act of replacing high-priority actions with tasks of low-priority, and thus putting off important tasks to a later time.



Saturday, February 19, 2011

One World One Heart - Wrap Up - Winner and WINNINGS and Good News

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As several of you know, the One World One Heart event concluded on Wednesday.  The winner of my gift certficate was new to me, which seems appropo for the original purpose of the event.  Her name is  Geri Centonze and her blog - http://www.myheartartbytgeri.blogspot.com/  Her art is very original and whimsical.

I didn't get to visit very many blogs this year, mostly because I wasn't at home for the majority of the time, but also because I like to linger and read through each new blog I visit.  I think I managed to leave comments at about 20 art blogs but will continue visiting throughout the year.  Lisa's blog - http://www.awhimsicalbohemian.blogspot.com/
has become one of my  bookmarked sites as a source of inspiration  whenever I want to view new art blogs.  I was happy to read today she will be continuing this annual event, but with a new name - Our World Our Art  and a new twist.  For more information click here.   Thanks again Lisa!

And lucky  me - I never expected to win a 'door prize' this year because I only visited a few blogs.  But I did!  Kaci, a  very talented  artist and dollmaker (http://www.daydreamretreat.blogspot.com/) drew my number and this fabulous little doll will be on a plane heading for Canada to me!!  Isn't she precious?  You can also see her other dolls for sale by visiting her at Etsy here.    1-2-6 is my new lucky number.  Thanks again Kaci.



 My prize - a Mini-Bendi-Doll - by Kaci




The Butterfly Effect - Update #17

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It seems each time I sit down to write an update for The Butterfly Effect, the first thought that comes to mind is
pure gratitude.  Each time an envelope arrives in the mail, I feel so humble and grateful for both having such a priveleged life and knowing, through this experience, there are so many generous, trusting and compassionate people in our world.

I have a fabulous collection to share with you today.  Floating with feathers and beads, cloth, paper, paint, even a  frozen charlotte doll and loving messages for the Holocaust children, the butterflies arrived from both children and adults and from as far away as NORWAY and DUBAI.   In total,  eleven butterflies landed at my doorstep.  Several more people 'signed in' to express an interest in participating in the Holocaust Museum Houston Butterfly Project.  I am just now getting caught up with recording all of the new participants. 

One in particular, moved me to tears, and I wanted to share it today.  It comes from Renee -

"I just wanted to send you this email in reference to your blog posting The Butterfly Effect. I love this idea. I was so inspired I canceled my appointments for the day updated my blog with a link to your page with your graphic and spent a few hours creating my butterfly. My butterfly means the world to me. Reading how each butterfly represents one of the 1.5 children who were lost to the Holocaust, I thought about how those voices were silenced never to be heard again.

 There is another group that was silenced as well. I have added triangles and rainbows to my butterfly. These are in representation of the Gays & Lesbians that were lost as well. What few people know is that the Gays and Lesbians were not liberated from the death camps as the other prisoners were. The gays and lesbians were taken from the camps and placed in other prisons where they remained. No one came to free them.

I have always looked at butterflies as freedom. A spirit flying above the mess below in the warm sunshine and they always make me smile. I hope that your project brings the sun shine out and shows all these wonderful butterflies in the freedom and happiness they should have. So my butterfly has been safely packaged into an envelope and it’s now on it’s way to you.
 Thank you so much for introducing this project. It certainly put my day into prospective.


Blessed Be
Sosanna

Thank you Renee/Sosanna - I appreciate you sharing your information, time and your heart with me this week.  Your letter was bittersweet both inspiring and disturbing all rolled into one.


And thank you to the following warm souls whose butterflies are now in safe keeping. 

Maggie Tomei
J. Wanamaker
Sara Healy
Micah Coffey
Lilly Coffey
Josiah Coffey
Hanna Coffey
Nikole Miller
Becky Bunn
Nine Lise Moen
Mr. Moen Jr.






Maggie Tomei
Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA







Becky Bunn
Berthoud, Colorado, USA
http://www.heartinmyhand.blogspot.com/








J. Wanamaker
Duncan, BC, Canada







Josiah Coffey - age 3
Dubai, UAE







 Lilly Coffey - age 5
Dubai, UAE









Nikole Miller

Boise, Idaho, USA
http://www.howtomakeamark.tumblr.com/








Micah Coffey - age 2
Dubai, UAE






Hanna Coffey (aunt to Lilly, Josiah and Micah)
Boise, Idaho, USA

http://www.hanna-barefootjourney.blogspot.com/
















Sara B. Healy
Tallahasse, Florida, USA





Mr. Moen Junior - age 3.5
Stavenger, Norway
http://www.mrsmoen.blogspot.com/




Nine Lise Moen
Stavanger, Norway
http://www.mrsmoen.blogspot.com/













Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Don't you think that Love shines brightest in the littlest things?

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Our Valentine's  -  2011

Thursday, February 10, 2011

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Last summer we had a family of bunnies living in a tool shed in the back portion of our yard and I tried several times to see if I could find exactly where they were 'living' or nesting. I never could find the spot - so this illustration is just me imagining actually finding them....the keys in the bunny's hand tells the story that I was, in reality, locked out from finding their home. 


"I Think I Saw "
8 x 10 inch limited edition illustration  print
 to purchase click  here






Image Credits - Lori Davison, Tumble Fish Studio, Totally Wild Dezinez, Finecrafted Designs

Sunday, February 06, 2011

The result of a few days of cloudy and cool weather

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Well it seems Puerto Vallarta may have in some way been effected by the storms brewing in the USA and in Canada as temperatures have been unseasonally cool from my recollection of previous winters in Mexico.  Today however promises to be back to sun and warmer temps so I will again venture to the sundeck to resume reading the  books I brought along during my winter break.  I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed reading fiction.

 During the last two cloudy cool days I created  this new digital illustration  -


"Peach Blossoms"
  8 x 10 limited edition digital illustration  print
(low res version above) 
  image credits here  and for sale at Etsy  here



Here is how it may look framed..





I hope everyone is staying dry and warm and taking time to photograph these record snow falls!  Happy Super Bowl to all of my USA friends!



Wednesday, February 02, 2011

One of my favorite affirmations...

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and one I have been spending much time reflecting on recently.   I think I heard this quote for the first time watching or reading Wayne Dyer...

As you can see, I worked on this digital illustration for awhile, and thought I was finished with it in the first more turquoise version, but then a couple of days later revisited it and ended up with the one you see directly below this paragraph, which I personally prefer.

Next time, when you are feeling like you've received more than a normal helping of bad news, try changing the way you perceive your misfortunes....and you may find you're counting your blessings sooner than you think!

Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change. - Wayne Dyer



Lemons and Lemonade
digital illustration 8 x 10 inches (final version)





Draft





Image Credits - Holliewood Studios, Tumble Fish Stuio and Paper Whimsy