Entries Tagged as: animals
Hello, Little Albatross
February 19th, 2009, Comments (7)
albatross detail
This little guy is a detail from a painting I'm working on as part of a project where artists and writers are teaming up to create a piece inspired by the work of their partner. I was given a lovely poem to work on and the poem mentions an albatross which I really wanted to include. I collaged the backround, and serendipitously, the word "often" showed up in it's belly, so I kept it there. There is some literary symbolism attached to the albatross (from a Coleridge poem, Rime of the Ancient Mariner) which has associated the bird with a heavy burden. But before that, the bird was known to be a symbol of good luck, so I'm going to go with that. Birds always seem like good omens to me.
p.s. I shared my "You Are So Loved" painting over at Pecannoot today. Thank you so much to Jess for sharing my work!!
p.p.s. I'm going to be a bit quiet this weekend because my little brother is staying with me and I need to come up with some creative ways to keep him entertained. I hope you all have a wonderfully creative few days!
The Cat Craziness Continues
February 10th, 2009, Comments (8)
I can't help myself. These cute kitty videos just kill me! The one above gave me a good laugh (don't you wish you knew what they were thinking sometimes?) And then the animated feature below is basically a snapshot of my husband's life. I saw it on Jamie's blog yesterday and sent it immediately to the hubster. We both got a good kick out of it. 
Cat Crazy
January 13th, 2009, Comments (8)
As the owner of four lovable cats, some might say I'm a bit cat crazy. O.k., plenty of people might say that! Well, either way, I can't help but share some of the great cat stories I see form time to time.
I saw this video on Belle's blog. It features The Cat House on the Kings, a simply amazing no-kill shelter for cats (and some dogs too) in California. What a sweet life these kitties have. I would totally love to hang out there every day. They do such fabulous work, so if you can, do donate a bit to this wonderful non-profit that helps so many kitties find good homes and is home to all those who don't get adopted for whatever reason.
These other bits are just for fun. This next video was discovered through the twittering of divabat. It features a kitty who wanders on to the set of a t.v. meteorologist and gets in on the action. Too cute.
And lastly, a game for your iphone called Mew Mew Tower. I may have to check this one out. I'm not usually a video game person (because I stink at them and get frustrated!), but this one has such a great name. Heh. Yep, I'm cat crazy.
Notebook Pages and Other Bits
December 14th, 2008, Comments (12)
I just had the notebook pages I sent in as part of the Do Not Leave Unattended project posted on their blog. The project involves a series of notebooks that are sent out to the locations of participants all over the world who write, draw, or create whatever they like in some of the pages before passing it on. The first page I did is above. On the left is the pink paper that came in the book. On the right is an image I drew in ink on a vintage journal page that I then pasted into the notebook. I had the idea to octopus umbrellas. Cool looking, but not very practical. Here are the other pages I did:
On the last page spread, it's a bit hard to see, but there's a tree in silver ink coming out of the woman's mouth. The silhouette is cut from blue paper that I glued onto the page. It was fun making these pages. And I love the idea of them traveling all over. I sent the journal to Ontario, Canada next and from there who knows will it will go!
Tonight, I listened in on Ananda Leeke's monthly radio program, Go Green Sangha. This month's program was all about transforming your life, career and home into a sacred green space. And one of my favorite people, creative musepreneur, Jennifer Lee, was one of the guests on the call! You can listen to the show in its entirety here. I was trying to listen in, but got in a little late because of some technical difficulties (you can normally listen to the show live online through a chatroom, but that wasn't working tonight.) But I did call in later and ask a question of the panel which was, "Are you doing anything new or different in the coming year to create sacred space in your home?" I loved the answers I got too! If you have an answer to the question, I'd love to hear it in the comments! Oh! And I almost forgot to mention that I'm going to be a guest on Ananda's show next month. I hope you'll join in!
I have another fun link to share with you tonight, a newly discovered blog called Treasures Found :: Inspiration is Every Where. The author of this blog, Erin, let me know that she featured my blog recently in her "Check it Out" portion of her latest blog post which was all about the art of making mistakes. As Erin notes, so-called "mistakes" can lead to beautiful things!
We had a pretty mellow weekend here. Well, except for the Christmas shopping attempt which was a bit hairy. Heh. Overall, I've been a bit lazy, but that's just fine with me. I'm a very lucky girl because the hubster made the most fantastic minestrone soup for dinner tonight. Yum! Hope your weekend was a wonderful one!
Bird 17
November 26th, 2008, Comments (14)
I had fun with this one. I decided to do something a little different today, simply playing with layers. I put down collage first (although it is completely painted over now, it started a nice base for me. And then I layered and let dry many layers of paint, building until I had this image. I started another small one (because I sometimes would get impatient waiting for things to dry before I pulled out a hot air gun to speed things along), but that one isn't done yet. This one, which I'm calling "Bird 17" is 6"x6" on wood panel.
So, I apologize for not posting about the calendars today. I was totally bummed out about them. The proof was o.k., but not up to the standards I would want to sell (the colors were good, but the paper was too thin for my taste), so I'm working on another and I'll let you know when it's ready to go!
I've been off in art land all day, sending out some artwork at the post office, but other than that, I've mainly been arting away while listening to the final Harry Potter audio book. I'm going to go do the level one exercise in Soul Coaching and visualize myself in nature for 15 minutes. I think it'll be relaxing.
Which Way the Wind Blows
November 24th, 2008, Comments (23)
Today's artwork is, "Which Way the Wind Blows." I'd created the collage part earlier and put it under some books to dry where I totally forgot about it until I rediscovered it last night. The design in her dress is a print from a stamp I carved earlier this year and then incorporated into this collage. I went over it today with acrylic paint and ink to created this wintry scene. Again, there are lots of repeating circles, in her dress, in the bicycle and in the moon. Even the woman's face is a bit round. I think I'm drawn to circles because they are a feminine shape to me and they represent the cycles that are everywhere, in our bodies, in nature, etc...
I've got a new piece up in my art shop today, the "Lollipop Trees" is now available as an original or print. And don't forget the free shipping offer I've got going on through December 15th! You just need to type holiday08 in the coupon section during checkout.
Mandalas and Shadows
November 18th, 2008, Comments (15)
Posting a little late tonight. I went to take pictures of my art of the day, only to realize that my camera's battery was out of juice. It worked out well though, because while it was charging, I got motivated to bring to life a second piece of artwork that had been in my head all day.
The first piece I created is above. Last night I had gessoed over an old record, so I knew that I wanted to paint on it today. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to paint, but I thought maybe I'd do a mandala. I ended up squirting red paint directly onto the record and then going from there. Around the edges, I put little blue elephants that I think are pretty darn cute. I put it up on the wall with a clear pushpin and I'm loving how bright it is.
So even though I'd done my art for the day when I finished the mandala, I had a strong urge to follow through on an idea I'd had in the morning when I read the entry in Soul Coaching. There were some intense exercises in the book today and yet it really resonated with me. I even had a feeling as I read, that the art I'd submitted to Jamie for the group blog would be up there today (and it was). Also, today was day 17 in the book, and 17 is my lucky number (I say lucky, but I really mean it's the number that I see everywhere and consider to be a wink from the universe.) So with all these little synchronicities, I felt like I had to honor my idea-spark from this morning and bring it to life. And I'm so glad I did!
The idea came as I was reading Denise Linn's discussion of the shadow, the darker side to our psyche. She asks the reader to look out for places where we might be projecting our shadows onto others. I don't know where I read about this originally, but it's a great practice. Basically, the idea is to notice when you're annoyed with or judging someone or something. And when you notice, you stop to think about whether this someone or something is reflecting a part of you that you are annoyed with or judgmental of (whether that part of you is part of your past, present, or perhaps your future.)
I'm calling this piece "Shadow Self" and it's done with acrylic on 12"x16" watercolor paper. I was imagining this sort of vivid and active shadow self down below, while the real self is somewhat subdued because it is trying so hard to ignore the shadow. (I'm really liking this size right now!)
Other bits of today's exercises from the book included turning your "shoulds" into "coulds" (something I like to do and was glad to be reminded of), looking at our sexual history, getting our skeletons out of the closet, and then dancing out our dark and light aspects. It was all a cathartic experience, especially the dancing piece which I surprised myself by really digging into. So, all in all, today was a super expressive day, one of those days it was just pouring out of me. And with that, I'm off so that I can get this posted!
p.s. Thanks for the interest in the calendar I'm creating! I'm waiting for a sample copy to arrive, so I know that the quality is excellent before I start to sell them. As soon as they're ready to go, I'll let you know!
Elsewhere
November 14th, 2008, Comments (24)
I came up for the general idea for this last night. I was moving between rooms and saw the remnants of a cut-out silhouette on my work table. I randomly picked it up and put it against a gessoed panel that I had out and liked the way it looked. I fiddled with it occasionally whenever I happened back in the room. And then before bed, I grabbed my sketchbook and was drawing and began to play with sketches that looked somewhat like this one. I was imagining a woman's thoughts being elsewhere, so I'm calling it "Elsewhere." It's about 6"x6" with acrylic, collage, and ink on a cradled wood panel.
Today in Soul Coaching was all about gratitude and I really enjoyed this focus. In the morning I woke up with a migraine. Denise Linn suggests turning around the things you don't feel grateful for and finding the parts that you are grateful for. So, I took my feeling of annoyance at my migraine and turned it around to feeling grateful that my migraine had woken me up early enough to get up and then come back to bed where I enjoyed an especially sweet snuggle with the hubster and my cat, Sadie. Then I turned around my feelings about the gloomy weather into a feeling of gratitude that I was inside, warm, cozy and dry. It's so good to remember the things we're grateful for and I am incredibly grateful for my life. I'm one blessed girl, I'll tell ya.
Well, the hubster is home from work, so I'm off for now. Hope you all have an amazingly creative weekend!
Traveling Muses
November 11th, 2008, Comments (22)
I drew an image like this one in my process journal for Soul Coaching and decided to paint it on watercolor paper with acrylic paint and ink today. I'm not sure what the image is about exactly, but when I drew it I felt like the women were muses and they were also the birds circling the tree. I'm calling it, "Traveling Muses" and it's about 11"x9".
Today in Soul Coaching we're asked to look at what zaps our energy and what juices it. It's about tuning into your body and recognizing the feeling you have when you do or think about these things and whether you get, as Martha Beck calls it, "a shackles on or shackles off" sort of feeling. For me, aimless and excessive computer time is an energy zapper. Sometimes my aimless wandering is full of great inspiration and I wouldn't want to completely take that away. However, there is a line and when I cross it into too much clicking and reading and staring at the endless internet, I get totally drained. So, I'm aware that I need to limit this wandering, give myself space for it, but put a time constraint on it, so that it remains inspiring and not deadening.
I'm also finding that looking at my to-do list is an energy zapper. I haven't quite figured out how to parcel up bits of things to do each day and so I look at the list of things to do, get totally overwhelmed, and do nothing (or a lot of things that aren't on the to-do list, but suddenly seem very important.) On the other hand, when I'm able to break tasks down into doable chunks and accomplish something, I feel fantastic. Nothing like a bit of accomplishment to brighten my mood.
Other energy zappers for me include, trying too hard to please everyone and staying in bed too long. Other energy juicers include a shower with good smelling shampoo and soap, yoga, art-making, laughing with the hubster, playing with my cats, and dancing too good music. This morning, having read the day's entry beforehand, I consciously got up a little earlier in order to avoid the energy zap of staying in bed too long. And I also got to work on my art earlier in order to boost my energy. Right now though, I'm feeling a bit drained. Might have something to do with that hovering to-do list. I think I'll pick one small thing to work on and go from there. Wish me luck!
A Golden Thought
November 9th, 2008, Comments (27)
I drew an image like this one in my sketchbook and someone suggested I make it into a painting, so I saved it for AEDM. And today, using a 6"x6" wood panel that I'd prepped with gesso last week, I painted the image in acrylic and used ink for the gold accents. When I drew the image it was spontaneous. It made me think of a person having an idea that formed the shape of a bird. I'd forgotten about that interpretation until I finished the painting today and the title popped into my head "A Golden Thought." I love how the most random things can pop into your mind at any moment. Well, sometimes it's annoying and distracting.
In Soul Coaching, Denise Linn talks about how the mental clutter can weigh us down. There's something different though, it's not quite mental clutter when ideas pop in. Perhaps it's the clutter that keeps the ideas from appearing. When I'm able to clear my mind and let it wander freely, that is when ideas come. And it seems that art is my way in. When I doodle in sketchbooks or play with paint, the part of my mind that is cluttered gets distracted. It seems I can only do so many things at once, no matter how good I am at multi-tasking. So, when I'm creating, the volume turns down on the unimportant buzzing which gives room for the little golden thought birds to fly into my line of sight.
Yesterday in Soul Coaching, we were asked to begin defining our life's mission statement. Well, that's no easy task, is it? How do you know? She suggested we just start writing and see what comes up. I started writing about how my mission in life is to inspire, to infuse my life and the lives of others with creativity, love, and light. And then I just started writing words: be creative, be, create, inspire. Then on the following page I drew a woman with a big speaking bubble, like in a cartoon, and in the bubble I wrote, "My purpose in life is to create, inspire, support, love, and encourage. My purpose is to grow, to be gentle, to be joyous, to wonder at all the beauty around me and express it in my own voice, to follow my intuition and dreams, to live and just be." Another task involved creating a life statement collage, but since I've recently created a vision board, I just took it out and put it in a prominent place. It already contains images of many of the values I pin-pointed in one of the exercises from last week.
This week's theme is water, so my mostly blue painting seems very fitting. There is also a focus on emotion and we were asked to think about the turning points in my life. My turning points are fairly clear to me. Many times they were brought about by something tragic or difficult and other times they were brought about by something exciting and wonderful. But in every case, I learned a lot about myself in the process, in each case I found that I was capable of more than I realized, and stronger too.
A few random notes to share:
- A few people have asked where I'm getting the quotes that I'm sharing at the bottom of each day's AEDM post. I make those posts the night before and I find my quotes in a variety of places. In some cases I've just typed "creativity quotes" into google and looked around until I found one that I liked, in other cases I used quotes that I have tucked away (I love inspiring quotes!), and other times I've pulled down a random book from my bookshelf and found a quote there. Today's quote was found in "The Nine Modern Day Muses" by Jill Badonsky.
- Julia at Red Otter, had the great idea of sharing self-portraits created by taking photos of 5-10 of your most treasured possessions. How cool! Julia is going to share hers this week and has invited others to share there's by contacting her through her blog.
- Journals with kitty faces on the cover are irresistible.
