Lovely World

calendar and book

{Calendar Week 15}

My calendar was influenced by Poppytalk's spring color week. Thanks to Jan.

Book 14/52:

Jeannette Walls' Half Broke Horses

(This is the story of Walls' maternal grandmother. I liked it as much, if not more, than The Glass Castle.)

poppytalk pink

Wednesday is pink at Poppytalk!

I am loving the new group of birds that I finished over the weekend. This pink one is a preview. I'll post the others soon!

calendar and book

{Calendar Week 14}

Book 13/52:

Paul Coelho's The Alchemist

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Birds on my mind. So many new songs being sung outside my house. Glimpses of old friends returning after the very long winter. This makes me happy.

crafting for courage sale begins!

The Crafting for Courage sale begins today! I hope that you will consider making a purchase to support the Save the Children earthquake relief efforts in Japan. You can find the blog which showcases all of the items for sale with links to the shops here: Crafting for Courage

I am offering 3 hand-dyed wool songbirds and an original watercolor painting of a girl gently supporting a bird as it prepares for flight. 100% of the money made from the sale of these four items will go to the charity. I will donate 25% of all other sales from my etsy site as well. You can find my shop here: Lovely World Handmade

vision

These are two paintings I have made this week.

Objects of:

childhood,

play,

memory.

Searching for a vision.

Sometimes it seems that I am fully engrossed in life at the present moment - busy, integrated. Other times it is like waiting at a train station. Transition, limbo, a liminal state. Waiting to get to the next place of rhythm to settle back down. What is the destination of the ticket I hold? I don't know. And that is okay.

Stand at the precipice, that existential darkness, and call into the void: it will surely answer.

cabin fever continues

More snow today. School delayed by two hours. At least the sun is shining in the window right now.

Finished up this little squirrel for a special order in my etsy shop. I was excited to use some of the German mohair I bought a while back. I think it makes a spectacular tail.

As I was tidying up my desk top, I collected these papers that I have used for blotting while painting. I enjoyed looking at them. You can see where I cut out a pattern for squirrel legs from one of the papers.

The bottom photo shows a painting exercise I did from Heather Smith Jones' book. I really like this book and look forward to trying more of the exercises.

I want to do some yoga. I read this and it makes sense to me right now:

Twist and become whole. Bend and become straight. Empty out and become full. Expend energy and be renewed.

enough

Two days of snow. And it is still coming down. Another storm forecast for tomorrow night.

Inside a lot. Cabin fever? Being shut in makes me investigate my internal dialogues more closely. Wondering what is enough. Enough material comfort. Enough love. Enough success.

There is so often too much here in the United States. I am overwhelmed by excess. Just this morning my mother bemoaned her feelings of distress upon entering a K-Mart earlier this week: too much stuff, too much needless, poorly-made stuff. I would also say that Americans, amid our great material comforts, often worry excessively about security, or the sense of a lack there of. (Elizabeth posted this, which points to our conflicted culture.)

Excess and overload. Here is what the Tao Te Ching says:

Hold to these principles: Seek simplicity, grasp the essential, overcome selfishness and wasteful desires.

Great trouble comes from not knowing what is enough. Great conflict arises from wanting too much. When we know when enough is enough, there will always be enough.

Painting and sewing animals. Wondering how I might combine these two?

calendar

{Calendar Week 2}

I'm settling into the rhythm of making a small painting each day.

One of my goals for 2011 is to read a book every week. 52 books for the coming year.

Book 1/52:

Rhoda Janzen's Mennonite in a Little Black Dress

quarter of two

:: My clock says it is quarter of two. I have been cleaning out my work room and moving things around. Here is one corner.

:: A couple of watercolor sketches from this week

I have spent the last two days helping out with my son's 2nd grade hat making project. Before the winter break, these same children worked in groups to make fleece hats to give to a local charity. This week, they were able to make a hat for themselves. It was great to see the children so satisfied with their newly developing sewing skills. All in all about 60 hats were made.

HAPPY WEEKEND EVERYONE

painting

I have been painting a little everyday. It is fun, and it is challenging. I am just emerging out of many years of anxiety regarding drawing and painting. I studied art history, as well as took studio art classes, in college. I very much gravitated toward crafts - fiber arts, ceramics, and the like. I had a very hard time with drawing and often felt quite defeated while finishing assignments for drawing or painting class.

But, life moves forward and contexts change. I am now at a point where I am willing to give anything a go, and don't get too caught up in the idea of failure.

This is how I have been proceeding:

1. Practice

2. Look at the work of other artists

3. Read some how-to books. Right now I am reading Katherine Dunn's "Creative Illustration Workshop." I also just ordered Heather Smith Jones's "Water, Paper, Paint." 

I think #1 on my list is the most important. Dreaming, wishing, and hoping to do something is much different than doing it.

Elsita Mora wrote an inspiring post about acting on your desires. It is called "Please Don't be Afraid." It is short and won't take you long to read. I highly recommend you check it out. I love this line she wrote: "Make it your wonderful secret plan."

Finally, remember when you were a child and could draw a picture of anything, or sculpt to your heart's content out of clay? I just came across this card my daughter gave me a couple years ago. So spontaneous and from the heart.