First of Three

This is what I have been doing for the last few hours, days, weeks.  Probably should have started sooner, but I couldn't stop painting the vases and flowers.  So, I'm a little behind and pulling some late nights trying to catch up.

The first of the three show is this Thanksgiving weekend.   The Crocker Holiday Art and Craft Festival  at the Scottish Rites Temple in Sacramento.  November 23rd - Noon to 6pm, November 24th - 10am to 5pm, November 25th - 10am to 4pm.  (Just noticed the link to the Festival has the wrong dates and hours).

These are some of the pieces for this show.  They are mostly made with recycled materials.  The imagines are made with cotton scraps that I save.  The backing is made from felted wool coats and sweaters.  The buttons come from the sweaters and coats.

I love working with all these great words too.  I find I choose words that I want to bring to me.  So, I get to play and make beautiful art, AND have therapy all at the same time.

The Crocker puts on a great Festival.  It is a great way to start off the Holiday season and support local artists.  

Powerful Wonderful Creatures

Standing in line at Peets this morning, absent minded-ly listening to the conversations around me.  The older women in front of me talking about their relationships with their husbands.  Some of it funny, some of it grumbly towards their men.

After my tea, I am on campus in search of art supplies at the UCD bookstore.  As I pass different groups of young women, bits of conversation twirl up around me like autumn leaves, " ...he just doesn't understand...", "...I don't know how many friends I have who say that about breaking-up...", ..."he is amazing...", "... he said...".

I walked with a smile on my face.  Young and old, we women sure like to talk of our relationships.  Not to say men don't.  I just don't think they like it like we do.  Felt a solidarity to all women today.  It felt sweet and powerful.  We are such interesting and complex creatures.  I love being a creature!

Painted Using Her Sword

Here is the finished piece.  I like all the shiney gold.  Not sure of the name for this piece yet, although the words "painted using her sword" popped out of the words scraps.  This piece feels less womanly and more masculine.

Still waiting for the name to come to me.

Working on a New Piece

The Bliss of Yearning

I love this new piece.  Originally, I was going to call it The Lovers.  The ripped up page pieces came from a book called "A Way To The Goddess Through Myth, Art and Tarot" that I found it at a second-hand store.  The specific pages in this piece came from a description of the tarot card - The Lovers.

I don't know a lot about the Tarot cards, so it was interesting to read about the meaning of this card.  These pages describe it as both the spiritual or energetic connection of actual lovers AND the coming together of the masculine and feminine halves of ourselves.

As I explored further, I learned it is also about choice.  The card indicates that one has come across something, it could be a challenge, a person, or a thing that they have "fallen in love with".  When the person discovers this "thing" they know it is for them, even if it means changing ones path to reach it.  Here is the choice part.  We can choose to change our path or remain.  There is often a measure of cost that comes with giving in to this spiritual attraction or in denying it.

When I add ripped pages I try to make sure it doesn't have negative words or meanings.  I am not always completely aware of what the actual message is.

So, when I saw this little piece in the center of one of the flowers "bliss of Yearning"  I knew that that was the name of this piece.  Don't get me wrong, I understand that yearning can also ache.  But even the ache feels good in a squirmy way.  This piece is more about the bliss part.

I really love the colors in this piece.  The passionate pinks and reds in the flowers and the watery emotional blue greens of the vase.

I think it is my new favorite.  I love the whole series of vases.  Not sure how I will be able to sell them. Just have to hang all eight (and counting) of them in my house until they are ready to go elsewhere.

Love my Job!

I may not get paid very well, but I sure have a great job!  I spent this beautiful autumn day drawing and painting more flowers.  

Autumn Blooming

I finished this last piece.  It didn't turn out how I originally imagined, but I like it just the same.

I love this big pink flower.  When I told my son that each flower represented a part of me.  He immediately assigned each flower an aspect he thought fit.  The big pink one for him was "the mother".  I had been calling that one passion.

This delicate poppy-like flower was compassion for both Keenan and I.

We were both in agreement that this little silly orange flower in the bottom center was my goofy playful side.

I can't remember what he thought the sunflower represented for me.  Originally, I thought of it as the mother, standing tall and firm holding onto all the seeds.

Keenan being very astute assigned the lavender to be my healer side.  He knows lavender is an herb that I have used with the family for healing and relaxation.  I hadn't decided on that one yet - but he is absolutely right.  It is perfect for the healer.  He is an amazing little guy.

And the vase, all soft and round is the container (my physical self) holding some of my many parts.

Autumn Blooming

New Image

Wednesday 9/26:
Painting my next vase with flowers.  I am sure enjoying these.

This one will be five aspects of me in one curvy vase.  Not sure I will reveal the 5 aspects - might be more then anyone wants to know.  Although, these are positive aspects, not my big bad dark side.

I tweaked the photo above so you could see the vase on this one.  I like the lacy curvy top on the vase.

Thursday 9/27 - 11am:
The next two progressive photos.

I like the blue on the curvy vase and the blue line down the right side.

Thursday - 2pm:
I really like the big pink flower in the center and the silly little orange one on the left.  Not sure I am liking the blue of the vase.

Thursday - 6:30pm:
Not really liking the background.  Needs a little more something.  Will add more in the morning - off to my modern dance class.

Swirling...

Painting with my feet again.  Actually, I have to get up on my art table to get good shots of my pieces and I like leaving the feet in the photo.

The flowers in this piece kept changing as my moods changed and swirled around me last week.   Swirling can have a crazy, a bit out of control feeling.  It isn't necessarily a bad feeling - maybe not alway comfortable.  Defiantly wanted rocks in my pockets this past week.   

The vessel or vase interestingly never changed.  I was very sure of that.  My physical self was very grounded, but my head...  she was swirling.

I also think of the swirls as the different aspects of ourselves.  We all have many parts, the obvious, mother, friend, wife, sister, etc.  We also have the less tangible aspects like, light and dark, the judge, the martyr...  They aren't always pretty, but they make up who we are.  And as a balanced whole they can be beautiful.   Or maybe the beauty is in the acceptance of all these aspects of ourselves.

I like the words in this little scrap of paper, "friends, love, love".

Love the little blue polkadots

More pieces of her diary...

So Much Fun!

Last night was great!  I absolutely love my new work.  It was a full house most of the evening.  Lots of friends came.  Downtown Davis was hopping last night.  

There were lots of people interested in purchasing my new art, but I couldn't sell it.  That hasn't happened before.  Usually it is the other way around.  I do have some perspective homes for a few of the pieces once I am ready to let them fly.

I had some older art hanging in the reception area and the five new ones (above) in the main room.  My older work didn't look so good to me.  They looked washed out compared to the new pieces.  I used to think they looked vibrant and exciting.  Funny how things change.

My pal Linda and I in front of "her" picture "Songs of Friendship"