"It is Spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart."
-- Rainer Maria Rilke
Spring is absolutely, positively my favorite time of year. Not only is the weather gorgeous, but the air itself seems to be drenched in sweet smelling, saturated color.
So the idea of creating in the theme of Spring for our latest blog hop with Jessica Sporn Designs, gets my head spinning in all kinds of whimsical directions. And! I had a cool idea I wanted to try out: what if I took Jessica's "Build-A-Villa" stamps from RubberMoon and enlarged them to create the focal point in a collage? And, if I did that, then wouldn't it be cool to see what's behind the windows and doors? Anyway, that's where my mind wandered, I hope you enjoy watching along:
For more Spring Fun, keep hopping! Check out what both Jessica Sporn and Denise Alloca did with the theme, and be sure to comment on all posts you visit. Jessica will be giving away her (beautiful, stunning, I must have this!) "Layered Peonies" stencil from Stencil Girl to one lucky winner.
“That night she dreamed of the deer. Strangely, the animal was holding her. She cuddled close into the soft fur and touched and kissed it gently. In the morning her pillow was wet with tears.”
-- Julie Andrews
Helloooo!
I had the opportunity to see a deer recently, not a normal site for this girl. I was so entranced, so enthralled and so just,blown away by the beauty of it, that I haven't been able to stop thinking of her since. This page is a direct reflection of my thoughts in this way, thoughts that run up and down that creek and keep landing on the meadow where I first saw her. . .
"My big thesis is that although the world looks messy and chaotic, if you translate it into the world of numbers and shapes, patterns emerge and you start to understand why things are the way they are."
- Marcus du Sautoy
I learned something last time at bat in the studio. As you may have guessed by my lack of posts or art or really anything of creative value this Summer, I've been totally absent. Absent from painting, absent from drawing, and absent from the very room that I usually long to play in. {Although, having said that, I did spend weeks - literally weeks - transforming that hot mess of a room into a real working space with proper storage, organization and a new YouTube set up, so that was exciting}.
I think my absence in part comes from the fact that this was the first Summer that I didn't have The Summer of Color, an annual art event I hosted for 5 years, keeping me busy. And I think in part because of all this time I had on my hands, I just froze. Like a deer in headlights. But like, one that's holding art supplies and stuff.
So back to what I learned. For me, when I'm out of sorts or out of practice, I find myself waffling when I get back to it. And my waffling, turns out, comes in layers. Many, many layers. I don't know if its insecurity that makes me want to throw every trick or technique or color that I ever learned, used or bought to the table, or honestly, if my picker is just off. You know, that voice that tells you when enough is enough. Maybe that voice is just quiet right now. Or, I guess there's always the opposite, that this page just didn't want to stop being played with.
Either way, I filmed the process and you can be the judge. If you too have been absent from creating, I hope my lack of direction in the above video inspires you in some way. After all, sometimes all we really need is a bit of messy & chaotic to get us back in the game . . . .
"When you start recognizing that you're having fun, life can be delightful."
- Jane Birkin
Helllllooooo!
I hope this finds you happy, well and hopefully, with your hands covered in some sort of fabulous neon paint. . . .
Speaking of paint - and neon - I played with a bit (or okay, a lot) of both for the above project that was filmed for the new Jessica Sporn Designs Creative Team.
Just pop over HERE to watch the video and help us celebrate the beginning of what I know will be a throughly delightful year.
