Dare To Be Yourself...

Powerful Women - Collage

This is the second image for the Egyptian Moon Dance Company's Powerful Passionate Woman Retreat.

As it is a companion piece, I wanted to keep the over all feel the same. The quote by May Sarton inspired the work:

“We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.”

Dance is a beautiful thing. Egyptian Raqs Sharqi accentuates all that is intrinsically female.  It is wonderful to see the transformation when women dance. The Dance is a door to the soul, giving a glimpse of a woman's heart. Grace and elegance are rediscovered. Confidence soars. Dancers are empowered with a passion for living.

Again, the piece is a conventional collage finished as a digital file. I made handmade papers and scanned them. A few of the Victorian postcards are digital, a few I scanned from cards I have collected. I also scanned postage stamps, postage cancellations from envelopes in my collection, rubber stamped images, drawings, writings, tissue and art paper.

I approach a digital collage in the same way I do a conventional piece of work. I collect my bits and pieces. I clear my mind and let the Muse guide me. I like to work conventionally and digitally. Both methods are tools to get me to where I want to go within piece of work.

I feel in art and dance, as in life, we can only be our authentic selves when we dare ourselves to be ourselves. When we allow our Muse to help us to embrace life fervently, then we are truly powerful and alive.