Sometimes Reaching is Hard...But Reach We Must...

Big Life - Collage

There are times when life is a song. You know all the words, sing along, and even throw in a few improvised moments with wild abandon. And everything falls into place. Like magic. But we have all experienced times that are challenging. We not only forget the words, but at times the tune. And life seems to be getting smaller, restricted, limited. And this is where I am at the moment.

On the way home from a doctor's appointment I stopped at Starbucks for coffee. I reached into a bin of cup sleeves and pulled out one with the following message:

"Your life is big. Keep reaching." - Oprah Winfrey

Encouraging advice continues on the back: take a few moments to pause and reflect. Teavana and Oprah call it your own personal "steep time". Time to Steep Your Soul.

It was just what I needed to read. Synchronicity? I believe so. And it was enough to get me back to hearing a  bit of the tune...if not the words. I rifled through my box of ephemera. I found a vintage romance magazine. The image of the woman from a 1920's ad was just what I needed. Someone happy, effervescent...dare I say Bubbly? Someone clearly reaching and enjoying life.

The substrate for the collage is a canvas panel. The background is a page from the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper Want Ads circa 1972. Hershey Kiss wrappers, fine art images, tea dyed gauze, a dried petal from an iris plant, tea bags, printed and rubber stamped tissue paper, dictionary text. Acrylic paint sponged and pushed through purchased and hand cut stencils finish the collage.

So, although my life is still not filled with lyrics and a tune, I am hopeful. I know the big life is there. I just need to keep on reaching.

A Simple Wish...

For You, The Sun, Moon, and Stars - ATC

For quite a few of us on the East Coast of the United States, this has been a glorious Holiday weekend...three days away from the routine of work, wonderful local events to share with friends and family, and best of all, weather sent to us from the Gods.

The ambiance was just the thing I needed to unlock the way to my Muse. Spurred on by my collection of quotes and saying I've collected over the years, I kept coming back to one:

"May the Sun warm you, and the Moon restore you, and Stars light your path"

Sitting under the pergola, listening to the birds sing, caressed by the warm Summer breeze, my Artist Trading Cards took shape. The substrate is illustration board. The background is a mixture of sponged Distress Inks of various hues. I stencilled and rubber stamped the patterns in metallic acrylic paint, dusted with Perfect Pearls to add a bit of shimmer. The inspirational quote cut from vintage paper finished the cards.

How often, we as Artists, look to Nature for inspiration. From the simple elegance of a sprouting seedling to the infinite wonder we experience when gazing at the night sky, it is all there for us. We just need to take the time to stop, look, and listen.

My wish is a simple one. May your Summer be filled with Sunshine, Moonbeams, and Starlight...and those you love to share them.

Do You Dream?

Life Is A Dream - ATC

I like to dream. I like the word.

Dream.

It rolls, it meanders, it drips off the tongue with power and eloquence and the promise of mystery, moonlight, adventure. It's the name on the door we open to liberate us. It allows us to feel, to imagine what can be, if only we become fully aware.

"Life is a Dream...Realize it.", is a passage attributed to Mother Teresa I read in the Grand Circle Corporation book of quotes. It inspired this Artist Trading Card.

The substrate is illustration board. The background a mixture of Distress Ink and acrylic paint. I stencilled a Nouveau pattern in gold metallic paint. A strip of art paper, the vintage photo, and rubber stamping of various designs finished the card.

Do you dream? Do you close your eyes and allow your Muse to take you to a place your heart knows is flawless? Realize your dreams. Live the life you desire.

The Infinite Passion of Life...

"There Is No End." ATC

The closing of Summer is bittersweet. Days infused with an unrelenting heat slowly melt into clear, crisp nights and frost covered mornings that welcome the start of Autumn.

It is on early Autumn nights that my eyes gaze skyward. I always find something magical about the night. There are so many curiosities to discover. Night sets the unconscious free. To quote Vincent van Gogh: "I often think that the night is more alive and more richly coloured than the day." 

The serenity allows my Muse to speak to me unencumbered. I find the inspiration I need, and very often over look during the busy hours of the day.

I recently took part in an Artist Trading Card swap. The theme was "Circles".  Staring at the sky brought back memories of one of my favourite paintings, Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night. Seeing it for the first time at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan took my breath away. But it wasn't until I made my pilgrimage to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence that I fully understood the inspiration that motivated Vincent.

The substrate is a standard manila ATC card. I found a print of The Starry Night to use as the base of the work. I am a great lover of Chinese food, and with Chinese food comes fortune cookies. The messages in the cookies are a treasure for collage artists. I pulled one from a bag of saved fortunes. It read:

"There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the infinite passion of life."

Perfect. Was it a lucky pick or did my Muse guide me?

I followed Vincent's mystical arcs and rolling curves with the fortune. A print of the astrological view of the skies was a perfect fit. I added handmade paper and stencilled circles from a template using metallic acrylic paint.

The ATC challenge came at the perfect time. The circle moves on. Seasons...Change...but it's the passion we bring to the circle that truly imparts meaning to this thing we call "Life".