The Fruits of Hibernation

Well, all this freezing weather has some good points. I have not ventured out the house now for 5 days and Paul (my husband) has been away for two-and-a-half of those. So, in my state of isolated hibernation I finally got round to trying my hand at baking, and made a batch of chocolate brownies...but now I know why I must not bake, at least not when I am alone...I have eaten half of them since yesterday afternoon (about six :-} ). I know. It's bad. But they were good, and they go stale so quick...I also finished two pictures, first this

Always Hopeful

This piece has the words always hopeful written in the crown...hope being like a treasure. The rainbow represents the optimism that something better lies beyond. The figure holds a 3-leaf clover, with the hope that one day it will be a four-leaf one. And this...

It reads trying to see beauty in fragility, which I guess speaks for itself. I have also paperclayed the body and head of my dolly - it's took me hours to make and now I can't go on...I've got no quilting thread to sew on her arms and legs and after all my work I don't want them to fall off, or worse be ripped off by a friend's visiting toddler. Anyway, I might rest tonight with a hot bath and TV - creative balance is important, and I've been going wild in all this snow...maybe it's an adult sugar rush...although not good for the body eating brownies may be good for the creative soul...try it and let me know, but you must eat at least six in 24 hours for it to take effect I reckon...creative soul like a temple, body like a dumpling.

Favourite blogs

I have added a list of my absolute favourite blogs - ones I check in on regularly (daily where possible! (stalker?....)), ones i find inspiring for the art work and many individual reasons... which I will now share...
misty mawn was the first blog that I discovered via cloth, paper, scissors magazine. I love her ability to express her soul so beautifully in both art and writing. I love her skills in creating a beautiful blog, her beautiful photos and regular updates. Misty inspires me to try and express myself honestly and openly, and i only wish I was skilled enough to create a blog as beautiful as hers - I can aspire...I can also aspire to be quick enough to purchase a piece of her beautiful art...

I also discovered kelly rae roberts via the same magazine. I love her honesty with her struggle for growth and change and love how her blog tracks the progress of this, in both her art and life. I love her positivity and humour and the achievements she has made in such a short time to create a creative life for herself. Kelly Rae inspires me to believe in my own possiblities, to be generous with myself and others. I have 2 prints from Kelly Rae and her book , which I love reading and referring back to...I will no doubt have more purchases...maybe an online workshop.....

time with tascha is a relatively new blog favourite and I am still becoming familiar with Tascha and her work, but I immediately love the obvious humour in her work, and her use of colour is superb...love it. Again her blog provides loads of interesting things to look at...photos, videos and links, including to her you tube videos...this has amazingly had over 65,000 views!

Then there is Danita at danita art. She makes the loveliest pieces, with humour often found in her work also. I have purchased 3 things from her store..a cute little box, a print and an art doll...the art doll resides in my front room and is divine - you will be able to see it in situ when I upload more images of my home...I am pacing this so as not to be a decor bore :-0. Danita inspires me with her diverse creativity (jewellery, art work, boxes, art dolls) and she is so prolific in producing things...I am in awe of her dedication and hard work...I need more of this...why is this never for sale?

I love the folk art and art dolls from Jane at Gritty Art Studio, which includes just the most beautiful images of angels and women...I would happily own everything she makes (and I mean everything!), but her art moves quickly and shipping may mean I will have to restrict myself to a print or a large bank loan! I have joined Jane's online doll making workshop ...I can recommend it...really thorough, professional and (best) fun! (although stuffing those legs and arms, not so sure) I will post what I have made once it's complete... It's also worth checking out Jane's you tube postings - great sharing of techniques. Watching Jane inspires me to relax and enjoy my work, and I am in awe of the ways she has created a mulit-faceted art business...brilliant!

So they are the key people inspiring me at this present time and i wanted to honour them, as unknowingly to them their blogs and art inspire my own creative journey. Really. And for that I am grateful to each of them.

The Finished Piece

Well, i thought I'd just upload the finished art work. It's been snowing (the worst in twenty years apparently) and I think the cold evenings have informed part of this piece. It reads across the top... " belief in the appearance of crystal light from the unexpected moments of darkness". This basically represents my hope (and on ocassions my experience) that we can emerge with new insights and greater clarity from those dark and difficult times in our lives. I put the words in a place/ shape to echo a halo, because in those moments some faith in that is needed. Her clothing has a 'snowy' feel with tinges of blue to her skin to reflect feelings of being cold and alone, with stars representing light present (seen or unseen) in those moments. I tell you though, it can be hard to keep that hope as sometimes things are difficult and problems can feel so huge that real solutions feel impossible to find.

Embarrased Emotions

Well, my plans for uploading recent artwork fell by the wayside. Reasons (excuses?)... I spent Saturday day and night with friends, which of course is a great thing, whilst Sunday I felt compelled to create art to help me manage my heavy heart, weighed down with emotions too big to talk about here; real sadness. I am discovering how art can really help me manage and express my emotions; not necessarily to others, but myself. Through my art I am finding that I can get to see, explore and clarify my emotions and i am really trying to stay with this, rather than be concerned with whether it turns out 'good' and pleasing to others, although of course these are bonuses and are difficult desires for me to surpress. I still feel quite shy about other people seeing my work ...feeling it's not good enough, that they'll look and think 'you call that art!'. I think i feel that even more lately because of the emotions I have invested; because of the emotions I have exposed. I can't help feeling embarrassed. Will the day come where I feel comfortable, confident with my work and sharing my emotions? I tend to fluctuate between real self-doubt and glimpses of real self-belief ...Anyway, here is that work in progress....