Smiling And Jumping Up And Down

Smiling and jumping up and down. This is the newest book where my work is featured along side that of many amazing and talented artists. I am so pleased I was asked to be a part of this collaboration. My copy arrived a few days ago. Interweave Press did themselves proud with this one. It is an awesome collection of projects and techniques. Special thanks go out to Barbara Delaney for including me in the line-up. 

xxxx ooooo xxxxxx

Carry Your Heart Home

Art journal page and the beginnings of

a poem that is trying to come forth. 

Life right now is

busy

art filled

full

crazy

chilly & LOVIN' IT

hopeful and

I am currently 

surrounded 

by many journals 

all in various stages 

of done-ness.

Van is fixed and 

that makes me happy

a wee bit worried because

DD needs surgery on her wrist 

and that leaves me concerned

but otherwise

all is well 

today

in my world

for now.

xxxoooxxxx

A Beautiful Truth

I stumbled upon this quote today and I feel this is the beautiful truth that l carry in my heart. It is a message I hope reaches far and wide. And to everyone who feels that what they create is not good enough just know that it is. That no matter what you choose to create that it will touch someone, change them, even if just for a single moment. Art has the power to speak to our hearts where often times words are not quite enough.

"I know that life is hard, and there there's a crushing pressure to just settle down and get a real job and khaki pants and a haircut. But don't. Please don't. Please keep believing that life can be better, brighter, broader, because of the art that you make. Please keep demonstrating the courage that it takes to swim upstream in a world that prefers putting away for retirement to putting pen to paper, that chooses practicality over poetry, that values you more for going to the gym than going to the deepest places in your soul. Please keep making art for people like me, people who need the magic and imagination and honesty of great art to make the day-to-day world a little more bearable. And if, for whatever reason, you've stopped- stopped believing in your voice, stopped fighting to find the time-start today."

-Shauna Niequist, Cold Tangerines.
I so needed to hear this today. I was feeling a little bit bereft and feeling that our life has been so up-ended and twisted beyond recognition by the economy, with things constantly going wrong; just at a point when things were getting closer to back on track but last night brought a phone call that DH's van had died leaving us with a repair bill that we now have to find a creative way to pay. And feeling like I am not doing enough to make it all work, not being able to find a 'real' job and pushing myself all the harder to make being an artist my 'real' job. But it's a slow process. It does not happen overnight and there are so many other forces working against me that make it even harder to justify sitting down to sew or to paint. So to find Shauna's words at the moment I needed to hear such a message today lifted my spirits and filled me with hope. I needed to hear that what I am doing is not a waste of time, especially on days like today.

A Beautiful Dream

I woke up this morning from the sweetest dream that I have had in a long time. I didn't want to get up. I didn't want to move. In fact, I stayed quite still for the longest time so as not to disturb the  memory. Even now, if I close my eyes I can take myself back to that moment. Sometimes dreams can feel ever so real. 

The dream.

I was in the great room of a very large home. Huge. The floor was made of large wooden planks; a dark walnut color. It was smooth as velvet from years of wear. There was a beautiful, round oak table. It was the biggest table I had ever seen. There was a fireplace, on a wall of river rock with a mantel that was distressed with age but strong and wide. I remember thinking it would be a wonderful place to place my favorite art pieces. There was a small fire burning. It was warm and inviting. I moved around this room and came face to face with Bono. He was standing right in front me. He knew me. We were friends. I didn't seem the least bit surprised to find him there, in this magnificent home. 

I remember looking into his eyes; oh my goodness they went on forever and smiling, he smiled back. I looked down at the floor and was surprised to see that it was littered with freshly fallen leaves in the brightest of reds and oranges. I bent down and picked up several and put them in the pocket of my jeans.They were not yet stiff and crackly.  I looked at Bono and said. " I don't think this is real. And he said to me 'but this is' and he gave me the biggest hug. He was so strong. I could feel the pressure of his arms around me. His shirt was so soft and warm. I felt I had been there forever. He gently pulled away and let me go. He smiled.  And so I  showed him the leaves in my pocket. If I wake up and these leaves are gone I will know this didn't happen. He just smiled. And then we sat down at the table where a dinner had been prepared for us. I don't recall what was on the plates but I do remember Bono sitting to my right and as happens in dreams, one moment just melts into the next, a transition marked by nothing but a single breath and then we went for a walk. Hand in hand around the room which soon turned into a garden bridge across a small stream and I remember turning to look  back at the house we'd just come out of and it was massive; a house like none other. I put my hand into my pocket and the leaves were still there. I felt happy and light as a feather. We walked some more, at one point I bent down and picked up a small stone and sent it skipping across the stream and then we were back in the great room, I looked up at Bono and put my hand in my pocket once again and the leaves were gone . I looked at him, squeezed his hand and then put my hand on his heart and said "the leaves are gone". 

And then I woke up. 

I've been listening to U2 the last few weeks. I get into 'listening' streaks and they can last as little as a few hours or go on for several weeks. My U2 collection has been getting a serious work out. Does that explain Bono showing up in my dreams and being so openly sweet and engaging? I don't know but whatever magic dreams can cast on any given day, I will accept this as a small, fragile, gift and hold the memory of that embrace as long as I possibly can.  

When Did Love Become So Complicated

If anyone out there has any insights into this please share them. You'd think I'd have this figured out by now but what love looks like and is seems to constantly change; day to day and sometimes even hour to hour. And once you put your love out into the world, it's out there, there is no turning back, no matter what happens, you can't take it back for good or bad. You can have regrets, you can be sorry, and at times maybe even angry, you can be overjoyed, overflowing and full with it but once you invest your love in someone or something all you can do is accept whatever comes from it. I think I believe that love sticks and any action in trying to unstick it results in nothing but 

self-recrimination. So love with all your heart and hold nothing back and know it's going to get complicated.

Love True. 

Live True.

 Be True. 

It is all 

one can do

with the life 

we are given.  

The Colors of Autumn

 

I could get lost in these colors, so rich and vibrant, lush and deep. I found these on a recent trip to a fabric shop that I don't get to very often, maybe once a year at best and when I saw this one (below)

I knew I had to bring some home. The photo does not do them justice. They are so much richer in person. I picked up these shared (below) to accent them

for a special journal of course.

This is one of my 'infinity' journals. It is 5" tall by 5" wide and about 12" in length when fully opened. It goes on forever; 8 spines that each hold 10 pages for a total of  80 watercolor paper which I have dyed and painted in similar colors to accent the cover. As the journal is opened, it naturally turns in your hands to  reveal the next spine of pages and when the end is reached, there is a 53" wrap around to hold 'infinity' forever safe. It is still a work in progress. The pages will be further embellished and completed and then will be sent on a journey, another deadline met. Here are a few more peeks.

Wishing you all a week rich in the splendor of 

Autumn's display of some of her most delightful colors. 

Sharing The Love.

If you have ever wanted to create your own hand bound journals the amazing Mary Ann Moss is having a sale on her Full Tilt Boogie class. I can't say enough good things about Mary Ann's on-line work shops. They are the bomb.

And while I am at it. I am taking Roben-Marie's new class; Art Journal Conversion where paint and ink hook up with plain white paper and amazing things happen. It's an explosion of color. I was up till about 4AM last night making a huge mess and lovin' every second of it. 

Both these talented women share what they love doing and do so with a 'come on in, join the fun' style that is welcoming and they will have you creating in no time. 

To Be Continued Revealed

The secret is not

in your hand, 

or your eye

or your voice,

she told me once.

The secret is in your heart.

www.storypeople.com

Journaling. This is the facing page in my journal as referred to from my last blog entry. There is much that is revealed if one reads between the lines in this journal spread. 

More journal peeks, snippets from a page.

What is a home?

Hearts made of 

timber and brick

and set in stone.

I've have many projects going on and exciting news to share but I must wait a few more weeks before I can let the proverbial 'cat' out of the bag. Deadlines are looming which is about as a good a hint as I dare share. VBG. So more shall be revealed soon.