Beelieve

that of which remains unspoken

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16x20 inch canvas...no mixed media...just paint...and Dali inspiration

documentation of progress was done via iphone and instagram

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l i f t...on canvas

l i f t

my mantra for 2012

when i wake... 'l i f t'

when i run... 'l i f t'

when i create...'l i f t'

when i think ill thoughts... 'l i f t...l i f t...l i f t'

up and away from 'it'

'it' that holds me back

'it' that offers nothing positive

'it' that can be toxic

whatever 'it' may be

i shall 'l i f t' away

 

my usual beginning is in the pages of old books

 

from there a layer of paint, via cardboard square..my fav tool...and of course a bird along for the ride

 

buried beneath the surface of 'l i f t' are those items i feel i need to lift from...those buried deep...those that will nurture the roots...those that bring strength..not so neatly written in...not so neatly lived...not so neat at all but necessary all the same for growth

 

then a beautiful layer of pristine, fragile rice paper is layered over them...to cover...to keep...to bring a layer of white...a surface for the threads to become roots to the word that gets me through

 

and splashes of red...i tend to splash red into many of my art pieces...my art...my soul...my blood

 

floating in the air above 'l i f t' are my reasons written in, also protected by a delicate layer of rice paper and etched with rays of yellow sun

 

thank you 'l i f t'

you are my push word

looking forward to a very good year

 

'Cause where there's a man who has no voice...

There ours shall go on singing

~Jewel

 

and a new art piece

"Picnik Show"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a new art piece

 

'the message'

 "tell me what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

~mary oliver

 



as the canvas pulled me in and whispered 'create'

i had no clue what was going to happen

 i thought about mary olivers quote

 i thought about her message

i thought about life

 i thought about friends

 i thought about children

 i thought about dreams

 i thought about the future

 i thought about living

i thought about color

 i thought about the environment

 i thought about the big blue sky

 i thought about cities fading in the distance

 i thought about those less fortunate

 i thought about the calm that came over me

i stopped thinking

 and listened

so now

i see it

all of it

 please enjoy the slide show

 

this is an 18x20 inch mixed media paining on canvas

original art work

the colors are much warmer and richer in person with a gloss top coat

the slide show will show the details

 

 

a 5k, a cause, and a chance to win a prize :)

i know you haven't seen a lot of me lately...i am always on the run...or running.  some days it seems i am running in place but not this time.  i have decided to enter my first 5k...countdown is on and i am ready!

well...maybe not quite...here is where i beg and bribe

you see there is the genetic condition called MPS (Mucopolysaccharidoses) and the whole race is dedicated to raise money for cures, research and help to families affected by it.  Currently there is no cure...and not nearly enough awareness.  if i chose to,  i  could jerk those tears right out of your eyes this very minute...but i'm not going to.   We are going to think positive because i need those vibes and so do the families affected by MPS.   I will also disclose that i know a family affected by it, which is how i learned about how rare it is and how little funding goes to it

the cool coincidence in all this is that a little birdy told me i was ready to run my first 5k.  i surfed to find a nearby one...on a day i had off...that did not start too early....and WHAMO...just like that i found one and was all sorts of excited...my first one...woo hoo...then i saw the cause and tears started rolling out of my eyes...how perfect...how utterly perfect that the universe picked this race for me....SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...i have to do more!

i am raising as much money as i can by begging friends/family/coworkers for donations...still not enough

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....

i am raffling off this perfect little ki-ki birdy painting who told me a thing or 2 about balance

 

ENTER TO WIN HERE:

i am asking for donations and anyone who donates here will be automatically entered in a drawing to win this painting  on Sunday September 26th

if you prefer to make a donation directly to the race you can do so by following the link near the bottom of the page here and just email me a copy of your receipt to be eligible to have your name entered to win..

Any amount you can offer will be fine, but it is a 5k and in my most humble opinion is at least worth $5 or more...oh...and the art is an original painting by me...love ya, mean it!

 

 

i have never used one of these handy dandy donation buttons so please feel free to let me know if there is a problem...and sorry about any grammar errors...i'm pooped...gotta save my energy for running :)

bench monday~the real me

 
transformation from self to canvas

what are you afraid of...

 

fear itself?

grabbing time for art is tough and sometimes there is art and no ideas...wait...make that too many ideas...but time and time again i have noticed challenges of tapping into our fears for inspiration...so i challenged myself with that

 this is a mixed media painting on a 12x12 inch canvas board...detail is hard to see in this but i was taking pictures this evening in poor lighting...i suggest checking out these additional views for a bit more detail

been art making...

these are all 7x7 wood square mixed media done with original photos of mine

"journey's end"

 

to view details

"a visitor that day"

to view details

 

"her viewpoint"

to view details

(the ferns added are real ones i had picked and pressed last year just before winter took them away...so i would have them to create with)

i hope to update my poor forgotten etsy shop later this week and add these as to it, thank you for looking

Think positive...

...for a cure to cancer!

I have so many words that need to come out for this newest art piece of mine. I think I will have to write about it in a few smaller posts.  My friend Kim in CT asked if in lieu of donating money to her Relay for Life team would I be able to create an art piece that they could purchase for a discount and auction it.  I responded, "NO WAY!....I will create a piece for FREE" (for those who have followed me all along or have been to my about page you know that is was the Relay for Life that gave me the push to make my business official)

My personal challenge was to create a piece that would be bright, have depth and meaning as well as go with a variety of interiors. 

 My message needed to be broad, covering all aspects of life an not just the Relay.  It needed to be positive..."that's it", the light bulb went of.  It needed to be POSITIVE!  What could be more positive than...

"+"

  Exciting  since I am seeing the "first aid" or red cross sign everywhere these days.  I automatically think "help is on the way".  Who is it that helps?  Are we always waiting for "that other person" to step up and help, or are we the first in line to help?  If you have ever witnessed a Relay for Life, you know the answer to that.  Millions of people pulling together to raise awareness and money for a cure.  If you have been there, you have experienced the emotion and yes the positive energy.  If you have walked with a survivor, that energy is 100 times as strong.  Their energy stems from believing in a cure...that cure stems from the money that is raised...which all circles back to us.  The one that helps...the one who steps forward and is first in line. I also invite you to my post from last year, where I shared the best I could, my feelings and motivation for this cause.

I had to...

 

in this piece as I created it.  Then, Victor Hugo came to mind with a quote I kept jotted down for a different idea.

"Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings away all the same, knowing she has wings"

I may not have wings, but I do have paint ,brushes and a whole lot of other art materials to work with so I added a bird, a branch and that very positive quote.

Words are "carved" into the background.  They are all words that can be followed by the word "positive".  "believe" "think" and "love" to be exact.    I have even used the word "think" again in a leaf on the branch.  I cut it from one of my favorites, and most popular, Robert Frost poems: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening".  I used the page as one of the many background layers in this piece and love that you get a glimpse of it on the profile of the canvas. I also have "many miles to go before I sleep". 

It will be hard to part with this piece of me but I hope the person who has the winning bid at auction displays it where they will be reminded to come first to aid those who are in need. That they will "believe, love and think" positive in every aspect of their life.  May they believe in themselves  as playing an important role in coming up with a cure for cancer.

If you would like to support my friend Kim's team in CT you may do so here

If you would like to support my friend and cancer survivor Nancy at our local event you may do so here

Pictures of us at last year's Relay may be found here

In the days ahead I will post about actual art making process of this piece.

Think positive and stay tuned in...

.......I have so much more to tell about my newest canvas but wanted to share a glimpse!

"Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings away all the same, knowing she has wings" ~Victor Hugo