Did She Dare?

To grow...

she would have to step away ...

 

and let go of what was safe and familiar ...

 

but did she dare?

Inspired by the current challenge quote at Artists in Blogland's Fall Fearless & Fly:  
"You can't make a place for yourself in the sun if you keep taking refuge under the family tree." 

Helen Keller

I hand carved the border stamp.  Instead of ink, I used Golden's fluid acrylic black paint applied with a cosmetic sponge, to be eligible for the challenge at Simon Says Stamp.   The entire canvas has an underlay of collaged tea bags.  The leaves on the tree are from Julie Balzer's Leaf Stencil.  The red warrior and horse on the bottom are from a Tibetan prayer flag, and if you look closely, there is a monopoly dog in the window of the house!

Remember to comment on this post by Sunday night to be eligible to win either my Rain or Borders stencil!

Thank you for visiting! If you are so moved, please leave a comment. Hearing from you means the world to me.

Linking up to One Little Word (dare),   AIB's Fall Fearless & Fly, Paint Party Friday, Creative Every Day, Create With Joy, and Art Journal Every Day!

Embrace the Rain

A few blog posts and conversations met up with me in the rain yesterday.  I know -- that seems like a mis-typed sentence -- but bear with me.

Yesterday it poured here in New Jersey.  I was happy for the rain.  Then I have no dilemma about whether to do work in the garden or be in my studio.  The choice is clear!

While waiting for inspiration to strike, I checked in with Paint Party Friday -- and found these two posts and images, with were in such synchronicity with my day:

I LOVE this art journal page by Debbie in Seattle at Art Life Now:

The colors perfectly say rainy day, gloomy mood, stay inside. The expression perfectly says -- back off, beware -- I'm cranky!  And the way Debbie did the journaling -- sort of like a ransom note, perfectly suits the image and feel .  I like the way Debbie just embraced how she was feeling, and celebrated it.

This evocative image is from Tammie Lee at Beauty Flows.
In Tammie's blog post, she shares a beautiful poem about how sadness is a part of life, and it's important to accept the tears, as well as the laughter.


Both of these posts made me think about not just accepting, but embracing all of life's ups and downs, highs and lows.  Without the lows, are we able to appreciate the highs?  Maybe Eve bit into the apple in the Garden of Eden because life was so perfect, it got boring.  I know I've had the experience of going somewhere on vacation that seems perfect.  But after a while, it's a little too hot, or too windy, or the sand gets into my bathing suit, or the ice melts too fast in my gin and tonic, and before you know it, there's something to complain about.  We humans must need the bad times to really appreciate the good times.  

Thinking about this reminded me of a conversation I had with Judy Shea this week. 

I was sharing my exciting news about StencilGirl, and she told me she had been approached to teach an online class but was worried about saying yes to the offer.  Judy is warm, supportive and oh-so talented.  I have no doubt that she will be an amazing teacher.  But she had doubts.  I told her that as long as I don't think I'm going to hurt anyone, my philosophy in life is to say "Yes I can," and figure out the details later.  (Thanks mom and dad, for instilling this confidence in me.)  I'm happy to say that after our conversation, Judy emailed me that she had accepted the offer.  I'm excited to be her first student!  Just check out her blog post with a step by step tutorial about image transfers.

After all of the blog visiting and ruminating, I decided to embrace my rainy day. 

I pulled out a lot of neutral ephemera - pages from an old dictionary, paper and this fun little garland from the "Yours Truly" collection by Glitz, which looked like rain drops to me.  I NEVER use neutrals, and decided to do this in part because of the current prompt for Fall Fearless & Fly.

 I randomly ripped and glued down the paper onto my art journal:

And knocked it all back with gesso:

 I scraped on some Raw Umber and Titanium Buff fluid acrylics, and stenciled in some diamonds:

Added some tree trunks from a Metro Arts stamp, foliage using vibrantly inky paper towels I saved from ART is You, some washi tape, a hand-made stencil, doodling, and voila.  The scallop border across the top is also from the Glitz collection.  

Thank you for visiting! If you are so moved, please leave a comment.  I read and love every single one.  Hearing from you means the world to me.

What are you embracing today?

Don't Be a Debbie Downer

Remember Debbie Downer from Saturday Night Live?  No matter how happy the gathering, she had bad news or negative feelings to share and would bring down the mood of everyone around her.   I have come to realize that I'm a Debbie Downer when I come home from being away.  My husband and daughter are so happy to see me, but then I point out what wasn't done properly while I was away, and just kill the good feelings.

 

I'm really not sure what it's all about, psychologically, but I don't want to do it anymore!  True, my daughter might not have bathed while I was gone, or had any fresh fruits and vegetables, but in the grand scheme of things, so what?  True, she watched TV instead of doing her homework, and stayed up past her bedtime, but in the grand scheme of things, does it really matter?  My husband is supportive of my going on art retreats, or to hear the Dalai Lama speak.  He does his best, and even though it's not exactly how I would do things, in the end they are both safe and sound, and so excited to see me.  In my absence, my daughter made her lunch for school each day, got herself ready in the morning so she could get to school on time, and helped feed the animals.  So why not point out the positive?  I will try to improve this aspect of myself.  I hereby promise!

By this art journal page, may it be so!

Thank you for visiting! If you are so moved, please leave a comment. Hearing from you means the world to me.

If you have a quality that you would like to exorcise, share it here, and by your commenting, may it be so!

I Am Hopeful Because...

Yesterday I heard  His Holiness the Dalai Lama speak at William and Mary.  My daughter Mariel goes to school here and being able to visit with her and hear His Holiness was such a treat.  As I sat in William and Mary Hall, watching it fill up with students and visitors, I felt such a surge of optimism and positive emotion.  I felt full of hope for our planet, which often feels torn apart and desecrated. 

I had my art journal with me and took one of the pages I had collaged but not written on (it's actually a page of scraps and leftovers) and started to make a list in the blank hearts of some of the things that make me feel hopeful.  (This is why it's great to just "unblank" a few pages -- you never know...)

HHDL:  Seeing all the students fill the seats (4000 were given to students in a free lottery) made me hopeful that some of them will take his message to heart -- that it is in our own self interest to be compassionate towards EVERYONE, even our enemies, because at heart, we all want the same things - to be happy and free from suffering.  And we all face the same problems -- sickness, death of loved ones and eventually ourselves, pain and suffering.  So even if you hate the actions, feel compassion for the actors.  Knowing that His Holiness is on a tour where he is visiting many colleges made me hopeful about all the young people who will hear his message of love and tolerance.

THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS:  While waiting online to go in, I struck up a conversation with two nice people.  Connecting with them made me feel warm inside.  It also made me think about how, after the tsunami in Japan, the earthquake in Haiti, and 9-11, strangers pitched in and helped each other.  The willingness of people to help each other in times of need, or even just waiting on a line, makes me hopeful.

ART:  The community of artists on the retreats I've been on, and in the blog world, makes me feel very hopeful.  So many of us are doing work that taps into global concerns, or are creating work to donate, or are connecting with and supporting each other.  It fills me with warmth and hope.

MEDIA:  The ability to connect with people around the world, to see how others live, and to hear about their challenges and successes, makes me hopeful.  As the Buddha said, if you see yourself in others then whom can you harm?

MY DAUGHTERS:  I have two girls who live each day with warm hearts and open arms.  There are so many like them -- children who care about the world and who want to make it better.  This gives me hope.

What makes you feel hopeful?  Let me know.

Thank you for visiting! If you are so moved, please leave a comment. Hearing from you means the world to me.

Linking up with Mandarin Orange Monday,  Inspiration Avenue (challenge is orange!), Art Journal Everyday, Paint Party Friday and Creative Every Day.  Please visit the amazing artists linking up at these great sites!

Fall Fearless Challenge One, Part Two & A List!

More thinking about the future because of the Fall Fearless and Fly challenge at Artists in Blogland.  On the left of this two-page art journal spread is a very "stream of consciousness" list of things I hope to do and be someday - que algún día si Dios quiere -- as my husband would say!

How could I ever be all that I hope to be, or do all that hope to do?  Every day new, and one step at a time.

You can link up to Artists in Blogland through Sunday.  I hope you will!  If you don't, I hope you'll check in on Monday for the second challenge!  Ronda Palazzari will be our guest artist!  We're very excited.

Today's prompt at Artsyville's List it Tuesday is "I'm a Sucker for..." Here's what I did:

I collaged book pages and then scraped turquoise and white acrylic paint with a credit card.  Lots of little bits of handmade papers and leftovers from my stash went into creating the hearts, which I then doodled around with black fluid acrylics and a tiny paint brush.  The border is stamped with a stamp I hand carved in Julie Balzer's class.  I journaled my list around the hearts.  In case you can't read it, it goes like this:

I'm a Sucker for (in no particular order):

SUNSHINE:  basking in it, the sight of it streaming through the window, sun glimmering off wet tree leaves, any kind of sunshine connects me with all things holy and sacred;

ART: classes, retreats, paint, pastels, stencils, stamps, markers, pens, notebooks, and now clay!;

LETTERS: fonts, lettering, handwritten letters, old air mail stationary, old mail, letter stamps, and word eytmology;

YOGA: philosophy, classes, clothes, books, jewelry, art;

FLANNEL: sheets, p.j.s, bathrobes, quilts, blankets -- anything cozy!;

LITTLE THINGS: miniatures, collectibles, cameos, doll houses, fairy villages, decorative erasers, pebbles -- anything tiny;

A FEW FOODIE THINGS:  Cinnamon toast, guacamole, the roasted chestnuts you get on the street in New York at Christmas time, really crispy and salty french fries, and sweetened condensed milk!;

A WORTHY CAUSE - I will do anything for someone in need - which is how we've ended up sponsoring 3 families in Guatemala, 3 children through Save The Children, and our foster son;

ANYTHING MY DAUGHTERS NEED...

"If you need me, call me, I'll be there in a hurry, no need to worry..."

I realize I left off something very important to me --
ALL THINGS FRENCH:  the language, the country, the history, the food... - Alors là!

Thank you for visiting! If you are so moved, please leave a comment. Hearing from you means the world to me.

Eye & Art Candy

Last time I posted I was in a total funk.  I got lots of great advice in the comments - so thank you!  (One piece of advice I haven't tried yet is to paint a portrait of the inner monster that narrates the negative soundtrack.  Here's the link - I will definitely do this one day soon!)  After getting outside, I was able to shift.  When I came back in, I worked on this page, which I'd started yesterday, thinking I would paint something with another jar.  But as I started doodling, something else happened completely.  And in the end, I was happy.  Art DOES make everything better!

Sunday night was the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.  Usually we have a big dinner in Pine Lake, and last night was no exception.  Forty families doing a potluck together is a wonderful thing.  However, my dad was under the weather and he and my mom weren't able to get up to Pine Lake -- they were home in Brooklyn.  I could feel the tug of war in my heart.  My sister and brother, Aunt, Uncle, cousins and friends were all up at the lake, expecting us.  But I decided it was more important to be with my folks.  Luckily, my husband and Samy agreed; so I cooked and brought dinner to Brooklyn.  Here's a mandala I drew while talking with mom in the kitchen (of course, she greatly improved the food I made!).   Mom and Dad - may the coming year be sweet and bring you health and happiness.  Shanah Tovah.

Today, Freddie took Samy to play tennis and then she had a friend over. I was able to spend the whole afternoon in my studio!  Here's the progression of what I created.  It went through a lot of variations.

 and some string.  Now I'm happy!

The Diva's challenge this week is to create a Pinwheel for Peace.   Here's my attempt.  I used a template of an origami pinwheel, however my design ended up looking more like a kite because I added extra triangles...  I did use the tangle called "pinwheel," though (and escalator & clothesline)!

Finally, I received two envelopes with lovely Artist Trading Cards -- from Linda Phinney (who's Imagine card is hand stitched and who also sent me a tag too!) and Andrea at Falling Ladies - who paints the most magical, wonderful watercolors.  Aren't they gorgeous!

There's a new challenge up at Scrapping the Music - check it out.  These songs are so much fun and inspiring.  And your submissions don't have to be scrapbook pages.  Heck - have you ever seen a scrapbook layout from me?  So go take your art journal or zentangle tile over to STM and play along!  In my next post, I'll tell you about what I did for the challenge. 

Remember -- we're less than two weeks away from Fall Fearless and Fly.  I can't believe the amazing artists who have agreed to do guest posts during this challenge.  Carolyn Dube and and I are so excited.

Thank you for visiting! If you are so moved, please leave a comment. Hearing from you means the world to me.

Fall Fearless and Fly!

Have you been over to Artists in Blogland to check out the challenge "Fall Fearless and Fly?"  Carolyn Dube and I are hosting it starting October 1.  Every other week, there will be artistic prompts designed to get you thinking about setting intentions and shedding emotional baggage to step into 2013 as your bravest, most fearless self!  Have you ever done a juice cleanse?  Think of this as an art cleanse!  Any medium goes, and we have great prizes and giveaways.  Each week, there will be a guest artist participating.  The wonderful Ronda Palazzari, Jane Davies, Maria McGuire, Marcia Beckett and Dina Wakely will be playing along with us.  We hope you'll play along too.  So go to Artists in Blogland and grab a button for your blog.  On October 1, get ready to "Fall Fearless and Fly!"

We went to my cousin's daughter's wedding on Saturday night.  It was just beautiful -- black tie and in the most gorgeous setting called the Pleasantdale Chateau in West Orange.   I hadn't been to a wedding in several years.  It was nice to sit next to my husband and mentally renew my vows to him as I watched this young couple officially start their lives together.  Here's the art journal page I created on Sunday (catching up with my 29 faces!):

The colors of the wedding were black, white, taupe and teal, which I tried to capture.  Of course I was very influenced by Chagall and this painting in particular:  

Yesterday I started Flora Bowley's Bloom True E-course.  Like me, Flora is a yogini and views painting as a very spiritual process.  The community of women doing this course is so warm and wonderful, which is what I've found so far in all the classes I've been taking.  Here's my first step at letting paint do its thing -- not trying to control it in any way.  This will be the bottom of many layers to come, but I kind of like it.  I love these warm colors and how three pink balls are hovering.  I'm excited to see what becomes of this canvas with tomorrow's exercise!

Linking up to Inspire Me Monday, Creative Every Day and Art Journal Every Day.

I love comments...  So if you are so moved, I would love to hear from you!

Face 4 and Shout-outs!

"Bring me then the plant that points to those bright lucidites swirling up from the earth, and life itself exhaling that central breath.  Bring me the sunflower crazed with the love of light." Eugenio Montale

No one said the faces for the 29 Faces challenge have to be human, right?  Yesterday, wherever I went, I saw sunflowers blooming in people's gardens.  There's something about them that makes me smile.   Since yesterday was so overcast here in NJ (and it threatens to be that way through Friday), those perky sunflowers are a welcome sight.  

I still haven't unpacked my art supplies since coming back from the lake, so all I have access to at the moment are my watercolors and a few gel pens.  It's kind of nice to be so limited!  I had forgotten about my trusty watercolors and how much I love them.

Sharing Love:  I wanted to honor 4 bloggers who I have discovered recently.  They all have something unique and wonderful to say!  I will continue doing this in future posts, as it's so good to acknowledge each other.

Carolyn Dube: A Colorful Journey:  After discovering Carolyn online, I met her this July at CREATE NJ.  Her offline persona is true to her online colorful, playful, whimsical and fearless style.  She's not afraid to get her hands dirty, and almost always posts videos of her work process. 

Purely Enchanted by Dana:  Dana has a great eye for photographs, and posts terrific collections of themes like her current one - Artistic Doors & Windows.  Can you believe the one with the cat?

Terrie Purkey at Creative Explorer:  Another keen photographer with a great eye, as well as a well as a terrific tangler.  And I love her post where she photographed her feet in various places on her vacation!

Art Journaling II:  This is a terrific blog full of lots of tutorials and advice.  It is basically an ongoing class chock full of great ideas.  I love Barbara's easygoing style.

Thank you for visiting! If you are so moved, please leave a comment. Hearing from you means the world to me.

Face 3 and ATC Swaps

29 Faces:  Here's face 3 for the 29 Faces challenge.  This is my attempt at a self portrait (lol!).  Because the summer ended yesterday (I know not officially but it's back to school time for us), and because it was the second to last page of the journal I started on June 1, I thought it would be good to review what I learned over the summer.  It turned out to be quite a bit!  The design at the bottom and under my neck is Copada, the Diva's weekly challenge tangle.  We'll see if I can tackle my September goals!

Organizing Challenges:  One of my goals is to get better at organizing the challenges in which I participate.  Do any of you have suggestions for how to keep track of challenges, links, etc?  I find it all a little overwhelming! 

Upcoming Challenge:  Speaking of challenges, my friend Carolyn Dube and I will be hosting one beginning in October at Artists In Blogland.  Make sure you follow us and AIB to get all the info.  It will be about setting intentions and clarifying our thoughts to enter 2013 as our most fearless selves (and there will be cool prizes and give-aways)! 

Hot Off the Presses:  I will be teaching an all-day art journaling class at Rock Paper Scissors, a wonderful craft school and store in Montclair, NJ (only 15 miles from Manhattan), on Sunday, October 14, from 11 - 5.   It will be limited to 10 participants and the cost is $90 (not bad for 6 hours!).  This is so new that it's not even on the RPS website yet, but you can email Beth at info(at)rockpaperscissorsnj(dot)com to reserve a spot or for more information. 

Mini Canvases:   I created this 4 square set of flower canvases to illustrate various quotes I've been collecting.  I hope you can see all the yummy texture, which made it hard to paint the words on them!  Even though they are only 3 inch squares, they took me forever!   I'm going to enter them in Anything But a Card's September challenge. 

ATC Happiness:  One of the only good things about coming home from the lake was finding ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) in the mail.  Check out these gorgeous cards from Heather Santos:

 Arnoldo L. Romero:

and Lilian Reyes:

I'm loving the cards I received and doing these trades!  I have a few more, if anyone wants to swap.  Question -- how do you store and display your Artist Trading Cards?  Let me know!

Also linking up to Paint Party Friday, Creative Everyday, Artists in Blogland, and Balzer Designs.  Visit the artists there and share some love!

Thank you for visiting! If you are so moved, please leave a comment. Hearing from you means the world to me.

29 Faces - Face 2

My second face for 29 Faces.  Inspired by the fabulous Denthe, I attempted a one line drawing of my daughter Samy.  Wow - this is hard to do!  The drawing doesn't look like her at all, but it was fun to do and I'm glad I tried.  Couldn't resist adding a bit of color.  Happy Labor Day -- hope you're relaxing!

Here's a clip of Samy and Freddie dancing at last night's Labor Day party.  Enjoy!

Thank you for visiting! If you are so moved, please leave a comment. Hearing from you means the world to me.