Small Wonders

A couple of weeks ago I met Laura, a lovely and talented collage artist who does lots of artist trading card sized art. Her collages are chock full of emotion and sentiment. I found them quite compelling. Laura frames these wonderful 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" pieces of art in larger white mats and they look fantastic. The large mat pulls you right in to view the small jewel they contain. Laura's work inspired me to create more ATC sized work....and....so...I did....(available in my Etsy shop should the spirit move you).

Found some silk scarf blanks the other day when I was digging through some stuff looking for something else (of course I didn't find the other something else). I haven't dyed in awhile so I thought I'd give a whirl. After the first dye bath/batching I randomly applied discharge paste and then spent time ironing it away. Think I'll do another 2 tomorrow in a different color pathway.

Thoughts on Change

What would happen if there were never any changes? Would it be a better world, more enjoyable life if everything were stagnant - even if one's current environment is filled with contentment? If everything (and everyone) were always status quo would that by itself produce a negative change since this is not the natural order of the universe? Giving up control but still taking charge via pro-activity must surely be a rewarding path - yes? Here's to all of you with faith and hope that steps forward will create their own positive energy resulting in experiences that are exciting and rewarding.

Yum

Ok....can I just tell you....I am now officially psyched on exploring more with pottery. The glazes are The Deal...all the layering, scraping & resisting I do in my paintings and textile dyeing have a huge relationship to the effects I'd like to achieve with glazes. When I glazed this I was after a fossilized effect. I'm happy.

Stacks

Sometimes the sum can end up equaling more than the individual parts (such as well oiled and tuned partnerships). Seth Apter is encouraging artists to take a photo of a stack of stuff or things and post it on their blog on 9/21. Seth will coordinate the links to your blog from his blog. Check it out.....see Seth's Wed, 9/14 Altered Page blog post on how to participate.

Life

It can hang by a thread, it can be enhanced by potions and brews, it can be as strong as steel or fragile as glass...but...we only get this one as we know it...so...here's to all of you who try to make it the best you're able and are able to shrug off arrows that may sling your way...and to those of you who have reminded me that the icky stuff just isn't all that damn important.

Escapes

I started this painting last week during the wind and rain of Hurricane Irene. Other than rattling windows, causing our pond to overflow and inconveniently knocking out power for 24 hrs we didn't have much to complain about. Yesterday we drove around northwestern Ulster County in the Catskills. In this mountainous terraine, Irene's torrential rainfall caused extensive flooding resulting in the loss of homes, businesses and roads. I finished this today with the theme of escape and gratitude on my mind....there was not any loss of life in our region as a result of Irene.