calder

'i paint in shapes.'

~ alexander calder

blue feather c. 1948

this is the abs challenge piece for july... and since being announced it has been dancing around in my head... turns out it is at the calder foundation in nyc - but not for public viewing... darn... my goal was to see it because that top piece of sheet nagged at me the whole time - what color is it? what shape?

i wanted to create movement in my piece, to create something that was 3 dimensional, sculptural... my first thought was enamel for the sheet - but i switched over to resin... 

for the first time i tinted resin and was happy with the result... calder is all about movement and so this focal is made of 2 pieces that are riveted together but with a spacer so that the triangle swings... it has vintage paper that reads 'blue' 'feather'... the black paddles move and there is floss to add to the idea of movement as well... at the same time i attempted to keep this simple and clean, allowing shape and color to speak... 

'my whole theory about art is the disparity that exists

between forms, masses and movement.'

~ calder

'fear' revisited ~

by valentina

like 'not good enough', 'not talented enough', 'not smart enough', 'not (you fill in the blank) enough'?

while perusing the blogs tonight i came upon someone expressing her frustration at self-sabotage... and a commenter who admitted to doing the same... both of these people are super talented... and so i am sad... why do we do this?

i get it... i was afraid to submit to a publication because i was sure i wouldn't be accepted... i got accepted and became afraid that i can't write the article... i will write the article and then be afraid that i will appear so stupid that they will never want me back again... 

this is all so ridiculous!! we have to stop standing in our own way... even if things don't go the way you thought they would, at least you'll know you tried... and even then a door will open - just one you weren't looking for!

'what we seek we shall find;

what we flee from flees from us.'

~ralph waldo emerson

this is really ironic - i was just journaling about this today... my new philosophy for myself is that if i feel my chest tighten at something (dangerous things do not apply here) i have to do it... it takes practice, but i like it... and each time i do it, i gain confidence... this is surely going to take awhile, but the goal here is to gain momentum... keep moving forward... i don't expect  to overcome all fear, but i do expect to be able to take a breath and move through it... 

'heaDinG oUt' by tam

if fear kept a bird from doing what comes naturally, it would never fly... it's the same with you... ALLOW yourself to fly... please... 

how come we tell our kids that there is only one of them in the world, with their way of seeing things and doing things... that their unique-ness should be embraced... and then don't believe that as we get older? 

'the greatest barrier to success 

is the fear of failure.'

~ sven goran eriksson

look at the athletes participating in the olympics right now - i am sure they must be afraid of things, but it doesn't stop them... and how many people are sitting at home, wondering what would have happened if only they had taken a chance... 

'courage is not the absence of fear,

but rather the judgment that something else

is more important than fear.'

~ ambrose redmoon

pick one thing tomorrow that makes you pause and start to say 'i can't...' and do it... i will borrow from yoda here - 'there is no try, only do.'

have fun! tomorrow is a new day... and the only way to live it is to, well, live it!

ruby & me

the october art bead scene challenge was a piece of folk art by ruby c. williams... ms. williams was born in the 1920s, living in a community established in th 1860s by freed slaves - among whom was her great-grandmother.. she is very proud of this, close to the land and her family... her first art was created in order to draw more attention to her produce stand, self - built and on her own property... for along state road 60 in hillsborough county, florida you will see many of them... 

she uses her painting to speak for her, in the hopes of avoiding rudeness... for passersby will stop and offer advice to her on how to handle being an artist, and what she should paint... 

i have an admiration for those who can work simply and relay bigger messages... primary colors, a simplified background and a rectilinear design create balance and grab our attention... 'i do everything from the bottom of my heart, whether shelling a bucket of beans or making a painting.' you can sense this in her work, i think...

this piece spoke to me at 'go'... while i can appreciate all kinds of art, feeling in color & simplicity is my favorite... i love keith haring... my interpretation focuses around an enameled orange red tag by barbara lewis which approximates the shape of the cow's body... rustic red porcelain bead is encircled in gunmetal wire to evoke the head, used orange czech glass, red porcelain, yellow porcelain for the udder, a turquoise glass bead from marie at bleu verre, green polymer clay from jibby and juna which provided a nice solid flat area of color, white raku bead by keith o'connor, black & white seed beads... because the piece was designed to promote what she was selling, i made an etched 'MILK'  tag (in caps like her!) from a vintaj blank...

a big thank you to jennifer heynan/jangles for this selection...