A Simple Crow Collage

Crows pair for life, but they fool around a bit.

Over thinking is my worst enemy so I made myself move quickly. It's hard to believe that my relationship with a female crow began four years ago. It was then that I began studying them and collecting fun facts. I used some of these facts in this collage which was created on a watercolored background. Fast, fun and not too serious, I am happy. Think I will try to create some other pieces that use the facts that I have learned. Enjoy!

So Many Directions- Which to Choose?

I am loving the side trades with heARTist Trading Cards. This month we are trading tags. I have never done a tag trade. You would think by the number of tags I have that I make and trade them all the time. In my stash, I found four tags that were quite large 2.5" w x 5.25" h. I had tea dyed two of them already and have no idea why. For the other two I used Walnut stain and to all I added ink from a straw colored Vivid! ink pad.

The last time I was at Stamp Thyme (a local stamp store in Lockport, Illinois), I picked up a Dreamweaver stencil by Lynell Harlow called Raven Vane. (By the way, Stamp Thyme will gladly ship anywhere and they are great people too. Not connected just a happy customer.) I am a sucker for anything with a crow/raven. I'm not sure I would have thought to use it if it had not been sitting out on the table I use to do paper. After spending some time being frustrated with a lack of progress, I saw the stencil and everything came together. Now I am worried that they are too simple. They will all get fiber. Trying hard not to over think and go with the less is more school of thought. How often do you over think things? Do you think they need more?

Incubating Ideas and Feeling the Fear

For nearly two years, I have been thinking about creating a crow painting to honor the female crow that has adopted me.  Saturday after open studio at Clay Space, I decided that I needed to just do it! No more thinking about it. No more kidding myself that I was letting the idea incubate. It was way past time. If it did not work, I would not have to let anyone know. I used Golden fluid acrylics and once I got started it just flowed out of me and it felt so good. That less than an hour had passed when I finished was truly a shock.  The painting is going to rest for at least another day then I will decide if I want to tweak it. It will hang either in my office or studio until it finds a new home as many of my artwork does.  Every time I face something that frightens me, I feel empowered. Whenever I let go of trying to be perfect, I feel better about myself. Perfectly imperfect. That is where I am and where I will stay.

Acquiring some understanding of why we do things is often a prerequisite to change. I am still trying to figure it all out and in the mean time, I am going to create more art! I hope you will join me.

Look to the Sky and Blossom

 My new Artist Trading  Card group, heARTist Trading Cards, with my talented friend Marie Z. Johansen, is up and running. I am thrilled! Linda Edkins Wyatt and Patty Van-Huis Cox are wonderful artists whom I have traded with in the past. Penny Stuart has also joined us, I love her enthusiasm and look forward to getting to know her.  Our first trade is the theme "Sky." I decided to try my hand at creating something that had movement and if you have followed my blog for any length of time, you know I love crows and quotes. I thought the Bob Dylan quote, "No one is free, even birds are chained to the sky," worked well. I can't wait to see what everyone else creates.

There is one opening in the group. We plan to keep the group at a maximum of 6 so that we can make great cards and not feel like we are having to mass produce. Let me know if you are interested.

Creating artist trading cards are a great way to explore and try new things. I also love being in communities that are supportive. You learn a lot about yourself. Marie likes to tease me that I am only feel good when I am ahead of the game which I have come to realize is true. And yet, I still consider myself a procrastinator. I view life as a continuous learning experience.

What calls us to create? Each calling is unique. No one responds to life the way you do. Emerson wrote, "To believe your own thoughts, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men--that is genius." Did you know "genius" come for the Latin meaning "in the spirit of a place"?  And as Ian Roberts said, "We give voice to how our spirit blossoms in the face of something that moves us." Here is to your spirit blossoming today.

Gift from a Crow and Sacred Threads

I was working in my yard contemplating my quilt for Sacred Threads. I needed to get something to drink and as I was coming back into the yard, a crow put something in my basket. It was a bone! This crow and I have been hanging out together all week as I work in the yard. I thanked her for her gift and she flew away. It was a most interesting experience. Anyway if you don't know about Sacred Threads, you need to check it out.

Sacred Threads is an exhibition of quilts exploring the subject themes of spirituality, joy, inspiration, peace/brotherhood, grief and healing. This biennial exhibition was established to provide a safe venue for quilters who see their work as a connection to the sacred and/or as an expression of their spiritual journey.

It has moved from Columbus, Ohio to Herndon, Virginia about 30 miles outside of Washington, D.C. The exhibit will from June 22 - July 4, 2011. 

Time to get creating!