Expressing my Creativity

Its cool again today and oh it feels like Fall and I am loving the cool weather. It will probalbly only last a nother day before it gets hot again but oh it feels great today. I got the best nights sleep last night and really feel great this morning.

I haven't done any self portraits in a long time so today seemed like a day to play with that idea once more.











I have my apron on although you can not see it here. I am ready to go paint the bits of my soul that want to come out an play today. Sometimes I think that is what Creativity is, we all just need to put what  is inside us out there in some way.  Some of us paint or quilt or cook or any the millions of other ways we can be creative. For me some days its painting or sewing or weaving and even cooking too.  To just sit is the hardest thing for me to do. Its been a challenge this last month but the bits I am able to do really do help me to heal.  I know without it I would be one crabby person indeed.

This is some fabric I am planning to make a cloak out of. I had Dave put the leaves in our kitchen table so I could cut the pattern out. But now I can't remember where I put the pattern pieces. I took them out to measure them and didn't put them back in the pattern envelope.  Am I the only one who does silly things like this? You would think loose pattern pieces would be easy to find. So I have to put this off for another day. Not to worry as I have plenty other things to spark my interest.

So how will you express yourself creatively today?

Ups and Downs

This morning I woke up to rain and cool weather. I have not been sleeping well and I am finding myself getting up early which is unusual for me. I had planned to make some shredded beef in the crock pot today and was out of some of the things I needed so I knew a trip to the store was in order. So I hopped out of bed and decided I would do one other thing I had been planning but just have not done yet. I took my gym bag and went the the club.. They have a warm therapy pool that is nice to just sit in. I figured to walk in the pool and just enjoy the warm water. It felt really good I am glad I went.

I came home and made the beef and took out the blackberries I had bought on Saturday and made 8 jars of freezer jam. Of course now I am pretty tired and don't have much oompf.

I have tended to over do it lately and am suffering for it today. Healing is such a long process and so frustrating at times. I was hoping to show a bunch of art today but alas what I hope to accomplish and what I end up doing are often miles apart.

I had this tag and it was already colored with some of Tim Holtz Distress ink and then I added a little face on it. I have been inspired by my friend Mystele. She is always saying that you have to play. I have tags and coaster and a slew of small inexpensive canvasses that I plan to paint faces on.













This was a coaster that I got at Chili's. Its pretty small. I found another pack of coasters at Michaels, 8 in a package for a dollar. Those ones are bigger and I have primed them and done backgrounds on some of them but no faces yet. I figure I will play with all these small items and when I am finished I should be able to see improvement.  I want to try all sort of different things with them, I think it will be fun to see them all together when I am done. I am also finding small projects easier to accomplish. 
What are you creating today?

Finally Some Art

I finally have some art to show, these pages and painting have been done over the last couple weeks. It feels great to be able to sit long enough to paint. When you can't do artistic things you crave doing them even more.

I have been trying to explore red but this page came out a bit too orange.  The face came out really sad and depressing so I repainted the whole face and she still looked sad so at that point I gave up thinking well perhaps she is what she is and I just let it be.














I was trying to use the Pam Carriker technique from the video I posted last week.  Alas this was the wrong  kind of paper to use. The paper started to fall apart with all the water.  I think that technique would work well with watercolor paper but not a manila folder journal.

 Do you remember me showing this background? Well I finally got around to painting something on it. This was pulled art, I saw the image on the left first and then it seemed another woman wanted to be there too.


 












 This was a challenge because the background was so rich that I didn't want to cover it up. I added white to the background to lighten it up a little.  Then I used some transparent golden fluids on their cloaks so that the background would show through. I am not sure if its done yet so I am going to just let it sit for awhile.  I could add a poem or words to their dresses but I am not sure if I want to.  What do you think?

I have been wanting to step out of the Art Journal and do some paintings either on canvas or wood.  Hopefully this will be the first of many.

Some Inspiration

I always find it fascinating to see other artists work. So here is a video by Pam Carriker that I am sure you will enjoy.

Little Steps

I need to keep reminding myself that this recovery is a series of little steps. Some days I get down because I can't do much of anything and then other days I realize I have come pretty far.

Today I need to remember that:

*I took my first shower without any assistance.
*I don't have to wear those awful support hose anymore.
*I get dressed every day like a normal person would.
*I can walk further each day.
*I can do a little bit of art if I pace myself.

I did this page last week at a time where I was really enjoying just laying around reading a good book.















On this page I had the background done and then added a copy of a face I had painted previously. Then I got this free download from Carmen Torbus and one of the words was passion so when I added that word the journaling followed.

In some ways its been strange I have wanted to do some art but my heart and soul
have just not been in it. I find I just can't sit there long enough. So to still have my hands in things I went for a couple tags instead. Sorry to say these are not the best pictures. Just don't have the will to go retake them like I normally would.














This one is just a collage and then I layered some distress ink on top. The dots on the paper are raised because I had put them through an embossing folder and through the cuttlebug machine. When I rubbed the stamp pad over the tag just the raised dots took the ink. I like how that came out.















This is just a series of layered things. I layered paper over a tag and then added the plastic flower layer and fabric tape and then the bird seemed to fit in well. Even these little bits of art have been satisfying to do.

What little steps are you taking in your own life? Do you notice that you are doing them, that you are making progress towards a goal?

How to be alone

GPP Street Team #43 Text Messaging

I thought I would try to get back to art with this challenge.This month Michele has us working with words from magazines and newspapers and junk mail. I spent the day in bed yesterday cutting out words from magazines. Today I set about gluing it all down. I can't believe how tired just that little bit made me.

First I did a page with black words on a  white background.  I did not pay any attention to which words I had, I just fit them in the spot I had on the page.















Then I did a page of color words. These were fun to do.   I already had 2 pages in a journal primed with black gesso, so I started out with a black background, but you can barely see that. I am not sure how I will add something on top but it was still fun to do. I think it is fun just reading all the phrases and seeing what images pop into my mind from them. To see what others are doing with this challenge, go here.

My recovery is going slow,  I had expected that but still some days its really hard to just do nothing.  So far I have read 6 books and 3 magazines.  Today I am going to have Dave take me to Barnes and Noble to pick up the new Artful Blogger as I need something new and inspiring to look at.

I go to the Doctors on Tuesday, for my post operative check up.  I already have gotten the pathology report back and it was good news. I won't have to have anything further done so that is a blessing for sure.  I just have to recover from this surgery which will take time and patience. I put up the last section of prayer flags in the garden so all your wishes are flowing all around me.

A few more flags for the garden

Since I had my surgery I have gotten a few more flags that I thought I'd share with you.

This is Gari's and it feels wonderful. The fabrics are really great.  That is a goddess as you can tell, the two black  pieces symbolize Raven feathers.












This was done by my minister Lynn, with wishes of health and happiness.













My friend Celeste made this one and she used a runic alphabet for the symbols.  It says some wonderful things about health and good fortune.

I got a package from my friend Kim first there was this lovely card in her distinctive style,  I think its lovely.

She also sent this card which I really love. I truly do believe art is medicine for the soul. I love the way the artist captured this.















and here is the flag she sent. I just love it....

I am feeling a little better each day and did a little bit of art the other day which felt great, it wore me out but still I was happy I could do something.  I will show it soon.

I still have a long recovery ahead of me but I am seeing some progress so that is great.  I figured a way to be on the computer that isn't so taxing so little by little I will be back here more often.

Checking In

This small post is coming to you from my iPod. It is something I can easily hold in bed. My surgery went well and convalescing is going slow as I expected. I have read the entire issue of Art Journaling, an issue of O, most of the issue of MAry Jane's Farm and am now reading Brigid of Kildare.

When I feel up to it I will be back with a real post. For now I read and rest most of the time. I am thinking of all of you and am grateful for your thoughts and prayers.

Kate