Wednesday, February 24, 2016

The Unexpected

Life is unexpected.  You think you are making a right turn, then suddenly, you are going left.  This goes for both positive and negative events.  When I began this art journey, it was for my own pleasure and learning.  I am a person who usually sets a goal for myself, envisions what I want to happen and then I move forward.  I often make vision boards as a part of this process.  So imagine my surprise when the day before I left for vacation I met with Rozsi Moser, co-owner of Artists Corner & Gallery in Acton and she asked to have the gallery represent my work!  She took four pieces and my collage cards.  Having my work in a gallery was never an expectation and suddenly, here I am.  I must say, it is very exciting.  I was introduced to Rozsi through Jane Davies my mentor and friend.   I spoke about Jane in an earlier blog.  Our connections with people are so very important.  What I would like to share here are two things, the first being vision boards.  They absolutely work.  When you want to create something in your life, you need to envision it.  Making a vision board is one way to move your wish into a reality.  Decide what you want to happen then go through magazines and cut out words and pictures that resonate with you.  Take those cut outs and paste them to a board or just a piece of construction paper.  The collage you create will embody what it is you desire.  Put the board up in a place in your home or office and look at it several times a day.  It could take a week, a month, maybe even a year for things to develop.  Be patient and keep believing.  The second share is that when I brought some work into the gallery last week, Rozsi's partner Margaret was there.  She suggested that I bring in smaller pieces that I could mat myself.  They would be original and would be more affordable.  I thought this was a great idea.  I came home and looked through the piles of work I have and saw so many larger pieces that were not complete but if I cut them down, they made great smaller originals.  Here is an example.  Try it and have fun.



     11x14
5x7












Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Letting Go

I've returned to reality - wind chill minus something my first day back.  The coldest day in Boston since the 1950's, though today is going to be in the 50's.  However, I am in a good frame of mind having had a wonderful break and I came back with a nice suntan.  We were in the Sarasota area for two weeks on a lovely little island and found so much to do, especially museums.  Take a look at these pictures from the Chihuly Museum in St. Petersburg.  The colors are stimulating, exciting, and happy.   I went to the exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston a few years ago and could not resist seeing it again.  We also went to the Dali Museum and took a docent tour.  Dali is an extraordinary artist and having someone point out all the details in his work that I never really saw before made it so much more meaningful. The whole trip was like this, clarifying.  I understood more about my need for stimulation and then how to take a step back and allow myself to regulate to a slower pace. I discovered that I don't have to be stimulated, active and purposeful every minute of the day.  It was a pleasant insight and I learned to flow a little better.   I'm hoping I can stay more in touch with this part of myself.  Life is demanding and we all get caught up in the "doing".    Here is one way to clear out the clutter in your head.  Sit still and allow internal demands to come up (i.e. "I should be, I should do ...." whatever your "shoulds" are).  Give yourself permission to literally breathe out these thoughts. Then replace the undermining thoughts with a positive message ("I am okay, I feel good about...").  It's simple and takes only a few minutes.  Trust me, it works.  I hope you enjoy the pictures.