Migration

   It's that time of year....  migration is in progress.   Here in the midwest we watch the monarch butterflies gather and begin their journey away from the colder weather.   Many of the birds leave for the winter months and we look forward to their return in the spring.    

   I thought about the quote from Dan Eldon's journal  "The Journey is the Destination" and it seemed fitting here.  

   A side note:  Many years ago, by chance, I picked up a copy of Dan Eldon's book and like many others, was profoundly influenced by it.  If you are not familiar with him, you may want to go to the website (click here) and explore.  

Cheshire Cat

This month's ATC exchange was so much fun with it's "Alice" theme.  I knew immediately that I wanted to do something featuring the Cheshire Cat, and my own cat Roy begged for a starring role.
I started with a photograph of him (you can see the original on the right hand column of this blog).
His handsome little face was isolated in photoshop and eyes were enlarged and slanted slightly upward.
Next I found a photo of a fashion model's mouth and morphed it to make the well known Cheshire Cat Grin.    The chin and upper lip of Roy's face needed to be redrawn to accommodate the new mouth, and more whiskers and fur details were added.
Once the face was made, it became an object to play with in various settings.
The quote is from the original Alice story.  It's what the Cheshire Cat replied when Alice asked for directions.    "It really doesn't matter which way you go....."
Roy was pleased with the results..... it made him grin.

Heart Upon Sleeve

February's theme is 'hearts' of course.  I chose this line from Othello as my prompt....  "But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at: I am not what I am."
The bird Shakespeare referred to is a Jackdaw, an annoying species of black bird.   Here it looms larger than life, ready and no doubt eager to take a peck at the heart in question.
Love is in the air.....

Prediction

Our theme this month was 'Predictions' and my thoughts turned to the little slips of paper in fortune cookies.   For years I have collected these whenever we get together with friends at our favorite Chinese restaurant.  I have a whole jar full.   As I went through them, this one stood out, and the photo of 'Frank' seemed to connect with it.  He looks like the patient type.  The photo is from my extensive collection of 'lost people' that end up in a shoebox at some antique store for $2.
Here's hoping that Frank is rewarded for his 'everlasting patience.'

Become Who You Are

Thoughts about diversity and uniqueness were the prompts for these journal pages.
It takes courage to become who you really are.

Journal Play

Remember to play often.

A visual journal is the perfect place to play with ideas, color, materials, words, whatever you want. You are not obligated to make a masterpiece. You might even paint over the whole page if you don't like it.

Here are some recent 'play pages' in my journal. None of them are really noteworthy, but they each represent a moment in time and document what I was thinking about.

Compare this to the concept of writing down your thoughts in a diary...... it's very related to that, only more visual.

The prompt for the above pages: A co-worker's birthday celebration and remembering the importance of celebrating life each day.

The prompt: A friend gave me a piece of vintage ephemera and said "here's something for your journal." I had also recently listed all of the daily expectations of teaching in a large public school. The two items merged on these pages very spontaneously.

The prompt: Recalling a time in my childhood when I wanted to become invisible. Not a happy time, but something that later helped me grow. Making these pages allowed me to revisit and remember a significant event in my life.

There is power in putting images and words on paper. If you have not tried visual journalling, it might be a new adventure for the new year! There are so many resources online to inspire and get you started.

What would you like to journal about? Silence your inner critic and have fun.

Harvest Moon

October arrives bringing the inevitability of autumn. Seeds ripen, fall to the Earth, and begin the long sleep of hope. The wheel of the year turns as the harvest moon rises again.

This digital collage was created with photoshop using antique photo and post card images. It seemed appropriate for the season.

The Best Way to Travel

The theme for this month's ATC exchange was 'travel'. This song from my youth kept playing in my head as I was contemplating what to do with the theme, so I took it for a gift and played along.

The Best Way to Travel

And you can fly

High as a kite if you want to

Faster than light if you want to

Speeding through the universe

Thinking is the best way to travel

It's all a dream

Light passing by on the screen

And there's you and I on the beam

Speeding through the universe

Thinking is the best way to travel

We ride the waves

Distance is gone, will we find out?

How life began, will be find out?

Speeding through the universe

Thinking is the best way to travel

The Moody Blues

Vision

Being extremely near sighted, I am constantly grateful for the ability of modern science to correct vision.

My inspiration for this was a series of recent eye exams and an antique anatomy chart.

Home Shelters the Dreamer

I readily admit to being somewhat of a hermit, especially during the summer months. I am content to work in my studio, putter around in the gardens, sit on the deck and watch Nature's big show and enjoy the unstructured time at home.

This illustration was made with that theme in mind.

Emphasis

Here in the midwest, we have been experiencing a weather pattern that features heat, humidity, and storms. An incredible lightning display earlier this month prompted my interpretation of the design principle 'Emphasis'. Nature's way of saying "Take That!"

This illustration was used on an artist trading card (ATC) for our monthly exchange.

Into the Garden

We have had a nice steady rain over night and throughout the day today. The garden is happy.

Several years ago I decided to transform the vegetable garden to a flower garden. This evolved after my "Earth Mother" phase in which I grew and canned everything. These days I am just as happy to support the Farmer's Market, but there are still a few tomato plants, green peppers and basil among the many flowers.

My Grandpa, who inspired my love of gardening, was always digging, planting and harvesting. In the spring there would be hundreds of tulips and in the fall, the entire yard was bordered by chrysanthemums of every imaginable variety. There were grafted fruit trees with 4 different kinds of pears on the same tree, roses and flowering shrubs galore. Grape vines grew on the fence around the garden and in the fall he made the best wine ever. He worked in the garden right up until the day he died and was always looking ahead to the next season.

I have kept his tree spade and most of his garden books, and all that he taught me over the years. And sometimes when I am out in my own garden I feel that he is still watching and guiding me with his gentle spirit.

Untold Story

When beginning an illustration, I usually have no preconceived idea where it will go or what the finished work will look like. The story unfolds as layers are created and often the end result is a total surprise. This is the way I like to work, implying an untold story that the viewer can participate in, leaving clues and evidence of what might have happened. There is no absolute answer and the story can change at any given moment.

I am reminded of an old Calvin and Hobbs cartoon in which Calvin is working on a paint-by-number painting. Hobbs, looking over his shoulder remarkes "Hey, that's not right.... you're supposed to follow the numbers!" Calvin's reply: "But then my picture would look just like the one on the box..... " Calvin gets it.

Middle Life

A bit of reflection on getting older. Although I embrace this time of life and the sense of liberation it brings, the darkness comes from losses we also must accept in middle life.

I've included this quote from Henry David Thoreau: "Live each season as it passes. Breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit and resign yourself to the influence of each."

She Required No One's Permission to Fly

Don't you just love her attitude?

I have used this lady's photograph in several other mixed media pieces and never tire of her commanding pose. This time she has become larger than life... most likely a result of the science fiction movies I have been watching.

The background is composed from two different vintage post cards and the moths are from an antique nature guide.

Beverly Complete

The altered photograph from this piece was posted several days ago. I just couldn't leave it alone and felt she needed a more complete setting. The background is fabric collage and mixed media assemblage. Beverly's new look was stitched onto the background. Beaded fringe was added at the bottom.

Beverly in Springtime

Beverly just loves springtime!
I know this is her name because it is written carefully on the front and back of the original photograph posted below. Actually the script on the front reads "Love Bevy." Additional information on the back states that she is from Pennsylvania.
Today she has a new ensemble to wear as she greets the coming season.

A friend generously gave me a whole stack of vintage photos to play with and sweet Beverly was among them.

Playing With Fire

Last summer we made our annual trip to the big flea market and antique show in Oronoco, Minnesota. There I found a wonderful old catalog full of images of men's and women's clothing, household items and, yes, heating stoves. Somehow the menswear models and the stoves got together and before I could stop the inevitable, they were playing with fire. Fortunately no one was hurt.

Continental Breakfast

Playing with words again, and the images they sometimes evoke. Continental breakfast with a side of ocean. Enjoy!

Flying Carpet

A trip to one of our local thrift shops yielded some vintage magazines, from which the main image of this collage was taken. The others came from an old geography book, and a book on fishing.
It's the family vacation of my dreams.