Balance

I have been thoroughly enjoying our odd, warm winter, and now, our balmy 70 degree days of spring.  After our out-of-cycle blizzard back in October, I'm sure we'll get ten inches of snow in April -- but what can you do other than just go along for the ride?

So that's what I'm doing right now, going along for the ride, trying to balance my every-day "stuff" with my creative life.  I am deep in the midst of several big sewing projects, which don't really lend themselves to blog posts (it's kind of like watching the grass grow....), but I've got some travel plans coming up soon, so my camera is getting warmed up for action.  In the meantime, here's a shot I took in Thailand over Christmas:

Textured with Kim Klassen's "Thursday" (overlay @100%)

linking with Texture Tuesday

Gratitude

The theme this week at Kim Klassen's cafe is "gratitude." Please make sure to visit Kim's site and check out what inspires gratitude in everyone else!

I am so grateful for the internet community, and the ability to link up with so many like-minded souls around the world to share our struggles and triumphs in the arts (and every other field under the sun).  I am grateful for the creative tension that this community inspires in me.  There is a constant push-pull in my energy, between reading other blogs and gathering inspiration -- and actually creating my own art.  Both are necessary, but finding the balance is vital.

I participated in the Scott Kelby World Wide Photo Walk this weekend. Our walk was in Kent, Connecticut, and despite all the predictions of steady rain, it was a perfect day.  I took lots of pictures of whatever caught my eye as we wandered through town.  As I edited my shots, I learned a lot about the kind of stories I like to tell with my photography (although the light bulb went on only after I waded through hundreds of really bad images.... ). I was grateful for the gorgeous weather and for the fact that such a beautiful town is nearby!

I used textures on the first few images here -- I think you either like textures or you don't.  My family (in general very nice, intelligent people) just do not understand them, and 9.9 times out of ten will prefer a photo without the textures.  Sometimes I think they can't really be related to me; even my artsy youngest daughter preferred these shots in their pristine state:

Processed with Kim Klassen's "Warm Sun" (overlay @100% and multiply @47%) and "Word" (multiply @75% and color burn @50%)

SOOC

I first ran a Coffeeshop blog action on this shot, then added Kim's "Crackerjack" (linear burn @25% and multiply @100%) and "Serendipity" (overlay @100%)

SOOC

Processed with "Word" (soft light @100% and 2x color burn @100%) and "Crackerjack" (overlay @100% and color burn @80%)

SOOC

This barn reminded me of the one on my grandfather's farm when I was a little girl, although my mom will probably disagree.  Still, for a minute there it transported me back to Southern Maryland and the delicious smell of tobacco drying (not to be confused in any way with the disgusting smell of tobacco burning.....)

Several sub-themes emerged from the day.... I guess you can tell that this one was "old wooden things."

I'll post more soon!

Push-Pull

I studied karate for 10 years, and there was a principle we were always working with, called push-pull.  That is, power is created when force in one direction is balanced by an equal force in the opposite direction.  This principle applies to life and our creative pursuits, as well.  I've been thinking about this a lot lately because I am caught in a dilemma.  Do I make art, or do I write about it?

I love quilting and other needlework.  Passionately.  I love the meditative quality of slow stitches and the deliberate, relaxed process of creating a large cloth out of lots of little pieces.  To the outside world looking in, however, it is kind of like watching the grass grow.

I am not afraid of "slow."  I am following the Erosion Bundle Project, an internet-inspired effort to create naturally aged and weathered materials to use in my art. The basic idea is that you gather and put together a bundle of materials -- fabric, paper, bits of metal or other items to bleed color, plus any other ephemera you can think of. Then, you leave it out in the elements (some people bury their bundles underground) for a period of time to weather, after which you make art with the results.  Here is my bundle, which I put together in August of 2010.


And here it is today.  In August, it will have been out on my fence for a year -- I don't know if I can wait that long to open it!!!


Back to my dilemma -- the internet community is so inspiring.  I am constantly amazed when I see the wonderful art that people are making and sharing online on a daily basis.  I am not part of a local art community, so the internet has become a virtual group of friends with similar interests.  The trick is, you have to participate to be part of it.  It all moves so fast, though, so if you wait more than a few days, you are not part of the conversation.

I think that karate holds the solution.... push-pull means finding a balance between "slow" and "fast."  Now, if anyone has a clue how to do that, please let me know!