Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Late for a Very Important Date

After
drooling over,
following,
considering,
observing,
&
yearning toward
the
pages of
all the brilliant spray paint artists
in Bloglandia for
the last 3+ years,
but remaining only an ardent admirer ...
Spray Paint Love
has
finally
taken
hold of me.
Spray Paint,
Stencils,
& Silhouettes/Masks.
I am in possession of:
10 cans
of assorted spray paints,
not including RED,
[a gap which I will fill this evening].
I have
a 12" x 12"
plastic storage box
filled with stencils
I've collected
or cut
over the last 4 years.
I have one manila
file folder
full of silhouettes/masks
I've been cutting
for the last year.
My patio roost table
is now sheathed in
a large leaf & lawn bag,
taped down.
It has received a promotion,
you see,
to
Spray Paint Central.
True Story.
I have a box of
legal-sized
manila folders,
bought on sale at Walmart,
awaiting their turn
On The Table.
Tonight,
I'm going to Ace Hardware
to meet with Gabe,
my spray paint enabler,
to talk about masks,
so as to avoid
Spray Paint Hangover Head
such as I experienced yesterday.
And to buy a can of
RED.
I'm also going to mosey
thru the aisles
on the hunt
for interesting objects,
shapes, filters,
meshes,
chain, string,
anything
I can conceivably use as a stencil. 
I've already
frisked my house
as thoroughly as possible,
&
I have the shop guys
here at work
on Seek-&-Find Patrol
amid their materials,
also!
Above: 
I love this one 
because
it looks like
old wallpaper,
torn & worn & stained & weathered,
such as I've seen
in abandoned
or
very old houses.

Toni's Spray Paint Campaign Has Begun!
My Mission
[which I've already chosen to accept]
is to build the backgrounds
for my next journal,
to ultimately be
coil-bound between
mat board covers
and
then toted about
in my
Big Ass Purse
for
daily journaling.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Spring Flower

My Love, Ciera
Flower Child
Age 8, 3rd Grade

Sunday, March 28, 2010

They Can't Touch Her Heart

She is her own,
fully colorized,
uncooperative,
immune to the strings:
ALIVE INSIDE.
* * * * * *
[acrylics, copic markers, gel pens]
[assignment for on-line class]

Friday, March 26, 2010

Role Reversal

Imagination -
Feral Friend -
Chairs the Casting Call.
* * * * * *
Heh Heh -
because turnabout is fair play,
dontcha know!
* * * * * *
[acrylics, torn vintage photo, 60-second graphite drawing,
India inks, various markers, sandpaper]

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Glass Cage

As
a
woman
it
seems
I am
mainly
expected
[expected, mind you]
to
confine
myself
to
an
objectified
state
of
perpetual
inconsequence.

* * * * * *
I DECLINE
* * * * * *

[acrylics, India Inks, pencil, handmade marbleized paper]

Friday, March 19, 2010

Illumined

Alone in moonlight,
illumined,
I gentle myself.
[acrylic paint, various markers, gel pens,
charcoal, white chalk,
colored India ink, gloss gel medium sealer]

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Inspiration ... becomes a Journal Page

Artist Joe Ray
[used by permission]

I recognized this immediately:
the moment,
the energy,
the vibrancy.
I recognized this
 - Amor Improvisado -
because
it is a recurring dream
of
mine.

Except ...
... except
my dream expresses
the moment,
the energy,
the vibrancy,
from a woman's perspective.
Same immediacy.
Same urgency.
Same abandon.
Same surrender.
Same internal whispers
of recognition
amid
the passion.
Yet not the same at all,
is it?

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

New Wheels

My Love Ciera's Uncle,
my bro' The Bobfather,
sooprised her with a new bike.
But wait!
That doesn't look like Ciera!
Could it be?
Why - YES!!
IT'S MY LOVELY MOTHER!
Bad ass in shades, jeans & flip flops!
Ah yes,
here's the Wee Lassie --
on New Wheels
tall enough
for her long legs!
A-Wootin'
and
A-Tootin'
* * * * * *
I'll have my turn when I visit
this weekend!
I think I'll sport
my green wig
&
my new wellies
from Mom!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Self-Possessed

'Lovers don't finally meet somewhere.
They're in each other all along.'
~ Rumi
* * * * * *
and when the lover within is Self?
* * * * * *
[acrylics, charcoal, various markers, stencils,
1-minute figure drawings on manila paper]

Monday, March 15, 2010

Essence

Ahead of season
I am spring.
My essence blooms roots.
* * * * * *
[acrylic paint, charcoal, white chalk, gel medium]

Friday, March 12, 2010

Field Day

This in from my bro', Chris, yesterday: 
"Ciera's Field Day was fun and the weather was beautiful!"
They had 16 different events.
Her class lost their tug of war though -- DARN! 
I had told her I wasn't coming and
she looked sad this morning.
She really gave me a big smile
when she saw me out on the field!"

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Rain ... Birth

' ... some of us here are real artists.'

'It's difficult to share the visceral and difficult life experiences;
what will the reaction be?'

'My pieces look so stupid compared to .... '

' ... fear ... to post my work.'

' ... loving the class but after seeing the other photos,
I think I'll just continue to lurk in the gallery.'

[comments/responses read in discussions held
at one of my on-line classes]
Emotions I have shared.
Emotions I still share.
Emotions,
I've come to see,
which have been
influencing
my blog, this blog,
Mermaid Tango.
But change - it's been a' comin'.
and 
here it is.
Blogging creates,
in me,
a sense of accountability,
like a promise made,
but going forward I am shifting that
commitment to myself.
I want to create!
I want to create
my own
art,
writing,
experiments,
ventures and adventures,
as my priority.
If I create something to post,
I feel more
viable,
productive,
self-actualizing,
self-propelling.
My blog has felt
increasingly
disassociated from me.
I am the Mermaid,
trying to process
the journey of
my tango,
within and without.
I still yearn
[ Y E A R N ]
to other artists,
and
I still want to engage, converse,
share, learn, collaborate.
But
if I'm not creating anything,
I'm distilling myself
to a mere audience for others.
God help me,
but
I'm terrified
of allowing myself
to become 
A Shadow Artist.
I want ...
[say it, Tonia]
I want to be SEEN,
starting with my own eyes.
A statement met with a
swoop of Takeover-Level fear.
Fear of being responsible
to my own creativity,
setting goals,
commiting to my ideas,
my practice of art and writing.
Fear
of
putting
my
work
out
there.
Fear that
turns my stomach to acid,
raises finger-pointing self-contempt,
animates self-doubt,
tunes up my
self-torturing
Critic Amen Choir.
But!
I
will
not
stop
creating.
Real projects,
with aim,
to articulate my
artist,
writer,
photographer,
mail-art bandit,
collage beastie,
mess-maker,
my
SELF.
I am worthy!
I am
THE REAL THING.
Toni Steps Up.
Toni says,
for all my inner
goblins and spooks to hear:

I AM AN ARTIST.

What I create,
whatever that is,
is what I create,
my best at this point in my journey.

I
am going to
practice
turning the
spotlight on myself.
Reorient
my priorities.
Become my own
Principal Player.
Lift my
head
heart
arms
chin
imagination
voice
soul
in a resounding
YES.
Yes!  Yes!  Yes!

featured art work my own,
pieces created
either for
an online class
or
mail art

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Chilean Dreamer: Guest Artist Liz Larson

Chileandreamer Jewelry and Design: Creativity Inspirations
Text and Photos by Liz Larson

My name is Liz, and I design and create artisan wire-wrapped jewelry. I know it sounds a little like an addiction meeting, and it should!  Since I opened Chileandreamer Jewelry & Design (http://www.chileandreamer.etsy.com/) on Etsy over a year ago, it’s taken all my free time. It’s lucky I love what I do! However, I have to admit there are periods where I have creativity in abundance, and periods where I feel creatively stymied. I go for a lot of walks during these periods, since inspiration is found in the strangest places! I often find inspiration outside, looking at the structure of buildings, frost patterns, waves, or the way a vine curls.
A little about me: I am truly a crafter at heart, and have so much respect for people who craft with their hands! I love to sew, both by hand and with the horribly seductive convenience of my sewing machine. Music is another passion of mine; I am a vocalist and have played piano and cello since an early age. I have a fantastic husband who is wonderfully supportive of my jewelry work, and who makes me laugh everyday!

A lot of my inspiration comes from the stone I’m working with. I am always intrigued by unique new stones with new colors and textures and patterns - I’ll see a stone and my brain instantly starts designing! Sometimes there are parts of the stone I want to feature, such as stripes I can accentuate with wire lines. 
Most of the stones I work with inadvertently fall into one of two categories. There are stones that look best wrapped very simply to feature the stone, and there are also stones where I can let my creativity flow further and create intricate wire designs that are reminiscent of nature or emotion.
 
Sometimes the wrap design reflects my state of mind, or a state of mind I want to evoke in others. I am a great fan of jewelry that speaks secretly to you; wearing a necklace that puts you in a specific state of mind, or that means something just to you.
Often I’ll idly sketch a design that seems unfeasible, and then I’ll select the right stone and see how close I can get. Sometimes I’ll be halfway through creating a design, and I’ll see other places the design could go, so I end up with inspiration for a second piece. For example, I was creating the Lorelei necklace when I saw the design for the Intertwined necklace.
Often the clients I work with have also been instrumental in my creative process. I’ve been approached several times to design for wedding or bridesmaid jewelry, and it’s a fun balance between my artistic ideas and the clients’.  I happily do custom orders, as working with someone else helps me think outside the box!

Advice for new artists? Always be stretching your creative bounds. The more you try to work around problems and create things you’ve never done before, the more possibilities you’ll see.
Happy creating! Thanks to the wonderful Toni for an amazing blog, and for hosting my guest post!

~Liz
http://www.chileandreamer.etsy.com/

THANK YOU, LIZ!!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Take a 'Focus Walk' Excursion

Walk with a focused eye,
a purpose.
Below --
my 'homework'
for an on-line class --
to walk,
and to notice
 [LOOK FOR]
text,
numbers,
fonts,
letter shapes,
graphics,
graffiti,
and
'artful' details
in unexpected places.

Try It!