Angels and Voodoo

Angel #1
watercolor and debossing
on 5 x 7 handmade paper

I've noticed it, too. Several people have mentioned to me recently that I have had a recurring theme of angels in this blog. I seem to be drawn to them and finding them everywhere I look: in thrift stores, in art, in books, on other blogs. And I find myself writing about them often, too. I've even started painting them in the last few months.

Something about this time of year seems to bring out the angelic side of some people, too. There are giveaways everywhere I look in Blogland lately. Have you noticed it, too?

One person is especially generous on her blog. Have you ever visited "Notes From the Voodooo Cafe?" It's written by writer and artist Ricë Freeman-Zachary. Recently I was the lucky winner of the current issue of "Art Doll Quarterly," featuring Ricë's article about the fabulous Judy Wise.

I love this magazine! And I can't wait to sit down with a delicious cup of peppermint tea and savor every word and every gorgeous photo. Thanks Ricë!

She's also been known to give away copies of her most recent book, "Creative Time and Space," as well as copies of the other magazines she writes for, like "Somerset Studio" and "Art Quilting Studio." So be sure to stop by her blog. Her posts are terrific, and you never know what she'll be giving away next!

So I finally did it. I joined Facebook. I'm not totally convinced that it's for me, though, and I still think I prefer having a blog. But why not do both? It might grow on me. Might as well try it, right? I just don't want it to take up too much of my limited creative time.

I'm not sure I'm finished tinkering with the new look of this blog yet, either. So don't be surprised if you don't recognize anything around here for a while. I feel the need for more changes.

Right now I LOVE green and purple and blue! Can you tell?

I also added the labels gadget to my sidebar again. But I've got waaaay too many labels. The list just goes on and on. Don't know what to do about that. I might just delete it again.

Do you like using the label gadget to search for posts on the blogs you read?

Busy busy busy

Unfortunately, I can't show much of what I've been working on the last few weeks. I'm trying to finish everything so early because these projects are intended as gifts and need to be ready for the mail soon. They are meant to be surprises, and you never know who's lurking in the shadows of a blog. So no peeking!
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But I can show you this scarf I crocheted over the weekend from some odds and ends of yarn.

Isn't the nubby texture great? I love scarves like this around my neck when it's cold outside, since I don't like the confined feeling of a turtle neck sweater. It's the first time I made a kind of a ruffle at each end, and I love the way it turned out.

I find myself using different colors and different color combinations lately. It's such fun to play with colors and textures!

Can you believe it's the second half of November already? The holidays will be here in no time!

Are you trying to simplify your holidays? Personally, I try not to be swept into the commercial hype every year. In fact, I don't really enjoy this time of year at all, except for the people and the special foods. There's too much outside pressure to feel and act a certain way for my tastes.

So, I plan on staying under the radar, in life and in blogging, a bit in the next several weeks. For one thing, I want to make some changes in how and why I blog.

Yup! It's time for some changes again! I'll be in touch.

Honest Scrap

Juliet from Crafty Green Poet has presented me with the Honest Scrap Award. I am so very honored to receive this special award for telling it like it is.

Please do be sure to visit Juliet's wonderful blog, which is filled with her amazing photos of the beautiful Scottish countryside along the Water of Leith near Edinburgh. Juliet is also an accomplished poet who shares my passion for the arts and environmental causes. I know you'll love her, and her blog, as much as I do!

I found the best quote yesterday:

"If I create from the heart,
nearly everything works;
if from the head,
almost nothing."
~ Marc Chagall

This is something I was painfully aware of yesterday.
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But today is another day, and I'm focusing mostly on finishing a few art pieces which will be gifts. So I won't be posting anything new until those pieces are finished, since I'm on a strict deadline.

Special thanks to everyone who commented and e-mailed me! You and your words brighten up my days!

Percolating again

Just a quick post today. I guess I'm on a bit of a blogging break. Too many ideas are brewing in my head, and I need to do something with them.

I'll be back soon with more posts. In the mean time I'll make every effort to stop by your blogs as time permits. Please feel free to give me a (gentle!) nudge if I haven't been over to comment on your blog recently. I don't ever want anyone who visits here to feel left out. I value you and your comments very much.
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Hugs,
Angela

Color and texture

I had so much fun playing with color and texture last time, I focused on it completely this time, not even thinking as I applied layer after layer of color. Just feeling the textures and colors, and moving them around instinctively.

(detail)
The colors are even richer and more complex than this,
but you can still get a good idea from these photos.

It all started with the basics: red, blue, yellow and black. The wrapped sides are still those colors, one color for each side. Each basic shape is carved into a spiral, one of the most ancient symbols.

(detail)

It started with an idea to play with colors and textures, and a quote I came across a few weeks ago.

"If we are to achieve a richer culture,
rich in contrasting values,
we must recognize the whole gamut
of human potentialities,
and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric,
one in which each diverse gift
will find a fitting place."
~ Margaret Mead

(detail)

As I was working on this piece, I was thinking about how some of my blogging friends referred to my feelings in my last post as "percolating." I loved that idea! Does anyone else remember percolators, those old coffeemakers of the 1960s and early 70s? The word brought back happy memories of my childhood, and school, and how I have loved color and words from a very young age.

You know how those thoughts go, right? You start one place and go quickly here, there, everywhere in your mind, until you wind up someplace completely different. I ended up remembering all the wonderful literature classes and linguistics classes I had loved as an undergraduate.

I remembered the lovely word "milieu."

mi·lieu

Pronunciation: \mēl-ˈyə(r), -ˈyü, -ˈyœ; ˈmēl-ˌyü\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural milieus or mi·lieux\-ˈyə(r)(z), -ˈyüz, -ˈyœ(z); -ˌyü(z)\

Etymology: French, from Old French, midst, from mi middle (from Latin medius) + lieu place (from Latin locus), the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops; environment
SYNONYM: background

"Milieu"
acrylic
on 16 x 20 x 1 1/2 gallery wrapped canvas

And I realized it would be a perfect name for this painting, because every shape was different. Every color combination was different, yet they all contain a degree of the same four colors. All reflect and complement each other to some degree, just like different groups of people, if we give them a chance. If we realize that we are all more alike than we are different, if we look beneath the surface. If we peel back the layers.

Distractions

I recently noticed that I've been very restless and distracted. When I thought about it, I realized that I feel this way every Spring and Fall. They are my favorite times of year. Here in Wisconsin, the Winter is cold and brutal. And the damp and cold can easily span from November to May. Summers can be hot and humid. These extremes tend to send me indoors.

In the pleasantly cool Spring and Fall, I find it difficult to sit still anywhere. My feet are always itching to be on the move. These seasons are so short, it seems every moment must be seized. All my senses are focused on the present.

Our Fall colors weren't especially colorful this year, and many leaves simply dropped off the trees earlier than usual. But I am still frequently tempted outdoors by the promise of the rustling of dry leaves underfoot and the distinctly crisp smells of the natural world rushing to ready itself for a long Winter's nap.

I even find it difficult to stay focused on art projects. Instead, like a squirrel, I find myself flitting from one project to another. Putting a bit of paint on one project, and leaving it to dry while I finish a brooch, paint some fabric, walk the dog, stop to take a long sniff in the Fall breeze, felt some wool, crochet a square, sort some beads, or make some applesauce.

Summer and Winter are my times to enjoy the comforts of my nest. Today I'm too distracted by the world out there.

Speaking of the world out there. I heard something fascinating today about one of the creatures closest to us in many ways.

Photo: Monica Szczupider / National Geographic

Dorothy, a beloved female chimp died at the Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center in Cameroon recently. The incredible picture above is of her burial, which was witnessed by the rest of the chimps residing there.

Before being rescued, Dorothy had spent 25 years tethered to the ground by a chain around her neck, only able to move a few feet in any direction. She had been taught to drink beer and smoke cigarettes, and had spent most of her life taunted and teased in the amusement park where she was a mascot. It's shameful what happened to this beautiful creature.

After her rescue, and once she was comfortable in her new home at the Rescue Center, Dorothy became a kind and loving surrogate mother to many of the younger chimps. She mothered orphaned and rescued chimps for many years and became a prominent figure in this group of about 25 chimps.

Monica Szczupider, a volunteer at the Rescue Center, took this photo that showed a wall of grieving chimps paying their last respects. This was her reaction to the amazing scene she witnessed:

"Chimps are not silent. They are gregarious, loud, vocal creatures, usually with relatively short attention spans", she said.

"But they could not take their eyes off Dorothy, and their silence, more than anything, spoke volumes."

To see and read more about this fascinating story, here's a link for you at National Geographic: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/visions-of-earth/visions-earth-2009?image=2.


Thank you again, so much, for all your wonderful comments and e-mails in response to my three Invisible Woman self portraits. It was so interesting and gratifying to read the feelings and impressions these little works of mine stirred up in you.

I'm working on something totally new for me right now. It's totally experimental and a bit time-consuming, but I hope to have something to show you next week.

Thanks for all your continued support in my journey into and through artistic expression!

Reality: My light shines from within

An Invisible Woman
"Reality: My light shines from within"
self-portrait
mixed media
on 8 x 10 canvas board

Here's #3 in my series of invisible woman self-portraits. (See #1 here, and #2 here.)

I love how this one turned out! It's a dark, rainy day here today, so I had some trouble with the quality of the photos, but if you click on the images, you can get an idea of the textures and colors. The human image is highly textured with modeling paste, which I applied and sculpted with a palette knife. Many rich acrylic colors were applied and rubbed in, and then the human image was finished with a satin varnish. The background was finished with a matte varnish.

(detail)

When I started this piece, I had only a vague idea where I was going with it. It was a lot like life. After I had painted for a while, I stepped back to look at the human figure, and I loved all layers of colors, all the nooks and crannies, the glowing heart and mind, and the glow emanating from the figure.

It looked like my life feels. Full of ups and downs, dark and light. Rich and full and, ultimately, immensely satisfying.

(detail)

I feel incredibly beautiful, powerful and wise after working on this series. Totally comfortable with my place in life. And very optimistic about my future. I do not reflect what others think about me. I know my self-worth with every fiber of my being. My feelings of self-worth come from inside me, from deep within my heart, mind and soul.

Now I can finally move on to some other ideas and pieces of art, because I feel like I've worked through something powerful and important.

While I was working on this series, I was also looking for quotes about older women. I was a bit distressed to find many where older women are referred to in a negative way: ugly, evil, witches, etc. It's like the quotes were all taken from the time of Shakespeare. But I was finally able to find quite a few terrific quotes about older women, by older women. And really, who knows best what an older woman really has to offer? Another older woman, of course, and perhaps a few enlightened men.

So here are some terrific quotes about women, by women.


"I have enjoyed greatly the second blooming that comes when you finish the life of the emotions and of personal relations: and suddenly find - at age fifty, say - that a whole new life has opened before you, filled with things you can think about, study, or read about. . . It is as if fresh sap of ideas and thoughts was rising in you.
~ Agatha Christie


"We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations."
~ Anais Nin


"So much has been said and sung of beautiful young girls, why doesn't somebody wake up to the beauty of old women?"
~ Harriet Beecher Stowe


"First you are young; then middle-aged; then you are old; then you are wonderful."
~ Lady Diana Cooper


"The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been."
~ Madeleine L'Engle


"One sign of passing youth is the birth of a sense of fellowship with other human beings as we take our place among them."
~ Virginia Woolf


"Time and trouble will tame an advanced young woman, but an advanced old woman is uncontrollable by any earthly force."
~ Dorothy L. Sayers


"The most creative force in the world is the menopausal woman with zest."
~ Margaret Mead


I was going to also add the poem "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou here, but the phenomenal Marion at Dragonfly's Poetry and Prolixity already did it on her wonderful blog (here) so please be sure to stop by her blog to read this wonderful poem about what it means to be a phenomenal, ripe and luscious woman.


And, finally, some wise words for any of us, at any age:



"Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
~ Eleanor Roosevelt



I'm feeling good about where I am in my journey through life, and I hope you are, too, no matter what your age.

Hugs,
Angela

Perception: As relevant as yesterday's newspaper

An Invisible Woman
"Perception: As relevant as yesterday's newspaper"
self-portrait
mixed media
on 8 x 10 canvas board

First I'd like to thank everyone for their comments and reactions to my first Invisible woman self-portrait (here). I really enjoyed reading your reactions. My intention was to leave the interpretation of the painting open, because I think art should stir up something different and personal in each individual, rather than having each brush stroke and symbol neatly explained.

Many of you saw things in the painting that I didn't notice until you pointed them out. I love that!

This painting is the second in a series of 3 that I have been working on. The background is a busy and garishly colorful crazy-quilt design, while the image of the woman is a generic symbol of a woman cut out of an old newspaper.

An invisible woman
"Perception: As relevant as yesterday's newspaper"
(detail)

If you click on the detail photo, you may be able to see something I found amusing. The circle which I used for the head was originally meant to be the other side of the paper. But as I was about to apply it to the painting, it slipped from my hand and fell onto the painting upside down. The only readable word on this side of the paper was "older," so I decided to leave that side up. Another happy accident.

While doing this piece, I was reminded of one of my favorite Georgia O'Keeffe quotes:

"I found I could say things
with color and shapes
that I couldn't say
in any other way. . .
things I had no words for."

I must apologize if I haven't been to visit your blog as often as I'd like, or if I haven't responded yet to a comment you have left. I'll try to do better in the future. Please forgive me. I've been terribly busy and inspired in so many different creative directions, I feel a bit like Emily Dickinson when she wrote:

"To live is so startling
it leaves little time
for anything else."

Thinking Pink

The talented and kind Julie Mitchell, at When the Spirit Moves Me, recently presented me with the Kreativ Blogger award. Julie is a dear blogger friend and fiber artist who makes the most beautiful Spirit Figures and Art Dolls. Please visit her blog (here) to see her gorgeous creations, and to read about her life and her many interests.

Thank you Julie!

As you probably know by now, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Mammograms, like colonoscopies, are something we don't enjoy, but they are well worth the temporary discomfort.

I've had at least one every year for since my twenties, since I am at very high risk. Everyone should follow their own doctor's advice on when to begin having mammograms, and how frequently to have them.

Here are a few links you may be interested in:

- for breast cancer symptoms and diagnosis, breastcancer.org has some easy-to-understand information and links (here)

- to find out your personal risk of breast cancer, cancer.gov has a simple on-line assessment tool (here)

- to find out what you can do to help prevent breast cancer, the National Cancer Institute (cancer.gov) has some terrific information to get you started (here)

- if you cannot afford a mammogram or have no insurance, liv.com can help you find a location in your state that offers free mammograms (here)

- and for information about inflammatory breast cancer, a type of cancer which cannot be detected by a mammogram, the IBC Research Foundation (ibcresearch.org) has a very comprehensive website here

I am an invisible woman

"I am an invisible woman"
self-portrait
mixed media on 8 x 10 canvas board
acrylic, collage, egg-carton papier mache

I just finished this piece this week. It's the first in a series, I think. It represents how society doesn't see women of a certain age anymore.

But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

As an invisible woman, we gain power, too. We can become keen observers and, if we choose, wise and unconventional teachers. We come into our own in so many ways, and that can be an incredibly freeing and powerful feeling.

"I am an invisible woman"
(detail)

I have also been working on an art website called "Bleeding Heart Studio," and while I was jotting down some ideas for it, I wrote this:

"After spending over a decade working my way up the corporate ladder in the marketing departments of several well-known large corporations, I chose to become a full-time mother to raise my two children. This I did, for longer than I ever felt possible. It was the most worthwhile thing I have ever done.

I emerged from this period of self-imposed domesticity to discover that, during this time, I had become an invisible woman in society.

So I returned to my first love. Art.

This time I started with some self-portraits."

What this description doesn't mention is that out of necessity I've also had a series of horrible part-time jobs during my post-corporate years. We live simply, and we are by no means rich. So, like many women, I've had my share of funny, mind-numbing, soul-sucking part-time jobs. The sulphur smell of hard-boiled eggs reminds me of two of them.
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I have been an artist of sorts my whole life. It started when I was young. I drew almost daily well into my teens. I was a writer, designer, and coordinator during much of my corporate career. (That's how I could be corporate, without losing my mind.) I was a creative mother, encouraging my children to explore anything and everything. I have had a large kitchen garden, and am still a creative cook. And I've painted and made jewelery, off and on, for years.

Now is my time, I think. It's my time to really see where this burning love of art can take me.

*****

October 15 is Blog Action Day. Bloggers from over 139 countries will be writing about climate change, reaching over 11 million readers with their message. Please join me on my environmental blog, A note from your Mother, where I'll have links to some interesting information on the topic.

Thanks!

Domestic Witch and The Deborah Award

I've been a bad, bad blogger.

I've been avoiding passing on two lovely awards I received, because I cannot possibly narrow down the list of recipients to just a few of my favorite blogs. So, please, any and all of you who visit me here, please take these awards and place them on your blog. Each of you, and each of your blogs, is special to me in a very different way.

The Domestic Witch Award was presented to me a while ago by my dear blogging friend, the wonderful art doll artist, Sue Barton from Barton Originals. Please click here to visit her beautiful blog, which is full of gorgeous art and inspiration.

The Deborah Award was presented to me just a few days ago by another dear blogging friend of mine, the talented artist Silke Powers. Her blog, Metamorphosis, is also filled with her lovely art, as well as photos of her beloved Savannah, Georgia, her travels, and her delicious cooking. Please be sure to visit her blog as well. (Please click here.)

The Deborah Award celebrates the sisterhood of bloggers. It was just recently created by another talented blogging artist, Ces, from Ces And Her Dishes, to honor her dear friend Deborah, whose blog is Midlife Poet.

And so it goes, people who will probably never meet in "real" life, connecting in ways we never could have imagined just a few years ago.

Pretty amazing, this blogging.

You can change the world

I found this interesting blog today, and thought you might be interested. Please click on the picture above or go to http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/ for all kinds of wonderful information about how we can make the world a better, cleaner place.

I have also posted this link on my other blog, A note from your Mother, where I occasionally post information I find interesting about Mother Earth. I'm planning to post on this blog more regularly again, too, so be sure to take a look once in a while, if you're interested.

You can click on the link on the right sidebar or here to read A note from your Mother.

Thanks.
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