Moon Snail Tag

My chickens have devised a game using some moon snails I have on the patio from a family trip to Cape Hatteras years ago.  For some reason the hens love these shells.  Maybe they look like eggs?  One hen will pick up a shell from the patio and run with it, while the others follow in hot pursuit.  The snail will be stolen several times, and the new carrier chased again.  Finally it is dropped and several hens will cluster up together, peck peck pecking all around the shell.  I find them all over the yard and put them back on the patio until the next game starts.

Spirals and circles are wonderful shapes.  They are everywhere in nature and the cosmos.  The Milky Way, seashells, the ripples of water flowing around rocks in a stream or from a skipping stone, the vortex when you stir your tea or let the water out of the bathtub.  Trees, of course, are tall and upright.  But inside, what do we find?  Hidden circles, rings for each year's growth.

Spirals and circles have been appearing in my mandala collages.  They are perfect meditative forms.

And speaking of collages, I'm working on a new one which will appear shortly.  Till then, happy December!

Heidi

Frost Flowers, Leaves and Lace

A morning walk revealed some rare treasures - frost flowers.  They only occur the morning after a hard freeze when there's recently been rain.  The moisture in certain plant stems oozes out and forms delightful, delicate, spiraling ice crystals.  They remind me of ribbon candy or frosting flowers on a cake.  These were found on Dittany, which grows along our driveway and the county road we live on.  I have seen huge ones along the river on large weeds growing there.  They look like fairy castles.  So ephemeral, they melt away as soon as the sun touches them, so you have to be an early bird to see them.  The slightest touch shatters them; even breathing on them can melt the edges. 

Nothing can improve on Nature's beauty.  But we try...  Here is a collage I did featuring paste paper gingko leaves, doilies and lace papers.

Thanks for sharing my morning treasures!  I hope you find some unexpected delights in your day!

Heidi





Two Ministers

 The Minister of Chlorophyll

The Minister of Nonsense

I figure everyone is a minister of some sort.  We just have to figure out what sort of ministry we are in.  These guys have very important jobs: the Minister of Chlorophyll helps keep the earth green, the Minister of Nonsense reminds us that there is always something to laugh about, even if your umbrella has holes and you have stepped in a puddle.  Let me hear from other ministers!  What is YOUR special calling?

Have a good weekend!

Heidi

Thanksgiving

The turkey is in the oven, the pie is made, and I'm having a quiet moment to reflect on the past year and the seasons ahead before company comes and the day gets underway.  Many things to be thankful for.  I'm thankful to be human and to be living on the earth at this time, chaotic though it may be at times.  I'm thankful to have a home when so many have tragically lost theirs this year.  My thanksgiving wish is for all people to find common ground and work together for peace.  And for us all to work harder at respecting and helping our planet, which so desperately needs healing.  Surely it's possible!  I'm also looking forward to another year of creating beautiful artwork to share with others.  It's my way of making the world a little richer, brighter, happier.  And I wish health and prosperity to all you people out there, each making the world a better place in your own special ways.

Sugar Plum House

This one took forever to make, but finally it's done!  It definately brought out my whimsical side.  I am envisoning a whole village of sugar plum houses, though how many I have time to make remains to be seen.  Maybe a fairy will come along to live in it!

Early Fairy Collages

I have started a facebook page for On The Wind Art and was looking through photos to find some to post.  These I'm sharing today are some of my first collages, before I began painting fairies in watercolor.  These collages really have a unique look, though they are extremely time consuming.  The fairies were drawn on cardstock and carefully cut out.  Their wings and clothes were glued on, almost like paper dolls!  The background trees were also meticulously cut from interesting paper, then painted.  In the "Undine" collage, most of the elements were made from paste papers I had created earlier.

"Spring Beauties"

"Through the Knothole"

"Undine"

"Pearl"

Hope you fairy lovers out there enjoy these!

Heidi

Collage Chaos

Collaging is an exciting and very messy process - at least for me!  I suppose it's like putting on your fancy duds when you're not used to wearing them.

Sometimes the pieces just don't fit, like clothes that have hung in the closet too long and aren't the right size anymore.

Sometimes things get in a terrible tangle and you feel like screaming.

The mound of materials increases by the hour until you can barely see the table top.  And oh, where is that special little piece of paper you were saving for a certain spot?

Is it going to look all right?  Is it too far-out?  Too childish?  What will others think?  Is the style out of fashion?

Days may go by while you avoid the art table and find dozens of other projects and chores that need your urgent attention, while the collage lies there, waiting....  But eventually you get around to looking at it again.  Sometimes it looks entirely different, as if mischievous fairies came along in the night and scrambled things around. 

 It seems a lost cause.  It may be so discouraging you want to quit.  But you don't.  You pull yourself up by your bootstraps and soldier on.

And then the magic happens.  The shapes fall into place, chaos gives way to order.  Harmony reigns, and, whew! at last, a work of art is born!









Blue Cross collage








Mixed Media Collage

Another recent collage, this one featuring spirals and petal shapes.  These collages are all made from torn strips or pieces of paper, decorated with spattered, sponged or brushed on acrylic paint.  I use good quality acid free glue, and finish with two coats of acrylic varnish for protection from moisture.  These are meant to be hung unframed.  I attach a wire to the back for hanging.  This collage is 29 1/2 inches by 21 inches.  The bottom photo shows the detail in the textured border.  It was made by glueing tissue paper pulp onto a strip of watercolor paper.  I added pock marks with an orange stick for even more texture, and painted it with brown and metallic paint when dry.