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Sunday, June 23, 2013

Inspiration for the day


This is Edmund Dulac at his finest.  I'd give anything to sit beside him for even a day and watch how he does what he does.  Or did, rather.  He's been gone many long years, but his artwork lives on.  Sometimes I think, oh, what is the use of me painting and drawing when there are so many so much better.  But what if Edmund had thought that?  Even if I could inspire one person to pick up a pencil or brush, it would in some way keep the vision alive that flows from one artist to the next, each one adding his or her own essence.  I like to think of art this way, as a living river that flows between the generations of artists, picking up treasures as it makes its way to some far off ocean.  There is an archetypal fairy tale that calls to all of us.  Why else would these tales and visions be so deeply rooted in our lives.  So I keep drawing and painting away, trying to find the source.  I don't think I'll find it in this lifetime, but it's the journey that's important!

Friday, June 7, 2013

The Sea of Imagination

Sometimes when I sit down to blog I have no idea what's going to come out of my head.  Other times I have something specific to share.  Today is one of those no idea days, so I'll start by posting a couple of pictures I've done recently.  I'm collaborating with another Etsy shop owner on making a set of oracle cards.  I do the artwork, she comes up with the words.  So far I have done "Puzzled":
And "Vanity":

Next up is "Mixed Signals".  It's fun doing small works that go fairly quickly, and having a theme gives me a solid base to work from.  This is good, because for me, everything I see and do brings ideas to mind for artwork or stories, and it's easy to get lost in the Sea of Imagination.  This morning I was hanging clothes on the line, and suddenly I became a character in a story.  Where was I hanging clothes?  What was I feeling at the moment?  Images grew in my head.  I am a young woman with long blond hair wearing a white blouse.  I am in a back yard, a courtyard, maybe, lingering over my task, hanging up towels, socks, t shirts, enjoying the breeze on my face, the clean smell of damp laundry, the blue sky, the white clouds.  There is a man living next door in a tall brown house with many windows, and I hope he will see me.  Aha!  The plot thickens.  Who is the man?  I can't see his face, but there is some kind of conflict going on.  A lovers' quarrel, no doubt.  But before I can decide, my task is done, so I leave the scene and the man and continue with my day.  Ah, there is a cloud that looks like a dragon floating by.  Maybe the man is a dragon rider....