Beyond Words has been born!

It has been two years in the making (long gestation, indeed!) and we couldn't be more pleased to present Beyond Words, an interactive show of poetry and visual art. The Poets & Painters group that I belong to has walked a journey together that has stretched us all into new creative places and sometimes scary emotional places. I would venture to say that all births do that. 

The poem "Last Night as I was Sleeping" by Antonio Machado was the inspiration for my artwork, pictured above in the upper right corner. It is an aqueduct made from torn book pages, a favorite medium of mine. Each of us selected a poem for inspiration and we all made artwork (paintings, dolls, and sculptures) inspired by the four poems. We have produced a marvelous show. And, yes, I'm bragging like a proud mom. 

Please come visit the show in the month of May at Casselberry Art House, 127 Quail Pond Circle, Casselberry. They are open Monday to Friday, 10am - 5pm. 

Our closing reception will be Saturday, May 30 from 5 to 7pm. 

A Tree Takes Shape

How many artists does it take to make a tree? In the case of Poets & Painters, it takes four wonderfully different, enthusiastic, creative, talented artists. Add to that humor, patience, collaboration, communication....and a bit more patience and humor!

We four artists (above from left to right, Shari Sherman, Elle O'Dowd, Anne-Marie Colwell, and moi) have embarked on a creative journey that is taking us places we never imagined. And that's a good thing.

Under the name Poets & Painters, we have spent the last year and a half working towards a common goal: to exhibit our individual work collectively, under the title Beyond Words. We are excited to debut this body of work on May 9, 2015 at Casselberry Art House (Florida). More details forthcoming.

So, where is this tree I spoke of? It's a WIP at present. You can see the trunk taking shape in the photo. A right colorful trunk isn't it? Branches will come soon, and some spreading out roots also. Our tree will be center stage and visitors to the show will be invited to add their words, their thoughts and reflections to the branches over head. We have dubbed it the Poetree.

May 9 is fast approaching and our to do list is long. Count on some more sneak peeks as we get closer. I hope you can join me at the journey's end to see what this collaboration brings forth. Onward!

Spring Cleaning and Gelli Piles

It's March and Spring has sprung in my neighborhood...evidenced by higher pollen counts, radiant sunshine and green leaves bursting forth, plus a healthy desire to CLEAN HOUSE....metaphorically and literally. So on this day, I did a bit of both. I sneak rounds of creative play into my list of household chores to break things up.

My newfound Gelli Plate addiction is the perfect antidote to laundry, dusting, and kitchen duty. After a spell of brayering and layering, I have plenty of collage material amassed. This is one pile that I don't mind adding to.....Gelli on!

And here's a sample of what I do with all those painterly bits and pieces: this journal page was inspired by the dictionary entry for a vesper sparrow, a bird who is most active in the evenings. I have been struggling lately with getting into the studio at night, lured by the insidious television and a comfortable chair. So I need all the motivation this little vesper sparrow can lend me.

How do you motivate yourself to march into your studio?