Introducing the fourth design in my mosaic series:
Kaleidoscope
Brush pen mosaic on canvas
5" x 7"
After hours of looking at that, I glanced up at my computer screen and only saw the shapes of the letters, without reading them or associating them with sounds, meaning, etc. Couldn't possibly choose to do that and I guess the last time I did was before I could read (30 years ago). Weird.
I really enjoyed this one. From the start I noticed my new batch of canvasses (exactly the same as the ones I've bought before) were bleeding the ink slightly, creating a slight blur, particularly in the centre. I decided to carry on anyway (while primer was en route to my studio) because I learned so much from the prototype I made. Having completed it, I'm enjoying the rather drunken feel that blur gives in the midst of the psychotropic effects of the rest. I really have been staring at this for too long.
I'm a week behind my schedule of a design a week. And that's with leaving no time at all for getting postcards printed and promotion. And the short story I'm working on is coming in clunky clumps at awkward moments, making it harder to plan art versus writing time. Still, Beltain's coming, which always has a new year feel to me, and this weather (plus coffee) is keeping my energy up. And I've spent my birthday money on more PITT artist brush pens :o).
This month's Bookworm book is Cassandra's Disc by Angela Green. I heartily recommend it. The title is a bit meh and the cover wouldn't have inspired me to pick it up, but the story blew me away. We are reading the memoir of Cassandra as she records her exploits, generally in relation to her very different and much favoured twin. She recreates her birth story from what she knows and imagines. The differences between the sisters are immediately obvious: Cassandra is huge, loud and dark; her twin is petite, blonde and demurely quiet. Their mother just cannot find love for them both and Cassandra is much neglected.
Having often felt a bit of a heifer next to my 'mini me' sister and that our different temperaments have brought us different treatment, the very end of this book shocked me so much I gasped out loud! I shall say no more, but DO read it if you can possibly squeeze it in. What I shall add is that my sister is very wonderful and our relationship in no way reflects that of the twins in this book. Thank the mercies!
Do let me know if you've read Cassandra's Disc, and any thoughts in my artwork are always welcome.
Happy Easter/bank holiday/Monday everybody!
Oh, this piece is perfect. I love it. I read somewhere that Mandalas have so much going on because the patterns on the outside draw your eye to the focal point. It's all a meditation tool.
ReplyDeleteI'll look up the book, it sounds great!
My blog is off the presses right now, but I'll let you know hot to find me when I get it sorted out.
XO,
Claire
Thank you Claire. It was an intense meditation for me!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your Phoenix blog.
hey lovely lady...i always really enjoy reading your blog, you are a truly great writer! I am so glad you are following your dream...
ReplyDeleteI am impressed you remain creative with a little one..to be honest I am often too drained to be creative. At the moment Isis is constantly testing the boundaries and as i never learnt to deal with anger, it is draining me to always stay in 'adult-space'...maybe i also need to run around naked screaming (as you described in an earlier blog about whispers). Hope to see you soon...big love xxxxRenske
Hey Renske, thanks for the compliments, and for taking the time to pop by here and share your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteIn truth, if the Captain was working full time I would have much less energy for creativity: it might not be happening. We work three days each, and some of them are split days, so I get time out from childcare to explore the rest of me.
And still, with all that help from the Captain and the fulfillment of creativity, I can lose my patience sometimes. Mostly I'm having a great time, and mostly when I'm not I can deal with it from that 'adult-space', but it happens that I raise my voice or I complain to the Captain about stuff that's not his fault. (Like yesterday when I was fed up after doing an hour and a half of kitchen cleaning. I made it sound like he'd made me do it; like I was Cinderella!)
It's all about choice, but the hardest trick for me is to remember to look for the other choices I can make in the moment. Good luck to all of us with that.
Hope I see you in September if you don't come this way before then.
x