Too Shy

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“The way you overcome shyness is to become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid”

Claudia Lady Bird Johnson quote


 I am just beginning to understand why I am drawn to the subjects of my art.  In preparing for a piece, I browse through dozens of vintage photographs and eventually settle upon one that whispers to my soul.  It is only when my piece is finished that it dawns on me that my inner feelings have been captured.  I then realize how connected we all are and despite the fact that my subjects are long departed from this existence, we share a humanity that cannot be denied.

This piece speaks to the unbearable shyness I sometimes feel when I share my work. I began this project just after learning I had been selected as a finalist in Cloth Paper Scissors Artisan Search 2011 and I had to send my originals out into the world.  A little overwhelming, but also very exciting. 

Perhaps Lady Bird was right, the cure is at hand.  It beckons to me behind the curtain that leads to my studio. 

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Something Different

I have been busy with new projects but want to take the time to document a project I am currently working on as well as a fairly recent, very different project that is a tribute to individualism...

First - Some new endeavors:

A work in progress.  This is a little experiment I have been working on for several weeks.  Both the girl and the fish are created from fabric.  Her dress is vintage lace.  I painted the silly sea life and embellished them with some vintage silk yo yo eyes I picked up at a flea market.  Now I think maybe bubbles?

 

Below is a project heralding individualism that I worked on for several months.  It involves a printers drawer, some scrapbook paper, photographs, quotations printed and haphazardly cut and other relevant items.  It was probably the most time consuming project I have done, but I am happy with the results.



Treasure Hunting

Although my studio is already packed with items, I can always find room for a few more vintage items to inspire me.  Estate sale yesterday yielded some excellent finds...

A vintage tin,

A treasure within a treasure!

Many, many vintage buttons and beads.  The price alone gives away their age.   

Thread-a Matic, created to thread needles, and the kicker is it really works!

Vintage thread in yummy colours.

And the icing on the proverbial cake...

Haven't cleaned these up yet but I believe they are antique French lithographs. What a find!

And I do want to introduce my studio companion.

She may seem a tish unfriendly but I assure you, she approves of my endeavors.

and her original

The Uninvited House Guest

I just wanted to share a photo of an overnight visitor.  Don't know how he got in but the fam found him this morning, just hanging out on the towel bar in my bathroom. 

He was safely removed to more comfortable accommodations in the garden.

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

I am pleased to announce that I have been chosen as a finalist in Cloth Paper Scissors Artisan of the Year 2011 search.  I am thrilled to be included among such talented people.  You can view my entries at the following link:  http://www.clothpaperscissors.com/members/lolabu/default.aspx

I have been busy moving my studio to its new location in the room previously known as my dining room.  I am no longer relegated to the basement with the spiders.  Here are a few peeks...

Tiny Dancer

This piece is part of my ballerina series.  Taken from a vintage photograph of Anna Pawlowa, she is one of my favorites.  I wanted this piece to be simple, to showcase the beauty and grace of the dancer.  The pose is classic.  It helps me, while I’m working on a piece, to imagine the life of the person I am trying to illustrate.  Certain vintage images seem to demand my attention, to appeal to me to be recaptured, to remind those who choose to view my work of simple beauty, simpler times.  Below is the original.  Scroll down to see my collaged interpretation. 

Gone but not forgotten

It's been over a year since Michael Jackson died.  Hard to believe.  Extremely talented.  Extremely sensitive.  Misunderstood.  Vilified.  And loved by many although I'm not sure he realized this.   As a tribute to his life, I created the following collage.  It was created only for me and he joins Jim Morrison in my studio as an tribute to individualism.  They serve to remind me that life is short and it is important to use my time wisely.