Haiku Art for August 2011 - Prompt Word is Journey

I had been thinking about the change that I made a couple of months ago to working full time on developing my art and wondering if this was something I should have done years ago.  Since making this decision I have been so energized.  Not only is creating art something that I WANT to do but I feel that it's something that I HAVE to do. I feel that I'm really in my element now.

Should I have done this i.e. made the switch - years ago?  I could write pages about why not but the short answer is - No.  Do I regret all the years spent doing other things?  Was the time wasted?  Absolutely not. 

And here's where the August prompt word makes its appearance in such a timely fashion.  The word is "Journey".  I thought of Life's Journey.   About how EVERYTHING that we do has an impact on us.  How everyone we meet leaves their mark.  How we may look at some events as distractions or detours from our chosen path but that ultimately all these experiences (positive or negative) contribute to who we are.  And often they equip us with the emotional skills that we need to forge ahead.  I have confidence now that I didn't have 20 years ago; I have certain practical skills to handle the business side of art; I have a sack full of life experiences to draw upon and I have gained perspective and understanding about what is important to me - especially at this time.


Here is the Haiku - Journey

detours? distractions?
unplanned stops, uneven road
part of the journey

 

 Techniques for "Journey"

• color wash
• random stamping using household utensils and distress ink 
• road map collaged on
• manila tag painted and overpainted with distress inks
• attached to page with ribbon and brad
• messages in ink on art paper applied randomly to tag and page.
  
  

July Haiku Art

Balance - what comes into your mind when hearing this prompt word?  I thought of my 10 year old granddaughter Abigail balancing on her unicycle and of the determined look on her face as she struggles to maintain her balance on the low wire.  I thought of commonly used expressions such as "balance your checkbook" or "eat a balanced diet".

Ultimately - what balance means to me these days is the attempt to put the mind and body into a balanced or integrated state as we do through Yoga practice.

This is the 2nd of a series about Yoga practice.  It incorporates the words: "Shanti" which means peace and "so hum" .  This is a mantra that we use for focus while doing deep breathing.

The Haiku

close your eyes breathe in

jasmine scented air swirling

find your center - stay

Shanti 2

January Haiku-Art Fiber Piece

My goal was to illustrate nature's propensity to new beginnings in the face of adversity.

A secondary goal was to try some new creative techniques or materials.


Lutradur - burned edges, stamped and painted with pearl-ex
Angelina fibers - stamped
 Rosebud photos printed on cotton, appliqued and thread painted.
Purchased leafy vine appliqued
Haiku printed on Extravorganza - edges fringed and painted
Scattered beads
Sheer tulle layered over the piece
Layered and quilted
Edges finished with  zigzag stitch

I love doing these journal quilts - what a wonderful way to try new techniques. For "I've Got Lips" above I first did a pieced background and quilted it. Then I drew and cut out appliques of various "lips" - with a variety of pink and red fabrics. (I had to add paint to get the right color a couple of times) I looked for as many "lip" quotes as I could find and printed them out in various fonts using ExtravOrganza in my inkjet printer. I then cut out the sayings, frayed the edges and painted each one using a fabric marker. I adhered them to the quilt with a clear fabric glue.

I am so loving doing these journal quilts every month. Thank you Eileen (from Quilter's Studio) for the demos and the inspiration!! I'm doing things that I never dreamed I'd do (painting) and have new confidence doing things that I've done before and needed motivation to pull out of my bag of tricks again.

This one is called Energy=Color=Energy and I had fun working improvisationally (is that a word) to create a feeling of energy and movement.

We did one using Angelina fibers - can you find the angelina? This is a little reminder of global warming called "Icecap Melting"