One of my favorite bands is the Avett Brothers. Of their many songs that I love, I And Love And You has always stuck with me for the amazing lyrics. This lyric, which is in the middle of the song, has always evoked a strong emotion in me. The first time I heard the song I pictured a boy screaming hate words. That image has been circulating in my brain since then...years.
I recently got back into digital collage and so I was immediately drawn back to those lyrics and this image. I was finally able to get what I was seeing in my head onto the screen. It feels like a mental sneeze to finally get out an art piece that has been circulating in my brain for a long time. Relief.
I hope this digital collage stirred up a strong emotion in you. I know for me it reminds me to pay attention to the words I use and the tone in which I say them. It truly is such a waste of time to spew hate words. Have a great day!
It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it
And I feel fine.
R.E.M
It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
Created partially from collage software and partially in Photoshop CS 6 after watching the news and realizing once again why it is I only watch it maybe once a month. Truly, it feels like I don't recognize the world I am living in with all the hate and destruction swirling around us on a daily basis.
Civil unrest. ISIS. Politics. Mass killings. Refugees...it goes on and on and on.
I turn it off. I turn it all off and risk being ignorant to the world's issues. I am choosing to stick my head in the sand just for a moment of sanity. No wonder the stress level in our country is palatable. It is all bubbling beneath the surface, rising over and simmering, threatening to explode as all of the media outlets spoon feed us the bitter taste of hate. When it does boil over...it will be the end of the world as we know it...and I don't think I will feel fine.
I truly will be going back to my roots this weekend...I am headed south to Lynchburg to visit my mother. I am very much looking forward to seeing and spending time with her. I haven't seen her in quite a while. We will be spending an early Thanksgiving together since she didn't want to travel here to Maryland for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, I will go to her for an early Thanksgiving and she will come to us for Christmas.
Homeschooling is going really well. The kids and I have adjusted well and have settled into a beautiful routine. I couldn't be happier with their progress and I get to spend tons of quality time with them. I do miss having an occasional day to myself, but 95% of the time it is tons of fun. I have my first homeschool review on December 3 and I am looking forward to it. I have all my ducks in a row and I am already organized and prepared to show the twins' progress.
A quick reminder that even though I will be out of town and can't be there myself, a new show reception is happening tomorrow, Friday, November 20 from 7-9PM at Arts By the Bay Gallery in Havre de Grace, MD. I have 5 pieces showing...4 digital art and 1 photography piece. There are over 40 artists showing work there and you simply must stop in to see all the wonderful local art. Start your holiday shopping early! If you'd like to stop in while I am there, I will be working Sunday, the 29th at noon. Stop in and see me and we can chat about my pieces! One of the pieces showing, Say Geronimo, is one of the artworks featured in the winter issue of Artful Blogging! Stop in and I can show you the framed original and the magazine article as well.
This digital mixed media piece is a compilation of 4 different photographs, 4 different textures, two different digital stamps, and many adjustment layers. I created this piece in my mind when I first heard the song Roots by Imagine Dragons. It is one of my favorite songs now and I couldn't wait to make my vision come alive on the screen. I hope you enjoy it.
Have a wonderful evening and I will see you soon...
Wouldn't you love to make a dress from a flower's bud?
Wouldn't you love to dance on the moon and swing from the stars?
Summer nights are meant to lie on your back and dream of all the things you used to dream about when you were a child...space travel, the man on the moon, the moon being made of cheese, the stars being created by the trickster Coyote. Summer nights are for campfires and scary tales, sleepovers and flashlight tag, catching fireflies, and salting slugs in the garden.
I miss being a child in the summer. When I was young the summer seemed to last forever. Now, a blink of my eye and the lazy days have passed, the leaves have turned yet again, and all the bare feet have been tucked back into boots. Life is short. Get out there and play. Dream. Watch for falling stars. Tell ancient myths to your kids in a whisper as you stare at the night sky. Go camping. Make crowns by weaving clover. Sing campfire songs. Make s'mores. These are the things kids' memories are made of. So go. Make some summer memories that will last a lifetime.
Some days, Lyme patients feel this way. Some days it just feels like your whole world is one gigantic ticking bomb ready to blow. When the searing pain is pulsing through every cell of your body and your hair is falling out in droves and you pop another handful of medicine and vitamins in your mouth and you are so exhausted the idea of getting out of bed just to use the bathroom strikes fear in your heart, you for sure feel like you are looking down the barrel of a loaded gun.
Some days the only refuge is sleep. Only sleep is not always restful for Lyme patients. It is fitful and filled with strange dreams and when you wake you feel as if ran a marathon. But at least you were free of the consciousness of pain for that brief time you lived outside of your body. Some days it is all you can do to hang on another day, to remind yourself again that this is a long battle but that you will win. You see, some days Lyme is a nasty magician...letting you feel better for weeks and then pulling the rug out from under you and you feel like you are starting over again. So tiring. So deflating.
This one is for all the other Lyme patients out there who fight every day, not only the disease, but also the mental stamina it takes to be fooled over and over again into believing this time I am better. This time I will continue to stay well. This time I've killed off those nasty invaders. This time is the last time I will herx or feel like I've been hit by a truck. This time, this time, this time.
So, to all of you out there fighting chronic illness, hang in there. There are people who know how you feel. You are the courageous ones. Your silent battle is not unnoticed by all. Keeping fighting, keep getting up, keep moving, keep on keeping on. Stay calm and carry on, even if you are sitting on a ticking bomb.
**Because so many liked when I showed how I create these digital collage paintings, later today on Nine Acres Designs on Facebook I will post the original vintage photograph that I started with for this piece. I might even show a few steps I saved along the way, we'll see. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone, and I will see you on the other side.
My latest mixed media/digital collage piece, Couture. This is actually a first for me...it is a mix between a three dimensional mixed media canvas that I created a while back (and then scanned into the computer) with other digital elements combined to create this final piece. It was inspired by the song Vogue by Madonna, so this joins my other pieces that were inspired by music. I've included some of my favorite lyrics from the song below:
Look around everywhere you turn is heartache It's everywhere that you go (look around) You try everything you can to escape The pain of life that you know (life that you know)
When all else fails and you long to be Something better than you are today
I know a place where you can get away
It's called a dance floor, and here's what it's for, so
Come on, vogue
Let your body move to the music (move to the music)
Hey, hey, hey
Come on, vogue
Let your body go with the flow (go with the flow)
You know you can do it
All you need is your own imagination So use it that's what it's for (that's what it's for) Go inside, for your finest inspiration Your dreams will open the door (open up the door)
Speaking of "the pain of life that you know," I came across a great blogpost by a fellow Chronic Lyme sufferer that explains, in articulate beauty and accuracy, 10 Things To Know When Someone in Your Life Has Lyme. It really is worth the read to help healthy people better understand the journey Lyme sufferers are on!
I'm looking into getting some of my digital collage pieces and some new photos printed and entered into a new gallery soon! It is an exciting process and I am hoping to develop a great new relationship with this new gallery to share and sell my art. More details as this develops! Have a great weekend, everyone!
This is my latest digital collage piece in my series that is inspired by music. The song that I took inspiration from was Fleetwood Mac Little Lies. There were about 20 different layers in this piece and I incorporated something very personal into it...my 2x great grandfather's death certificate.
As I conducted genealogical research into my family, I discovered my maternal grandfather's side had quite a sketchy past. One of the family mysteries surrounds the death of my great-great grandfather, whose death certificate states he died of a gunshot wound to the head. Family lore indicates that he was sleeping at the time of the murder, but there hasn't been any additional information available as to who killed him or why. I have researchers trying to locate any court documents, newspapers articles, or obituaries that may give additional insight into the details surrounding his murder. So far, the well is dry and we haven't located a single thing to explain his death. The mystery continues...
As I reflect on this collage, I have to admit it reminds me of past toxic "friendships" I have had and how grateful I am to shed those from my life. I no longer have to listen to and carry the weight of constant negativity and lies around with me. You know the type...constantly complaining, never happy, always think they are entitled to something, not taking responsibility for actions and blames everyone else and the world around them for all their difficulties. Yeah, gets really wearing. Such a relief to have supportive, non-jealous friends who celebrate your victories along with you instead of pulling you down! Thank you to all my wonderful friends and family who lift me up on a daily basis!
Speaking of family, I am currently visiting my wonderful mother in Lynchburg, Virginia. I traveled down for the week with my aunt to visit and bring some joy to my mother. I have truly enjoyed this time with them, laughing, telling old stories, playing cards, shopping, and just being together. I dislike living 5 hours away from her and it is a blessing when I get to spend quality time with her. It sure is cold here in the mountains...hoping you all can find a warm snug place to hunker down until spring sets in. For me, that can't be soon enough! Brrrrr!
My lover's got humor She's the giggle at a funeral Knows everybody's disapproval I should've worshipped her sooner
If the heavens ever did speak She's the last true mouthpiece Every Sunday's getting more bleak A fresh poison each week
'We were born sick, ' you heard them say it
My Church offers no absolutes She tells me, 'Worship in the bedroom.' The only heaven I'll be sent to Is when I'm alone with you—
I was born sick, But I love it Command me to be well Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[Chorus 2x:] Take me to church I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife Offer me that deathless death Good God, let me give you my life
If I'm a pagan of the good times My lover's the sunlight To keep the Goddess on my side She demands a sacrifice
Drain the whole sea Get something shiny Something meaty for the main course That's a fine looking high horse What you got in the stable? We've a lot of starving faithful
That looks tasty That looks plenty This is hungry work
[Chorus 2x:] Take me to church I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife Offer me my deathless death Good God, let me give you my life
No Masters or Kings When the Ritual begins There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin
In the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene Only then I am Human Only then I am Clean Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[Chorus 2x:] Take me to church I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife Offer me that deathless death Good God, let me give you my life.
~Take Me To Church by Hozier
This is another mixed media/digital collage piece inspired by music. You can click here to listen to this song. While I am very spiritual and feel I have a close relationship with my maker, I have very mixed feelings regarding church. I don't hold anything against anyone who chooses to attend church, however, I don't find it necessary for my spiritual needs to worship inside of a particular building. I find that many of the people I've encountered in church have been hypocrites and I choose to stay away...
I also happen to know a lot of people who are sitting nice and pretty up on their high horse looking down their nose at everyone else. I really can't stand people who think they are better than everyone else. My favorite line in the song is "That's a fine looking high horse...". I am finding inspiration and fulfillment in this series. It is nice to remove the image from my head and make it come alive in front of me.
This piece had about 15 layers to it. Look carefully and explore, there are many elements throughout. Hope you enjoy!
