NEW IDEAS BREWING

After completing the 6 week life coaching course with Leslie I decided to give myself a gift of 2 or 3 months to play and experiment with new ideas. Today is the first day of this designated time.

I've been lucky enough to have carving commissions one after the other for months on end. Somewhere in the middle I realized that I wasn't setting aside any time to play and experiment with new ideas. My own fault entirely! With each commission I have received I have thought, ok after this one I will take time out to play. Then the next one would come along and I would say exactly the same thing.



I parceled up my last commisssion a few days ago. An angel I have loved carving. My customer J was so warm, humorous and enthusiastic that I had great fun taking her through the process with me .... sending regular progress reports and photographs, emailing back and forth. As J pointed out, it was like preparing for a birth. Well, the angel is on her way to Britain as we speak. I wait with bated breath for her to arrive in her new country. This commission has put me in the right frame of mind for the next few months. I WILL have fun!

So think of me experimenting with new art ideas during my favourite season of the year. Soft mellow autumn days, laced with hovering swallowtail butterflies .... birds lining up on telephone wires preparing to wing it across Africa to greener pastures ....... leaves slowly turning gold and drifting down to carpet the earth ....... crisp sunrises and blissful balmy days working in the courtyard.

I had thought to take a break from blogging for a month or so but I'm not sure I will be able to achieve that. Bloggers inspire me to be creative! I love feeling that I'm part of this vibrant community, so I will probably be back next week with another post and of course I will spend far too much time catching up with blogs, but that's what its all about. Sharing journeys. Being inspired.

CARNIVAL OF WHITE

Noire et blanc . Mixed media on canvas by Amadea Bailey

Yes, I'm still on my white hobbyhorse. I can't help myself! These glorious pieces just keep drawing me in.

Carnival IV by Amadea Bailey

Amadea Bailey's work is so exciting! Shades of white ..... layers of torn paper..... movement .... magic! A bonus for me is that she once lived in my neck of the woods and she speaks of a life I am so familiar with.

"I grew up in Africa riding horses in the bush, eating sugarcane by the side of the road, and playing dress-up with banana leaves. I experienced a sense of freedom and abandon, and an immediate connection to the tactile, physical and non-rational worlds. Now, as an adult, my paintings reconnect me to that awakened child of Africa," - Amadea Bailey

Primitive by Amadea Bailey

I'm not quite sure what the whole physiological effect of white is on me but basically it calms and inspires me. It's considered a spiritual colour amongst the Zulus and I notice that it is a sacred colour in many other areas of the world too. It also stands for purity of life, peace and simplicity.

Rain Symphony. Layered textile by Nada Mousawi

Info Contact by Jeesoo Lee

Jeesoo Lee creates abstract wallscapes and installations by sewing and weaving ..... tying, knotting and hanging ......... piercing, ripping, scrunching and scratching...... attaching and constructing.

Have a look here to see her larger works. They really are amazing!

Buttle by Jeesoo Lee

White Shadows. Sewn and constructed paper and cloth by Elisa D'Arrigo

Woodstock Nights by Lawrence Carroll

Petition by Kathryn Frund

Childhood Dreams by Lisa Mei Ling Fong

Mixed media by dagi3 on Flickr

SPIRIT OF PLACE

Prayer, monotype with mixed media on paper by Sharmon Davidson

There are some places I feel such a deep connection to that on first arriving I become slightly breathless and have to take a few minutes to adjust to the power of the place..... if that makes sense. Some are places I've never been to before but from the first moment I am drawn to it.

Photo taken at Kosi Bay last October

I experienced this during my first trip to Kosi Bay last year. From the time my feet touched the sand and I began to walk along the broad expanse of beach for mile upon mile, I was overwhelmed by a sense of belonging... of connecting.

Bosley Cloud by Dean Entwistle

I felt similar emotions in some parts of Britain.

Yorkshire Dales, mixed media on canvas by Wendy Asprey

There are other places that I have known all my life that feel almost sacred and yet they also feel like home.

Guardians of Sacred Places by Bridgette Guerzon Mills

The Drakensberg is the place where I feel most at home, most happy and most alive. All my senses seem sharpened when I'm there and I am overawed by the beauty of mountains, forests and streams.

Photo taken on our last trip to Champagne Castle, Drakensberg. (KwaZulu Natal)

Sharmon Davidson's work creates in me the feeling of connection to a place.... sensing the history ..... of people gone before .... of stories ....of lives lived.

Waiting for the storm, mixed media/watercolour on paper by Sharmon Davidson

"The images are formed from the vocabulary of symbols that I've developed as I sought to express the theme that lies at the foundation of it all: a deep belief in the unity and connectedness of everything in the universe". - Sharmon Davidson

The Speed of Darkness, mixed media/watercolor on paper by Sharmon Davidson

"Ancient peoples believed that places had souls. The soul of a place could be found in the genius loci, the guardian spirit whose personality summed up the special characteristics of the location. A proper relationship to the genius loci was necessary in order for a person to dwell there responsibly. In return, the genius loci would nurture and protect the people of the place.

Even in the modern world the basic truth of this ancient relationship still holds: Places that are accorded the respect we have traditionally given to souls are better places as a result. And the people who live there have a better life, too, because places that long have been loved and taken care of can take care of those who dwell in them". - Elizabeth Vander Scaaf

Song of Solitude by Monique Janssen-Belitz

"Since I moved to New Mexico in the summer of 2007, I have been captivated by the enormous depth of the land and its vistas, the seemingly never-ending horizon, as well as by traces of ancient history still visible on the surface patina. The land of New Mexico speaks of enormous spiritual power, palpable in the steep rise of the bare mountains, the wide valley of the Rio Grande and the patterns scribbled over the desert by shrubs, grasses and human incursions. Ancient beliefs and rituals mingle in connection with the land and weather, affecting even the most transient of visitors." - Monique Janssen-Belitz

Lost Connections, mixed media on paper on stretched canvas by Monique Jansse-Belitz

A PEACEFUL SATURDAY

Up at 6.00 am and off to the farmers market ....

....... which also happens to be doggy heaven.

Doggy treats.

Doggy cliques.

A little browsing at my favourite shop before going home to do some work.

A very productive afternoon.

Other posts about the farmers market here and here.

TERRITORIES

The mother of all monkey battles broke out today.

There were monkeys standing on tip toes upon every rooftop for miles around ....

They dipped, bobbed and barked at a strange troop that dared to overstep the invisible line between two territories.

As I carved in the courtyard I was aware of monkey missiles flying over my head. From house top to garage to tree top and back again, howling with rage. Mothers held their babies close as the aliens approached.

All in my household were armed with water pistols in case the enemy troop tried to harm "our" troop.

I had to smile ..... we all have our territories.

CREATIVITY RENEWAL

Creative Relationships by Leslie Miller.

Its not too late to sign up for Leslie Millers one hour, FREE Creativity Renewal Teleclass for creative people who want more.

I have just completed the Re-fresh Your Creative Practice Program with Leslie and I have to tell you, it was such an awesome experience. Every year around christmas time I go into a bit of a slump. I know this and I have to keep reminding myself that it happens but this year it seemed to drag on for longer than usual so when Leslie posted about the refresh group I leaped at the chance. It has definitely done the trick! Not only am I feeling refreshed but Leslie has guided me through several issues regarding the business side of my work.

Even if you don't sign up for the telegroup program I'm sure you will benefit from the free teleclass. Leslie is an angel who has helped me through many a hiccup in my creative life. If you feel the need to be appreciated, guided, inspired or to get your overwhelment under control ..... do yourself a favour and join today's teleclass .

A WALK THROUGH THE KUBA FOREST

Follow me ....





On a walk through the Kuba Forest.





An exhibition at the Hamill Gallery, Boston Massachusetts.

The textiles on show are traditional tribal raffia textiles from the Kuba kingdom in the Congo. The long pieces you see are actually skirts 8 to 25 feet long, which are wrapped around the wearer meany times. These skirts incorporate appliqued patches, embroidered shapes and patterns, openwork, tie-dye, cowrie shells and barkcloth.

Living far away in South Africa, I'm not going to get to Boston to see it but the website is so wonderful that I feel almost as fortunate as those who can see it in person.

A magical world of repetition ........

...... and rhythm ......

... striking pattern ......

.... and colour.

The piece you see below is an example of Shoowa cloth, a highly prized cut pile textile which was often regarded as a sign of status and sometimes even exchanged as currency.

Look out for Hamill's new website, Hamill Tribal Textiles.com

WOOD: LOST AND FOUND

Henrique Oliveira creates massive installations from discarded construction fences.

"A breakthrough occurred while he was a student at the University of São Paulo, where for two years the view from his studio window was a wooden construction fence. Over time Oliveira began to see the deterioration of the wood and its separation into multiple layers and colors as similar to the process of painting. One week before the final student show opened, the construction was finished and the worn out plywood fence was discarded. Oliveira collected the wood and used it in his first installation" - Rice Gallery

Keith Long is drawn to tactile materials that exhibit their own history.

"Building them into sculpture allows them, phoenix-like, to rise again and add another chapter to their existence."

Mermaid 10 by Keith Long

Kathedraal by GALERIEopWEG on Flickr

Thermals by Rosalie Gascoigne

Ritratto by Alton Falcone

Drift wood assemblage by John Dahlsen

"John Dahlsen isn't your average artist. A bold statement to make but appropriate after you realize the sheer depth and determination which goes into the work this man has produced over the past seven years. Although he has been within art circles for much longer than that, it is only in the most recent years, which have seen Dahlsen create a different form of art with environmental messages and strong statements. It is 'found' object art, be that organic or inorganic.He would be seen scavenging beaches in search of plastics, specific colours and sizes. He is also known for venturing along the edge of Victoria alone in search of driftwood. Boat trips, four-wheel-drive tours and scaling 40 meter-high cliffs, were all part of the process for this driftwood exhibition and Dahlsen admits at times there were death-defying moments grabbing the perfect piece of wood."

Cracking Box by Paul Nash

Driftwoodart by dinapanou on Flickr

More driftwoodart by dinapanou