Palimpsest: Words

Palimpsest: Words

ingredients: vintage book cover, vintage book pages, image transfers, found objects, rice paper, vintage mail scraps, bamboo, vintage dress pattern, stitching



palimpsest -
 :  writing material (as a parchment or tablet) used one or more times after earlier writing has been erased

:  something having usually diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface

I'm not sure how I came across the word 'palimpsest', but since I love to layer things in my art, I found it to be inspiring. So much like life - things covered up but still barely visible underneath.  Events, emotions - anything that has affected us is still there beneath the surface, though it may be hard to see. I began to see the word as a metaphor for our lives, particularly where it concerns communication. So much is hidden beneath our words.




“There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work their magic.”
― Diane Setterfield, The Thirteenth Tale



“Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

It's All About BLUE

Once again, I'm participating in Julie B. Booth's and Jennifer Coyne Qudeen's blog hop, "Searching for ROY G BIV", and the color for May is blue.

... an antique blue tractor...

... some embroidery floss of various blue hues...

 ... bluejays...

... hopping around my yard...

... in search of seeds...

 ... a very old church in Richmond, Virginia, with a blue roof...

a large blue sculpture outside the Virginia Museum of Fine Art...

Happy blue day, everyone. Be sure to check out Jennifer's and Julie's lovely blogs for connections to more on the blue spectrum...

You Can Fix It II

You Can Fix It II

mixed media, 8 x 6.5 inches

I'm not really sure about the meaning of this one - it was just kind of one those that came to me suddenly and without much thinking. Is it a guardian angel standing ready to give me aid, or does it represent me, half-stitched together and trying to make something of myself? Perhaps attempting to contact that higher plane? I can't really say, but I do find it somewhat intriguing.

W. E. B. Du Bois: The most important thing to remember is this: To be ready at any moment to give up what you are for what you might become.

When we are writing, or painting, or composing, we are, during the time of creativity, freed from normal restrictions, and are opened to a wider world, where colors are brighter, sounds clearer, and people more wondrously complex than we normally realize.

~ Madeleine L'Engle                                                                            

Weekly Quick Collage: Flyer

Flyer

collage, 6 x 6 inches

“I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight. And as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings. You may not know where you're going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry you.”
―C. Joybell C.

You Can Fix It

As some of you may be aware, I've been having somewhat of a hard time lately, attempting to overcome a depressive and anxiety disorder. I found this old book called "You Can Fix It", which I was going to use as an art journal. Unfortunately, the book fell apart after I was only a few pages in, but I thought I'd show you the cover anyway.

Front Cover: The vegetables, fruits, and flowers represent one of the things I find most healing: gardening.  There is just something about getting my hands in the earth and helping things to grow that relaxes me and brings me a sense of peace.

Inside of front cover: I think the paintbrush is self-explanatory, as art is my first great love.  It takes me out of my everyday mind-set to a place where I'm at peace, where I don't notice the passage of time, as if in a deep meditative state. The map represents earth and landscape, and speaks to my love of hiking and being outdoors.




This cracks me up:
The statistics on sanity are that one of every four Americans is suffering from some form of  mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you.
                                                                                                              ~ Rita Mae Brown




Wishing you all good health, mental and otherwise!  xoxo

Weekly Quick Collage: You Are Here

You Are Here

collage, 6.25 x 5 inches

“Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.”

~ Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

“Flow with whatever may happen, and let your mind be free: Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate.”

~ Zhuangzi, Nan-Hua-Ch'en-ching, or, The Treatise of the Trancendent Master from Nan-Hua

“In this moment, there is plenty of time. In this moment, you are precisely as you should be. In this moment, there is infinite possibility. (17)”

~ Victoria Moran, Younger by the Day: 365 Ways to Rejuvenate Your Body and Revitalize Your Spirit