Saturday, July 17, 2010

what was I thinking?

A friend asked me to share what I was thinking when I created the emotion cards I posted last week. It felt good to be asked. I, for one, like it when the person who created something provides some insight into what they did, be it the technique, the reason for certain images, etc. Ask me questions any time....

Courageous ~ the photo is of a small, cracked glass garden globe. To me, it looks like a planet (I like sci-fi, Star Trek, etc.). It symbolizes the courage to explore and do things one has never done before. The bird in the trees is for the baby birds I've been watching this year as they learn to fly ~ again, courageous in my mind.

Fear ~ of being trapped (the web), of deception/betrayal (the poison), of no freedom/privacy (the eye) and of the unknown (the card).

Gratitude ~ gratitude it very important to me and a part of my daily life. When I was taking various photographs of the garden that day, I was studying this statue and trying to discern what emotion she portrays. Gratitude came to mind, and as it did, it felt right as I was simultaneously grateful for my life and just the blessing of being there in that moment. The attached flower & butterfly are appropriate for the garden scene and add dimension & texture.

Guilt ~ The scan didn't pick this up well. The word is cut from paper that I spray painted with a hammered metal finish so it looks like heavy steel to symbolize how guilt weighs a person down. The golden bottom layer is a polished stone technique using alcohol inks on glossy photo paper. It has a bit of a fiery/flame look I think and could represent a personal hell. Between the top & bottom layer is a mesh that I darkened to represent bars to reflect how guilt can cage a person.


It's looking to be another beautiful day in central Iowa today. I hope it will be the same wherever you are. Enjoy your day!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

emotion cards





I'm participating in a 4" x 6" Emotion Cards swap in one of the Yahoo Groups I'm in. These are the four cards I created. It was such a fun process ~ coming up with which words I wanted to use & how I wanted to express each of them. While I have nothing against using non-copyrighted images in art and occasionally do, I prefer to use images I've photographed when I can. This allows me to incorporate my interest in photography with my art.

On a personal note & follow-up, the gray hair color I got in May lasted less than a week but thankfully, my hair grows relatively fast. In June I had another 2-3 inches cut so there's only about an inch or so of blond left on the top, which I'll have cut off in August. YAY! My transition will have taken just under a year. And while I love the look of long hair, I'm thoroughly enjoying the ease of short, wash-n-go hair. I just may keep it short for awhile...