Mixed-media meditation

I think the latest girl for my class is surely the most in-depth mixed media piece I have ever done. I lost track of the numbers of layers involved with her and I used just about everything you could imagine. Stamps, collage, modeling compound, gold leaf, glass beads, glitter, mica powders, rhinestones, stencils, colored pencils, acrylics, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things. Once I got the initial layers down it turned into a theraputic project. I cant really describe it, but I had some music on and allowed myself to get lost in the process and not overthink anything. I just kept pulling out new things, adding them in and repeating. No worries over misplacement or misuse of material. I think it was a very freeing experience for me. Hopefully I will remember some of that freeness the next time I sit down to do art. I really need to be better about controlling my worries about it being perfect. Really nothing in life is perfect and by striving and failing I allow myself to become stagnant and afraid to make any move.

Here's to getting past our various fears, warranted or not, and finding enjoyment in trying new things.

Have a wonderful week.

She's back!!!!

She's back! My friend and therapist has finally returned and she looks damn good too! Lets go back to May when she left for her spa visit. She had an old crackled finish which covered her beauty. Her keys were chipped and in many cases completely missing. She was tired and scuffed all over on the outside. Inside she seemed to be falling apart more every moment. Not holding a tune like she used to and basically just old and abused. One ugly toad of a man told me to scrap her-there was no hope of fixing her and she was junk. Thankfully my hubby and dad talked some sense into me and I got a second opinion.
I found a lovely woman who looked her over and said "Oh yes, she's fixable" and "I think she's worth it." So much was sorted out here on the home front as far as timing and finances and in May she left for some much needed rejuvinating work. As you can see she got a manicure and a pedicure (with such shiny metallic polish!)

She got her name freshened up over her nails as well with a tattoo that is a replica of the one she wore for so many years. She has some authentic name tags and serial information preserved

inside her.

She had a very nice rest and even got to lay down for a portion of her visit while she had new strings put inside. Nickel plated pins and German hammers restored her voice and she can once again boom with authority. Her face lift is truly a remarkable thing as all her fine lines and age spots have disappeared. She received no stain, just a high gloss laquer finish to allow her beauty to show. And to hear her sing, oh I wish I knew a way to share that with you. She truly is amazing. Her low notes boom and her high notes sparkle. She has an amazing feel when you play her now. She simply springs to life the minute you sit down with her.
So what am I doing taking pictures and posting here? Simply a small break from playing. You see its been 4 months without much practice and while my friend had a nice spa visit, I haven't been restored and my back is complaining after playing her for 4 1/2 hours. I'll be going back for more in just a minute though. I just wanted to allow each of you to see that this story did have a happy ending and share in my joy.

Thanks for stopping by.

Music therapy and an art submission

I did it! I mustered up the courage to submit some art for a magazine challenge. I feel like this is a huge step for me. Its totally fine if nothing comes out of it, but I thought about the challenge, formed my idea, created it, and then did the entire submission process which really isn’t that hard, but had me a little stressed. My art was knee socks for the Belle Armoire challenge. I really want to post the picture of them, but I’m unsure of all the legal parts of that. Is it allowable to post something that you’ve submitted? If anyone knows, please inform me.

In other things life has been ok. I got the $ total for the piano restoration and that was a bit of a shock. It was quite a bit more than I was prepared for. I’m diligently trying to not freak out over that fact. Some moments I even succeed. The symphony last weekend was delightful. It was just what I needed to inspire me. I wish I could capsulate the beauty of the symphony-the whole experience-and open it whenever. I guess then it wouldn’t be so special and would turn into something I take for granted. I also attended an organ recital early in the week. I am an organist, not a very good one, but quite adequate for church music, but I really don’t “love” the organ. I play it because I was a pianist who got asked to do it in high school and has stuck with it and learned the pedaling and such. I find organ concerts tend to give me headaches because of the sheer volume of the instrument. Anyways, the recital was nice and it was rewarding to hear a true organist play with such skill and poise. Attending concerts is my own form of “music therapy” which makes my world such a nicer place.

This weekend is fun, fun, fun as the women of my family gather in a hotel for an overnight adventure. Food, fun, wine and just being surrounded by immeasureable love make this overnight the very best night of the year. I am so excited I can hardly stand it!

OK, todays art. “Focus” was painted after really struggling with my migraines last week. I woke up the morning after a bad one and this came out. Its dark and not very detailed, but something in it speaks of how I feel when I’m experiencing those darn things. Edited: I went back and found Miss KoolAid's art that she left a comment about and I am shocked to see my subconscious immitated her. I hope she takes this as a form of flattery because I certainly didnt mean to copy her. Heck, I can barely remember what I ate for lunch today let alone something I looked at months ago.

The mixed-media collage will be a gift to my aunt. She is attending a womens retreat next weekend. As part of the weekend they asked family members to send in letters saying how that person is important, or great memories with that person, etc. I don’t feel that I’m such a great writer, so I started making her this art instead. She loves kids although she never had any of her own and I included my niece and nephew with her in the art since she loves to single them out at family events and play with them. I used silk flowers, polymer clay (for the flower centers), my paintings of the people, book pages, acrylic paint, and I coated it in beeswax which was really fun to work with.
OK, this is on the long side and I’ve gotta get busy making something. Have a great weekend and be kind to everyone.