Lighthouse

Lighthouse 8.5 x 8.5 in acrylic

I love lighthouses.  Whether it is the reality that they show weary and lost travellers where they ought to go (or not go) or because they are often engineered to withstand the ravages of time and weather is always an inspiration to me.  I want to be a lighthouse...and very often I long for someone or something to be a lighthouse for me.  It would be so nice if I could rely on something to stop me from breaking against the rocks that will send my life crashing into a thousand little pieces of flotsam and jetsam. 

There have been a few lighthouses in my life and not always the ones I expected.  I've talked with complete strangers and found something wonderful in the most unlikely places.  I have talked to friends and felt like I had come home.  There are times when I read a book and it changed my life.  

In reality, we might not all be sea faring folk but the hazards that come with living a full and happy life can be dangerous sometimes.  It is always good to know that wherever we might walk there was someone there before and they have left a little warning to tell us what to avoid and where to go.  Perhaps in time, I will be the one others look to for that flash of insight or that steady glow but until then, I might just have to keep collecting the lighthouses I like.

Reston Lloyd Rectangular Stove Burner Covers, Set of 2, Lighthouse

Take a Chance

take a chance 8.5 x 8.5 in mixed media

I have made a life out of being cautious to the point of failing to do anything at all.  Taking risks, taking chances or even considering that there are things out there I might want to know about makes my heart skip a beat...then stop.  I thought I could be less afraid if I started a blog and told other people what I was thinking and what I was doing.  I realised that I only show the safe things...the good things.

Relax, I;m not about to start washing my dirty laundry out in public and making everyone slightly uncomfortable.  But maybe I will take a chance and try out for an open mic night or do a painting that isn't safely classified as an art journal page.  Who knows, I might get back to my writing and actually try and get something published.

So many risks to take and so little heart to do them in.  I'm going to have to face my fears.  I just wish that wasn't one of the many chances I have to take.

Beauty's Mark

 

Beauty's Mark 8.5 x 8.5 in acrylic and pen

A background + impromptu poem = art page

This is what I got when I wasn't looking.  I had the page for a while and didn't know what to do with it.  I would have let it fall into disuse always labeling it as an unused background then I figured I could do something with it...it didn't matter what.  Then I started talking about something and kept going until the page was full and this is what I got.

Someone I showed it to said the swirls made him feel dizzy.  I can't be sure but there is an element of it.  But then again, I just wanted to do something different.  This definitely qualifies.

The Paradox

The paradox 8.5 x 8.5 in watercolour and pen

I first heard this quote in an episode of Criminal Minds.  I love the show even though for the most part it showcases the worst of humanity.  There is something oddly right about having the good gus win...and something even better when they are smark, sexy people who get to carry guns.

But enough about that...I like that they always show how everything in life is really a remake.  Even when we look at all the things people can do to each other, there is always some other person who has spoken of it before.  It makes me wonder what creativity really is.  If we are simply redoing and remaking what has already been done, can we truly be original? 

I think perhaps for that I would have to rely on another smart persons quote for it is C.S. Lewis who said, "Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it."

Faith and Love

faith and love 8.5 x 8.5 in acrylic (with a few embellishments)

There is something interesting about planning.  I always have expectations of how things are going to work.  I sit down and think of it and I start putting it together...then it goes however it wishes.  The strange thing is the same thing doesn't happen when I refuse to plan.  When there is no plan, it goes exactly how I want it to go and yet ends up absolutely nowhere.  Can you understand my frustration?

Luckily, this one - even with out working as I had expected - turned out alright.  Plus, I truly believe what Dwight Moody said.  After all, without the faith that anyone was reading this blog, I would have nothing at all to say.  And without the love I have for what I do, I would not get out of bed. 

Heart & Sun

heart 3.5 x 3.5in acrylic on paper

sun 3.5 x 3.5 in acrylic on paper

Could one throw together a picture for the sake of it?  Never thought I would but here is an example.  I had a page set up for Zentangles then got bored after four.  With two squares left, I found it easier to use the excess paint from other attempts and do these two lovely little tit-bits.  I should have tried a little harder but they weren't supposed to be ART.  I figure if I ever want to do something like that again, I'll have to put a little more effort, if not a little more thought.

Back from the Dead-ish

I couldn't remember how I dealt with internet issues BEFORE I got a personal computer and an internet hook up at home.  But with no clear view of a life with a working PC at home any time soon, I decided to rack my brain and get back into action.  So I'm doing my best with cyber cafes and share computers.  It's not the best...but its better than nothing.  On top of that...I might just have  plan that will sort this out forever!