The Lure Of Pure Color

Color is intoxicating to me. Like many artists I know, there is an attraction to color that is difficult to describe. Often, I tend to believe that our brains are wired differently, especially when it comes to our eyes. For the past week I have had the flu...then pink eye...and still, the energy is completely zapped from me even though I am on the mend. During days like this I don't quite feel up to tackling a huge canvas so I turn to writing and photography. It is much easier to stay in bed, paint with my pen, and use my camera phone to capture color and light when it floods in my windows.

This particular morning the sun was glorious, I was pretty wiped out, so I just sat for a few hours watching the light dance in and out of my window. Words really didn't come freely at first so I took a deep breath, honored the fact that I felt like road kill, and gave my brain the freedom to move my pencil without much thought. The writing below is what flowed and after I stopped to read, to consider, to pray with gratitude, the magnitude of how much color affects my spirit became obvious. 

"I succumb to color, and light, and the wind dancing them from petal to petal to petal on any given day. It is not the paleness that attracts , that seduces, that lures , but the bold, unexpected flood of hues and light which rush my senses, overcomes me, rattles my core and its core. There may come a day or time or reality where this reactive pull and pull no longer takes hold and on that day, that very moment in which it arrives, my spirit shall dim. For if I am not allowed the deliciousness of color and light and the marriage of the two, to wreak havoc on my soul, my spirit, my very life, then life for me would darken. I would become but a cog in the wheel of an unbearable life." morning pages of Ardith Goodwin


As much as I love to paint, I also love to paint pictures with words, and this reminds me to be grateful to not only enjoy color, but appreciate being able to express myself creatively with words as well. The big guy upstairs gave me the gift of creativity, but when I see images such as this, I humbly stop and with a big ole grin, realize He is leaps and bounds ahead of me on that one. 

Regardless of the body, my spirit was jubilant this morning because color and light flooded my world. These images are of the bottles that line my window. When I feel gloomy I can't help but be reminded of the intoxicating, healing vibe that color gives me. Hope they make you smile too, :) 

Here's to healthier days ahead! 

Project 52+ Week 3

Textures and abstract patterns fascinate me in mixed media and I decided to adjust my photography passion to blend the best of both worlds. Here are two images, both taken with my Galaxy Nexus, and manipulated using the  Google+ Creative Kit! This program is very similar to Picnik and I love its ease of use and options. I look forward to the challenge this year of pushing the envelope abstractly when it comes to photography and textures. So far the experience has been interesting.


On a Pinterest note, I am part of a community board that shares Design Pins. These pins celebrate the beauty of well thought out design, creativity, and function. If you are a lover of fine design with products, you might consider following our board, created by Zina Harrington, over on Pinterest! Here is an example of one of the products pinned to the Design Is Everything Board.

rocking chairs design by other metros architect marija cvetinovic

Can Art Change the World?

I was recently interviewed by Art is Moving and they asked me this question: Is art moving and can it change the world? My answer was this:

"If it's not then I don't know what is and yes....it changes the world every moment of every day. When an artistic idea is born, the world is changed. When it is shared, an energy is created around us and we move and interact within it. Socially, humans interpret the world differently, but within the same context of being artistically natured. Nature itself is art, and as nature evolves, so do we and how we respond to it. Art is so varied, as we all are, but within that variety we share much of the same urges and desires to express ourselves....and art is a natural form of that expression. I may not love, agree with, or find certain forms of art appealing, and some may even be offensive to my personal sensibilities, but as an artist, I can appreciate them for being created and adding to the beautiful collective conscience we all share. It's the sharing that's the key in my opinion. As art is shared, opinions are formed, they develop into beliefs, and the beliefs are then acted upon. It's a lovely system to be a part of, simplistically complicated, but aren't we all?"

I woke up this morning thinking again about that question, reading over my answer, and realizing I was quite content with it. I wouldn't take anything away, but I will share an addition, or should I say, a passion of mine, related to it. 

Over the past 9 years I have had the beautiful experience of watching art transform me into the person I am today. When I had to give up teaching, I felt my world had collapsed on itself, and it took me a long time to crawl out from under that belief. Art was something I enjoyed, so I turned to it in hopes that I could find some sanity while my body began to heal. Little did I know that it would become a way of life for me. I had no clue that it would awaken the spirit of creativity within me, I simply thought I would spend some time painting or drawing to take my mind off of the medical nightmares I was living through. And, I am grateful to God that he chose to use art to help heal all those parts of me that were so dark, and there were many. 


Living in the light is the way I would prefer to label my days now, and art has been a channel for that light to shine in me and through me. My passion, my dream, is to be able to use that creativity to touch others, to show them that no matter where they are on their journey, that art can be used to make that journey more beautiful. I can't bring myself to simply be an artist for profit. So, in the context of can art change the world: Yes, one person at a time. And when one shares their creativity, their inspiration with another, it lights a fire that can't be extinguished. I hope in my lifetime my actions cause the world to be ablaze with it. 


Here are few new pieces I have been working on. I love, love, love it when art tells a story. Shakespeare wrote the play, "Much Ado About Nothing" which I found beautiful and hilarious. I chose that text as my background in this mixed media piece, "Beatrice Pulled A Fast One," because her sharp wit was so fresh and entertaining throughout the play. 

Because I am of course, obsessed  with doll parts, LOL, I worked with some unconventional doll forms in photography. I would have loved to share this with a class of students and had them write about these "Fruit Beings" and their adventures. 

(All Images copyright of the artist)