Shelter Me

This is the third in a series of Inner/Journey self portraits. I began in early November and finishing this one today. 24"x36" canvas, acrylic and collage. The first was "Altar for Miriam", "Crown of the Wind" and this one "Shelter Me". The size was not my favorite but I seemed to have gotten over that discomfort. I wrote the word Shelter in silver and there are Hebrew words from my old calendar. I added a photo of an ancient stone bench, a tree, a road and an ancient circular Hebrew calendar. The two birds were from another much older work and the moon is paper with gold and silver sewing. I wouldn't have the colors any other way, nor the shapes...this one gave me less lingering doubts...it feels like my sheltered self and I'm pleased with the green stone shapes as they are a trigger for the cold green stone of my favorite meditation exercise.

I've cleaned up the studio and placed a large (for me) 48"x48 " paper attached to a larger piece of masonite onto my easel. I don't know too much on this next series but I do know I will begin with charcoal and then white and black gesso....I do know I will use soft pastel but how much or what colors or shapes as yet to be decided...this will be a challenge for me as I haven't used pastel for years and never this large. The thought of the new work gives my heart a rattle but then where would the challenge be if not for one or two tricky monkey desires?ha

On New Year's Eve I'll layout a Tarot reading for myself and that will be the topper to all my writing and soul searching for the new year...I'll be sure to share in the next post! Cheers everyone....Happy New Year!!! 2010!!!

Back to the Inward/Journey

24"x36" canvas, acrylic, cloth and paper collage. This is the second in a proposed four of Inward/Self Portraits. I relied in the beginning on the meditation and journal suggestion: Crowned child of the wind which has resulted in the title "Crown of the Wind". For this piece I was looking for essence, the spirit of my child within...this essence that I have been dragging around for years and years, finding ways to create joyfully. I studied Tamayo's work and began with a large piece of charcoal and paper towels. Eyes closed, left handed I was hoping to fill the entire space. Thirty drawings, no, no, no wiping with my towel over and over until this head seemed okay and then the body, legs and arms followed. I used an old tea towel for this doll like dress, the crown is lace used as a stencil and her heart a clock reading midnight. I related to the story of Cinderella as a small child having a bossy sister and also loved the stories of Raggedy Ann. The color began in reds and then to a turquoise with the addition of a favorite of mine, soft yellow. I like her, she speaks of my childhood dolls and digging back over 50 years into my childhood and who I was early on and how I became me now was a messy job involving mending and gluing and remembering.

I'm deciding to finish this series with three pieces instead of four, combining the suggested titles into one. I have a slice of a moon with hand sewing that I had made close to 15years ago and I think that will be my beginning point. I have some large abstracts in my head calling me so for right now I will do only three. This has been a rich experience this inward journey...a taking stock with so many memory connections. There was a wonderful topic on Kick It Up a Notch...Advice to a Younger Self. My take on the subject is that I am the exact result I need to be from all my life experiences and choices...granted they were not all great and many misguided but all in all the threads (good and bad) have nicely weaved themselves into me and my life. Anyone taking stock lately? Greeting the person you never imagined? Or in the place you could have never known? These three pieces, I hope will be my statement of "Here I Am".