Inspire me

I have always been one who enjoys the process of creating. From early on, I loved to do lots of art type things. In college, I always took the classes that guaranteed that I would be able to create and use my words to show what I had learned.

During my ministry in Illinois, I discovered a new creative muse. I discovered paint and chalk and charcoal. I began to pour my devotions and my thoughts and my passions onto canvas and paper. I loved the creative process. Much of my art was feelings I had toward God, feelings I had toward myself. I began to want to explore different parts of the paint and see just what it would do when I combined colors and textures. How could the piece come alive?

Every artist at one time or another wants to paint "pretty" landscapes. We want to fully embrace the realism and thought process to recreate a photo of whatever the landscape is. I thought I wanted this. I was working on a series of pictures for Painting II that I knew had to be landscapes. The first one sucked. It just wasn't working. It was not a good piece and I knew it. I also knew that with oil paints, it wasn't gettin any better.

The second piece which is pictured above started out beautifully. I loved the way everything flowed together and really was what I wanted. Then I got to the stupid tree. It frustrated me and made me hate the WHOLE painting. Then I did it. In a fit of frustration, I put the brushes up and grabbed a pallette knife and just started smearing colors on top of colors. I blended colors, removed colors -- basically took alot of frustration out on this poor "pretty" landscape. While I did it, I HATED it. But, when I finished I understood alot more about my discovery and alot more about my need for expression through art.

Art is soothing to me. I love how artists can put their whole soul into something show a window to the world of that artist. Most times I would start my work and it would never end up where I had envisioned it. That was all part of the discovery of myself and my thoughts.

Now, I knit. I love the creation of pieces that I can give to others. I usually stick to small pieces. I love the colors and textures that can be created through 2 needles and yarn. This past month I was a part of a swap (think buying something for someone you don't know and you get something from someone else who has stalked you.) This time I was fortunate to have a "stalker" who instead of knitting me a handmade item, created yarn just for me. She dyed yarn in colors of the harvest and autumn just for me to now put my creativity into. That is a beautiful thing. I love to caress the yarn and dream of what it will become... it is all part of the creative process. (the pic of the yarn is what was created just for me. It is merino silk fingering weight yarn. Still dreaming for a bit on what it will become.)