Hot , hot, hot...

Did I mention that it's hot up here these days? I swear after every seemingly endless winter that I will not complain about summer weather, but the humidity wrecks me. I just can't function well in it... and Max agrees. Here he is, enjoying the very early morning sun, at about 6:30 am, before the oppressive heat of the day descends upon us and sends us moping into our air conditioned home. Of course, the good thing about spending time indoors on such a sunny day is that I will get lots of artwork and housework done, without feeling guilty about being inside. I am planning a class called charm school, making mixed media charms, which I'll be teaching in July at Art Connection -- if you're a local who hasn't visited my friend Melanie's store and mixed media studio, I hope you find time to do so this summer. It's a wonderful place to hang out and escape the heat while taking a class or just renting studio time to work on your own projects...everything -- mixed media, to beading, quilting, stamping and scrapbooking!!!

Green...

Somerset Studio has an upcoming theme simply called "green." I LOVE green. As a color category, it is my favorite, with sooo many luscious variations. So I played around with this digital collage of my favorite color. I began by going out into the courtyard at my office, which, in summer, is a true celebration of the color green. I snapped some digital pictures of the various green shrubs, ferns, plants and ground cover, and then created this collage... I may not be done with it yet, but I'm posting it in its current state. The transparent layers include a collaged greeting card made with mosaic squares and lots of texture.

Desire. ask, believe, receive

When you have a chance, check out the July-August issue of Somerset Studio... All 160 pages are luscious, as usual, but I am a bit partial to pages 88 to 91, where my article appears! There's also a wonderful project in the Melange section by Misty Mawn, one of my favorite artists, and just so many pages of great art inspired by and made with nature.


I have been doing a lot of reading lately that focuses on the power of our thoughts and feelings and intentions to manifest our destiny (The Secret, for one), and I really believe that we have the power, through positive thought and meditation, combined with action, to reach our goals, improve our health, and to simply attract all the good this Universe has to offer. My little article is the first in what I hope are many intentions that become reality for me as I try to attract the life I've always wanted.

Desire - Think about what you want - specifically - imagine it
Ask - Ask for it, out loud or in writing. Declare it to yourself and to others and make it real.
Believe - From the moment you ask, believe that it is yours. It is manifesting itself and will find its way to you.
Receive - Be open to the possibilities. Be alert and aware so that you recognize it when it appears.

May all of your wildest dreams come true.

"Fiddling" around...

Today I made this digital collage with the image that I found on my daily dog walk last week. I don't play any musical instruments, but I love their forms, especially stringed instruments. As a child, I wanted to play guitar, (it was the early 70s, and I thought it would be way cool), but I was left-handed and my small Catholic school had very limited offerings in the music department. I was not liberated enough to consider the drums at that age -- not to mention my father probably would have sent me to boarding school if he had to come home to drum practice in the evenings!

For musicians and many other artists, the tools of the trade are often as much a work of art as the sounds or forms they create.

My May Ta Da List

A humble ta-da list this month...

I begin each month with a reference to my first ta-da list for anyone who may be stumbling upon my blog for the first time..
http://kerriposson-artist.blogspot.com/2007/01/my-ta-da-list.html

This month, I am feeling a bit humbled and cautious about what I choose to reveal on my list. I did not make the kind of progress that I have been making steadily this year, and I am in a bit of a funk about a project that I announced on a previous list that might not work out as I had expected. This has taught me about the chance you take when you reveal yourself in a public forum. I won't say anymore about it now, because I don't have a definitive answer yet. I am also just in one of those moods, the kind where I am a sponge for the troubles of those around me and I realize I can't make the whole world happy. Not the best mental place to be in while writing this list, which is supposed to make me feel that I am not spinning my wheels as an artist.

These are the creative pursuits I accomplished this month...

read book - Life of Pi by Yann Martel (heartbreaking and beautiful)
read book - S is for Silence by Sue Grafton -- I've read every one of her alphabet mysteries.. if you remotely like this genre, it's like candy ... and I love her detective - Kinsey Millhone, who cuts her own hair and owns one black dress - a good entertaining read. I hope to own a first edition collection someday.
planned & taught class for the local senior center
participated in ATC swap (sea dreams theme)
submitted journal pages for possible publication in a book about art journals
helped my soap-making friend with packaging for an upcoming event
designed a fan & teabag sleeve for my sister, who's planning "fif-tea" birthday party for a friend
designed a wedding program/fan for my stepdaughter's upcoming wedding