link love

• Think you have a secret? PostSecret will make you think again.
  

• Get stampede with "low brow and contemporary art" at My Love for You...
  

• I am always delighted to find freebies. HERE is something to have fun with!

bits and pieces into art

Collage making appears simple, and on some levels it is a simple process: all you need is scraps of paper, glue, scissors. On another level collage making is not as simple as it seem. There is much to consider : how much of paper, color, images etc. is too much, how much is too little, what too add, what to subtract, when it is enough, when to leave it alone ? Too many elements and collage looks like a hodge-podge of paper bits glued together, but something can be missing from the most minimalist arrangement as well.

So, yeah, I can spend some time under the spell of collage making, and come out after a few hours as out of the fog… and all there will be is a result that hopefully appears effortless, and even humorous to a degree.

My collage experience started a few years back as a prep-step for paintings, sort of a sketch in paper. And then they evolved, and became an expression in their own right. I use letters, numbers, and sometime images. Sometime I paint over the backgrounds as well. This latest batch that I am working on is a continuation of my collages of “Letters and Numbers” series.

snapshots of today

A few remaining leaves cling to the trees, just to fly away with every gust of wind. Dressed in gold and crimson, they are pirouetting down in the last dance. Indian Summer: days of sunshine and blue sky. Sun is going down. Tang of smoke is in the air. Night is falling. Winter is coming.

happy day

One of those amazing days when things go the way they suppose to, and all the tasks get done: high energy, effortless productivity, song in the heart, and bounce in the step day! In addition to kicking weedy butts of weedy weeds in my weed patch (yep, garden clean-up), I also decided not to wait for studio to be finished and commandeered dining room table for creative pursuits. Four collages backgrounds so far, and will work on them some more tomorrow. And the day is not over yet: there are things to do, and people to see... and wine to drink. I can only hope for a repeat performance tomorrow.

new year

Here I am, six days into the New Year, and yes, you heard that right. My own personal New Year starts on November 1st.

Some time ago I decided that I stress too much around the calendar turn of the year: I was starting to dislike everything that was represented by countdown, midnight strike of the clocks, resolutions that were made then abandoned, and bothered by vague feelings of betrayal when all that newness went away into the details of the daily grunge. No more.

Companies and institutions allowed having fiscal year that is not necessarily corresponds to the calendar year, and I decided I would do something of the sort – move myself to the Druid's calendar. It is working out rather well, because it is so much easier to transition without giving it too much though. No one is making resolutions on November 1st, so there is no pressure of involuntarily committing to one or two of your own. There is a party, Halloween, and I think it is a much nicer one to participate in (or to ignore) – there are treats, and crazy costumes involved. Mythical implications are much more interesting – Druids believed that fabric of reality that separates us from the world of spirits is thinnest on October 31st, making November 1st sometime a surprise in terms of awakening.

Yeah, I am pretty happy with this little re-arrangement of my personal holiday reality. And there is another one that is coming up that I am not going to stress about ether – Winter Solstice! And as far as those feelings of new beginnings go: I strangely feel that way every day lately – every one is a gift.

abstracted 2

vieques collage 1

1. vivid, 2. crabby, 3. tangle 3, 4. man on the moon -- sandy rendition, 5. Sun Bay beach, 6. he sells sea shells, 7. local architecture, 8. self-portrait with sea foam, 9. pretty in green

photo sorting day

Sun is shining today, and it is a lovely day out there ... it may not be tropical paradise, but it is home.

This morning finds me sorting through photos. I am trying very hard to get through as many of them as possible, because if I don't do it now, or soon, they will be sitting in one of the files. So, photos first.

While on the holiday I was able to use my cell to post, but there was no way for me to upload photos. I did it once by borrowing a computer and posting a batch in flickr, but majority of my vacation posts ended up "photoless". I would like to go back and add some of my photos to match some of the previous posts, but I think it will change the dates of the posts in feeds. If you ever see that happening (feed dates different from post dates), it is because I went in later into my posts to add photos, or to correct spelling errors, or something like that.

In any case, I am going back to sorting through photos! And it is an exciting part for me. Our holiday was full, and busy, and wonderful, and lazy as well, relaxing... I get to re-visit this past week in pictures and walk on the beach in my mind once again. Those shared memories will be making an appearance later this afternoon.

On solid ground once again, and ready to reunite with my computer! I am avoiding looking around on the drive home. I am sure yard covered in leaves will be shock enough in the light of morning, and a far cry from lush Vieques. But at the end of the day, it is nice to be back home.

early bird

...catches a sunrise. Waking up at the crack of dawn was never my thing to do, but I found myself up with the roosters in the past few days. Natural rhythms here seem easier to adjust to -- catching the cool of the morning, then moving indoors for the hottest time of the day, and then back out in the evening. I am watching sky now, as it lightens up: from dark to pearl grey, then delicate blue. Village of Esperanza is waking up. And I have to go and pack for the trip back home today. There is still a little time for a last walk on the beach and a few photos.I really don't want to leave.

sun and sand

Up at dawn, and off to the beach. We were soaking sunshine with a desperation of two Midwesterners getting ready for a long grey winter. I have noticed how just one week of being constantly out and about made a big difference - we are both healthier, and leaner from our endless walks.

tipping point

This is one of those days when I started to count down toward the end of our vacation. We have tomorrow yet, and then just a fraction of Wednesday. And while we realize that remaining time is limited, we are determined to take advantage of each available moment.

I wondered today if people living here take this incredible island living for granted, and the answer is that they likely do... Perhaps thinking that all of it will still be here tomorrow... Well, the best of today was not taken for granted, and tomorrow will be lived to the fullest as well. That's the best any of us can do.

island living 2

Happy New Year, all druids big and small!

I am still playing LOST on my favorite island. I am sort of connected at the moment, but only to an extend of small snippets... I am still not able to post any photos.

And another month brings a question, once again, about every day posting. Should I ? I think I will. I think I will continue till the end of the calendar year. And will take this next two month to start those changes I talked about this summer rolling.

But for a few days yet I am going to enjoy this slower pace. No thinking about the future, or past... It is all about now -- silver sand, silver fish...