I love to organize things. Like...really LOVE it. I am constantly thinking of ways to re-organize my classroom, my home studio- MY LIFE to make it more efficient and visually calming. I love organizing closets, don't get me started. So much so that I volunteer to organize my friends' closets- for real. (JESS, LET ME IN THAT CLOSET!!) I really find joy in re-ordering a space to make it neater, more functional and bonus if I can do it on a budget, which is always a goal of mine. Looking back on it, I know that my love for organization comes from the way I grew up. Things were kind of crazy sometimes, much of my early childhood it was just me and mom. We stayed in all kinds of places, single wide trailers, with friends, in apartments...we didn't always have money- we really never did. Mom made sure that I had everything I needed, I was always fed and my clothes were matched...but we struggled. The house I lived in when I was in high school was a small rental house with no central heating and air. We just didn't always have nice things, so I learned from an early age that I could improve my surroundings by cleaning and re-organizing. If I had a dollar for every time I 're-decorated' or moved things around when mom was at work, so excited to show her every single little change that I had made...then I could have bought us nicer things, nicer places to live. I wish I could have done that for my mom. In many ways I think in my mind I identified with Pollyanna and Shirley Temple's character from the Little Princess. Both characters always super positive in the face of adversity, relying on their enthusiasm and creativity, their imaginations to make the best out of any situation. It's funny how you realize these things later in life. I still find so much joy in my small cleaning and organization projects. My mom is all the way up in North Carolina, so now I drag John in to see 'come see what I did'. He knows how much I love it, and it is my way of creating calm, finding peace, staying in tune with my inner Pollyanna, my inner Sara. My first summer project for the past few years has been organizing my studio space (seriously, its a 'thing'. Here is another blog post about when I first set this space up!). There were already pockets of sanity, but not enough, and it was just too chaotic and visually over stimulating. I needed to calm it down. And of course, maximizing the space is always a goal. So, here is what I started with (top)and the final product (bottom); This is what the space looks like if I pull out one of my hidden table for extra work space. I have two hidden :) And here are some detailed pics with a little more information; It feels like a much more calm, organized place. Much of the items I already had, I just moved them around. The other items I bought with coupons when possible. The nice thing is that more of the storage/furniture items could be used somewhere else, like in a closet, or even in my classroom if I need a change. I am always thinking about how to better use items that I already have. I am excited about my summer creating in this re-vamped space. ...and Mackie, well...he's excited about sleeping in the warm sunny spots. So I guess that means it really IS a calm, relaxed space! In memory of the Pulse Nightclub shooting victims in Orlando, Florida.
“Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.” -Maya Angelou So, I am going to start on a (personal) high note...
THANK YOU so much, Daniel...I seriously CANNOT wait!! More to come o...but in the meantime- look at the space!!!!! Often times my daily art pieces will have little bits of what is happening in my life. The past few days are no exception, as shown in the images below. Let's see...it was raining cats (and cats!)...I made a piece to show my excitement for my show in Sunrise...and then the last piece, I was kinda daydreaming, feeling a little lazy.
Been holding out on posting my first images in the series because I keep going back into them, adding more values...a pattern, a whisker, more details...anyway, here they are; Not going to write much more for today...but I do want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY in heaven, Amy. I don't care if you would have been 38 or 83, I won't ever forget to wish you happy birthday.
When I finish a series I am always a little relieved, excited...and stressed. Stressed because I know that means that I will need to think up my next theme. Back when I first started doing the whole 'daily art thing' it was all thanks to a fun web site I found, http://creativeeveryday.com/._ This is a fun, free, on-line community of artists making art- every day. I used to stick to the suggested monthly themes but as the years have gone by I have started making my own themes for myself based on something that I am interested in at the time, or events that will happen that month that I can somehow connect to my art. I forget that I can check out those suggested themes if I ever get stuck...so I just usually stress at the end of the month. So last night, I was lying on the floor of my studio- which is something I have been doing kinda frequently. (See, I am re-organzing my creative space so I still have a huge pile of stuff I don't want to deal with, so that is pushed to the side while I contemplate the best, most efficient way to organize everything that also helps maintain the 'inspiration' and joy I feel in my studio...so...I get overwhelmed...I sit in my desk chair and look around...I spread out on the floor with my cats trying to figure it all out) Which brings me back to the floor...and to the cats. They are staring at me- I am staring back at them. Nothing is happening. Fast forward to 4:30 this morning when I wake up and think to myself- 'that's it! CATS!' I rolled over and checked on-line and, sure enough, there is even an official tie-in for the month of June- its National Adopt a Cat Month. Seriously, it's like...a real thing. I saw it on the interwebs and everythang, and here are a few links; I'll get into Mackie and Scooter's history sometime later this month...and my love for felines in general...but in the meantime I combed through my artwork from the past few years and found the following cat-relevant works; The specifics...like what material(s)...sizes...general idea for how I want these to look- no idea. Still thinking that part over. I did stop by and visit a special place here in Palm Beach County today to discuss how my cat art might help some local kitties...more on that as it develops.
In the meantime, a cat meme to buy me some time... Well...I finished up my May 2016 'Dance' themed series. I have mixed feelings about the series. I like the overall consistency of color and for the most part the style- in the photo collage below the images aren't in order, but in chronological order there is a little bit more 'flow'. For the most part the images are full dancer forms, simplified with drips and fun watercolor spots. I included the 'yellow ribbon' in most of the pieces, again thinking to myself of that idea of dance connection people together, and connecting movement to music; Two that stand out a little bit are the ones I made when John and I were up north in Cocoa Beach and Daytona Beach to see Willie Nelson and just to get away for a bit. I was thinking about the beach, about pairing a pointe shoe and a flip flop in the sand for the ballerina beach bum...then a pointe shoe and cowboy boot for the gal that does the boot scootin' boogie on her toes. Two more that stand out a little because the colors don't stick with the overall color scheme are the two last pieces in the series, completed on Memorial Day and the day after. I went with red, white and blue for obvious reasons and then decided to complete one more in the same color scheme so the piece wouldn't be lonely; I ended up focusing only on ballet for the series, even though I did reference some contemporary dance images...I always ended back to the ballet. In some ways I wish I would have explored different forms of dance within the series...but then again I kinda like having thirty-one images dedicated just to ballet...with the option to go back into the series and create pieces based on more styles of dance...or even revisit the idea in an entirely new series...
I had also hoped to actually drop in on a dance class...something for myself during this month but with the end of the year...and some traveling...it just didn't happen. I did dance to some Willie Nelson, so I'll count that! |
AuthorArtist and Art Teacher
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