Welcome Spring!

Hello to anybody's who's still out there! Are you ready for a new season? 

It's time for some spring cleaning, time to put something new on this page. Meanwhile, I'm just getting warmed up here with some recycled art. Still digging out from under a mountain of other stuff, other biz since the last post...Looking forward to what's soon to bloom!

Mini Bouquet

Taking a breather from fall festivities and assorted things that were occupying my mind this past week, today I'm all about the quick and easy, reverting to a "ready- made" from the art files to submit to Illustration Friday. This is one of the comps in a series of mini framed prints I submitted for an assignment a few years back. As I recall, this one was rejected, but some of the others were developed further and eventually made it to market. Unfortunately, I never saw the completed product. This was not the first time and certainly not the last.

The rejection process sounds harsher than it actually is. If I could count all the times my efforts were not accepted for whatever reasons, I'd have huge armloads of the stuff. Oh wait, I do...And this tiny teacup bouquet is just a sampling! ;o)

So here you go, I'm sharing a few blooms with you today. Even if we recognize a few flaws or tatters among the petals, we keep moving along, don't we? Hope your week is filled to the brim with goodness!

Heart

I have to admit that my heart fluttered when I learned that this week's theme over at Illustration Friday would have us rushing to check our pulses for signs of creative life. Thankfully, it wasn't related to actual health concerns. After all, I try to show a bit of restraint when I order that small cone, not double- dipped in chocolate, no matter what either I or the devil desires. ;o)
Motifs associated with hearts and love figure prominently and obviously on Valentine's Day, weddings, anniversaries or any joyful occasion or expression of endearment, so this should be an easy topic to conceptualize!
But I don't intend to go overboard emoting, wear my feelings on my sleeve and get all touchy- feely- kissy- face with this one. Messages sent from beneath the surface are often ambiguous anyway, open to interpretation, good or bad, clear or murky.
Do you see disappointment here in this picture? A sinking heart? Heaven forbid, is love something to constrain, to slowly drown underwater? Or is it something steadily anchored, yet easily let loose from deep within your heart?

Treasure

One Man's Trash is Another Cat's Treasure

Hey all you flea market junkies, thrift shoppers and garage sale addicts out there! Are you the type who can't walk past a great bargain or a see the potential in something that can be repurposed? Do you worship the junker's patron saint, Fred Sanford? Or do you just love to see old objects live out their lives 'til it hurts?

Illustration Friday posted the word and "One man's trash is another man's treasure" immediately came to mind. Not admitting guilt by any means...Ahem. But do you understand how the concept of spring cleaning can morph into a four season, life long affair?

Gotta go now- I have to throw a few things out today. Swing by and see if you'd like any of it! ;o)

Tense

When I was in elementary school many years ago, Friday afternoons were set aside as "Art Days." The whole class was able to put aside all of the books and lessons for a determined amount of time and work on creative projects of a semi- structured nature. That might have been one of the many defining moments when I decided that I might like to pursue art as a career. All the pressure was off, we listened to records (yes real vinyl records, if you can remember those) and immersed ourselves in a "no rules" zone as we began to shut down the week and prepare for a weekend away from our studies.

Continuing with my art studies, I eventually found myself working in the creative field. I know there are people who say that they love working as artists, that when you do something you love, that it's not like working at all. That might be true to a degree, but this Libra gal feels compelled to share a little reality check. Actually, I can write a whole other series of blog entries on this topic, the flip side of all that "play time" but I'll try to keep it brief. While art is fun, it is also work, especially when money is being exchanged. There are sometimes insane deadlines, bills to pay, colleagues, clients and employers (some also insane) and their expectations, all the while juggling assorted family obligations (which always come first) and doing it all with a smile on one's face and with as much grace as can be mustered, even if through gritted teeth. No wonder they call it the daily grind!

Maybe that's what I love about Illustration Friday- The name in itself brings back fond, relaxing memories of "Art Day." No real pressure, all are welcome to participate or not, and nobody gets all bent out of shape when some of us go off on conceptual tangents. For anybody who frequents this blog, they might have noticed that I take that to heart- I don't always post as regularly as I could, sometimes I veer off course, style- wise, and color the way I want, with or without rambling narratives. Today I decided that I was just going to put the obligations aside and paint for the fun of it (minus the vinyl records, but music is playing in the background). The soft gray, introverted mourning dove sitting among the sometimes menacing cactus pads was chosen to illustrate this theme-  Familiar inhabitants of our yards, they seem to like it here, but always appear wary,  a little bit tense and poised to take off, depending on the circumstances.

Hope your "Art Days" are purely for fun!