Sometimes we have to allow ourselves to be different

There are times when I'm writing, when I channel an experience or a voice that isn't mine, but that I take ownership of in the name of creativity. To do that, I have to suspend my sense of identity and give my self permission to be different.

Sometimes when I'm in my studio, the same thing happens. I find myself drawn to colors, form, and expression that are not "me" in the conventional way. I almost didn't post this latest set of cards because I wasn't sure anyone would like them, but why not give people a chance to love them or hate them or remain undecided? If you feel limited by the beautiful but homogenized designs you find in the stationery aisle, my cards provide another option.

This series of abstract cards is all about mood and not about suiting a specific occasion, transmitting a specific image, or confining an idea with words.

The beauty of abstract art is that what it means and the response it conjures is determined almost entirely by the viewer and not by the artist.

Abstract art asks open-ended questions: What do you see? How do you feel? What do you think about it?

These one-of-a-kind cards offer a bold and different experience to the sender and the recipient. They could be thank you notes or a birthday card for a teenager, the perfect card to say "I'm sorry"  or a way to convey to someone just how original you think they are.

These cards feature a small acrylic painting on canvas-textured paper enhanced with mixed media and mounted on embossed heavy cardstock. They are 4.25" x 5.5" and have a substantial feel. The set of four comes with silky white envelopes. Colors may vary slightly from what you see on your monitor. Created in a smoke-free environment, they are shipped first class mail in a padded mailer.

The $20 price includes shipping and handling. Send an e-mail to veronica@v-grrrl.com with shipping information and when you receive order confirmation, you may pay here:

Back in action

Slowly but surely, I find my heart on a new but familiar path. Each day I find a bit more of my former self emerging, strengthening, stepping more fully into life.

I returned to my studio for the first time in weeks and made some cards using paper I had painted quite some time ago:

I made a series of these, each with the same overall format but a different word and embellishments. I love the soft edges and colors in my painted background paper. To me they suggest a bank of dreamy hydrangeas in the summer dusk.

I've been enjoying new music too, continuing to expand my collection of country and Americana music with this set by Court Yard Hounds, a duo formed by Emily Robison and Martie McQuire of the Dixie Chicks:

The two sisters crafted storytelling songs and easy melodies. The overall effect is mellow, and many of the tracks sound a bit like Sheryl Crow with some twang. There's a nice collaboration featuring Jakob Dylan as well.

I've also been seduced by a book that most people have already heard of and many have read. I may be the last to the party here, but I tend to favor non-fiction and poetry, so when I jump into a novel, it's news. The book I'm reading is The Time Traveler's Wife, an intriguing and inspiring love story that follows a couple whose relationship unfolds in multiple dimensions at once. Its premise is fresh and original, as is the writing and the structure. The story is touching without being sentimental and is told from the point of view of the two lead characters. The film, with Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana, is worth watching as well.

Behind the scenes, I have some professional work unfolding that I'm excited about. On the homefront, we're enjoying a lull in the kids' activities as the spring sports seasons have wrapped and the school year is drawing to a close. Soon there will be tennis lessons and summer camps and travel, but for now, there's a chance to catch our breath and recharge and there's no finer place to do that than at home. My Man is a gardening guy and he has outdone himself this year. The yard is incredible, bursting with flowers and foliage, color and texture. He has plans to install a lighted pond with a waterfall in the landscape--his next big project. He's happiest when he's outside with a hoe or a shovel or a hose or a pair of canvas gloves, and lucky me, I get to enjoy all the natural beauty he cultivates all day, every day. It's a gift that keeps on giving.

What's good in your world these days?

Finding joy in my cards

I had painted a centerpiece for a card featuring the word Joy and then was stymied what to do with it. Mat it on a plain card? Paint a background for it?

I decided to use a new set I'd bought from Stampin' Up to stamp/paint delicate flowers onto a yellow background. This seemed the best way to create something that would match the Asian lettering, watercolor effects, and happy mood of my centerpiece.

I spent quite a bit of time making the background, laid my bit of Joy on it and  realized it was not going to work. The centerpiece and the background weren't compatible. They weren't speaking the same visual language. *Sigh*

Now I had two design dilemmas. My "Joy" still did not have a home, and I had no clue what my yellow background with flowers was calling into being.

I stared at the long-stemmed wildflowers and "listened" to see if I could hear what they were saying. Suddenly the words came to me:

Voila! Merci to Monsieur Proust. Now I was happy but what about Joy? ; )

I examined my Joy again. I tried matting it on red and on gray but that didn't work.  I realized that Joy is best in the shadow of a little blue. I found the perfect shade of cardstock. It reminded me of twilight, the space between day and night.

Now I needed something to bridge my centerpiece to that blue background.

Digging through my paper collection, I discovered a robin-egg blue patterned bit of paper that spoke to me of possibility, of spring after a long winter. Not only did it tie my green and blue cardstock together, it also honored my Asian lettering. I liked the surprising color combination. Joy rediscovered! 

 

Compost Studios motto

Card making

Sometimes I wander repeatedly into my studio, pull out supplies, consider ideas, and make absolutely nothing. Writing comes easily to me but making art does not. I often feel blocked and uncertain. I'm still learning to just open up to the process and move forward even when I don't know where I'm going. This card was the result of forcing myself to stay in the chair at my studio table and push myself a bit. It incorporates bits and pieces from previous projects.