Stolen Moments

I've decided that I need moments of creativity every day, or at least nearly every day. 

They can be spontaneous.

They can be brief. 

They can be stolen moments, in the middle of something else. 

Maybe it's picking out my socks

Or arranging the papers on my desk

Perhaps it's a doodle on the edge of a notebook

Or a new solution for a problem

Maybe it's placing a pretty fabric in a splash of sunshine

Or being inspired by someone else's creativity

It doesn't take long, but it does sustain me.

Fiber Artist with a Tea Heart

I am very excited today to share with you tea artwork made by my friend Karen. I know Karen from our local Wu-Wo tea group. Her fabric art is full of color, texture, depth (literal and figurative), and heart. Karen customized these three pieces, and I'm so happy with the results! Keep reading to see the inspiration behind them. 

Karen, the artist

This is the first piece made. Karen invested a lot of time reading through this blog and finding visual cues to my tea life. She glowed like a child with a happy secret when she unveiled the piece.  Did I recognize it?  Slowly, awareness dawned. Yes - I knew this!  Study it for yourself, and then look carefully at the header on this blog.  This artwork is modeled after that exquisite tea leaf set. I was really taken with the attention to detail and the color variation that mirrors the photo. This artwork represents my passion for tea.

This second piece was done after my completion of a women's leadership program, where I learned to lead writing circles (and much more!). Karen designed the colors to pair well with the color of my living room walls. This artwork represents the sacred feminine and my my personal growth. 

The third objet d'art is absolutely inspired.  I knew the general idea, and yet I was completely blown away when Karen presented this to me.  She re-created a photo from my experience in Rwanda.  Go here to see the photo inspiration.  The white on white is so accurate - she even captures the bubbles in the tea! The fabric in the lower left is a souvenir I brought home from Rwanda.  This artwork is all heart. 

Finally, I want to share the three-dimensional aspect of this artwork. I love that the frames are painted and become part of the piece. It's like the art is reaching out to engage with me.

Find more information on Karen's fiber art here.  If you would like an introduction, let me know and I'll connect you!

Gorgeous Tea Cups by Potter Steve Sanchez

Tea cup by Steve Sanchez

A very kind friend recently gave me these tea cups by artist Steve Sanchez.  I am blessed with generous and thoughtful friends!  Love these cups.  The wood firing makes the coloring and patterns so interesting! The thumb impression makes a nice hand hold, and also yields an asymmetrical form  (visual interest). These cups hold a nice amount of tea - not so much that the tea goes cold before I can drink it.  I also like the thickness of the rim.  Again, it's a balance of not too thick or thin.     

Look at the interesting pattern in the bottom of the cup. I believe this is a result of the wood firing.  It's golden and glittery and reminds me of tea leaves.

Functional artwork!

I have not (yet) had the pleasure to meet artist Steve Sanchez, but I am now a fan of his work and look forward to seeing more. Other works by this artist can be found at the Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants.

Public Art, Tea Themed

I love public art!  Imagine my happiness when I found this gem in Portland, near PGE Park.  So cool!

T42

If you're ever at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, be sure to check out the fashion section.  You'll find this great piece!

Public Art

A giant table and chairs near the Farmer's Market. Made of local limestone. I love this one! When you look closely at the scrolling in the chair legs, you'll find all kinds of critters.

I've had cause to assess my hometown in a new context lately. What this has done is made me appreciate the place even more than before, if that were possible. One of the things I've noticed is the prevalence of public art. We have a lot of it here! I love public art because it's accessible to everyone, regardless of socio-economic standing. It amazes us, provokes us, challenges us, soothes us, enlightens us. It reflects us.

Metal artwork with a background of sheet music

Colorful, whimsical animals

What is your favorite public art?

My Weekend, in Doodles

Do you doodle? I do! I often doodle while I'm in meetings or otherwise engaged. As any good teacher knows, it doesn't mean I'm daydreaming. It simply means I'm activating another part of my brain. Perhaps, because of the doodling, I will retain even more. I wish all teachers understood this.

Felted Teacup Pincushion

This amazing felted teacup pincushion came to me from Sweetcakes. I feel so lucky to be surrounded by so many creative friends. You all inspire me!

I think this is one of the most gorgeous tea things I own! Visit Sweetcakes to find more info on how she made it. I think I will set this piece of functional art in a place of honor on my desk.

Etsy Dreamin'

Necklace (and photo) by poetsummer, found on Etsy

I blogged recently about how I was reducing my holiday consumption this year, and I'm sticking to it. But I do like to go window shopping now and then. Here are my favorite tea-themed Etsy finds. Enjoy!

Amazingly cool necklace (picture above)

Librarian tea print (would go so well with the Dewey Decimal mug!)

Mug cozy

Gorgeous tags

Another cool necklace

Santa tea cozy

Studio 502

Studio 502, the name of our art studio (aka home), coined by the DH. He had this on our kitchen chalkboard when I came home from a work trip, on which I had a creative epiphany. I took the photo without a flash in low light, and thus the blurriness, but I like the effect.

I blogged recently about discovering the artist in me. I've had this idea to turn part of my living room into an art studio. And it hit me recently that it is! It's just not my working space - it's the DH's as he draws our house plans. (We are in the slow, organic process of envisioning our future SMALL house.) He's got the big table set up, and his creativity is evident.

Since the house planning is of prime importance, I don't want to interrupt his creative mess here. So instead I've made several creative stations. Here's one - my holiday card-making station, on the floor in my office.


And, on the ironing board, I'm about to begin work on a corduroy skirt.

And this doesn't include pictures of our plant nursery (one window, floor to ceiling shelves, with baby plants) or the bicycle museum (which is fluid and moving OUT into circulation in the world! I know it is, even if I can't see it at the moment).

I took a look around me and realized that I don't need to wait for the perfect space to begin projects. I'm already doing them. So I'm now choosing to see the house as a dynamic space that morphs itself into the space we need. There are times to be neat and tidy - and then there are times to be knee-deep in creative messes. We are in the latter at the moment, and instead of getting frustrated or overwhelmed, I am choosing to see it as vibrant and alive. :-) If I can have one area of our home that is under control, my refuge, I am OK. This would be our bedroom and my tea corner. The rest of the house can ebb and flow, and lead to wonderful creations.

Beauty in Lists

This gorgeous altered art journal is a gift from my very inspiring cousin (thanks, KAS!). At first, I just looked at it for inspiration, and then I finally got brave enough to write in it and fill it with dreams and plans for future creative projects.

I enjoy making lists. In my work life, lists guide me through my days and weeks. In my creative life, the lists aren't so much about what I must get done, but more about possibilities. I never expect these lists to be completely checked. Just writing them gives me a rush and a bit of confidence. If I can have the idea...I'm one step closer to actually trying it out.

I title the list "options" because that's what they are...and I include "All or None or Other" as a reminder to let go of my puritan rigidity!

Mixed-Media Tea Party

Wow - I am definitely inspired! Check out the Nov/Dec edition of cloth paper scissors for the results of the mixed-media tea party challenge! My favorite is rachel's teacups (think ta-tas). ;-)

Web Roundup: Craft/Sewing blogs

Thought I'd share some of my favorite sewing and crafty blogs.

• Sew, Mama, Sew!
• Angry Chicken
• Craftstylish

What are your favorite craft/sewing blogs?

My First Mixed Media

Here is my first mixed media collage (aside from scrapbooking, which is also mixed media art!).

This was done as an experiment. I just wanted to get started. To be brave and use some of my new paint and art tools (like my brayer). It was a lot of fun, and the result turned out better than I expected. I quite like it! (This is a little reminder to me as I sit as my desk all day!)

I started by layering three pieces of scrapbook paper onto a piece of heavy cardstock. Then I used the brayer to layer in three colors of paint. (The blue is called "Victorian Blue" - isn't that great?) I found the vintage image at a royalty-free site (she's using tape to keep her shoulders back!) and typed up the words in a font that I liked. I used a pink pastel to blush up her cheeks and add the pink edging to the words.

The Artist in Me

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." ~Pablo Picasso

I've labeled myself, for a long time, as a non-artsy person. I took great pains to avoid art class in high school and college because I "couldn't draw" and that meant I wouldn't get an A. (Chuckle appropriate, for those who know me.) Yet I surround myself with creative people. And, when I look deeply, I find that I have long used art as a way to connect with myself, to be playful, to share with others, and even to heal.

When I was 13, I lost my father to cancer. It was a traumatic experience. Not long after his death, I wrote a short story about a girl. I gave her the fictional name of Jessica. She, too, had lost her father. I don't think I ever showed the story to anyone. I don't even know where the story is. But I remember, so deeply, how important it was for me to express myself in this form. Putting my loss and fear in story form allowed my young self to assess things a little more objectively. And, if I recall, I gave her hope for a happy life. The tears run down my face as I type this.

Over the past few years, I've been learning that I can make art and that it still is very powerful, in so many ways. I love to take photos. I love to write. I am learning to sew. I want to explore mixed media collage...and so much more.

I've recently been absorbed in the bookTaking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts (a fellow blogger). I'll write more on this later, but let me say that the book is bringing to consciousness some deep longings to give my creative life more attention. So, thank you Kelly Rae!

And thank you to all of my creative friends who inspire me daily! First, to the DH, a life's artist. To my friends who make art with gardens and food and words and cloth and glass and paint and dance and beads and music and photos and clay and papers and traditional arts and so much more, thank you.