Friday 23 January 2009

Secret No. 3 - following your fascinations


i am participating in the next chapter blogging group, reading 12 secrets of highly creative women by gail mcmeekin.

at last my book has arrived! this chapter is about following your fascinations & risk taking. as mentioned before here, a fascination of mine is magical themes & writing children's stories.

my imagination went wild one day and i began painting stories of a small girl called lucy who lives at the top of a hill. she runs down the hill one evening to talk excitedly to the fish, whose heads poke out of the water to listen. she tells them that there are shooting stars trekking across the sky and that it is a special sign. the sleeping flowers awaken to listen to her story too. meanwhile the moon shines, the luminoscity lighting up everything below. there is magic happening here and the story continues on in my head...and i must write it down somewhere. i have made other 'lucy' paintings and this is not my best one, but i love it because i gave my imagination a free rein.

more fascination is with colour. no-one ever taught me how to mix colour or schooled me on what goes with what. i do know the hues that tone and contrast nicely, but the risk-taker in me likes to experiment. people are often surprised by my colour choices, but you never know unless you go there, do you?

so the idea is to pull all these fascinations together, take some risks & create an artwork.

this mixed media collage (decorative paper, shells, acrylic) i made recently. it's called 'crying for the moon'. the story - a goldfish has grown too big for her fishbowl. she wants to escape to explore the outside world. will she grow wings and fly right out the window before our very eyes? or is she destined to remain in that fishbowl, crying for the moon...?

27 comments:

  1. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! Crying for the Moon is absolutely beautiful! I'd love to see it HUGE on a wall in an exhibit and have like an hour or two to just sit in front of it and fall into it :)
    Miracles to you!
    k-

    ReplyDelete
  2. Maybe you should write some stories to go with your artwork! holy cow! I was reading it, enthralled like a child in a story circle, wondering what's gonna happen nest!
    I love a self taught artist. You don't have any pre-conceived ideas of "right and wrong". That is Freedom.

    Peace~
    Dawn

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow, you are a whimsically wonderful artist! I love the story and the art. I have often cried to the moon. Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Patti these are beautiful. I too love hearing the story of Lucy. And the goldfish too big for it's bowl--a great metaphor. PS see my Friday post for Lynn's email address should you wish to order one of her CD's. (free giveaway)

    ReplyDelete
  5. i absolutely love your paintings and the fish...oh, that speaks to something deep inside of me. beautiful.

    happy risk taking! happy creating!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for sharing the art and the stories that they are part of. Wonderful. Whimsical. Wise. I worked for years doing storytimes at libraries, so I know a good children's book when I see it, sister. I believe you have a children's book about to be born!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your color sense is awesome. Whimsical. Happy. Joyful. Beautiful. Blissful! :)

    Keep at it!

    There are children's books that are nothing but the art, and your paintings are so narrative that I could see you creating in that way.

    ReplyDelete
  8. "my imagination went wild one day..."

    I love sentences that begin like that!

    Your pictures are beautiful ~ hope you have a fabulous week x

    ReplyDelete
  9. Such vivid artwork - love it! Nothing like allowing your imagination to just run free...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Awesome! I want to hear MORE about her crying for the moon!
    Your art has always amazed me. You simply rock with your inate talent!
    Keep it up...you're an inspiration to all of us!

    P.S. Gonna do my answers this weekend :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. The textures and the saturated colors make my heart happy. :)

    These stories sound amazing! Crying for the moon--a very beautiful thought. Thank you so much for sharing your juicy work and insight with us!

    Much Joy, Merry Making~*
    Molly

    ReplyDelete
  12. Crying for the moon is poignant and powerful. I want more!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Such beauty, grace, and I feel like I see your soul shining in those stars! Wonderful! I would read this book to my children and let them immerse their imaginations in your amazing visions!
    --Suz

    ReplyDelete
  14. I read so many books to my daughter and have been so inspired to write my own. I adore books with illustrations and yours is stunning. The illustations in a children book have to be happy, vibrant and full of joy. I will not pick it up otherwise. Your would be a must pick. Hmm, I should get writing that book and have you illustrate it. We should talk!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Beautiful work, I love all the bold color and whimsy. And I love that you give your creativity free rein. So inspiring.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Patti, These are wonderful...your Lucy stories have me on the edge, waiting for more magic. I absolutely love the fish in the bowl crying for the moon...it touches me on a personal level...thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Patti,

    This is especially wonderful! I really enjoy looking at the picture and not knowing the story, imagining it myself. Absolutely. Wonderful.

    Namaste,

    O

    ReplyDelete
  18. Patti, your work is amazing! I could easily see you illustrating children's books with all this vibrance and colour, not to mention great stories.

    Btw, thanks for dropping by my blog....I'm always thrilled to meet another Aussie in Blogland. :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. YES! Your natural talent shines through.

    Crying for the Moon is a delightfully enchanting and fascinating piece indeed. Rock on!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love that you have stories to go with your paintings. You should definatley write them down. You never know where it could lead.

    ReplyDelete
  21. what fantastic colours, love all that orange, love the title. goldfish bowl...mmm so many of us live in one of those!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Patti, oh my gosh, your goldfish and your Lucy work are both gorgeous, delicious and amazing. More, more. I imagine seeing this Lucy book published one day so it can be nominated for a Caldicott. Makes me want to be six years old again, sitting in a rocking chair before bed at story time.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Your art is beautiful, so colourful!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Patti what wonderful artwork! They capture whimsy and imagination and remind me of some of my favourite children's stories. I'm fascinated by children's literature as well and I think you have a wonderful pulse of energy that would go well with it. I hope you keep creating this kind of artwork and stories as it adds a bit of beauty to the world.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Oh Patti - I can't wait to see the art you create from this one! It will be wonderful. And I love the crying for the moon. I wonder how many of us have looked up at the gorgeous moon with tears streaming down our face?

    ReplyDelete
  26. Your art is so beautiful! The story of the little girl sounds so wonderful!

    ReplyDelete

please share a thought......