Safety in the Art of Shapes

In general, I am a geometric artist, I have always been attracted to art and objects that consist of a precise geometric pattern.  I love the straight lines and the symemetry of patterns contained within a quilt, or the definitive lines of smaller pieces within a mosaic that build a larger picture. The organized patterns in geometric shapes and lines that are evenly balanced gives me a sense of order that feels safe. Hence, my Ode to the Quilt project.

The following pictures are a break from the quilt project, but they are still geometric in construction. They are done in colored pencil and watercolor marker.  Each picture measures 16" x 20" on acrylic paper.  My first step in creating pictures like these is to graph the entire surface in 1/2" squares. I usually have a vague idea of the shapes I intend to include in a specific picture, but I don't know their arrangement or  how a pcture will look until I am finished drawing it out..  When I create pictures like this, I have that "lost in the moment" feeling until the pattern is complete. Once the drawing is complete, the proverbial "moment" lifts and I know that the piece is finished.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for visiting. ~Yvonne~

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn's Rain Song

Rain this morning,

Windows open,

The atmosphere swells, thick

 While the ceiling fan’s slow spin

Drags the cool damp air

Of the living Earth

Into the closed shelter

Of house and home.

To drench the inside

With the outside,

To permeate every closed crevice 

To change the enclosed atmosphere

That serves to intoxicate all those

Who dwell within thick walls

As they breathe in the clean air of Earth.

While outside the window

A steady liquid drip… plip, plip, plip

O f drops that dance

Across the wood porch floor

Keeping tempo with the chatter

Of a myriad of drops that string

Their orchestrated harmony

Amidst the drenched leaves of trees,

As birds sing intermittent to lace

The song with a lilting melody…

Nature’s music calm, steady

Brings the tranquility to those

Who listen to exist

 And rest surrounded by

The solace of autumn’s rain song

The Source of Power

I am taking hold, moving forward into this life

It is mine, and I hold the Source of my Power

            My Soul is open, as Spiritual arms

Ready to embrace all knowledge

That forever scatters along my life’s path

And, as I travel this life, there will be others

I do not yet know who they are

Or I may know them now,

Or I may have known them from time past

Or I may meet them in the future

Nor do I know what their lessons will be, for…

Some may lead me to new truths

Some may cause me to stumble

Some may teach humility and honor

Some may relish pride and greed

Though I know that sometimes I may struggle with uncertainty,

I have Faith that the Creator will guide my footsteps.

For the Creator is the Source of my Power.

Writing on Writing – Entry 006: Progress

It is eleven o’clock Monday evening as I write this blog, just one more turn of the hour hand before Tuesday arrives! Today panned out as a writing day, so not so bad for a Monday.  I do not have many days that I can exclusively devote to writing, especially not Mondays.  The memoir is moving right along.  I completed a story I started working on last week and set up a couple more.  

I found a freeware program for writers and authors called yWriter5.  It is excellent for setting up scenes and chapters and organizing your work.  There is a similar program called Story Mill for Mac that works in much the same way, however after using it on a trial basis you have to pay for it.  It s not expensive and I think it is a good idea if you have the funds, to pay for it without using the demo as you might lose any work you started.  However, yWriter5 downloads without charge.  Both programs are excellent for organizing scenes and chapters, and they will keep your story organized.

As I stated, the memoir is proceeding well.  Of course, I have ready material to work with for that.  The fantasy I am working on is pretty much at a stand still.  I have a ton of research, notes, and a couple of scenes ready to set up into chapters.  As well, I am writing any conversations my characters have with one another.  They sometime seem to frequently converse without too much prompting from me.  I love when that happens.

I have a friend with whom I brainstorm story ideas with, both his and mine, and I feel I need one of those sessions.  We don’t talk as often since he moved away and acquired a new job, but when we do phone one another, I always feel a bit more focused on my fictional story.  I think he may receive a phone call from me sometime this week.

If anyone thinks that a writer’s job is not hard work, than I have to assume that the person never attempted the task.  However, I love the work and cannot imagine doing anything else.

Thanks for stopping by.  ~Yvonne~

Notes on Time

Time ticks by faster,

I hear people say,

That the older you get

That more time gets away.

But I don’t think that time

Is the problem at all.

Don’t let time take you,

Rather, just take your time.

Or you may tumble and fall.

 

Time’s hands can’t move faster

And time’s hands won’t slow down.

So keep time to the music

That plays out your life,

Instead of the time clock

That causes such strife.

Stop watching the clock!

For life is not a time race

Travel your life-time with ease.

Live time at your  pace.

 

True, time takes its toll

And time takes its course

Time won’t save in a bottle,

Nor can time turn itself back.

Always take time with others

 

In their time of need.

 

And take time, use your senses

 

To smell, see, hear, and feel.

 

Take time to give love

 

As love is time’s gift.

 

Yes, take advantage of time,

 

For it’s only time that will tell

 

How much time we have left.

 

Until time’s end rings its bell.

Busy Few Days Ahead

Well, it looks like this is the most writing I will do today.  I did nothing but read all day, and I knew from the moment I opened “The Help”  by Kathryn Sockett that I would not put it down.  The only time I became distracted was when Miss Kitty showed up with my tube of Chap Stick, tossing it around as if it were the best cat toy ever made. There is nothing like having a comical cat as a housemate! Anyway, I am almost half way through the book.  If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend that you do.

I probably won’t get too much, if any, writing done tomorrow either.  My mom is coming over for a visit.  We plan on lunch and then shopping.  I am hoping she will have at least one tape of stories for me to transcribe.  If not, I will get her to tell me some so that I will have information to fill in some blank spots.  Not that I don’t have enough to work on already, but I would like to get as much information down as I can.  Mom is getting a little more forgetful lately, and it is a bit of a worry.  After all, she is eighty-five years old, and really, no matter what the age, one never knows…

I do have a couple of poems I am working on and I hope to finish at least one of these this weekend.  I also have a couple of ideas for blogs in “Writing on Writing” and I want to start a new heading (though I am not sure of a heading title yet) that will include a peek into my geek-y side.

 Saturday will no doubt find me reading again.  I will probably finish the book before the weekend is through.  Sunday we are celebrating my brother’s birthday with a family dinner.  So, needless to say, the next few days are looking quite busy.  However, this is good once in awhile as it gives me a chance to live outside my crowded head.  Haha!

I hope you all have wonderful weekends! Thanks for stopping by. ~Yvonne~

Buried in Books

I visited the library this afternoon, in fact, I just got home about ten minutes ago. I picked up the hardbound edition of "The Help" by Kathryn Sockett. I have already read half of the first chapter and I can tell that it is going to be difficult to put down. I, also, picked up  "A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah E. Harkness in unabridged audio format. I saw this book listed some time ago, and wrote it down on a piece of paper to add to my 'need to read' list. Of course, I misplaced the piece of paper and forgot all about the book until I saw it on the shelf today. I am excited to start reading this book, too, and will begin this evening before I go to sleep. I will, no doubt, listen to the first CD and then start a second and fall asleep while it is playing. I do that quite a bit - fall asleep to the sound of someone speaking the words of a story. My favorites to sleep to include any of the "Harry Potter" series. Along with these two new books, I am currently reading  "The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry" by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux. I have read this book before and I am reading a chapter a day. I find that books of this sort both instructional and inspirational, yet not quite the same as reading a textbook.

 I haven't read three books at a time since I was in college, but I find that I am excited by the notion. When I was young, in grade school and high school, I consumed books in this manner. At that time, of course, I had more time to read. Books were, and are still  to some degree, my companions and teachers. I believe that I learned more from books than I learned from formal any schooling. In reference to this thought, I often remember my grandfather who had to leave his formal education behind at the age of thirteen, yet continued to read everything he could get his hands on. He later became an elected district judge and was a pillar of his community. It boggles my mind to to think how far he (or I for that matter) would have gone if he had access to the Internet. All I can say is "Wow."

Well, I think I am done with this little ramble for the day. Keep reading, keep writing, keep in tune with your Creative Spirit whatever it may be...

Thanks for reading. ~Yvonne~

Not One of My Typical Mondays

I have so much energy today and have accomplished so many chores that I cannot believe that it’s Monday!  Maybe it has something to do with the cooler temperatures today and over the past few days, I don’t know why I am having this untypical Monday, but I am taking full advantage of it. 

Oddly, I am not in the mood to write.  Instead, my thoughts are turning toward art projects.  I am excited for the leaves to turn to their warm autumn colors so that I may collect them to use on canvas.  I only created one canvas last year, (pictured below), and I gave it away as a Christmas present.  It came out great, much better than I thought it would, and now I have dozens of ideas flooding my imagination.  Given that, I have no doubt that the writing bug will bite sometime this week, or maybe it will nip at me before this day is through.  I need to take a step back once in awhile to let the writing simmer on the back burner and I think that it is good to do so.

 

 

"Autumn Falls" - Mixed media: dried leaves, twigs, paper on acrylyc/colored pencil base - 16" x 20".

 

Anyway, getting back to this weird Monday… if I keep up with the pace with which I started out today, I should finish all those tasks that would normally take up my creative time each day.  It is very unusual, to have so much accomplished on a Monday, but I like it; and hope that there are more Mondays like this in the future.

 

Thanks for stopping by. ~Yvonne~





 

Changes

I awoke to the alarm this morning, which is very unusual, particularly for a Saturday morning.  However, there was a reason for this as due to the holiday last Monday, trash pick-up came a day late, and moving the trash to the curb is important.  I don't like to put the trash out the night before because we share our neighborhood with a few wild critters who love to pick through the trash for any prized edible morsel.

I stepped outside to one of those grey days of which I am not very fond.  Huge drops of warm rain spattered my arms and face as the wind swirled, it seemed, from no definite direction.  My house sits about 200 feet from the Lake Ontario shoreline and atop a cliff.  In order to get to the beach, you have to go down an iron fire escape stairwell that someone, many years ago, built into the cliff to give easy access to the beach below.  I could hear the waves crashing the shore and walked up the road to stand on the edge of the steps.  The lake was wild as far as I could see, with the wild tops of whitecaps dancing in scattered paths across the dark water.

As I stood looking to the horizon, I wondered if there was another person on the opposite shore of Canada, looking out across the lake as I was now.  I wondered if they, too, could sense nature’s change beginning.

The air is slightly different in feel and smell as the seasons prepare to take the transition from summer to autumn.  As the seasons begin their change, wind, rain, and thunderstorms pass through the trees and pull green leaves and small branches to scatter ground.  Small critters begin to hoard treasured foods for the season to come—I notice the squirrels in particular as they like to burry nuts in my flowerpots.  Soon, the leaves will turn from green to red, yellow, and orange before they fall to the ground leaving the trees to sleep.  As I turned to walk back up to the house I too, began to think of making the list of preparation I have to take to prepare for the cold weather season just one season ahead of autumn. 

Once home, sitting with my coffee, I think, “Yes, autumn is nature’s warning season that reminds all living things to prepare for the cold, ice, and snow of winter season to come.”

Thanks for stopping by.  ~Yvonne~

Today is One of Those Days

Today is one of those days
I don't feel like doing much.
Too many thoughts scattered
Like little bits of scrap paper
That need sorting to piles
First by color,
Then by shape,
Then by size
Until ithey all come together
In lines and rows 
To allow me to know
Where to go, and
What to do
With the blank pages
That stretch before me.

Yes, today is one of those days
That I won't do much
Except sit back and resist
The urge to force
My thoughts into order.
 Rather, I will allow them
To sift and stir alone.
Until tomorrow when,
Without much thought,
Or need of coaxing,
They will present to me
The wonderful gift of clarity.

Writing on Writing – Entry 005

Blogging

I wanted to write a little bit about blogging.  It took me some time to start a blog.  For years, my inner critic profusely scorned me with remarks that prevented me from sharing my work with anyone—let alone the entire world.  However, as I began writing with the intention of completing a full-fledged book, I felt that it was important that I share my endeavor with others outside of my small circle of friends.

At first, I was not sure what I would post in my blogs besides my  poetry. Then I thought, “Well why not include some essays concerning your journey in writing your book.”  This followed with some ideas about blurbs that would to give my readers some insight into my life.  Then, why not share some of my art.  I began posting under several headings and soon found something to post at least every other day.

Blogging seems to help me as a creative person in several ways.  

1.  I find that a blog is more or less an extension of journal writing.  .  I still, and always will, manually write using pen or paper in a journal.  Yet, there are days when I do not have the time to journal and so blogging might take its place.  However, most of my journaling consists of free writing in which random thoughts and ideas travel from my brain onto the paper, and it is from here that I find gems for poetry, essays, and scenes for my stories.

2.  After writing a blog, I am compelled to continue writing.  Writing a blog is a way to grease the wheel to and get down seriously to the business of writing my story.

3.  Unlike writing in my journal, when I write a blog I am very conscious of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure.  As a proofreader/editor, these, I believe, are the basics to any writing that I intend to publicly present.  Therefore, for me, writing a blog is an exercise in the practice of writing well.

4.  Writing, like any creative endeavor, is a part of yourself that you are presenting to the world.  Once you go public with your art, you are attempting, in a sense, to sell yourself.  This is something that I find daunting.  I am, by nature, a private person, and a loner.  It’s not that I am unsociable, however, I prefer to keep to myself as I find there are very few people in what I refer to as the “real world” who know and understand me.  Writing a blog gives me a chance to share who I am with others and maybe more important, it gives me a chance to connect with other creative people of like minds.  It is good to know that I am not alone, and is a way to introduce myself to and become a part of a creative community.

In addition to the above, I think that consistency in posting is important, particularly if you have followers.  Whether you choose to post once a week, or once a month or every day post it is important that you post consistently within those parameters.  Your followers are, in a way, your fans.  They follow because they are interested in what you have to say, so don’t leave them hanging or they may lose interest.  Also, connect and follow other bloggers. Read, leave comments, and promote their blogs whenever time permits; and don’t fear to ask them to do the same for you.

In closing, I would like to state my opinion that I believe whatever your creative endeavor, be it writer, musician, photographer or any other artist, if you have any intention to go public with your craft, start by blogging.  It is a satisfying and rewarding to have others, even a handful follow and appreciate your work, and I am sure it will prepare you down the road as journey down the creative path.

Thanks for stopping by. ~Yvonne~

Once More

Once more the world has turned

And to the silver shine of daylight I rise

To sit in the solitude of silence.

The dark brown brew with its aroma

That brims the top of the smooth ceramic cup

Warms my hands as I leisurely sip its magic

That seeps surreptitious to my mind to clear

The dimming dust of the long night’s dreams

Working to make clear my thoughts that turn

Towards the hours that stretch before me

Until my mind surveys the view of new

Yet still unknown adventures ahead

Along a path that is scattered with tasks

That might hasten the hours to tick the time

That will lead me along to attend life’s journey.

Until unwilled, the world will once more turn

To meet yet again another star filled nightfall.

The Dishes Will have to Wait

I was going to get busy today and tie up some housework chores.  However, it seems that my mind is not going to let me concentrate on the few menial tasks before me.  I find it difficult to vacuum or wash the dishes when lines for the two poems I want to complete keep popping into my head.  When this happens, I have to stop whatever it is I am doing and rush to my notebook to jot down the stray line that has crept up and hit me with its brilliance.  By the time I reach the notebook and found the pen or pencil, I am not sure as to which poem it belongs.  Worse yet, I may not completely remember the line as it was so brilliant before I dried the soapsuds from my soaking hands.

And so, I’ve decided that the dishes will have to wait.  It is not life or death that they are washed now, and there are plenty more clean dishes to use in the meantime.  Not that I will use any soon as once I begin writing, I won’t think about eating, or dishes, or vacuuming.  No, once I start writing all else will fade away…

 

Thanks for stopping by. ~Yvonne~

No Plans, But Plenty to Do

I don't have any plans this weekend, but my 'to do' list is overflowing. My focus on writing for the past couple of weeks has deterred me from my other creative projects, and now they are crying out for attention. As well, my studio is in complete disarray. So, I am writing this blog in an effort to gather my thoughts and put my tasks in som semblance of order.

The first task is to clean and organize the studio. It always amazes me that when I am working on a project everything seems to end up out of the cupboards and onto the workstation even if I don’t use it. Everything meaning paint, paper, tools, pencils, sand paper, rulers all spread out in a menagerie. As I look at the mess now, I wonder what I was thinking when I pulled all these things out as I have only used a few items for the project at hand.

As an excuse for the studio’s disorder, I do have three projects going on all at once. However, this is not my usual way. My second task is to choose a one project to complete this week and line the others up accordingly. Usually I finish one project before beginning another, but as I worked on one, another came to mind, and then another. Now I have a table waiting with its paint design half finished, a quilt design waiting for paper, and a chair in need of sanding. I’ve decided to approach each of these projects and complete one before starting another. This is my usual plan of attack. I rarely approach a new project before finishing the current one at hand.  I think I was too excited about all I had waiting in the wings and my ideas went into overdrive.  I can only surmise that my mind was in as much turmoil as my studio is now.
 
The third task on the ‘to do’ list focuses on writing. I had a great poem in the works the other day when my computer froze and I lost it. Of course, this was my fault for not saving while writing. I have jotted down all I can remember but I haven’t yet been able to get the same feel from it as I had before. Yet, who knows, when I finally finish it might turn out better than the original. I also completed a couple of stories this week that I want to get on a timeline and maybe flesh out another story, but that might have to wait until the coming week as I still have some research to sort through and organize.

So, while I have no plans I have plenty to do. Now it’s just a matter of moving away from my computer and begin the tasks at hand.

I wish you all a safe and wonderful weekend. Thank you for stopping by. ~Yvonne