Sunday Meditations, Light, Just Be, and Oceans

Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.... Kurt Cobain

This photo is of an antique crystal chandelier in the Ashland, Or Cabaret Theater.

Planning for future museum trips I found that one of our local museums has a Kurt Cobain exhibit on, he being the Seattle founder of "grunge rock". Now I never was a follower of same, but I like his quote above.

Somehow it ties in with my photo of this exquisite chandelier that I've often admired when we trek to Ashland for theater, as we did in March.

The lone candle in the dark among all the lit ones... seemed like such a metaphor. So, sending out thoughts today about...

Seeing the surrounding light outside shimmering,
No matter how dark it seems for you...
Let that light enter your eyes, your heart, your being
Join in the circle, the everlasting circle of life
And Just Be, today, Now, whoever you are ...

Peace

This photo is of beautiful Bandon Beach, Oregon from our March trip.

Gratitude for our beautiful life-giving oceans and beaches,
And all the creatures they feed, including us.

Shame and sadness on our abuses of them.
Praying for Restraint on the corporate dinosaurs who pollute,
AndWisdom for our politicians,
And the Voices of the people standing up for what is right.

Paintings, Clouds, Sea, and Rock and Art Shows

Floating among the clouds and the sea, unbound spirit, limitless space...

"Floating Among the Clouds and the Sea" , Acrylic 4"x5" Delorse Lovelady Apr2010

Ocean Inspirations
The painting above is one recently completed which was inspired by our recent travel in March to the Oregon coast, a place of breathtaking beauty. I composed the 17 syllable Haiku above to attempt to convey the expansiveness that being near the sea brings, not an easy thing to capture in words.

Here is another of my paintings inspired by this area. This one is more specific, as we stayed in a small motel on a bluff in Bandon, Oregon overlooking the sea, haystacks, and stunning sunsets. There was a set of stairs built into the bluff that we climbed down every day to get to this rugged beach. I will share more paintings and photos of this area in a future posting.

"There was a Hole in the Rock", Acrylic 4"x5" Delorse Lovelady Apr2010

Here is a photograph of this place, and as you can see, I have taken artistic liberty to use different colors and alter the actual look of it.
A June Art Show
Both of the paintings were juried/accepted into the Edmonds Art Festival miniature show which will be held from June 18-20. I was surprised and actually thought that my two other paintings entered would be more likely to be accepted into this show, as they are more colorful. You can see them here. It just goes to show, you never know! Anyway, I am pleased that two are accepted, and I will continue my exploration in the world of acrylics and mixed media, and more abstraction in my work.
Meanwhile I am planning and painting for the July Artsplash show in Edmonds sponsored by the Artists Connect. My space will be 48" x 48" plus a table for smaller items... which means I will be very busy the next couple of months!

Travels and Art
So far, my year has been full and some changes are occurring. I have withdrawn from some retreats and swaps, and instead have focused on my own art. It's good to hear myself and not get drowned in the tidal wave of following the crowd or the super-saturation of our culture...

And we have taken several trips that always provide much fuel for creativity. In fact, I just returned from a month long sojourn with my family in Texas, which included a road trip to Arkansas to hunt for diamonds... No paintings produced, however, I spent time and had fun with family and entertained myself with art journeling and sketching, esp., birds. I will share more about these travels in future posts. Stay tuned.

Fiber Fun, Peyote Beading, and Buttons

A stitch here, a bead or button there, creating with various media is fun...

The photo above and directly below are random compositions made of recycled fabric, threads, metals that I did within a machine embroidery group that I below to. These were done earlier this year. Every month we get together and experiment with new techniques on our sewing machines, and perhaps also add some hand stitching later. The top photo continues my interest in seascapes in an abstract kind of way. Both have lots of stitching in gold thread which may not show up well in the pictures. I'm anticipating framing them as mixed media art pieces.
And below are three more peyote stitch bracelets. The bottom two were taken apart and redone in April, because the first time I beaded them, they were rather "wonky" and would not lay flat. I like them better and have learned how to get the rhythm of the beading and how to get a nice flat band without the puckering. Now they need the clasps. I suppose learning new art forms is like that, keeping at it, til you get the rhythm of whatever it is, without having to think so much about each step.
And lastly, I took a button bracelet class with some sewing buddies, and here is my creation. I believe I completed this one in March, and of course, have plans to stitch up more. It's a great way to use those old or colorful buttons, if you collect them like I do...