Daring To Be Vulnerable

Vulnerabilty, Mixed media collage, 11"x14"

 

 

"To be alive is to be vulnerable."

- Madeleine L’Engle

 

"No matter what gets done and how much

is left undone, I am enough…Yes,

I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but

 that doesn’t change the truth that I am also brave

and worthy of love and belonging."

- Brené Brown

 

To embrace our vulnerability is the ultimate "daring greatly."

Bridges, Bridges, and More Bridges

Okay. I admit it. I have a thing for bridges, any kind of bridges—old bridges, railroad bridges, suspension bridges, covered bridges…. I love the architecture, I love the symbolism, I love the designs...you name it. Maybe it's the thought of connecting that appeals to me so much. Bridges are for connecting places, things and people, especially people. Connections. Relationships. Form and function beautifully displayed. Sigh. I do so love bridges. So, I thought I would share some of my bridge photos with you all. Hope you enjoy.

Red Wolf Crossing, Clarkston, WA - I think this bridge is beautiful!

Train Bridge, Lewiston, ID

Southway Bridge on ramp, Lewiston, ID

"New" bridge into Kooskia, ID from Kamiah

Southway Bridge

Southway Bridge

The Blue Bridge connecting Lewiston, ID with Clarkston, WA

Southway

Entering Lewiston from Moscow-Pullman or Orofino

Train Bridge on the prairie between Grangeville and Lewiston

Daring Greatly

 

 

It is not the critic who counts; not the

man who points out how the strong man

stumbles, or where the doer of deeds

could have done better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually

in the arena, whose face is marred by dust

and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly . . .

who at the best knows in the end the triumph

of high achievement, and who at the worst,

if he fails, at least fails

daring greatly.

 

-Theodore Roosevelt

I found this quote on the inside front flap of Dr. Brené Brown's book, "Daring Greatly".  It became the inspiration for this artwork. The black and white photo I literally picked up a year ago when I found it laying in the middle of the street when I was out walking my dog. I couldn't throw it back down. I brought it home and stuffed it away in my file, knowing that at some point I could use it in my art. Ta da! Today was the day! I think it fits the quote beautifully. It also happens to be what I feel I'm doing in putting my artwork out here for all to see—daring greatly.

I think that's what every artist does. I also believe everyone is an 'artist'. They may not paint or sing or play music or dance. Instead, they are housewives and office workers and parents and cooks and poets and janitors...(put in here whatever work it is that you do). Living life is an art no matter what we do for a living. We can all live life with passion and a spirit of excellence in everything that we do. And, hopefully, at the end of our days, we can say that we truly lived our life 'daring greatly.'

Poem by Steve Rapier

Had to share this poem by my sister-in-law's brother, Steve. I could so relate...lol. My dog is named Daisy as well. Enjoy!!!

 

 

What is A Face, Really?

What is A Face, Really?
8-7/8" x 11-1/2" Mixed Media Collage

This collage is based on a quote by Barbz Lewinsky:

 

What is a face, really?

Its own photo?

Its own make-up?

Or is it a face as painted by such or such a painter?

That which is front?

Inside? Behind?

And the rest?

Doesn't everyone look at himself in his own particular way?

Deformations simply do not exist.

 

You can find the original quote with an interesting photo at https://www.facebook.com/InspirationalPortraits which site I became acquainted with through Patricia Allingham Carlson's site. Both sites are well worth your visit.

I had recently joined Jennibellie's Monthly Challenge, the first of which had to do with a monochromatic black and white theme to which you could add one or two accent colors. This was my interpretation of that challenge. The quote just seemed to fit the black and white theme.

Springing the Fever Out of the Cabin!

Whoohooo! Technically the first day of spring is this Thursday, March 20, 2014. I am so ready. While cabin fever has not got the best of me, I was certainly ready for the sunshine and warmer temps we've been having lately. The dog and I have been getting out every day we can. We are both ready to get "On the Road Again", which is the name of this little collage I did yesterday.

I love taking walks with Daisy and taking lots of photos. I used to do that before mom passed away and would load all the pictures on the computer for her to enjoy, too. That was the only way mom was getting out into the sunshine, especially towards the end. This little past time helped us both. Mom got to see the world through my eyes, which was a whole lot different than hers. I'm known for taking closeups of lots of things, be they normal or 'weird' and Mom found herself liking a lot of my odd photos. You just never know what might become the idea for a picture or collage. I'm always looking for inspiration.

For this collage I used some leftover map scraps and found that cute little silhouette car graphic in my graphics program. I looked up the lyrics to Willie Nelson's 'On the Road Again'. It stilled needed a little something so I outlined everything with black sharpie marker and voile—a painting!! I just love it when a plan comes together.

Catch the Moment

Be here now. I've been telling myself that for several years now. Pay attention to what is happening right now for 'now' is when and where life is lived and felt.

Emotions only happen in the now. When we think of past events, we often relive the emotions we felt back then, but those emotions are based on a thought, a memory. The event is in the past, not the present. We can choose to change the emotions that went with a past event. Or not.

Instead of reliving the past like an old rerun we can choose to 'catch the moment' and live in the present. We can choose to make this moment all that it can be. We can be all that we can be right now. Life is lived in the moment. Period. One moment at a time. We can choose to pour our emotion, our passion, into getting the most out of this very moment. And we can live that way every moment of our lives. Wow! Amazing!

You cannot be really first-rate at your work if your work is all you are.

So I suppose the best piece of advice I could give anyone is pretty simple: get a life. A real life, not a manic pursuit of the next promotion, the bigger paycheck, the larger house. Do you think you’d care so very much about those things if you developed an aneurysm one afternoon, or found a lump in your breast while in the shower?

Get a life in which you notice the smell of salt water pushing itself on a breeze over the dunes, a life in which you stop and watch how a red-tailed hawk circles over a pond and a stand of pines. Get a life in which you pay attention to the baby as she scowls with concentration when she tries to pick up a Cheerio with her thumb and first finger.

Turn off your cell phone. Turn off your regular phone, for that matter. Keep still. Be present.

Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work.

Get a life in which you are generous. Look around at the azaleas making fuchsia star bursts in spring; look at a full moon hanging silver in a black sky on a cold night. And realize that life is glorious, and that you have no business taking it for granted. Care so deeply about its goodness that you want to spread it around. Take the money you would have spent on beers in a bar and give it to charity. Work in a soup kitchen. Tutor a seventh-grader.

All of us want to do well. But if we do not do good, too, then doing well will never be enough.
 - Anna Quindlen  

I want to give a shout out to Patricia Allingham Carlson whose art is really amazing!!!