Athena Dreams

Pay it Forward .:. Oh Yeah, That

To the 4 lovely giftees that made my list of Pay it Forward recipients, though the year is almost over, it never slipped my mind that a gift was due to be sent, it just got past all my other ridiculous deadlines.

I have thought a lot about what I would send, what would make each individual feel special, happy, and thought of, and after a fair amount of thought, the gifts have solidified in my mind.

Late September is my goal date for sending out my gifts to you 4 lovelies... I sure hope you're going to like them.

A Day to Remember

Today is my grandmother's birthday. She hasn't been here with us for a long long time, but I think of her almost everyday, and most especially on her birthday, On my list of people who have inspired, influenced, encouraged and even dared me, she is at the top.

An artist, an inspired gardener, a writer, a reader, and a woman beyond her time. She was not encouraged to be independent, not encouraged to be an artist, or a traveller, she was encouraged to marry and have children, because that's what women did in her era. And she did that, and also painted, and designed gardens and organised reading groups with her friends, and lived a life that on the outside had little in the way of frills or accessories; but on the inside was rich with beauty and ideas, and deep thoughts.

on her honeymoon

As my grandmother though, she told me at a very early age that I could do anything, be anything, have and be a part of anything that I wanted to be. She told me I was special and unique. She encouraged my dreams and my hopes and my wishes for my life. She encouraged my independence and my sense of self. In effect, she gave me permission to be myself all the time, in a world where conformity is the safe and easy route. 

with mum and uncle Johnny

My relationship with her was like an open door: it was like walking to and fro from room to room, while in the midst of a never ending conversation, punctuated with other characters entering and leaving, kind of like a one act play, that just keeps going and going. I think of her as my first role model for a generosity of spirit that I since have always looked for in friends, in business partners, in romantic partners, in life. And I think that if I had not had her my whole young life, I might never have known that that kind of spirit existed out in the world. Because truthfully, as we go through school, through jobs, through relationships, as we grow and change and move through our lives, those kindred souls, those open spirits, filled with kindness and generosity and support, and the purest kind of love and devotion, do not come along around any old corner. They are the rare and most gorgeous jewels in our lives, and we are always the luckiest for having found them, or for they having found us.

I like to think that she found me, that is still my young girl's daydream, I like to imagine that the first day she saw me, she knew who I was, she recognized me, and I her. I like to imagine she was my fairy godmother, not necessarily finding me the prince, but definitely turning my pumpkin into a carriage, and the mice into horses to take me anywhere I wanted to go.

 

She loved her life, though she did not get to live out many of her dreams, but she always said she got to live may of them through me. I still hear her voice in my head, her energy still vibrates in the universe, and she is still encouraging, me, inspiring me and daring me to do more, and ever more.

Happy Birthday to my best and most wonderful jewel, to the rarest gem I have ever known, my grandmother.

Happy Solstice .:. Happy Holidays

There were so many things to write about, so many things to be shared, so much work to finish up, so many people to meet up with as the holidays were arriving, and then, the cold and sniffles and coughs arrived at our house. . . When the body wants to slow down, the body has the final say. . . it is slow going with a head full of cotton, but there's lots of tea, and a fire crackling, and candles burning, and soup to eat, and a blanket to wrap up in, and so plans didn't go as planned, but the winter times they are for slowing down and that's seems to be the keyword this week.

Here's to a wonderful holiday to you all: with many friends and family and smiling faces and warm winter-y hugs and whispered dreams coming true and heartfelt prayers shared and then answered.

Paying it Forward

Ganesha - Lord of Beginnings and Remover of Obstacles

I first came across the Pay it Forward of art and creative blogs at Deanna's Artist Emerging. I was #4, but she said she was feeling generous and would send me something... I came across it again on Kirsty's blog, and so, I am following the rules (with my own small twist) and Paying it Forward to the first FOUR* commenters on this blog. The rules below say 3, and I dont want to go and change the original theme, but feel I have to up it to 4 because of Deanna's generosity.

I spent WAY too much time being a forensic detective (no blood, just words and links) trying to go back in time to where this started, and after a bit more than an hour, decided perhaps I had better things to do with my overscheduled day. It sure would be great to know where this originated though...

Pay It Forward (via Deanna, via Kirsty, via Mrs Eliot and onwards ...

Here are the rules:

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

Pretty cool, I agree to make and send something to the first three (*four in my case) people to comment, who then make things for their first three commenters and so on.

There is something SO totally pleasing about artwork and creative projects winging their way around the world for no other reason than, just because.

Thoughts on Cleaning

I started taking photos of my studio yesterday so that i could show you all how much cleaning I have really accomplished in the last weeks. Looking at the photos though, it seems contrary to what I had been thinking. It really is not so spiffy neat and clean looking at all.

Granted I hadn't completely cleaned up my desk, since that was going to be the very last thing I did, so perhaps I took the photos too early.

huh, no matter that this photo is in focus, it goes out of focus everytime I put it in my post...

Nor, it seems, have I quite finished neatening up the Art Supply shelves. Though my reason there is, that I moved one of those big industrial type shelves from one side of the room to the other, making more of a mess than I started with.

But it seems that way with many things in life : Things are chaotic and messy : Make a Plan : Execute Plan : Unforseen Circumstances Come into Play While Plan is Being Executed : Make a larger mess than One started with : Feel like Progress has Been Made only to Witness the Truth of Photos : Keep Going with a New-er Plan : Shrug Shoulders, Pray or Curse a God or 4, and Begin Again

The Straw into Gold part? I have uncovered this little bit of white wall space, where I will be putting up some "floating shelves", perhaps 3, and I will put small amounts of things that I love to look at while designing, painting, winding a ball of yarn, making a bracelet, etc.

It will be the viewing wall, the inspirational things wall, my own gallery exhibit, and eventually the studio will be clean, for about a half a minute, before I mess it up again.

"Now Where Was I?" and other new year thoughts

Thoughts:

things not quite done,
other things not nearly done,
some things merely contemplated,
and so many others, not yet conjured

all these things parade through my mind at the end of the year.

The quiet lull of cold nights and warm fires, talk, and laughter, friends and family gathering, toasting, planning, wishing and remembering. It's that time of year to plan for things to come, things to finish, things to leave behind and things which we do not even know of yet.

In the department of jewels:

2 new sources of inspiration. I made so many pearl pieces for christmas presents this year, and found myself remembering how much I love these little opalescent objects. Now, if I can only be brave enough to try a new wire wrapping style like Nina's. So free, so beautiful, so elegant, something to strive for.

In the department of colour and paints:

Some playing with watercolour pencils occurred this week. Such a wonderful medium, surprising and changeable and a pure source of un-ending inspiration.

On my Design Contemplation list is:

Fabric Design Courses, which includes dishware and ever so much more... hmmm could be a nice transition from the graphic design work...

And in the department of Knits:
Some Colour Convenes with: Dale, and Starmore, and Poetry.

My Tudor Roses has not even languished, it has not even been begun. Between decisions on colour and materials, it was stalled before it began. And, of course, in the meanwhile, I have changed my thinking... from the Kate to the Mary to the Anne.... my big sticking point with Kate is substituting the pink out of the colour mix, and I have not found the right substitutes yet.

I am thinking that I might go back to the Anne, as I can get a revised palette for that one together, and the Kate will wait for my moment of inspiration.

And then there is my Poetry moment:

or two:

and a Dale to finish:

and another to start:

And then there are the "other" Norwegians:

How can you not love that...

So it's looking like my new year will be full of colour, and probably a few more socks:

I got this little lovely, and will be hoping to try some of the harder patterns. A girl needs to move on from the ribbed sock at some point.

THEN, there are all the other knits in progress that need to be finished or ripped, but that list will be dealt with in the privacy of my own studio...

I wish everyone a beautiful new year, full of creativity, and inspiration and love and joy, and all things that make you feel happy to be alive...

One of my favorite winter poems, and I am off to finish tidying the house before the new year arrives:

The Garden

Late green day.
here's happiness with its edge of frost.
Winter's in.

The sky thins out.
The world tightens, like a walnut.
I can count most things.

The plum trees are taut on their hill,
the mornings bitten off, like a twig.
The earth will give and give.

–Nina Bogin

Happy New Year... thank you for this year of inspiration and thoughts and words and sharing of your work, and your lives and your creativity...

Appreciating Amazing Artists

Maggie Taylor
An artist whose work I have long admired and loved - Maggie Taylor - she has been on my list of "Inspirations" for a long long time, and this past week I have seen her in a few unexpected places. I have wanted to start posting about artists and things I see and love and this seemed like a fortuitous place to start.

I have had her book, Maggie Taylor's Landscape of Dreams for a while, and it is one of my favorite inspirational items. When taking a moment to collect my thoughts while working on a project I will sometimes look at someone else's art to clear my head. I love getting lost in the worlds that she creates. Surreal, yes. But also, poignant and sentimental. They feel like small jewels captured in a snow globe, or saved in a secret box, to take out and look at in quiet moments.

A couple of weeks ago Janet at Twisted Knitter posted about Shawn Colvin's new album, and I went to buy it, and there on the cover is the ever so identifiable Maggie Taylor art. I was so, well just thrilled. It was kind of like the feeling of rooting for a sister or a best friend feeling. Silly, perhaps, since I don't know her, but after admiring her for so long, and not really seeing her work unless I hunted for it, it was wonderful...

Girl with a Bee Dress, Maggie Taylor

And then Friday night, after a long long week, I climbed into my cozy chair, and turned on the tv, and a show called The Ghost Whisperer was starting, opening credits rolling, and there is Maggie Taylor's art in a video montage for the beginning of the show. Wow, how cool. Didn't actually watch the show, just wanted to see that intro again and again...

Late, Maggie Taylor

Messenger, Maggie Taylor

I imagine her studio to be filled with drawers of old photos and artwork, and shelves with old toys and antique bicycles, bird wings and doll furniture. Treasures from lives long past, to be used to create new treasures filled with memories and thoughts of things yet to be. Her beautiful pieces are like moments suspended in time, poised to leap, and unfold, and open.

Twilight Swim, Maggie Taylor

There is a depth to her stories, a playfulness, a keen eye for detail and a lyrical, musical feeling to most of her work. They are like dreams lived in real life.

Woman with Swan, Maggie Taylor

Wouldn't you love to take your swan for a walk? Or wear a dress made from gentle bees? See a half man, half bird peddling across the grass?

Fading Away, Maggie Taylor

Or catch memories, dreams, or thoughts in a butterfly net, while fading into the greenery....