ART - IT'S A PROCESS

It's official! I have joined the multi media art world!!!!
I thought it would be fun to show what I used to make this painting.
I was inspired by a photo I saw. The baby in the photo was so interesting but the woman's face was odd.
I also had this great art book a new friend of mine, Carol, gave me and I could look at paintings and choose whatever I wanted to use as the face. I loved this Madonna.
Finally, the process of collage causes all these happy accidents to happen.
Thinking of my friend, Karen, from Canada who loves to wear her furs, made me look for a jaguar fur to put on the woman. So much fun and so many ways to go. But as you see, I went another way.
I think of my son...and King Arthur...and Christ...and a hip mother...and someday a sweet grandchild...so many dreams. Even of myself..... and then cool nights with the stars and crystal like fog.
This is my style....romantic.....mystical.
Yes, I have joined the magical multi media art world! And of course, the wings, and crown~much like the Symbolist painters from the early 1900's. I was blessed to see their work when I was in Belgium at the Art museum. (Brussels is the Capital of Art Nouveau)
Now I have a perfect medium to use to get to that kind of place quickly. The painting took three days. I am so thrilled with it!!!! But you should see my studio and house! Geez, I didn't want to eat, clean up, or go to bed at a decent hour for two of the days. Everything is everywhere. How do we balance this artist thing? I see that I am a perfectionist. I really didn't know that until I started this painting. Others have said so but I just thought things needed to look good. I hope I can let go a little more as I move on in this journey.
I went to Art and Soul to help me open up and have fun. But I got bogged down in scanning the faces and sizing them just right to fit, and then how would the hands go under the baby, looking for pictures of moms with babies in their arms....phew..... I am having fun....now it's time to flow a little more..... maybe that is what it takes.....I believe I will learn more about myself and the process the more I work....after all, I am new at this.....be kind and give yourself time.....

"Without symbols our lives would be as spiritually impoverished as sleep without dreams..." Tom Chetwynd

Oxford Dictionary: Symbolist art seeks special symbols to express the essence of things by suggestion. It engages the viewer by appealing to the heart, personality and unconscious mind, as well as the intellect.

I enclose a little email I wrote about the experience I went through going to Art and Soul.

I believe the Creative self is very close to the Child self and it
very fragile. For me I went to the Art and Soul for a little art
therapy to get back in touch with the childlike joy of art and not be
hampered by the critical voice of my step grandmother who raised me to age 10.
I was not encouraged as the artist I am it was the 50's and grandmother was from
the 1920's were you didn't praise gifts in fear of giving the child a "big head". So I
learned not to value my gift. I even went to Art School and got a degree in Art
but in the end the arrogance of some of the professors did their damage to a
already wounded artist girl. Looking at the Art and Soul website made me think
this would be a great place to help me accept my self as an artist
just as it seemed the instructors and participates had. It seemed to
be a place more about the "Heart or the Artist" then University atmosphere had
been. So I came to Art and Soul to go further down the path and journey back to
my artist identity and gift.

Of course I didn't expect Art and Soul to fix all my problems but it
did go a long way in helping me take back my Joy of Art with all of
the Love and understanding that was expressed. I saw other people who
had the same frustrations and their processes of working through it.