come again

I didn't think people visited here…No that's not entirely true. I have some darling friends that still believe in me in spite of the fact that I'm moving as slow as a snail to become the artist inside. And every so often they let me know that they "see me". And so I know that they drop in and I cherish that. A lot. But I didn't know that strangers sometimes visit my blog and come back for more. That gave me a little pause today. Wow. I kinda feel a little responsible now. To produce and grow. But you know what. I wouldn't be doing anyone a favor by pushing myself too hard. That would only make me creep back into my shell. So, this is me, just saying thank you to all my friends and everyone else who visit here. Your interest and positive energies make a difference in my life. Thank YOU. sO much.
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Here's a piece I finished last week. I call it "butterfly tree."
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I started with an 11 x 14 inch piece of corrugated cardboard. I randomly swiped acrylic paint mixed with glazing medium over the surface with a credit card. Then I painted a black tree skeleton and layered it with black lace cut to fit. At this point I glued the cardboard to a similar sized piece of hardboard for support (two holes drilled at the top). I cut out two butterflies and a daisy from scrapbook paper and painted them with gloss gel (both sides). I printed a cropped photograph (self portrait) and did the same thing. Then I added these 4 pictures to my tree. It still needed something, so I took beads in complementing colors, wrapped them with wire and added them to the tree like fruit. As finishing touches I added black cut outs to the 4 corners and lastly I punched the two holes through the cardboard and added bolts, nuts and wire so the piece can be hanged. [click on pic to enlarge]
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& the symbolism behind it all: the tree is me (complete with arms & head disappearing into & becoming branches. no legs, since the tree's roots are my legs). the flower symbolizes my soul bursting forth…refusing to be boxed in. the butterflies symbolize all the beautiful souls send on my path to teach me, carry me, love me. the beads are the fruit I bear (or wish to bear). And they are wrapped in wire like little gifts…or because i sometimes feel constrained. Or just because I can. The orange, white and blue paint symbolize my heritage. (I'm South African by birth and those three colors were the original colors of our national flag. It has changed since. But it will always remind me of that flag and where I come from). The curly cut outs symbolize both space and time both here and not here and this is important because it's always in the corners of my mind. the hardware I used to hang the piece, is all about being tough vs. the fragile lace.
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And then this poem:
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autumn day. the cold crawls into her body like insects looking for warmth entering through every open door as if her heart is a house. no. she's a tree. maybe there is a house. somewhere. but she. is. a tree. growing roots & branches & leaves and occasionally fruit. why does she feel like she needs to bear fruit to be a tree? pretty fruit. lots of fruit. fruit ripening & falling on the ground fruit. it's weighing her down a little that she's not one of those trees. yet. more sun. more sun & water & love. & maybe one day she'll bear her fruit with pride
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tHanKs foR visitinG. pLease coMe aGaiN
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(C) Art & Poetry, MJ Calitz, 2009