Out of Control

Weekly Creative Prompt:
Control

This week at Inspire Me Thursday, our theme is Control. Take this topic in whatever direction you wish, perhaps thinking about your creative process and what you control and what you don’t control… or perhaps choosing to illustrate this concept drawing inspiration from life or fiction.

This is a page from my "BLUE FUNK" journal....When I feel myself getting out of control I promised my Shadow Muse I would let her write in this blue journal...I did not keep my promise and this is what she did!! I can fall into a non creative and very BLUE period if I do not honor my shadow side...Once I became aware of the fact that all I had to do was give her a journal... she had a voice where she could speak and let me know what was going on then I began to understand that she was NOT there to bring me down...but rather she was there to help me understand more about myself...But, a promise is a promise!! LOL...So, this is her way of telling me so! (if you look closely you will see that butterfly is really a mouth screaming out of control!) She really got her point across to me!!
Anyhow, I did not do a 4 by 4 for this prompt because well....I am out of control getting ready to go on a holiday for 10 days....See you when I get back!!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

Hats

Weekly Creative Prompt: IMT
Hats

This week, let’s put on our creative caps and be inspired by Hats. Make a hat, alter a hat, draw a hat, paint a hat, or whatever else your creative genius may conjure up.

For 5 years I was the chairwomen for a charity auction for Gilda's Club in Rochester, New York.
I gathered artists and non-artist (or those who thought they were not artist, only to find out how much their creativity was cherished by others!!) together to donate hats they had made or purchased and embellished to raise money for our local chapter to keep the FREE classes going for those living with cancer, survivors and family members. Then the hats were auctioned off at a breakfast fashion show where the models are all dealing with cancer in some stage. Although I no longer chair this event, it is one that I donate to every year. As an artist this is just such a wonderful way to support my community.
So here we are in October and it is Breast Cancer Awareness month...So for all the survivors, for all those living with cancer and for all those who gave a good fight and for all the families and friends...MY HAT IS OFF TO YOU!
May we see a cure in our grand children's life time.
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

Bird

My children are both tattoo artists...and I am in awe of the work that they do...taking ink and making permanent art on people. Now, I know that tattoos are not for everyone...My children are fairly illustrated as they say...I have a few, but we love them....I am very fond of the OLD SCHOOL style myself...very black line and slight graphic...so here is my take on a bird tattoo done in the OLD SCHOOL style...And the love I hold for my children and our creativity!
(My tattoos are: an ankle bracelet with scarab Beatles and a lotus blossom..done by my daughter...a small entwined branch with two flowers on my left wrist, done by a guy named jet when I turned 40 before my kids started doing them, a Japanese crane on my hip that covers up the very first tattoo I got (the long stem red rose of course!!) and if you press on my profile page you will see the one I have on my back...My son drew this as a gift for me for Mother's Day one year except there was a banner that said THE MOMMY...I knew it had to be a tattoo!! That is it FOR NOW...Seems I get one every 5 to 10 years ...so I will be coming up for one soon!!)
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

Intimacy..(Sheltering Heart)

This is the inspiration for this week from IMT.
Whether it is the intimacy of your studio, the intimate relationships between colors or images, an intimate knowledge of your technique, or other intimate issues, this week, let us find inspiration in intimacy.
SHELTERING HEART


This prompt came easily to me...My littlest love of my life, my grandson, who is 2 1/2 years old. Has the gentlest, most precious heart...and being his MO-MA (his choice of names for me) it is my hearts desire to guide and protect him as he reaches his stars....This is my heartfelt joy....my love for my boy and my love of my creativity that I can share with him. Both are a blessing to me.
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

Square

I did a larger version of this 4 by 4 earlier this year...so this came easy to me. I was interviewed(Volume 2/issue 12/early June 2007) for an online newsletter.. ENCOURAGER..by Karen at Square-Peg People...which prompted this little painting...I have never fit into either a square or a circle peg, even as a child...So, I continue to reach for my star and BELIEVE!!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

ATC...

I am NEW to ATC's.... Again, I am trying to find a comfortable place with them...MY COMFORT...raw art... that I paint..cut...and then alter...Thus staying true to myself. I have tried so hard to do altered art, and as I was telling someone yesterday, it just doesn't ever look right to me (perhaps I am too hard on myself!) But I DO SO LOVE IT and ADMIRE all those who do it!! This piece is 3-D so it did not scan as well as I would of liked...BUT I am happy with the outcome and as I become more comfortable with them I hope to add more elements. For now I do my basic art. The background and the butterfly!! Thanks for stopping by...and leaving a comment...It is the one way that we all can grow and fly!!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

Mandala

I had almost given up on this prompt...as I deal in so much color every day to limit myself was driving me a little crazy! But, then Cheryl posted her Mandala, her magical mango kitty, and her studio...and it inspired me!! You just have to love that!! So, I too decided to do a mandala (which I have been doing for years now) this one, inspired by the mango color that Cheryl loves so much, and by the Chinese lanterns that are growing outside my front door. They are magical lights for me, hanging so perfectly in the golden orange hues. They illuminate my path, and shine brightly for me today...So thank you Cheryl for reminding me of this color...and thank you mother nature for providing me with this brilliance. (shades of orange/blue/green/white and yellow)
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

Colorful Heart...

This week at Inspire Me Thursday, it’s all Fun and Games. I have loved puzzles since I was a kid. My mother usually had one set up on the formal dinning room table (you know the one used only at holidays!) and we could just sit in silence looking for the right piece... This piece is inspired by that silence of looking for the "right" piece. I work daily with piecing my colorful heart together with "just the right" pieces that I need to grow beyond the self made boundaries that I sometimes place myself in. I have 'COME A LONG WAY BABY!" but I continue my journey daily...
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

H2O AGAIN....."SISTERS"

Ok...so here it is a NEW Thursday, and I am just posting my second watercolor! This has been sitting on my desk for the last 5 days!! WHY?????? HUMMMM...GOOD QUESTION! I guess it still all comes down to not feeling the least bit confident with watercolors....And still really not liking the difference from acrylic! UNFAMILIAR would be the proper word...But, then I finally had to GET OVER IT!! because, I DID IT...I STEPPED OUTSIDE MY BOX ONCE AGAIN...and that alone deserves to post this little painting which is titled: SISTERS!
Now I am hoping that Melanie changes the prompt so I can get back to my real thing!! TEE-HEE!!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

Watercolor

PROMPT FROM IMT:

This week let’s have some fun with watercolors. Experiment with watercolor paper, watercolor paints, watercolor pencils. Or, for the computer savvy, how about digital watercolor painting? Whatever your previous experience with watercolors, try to challenge yourself in a new way.

I really don't do watercolors, except for perhaps a background wash..or drips of color flowing down pages...So this is a bit of a stretch for me!! With that being said, I think it is because I cannot control the blending of the colors the way I do with acrylic!! OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE!! I will have to try to play with this a little more...someone gave me a watercolor for klutz's book...Think I will go and pull that out of hiding!!
So here is my water...watercolor!! TEE-HEE!
Wishing all who enter here a "waterful" and colorful creative day!!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

DNA

This weeks prompt of DNA came easily to me....I have watched enough crime programs in my day to have seen a few of the DNA charts with all the little ovals and then they match them up!! So here is my DNA! It is full of color...paint...pencils..dots and squiggles! I am sure if I had my DNA tested it would look just like this!! LOL...
This was quite FUN!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

Dear Diary!

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them."
Henry David Thoreau

The “diaries” I keep are really affirmations and lessons that I am learning and learning how to share with others…

My dreams are many...my castle is built high in the sky and I am taking steps to place my foundation under it carefully cloud by cloud...Each day I learn a little more about myself and open up a little more. So really this 4 by 4 is a piece that offers up another cloud in my foundation...I have opened up a blog that has been closed (and only for me) for all to see and enjoy! You can view it here:
GIVING YOURSELF PERMISSION!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

My heart is a sweet maui onion....

This piece was inspired by a poem written by my good friend Royce! This has been a week of noncommitment from me! I am going through some changes and my energy this past week and a half has gone down different streets, and my creativity has been in the background patiently waiting to be rediscovered!! As I peeled back the layers of my heart and discover some truths about myself, reconnected with dreams I have, and break old habits, this poem came back into my heart! And then there was the post by Cheryl B...who honored the artists who post here and what they have to say! My creative voice smiled, my creative voice cried as I exposed one more layer of my sweet maui onion!
It does not show up very well in this photo but the background for this little 4 by 4 is all matellic paint!! DELICIOUS!
Thank you Royce, Thank you Cheryl B...and many thanks to all who leave such wonderful heartfelt comments!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

Poem by Royce Addington ©2006

Peel back the fragile layers
And what do we choose to see
Beware and go with caution
For it’s a place you will forever “BE”

There’s no turning back
The essence unfolds…
Pungent and Powerful
Sometimes Painful
Sometimes Bold

Personal Truths may await you
Stark realizations unwittingly keep you bound
Ruthless disappointment may reign within
Hope and Desire
They MUST be found!

Transparent as dragonfly wings
Thick as crimson blood
What is revealed
May be quite clear
Or Quicksand
Or Mud

If all fears were but illusion
The inner critics banished for eternity
Self-sabotage would be non-existent
This freedom is Passion’s key

Without self-doubt or recrimination
Where could our imaginations flow
Possibilities are infinite
The sweet heart of our inner Universe
Always waits to tell us so…

Goddess Standing Watch!

This week let us be inspired by the creative prompt Goddess. A female being of supernatural powers or attributes, believed in and worshiped by a people. A female being believed to be the source of life and being and worshiped as the principal deity in various religions. Something, such as fame or wealth, that is worshiped or idealized. Or a woman of great beauty or grace. (Inspire me Thursday)

These goddesses are standing watch in the sea of creativity! They are always around me and have been a theme in several things that I have done before...But this prompt was a great reminder to bring them to life once again....They remind me to follow my star...to wear a crown of creativity...to be a thoughtful and caring friend...to share my soul..and to honor the creative process!!!!!!! So they stand watch...strong..true..full of color..and stead fast!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

BOLD!

The prompt for this weeks Inspire Me Thursday is BOLD! One of the things that I do with my creative art is to use lots of COLOR! I love the idea of putting colors together that you might not think would work and then when placed just gives the piece a very BOLD look! So when doing this piece I thought of how I wanted to present it to myself! Some of the BOLDNESS that I hold dear to me....USING COLOR...FLYING HIGH and DREAMING BIG...WALKING TO THE EDGE and SINGING AND HONORING MY CREATIVITY! These are the BOLD things that I do! There are the ying and the yangs...the ebbs and the flows but I try to hold on tightly to these BOLD statements to allow myself the freedom of expression with my art. Do I fear falling..failing...Of course...but BOLD is what helps me to continue on....Hope it does the same for you!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

7 Wishes

7 WISHES

"To make a wish come true, whisper it to a butterfly. Upon, these wings it will be taken to heaven and granted, for they are the messengers of the great spirit."
...Native American Legend

I was inspired to honor some of the wishes that I have not only for myself but for others. Here are 7 of them that I lift to the heavens in bubbles that will be gently guided by the butterfly's wings...
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

Light

This week’s creative prompt is Light. Mix some paint then go light on color. Or make something light in weight. Or write something that is light on details. Or illustrate who is the light of your life. As always, interpret this week’s topic as you wish.
I know that the sun is a common theme for light...BUT...I live in upstate NY where the winters are very long and gray...I try like crazy to keep my creative juices flowing, and I usually do pretty well...BUT when the sun comes..oh, when the rays of sun are abundant...I have so many ideas, so many creative ah-ha moments..so much to do. Now, because it is sunny out, I should be out enjoying it, but instead I stay in my studio most of the day, (I do allow breaks, and lunch!! LOL) and even if I am outside, I am looking at an art magazine, I have my sketch book close at hand, and I am dreaming of what I will be creating next! SO the sun,shines and I am in the light of creativity. So for this prompt...I HONOR the SUN!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

Connection

The challenge this week of CONNECTION from INSPIRE ME THURSDAY brought my hand to mind!
I am creating every day with my hands...I love to feel the inspiration flowing from my soul outward through my hands...So this is my right hand...the hand that my creativity flows from....This is the hand that picks up the brush to paint...This is the hand that allows the pen to flow across the paper. This is the hand that does the work that my soul puts forth...This is my right hand...My connection to my soul...my connection to my dreams...my connection to ME!! (and my connection to YOU!)
Artfully yours,
Pattie

Wood

WOOD!!!!! Well this is part of the art that I do for a living!! I paint furniture! Selling it in galleries and stores...So the piece I did for my 4 by 4 for this inspirational prompt has a funky wooden door with another door within it!! I came across this quote and so LOVED it that it prompted this picture. I am also, actually showing you some of the furniture pieces and an installation piece that I did for a one woman show...I love painting on wood, but it doesn't fit the 4 by 4 that I have committed to for this site!! LOL...ENJOY!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

World Traveler

When I first saw this prompt...I was LOST! And after looking within I discovered that my answer for myself with WORLD TRAVELER was.."There is no place like home"... Clicking my ruby red shoes 3 times!! Now, it is not because I don't like to travel...Because I certainly do, but because when the trips are over it is always such a wonderful thing to come HOME. Home where my heart is ... Home where my family is... Home where my art supplies are... Home, where love abounds. So no matter where my travels may take me, for me the world that I know and feel the most comfort and love for is HOME.... HOME SWEET HOME!
Artfully Yours,
Pattie

Roots....

This is my first piece for Inspiration Thursday...The challenge was ROOTS...
This is an Easter picture of me at the age of 4...I remember it quite clearly as
I received from the BUNNY in my basket wonderful crayons, and markers along with a
coloring book and construction paper...scissors...all that art stuff!! Anyhow, I had
to wait till after church to be able to play, but you can see that I am one happy girl!!
So ROOTS....MY ROOTS ARE FIRMLY PLANTED IN COLOR!!!...They have been since that early age..
It did not matter that the cat was yellow or the leaves were purple...all that really mattered was that I used all the colors on every single page!! I still do that....I love color...It just makes me happy! This piece which is now the very first is 4 by 4 inches and done with acrylic paint and a copy of a photo...and a couple stickers....
ENJOY!
Pattie