Illustration Friday-Wired

One of the things that I really love about all of these old photos that I collect and use in my work is how simple life was 80 years ago. I don't think that life was easier. I certainly wouldn't want to be rubbing my clothes on a washboard, but I do wonder about the peace and quiet. I feel like we are all so constantly inundated with technology and rushing cars and noise that sometimes I, at least, feel like I am way too overloaded. So, for this weeks Illustration Friday theme of wired, I offer a more unplugged version.

Happiness

12"x 16"
A recently finished commissioned piece.

Paper Quilt Project-A Day in My Life

I was exceptionally inspired when I started playing around with these pieces of paper and am surprised by how relevant these random scraps are to my life recently! It seems that lately everyone around me is talking about pregnancy, has just had a baby or asking me when we plan to get started. My niece recently turned 1, and watching her grow and start to walk and make major accomplishments in such a small amount of time has made blown my mind! We have connections through our family and friends who are all in various stages of parenthood. So the conversations have begun. We are looking to the future and making serious decisions about taking the step to becoming parents ourselves. (This is not an announcement by any means, just an explanation as to why these pages really struck a chord!)

There are 2 other parts of the collage, bits that seem like randomly places items, that mean a great deal to me personally, which is why I made sure that they were included in this composition. The capital "E" in the top right corner is representative of my great-grandmother Esther, from whom I get my middle name, Emma. My niece is also Emma, but not necessarily named after me.

There is also a "40" on the left hand side. My father was 40 when I was born, and I think about this quite often. I am not sure why. Maybe because I am a bit dyslexic and have a hard time with numbers. I can always calculate his age quickly when asked! (LOL, not really, I don't think!) Four is also one of our lucky numbers.

There is a Flickr acct. set up to share all of the finished pieces as they come in. Check it out here.

Paper Quilt Project

My supplies arrived today for the Paper Quilt Project!! This is such a fun idea! I cant wait to get started! The goal is to create a panel, using only the papers supplied, that represents me. I can draw on the top, paint, whatever. But no adding papers! Each month there are 12 artists who participate, and then those 12 panels are sewm together. The project is being run by Dawn, AKA Dawbis. This is such a wonderful idea!! At the end of the year, all of the participating artists will get a chance to help decide how all of the 12 quilts will be dispersed in order to help charities of our choosings. I love this! Now I am off to get to work!