My most beautiful thing

I spent most of the day working on the art show.  When I'm not creating myself, I am working with kids and encouraging them to create.. they don't really need much of that though.  What they need is the space and the materials.  This is the most beautiful thing.. their faces!  Watching them create with total abandon and joy and that is what we as artists aspire to.. to create as a child again, unfiltered, without doubt or judgement, spontaneously and filled with joy!!!

My Most Beautiful Thing

Today begins a blogsplash on My Most Beautiful Thing and today for me it is about
Self-Expression
You can go here to learn more:

http://www.writingourwayhome.com/2012/04/my-most-beautiful-thing-blogsplash.html
You might want to join in or read other blogs.
Fiona is also giving away her book on kindle...

Today as I woke to the sun streaming in through the sky light, playing with the crystals hanging and creating rainbows on the ceiling, I thought how delicious it is to awaken here in our bed.. our wonderful comfy bed.  I savored it for a while and picked up a book beside me.  I am surrounded by books. I love books.  I love that there are people out there that can help me put into words what I am feeling or allow my mind to ponder some new thoughts.  Deep gratitude goes out to those who write professionally.
Self-expression.. our gift to the world.  What wonderful glorious gifts we each have: writing, singing, painting, creating in so many forms that fill our world with beauty.
For me, creating is the time I can listen to my inner voice.  Silence surrounding me, I listen.  I create.  I bring into the world something that did not exist before, but it is in the process of this creating that brings me such bliss.  It is my beautiful thing.. most beautiful thing to do.. to create from my heart.. from my soul.

Ch ch ch Changes...

I was no longer able to use blogger.. because I just wasn't keeping up. One is always required to "upgrade" with everything... no longer able to get comfortable with the status quo.. And if you don't decide to play along, you get cut off.
I tried upgrading with IE but without luck.. always seemed to be a problem with something, so I went to google chrome... so far, so good.  Getting used to changes sometimes is so tiresome!
But I went roaming around and realized I was definitely missing out on some of the bells and whistles on some sights..
Anyway, I'm going to blog about beauty in the coming days. More info later.. still checking out the "newness".

Art of the Young Child Reception

The show is up and the reception was fun. Parents brought dishes from their country of origin. From Italian cookies to Mexican flan to Chinese dumplings... and lots in between to try and fill the belly..

The kids came and played.. twirling around and filled with excitement

Sampling those colorful goodies..

Chocolate covered strawberries being a big hit!
The exhibit is filling the halls of the Harrison Municipal Building and will be hanging until middle of May. It includes the artwork of close to 40 children.. 38? 39?

and captures in photos.. by me.. their process of creating

along with some inspiring quotes.

This is the 6th year.

It was originally inspired by Ginny Carpenter, then a director of the Harrison Children's Center. I had been doing the Youth Art Month show in March and Lola Geiger the president of the Center wanted the kids to be included.. but I could not do it.. instead, the next best thing was to have a show of their own!

Ginny and I discussed it and agreed to do it.

Unfortunately Ginny became ill and passed and I did this show in memory of her.

It was such a success that I was asked to continue.

It grew so big, we had to divided the two centers into two different shows.

So now I get back on the horse.. and put together the West Harrison exhibit that will be in May.

It is a joy and

I thank Ginny for getting it going...

Allowing

There are many things I get back from working with children. For one, it is about the process, and allowing the process to reveal what needs to be revealed.. allowing the story to unfold.
The process unfolds in the doing.
Sometimes I feel things need to evolve and it doesn't come fast enough. What I mistakenly do at times is wait for the idea to come. Instead, what life and art teaches, is that it comes while we are doing.. when we do the work. Here is where it begins to unfold, little by little. Here is where the joy in the journey, the process of creating, has it's magic.
It is in allowing the work to come forward, to speak of what and where it wants to go, rather than in us pushing. We push too hard and that's when things break.
If I do not pick up the brush, or the marker, or the unassembled pieces... there will be no unfolding, no moving forward. We move and change as we do the work.
We cannot stay in our heads.. thinking it through.. we can only work through it and discover what needs to be said.
Let your art speak to you.
Allow the voice to be heard.. your own true voice.

Mandala dreams

Children's art show is up.. finished it all yesterday and it allowed me some time to do - finish- a mandala. I needed it. So much focus and attention on one thing to the exclusion of everything else gets pretty intense for me. There was a time factor this year that brought me to a state of panic and I had to cut back in some areas.. not something I really enjoy.. skimping.
It's one of those times when I come to the realization that I need to "let - it - go"... which is so hard when aiming for perfection. oh well.
But it's time to move on.
The other half of the show on the other side of town... that needs to be focused on as well as some side jobs and my own art for our upcoming show in June.
But with this big show and taxes out of the way.. I feel I can breathe a bit deeper.
When the opening, a gap comes... my mind begins to question... Now what?
Where to focus.. mandalas? Painted? Bigger?.. or assemblages.
There is no great call in either direction and that is sort of a dilemma... so I just did the norm for now.. the small mandala.. the meditation practice of "doing". See what comes up.. I need to be quiet and listen. What wants to emerge from within...