STILL WAITING FOR HER WINGS

Artist: Heather Crossley
Queensland, Australia

Heather's Statement :

When people look at my art and projects published in magazines they will invariable ask me, "So do you sell your work?" and I would usually invariable answer, "No, I am not ready to be a professional artist. Maybe in 20 years." I believe the reason that I think I am not ready is because I have an internal struggle in defining myself. Am I really an artist? Am I my day job? Or am I just a crafter? How can I possibly call myself a professional artist when I have so much more to learn and I feel like a baby bird stuck in its nest, still waiting for its wings.

But then again, isn't selling my art projects to magazines the same as selling my art? Am I not already a professional artist who just happens to have a day-job? Do I really want to wait 20 years till I am old and grey before I start honoring my gift and my artistic heart? Perhaps if I open the window, I will realize that those wings are already developed and I only need to spread them out, step out and fly. Otherwise, I risk becoming this old woman in 20 years . . . still . . . waiting for her wings.

You can see more of Heather's work at http://community.webshots.com/user/hcrossley

Joy

Artist: Felicity Smart
Wisconsin, USA

Felicity's Statement :

Doodling's my thing.

I don't make art with the idea of showing it to other people. I make art as a processs of meditation and manifestation.

Meditation, because doodling puts me into a relaxed, feel-good "zone". My over-used and abused left brain hemisphere can take a break while the right hemisphere - the playful, intuitive one - comes out for some exercise.

Manifestation, because making art puts me in touch with Spirit. I reflect on goodness, happiness, abundance. By focusing on these aspects, I draw more of them into my life. It's a Law of Attraction process.

Perhaps the elf that asserted his way into the picture is my Doodling Self.

This piece is composed of hand-drawn doodles and a separate painted background. I scanned everything into my computer and reassembled the components in Photoshop, where I fiddled around further. The digital result you see here doesn't actually physically exist. I think that's kinda cool.

You can see more of Felicity's doodles and read her blog about art and happiness at www.Happiness-Studio.com (2007 entries)

Is it Art or Just a Picture?

Artist: Tori Swedosh
Melbourne, Australia

Tori's Statement :

This painting, acrylic and oil pastel on paper is significant to me as it was a time when I was experiencing my deepest darkest post natal depression. But even in this mire I suppose somewhere deep down there was a feeling of hope.

We'd just moved back to Australia after having 2 children and no support in England. We''d lived in the beautiful country side in West Sussex so I thought it might be a good idea to try inner city living for a while. We chose St.Kilda as it was a place we'd had so much fun in, in the past. Obviously before children.

Our place was tiny and we had working girls at the end of our street. To walk to the botanical gardens the children and I would often pass used condoms and needles. This was when I realised maybe inner city living wasn't such a wise decision. I remember feeling so isolated and bleak.

We've since moved out of the inner city to surround ourselves with fresh air and trees. I found the world wasn't so small, it's amazing what depression can lead you to believe. I've opened up to a supportive community and a sense of sanity has come with my newer works dealing with powerful affirmations. I truly believe that the way in which you think is the reality in which you live. Be strong, you are a beautiful soul.

You can see more of Tori's work at www.toriswedosh.com

Broken Wings

Artist: Izabella Pierce
Nevada, USA

Izabella's Statement :

I recently was told that I make "very emotional, raw art". I have no idea what I am or how to describe my art. I just create, and it is almost like magic how a piece comes to fruition.

You can see more of Izabella's work at http://izabella.typepad.com

Flexible, Changeable, Versatile

Coralee Barker
Victoria, Australia

Coralee's Statement :

Life has been incredible for me over the past few years - a real rollercoaster!
So, when I'm creating I mull over each "lesson I never realised I had to learn!" and you know, it seems to work for me. Certainly close friends tell me this, so it must be true! *grin* I love old photos and postcards, especially the wacky ones. This image appealed so much as it seemed to epitomise the many adaptations I have made.

I love the optimism that lies behind the saying that "without change there are no butterflies" and do my best to find ways to keep growing.

email Coralee: cb.absin(at)bigpond.net.au

Bird Call

Artist: Sue Giduck
Texas, USA

Sue's Statement :

I love using bird images because I have been watching birds from my living room window for many years. It is calming and I love it. I have seen such wonderful sights. I even had a humming bird on my hand by placing my hand under the feeder. This piece was done on a 9" x 12" canvas and is a combination of paint and paper. It was done in an effort to be more painterly in my work.

You can see more of Sue's work at http://www.sueperstuff.com

Celtic Spirit Messenger Art Doll: Anam Cara

Artist: Amy Crawley
Massachusetts, USA

Amy's Statement :

When I create an art doll, I always start with the head. I may have a theme in mind but the head always comes first and subsequently dictates the personality of the doll.

When I created the head for this spirit messenger doll, I knew she would become a Celtic Spirit Messenger, however, I had no idea how the body would take shape or what the end result would be.

At the time, I was reading Anam Cara, A Book of Celtic Wisdom by John O’Donohue. My work is greatly influenced by world cultures, especially Celtic and Asian cultures and, more recently, African. The tradition in many of these cultures of story telling, of using gods and goddesses to explain life, of being connected to nature and the earth fits well with my spirit messengers.

“Anam Cara” means “Soul Friend” in Gaelic. A soul friend is a friendship that is not damaged by distance or separation. It is a friendship that transcends the ego and touches the soul. The Celtic knot is symbolic of eternity with no beginning or ending. It represents the cycle of life and binding together. Many people who touched this doll were attracted to her Anam Cara spirit. She made them think of friends or family members with whom they had special relationships.

I deferred making art dolls for several years. I wasn’t ready to make them; my self-confidence wasn’t strong and some negative reactions in the past had tainted my desire to create the dolls. Yet, I remained strongly attracted to art dolls whenever I saw them on display. It was as if they were drawing me to them.

Earlier this year I set an intention to create art dolls; it was time. I started by sculpting heads for one week. I laughed as each head was revealed. I also squished several heads and started over. The muse had been re-awakened. I knew I was on the right track. I’m not a religious person; however I do believe in spirituality. My art dolls allow me to embrace this aspect of my life and to honor a spirit in all of us. Some are serious and others are humorous.

Since making my art dolls, I’ve been accepted into a well-known east coast art festival; twice. I started a blog to share my inspiration. And my art dolls have been featured in a major art and craft magazine. The transformative power of my spirit messenger art dolls has been wonderful.

More of Amy Crawley’s work may be seen at www.moonroomcrafts.com

Prophecy

Artist: Andrea Graham
Ontario, Canada

Andrea's Statement :

A child’s potential and self worth is determined by a myriad of factors. I begin with a dress as symbol of the beginning of hopes and dreams for a child and pair this with the power of words and labels that we often impose on children. The juxtaposition of a sweet dress and a label “Bad Girl” may feel contradictory, but I argue it is no different than the label of “Good Girl” in the effect on a child. When we assign an identity, while the intention may be for good or evil, in praise or discipline, it can be equally damaging as the child struggles to reject or adopt that label.

“Prophecy” is created from cleaned, carded and dyed merino wool fibre and nuno felted by hand with silk chiffon with handspun wool yarn embellishment.

More of Andrea Graham's work may be seen at www.andrea-graham.com

A Wild Hope
Artist: Danielle D'Onofrio
Victoria, Australia

Danielle's Statement :

I like to tell stories in my art, so I use a lot of found words clipped from old books. The random poetry that can be created by changing the focus of the words is always surprising; words taken out of context develop new meanings and significance. In the context that I took it from, a wild hope is a hope that cannot be realised. But here, it's a magical creature, a bit savage, a bit shy, but unable to stay away.

I've recently started creating again after a year's hiatus. I took some time to re-evaluate my reasons for making art, and to recover from a period when I felt burned out and unhappy about what I was creating. A few months ago I started circling my worktable, tidying the tools and arranging the space to make an open, enticing place to work. One day I sat down, picked up a paint-brush and started working. Now I'm revelling in the way that ideas are flowing from my mind through my hands. I feel like my muse has found me again.

Blogging is a new but natural extension of the creative story-telling process – a way for the artist to chronicle their own stories. I love keeping my art blog, and sharing the stories of other artists in the blogosphere.

This piece reminds me of the tentative way that I came back to art, and how I felt to be creating again, without deadlines and expectations. It's joyous.

More of Danielle D'Onofrio's work may be seen at http://dansnark.blogspot.com/

The Atoms are Dancing

Artist: Jacqueline Myers-Cho
California, USA

Jacqueline's Statement :

My art is like a flower.
It does not need a viewer to be beautiful;
yet, it needs a viewer to fulfill its purpose.
The beauty fills the viewer.
The viewer fulfills my art.

More of Jacqueline ’s work may be seen at www.myerscho.com

Lina had no idea
jumbo atc is 94mmx 133mm

Artist: Gabbie Coburn
Victoria, Australia

Gabbie's Statement :

l have been making 'jumbo' atc's for quite a while now, l love the bigger size because it allows me to fit more on the card, and also have room to set up a little 'commentary' about something l love.

This one came about because of a rubber stamp I have depicting the Fornasetti Face (by Stampers Anonymous). l have been obsessed by this image for years now, and was never able to resist a stamp with this image on it, yet l had no idea who the woman was, or why her face featured repeatedly in stamp designs that l browsed.

After doing some research on Google, l learned all about the Italian designer Fornasetti, and the opera singer Lina Cavalieri, the woman whose face it is. The obsession only deepened, and l was determined to use my stamp! After receiving a folder full of vintage Lina Cavalieri images on a paperarts group, this card came together, l love the combination of the unknown vintage photo with the popular stylised image, and l had lots of fun wondering whether Lina would be slightly shocked at the popularity of her face (and the price of a Fornasetti plate on ebay!) in this day and age.

Gabbie blogs at www.dotcomdesign.com.au/justme