Buried Treasure : Potential Unleashed Again

This was originally posted On March 7, 2011.   I'm reposting it for the Buried Treasure collaboration, which is hosted by the very talented Seth Apter at The Altered Page.   We are asked to dig through our own art blogs and repost a favorite post of ours.  Potential Unleashed is a favorite because I was not just deeply inspired while creating the art, but also while creating the post.  So here it is...

Potential.  We all have TONS of it.  Yet how many of us truly live up to ours?  How do we tap into it... and unleash it?  What holds us back?

We do.  We hold ourselves back.  Oh yes... we have our excuses, but that's all that they are.  Excuses.

Hidden gems revealed

We all have these wonderful gems that we've been given...our true light... I say stop keeping it all locked up inside and let it all come exploding out for everyone to see!  Let your light pour out.  It's time!

I struggled with this painting, perhaps because I was struggling with coming to grips with my own potential.   I've been an artist my whole life.  It was never a secret to any who knew me, but I didn't think I was any good for the longest time...in fact most of the time.

I thought I had come to terms with it, but I still held myself back until something finally snapped in me a year or two ago.  I realized that God gave me this gift, and I thought I was using it, but deep down I knew better.  I finally realized all that I had, all that others saw, was kept in my tight grip.  I was so afraid of messing up and so wanted to please people.  What if they didn't like what I made?  What if I proved that I really wasn't any good...just like I thought all along?

But what I realized was in doubting myself I was doubting what God had given me.  I mentioned it before, but it must be said over and over until it sinks in for you too.  God doesn't make mistakes, so if you doubt your gifts and your potential, then you're doubting Him.

Our true selves and struggles are released onto the canvas...each one a self-portrait of sorts.

To sum this up way better than I could, here is one of my all time favorite quotes.  This is so darn powerful.  It gets me EVERY time I read it.  Copy it.  Paste it where you can read it everyday.  Let it sink in.  It will change you.  It will help you unleash.  Let it.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

--marianne williamson

RED...Better Late Than Never...?

Last week was red week for The Summer of Color, but I took an involuntary blog break. 

 A nasty bug got me, then my hubby, and now that things are just getting back to "normal",  I'm trying to get caught up.  I didn't get to finish my red piece of art, but I figured since it's  already late I'll just find some red photos to post.   

Any excuse to dig through my stash :-)

The dandelion photo was taken using my son's wagon as the backdrop.

This photo above was taken when we were on our honeymoon in Paris in 2000.  I love the French waiter (who kinda reminds me of Kramer from Sienfeld) in the right foreground.

This one above was taken recently in Pasadena.  I'm not sure why the tree was decorated, but I thought it was fun.  Love the red umbrellas in the background.

And of course I have to throw in a Hipstamatic app photo.

I know I could've just skipped red but I was so excited about it because it's such a great color.  Hope you don't mind.

So now I need to whip up something with purple for this week's Summer of Color.  I hope to make some time soon to get something together for that before the week is up.  

See you then.

Plaster + Burnt Umber(brown) = Happy Goodness...And SSS.

 This week's color for The Summer Of Color challenge is brown... rich, warm, luscious brown.  But to be honest, when I first heard it was brown I thought "blah" (even though I love brown... weird).  But then I realized brown = burnt/raw umber, chocolate, latte, etc.. Ooh, now we're talkin'!  I also realized I didn't have to make the WHOLE piece brown...just the main focus.

I've been longing to work with plaster again since I did this piece for green week.  It's so much fun.  I learned so many cool techniques in the "Plaster Studio Workshop" and needed to start using and experimenting with them more.   So I decided to work with plaster again for this week's color challenge (happy for an excuse to play with the stuff really!)

This piece combines several techniques from class, mainly transferring with CitraSolv (above), and carving into the plaster.  After I did the transfer, it wasn't as sharp as I wanted it to be, so I carved in details (the white lines) over the transfer with a sharp tool.  I also carved other details like the frame, etc..., then antiqued the whole thing (except the transfer) with Burnt Umber paint.  Mmm hmmm....happy goodness.  As a bonus challenge we could incorporate a "pop of color" to our brown piece.   

 With that in mind I added some aqua blue.  I don't know if it qualifies as a "pop" (huh..Kristin..?), especially since you barely notice it in these photos (argh), but it's definitely there and I really like the effect of just the two colors. 

 I know the above photo has a bad glare...it's not really that shiny (I think the sealer was still wet), but I like how the photo shows some of the depth and texture created by the plaster.

Ok, moving on.  Sadly I've missed several Shadow Shot Sundays (SSS), so I couldn't let another week slip by. So for this week I have several photos.  The first two are of an amazing door that I saw at Arte De Mexico last year.  Beautiful, beautiful doors, sigh.  The first photo is the one I used for my CitraSolv transfer on my plaster piece. 

Aren't the details on this door amazing?!  

In these photos you notice the highlights more than the shadows, but where there is light, there is shadow, eh?

But just in case you aren't satisfied with the above shadow shots (hmphh!),  I wanted to find a shadow shot from our Kern River trip to keep with the brown theme of this post.  This was the closest I could find in the brownish tones.  Do you see how hard I was working while my husband was lugging us and our trailer up to Kern?  Yes, it's another shot taken with the Hipstamatic app.  Sorry... you'll be seeing a lot of these. ..it's way too much fun (is there such a thing?!).  To join in our shadow shot fun, go HERE.

Next week's color for the The Summer Of Color is RED in case any of you want to play with us!  It's not too late!!

Dear Yellow, I Think I Love You!!

Lemon Tart

This week's color for the Summer Of Color challenge is yellow.   I didn't have much time this week, but I remembered this lil' bit o' fun I had laying around from years ago that never got finished.  

 I did this at a time when I wanted to create but was sooo stuck because I was taking myself and my art way to seriously.  So I decided to start making fun whimsical stuff that some might not consider art or take seriously.

  That's when this little collage was born.  The only reason it didn't get finished at the time was because I kinda forgot it's purpose.  It was almost done but I didn't know what to put at the top.  The word "tart" kept coming to mind (which would make me laugh whenever I thought of it), but I would talk myself out of it because it was too silly.  Um, hello, that was the whole point.  So my lil' Lemon Tart got tucked away and long forgotten until this wonderful challenge reminded me of it.

You can decide for yourself whether "tart" is referring to the lemons or the girl ;-)

The whole idea came from the cool netted bags that our lemons come in.  I kept saving them and one day I decided to make a collage on watercolor paper and use one of the bags as a dress.  I started by painting the background and the lemons, and cutting out a magazine photo of a girl and gluing her down.  Then I "designed" her recycled lemon bag dress and hat. She needed a necklace so I drew and painted on a citrusy one for her.  To blend her in she has a soft wash of paint over her and I doodled details onto her, the lemons, and other parts of the collage with a black pen.

To finish it (finally!!) I glued down a piece of paper across the top and stamped on leaves with green paint.   Then I stamped "tart" and added more layers of paint and pen until I liked it.  Done!   Whew!  In time to post for "yellow week".  Woohoo!

And now ... because 1) I think I'm in love with yellow

and 

2) I'm also now in love with my iPhone and the "Hipstamatic" app I decided to make my post even longer (!!) and share some yellowy photos with you from our recent Kern River trip.

You can see the reflection of my shirt on the window.  Coolio!

I love how the bus is distorted from the windshield! 

 None of these photos were altered in any way!!  That's all the work of my iPhone and this amazing Hipstamatic app (well... and a talented photographer, haha) !!  

Ok, that's enough.  See you soon!

Vacation Photos and Blogging Artist's Directory

Hi!  I'm back!  Didja miss me?  Huh, huh, did you?  Fine! ;-)

I just got back a few days ago from a nice relaxing vacation at Kern River.  Right before we left we got us some iPhones and I had fun taking tons of photos with the "hipstamatic" app!  Love it!! 

 Thought I'd share some of the photos with you. 

 

These three bottom ones were taken during our drive home (sadly, most of the photos are from the drives and not actually of Kern River...oops!) .   I have tons more to share with you.  This is just to start things off.

Lake Isabella

I also wanted to share this with you.  Geri over at My Heart Art is starting a directory for blogging artists.  If you want to be included hurry, she's gathering the info now to launch it this Monday, July 11th.  To find out more click on her blog name or the photo below to be  taken to her blog.

I'll be back in the next day or two to post my yellow "stuff" for the Summer of Color.  See you then.