Category: Creativity

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The Value of Oh!

Oh!
Monotype by Mary Gow

Though the shape I most identify with is the spiral, here’s a circle I wanted to share with you. It’s a monotype. In case you don’t already know what a monotype is, it is a one-of-a-kind print made by painting on a piece of glass which is then placed on the printing press. Paper is then placed over the plate and the press is rolled over it.

Now about “oh”! I remember my dear sister shared with me one of the secrets to a happy relationship. She said not to underestimate the value of replying with “oh,” when something the other person says happens to surprise you (perhaps negatively) and you want to say something affirmative. She went on to say “oh” about ten times with varied intonations.

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What Does Your Favorite Shape Say About You?

Found this video of Angeles Arrien speaking last month about the meaning of the five symbols found in art around the world. Those five symbols are the circle, square, triangle, spiral and the equidistant cross.

Which of those five shapes do you feel most drawn to?

Number the five shapes 1 to 5 with 1 being your most preferred shape. Arrien talks about the meanings of the positions and the shapes at: http://vimeo.com/15657160

Tomorrow I’ll share a picture of a monotype I did of a circle.

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Head in the Clouds? There’s a Society for That

Do you find yourself gazing at cloud formations and awesome cumulus clusters? There’s a society for cloud appreciators like you!

While searching for just the right clouds for a few paintings I am working on, my mentor/coach directed me to the Cloud appreciation Society (cloudappreciationsociety.org).

Do you have some cloud art you want to share? You can submit it to ArtAndPoetry@cloudappreciationsociety.org.

Here’s the manifesto of The Cloud Appreciation Society:

WE BELIEVE that clouds are unjustly maligned
and that life would be immeasurably poorer without them.

We think that they are Nature’s poetry,
and the most egalitarian of her displays, since
everyone can have a fantastic view of them.

We pledge to fight ‘blue-sky thinking’ wherever we find it.
Life would be dull if we had to look up at
cloudless monotony day after day.

We seek to remind people that clouds are expressions of the
atmosphere’s moods, and can be read like those of
a person’s countenance.

Clouds are so commonplace that their beauty is often overlooked.
They are for dreamers and their contemplation benefits the soul.
Indeed, all who consider the shapes they see in them will save
on psychoanalysis bills.

And so we say to all who’ll listen:

Look up, marvel at the ephemeral beauty, and live life with your head in the clouds!

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Do Angels Have Bangs?

From my own experience the answer is yes. And angels might also have mustaches, beards, or any and every color of hair in the rainbow, or have no hair at all. I am not an expert on angels, I write from personal experience.

I am working on a painting of an angel, though, and I painted bangs on her. I later removed the bangs trying to make the angel look more like what I was used to seeing. What do you think angels look like? Have you experienced one or more in your life?

I just might paint those bangs back in.