Heart Matters

Heart No. 3 by Mary Gow
Heart No. 3, Heart Matters, by Mary Gow
Heart Number 3 was originally painted with watercolors. I then photographed it and applied a Paper Artist filter. With Photoshop I adjusted the color levels, giving this piece an alternative dramatic feel.

As I worked on this piece I thought about the idea of a bleeding heart, the joyful heart, the oppressed heart, the peaceful heart, the passionate heart. How would you describe yours?

“The joyful heart sees and reads the world with a sense of freedom and graciousness.”
-John O’Donohue

Happy Heart

Heart No. 2 by Mary Gow
Heart No. 2 by Mary Gow
An orange heart outlined in purple emphasizes a joy inside, and a deep compassion surrounding it.

Heart No. 2 is a watercolor painting by me, Mary Gow, and it was further transformed using the Paper Artist app.

Feels like purple times ahead, a time of healing!

Coming together is a beginning;
keeping together is progress;
working together is success.
-Edward Everett Hale

You may also like:
Heart Matters
What Feels Like This
The Reality of Relativity
Honoring Courage

A Heart For You

The time is now to begin a project i’ve been thinking about for a while now, I’ve had this idea for a few years and its time has come.

Heartful, by Mary Gow
“Heartful #1,” by Mary Gow.

Part of my mission in life is to create work that nurtures and inspires your soul. Serving food for the soul is part of my family’s tradition. I can tell you more about that another time.  

I’m feeling the pull now, rising up to meet the moment, the momentum, the positive movement of being called to my calling.

I’m starting up the One Hundred Hearts Project (“OHHP”).

As part of the OHHP I’ll be posting hearts here. I don’t know exactly where this will lead, but I do know I’m feeling called to implement it.

The project will unfold as I go.

Today’s the celebratory DAY ONE! The drawing is done with Autodesk Sketchbook, a wonderful drawing app you can download on your phone for free. Check it out at https://sketchbook.com 

“The call to make art is a call to action, belief, commitment, discovery, and engagement and not necessarily in that order.”
― Michele Jennae

You might also enjoy:
Happy Heart
Heart Matters
What Feels Like This
The Reality of Relativity
Honoring Courage

Best Face Mask Ideas So Far

image by anna shvets
Photo by Anna Shvets
No doubt about it. We’re in a time that will be marked in history books.

How has it affected your world?

Lately I’ve been keeping tabs on the ever evolving design of face coverings. I don’t mind wearing one myself, and when I have my sunglasses and a hat on, I feel my introverted self is comforted with the anonymity. Like covering up with a muffler to keep my face warm on a winter day except it’s the first day of autumn with a heat wave of 100 degree temps arriving on the weekend.

Keeping track of designs, I wanted to shout out about three ideas that I would like to see created and available for distribution. The second mask mentioned is available for purchase but the first and third are at different stages of development.

M.I.T.’s iMASC DESIGN

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is working on this iMASC design. “Called the iMASC, which stands for Injection Molded Autoclavable, Scalable, Conformable, this design could help solve shortage issues.” I love how eye coverings are part of the design. This iMASC is still undergoing research and is not yet available to the public. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/21/mit-researchers-designed-reusable-n95-face-mask-for-healthcare-workers.html

TRANSPARENT MASKS

Another mask in France is allowing people to see the mouth of the speaker:
https://www.npr.org/2020/09/19/914351650/france-encourages-use-of-transparent-masks-to-help-those-with-hearing-loss

My most favorite mask concept right now is the “LEAF – the World’s First FDA-Registered Transparent Face Mask Shows Your Smile While Keeping You Safe.”

I found an article about it.

It doesn’t appear to be available, though, with a wait list for the product when I checked their website at https://www.leaf.healthcare/

Watch an 8 minute Vimeo video about this beautifully designed mask:

Leaf Mask By Alex Lightman from Redcliffe Healthcare on Vimeo.

(I have no affiliation with this company or the creators of this product).

CONCLUSION

My mask of choice is still the one with the pleats, the surgical mask with the little piece of metal at the top. Costco allowed each household to buy up to five boxes of this style, 50 per box.

The masks I presented aren’t especially easy to find yet and I hope that will change sooner than later.

We can select from an ever-growing number of fashionable masks made of fabric. I prefer those you can stick a filter inside to improve its effectiveness. My preference is to buy a reusable transparent one whenever it becomes available.

This face mask design-a-thon has begun and we may only be at the beginning of it.

It’s promising to see the creative ideas evolving so quickly.