So here, at my normal late pace, are January, February and March.
For January, I started with one of my favorite quotes from William Blake: "Improvement makes straight roads: but the crooked roads without improvement are roads of genius." That's what I feel about art, life, everything--it's the crooked paths I've taken that have meant the most to me. I had to laugh because this piece fought me the whole way through--nothing went as I wanted it to, but I was determined to keep it improvisational and let it be what it was. I have time to make pretty things, but even though this is my "ugly child", I love the fact that I let it be. Letting go of control isn't easy for me, but I'm reaching the point where I realize I have no other choice.
And for February, a love poem to myself:
I've spent way too much of my life seeking approval from others, and invested way too much of myself in finding just the right person or thing. I loved the words from Margaret Cho--you have to be the person you want. I'm working on it.
March was my birthday! A little challenging to celebrate, but all the better for it. Sometimes I think that you have the chance to reinvent yourself every day. I'm taking advantage of that more and more all the time. And I'm finding that my true friends are the ones who not only let me reinvent myself, but who celebrate it along with me. You'll notice from the piece that my arms are very, very long, and any figure I bead seems to get chubbier and chubbier with every row. I've decided to think of that as a "feature".
I'm almost done with April and I should be finished with May in the next couple of weeks. I admire the people who can bead a whole piece, but I guess I'll reach that point when I retire.
4 comments:
Lovely pages Barb, I do like your 'ugly child' it has a lot of appeal in my eyes. I agree with your poem too & I also am working on it. Lastly, your self portrait is totally delightful..
These are neat pages, Barb -- and I don't find your "ugly" child ugly at all!
Kathy V in NM
I love your themes and your pages -it was well worht waiting !
I have a special soft spot for the March page... Long and chubby arms ? It is so that you can hug more isn't it ?
Hugs.
Your pages are wonderful. I like your ugly page. Sometimes I feel like I am just wandering and not getting where I want to be. That's just what your page looks like to me. I am all those squiggly lines and I feel like everyone else is on that nice sturdy path.
When I did my June page my dad's hand got fat too. I found I was putting the beads too close. On that page I took off the outer row and it came back to the right size. I don't usually care about getting it right but that was a scaled down copy of his real handprint and I wanted it to show. Your lady looks happy, comfy and full of life.
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