Flaming Angels, Guitars and Indestructible Me

This piece was created months ago as part of the Georgia Theatre art quilt, and as I'd hoped for all the pieces included in the quilt, it has a story.

The Canadian loves to shoot photos of statuary.
A couple of years back, he brought me an image of an angel loosely holding a palm frond. "Look at this Jennifer! Doesn't it look like she could be holding a guitar instead??"
He was excited, and he has more faith in my Photoshop abilities than I do, but to humor him, I played around with it.

I actually liked the angel/guitar creation; I had to use her on a quilt square. I'd been asked by the newspaper to demonstrate an example of a "no-sew" technique for them to photograph. Hmmmm...perfect!

As soon as I'd posted her originally, I realized there was an up and coming band in Athens called the Burning Angels.... no connection...I'd never even heard them play, but it amused me.

I've been thinking quite a bit about this piece over the last while....not so much in comparison with the idea of the Georgia Theatre rising from the flames, but on a personal level.
How many times have I just continued, playing on, oblivious to the destruction around me?
How many times have I been burned in the flames, only to reinvent myself and come back again?

“Only to the extent that we expose ourselves to annihilation

over and over again

can that which is indestructible be found in us.”

~Pema Chodron

Art Every Day??!!

Yes, I realize it's Day 3, almost Day 4, but I haven't posted because I've been busy creating!

November is Art Every Day Month at Creative Every Day.
I'd decided months ago, when I discovered www.CreativeEveryDay.com and couldn't keep up with the monthly challenges, that there was no way I'd consider participating in Art Every Day for a month! Come on---this is my busiest time of year; I just finished up an exhausting show; I have 2 daughters' birthdays to prepare for, a holiday coming up, oh and what about Christmas coming way too fast??!

What about turning this idea around?
What if I just documented all the projects that I have to complete anyway, blog about them and link up with CE as often as I could?
Sounds like a plan, eh?

SO, I started out the month with a bang---
I combined Art Every Day, Jamie Ridler's full moon dreamboard AND Lisa Rough's Dream Wheel for not one, but TWO dreamboards for the first two days of the challenge.


Can you tell where my head is? Or my heart?
I've been feeling a little lost, I suppose...trying to remember who I am, and where I'm supposed to be heading.
The first wheel has a mountain view background that I shot in Waterton Park (on the Montana/Alberta border), with a portion of an Anne Brigman photo (never heard of Anne Brigman? Look her up! Fascinating work from the early 20th century).
The second wheel, a bit more fantasy/fairy tale---Rapunzel strokes her gorgeous auburn locks, with a fairy tale castle in the background. The quotes -- "Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending" from Maria Robinson, and "Women lose their lives not knowing they can do something different. I claimed myself and remade my life. Only when I knew I belonged to myself completely did I become capable of giving myself to another, of finding joy in desire, pleasure in our love, power in this body no one else owns" from Dorothy Allison (Thanks to Kathryn at CollageDiva.com for that one). Other accents urge "Take your turn" and "Whatever you're dreaming, It's time."

Both of these pieces felt good; I felt something opening up inside me (heart and soul memory?) as I completed them during this full Frost Moon.

DAY 3---GETTING READY


Since there are 2 birthdays to manage, I'm working on 2 art journals. One would think those projects would last me the entire month, but no! I have to hurry and finish them by the 15th!
Here is where I started:

Necessities
notice the 90% chocolate is included!