May Play

Before I move on to the farm report, I do have at least a tiny, little bit of art to show you.

While my hands and arms were healing from all the weeding, pruning, planting, etc, frenzy of the past month, I would periodically pick up a pencil or pen, and try to at least sketch or even doodle a little. Most of those doodle sketches however, ended up getting crumpled up into a ball and sailing - ok, sometimes landing, sometimes bouncing off - into the recycle bin. I know I've told other people before not to do that - save it, and work it into a collage, blah blah - what can I say? Too often, I'm much better at giving out my advice, than taking it...Besides, at the time, it felt like therapy... Nothing looked right. Nothing felt right. It all felt forced and dull and blah...

Gradually, though, my hands have felt a little better every day - though for awhile I was still feeling uninspired - so if I felt like doodling, I'd just use plain old bond paper, as it was most likely going to end up in target practice with the recycle bin.

Finally, the other night after dinner, I was feeling more myself again - which for me, means feeling like playing. Other people may feel more themselves, when they're feeling all grown-up and in touch with what's going on in the real world - I feel more myself, when I can play around and make silly things up. I'm not sure what that says about me, and I'm not sure I really want to know...that I'm about six at heart? All I know is, when I can play with ideas, I'm happier. But not many ideas had come out to play recently - till the other night...

It's funny how sometimes, no matter how many times you've seen something - suddenly, seeing two things side by side, that are normally not next to each other, or noticing that the light strikes something at a different angle - and next thing you know, you're looking at things in a whole different way, and it inspires a whole new train of thought....

Maybe it was my odd arrangement for a 'centerpiece' (I use that term very loosely :) - my childhood kitty bank, and a pencil holder, roses in an applejuice bottle - on the dinner table, the other night for Cinco de Mayo, that had me looking at things a little differently. Or maybe it was too much chili powder in the chili, tearing my eyes up a little - maybe even causing a little bit of peppery-induced delirium - but I was looking at the ruffly edges on the roses, and the way their leaves seemed to be gesturing in the air...

But when I looked down to push the trivet out of the way a bit, so I could lean in for a little closer look (and smell) of the roses...

I looked down at the Fiestaware senorita on the trivet I was pushing aside - which is something that I see on the table pretty often - so often, that I almost forget she's on there -

something struck me - well, not literally, but you know, a thought did. For once I was really seeing her - looking at the shape of her skirts, all the many ruffly-edged layers, hmm - like rose petals - looking at her graceful little hand, curved to swoop - like pointed rose leaves - gesturing through the cobalt blue air as she twirled (well, as I imagined her twirling - I wasn't that delirious) -- when suddenly, a little lightbulb popped on, flashing over my head...

I looked at them again, all together...

As a pattern, a picture emerged in my head...

maybe I'm the only one that sees the connection...

just one of my flights of fancy, taking wing...

but images of ruffly-edged layers of rose-petal skirts, leaves arched like gracefully swooping hands - and stiletto heels, pointy as thorns -- danced the flamenco in my head - refusing to bow out, till I made the connections with my eyes and hands on paper, as well...

That's how it began, anyway...

My visions of Thornbelita (K.'s name for her), grew and changed, as the night wore on, though...

I had to get up for a minute (nature calls at some of the most inconvenient moments). I wasn't quite sure what the rest of the drawing was going to be about, anyway, at that point - but while I was away, others came to view the roses that inspired her too. Though it seems they had a slightly different idea in mind, for playing around with May flowers, than I did...

No way! I said, when I came back to the table (the table where certain creatures aren't allowed, btw)

You can see how much of an impression my reproachful return made on them...

Clean-up on aisle 7!

Oh, wait that's my department...

Anyway, I cleaned up the petal pieces and water puddles - thankfully none of the water had reached the page -- being just on bond paper, it would have melted away altogether. But suddenly an idea started to form about the rest of the image...the incident - plus a little something K. had mentioned, about Thornbelita falling in her pointed-thorn high heels, sparked an idea on how to finish it up.

Here, I'll make this photo a little bigger, so maybe you can see her tiny high heels, and her little head peeking out

from behind her ruffly skirts - like a little 'I love Lucy' fairy tale...

she's hiding down there in the bottom right hand corner...

I had a little difficulty with her legs and shoes. They need more definition, but the watercolor pencils filled up the tooth of the bond paper pretty quickly.

Maybe not one of my best drawings, and certainly not on the best paper, but after breaking a month-long dry spell (did the cats have to take that metaphor quite so literally?), it just felt good to play again in May.

I hope this means the drought is over, and the well is filling up again - so maybe I can get out the good paper to play on...I'd like to get back to being creative every day.

Comments

[naturegirl]

I LoVe the senorita in the petal skirt!! That artwork is brilliant!! Wonderful!
Oh OH...kitty what have you done....purzzzzzzzzzzzz NG

[Janet]

I'm laughing and dancing and loving this whole post so much! Love the flower ladies, especially the bottom one. And you've given me hope that one of these days I'll come out of my art funk and be able to create something again.

[Sioux]

I love her, Tink. You should do a whole book of tiny flower folk and publish it! As to kitty, well, that reminds me so much of our Turtle...anything for a laugh on her part!

[MissKoolAid]

Fun drawing... I just hope the kitties don't empty the well too quickly!

*hugs*
Sophie

[Caroline]

What a wonderful flower fairy and what a magical way to have "seen" the connections that created her.

I wonder if you've ever made flower fairies from fake flowers like these:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/caroslines/468433286/
I made these with my mother-in-law who is also much happier when playing.

[leah]

what a beautiful drawing, terri! i feel more like myself when i'm feeling playful too. don't be too down on yourself about a time of drought. it happens to everyone. it's hard to take this advice when it's happening (for me too), but it's great if you can look at it as a time to fill up the well (read, explore, write in the journal, watch good movies, visit inspiring places.) So glad to hear you're feeling playful again!! xoxo

[Tammy]

I can't even draw a stick figure but I noticed that your inspiration is a lot like my process in creating poetry.

This is gorgeous Tink! Welcome back. ;)
XXOO

[Pacian]

I like the bottom right one best, but it's hard to decide if lifting her skirts to cover her face is shyness or exhibitionism...

[Carmen]

you are the best!
so is it a gallery of yours here in downtown?
i will be happy to walk and see in person your art ;-)