Day 89 ~ Illuminated

I made this cool shadow box-type thing with parchment paper, a box and a candle. As you can see by the faint brown spot towards the top, it almost started on fire! So I will have to get some of those flame-free candles at the dollar store for this instead. Otherwise tho, I love the way that it turned out!

Day 88 ~ Matisse Mate

I decided that my female Matisse needed a mate offering her a star that he pulled down from the sky as a gift of love.

Day 87 ~ Matisse

I have been studying Matisse and learning so much! In the past I discounted him as overly simplistic, but I have a whole new opinion of him now. His daring use of bold primary colors, shapes and patterns revolutionized contemporary art. When Matisse was in his 80's he became very ill with cancer. While he was confined to his bed, he came up with a whole new art form: colorful paper cutouts which he would expertly shear from big pieces of brightly painted paper. I love that he kept creating right up until the very end of his life! His final project was a beautiful chapel which he designed for a nun who helped him while he was ill. I was so inspired when I saw the chapel, and I intend to visit it one day. Here's a video so you can see what I mean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk0x0nFLH_U
I tried my hand at Matisse-style paper cutouts for today's butterfly.

Day 86 ~ Tsunami of Love

I started making these little encouraging angel dolls as a fund raising effort for Haiti relief last year. They are hand-stitched and stuffed with lots of love. If you would like one for yourself or someone dear to you, please drop me an email at artlovin1@suddenlink.net. For $30.00 (which includes US postage) I will send you an encouraging angel in the colors of your choosing, and half of all sales will go to the Red Cross Japan Tsunami Relief.
I also set up a fund raising page here
I titled this Tsunami of Love because, like the butterfly who flaps its wing and starts a tidal wave, the smallest effort of love can quickly gather with others and become a powerful force for good. We are all connected by the small acts of love we freely give, whether it be financial or just a simple kind thought. That's the kind of love I want to share with the world.

Day 85 ~ Kandinsky

The cool thing about this butterfly projects is that it's making me want to learn more about the artists I admire. I have been studying the art of Kandinsky. I love his childlike use of color and shapes. I'm inspired by this quote by Kandinsky: "The artist must train not only his eye but also his soul." I train my artist's soul by nourishing it with a wide variety of creative delights, colors and sensual stimuli. When it thrives, I thrive.

Day 84 ~ Mardi Gras

Happy Mardi Gras everybody! Let the good times roll! Laissez les bons temps rouler!
I listened to jazz and wished for mint juleps while creating this butterfly, and teetotal toasted my favorite city N'awlins!

Day 83 ~ Vision

I was in a wonderful class tonight taught by Marney Makridakis of Artellaland. The class was about the principal of vision. I was inspired to create this butterfly by a Thoreau quote that Marney shared: "The question is not what you look at, but what you see."