Sleeping Koi in a winter's pond in Idyllwild, CA

My heart goes out to all my friends who are bearing cold, dark winters right now. I know it can weigh the spirit down. I remember when I was young and we'd get socked in for the winter in Ohio and my mother found a way to bring flowers and plants in to brighten the atmosphere. She lit alot of candles, and captured light where she could. It was as if she said, it may be winter outside, but I can bring spring into my home now. My mother fought Old Man Winter like a Spring Commando. Tea and cinnamon toast warmed our bodies, music played loud on the radio and the seasons eventually turned and we found our feet feeling the warm earth once again.

Art of the Mask

I've been afforded the opportunity to join a team of amazingly talented women in the creation of collective art books. These are no ordinary books. Most of the women are mixed media artists, so the treasure boxes that the artwork is stored in are in themselves works of art. There are thirteen of us in all. This years theme is, "The Art of the Mask". Every month a new sub-theme is chosen. Each artist has created their own box and provided the substrate on which to work on. It then goes off to a new artist each month for them to add their own creation. At the end, each artist will have their box returned filled with a piece of art from each artist.

Here is my November contribution for a religious mask. I chose to work with an image of an Iranian woman who wears a mask for religious reasons and to block the sun.

Then here is my December contribution which is meant to be a humorous theme. For some reason I couldn't get the image out of my head of children and capes and cookie jars. Must be the mischievous child left in me.

 

Working with these women is such an inspiration and I feel myself stretching and reaching to go past my artistic limits - also to enjoy my art more. I can't wait each month to see what the others have created. While I only get to see a portion as the monthly box travels, at the end we hope to get together and share all the boxes and art. This is an opportunity I will always cherish.