Artistic endeavors

My heart wishes to one day reside in Tuscany. I long for it's incredible light, a truly magical light, artisans have flocked to for centuries. The ancient walled hill towns, Tuscany's rich harvest, the old olive trees and it's first cold press extra virgin olive oil. Greenish and fragrant, my preference. Through the abstract the hill towns of Tuscany form a heart seen from the air. Funny how my heart feels the calling... Since age three I have had a reoccurring dream of living with John in Tuscany. Reoccurring every October, refining the design details over my lifetime. I've even written a poetic fable of my desire and one day soon I will share it with you. Even if it is not meant to be in this lifetime I still dream... I still believe.

I faux painted an oxidized metal look to our dining room wall and inside the kitchens side and window wall. My painted wall's technique exhibits the colors that stir my emotions and gives me warmth and comfort. My favorite color is the nuanced tones of terra cotta and brick red. The olive branches in the vintage olive jar from the 40's give us a little bit of Italy smack dab in the city of brotherly love, faux of course. Throughout our home they appear, some in my hand painted branches on furniture, some just branches in vases and garland. A symbolic gesture of universal peace, ever since God gave Noah the sign after the flood that the water had abated, when a bird appeared to Noah with an olive branch in it's mouth.

In this photo I am directing you into our kitchen. Absolutely, hands down the room I spend the most time in. Truly the heart of our home as I am an avid cook who invents culinary adventures as fearlessly as I can. Crossing eyes, fingers and toes hoping they successfully turn out! To me cooking is just another form of my artful expression and honestly the way I show love to people I care about. My form of nurturing. 

This photo shows how I continued a painting technique into the kitchen that runs the dining room wall into the kitchen. A cream and grey checkerboard wall. It is actually 24x24 kraft paper pieces we cut down and I faux painted. We installed the squares with wallpaper paste to form the design. It runs the length of the dining room into the kitchen. John and I made a mirror from a trash picked glass paned cabinet sash. It is the 20th anniversary weekend (July 4th) of the mirror framed window. John walking to the bank spotted it on the curb on trash day and brought it home figuring we'd make something from it. We then crafted the frame surround and made an apron trim on the bottom.

On top of the window frame that John cut to replicate our doorframe I hand painted an olive branch. On top every one of those adorable miniature pitchers John and I over time collected on Sundays at our local flea markets.

A cast iron basement window gate my son gave me serves as our pot-rack. It is 200 years old and during a renovation in town some one discarded it for a modern replacement. Amazing, how someone would elect to trash the old for something new with no history, no legacy. We took it and had it chemically dipped, the metal is eroded which I enjoy, afterwards I applied my paint finish on it and John cut and bent all the hangers for me. 

The vintage from the 50's French license plate from Paris (the 75 designates that) is displayed behind the gates scroll work. I had originally planned to install it on our vintage Citroën DS Pallas car but realized it was missing the hole we needed for our 1972 model and purchased another one for our car and display this one.

I unexpectedly became a Poet on Jan. 1st, 2013. John and I headed up to bed around 1AM after celebrating New Year's Eve. During my nightly prayers (champagne induced prayers) I asked God for a new artistic endeavor, as I was once again feeling restless and needing to further express myself through my art. I awoke at 9AM with words flooding my head and instantly I knew it was time for me to once again pick up a pen. But, by the time I had gathered a pad and pen it, this mysterious journey of poetry had quickly vanished. I remember thinking wow that was a weird dream. Funny, but the next day once again poetic gathered words were racing through my thoughts and pulsating through my body and I was able to write/complete my first poem, seriously - my first poem ever. 

The creative process of writing was different this time around, because the words flooding my thoughts were rhyming and entirely a different emotional feeling and calling than when I had written a novel back in 1999-2001 "Destiny needs no rest". I finished it 6 months before 911 sadly changed our World sensitivities and understandings. Specially because it was about a special task force formed from the world secret agencies. My book covered the globe as it touched on terrorism, profiling, the witness protection program and discussed subjects that seemed too close to 911. Didn't parallel per say, but was close enough that I decided to shelf the novel. I even had after many, many, did I mention many rejection letters I was asked by a publisher for additional chapters to submit because they were considering publishing it. Although I honestly never wrote it for fame ... Seriously.

I painted a diptych to go with my poem below. Please read the poem and then view the close ups of my art. We have a 24 inch matte stainless steel picture ledge in the kitchen we purchased from Crate and Barrel that we alternate artwork on. Currently displaying my diptych of my poetry, each measures 9x12.

The poetry I wrote and share with you today is titled Abstractions. While writing it I was guided by my muse up above to challenge me to paint a diptych to express the emotions of the poem. An entirely new concept for me. Hate it? Let me know. Get it? Let me know. Understand my intention?  Please acknowledge it so I will know if there should be future poetry/art combos. So below is the poem followed by photos of my art.

Abstractions

For me it's a synergy, a whirlwind of ideas in different colors that arrive gathering in my creative thoughts like abstractions, often becoming a mind obsession. 

They awaken my senses and instantly I feel charged and alive, simply put, thinking in abstractions is the key trait in my ongoing artistic expression.

Emotions of sheer energy is what I intuitively receive daily, like energizing "whispers" that are heartfelt from a muse up above.

Gentle messages serving as my inspiration, mystically sent down to earth that encourages me to creatively strive thereof.

In my mind, color arrives and often times playfully collide, as if life expressions are whispered in a gentle shade of pastel.

But sometimes they arrive in vivid energetic colors that seem to shout to me it's message in a joyous life affirming colorful yell.

Realizing abstract expressions are often my next heart beat away and can feel like a time warp disguised in the meaning of thoughts lingering in the day.

Sometimes there are unexpected distractions that command my attention and cause me to focus my energies on other matters that lead me astray.

But even without intention or focused discipline the fulfillment of self expression is my life's ambition and driving force.

Clarity can suddenly appear as poetry or guided through a paint brush as my muse redirects me and I realize it's meant to run it's course.         

Throughout my many decades I have been artistically preparing to leave behind my legacy of my purpose driven life,

It's been a precious gift of self accomplishment while enabling me to sail through difficult times of strife.

© Vera

Two 9x12 brush painted on gallery wrapped archival canvas. I always finish all sides of my paintings in case someone wants to display it unframed. This painting is to demonstrate the synergy I received writing Abstractions.

This canvas demonstrates being swept into a whirlwind of ideas when colors collide.

close up

Hanging down from our kitchen beams are decorative lights John and I made. Two sets of them. We folded hand made art paper origami style and cut and put them onto strung White Christmas lights. They are lined with liner paper and then the handmade paper floats on top.

Enjoy a wonderful 4th of July as we celebrate our countries Independence Day. I'll be back to post in two weeks when I post about our vintage camera collection. Plus a little extra tribute.

XX,

Vera