Focusing on Life: 52 Photos - Week 4 - Create ART

It's Saturday again (woo hoo) and time for Week 4 of the Photography challenge that Sally over at the Studio Sublime started for 2013:  Focusing on Life: 52 Photos.
 
 
 
This week's prompt was "Create Art".  Art is one of those words that means something different to each person. 
 
When I think of Art, I think of my sister. She's the most wonderful artist I know and the Art she creates, no matter what it is, is always amazing! Me, well, I just laugh and say I can't draw a straight line with out a ruler and she says back to me, "Good. That's what they're for!" 
 
Seriously, I suck a drawing/painting, etc. and haven't tried much in regards to other art mediums as an adult either, but I loved creating things as a child.

I would sit at my neighbor Donna's house for hours and she'd have these little pillow cases she'd make me and I'd use some sort of paints on them, or she'd let me sit and glue cool photo collages together or paint (paint by numbers!) and she always encouraged me to try something different. I was constantly wanting to go over to her house because I was so excited to 'make' something!
 
Itching to create.
 
That feeling still resides in me today. Wanting to create. Create something. Anything. I even see cooking as creating something. Anyway, when I can't create I get kinda cranky.  Like those people who get grumpy when they're hungry (my hubby comes to mind here).  Yeah, I'm one of those, only instead of food I gotta sit down and create every once in a while or I turn into a bit of a "B".
 
My medium of choice (it chose me, by the way) is creating jewelry. Jewelry is my "Art". But instead of creating a piece of my art and showing you here on my blog (cause I never do that!) I wanted to show you something that feels just as good as a finished piece of jewelry to me.

 My sketchbook.  It's a rather sad little sketchbook. Not a fancy artist's sketchbook. In fact, I've got a couple of them that date back a few years,...or so.  
 
 
My original sketchbook
 
 
See, nothing fancy,....just paper to capture what's up in my head (wish it came out on paper as beautiful as it appears in my head,...).  It's rather private - I don't share it much with anyone.  I see my 'jewelry life' as it transitions and I love looking back to see how 'spot on' I was years earlier with things happening now or how I was just 'out there' with certain designs. Growing. It's my growth chart, if you will.

 
My markers, my sketchbook and my new Art Poem! ;-)
 
My most recent (and largest) sketchbook was with me a couple of summer's ago at my sis's cabin when we were evacuated during the Wallow Fire here in Arizona.   It was in my book bag along with some of my new and/or favorite beading/jewelry books. As we tossed things into the Subaru to evacuate, the book bag was tossed in the back along with a few gallon jugs of water and other things.

 The water ended up tipping and leaking out all over.  The next morning when I opened the back of the Subaru I found the spilled water jugs. I was a bit upset, but then I reached for my book bag and it was soaked - the bottom was just drenched! My heart sank and tears welled up before anything could even really click in my brain,...my heart knew what was going on.
The heart always knows first!


The pages are dry, but not as neat as they once were!
 
 
I have one of those liners for the back of my subaru, so that wasn't the issue. The issue wasn't even our suitcases, those didn't get too saturated. The issue was my book bag. That did not have a lining,...that was cloth and paper. And inside the book bag was something that was practically priceless to me - my jewelry sketchbook. My inspiration. My ideas. My art before it becomes art in my hands. My inner me!
 
 All my books, including my precious sketchbook, were completely water logged. Soaked through and through.  I just stood there holding it, looking at it like it was something foreign to me. I was in disbelief. "No, not my sketchbook?!"  My brain said to me.  "Oh, and look at all my poor bead books - some I haven't even gotten to look through yet! Oh man!"

The hubby came to my rescue and assured me all would be okay and that it was going to dry out and we'd take care of the pages, etc.  Even though it took more than a week to carefully seperate the pages as they were drying, it did turn out fine. Some of my bead books didn't recover so nicely, but I can always get more of those,.....my sketchbook however, is definitely One-Of-A-Kind ART!

Upper Left: the beginnings of my wire wrapped "Freya" Pendant in 2010
 Upper Right: Earring Designs from 2006
Lower Left: Design from Metalsmith class in 2005 - still have not made that!
Lower Right: Amber pendant drawn out and created back in 2009.
 
So this week, I played around with some photos and more editing programs for the photo challenge. I have not however, been able to create jewelry due to smacking metal around for tons of earwire orders, so this little girl's getting a bit cranky,.....and now it's time to go CREATE ART!

 
My Poem for Week 4: Create Art
 
 
My sketchbook and I are outta here - see ya later!
 
Please hop on over to the Studio Sublime and see what all the other participants have done this week to Create Art for Week 4 of Focusing on Life!
 
Until Next Time,
Peace, Love and Creating Art!
Cheers,
~Shel~

30 comments:

  1. Love this Shel! Girl, you are quite talented. Keep it up! :)

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  2. Morning, Shel! I loved reading your post today about your 'art before art'.
    Thank goodness for husbands that understand our passion for making jewelry and who come to the rescue when we need it. God bless 'em.

    Lynda

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    1. Yes, Lynda - thanks goodness for them, right?!! Thanks for stopping by and commenting this morning - I appreciate it.

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  3. Oh my gosh, you must have felt like crying when you saw your soaked sketchbook. Nice of your husband to jump in and reassure you that everything would work out okay. *smile* He sounds like a 'keeper'.

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    1. Yes Bonnie, I did feel like crying - partly because of my book and partly because of the emotion of being evacuated and not knowing what was going on w/the fire, etc. But in the end, although we lost my brother-in-law's mother's cabin (that was over 50 years old), my sister's cabin survied and it helped put things into perspective. Even though I could have lost what was on paper, what was in my heart could never be lost!! Oh, and yes, Mike's a keeper,...little stinker that he can be sometimes, but he's a keeper!! (18 years now and counting!)

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  4. I feel for you! I have lived 3 three floods in 3 different homes - my yearbooks, cookbooks, everything paper was totally trashed. So HAPPY that yours were salvagable! My favorite picture in your post today is the second to the last, where you show your sketch against your completed pendant - that is awesome!

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    1. Oh man, Patti - that's tough loosing all those momentos and keepsakes,...it leaves a bit of a void in your heart, doesn't it? Thanks for the comment on my jewelry journal and amber pendant,...it still sits on my desk because I cannot decide what kind of a 'chain' to create to compliment it!! :-)

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  6. Shel this is such a great post! I love that your drawings come to life and you can see that with your pendant! You have such a talent!!

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  7. Oh, I would have been crying right along with you! Losing a sketchbook is like loosing a part of yourself. Your husband sounds like the best sort of person and I'm so glad your sketchbook recovered. Now the wavy pages are part of its history and part of what makes it special, because it did survive! Thank you so much for sharing!

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    1. yes, those wavy pages are now very much a part of the book and I love them!

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  8. What a nice post! Those sketches are precious, so glad hey survived!

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  9. I'm glad your story had a happy ending and not evertyhing was lost. Your sketchbook is beautiful and I'm glad you showed it here.

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    1. Thanks Alice,...I'm glad it turned out the way it did, too!

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  10. Oh I feel so honored whenever I get a peek into someone's sketchbook. What an incredible story - my heart sank as soon as you mentioned the water, but so happy to hear it was all unstuck in the end. I had a small leather journal I had just bought sitting in my studio. I looked over and thought that's odd it looks wet. Uh yeah look up and there are two leaking spots in the roof over storage for a whole bunch of supplies. Thank goodness I saw it when I did otherwise a whole lot more would have been ruined.

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    1. Oh get out! I'm glad you discovered the leaks when you did. I love it when disasters are diverted!! :-)

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  11. Thanks for sharing a glimpse into your private sketchbooks. How special they are. And what a great way to keep track of your design history.

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    1. Thanks Cynthia and yes, it's been a great way to keep track of designs. I'm amazed at how many things I've actually sketched and made quite soon afterwards and then how many things end up getting sketched and not made for years! LOL!!

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  12. What a beautiful story to share with us this week! I can't imagine picking up something that I poured my heart and soul into like a journal and see it damaged like that; I know there would definitely be tears for sure!

    I'm glad everything turned out alright for you and your beautiful sketchbook. I'm quite envious of you, actually; I could never come up with sketches like that. I've tried a few times before, but I'm more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants designer.

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    1. Kayla, I do the 'fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants thing most of the time, I truly do, but there's just times when I have an idea and no time to create so that's when I use the sketchbook. Or when I'm trying to come up w/several variations on things, I use it for that a lot too. I just wish my drawing/sketching ability was a bit better. Most of the other pages are just scribbles,...these were the best ones I could find - LOL!!

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  13. I loved the peek at your sketch book and your little doodle made me smile. The colors and the little face just make me want to grab some crayons or beads and create!

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  14. Oh Shel, I bet your heart stopped at the thought of losing something so close to your heart. I'm so glad for you that it dried out and nothing was lost. Thank you for showing us some of your drawings. I really like seeing the finished pendant next to the drawing.

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  15. Hi Shel, Thanx for sharing something so personal with us. I think you did a great job of drawing your designs. I started a sketchbook last January. I did draw my first few pieces but then I went into production mode and the sketchbook mostly lays untouched now.

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  16. Your journals are indeed works of art! So sorry to hear that they had water damage but happy to hear they mostly survived.

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  17. What a heart wrenching story but beautifully told. I understand the feeling of despair as I don't know think I could bear to lose my art journals. I adore your poem at the very end....so true!

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  18. How wonderful that you were able to save your sketchbook! Now it definitely looks well-loved like the treasure it is.

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  19. Shel, Thank you so much for a peek into your mind! I love to flip back through the pages of mine to see how my designs have evolved. As for the water logged books, I to would have been heart sick, but I have to tell you I love the texture it gave to the paper! :) Your colorful poem is perfect for this week!!

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  20. Thanks for sharing your sketches with us....beautiful post!

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Thanks for sharing what you have to say - I love hearing your comments!