Tag Archives: Inspiration

Last days at the MFA!

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Road trip! …words that make my heart sing!

We set off Monday morning on a long awaited excursion to see the John Singer Sargent exhibit at the MFA… Museum of Fine Arts.  And oh what a glorious day it was!   Sunny and warm and no accidents on the highway to slow us down.  We did make a wrong turn but even that surprise didn’t ruin our day.  Google’s map girl to the rescue!  She led us through downtown Boston twisting and turning past plenty of city landmarks.

140113a Prudential

Thank goodness for smartphones with navigation.  She led us directly to the museum.

140113b MFA

It does my heart good to see how many young people were in line; the gallery was packed!

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The John Singer Sargent Watercolors exhibit was everything I expected and more.  Almost 100 pieces are exhibited in the Gund Gallery on the lowest level of the Art of the Americas wing.

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Museum rules prevent me from sharing the photos I took of his work but follow the links here to see two of my favorites.  La Biancheria (1910) shows laundry drying in the sun. JSS is masterful as he paints the whites of the shirts and sheets along with the shadows. Boboli (1906) is a painting of a statue in the Boboli Gardens in Florence, Italy.  I was completely taken by his treatment of the shadows on the pedestal.  If you zoom in to see either of these images just imagine me, my eyes just inches from the paper.  I was mesmerized.

I highly recommend a visit but unfortunately, there are only days left to see the exhibit in Boston… it closes Monday January 20th.

Of course, if you prefer, you can always see it in Houston, Texas, March 2 – May 26.  The drive may be a bit longer.  I’m sure Google’s map girl will help you too.

I’ve Chosen My Word for 2014

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Intentions, not resolutions… that’s what it’s come down to.

Resolutions often focus on the negative, on resolving to fix something wrong, to quit something.  Often these resolutions are broken in under a week.  Sigh… more negativity.

But an intention is positive.  I will… I can!

Each year the blogosphere is buzzing with choosing a word for the year. It’s meant to express an intention for the upcoming year and become a mantra to help each of us stay the course.  In 2012 my word wasn’t a word, it was a phrase. I just couldn’t seem to distill it down to one – single – word.

If not now… when?

It propelled me to participate in the International Fake Journal Month and led me to sign up for book binding classes among other things.  It served me well.

2013 arrived and my word screamed to me!

Simplify!

Out with the old and in with the new. It’s been a year of change and decluttering, so much that I actually feel lighter. My quilting UFOs were weighing me down and all the fabric I was never going to use, a bookcase full, found new homes with my fellow quilt guild members. The decluttering went deep and beyond my studio and extended to divesting myself of family items I thought I’d carry around forever.  Now, a photo, a sketch and the memories of good times are enough.

So 2014 arrived and my word came to me immediately!

Stretch.

This blog is a stretch.  Yes, I’ll upload my artwork but writing about it and sharing a bit of myself?  Oh yeah, it’s a stretch alright.  Baby steps.

Stretch

This is a year of possibilities for all of us. If having a word intrigues you but you need ideas then please take a look at the words Jane LaFazio accumulated.  Maybe one of those words will speak to you.

What’s your word for 2014?

Inspiration in the Checkout Line

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Can you say impulse buy?

As I was in line to pay for my holiday shopping my eye was caught by a cute little lime green box.  Rory’s Story Cubes – Voyages.  I’m always looking for inspiration ideas and these images really appealed to me.  On sale too… I couldn’t go wrong!

Now I’ve always been drawn to dice even though I’m not a gambler.  I  love the feel of them rolling in my palms.  Nine dice… no dots… instead there are pictures, or should we call them icons?  This is a game for everyone age 8 and up.  That’s me!  The instructions are to roll the dice and then make up a story on the spot with the inspiration from the images.

Story Cubes - Voyages

You mean I have to use my imagination?  I quickly rearranged the cubes to suit my story:

My story

Once upon a time Bess lived in a downtown high-rise in the city.  One afternoon she felt feverish.  Her forehead was hot, hot as the sun, and her belly wasn’t right either.  Off she went to the emergency room where she was diagnosed with an amoebic infection to be treated with a high-dose prescription.  Once home she slept, exhausted from her day.  She dreamt she stood in the forest hearing faint cries.  What is it?  The sounds lured her into a clearing.  There she found a treasure chest and, uncaring of Pandora’s lesson, she immediately opened it.  Out jumped a monkey making the loudest ruckus.  He was screaming and screeching and was holding a scroll.  Bess leapt and wrestled the scroll from him.  As she looked closer she saw  it was a map to ancient archaeological dinosaur burial sites.  Bess thought, “Wait, a treasure map?  That only happens in dreams.”, and promptly woke up.

But, I’m not always going to make up a story.  I plan on using these one or two at a time as journal prompts.  Maybe I’ll create a page about my interest in western North American dinosaurs or one about moving to the country after growing up in the “Big City”.  With 9 cubes that’s 54 images… and there are two more sets: Original and Actions.

How great is that!