WalMart art

Yes, I'm one of those unlucky ones who doesn't have an art store nearby. The closest one is 60 miles away. So all I have for those 'gotta have it now' art cravings is WalMart.
My current art craving is art journaling, so a trip was made to Wallyworld to see what could be found. I came away with some acrylic paints, gesso, brushes, gel pens, and some cute paint pens from the kids section.
Probably not the best quality stuff, but it will hold me over while I explore the medium and find out what I really need.
If anyone out there reading this is an art smart person, can you explain the difference between gesso and ModPodge? They look the same to me.
Am still working on the Bob-isms book, and contemplating more hand-made books. I found that blank note cards work great as pages. They are stiff enough to provide a good working surface and they are prefolded.

I'm thinking of starting a fiber journal, a collection of pages of my most favorite fibers.

HI RavenWind

Yeah, my sister is following my blog. She's the one who gave me a copy of Artful Blogging and said "You are an author, you should have a blog."
I read the issue, got inspired, and now I have a blog. And it's fun.

I also went to a local bookstore and found a copy of Artful Journaling, and go so inspired that last night I made a hardcover book by hand. Another fun project. I'll post pictures when it's done but I need to do some decorating on the cover, which right now is beige muslin fabric.

Thanks RavenWind for the inspiration!

Art and peace

Today I was interviewed by a newspaper reporter for a story about the art exhibit I am hosting called Creating Peace. I found myself needing to be articulate about a subject that can be very hard to articulate.
And I discovered that this is part of the reason for doing this exhibit. Because each of us had our own idea of what peace is, or what brings us to peace, and sometimes it is not easy to put that feeling into words.
Art, by its very diverse nature, has the ability to speak a universal language. Seeing a painting, or feeling a fiber art piece, listening to music, can explain what the human language has many words for, and yet, cannot express. This exhibit will bring people together to experience, not just talk about, the feeling of peace, the taste, smell, sound and touch of peace.
Black Elk, a famous native elder, describes the First Peace as that which is found within the self; the Second Peace as that which is between individuals; and the Third Peace as that between nations. In our world, we often look to the Third Peace first.
"If we could only have peace between our countries, I could find peace within myself."
We do not realize that this thinking is backwards. If we cannot find peace within the self, we cannot find peace between nations.
The concept of the tipping point is a useful tool here. The founders of the World Foundation for the Discipline of Peace have stated that the tipping point for peace in our world is 32 million people. If we can get 32 million people to participate in First Peace Circles and find their way to inner peace, we can have peace in the world.
This art exhibit is about opening dialogue and starting a process of finding peace within the self. Many people in this world feel helpless, as if we are controlled outside forces.
"What can I do to bring world peace? I'm just one person."
This is what we all can do. World peace starts with each of us.
For me, the process of creating art, in many forms, is a peaceful one. It brings me to my center, and leads to stillness and my connection to the divine, the gateway to First Peace.
What brings peace to you?

The Bear Den

My husband is a carpenter. Last summer, he decided he wanted to build something. He's a good builder, makes things very strong and functional. He decided to build a 12 x 20 foot building, complete with three windows, a real entry door, and a double door entry on one side. He built this building on skids so we can move it around wherever we want.

We installed a couch, an old braided rug, and scavenged two wooden chairs from a dump pile. I brought my weaving loom out. Then I managed to scavenge an old wooden desk from a newspaper office that was closing, which matched the chairs perfectly. Our next addition was a bear rug (that's another story, to be told). We hung the bear on the wall of the building and dubbed the building officially The Bear Den.

The Bear Den is my studio for knitting, weaving, painting, spinning, beading or whatever I'm included to do that day. A woodstove keeps it cozy and warm, with a tea pot to set on top.

Why Creating Peace?

I was lying in bed one morning, mulling over stuff, waking up slowly, when the message came. “Evergreen, sponsor an art exhibit called Creating Peace.”

Who me? I’ve never sponsored an art exhibit before. I know nothing about doing that. “Yes, you.”

Okay. I’ve learned to listen to messages from spirit source, so I dove in.

The journey has been about trust, patience, and finding the artist within me.

Trust. First of all, I had to trust the message. Then I had to trust myself to be able to fulfill the task. I’m good at organizing and taking care of details. I can’t be that hard, right? I booked the center, I sent out the call to artists, I got a beautiful poster made. Details.

Patience. Now, the patience comes in. Waiting for people to respond. There is an old story I have carried for too long that said ‘if I throw a party, no one will come.’ People said yes it was a good idea, sure I’ll participate, but no submission forms came in the mail.

Finding the artist within. I came to realize that I could not expect others to participate until I had put my energy into it as well. How can I expect others to show up if I wasn’t showing up fully? So, I made the commitment. I chose several pieces of my own artwork to hang in the show. I changed my story. I would throw this party and I would show up, even if I was the only one there, I was going to have fun.

Amazing how spirit works, isn’t it? As soon as I committed, life responded. Submissions started coming in. The phone started ringing, “Hi Evergreen, I’ve got a piece for your show, I just forgot to send the form. Is it too late?”

It’s never too late. Never too late to commit to life, to trust, to find patience, and to find the artist within.

This show is going to be amazing. Many different artistic mediums are being presented. People are coming out of the woodwork to help.

Come visit my show, join the party.

It was a short romance

What I had wasn’t working. Things were beginning to go wrong and I had the feeling the relationship was about to end, so I went looking. I’m not really into looking for things like this on line so I stuck with the local outlets. There I found Valentino. Valentino wasn’t exactly what I was looking for but he had potential. He was a bit flashy for my taste, but he had all the right equipment and his price was good. Sure, there were stains in his past, but could I really ask for perfection?
His competition was Moss. Moss wasn’t as flashy but was younger and had a more subtle sparkle. Moss didn’t have Valentino’s experience, even though Moss had good references. But Moss would take more resources to obtain.
I know everyone says to look for that magical connection. Don’t settle for second best. But, I thought we could work out our differences so, I settled and brought Valentino home.
Our first day went fine, getting to know each other. Valentino seemed to have most of the things I was looking for in this relationship. But, as time went on, warning lights began flashing.
By day two, I discovered Valentino didn’t appreciate northern Wisconsin winters. He was slow to get going in the morning. A few extra tries and he complied, but not without grumbling. I began to think maybe this relationship wasn’t right after all. I asked some friends and even consulted the experts. They thought Valentino probably needed some type of small support to get him going in the morning. They assured me it would all work out.
But, that voice inside me was worried. When Valentino refused to budge on morning three, I’d had enough. I needed Valentino to be reliable, strong and stable. Flashy only gets you so far. What I wanted was substance. If Valentino didn’t like northern Wisconsin winters, what else was he hiding? Would he get too hot in the summer? And where did he get those stains from?
A relationship like this one is too important to leave to chance. If I let these signals slide, who knows what kind of behavior Valentino would begin to display. A decision had to be made.
Some may think I’m being too picky. But I’m not looking for a one-night stand here. I’m looking for a lasting relationship. I don’t need fancy bells and whistles, but I do need trust. I don’t want to be stranded on the road when my partner decides the going gets too tough.
I had to let Valentino go. I took him back where I found him and took another look at Moss. I liked what I saw. Moss was clean, new and fresh. I liked how Moss smelled and sparkled in the sun. Sure, Moss would take more resources, but this would be a lasting relationship. I wouldn’t have to deal with someone else’s past mistakes. I dug deep and found what was needed to bring Moss home with me.
It was a good decision. Moss doesn’t mind cold mornings. Moss does whatever I ask without complaint. And Moss has some fun friends. I can call on them whenever I need help. When I go places with Moss, people tell me how nice Moss is, how pretty she is.
Yes, Moss is a she and that’s fine with me. Actually, I like her feminine energy. She’s not effusive or pushy. She has classic style with a hint of fresh color. And even though Moss has some flashy new technology (like OnStar), she also has some old-fashioned character that I like.
Moss has manual windows and door locks. I don’t have to turn on her engine just to roll down the window. She has heavy duty, all-weather floor mats, with raised edges that keep the snow and water from staining Moss’s pretty interior.
I’m looking forward to many years of satisfaction with Moss, my new car.
As for Valentino, maybe there’s someone else out there who wants a flashy red car and has a warm garage to put him in. They say there’s someone for everyone, he just wasn’t for me.

Creating Peace

Creating Peace, a special art exhibit at the Washburn Cultural Center in Washburn, Wisc., hosted by Evergreen.
The art exhibit will be hung from March 1 to 30, 2010. Art from several mediums will be displayed. Artists were asked, “What does peace mean to you?”
The art is meant to reveal the different perspectives we all carry regarding peace. What is peace? What makes you feel peaceful?
The artist’s reception will be held on Saturday, March 6 from 2-4 p.m. at the Cultural Center. Following the reception will be a concert by a three-woman a cappella group, Ancestra, from Madison, Wisc. Tickets for the concert are $15 in advance and $20 at the door, available from the Cultural Center.