tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86125881806941253942023-11-16T08:15:08.214-08:00Plants, Paint, Glue, and JigsawsLetting go and letting the surge of creativity be expressive in life.Maryanne Mesplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534643997377150631noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612588180694125394.post-16484321786879010722014-12-27T22:42:00.000-08:002015-04-19T09:02:32.010-07:00Collaging ~ Soul TherapyAnd when I am thinking with a pair of scissors and glue and a pen in hand, this is what happens ~<br />
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I am an emotional creature. I am a soul who loves, who fears, who falls and stumbles without knowing the whys at times. To assist myself in uncovering the beauty of my own experiences in life, even the sharp edged ones, I write, I cut and paste, and I release. </div>
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I know artistic works are typically about the paths I walk along as I heal my wounded soul. When I receive a blow to my heart I write and draw and color about the traumatic heartbreak until the pressure from the pain begins to ease. I need to look at the brighter side of the abyss so I force myself see light and hope.</div>
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I love discovering imagery in magazines that helps me visually convey my story. Color with a few words and arranged pictures can assist me in expressing my heart and soul. My extroversion needs a voice and often my need to verbalize is cloaked in the silence of paper.</div>
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We can never heal our hearts by staying at the crime scene. As I walk between worlds within myself seeking my escape through understanding I find my task is to walk the precarious pathway between pillars of my personal truths.</div>
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Leaving crime scenes is difficult because of the emotional attachment. I admit to the weakness within me, the weakness that kept me tethered to places that only caused me pain. Funny how we can let our hearts be ripped out and willingly show up to go through he same trauma again. It was a big big decision to move away from Colorado to Texas. A move that I believe no one I know thought I would ever do. Texas is giving me new life, new breath, new hope new dreams, new skin, and a new heart. </div>
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Celebration of life happens every minute of every day ... It is my job to take that step forward, to raise my arms in glory exalting my God. My experience with God is very personal. My connection to God is why I am still here. I am nothing without God. I am nothing without the love of My Master. Through the Lord all things are possible and I am living testimony to that. </div>
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The layering of imagery expressing my journey is so therapeutic. The language of our universe is metaphor and it is in metaphor that I find myself connecting the dots within myself and coming to understand this process called life. Every second of my existence is necessary to the eventual tapestry that I am creating. My tapestry is a fundamental addition to the whole of this universe. My tapestry is a part of God for I am a child of God and I am created by God. </div>
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Our hands are powerful, our hearts amazing, our spirits move within us leading us toward understanding what matters most in life. What matters most in life? Love. Love is the water that brings to life generosity, hope, compassion, peace and the ability to be happy with this moment of now even if in this moment there is pain from being confined in a space too small for our greatness of being. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBuBYO85GLlnZETZ7fuAy0rYNZLCzvT_LkRRVP0myP3OB9l05drN0mnZls4cwN0-bdgnmXnn3BINtoKvrCLI7UEMYolKMs-LwLuYaVJt2h66dEEcyQnzpANAU3gwpFm8ttfTdJKBpfjZi/s1600/P1040464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBuBYO85GLlnZETZ7fuAy0rYNZLCzvT_LkRRVP0myP3OB9l05drN0mnZls4cwN0-bdgnmXnn3BINtoKvrCLI7UEMYolKMs-LwLuYaVJt2h66dEEcyQnzpANAU3gwpFm8ttfTdJKBpfjZi/s1600/P1040464.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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A journey beneath the waters of my soul reveals how I move within my being. How I move about internally dictates how I move about externally. Do I have peace of mind and sow those seeds or do I move in chaos and disrupt my path?</div>
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"Reeling in The Years" is about my life of course and how at times I feel as if I have been picked to the bone but need to keep up the show out of fear. Fears that haunt me. Fears of disapproval and fears of being misunderstood and loved. </div>
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I was in a place of darkness, not trusting anyone in my life, especially family. This image represents me, sitting in a vulnerable, peaceful place with no concerns other than creating and expressing my truths. I am harmless, non-confrontational, peace loving, and caring. I am being me. Without warning life comes down on my like knives threatening to pierce my heart, threatening to destroy me, threatening to cause me to bleed out all my faith in people. The knives never connect with my body for they are suspended in the space - a space I control. There are a lot of decisions made in the space between intentions, in the space between harm and hope - it is up to me whether to let those knives pierce me. I refer to this image as "potential collateral damage - blades of judgments". </div>
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Peace and Hugs,<br />
Maryanne Mesple<br />
April 2015<br />
60 years young<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">all imagery copyrighted and not to be reproduced or used without my consent.</span><br />
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<br />Maryanne Mesplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534643997377150631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612588180694125394.post-69955977434452888272013-02-21T13:13:00.001-08:002013-02-21T13:22:32.524-08:00Great Gourd Giveaway ~ Gourd # 5 <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I made a promise to five people to commit my time, my energy, and a portion of my life to giving them something homemade - <i>by me</i>. Those five people did not know what I would make for them when they participated on my Facebook post declaring I would give away something homemade to the first five people to leave a comment.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I am a semi-crafty person, so for all the five people knew I would be sending them a purse/bag crocheted from plastic grocery sacks. Or, I could be sending them a bracelet or necklace made from hand crafted paper beads. I enjoy crocheting with unusual materials and throwing a magazine away is like throwing away a jewelry box filled with beautiful bracelets and necklaces! But, I decided to artistically use and give away 5 gourds. In addition to crocheting and making paper beads, I am a gourd artist and I am a bit crazy. I have blogged about the gourds I worked upon and gave away, and this little photo enhanced blog post is of gourd number 5, the last gourd that fulfills my promise and brings and end to this particular journey in creativity.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHjsYiWzZKG6AfGuF33pDwWArRqKEyLq0st1Cj1XVWd_asTpzHRt1uFRPmpMi6UJGEHsuJUrdtC4A-TC2zswm1Qnfh73fJo6_s-_C_0sP3y7WNTpV4KAi8FMEdQiLB1oES9KoMDSpGDN1/s1600/shangourd1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHjsYiWzZKG6AfGuF33pDwWArRqKEyLq0st1Cj1XVWd_asTpzHRt1uFRPmpMi6UJGEHsuJUrdtC4A-TC2zswm1Qnfh73fJo6_s-_C_0sP3y7WNTpV4KAi8FMEdQiLB1oES9KoMDSpGDN1/s320/shangourd1.jpg" width="292" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The gourd in the photo above is the only one that will remain locally. Of the 5 gourds I gave away in the Great Gourd Giveaway 2 are now in California, 2 in Oregon and this one will remain in Colorado where I live. When I begin to work with a gourd I may think I have an idea but I never really know what I will end up doing. The gourd in the photo is cleaned and awaiting its new look. I take into account the texture and the patterns and the gourds thickness. There are times when a gourd can fool me and I do not see its imperfections until I have committed too much time and I then need to draw upon my problem solving ability and make the gourd submit to being a beautiful piece of art in spite of itself! Lucky for me and for gourd number 5 there were no flaws to work with or around. </span><br />
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When I first began to use gourds creatively I made what I called Fairy Houses. But now, I am more drawn toward making gourd bowls. Sometimes I will make the bowl lidded, but most often not. I get a lot of my inspiration from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau" target="_blank">Art Nouveau</a>. I love natural form and structure of our organic world and my love is often reflected in my gourd art. In the image above I am drawing onto the gourd intertwining vines with very few leaves. This style of vine I use often, and have done so since my very first gourd. Sometimes the leaves are larger, sometimes more prolific and sometime I omit leaves all together.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIKzyIZzkVGQojKIyKYA8GvpRylvwGYEoR7vatmsjE0sZG17DGqKADETyO95FbtqFMe-uKZ2zmnglo4w8bTZjU5uDe_M-N6yWu95CJeXUf5D_vA5tewVOYJiqzZFeVNzQV11zo1ppCT8B/s1600/shangourd3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIKzyIZzkVGQojKIyKYA8GvpRylvwGYEoR7vatmsjE0sZG17DGqKADETyO95FbtqFMe-uKZ2zmnglo4w8bTZjU5uDe_M-N6yWu95CJeXUf5D_vA5tewVOYJiqzZFeVNzQV11zo1ppCT8B/s320/shangourd3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I was remiss in documenting how I burn the design I create into the gourds body. If you read my older blogs you can see my process using <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrography" target="_blank">pyrography</a> as part of the overall visual aesthetics of my designs. In the photo above you can see that I have cut the top of the gourd<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> off</span></span>. Removing the top makes the gourd into a bowl. Gourds are hollow and very easy to clean out. You can also see that I have begun painting this gourd a beautiful red. The bowls I craft are not for food. My bowls are ornamental and should never be placed outside for decorative purposes for they will breakdown. Gourds are by design seed pods and when a gourd is repeatedly exposed to water and direct sun it will split developing cracks and the paint will peel off too. I have had someone "forget" and when I saw the gourd a few years later, which they had hung outside, it was unrecognizable! <br />
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Gourd number 5 done! I was thrilled when I was able to report to the gourd's new owner that they could drive over at anytime and pick up their gift. My promise fulfilled! I admit this gourd bowl is one of my favorites. Not only is this gourd beautiful it is one of a kind. It is impossible to recreate because the design is out of my head, spontaneous at the time of drawing in addition to the fact that no two gourds are alike!<br />
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Looking down into gourd number 5 you can see how deciding to paint the inside black really enhanced the overall appearance of this bowl. As I mentioned, I cannot make two gourds alike but I can use similar techniques. I am thinking I will make more in this style.<br />
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While I was making the five artsy gourd pieces for those who responded to my offer, I also made four other gourds for customers. I have been busy and very thankful for this adventure that I signed myself up for. I loved <b>having</b> to produce. I loved having to be creative. I loved getting back into doing what I love to do most and that is expressing my creative side. <br />
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I will be blogging about my gourds more and more. I enjoy documenting my process and sharing the end results too! I have people ask me how much my gourds cost and that is hard to answer because each gourd is unique. The price of my gourds is governed by my design and the size of the gourd itself. My gourds start at $100 and go up from there, my most expensive so far being $700.<br />
I do take orders and will use personal information as a way to get to know my customer's likes but I do not let my customers tell me what to do with the gourd.<br />
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Until my next creative adventure take care,<br />
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Maryanne Mesplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534643997377150631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612588180694125394.post-51703586634186120232013-02-16T23:50:00.000-08:002013-02-16T23:50:38.700-08:00Great Gourd Giveaway ~ Gourd # 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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When someone smiles at me I am no longer the master of my face because my heart takes control and I smile back without even thinking! I believe smiles are the currency of the heart and I always feel blessed when I receive those beautiful heartfelt deposits. When I began the journey of creating 5 gourd vessels to be given away I never anticipated that I would be the recipient of so much joy and as the photo below shows, my heart's bank account is overflowing because of beautiful souls and their gifts to me. Gifts of smiles.</div>
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Unfortunately gourds don't clean themselves. As gourds cure over months and months of drying time mold grows on their skin before the gourd dries out and it is the dried mold on the gourds skin that needs to be removed. How I clean my gourds today is so different from when I first started working with gourds. All I will say is that I made a huge chore out of a very simple process. Thank goodness I came to my senses and let myself discover that a little water, a stainless steel scrubby, and some elbow grease can clean up a medium sized gourd in a very short amount of time. </div>
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What a difference in the gourd's appearance once all the mold is scrubbed off! While I am scrubbing on the gourd I get acquainted with the gourds surface. Each gourd is unique and out of the same crop no two will ever be alike in size, thickness, texture, etc. I have been working with gourds since 2000 and over the course of 13 years I have developed what I call gourd sense. My gourd sense tells me a lot about the gourd including that I can pretty much predict how thick the shell will be. Also during the cleaning process it is a time of discovery. I discover cracks, pits, warts, and stains all of which impact the design, the burning, and the paint. </div>
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Gourds are so crazy wonderful! In the above picture gourd # 4 is receiving its design. I have decided to make a bowl which is not unique. What makes my gourd bowls unique is that no two are ever alike because I create a new composition for each gourd I work with. When I first touched this gourd I thought that I would be channeling Lalique because I kept seeing Lalique style patterns in my mind's eye. When it came time to actually draw on the gourd everything changed! Still inspired by Art Nouveau the design I began to see was less Lalique and more me! My husband had recently gifted me with a beautiful Art Nouveau stylized tray with the most beautiful leaves and those leaves came to life in my head and just would not stop dancing around until I transferred them onto the gourd.</div>
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Cutting the top off a gourd can be tricky, and even more tricky when the path the jigsaw is to follow is a curvy one! Before any jigsawing can begin it is necessary to pierce the gourd's body with an awl. The size of the awl is important because the hole created by the awl needs to accommodate my micro jigsaw blade. Once the blade is inserted then the fun begins! The challenge is to retrace the drawn design with an oscillating saw and not accidentally lop off a leaves lobe! With the top successfully removed the gourd can then be cleaned out. Cleaning the inside of a gourd involves the removal of the seeds and the ribs that hold the seeds. Once that is done then I scrape out the gourds remaining contents until I reach the inner wall and then the inner walls need to be scraped until they are as smooth as possible. For detailing the edges I use metal files. Cleaning the inside of a gourd is a very messy job but with the right music playing it is an enjoyable experience!<br />
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In the photo above you can see the irregular cut that follows the flow of the leaves and also you can see just how thick a gourd can be! The thicker the gourd's shell is the better.</div>
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If you have not noticed, I love working on my gourds! I love creating unique pieces and if I can create something that makes the bowl uniquely a particular person's it makes the process all the more enjoyable. On this bowl, I have part of a poem partially hidden by the bowl's leaves. The poem I borrowed a line from is one by Rumi and the stanza behind the leaves reads; The garden of love is green without limit. I felt the verse went well with the leaf design and reflected the bowl's future owner's heart.</div>
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Sometimes I enlist the assistance of my husband to help me with my gourds. When I do ask for his help it is only when I have other obligations that take me away from my work on my gourds. My husband is always happy to help me and how lucky am I that my husband just happens to be an Art Professor! So, after I completed all the burns on this gourd my husband lent his expertise and helped with the painting ... while I chased a 3 year old grandson around the yard! </div>
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Another view showing the words of Rumi peeking out from under the leaves. The gourd is now ready for the inside to be painted and then to be sealed. This particular gourd has a 1000 + mile journey ahead. I believe this gourd bowl turned out beautifully! Yes, I am proud of this gourd and as the first picture in this blog showed, the recipient was very pleased with the gourd bowl too.</div>
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One last picture before packing up the bowl for its trip across country to its new home. One last gourd to do, and the Great Gourd Giveaway will be fulfilled and my heart bank will be full of smiles. How lucky am I? Very lucky.</div>
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Now, for gourd # 5.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">all <span style="font-size: xx-small;">photos in th<span style="font-size: xx-small;">is blog <span style="font-size: xx-small;">were taken by and owned by Maryanne Mes<span style="font-size: xx-small;">pl<span style="font-size: xx-small;">é </span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
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<br />Maryanne Mesplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534643997377150631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612588180694125394.post-49638563039546633682013-02-15T14:19:00.000-08:002013-02-15T14:19:21.381-08:00Great Gourd Giveaway ~ gourd # 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For my third gourd gifting adventure I did not have to look far for a particular gourd that was to embody my creativity. Nope, I did not need to look far because when I cut the top off the gourd I used for my second gourd gifting I set that gourd's neck next to my violets waiting to be planted. That is when I saw a flower vase gourd! So, I picked up the gourd top, spun it around trying to figure out just how to craft it into a flower holding vessel when the thought came to me to drill a hole and make a vase that would hang from twine or copper wire! I drilled the hole and my vision was confirmed! <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Maryanne Mesplé EW gourd</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;"> I recreated the accidental and perhaps subconsciously intentional setting that inspired me<span style="font-size: small;"> so you can see how it was actually hard to not see the next gourd pro<span style="font-size: small;">ject! </span></span> I kept my little gourd top near me<span style="font-size: small;"> as I finished the moon bowl; mentally </span>working on an image that would grace the </span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">gourd vess<span style="font-size: small;">el. </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">O<span style="font-size: small;">nce I was of<span style="font-size: small;">ficially </span>done with the moon I paused for a day <span style="font-size: small;">to cle<span style="font-size: small;">an up <span style="font-size: small;">my work area<span style="font-size: small;">. I am happier and more producti<span style="font-size: small;">ve in a clean and organized work space. <span style="font-size: small;">All refreshed<span style="font-size: small;"> and with a clean environm<span style="font-size: small;">ent around me I</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> then picked up a pencil and the gourd top<span style="font-size: small;">. <span style="font-size: small;">Taking in a d</span>eep breath <span style="font-size: small;">I then </span></span>let the new de<span style="font-size: small;">sign </span>flow like water from my fingers onto the vase and within 20
minutes I was already ready to burn! I love it when stuff just happens! <span style="font-size: small;">Once I </span> began the physical transformation of the gourd top I <span style="font-size: small;">already </span>knew what this piece was going to look like when done.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Maryanne Mesplé EW gourd</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> I have a passion for drawing <span style="font-size: small;">intricat<span style="font-size: small;">ely woven branches and vines and <span style="font-size: small;">sometimes just unending pathways of intersecting lines. For this gourd piece my starting place was the top<span style="font-size: small;"> of the gourd neck that is now the bottom of the container :-) I then let my pencil just go and <span style="font-size: small;">weave lines under and over and through creating <span style="font-size: small;">a <span style="font-size: small;">network of vines weaving themselves around the gourd.</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Maryanne Mesplé EW gourd</span></div>
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In my enthusiasm on the day that I drew out the design and burned it into the gourd I completely forgot to capture the burning process via photographs! Oh darn, but then that is perfectly natural to get all caught up in fun. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQDaF1CaOzMI27qw9gPeJH3dWeSMk6Vrh4enFHwvxuK4Iw-qp8PRaBjYoJd2k1kQTw9GZulgzK2PI7QFKRNVXhoWSxUEvNCE_fgG4WIFP7ztSvYnHrVkOEIFlqUgWS9P9paW7e11NfydgJ/s1600/P7030408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQDaF1CaOzMI27qw9gPeJH3dWeSMk6Vrh4enFHwvxuK4Iw-qp8PRaBjYoJd2k1kQTw9GZulgzK2PI7QFKRNVXhoWSxUEvNCE_fgG4WIFP7ztSvYnHrVkOEIFlqUgWS9P9paW7e11NfydgJ/s320/P7030408.JPG" width="208" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Maryanne Mesplé EW gourd</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> This image and the the images below show the gourd vase com<span style="font-size: small;">pleted. Painted, and sealed,<span style="font-size: small;"> the gourd is ready to ship</span>! I tested the inside of the gourd for its ability to h<span style="font-size: small;">old water and the vase <span style="font-size: small;">passed the test<span style="font-size: small;">! I hope that as time goes by having water on the inside does not make<span style="font-size: small;"> the paint on the outside bubble and peel off but that is w<span style="font-size: small;">hat I cannot know before creating something li<span style="font-size: small;">ke this vase. The only way I will know if the paint <span style="font-size: small;">on the outside of the vase </span>i<span style="font-size: small;">s <span style="font-size: small;">adversely impacted by water from the inside </span></span>is if the new owner reports on the life of their new object :-) <span style="font-size: small;">Below is a series of photos showing the completed gourd and the differing sides of the vase.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pho<span style="font-size: xx-small;">to by Maryanne Mesplé EW gourd</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Maryanne Mesplé EW gourd</span></div>
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I have to admit that the placement of the gourd vase is visually funny! If you will look at the vessels mouth you will see that it appears as if the woman in the piece of art on the wall is perched atop the gourd and pointing or reaching inside! How funny! I liked it so much I left it!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNoEXUyq6R6r-eAX5Xr9M_tNlBIS8oIRaUGul5rzRrjYVlO6pHON_CeCFES2Peg4eg6TBB0BZLj4yr3nYceI1ARFXmgWPvBEJyONsrIKBsck4htdrEwfcnFUg_yulIxtMMr-uHIx4p3Nli/s1600/P7030414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNoEXUyq6R6r-eAX5Xr9M_tNlBIS8oIRaUGul5rzRrjYVlO6pHON_CeCFES2Peg4eg6TBB0BZLj4yr3nYceI1ARFXmgWPvBEJyONsrIKBsck4htdrEwfcnFUg_yulIxtMMr-uHIx4p3Nli/s320/P7030414.JPG" width="255" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by M<span style="font-size: xx-small;">aryan<span style="font-size: xx-small;">ne Mespl<span style="font-size: xx-small;">é EW gourd</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">I love looking at my finished pieces. I do. I love the thought that my gourds will make someone happy and that mak<span style="font-size: small;">es the wh<span style="font-size: small;">ole adventure so worth <span style="font-size: small;">every minute<span style="font-size: small;">. <span style="font-size: small;">And now, you already know if you have been following my Great Gourd Giveaway that I have already been working in my head on gourd number 4<span style="font-size: small;"> .. yep, I have!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Maryanne Mesplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534643997377150631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612588180694125394.post-66550255677226089762013-02-07T21:01:00.001-08:002013-02-09T09:06:10.340-08:00The Great Gourd Giveaway ~ Gourd # 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"> Outside of art classes in high school I've never faced a deadline for completion of any of my artsy or crafty adventures. Like many artist (dare I call myself an artist?), but anyway, like many artist I work at my own pace which can at times be no pace at all for long periods of time. Obligating myself to 5 people with a promise to create something homemade for them was the best creative boost I've ever experienced! I unleashed my creative bug and before finishing the first gourd in the Great Gourd Giveaway I was already working on the next gourd in my head!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPXDSisE2BfQnJI9OumuJTSFYPfPQS_onFOA6ZZFkjmnE4BkXfnacTm3S8mr0bBJWIarGbbNQa7a8VFCyFr-56LWeRb5Bx6JSFNHzfwq4j7_5BRPB9RDlS1uBoIKTAdH-1ECtqmGEwatL/s1600/Joliegourd1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPXDSisE2BfQnJI9OumuJTSFYPfPQS_onFOA6ZZFkjmnE4BkXfnacTm3S8mr0bBJWIarGbbNQa7a8VFCyFr-56LWeRb5Bx6JSFNHzfwq4j7_5BRPB9RDlS1uBoIKTAdH-1ECtqmGEwatL/s320/Joliegourd1.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Maryan<span style="font-size: xx-small;">ne Mespl<span style="font-size: xx-small;">é JB gourd</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Working on a gourd in my head first involves <span style="font-size: small;">staring at the gourd. Yep<span style="font-size: small;">, I <span style="font-size: small;">fill up my eyes with long stares of the <span style="font-size: small;">gourd in waiting</span></span></span>. I also get a physical feel for the gourd. Each gourd has a unique texture and thickness <span style="font-size: small;">which will influence all the work done on it so I run my fingers all around the gourd getting to know its <span style="font-size: small;">texture</span>.</span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">As I <span style="font-size: small;">put the last dabs of paint and sealer onto the gourd I am finishing, the next gourd is</span></span> close by<span style="font-size: small;"> whispering<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">images into the air that I breat<span style="font-size: small;">he in and digest. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The gourd in the photo above is cleaned up and now awaits m<span style="font-size: small;">y next <span style="font-size: small;">encounter with it which will involve a <span style="font-size: small;">pencil.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Maryanne Mesplé JB gourd</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span> When I know a little bit about the gourd's soon to be owner I use that information in guiding my ideas. I will ask about favorite colors and plants and places and poets to open up a path of communication. It is in the communication that I often get my inspiration but that inspiration is not from knowing someone's favorite color is purple or green but rather the inspiration flows in how the information exchange happens. You can get to know a lot about a person in how they talk about themselves more than what they say about themselves. The photo above shows the image that was persistent in my head each time I touched the gourd and or talked with JB. The gourd was to be a moon gourd! I love the moon :-) The moon is an iconic symbol that is loved by many people, revered by many cultures, and our Earth's moon is loved and honored by the owner of this beauty, so I was not surprised when I kept seeing a moon when I touched the gourd and hearing the words La Luna. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZTdtLn7EeU6pFc9NsNhtBbXDwfcai7CZ07l41p9Rv4jMpbWvcHtDCyXkG14sOcBqIQjAyCyRAIusD_REoYWuZA7BCelcN0BFWwJz9NQFEQxjoJMS2n0NLqLyvrJUJuVT41XTnJJlDIf6/s1600/joliegourd4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZTdtLn7EeU6pFc9NsNhtBbXDwfcai7CZ07l41p9Rv4jMpbWvcHtDCyXkG14sOcBqIQjAyCyRAIusD_REoYWuZA7BCelcN0BFWwJz9NQFEQxjoJMS2n0NLqLyvrJUJuVT41XTnJJlDIf6/s320/joliegourd4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Maryanne Mesplé JB gourd</span></div>
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You can see where I have sketched out the basic moon shape and will do more detailed work once I have cut the top off the gourd.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Maryanne Mesplé JB gourd</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> In this photo you see where I have used a j<span style="font-size: small;">igsaw to top the gourd creating a bowl! With the gourd cut I scrape out the insides which are comprised of seeds and gourd fluff that is somewhat like <span style="font-size: small;">styrofoam and flaky skin! <span style="font-size: small;">Drawing the design in more detail is very <span style="font-size: small;">relaxing for me.<span style="font-size: small;"> Although<span style="font-size: small;"> I am relaxed while drawing I have to be very cautious that my fingers to not erase what I draw! I discovered the hard way that graphite rubs off the gourd's body easily if I am not careful.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Maryanne Mesplé JB gourd</span></div>
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I love the smell of the burning tool searing the gourds shell! In the photo above you can see I have begun to burn in the moon. This is when the design is set and cannot be changed because burn lines cannot be erased or rubbed out and even if painted over there is still the depression from the burn line. Burn is burn and there is no such thing (or word!) as un-burning! Part of the thrill, for me, while working with my gourds is knowing I have to be accepting of my work for there is no changing it once I begin using the <a href="http://www.woodcraft.com/category/1001041/woodburning.aspx" target="_blank">pyrography</a> tools.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzhCt_HRpzeTEPZL43oLo8OrH3mpV6f6PB_QXVZm57tA4mrLqkWUIQ9ZQWpQDBdayTxAsgNH-VdtTK6R83AvxRyc4b9wWUu647H6hoWdQ7AyU8zoQ_XZHvRfpxEeyLXVUjtR3Dt81eHnb/s1600/joliegourd8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzhCt_HRpzeTEPZL43oLo8OrH3mpV6f6PB_QXVZm57tA4mrLqkWUIQ9ZQWpQDBdayTxAsgNH-VdtTK6R83AvxRyc4b9wWUu647H6hoWdQ7AyU8zoQ_XZHvRfpxEeyLXVUjtR3Dt81eHnb/s320/joliegourd8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Maryanne Mesplé JB gourd</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> The <span style="font-size: small;">recipient of this gourd is a beautiful soul who is<span style="font-size: small;"> a visual artist and poet. I had noticed <span style="font-size: small;">in one of J<span style="font-size: small;">B's</span> blogs a beautiful poem they wrote so I used the poem as part of the gourds <span style="font-size: small;">expression.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Maryanne Mesplé JB gourd</span></div>
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Done! La Luna completed and sealed. Like all my gourds I let them air out a small while before shipping them to their new home. La Luna is now living in the Pacific North West and hopefully creating smiles upon all the hearts that touch her. I was very happy making La Luna and before finishing, of course I already had another gourd in waiting :-) </div>
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Now, for gourd # 3</div>
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<br />Maryanne Mesplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534643997377150631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612588180694125394.post-76725445700809388552013-01-14T21:45:00.000-08:002013-01-14T21:51:31.918-08:00The Great Gourd Giveaway ~ Gourd # 1<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I shocked myself when I read the date on my last blog post<span style="font-size: small;">;</span> February 2012! Whoa! 11 months slipped by without me writing one sentence<span style="font-size: small;"> for my blog</span>. In my defense to myself about myself I was not slacking<span style="font-size: small;"> off <span style="font-size: small;">and </span>snoozing overtime! The months</span> flew by unnotice<span style="font-size: small;">d </span>as I drew and burned and jigsawed and painted gourds. The gourds I devoted my time to were offered up as part of a giveaway to the first 5 people to respond to my "come and get yours!" post on Facebook in 2011!. I did not think I would have any takers because I did not say I would be giving away gourd art. My post simply stated I would be giving the first 5 lucky people something hand made by me. The people who responded did so not knowing what I would be making<span style="font-size: small;">,</span> for all the knew I could have been thinking of knitting them up some lime green dish clothes! I love lime green dish clothes and I love knitting them for myself, so it would have been easy and fun to just make 5 dish cloths but I knew I would be making gourd<span style="font-size: small;"> art to give away</span>. Within an hour of my pressing the enter key on my computer's keyboard I was blessed with 5 Facebooking friends who were willing to be surprise<span style="font-size: small;">d <span style="font-size: small;">with a h<span style="font-size: small;">and made creation by little ol' moi! </span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;">W</span>hen I realized that I had to gift 5 people with something I make I knew I needed to get busy because I am not that fast with my gourd creations<span style="font-size: small;">!</span> That should be obvious since it has taken me almost 2 years to fulfill my offer!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEirh7Lk5NWgp0Y7bVoD12l9MXUR8CG21XXwSejzSf6qcVjMfBuqrPWJ8tWzS00gkMHR6INn79wadczxcBmxgQyvUyH93Y3p3oLn-lSsxUQPx5AkGIXGd70_s5M31rndPgyNsCoFgW1Qi/s1600/P3250032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEirh7Lk5NWgp0Y7bVoD12l9MXUR8CG21XXwSejzSf6qcVjMfBuqrPWJ8tWzS00gkMHR6INn79wadczxcBmxgQyvUyH93Y3p3oLn-lSsxUQPx5AkGIXGd70_s5M31rndPgyNsCoFgW1Qi/s320/P3250032.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by M.Mespl<span style="font-size: xx-small;">é JC Gourd 2011</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Gourd number 1 was to become a resident of Oregon. I never know what design I will use when I begin to play with a gourd. It is when I am holding and turning the gourd round and round in my hands that I begin to get a feel for and a vision of how the gourd will look. In addition to getting a feel for a desi<span style="font-size: small;">gn that may grace the <span style="font-size: small;">gourd I also toy with the thought of<span style="font-size: small;"> whether the gourd will be left intact or if I will top it creating a bowl. The Oregon gourd was fated to be a bowl<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> as are many</span> of my gourds. I love bowls and it shows in my art. <span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikNmPipSpUB65Gaw_G9V0h428VVN39uCmMRUSNLf18Vhme08njmVXzdv70CoGjYgU93k9xFXxjyqeMB33hZEQmcmBoiLzli4uqaWSADBZPM9DQ3Lq7qedtkjPM0pxIBhmqYk_W6bgAAZMn/s1600/P4030032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikNmPipSpUB65Gaw_G9V0h428VVN39uCmMRUSNLf18Vhme08njmVXzdv70CoGjYgU93k9xFXxjyqeMB33hZEQmcmBoiLzli4uqaWSADBZPM9DQ3Lq7qedtkjPM0pxIBhmqYk_W6bgAAZMn/s320/P4030032.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by M.Mespl<span style="font-size: xx-small;">é 2011 J<span style="font-size: xx-small;">C Gourd</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I begin by drawing<span style="font-size: small;"> what I visualize onto the gourd using a pencil and then I go over the pencil with a burning tool <span style="font-size: small;">burning the desi<span style="font-size: small;">gn into the gourd's skin. Burning the gourd <span style="font-size: small;">can be a bit tricky because the surfa<span style="font-size: small;">ce of a gourd can vary so much from spot to spot. I can be burning the design on one spot and it will take<span style="font-size: small;"> several seconds to make a mark and within 2 secon<span style="font-size: small;">ds and an 1/8th of an inch later and the <span style="font-size: small;">searing hot tool <span style="font-size: small;">can</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"> burn right thr<span style="font-size: small;">ough the skin into the pulp<span style="font-size: small;">! It takes practice to develop a feel for burning<span style="font-size: small;"> gourds. <span style="font-size: small;">In the image above I am doing what I call the second burn<span style="font-size: small;">. The first burn <span style="font-size: small;">barely scorches the gourd while the secon<span style="font-size: small;">d and third burnings take the desi<span style="font-size: small;">gn deeper.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtLtuigK3mtfgPoo80nLtj5nEk_P5moekG94oLC86MbTTMu6ZoY8E31Ahplxo_xgQ9AG32f6EFC6mk-wIId4Uq34AC3T2uRORrvqYNxlhH4077-ULqxWbzoOmtgNnKNY2rlL1jKr4F_KB/s1600/P4040036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtLtuigK3mtfgPoo80nLtj5nEk_P5moekG94oLC86MbTTMu6ZoY8E31Ahplxo_xgQ9AG32f6EFC6mk-wIId4Uq34AC3T2uRORrvqYNxlhH4077-ULqxWbzoOmtgNnKNY2rlL1jKr4F_KB/s320/P4040036.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by M.Mesplé JC gourd</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I love the sm<span style="font-size: small;">ell of burning gourds but <span style="font-size: small;">the smoke can be a bit toxic <span style="font-size: small;">so I contro<span style="font-size: small;">l my<span style="font-size: small;">self <span style="font-size: small;">in wanting to breathe in the wonderful smell of burnt go<span style="font-size: small;">urd! As I burn I blow<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">onto the gourd contin<span style="font-size: small;">uously <span style="font-size: small;">k<span style="font-size: small;">eeping the stream of smoke a<span style="font-size: small;">way from my face. I look like I am trying to whistle with neve<span style="font-size: small;">r any tunes<span style="font-size: small;"> coming from my mouth<span style="font-size: small;">. The image above shows the gourd burnt and ready for <span style="font-size: small;">paint. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by M.Mespl´JC gourd</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">Deciding on color is very hard and also <span style="font-size: small;">I always have to keep in mind th<span style="font-size: small;">at the natural color of the<span style="font-size: small;"> gourd changes the color of the paint I choose! I can pick out a nice blue paint and if I put it on like a glaze <span style="font-size: small;">it will look<span style="font-size: small;"> more green than blue<span style="font-size: small;">. Here, in the <span style="font-size: small;">image above, I have decided to color the gourd using l<span style="font-size: small;">eather dye. One of the fun aspect<span style="font-size: small;">s about working with gourds is you are not pinned to using only traditional paints to dress your gourds up. I use leather dye, acrylics, alkyds, <span style="font-size: small;">permanent markers and even beet juice. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by M.Mesplé JC gourd</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">Oregon bound gourd bowl complete! The inside is dyed with leather dye also and although it looks purple the <span style="font-size: small;">bottle said it was blue! Always a surprise with color<span style="font-size: small;"> so one needs to have an open creative mind and <span style="font-size: small;">be accepting. <span style="font-size: small;">When I choose to use very opaque paints the natural color of the gourd is not <span style="font-size: small;">that much of a factor in the outcome but still, I do find <span style="font-size: small;">I need to do several coats. Also, once I have complete<span style="font-size: small;">d a piece of g<span style="font-size: small;">ourd art I <span style="font-size: small;">seal it wi<span style="font-size: small;">th a lacquer to protect the paint and hop<span style="font-size: small;">e<span style="font-size: small;">fully prolong the life of the artwork. Gourds are <span style="font-size: small;">big seed pods and respond to na<span style="font-size: small;">t<span style="font-size: small;">ure like they were created to do. If yo<span style="font-size: small;">u put a gourd outside it will cr<span style="font-size: small;">ack open so, it is never a good idea to keep gourd art outside. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Next up<span style="font-size: small;"> ~ gourd number 2 in the great gourd give away!</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
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Maryanne Mesplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534643997377150631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612588180694125394.post-81212604035298949862012-02-06T13:53:00.000-08:002012-02-06T13:53:56.445-08:00Time and Creativity and Completion<div style="text-align: center;">I push myself. I guilt trip myself when I run from my <span style="font-size: small;"><i>pushing</i></span> of myself. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIqW6lwtibMJWeeCvZ_pu8sYbFKb3SvXsGeL5Ryd4yU8o53eF9gnD-nFdl7AHKqlQJJh7Unw6ksq_1i6Vft2e_yy-WXW746SQg78XEfulQ1gi8Q39SEDc9VFvMeN0x2F5K6Y9jeWbT7d8/s1600/runningfinger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIqW6lwtibMJWeeCvZ_pu8sYbFKb3SvXsGeL5Ryd4yU8o53eF9gnD-nFdl7AHKqlQJJh7Unw6ksq_1i6Vft2e_yy-WXW746SQg78XEfulQ1gi8Q39SEDc9VFvMeN0x2F5K6Y9jeWbT7d8/s320/runningfinger.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Running Fingers. Photo by M. Mesplé. 7/2011)</span></div><br />
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I get out my game of Guilt Tripping and play against <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/moi#French" target="_blank">moi</a> when I am feeling creative and life serves stagnation via detours away from my studio. Bad bad girl! Not giving myself time to do my little artsy adventures creates within me a feeling of not functioning properly. I do know however, that I will return to my studio and I will once again breathe deeply and let my imagination manifest. When I find my way back to myself and get off those detours involving other people, I embrace my unfinished work and try to re-discover the energy needed to get in that particular zone of manifesting. It is important to me (am I an odd duck here?) that I tap into the feelings, the imagery, the ambiance within that I was surfing on before getting derailed.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH9CB1VruJ_0mYTmAAIONCgv49LWlXSj8FoJFtegbRT9bpZG3AzmYSnXkta6qUWmqVJKD3XBhbwSFU9NulANtNQv6tIxAZgKAVh0WNoZuT7LzbUJlDw4yLez1jry2GykecmkYZ9TDqGc62/s1600/derail2-475x372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH9CB1VruJ_0mYTmAAIONCgv49LWlXSj8FoJFtegbRT9bpZG3AzmYSnXkta6qUWmqVJKD3XBhbwSFU9NulANtNQv6tIxAZgKAVh0WNoZuT7LzbUJlDw4yLez1jry2GykecmkYZ9TDqGc62/s320/derail2-475x372.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(photo discovered here:http://www.thedailydl.com/microsoft-sues-dhl-for-2m-for-train-derailment)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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What am I trying to say here? I am trying to say that even with derailment of my intended, well planned out time allotted to myself in my studio I can eventually reclaim or rediscover what it was I thought I was channeling and finish what I started ... usually. <br />
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In January of 2011 (this is now February 2012) I began the exciting process of creating a prayer bowl using a gourd and I just now completed the bowl. Really? Yes, really. (Where is my guilt? oh yes, right here, inside my mind!).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlCBHa-OxEFTd1HlHPS-EHt2ALRo5QgkdV3qdo90NLNMZrVcREzLg-_M7G8dKX9FGgqiz4BnSX0o6skaf4Ac7kRu3unnpKXaP3VXaGaUz_0-zEQx5JwjyBpP4GTIxdcLDNjishvOvM141/s1600/guilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlCBHa-OxEFTd1HlHPS-EHt2ALRo5QgkdV3qdo90NLNMZrVcREzLg-_M7G8dKX9FGgqiz4BnSX0o6skaf4Ac7kRu3unnpKXaP3VXaGaUz_0-zEQx5JwjyBpP4GTIxdcLDNjishvOvM141/s320/guilt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Guilt Screams. Photo by M. Mesplé. 2008)</span></div><br />
Okay, the screaming is done and so is the beautiful prayer bowl that I made from a gourd! It's not the fault of the gourd that the journey from selection, to first cut, to burning, to painting took so long. Well, the truth is this; part of the time it took to complete the project was the gourd's fault. If that gourd had revealed it's flaws to me sooner than later I would have selected a different gourd. BUT ... had I selected a different gourd I would have missed out on amazing creative problem solving journey.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBzvwM00aQF_cy4Lujxew83z6Cn21ZGQ_PVMbkRwO-cqEMJFFw8eBymsL7RLTIkqitan4irCGsjPYsyyjSdTtOCOd8kpwWJ26pHWR-bIHVh_z30iT3nSA_ijED_Pcm66_xcN2e5nldcCMq/s1600/hiddenflaws.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBzvwM00aQF_cy4Lujxew83z6Cn21ZGQ_PVMbkRwO-cqEMJFFw8eBymsL7RLTIkqitan4irCGsjPYsyyjSdTtOCOd8kpwWJ26pHWR-bIHVh_z30iT3nSA_ijED_Pcm66_xcN2e5nldcCMq/s320/hiddenflaws.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Gourd In Waiting. Photo by M.Mesplé. 7/2010)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> This journey, with THIS gourd involved cracks in the gourd that were well hidden. This journey involved a gourd that felt "thick" before cutting, and then that thickness became thick inner fluff with a thin, brittle outer shell.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1M3V0e2cvo8E5m3QxTLPgysMJRN3Q2hfo0viRaAbRgFgE9QEe9wDmKcLCKWuFdwENjmgqTN4dabWb-rWjgEqwX3hF1UP9vNeSjYqV3dkI-wphNkMYSNQKh9W7ohkxEeGIui39g3bzQq6/s1600/prayerbowlprocess1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1M3V0e2cvo8E5m3QxTLPgysMJRN3Q2hfo0viRaAbRgFgE9QEe9wDmKcLCKWuFdwENjmgqTN4dabWb-rWjgEqwX3hF1UP9vNeSjYqV3dkI-wphNkMYSNQKh9W7ohkxEeGIui39g3bzQq6/s320/prayerbowlprocess1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(photo by M.Mesplé, 2011)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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This journey involved two major hospitalizations of my aging mother; one hospitalization lasted 45 days. This journey involved running out of my selected color dye half way through staining the gourd!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5THE-ePPSjtRUqnrVmgilgLAM-7V9Y_3qie6LT6FmJGW0pZXRrdFYtt3LM5SnNHFJMtxDcFdPqReHhU2tAU8pBZ9AHqXfLpNdWy818LBrM9Nxf5-r4eijgL5cgpHypXLESptaaj0HuZu/s1600/prayerbowlprocess3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5THE-ePPSjtRUqnrVmgilgLAM-7V9Y_3qie6LT6FmJGW0pZXRrdFYtt3LM5SnNHFJMtxDcFdPqReHhU2tAU8pBZ9AHqXfLpNdWy818LBrM9Nxf5-r4eijgL5cgpHypXLESptaaj0HuZu/s320/prayerbowlprocess3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(photo by M.Mesplé, 2011)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div> This journey derailed because of my own medical adventure that involved surgery and a recovery that lasted for two months!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKd-LHork-Y8cBMWKV1yLVYMLKIvLCaEJI9MaukihJcQ8vO64nXJdtFNCYMAxlG5aB9fTQavVm9c3qKr_moC8sQTJPJchDqBQYQCztqrkQPOpR13EmyVeIgngBvOts0mkl7FKbtHlZNpYW/s1600/prayerbowlprocess5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKd-LHork-Y8cBMWKV1yLVYMLKIvLCaEJI9MaukihJcQ8vO64nXJdtFNCYMAxlG5aB9fTQavVm9c3qKr_moC8sQTJPJchDqBQYQCztqrkQPOpR13EmyVeIgngBvOts0mkl7FKbtHlZNpYW/s320/prayerbowlprocess5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(photo by M.Mesplé, 2011)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div> This journey involved emotional hardships involving people who should not matter but do. This journey involved emotional hardships involving people I love who broke my heart (or I let break my heart). This gourd has been a journey involving a lot of time, a lot of creativity beyond just design and execution of design ... creative problem solving to the max! This journey has been a circuitous path towards completion. Completion of a PRAYER bowl.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesTslV0z9gDr3gNfY9MhYtNm1G0j-2A7g-ZmxRBmxSr3nsemJyssOu4CTdznMgomJ6XGD84GGX7A_8gQzZ7uhyphenhyphen-NkDmYeZpU8yjVhIZLv-JzFTqZ0aurDDG0V0Bg_kDsB1VAttCgPhaIG/s1600/prayerbowlprocess2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesTslV0z9gDr3gNfY9MhYtNm1G0j-2A7g-ZmxRBmxSr3nsemJyssOu4CTdznMgomJ6XGD84GGX7A_8gQzZ7uhyphenhyphen-NkDmYeZpU8yjVhIZLv-JzFTqZ0aurDDG0V0Bg_kDsB1VAttCgPhaIG/s320/prayerbowlprocess2.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(photo by M.Mesplé, 2011)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div> What? Yes, a prayer bowl. In retrospect, I see how all those little distractions that I thought robbed me of time and robbed my creative juices were distractions held in prayer. For each obstacle I encountered I would use prayer as a means of discovering strength (without thinking of the fact that I was creating a prayer bowl).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqGo_8V0fqVfbDftqGVV5Nr8Fz5r58kSTZ9P9YGEOuebqJeR-dHLAGZOR2OjwCrd267xOheVNY8-mVr6jJB7rn6PEovVDHdoO39Y2oshk6rVZn8r_SsE23GyKlNlxRvcci-jNsgvbVarA/s1600/completedprayerbowl2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqGo_8V0fqVfbDftqGVV5Nr8Fz5r58kSTZ9P9YGEOuebqJeR-dHLAGZOR2OjwCrd267xOheVNY8-mVr6jJB7rn6PEovVDHdoO39Y2oshk6rVZn8r_SsE23GyKlNlxRvcci-jNsgvbVarA/s320/completedprayerbowl2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(photo by M.Mesplé, 2012)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div> I prayed for understanding. I prayed for healing. I prayed for tolerance. The day I packed up the completed prayer bowl it hit me. I had received all I placed my intentions upon. All my little prayers I offered up were manifested. I held within me an understanding of life from a new perspective; a perspective I had not used before. I was healed in more ways than just on the physical plane ... my heart had healed in a way I never believed was possible. And tolerance is now a way of life without question.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIeB8yeVd1lM6U-RQlrbJqZJItcgTREWwtA_XXI3H_J2Eihe0zXGld3JyabwBX6lgBTjPoJ3zvu_FOqIhbE_vOWraw0aJYcfuBIBb5pkK47xlj3McZYkL3a-_xwvz9kNVJIo4ZlTVrCvqP/s1600/completedprayerbowl3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIeB8yeVd1lM6U-RQlrbJqZJItcgTREWwtA_XXI3H_J2Eihe0zXGld3JyabwBX6lgBTjPoJ3zvu_FOqIhbE_vOWraw0aJYcfuBIBb5pkK47xlj3McZYkL3a-_xwvz9kNVJIo4ZlTVrCvqP/s320/completedprayerbowl3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(photo by M.Mesplé, 2012)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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Without the thought of the fact that I was making a prayer bowl for another soul, I used the energy of this vessel to assist me with my own needs. As I stood holding this beautiful manifestation in my hands, preparing to send it off to its new home I became so aware of the eventuality of our intentions and that with time, and creativity, and a willingness to let go of the need to feel in control, all things come to completion. It is the "letting go of" combined with faith that took me back to my original path but that path is now paved a bit differently .... at least for a little while. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiof-mZvOR5GtpoDNwnKw6QgsL31DY2Le4jcSGiMLLqhF9qc63pJB1ut_EIdKtzEchqxqySJJb7l9MDT3DsYjeUL0k73mYEwq_cxCMXOmTW3msE-lTMyqq4tleQWymn-PM91bJ9Lzjvq7oh/s1600/completedprayerbowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiof-mZvOR5GtpoDNwnKw6QgsL31DY2Le4jcSGiMLLqhF9qc63pJB1ut_EIdKtzEchqxqySJJb7l9MDT3DsYjeUL0k73mYEwq_cxCMXOmTW3msE-lTMyqq4tleQWymn-PM91bJ9Lzjvq7oh/s320/completedprayerbowl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(photo by M.Mesplé, 2012)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Namasté</div><br />
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</div></div>Maryanne Mesplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534643997377150631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612588180694125394.post-90844660201740401082011-05-03T20:51:00.001-07:002015-03-22T11:23:34.383-07:00Recharging Creativity ... Mine I am not excused from losing my Umph in my studio or between me and pen and paper. I am not excused from not bringing forth and asserting my creative drive - my log jams between me and creativity are my doing - no person or thing is to blame. Nope, I am just as human as the next human standing in line for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artistic_inspiration"><i>inspiration</i></a>. Some days I feel as if I am waiting for a special, unique, ordinary moment to move and inspire me. I feel like I wait for that <b><i>something</i></b> inside but that <i><b>something</b></i> remains elusive, just out of reach. In these moments of feeling flat within, I know I really need my creative switch flipped on along with the dam busted so my personal generative current flows unobstructed - again. I openly admit to experiencing days filled with long moments of sitting and staring at all my artsy, crafty objects/items/supplies and seeing absolutely nothing. I walk into my gardens void of motivation, unable or unwilling to decide whether to weed or not to weed, or to gently till the earth or not, and the thought of dragging a hose is just too much to consider. I can't see zip or zilch or zippo or crapo! I am unable and perhaps disinclined to see anything that is inspiring - the world looks flat! I can't make a decision about making a line or how to shade or choose a color or where to make a cut or whether to turn on my wood burners or even pick up a watering can ... I feel frozen inside. In those moments, the moments void of inspiration, where I have lost my creative battery's charge all I know is I am not flowing and glowing and expressing my metaphorical language of celebrating life. I feel heavy inside. I feel like stagnate water - still and murky. I sense my personal seconds slip through my life opportunities untouched and unused and we all know we can't bank our unused seconds, minutes, hours, and days! Darn it!<br />
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What to do? In these empty moments I slowly move toward what I know is my personal anti-creativity antidote. When I become aware I am in the midst of a creative blockage (obvious by my lack of creativity!) I go soak in a wonderful hot bath imbued with herbs and salts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScAoF5F1snFKJEkiomMVEYTM7YI99TXsOn8BOc6q3cV1-1tFwSLxF4K2EWe965UsDUC8f1jppkzbbhI8ogY-iE09KjO6f-QZfMNowfBet_JJYuTUtg89BCKahOACYOuMj0iPJIgFUt2Mv/s1600/P5020007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScAoF5F1snFKJEkiomMVEYTM7YI99TXsOn8BOc6q3cV1-1tFwSLxF4K2EWe965UsDUC8f1jppkzbbhI8ogY-iE09KjO6f-QZfMNowfBet_JJYuTUtg89BCKahOACYOuMj0iPJIgFUt2Mv/s320/P5020007.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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(Photo by David Mesplé ... <i>Submerged Within Ones Element</i>)</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I soak - I relax. I embrace the sensual wetness of and the tingly sensation of salty water which is perfectly too hot and that hotness creates steamy air that envelops my soul. I submerge my body beneath liquid beauty letting the water's fluid body hold me ... I become weightless. I become void of physical sensation, void of the experience of my heavy body. I let go and I let my awareness of lightness of being remove the blocks between me and myself. As the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=148628105169604&set=a.147647838600964.23228.113200478712367&type=1&theater">salts penetrate my pores and the gentle aromatics of the herbs</a> penetrate my senses I release my physical and mental tensions letting the steamy hot water seduce my subconscious into exposing my pools of creativity and allow the opening of the flood gates. Gates open, soul open, mind open, heart open, the flow of my imagination begins to once again speak loudly to my conscious mind - I feel my switch within flip back on. I feel my creative juices moving, flowing, rushing, like a swift river carrying me back to where I forgot I was. By the time I am done soaking in the hot fragrant water I am filled with wonderful imagery. I feel renewed. I have story after story speaking to me begging me to take down dictation notes to preserve all the nuances of characters from my past and I see color and shadows and lines and textures and designs and my plants also chime in, beckoning me to come play. </span> <span style="font-size: small;">I recharge my creativity submerged within.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Hugs, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Maryanne</span></div>
Maryanne Mesplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534643997377150631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612588180694125394.post-62765510108602842422011-04-24T17:11:00.001-07:002012-04-13T22:12:38.497-07:00Tending My Gardens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RUu1HDA_Wqhioi10K_RvIhIQLyPuaJmB_LUrtJKYpnb4IjvkiSY6Lm9OFV8QdlFlmd1N9ZeHu7enghjJWyyLIsSKGkaI1W1Ye6Kh2QJj2XI_0RkyynLZn8P6xxV5-ME8RWZDGi5OZsiA/s1600/P1010387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RUu1HDA_Wqhioi10K_RvIhIQLyPuaJmB_LUrtJKYpnb4IjvkiSY6Lm9OFV8QdlFlmd1N9ZeHu7enghjJWyyLIsSKGkaI1W1Ye6Kh2QJj2XI_0RkyynLZn8P6xxV5-ME8RWZDGi5OZsiA/s320/P1010387.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photo by Maryanne Mesplé)</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></i></div> In my yard, Crocus break through the Earth's crust and announce the imminent arrival of Spring and soon after the song of the Crocus, Dandelions join the chorus. I love Dandelions. Dandelions are versatile in that they provide beauty for our eyes to feast upon as well as lending their blossoms to becoming yummy <a href="http://www.texascooking.com/recipes/dandelionwine.htm">wine</a> and their petals and leaves add so <i>much</i> to <a href="http://fat-of-the-land.blogspot.com/2008/04/dandy-muffins-and-bread.html">breads</a> and <a href="http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/dandelion-salad/Detail.aspx">salads</a>. Yep, I love Dandelions, especially in my yard where I can celebrate their presence and appreciate the gifts of our earth. Dandelions are free food and I don't have to go anywhere to be served such bounty! That is a big wow! At least it is for me :-) I love to sit and observe the Dandelion's beautiful brilliant yellow flowers that attract newly emerged bugs. Dandelions inspire me to be creative because when I see their yellow heads erupting throughout my yard I want to cook, I want to paint, I want to plant, I want to dance ... I just want to celebrate Spring's arrival and sing along with the Dandelions!<br />
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</div> I love Springtime. Spring is when Mother Nature shows off her talent for creating beauty out of the smallest of small packages ... seeds. My creative urges are like seeds within me and when Springtime rolls around I am filled with beautiful imagery of all the <i>things</i> I want to create or grow. For my creative seeds to produce I nurture them just as I tend to my newly planted vegetable seeds. I have many different types of gardens. I have vegetable gardens, and flower gardens, and gourd gardens and paint gardens and gardens of beads and gardens of plastic bags I am crocheting into totes and gardens of books and journals. I enjoy tending to my gardens. I enjoy nurturing my seeds tucked within the loving soil of my heart and soul and I enjoy tending to the the seeds I've tucked into the earth's womb. Today, I transplanted more sweet peas and long beans and lettuce and spinach and beets. I dug into the earth with my fingers and created cradles to receive plant starts that Mother Nature and I have been tending for several weeks. I blessed the baby greens as I patted the soil around their roots and blessed the opportunity to participate with Mother Nature to produce a garden that will nourish me and my family. And I noted that without asking or coaxing my property will produce for our family a copious supply of Dandelions this season.The nourishment I receive goes beyond what vitamins and minerals my body ingest at harvest time. I will be filled with soul-ishous nourishment knowing that I am one with my Mother the earth and that I am loved by her because I am one of her creations that sprang from a seed :-)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8cw8Iu2G5G6viWybFP-B0WHm6y0DHfbkUQqRm1kWgvVEw8sSS2QuMzJqJsGYLfyhezoPIeeXby8sIV4Oi3a4zFzQsJuK-dfx6SKTFXok7j34LUQvIvnQwJ2vmipGzANvrd7nxrh3wQe-/s1600/P8210532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8cw8Iu2G5G6viWybFP-B0WHm6y0DHfbkUQqRm1kWgvVEw8sSS2QuMzJqJsGYLfyhezoPIeeXby8sIV4Oi3a4zFzQsJuK-dfx6SKTFXok7j34LUQvIvnQwJ2vmipGzANvrd7nxrh3wQe-/s320/P8210532.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>(photo by David Mesplé)</i></span><br />
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</div>Maryanne Mesplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534643997377150631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612588180694125394.post-75956163178725720612011-04-12T13:49:00.001-07:002012-04-13T22:13:37.660-07:00Patience Produces<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj011sk8UF39Ok7wNpkJo8Gabj6_6quKgjKdeLILomTKgh73F_q-ZteKMEAK6iYBjZ2a-phtV4l9LQoVtevtIZ6p7Jy1mXKhXn0HOQwCBtcZQ-7v_b5HNmlxmsV3yA1AWAwpFbl7LjJLH8G/s1600/P4080095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj011sk8UF39Ok7wNpkJo8Gabj6_6quKgjKdeLILomTKgh73F_q-ZteKMEAK6iYBjZ2a-phtV4l9LQoVtevtIZ6p7Jy1mXKhXn0HOQwCBtcZQ-7v_b5HNmlxmsV3yA1AWAwpFbl7LjJLH8G/s320/P4080095.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Image by Maryanne Mesplé 2011)</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div> I celebrate each second that I am aware of. For me, awareness is being engaged in life as fully as possible while appreciating the little things and being in awe of bigger things. Life itself, I have to believe, is not aware of each second that passes. Life just <i>is</i> whatever it is <i>expressing</i> without the silly construct of time. Only us silly humans cripple our experience by measuring what we do or don't do in a race with the clock. If we fail to produce within a certain amount of "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time">time</a>" then we tell ourselves (or other people tell us) that we are too late and that judgment of lateness colors our experience with ugly dark messy crayons. I received a gentle reminder this week that time, or at least my sense of time, can interfere with my own ability to produce or create. I was filled with self imposed stress while at the same time, I was also filled with the awareness that I have a choice to create without giving in to stress. I don't like the feeling that I must produce or manifest something within the constraints of my own construct of time that tics off seconds like boulders falling on my head. Without intention I had put myself in the clock's box and began to perform like a racing dog chasing a faux furry critter on a stick. Not good.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHORFluNSj8flLHnbIEcvBshfRW2mUVHhkEBf-8Eu_lsAvIe3mWdDHP4XFr2CRua672SSxkesa5cEoUzeMCJIrysENEdLwYaq6ngl30ht4NjernpPFjAkmFA4TiHSgGAVORO75-kHGPQk/s1600/images-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHORFluNSj8flLHnbIEcvBshfRW2mUVHhkEBf-8Eu_lsAvIe3mWdDHP4XFr2CRua672SSxkesa5cEoUzeMCJIrysENEdLwYaq6ngl30ht4NjernpPFjAkmFA4TiHSgGAVORO75-kHGPQk/s1600/images-9.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">( </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Steven Senne, file / AP Photo)</span></i></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br />
</div> I received a phone call in the early morning hours (the awareness of time) from my mother. My mother lives with me. My mother has a bedroom down the hall from my bedroom. My mom called me on my cell phone using her cell phone and when I answered her only words were; "Mary, come here" ~ click ~ the phone went silent. I already knew before my feet hit the floor what the day was serving. Within an hour my mom was uncomfortably smushed (my word) atop a gurney in an emergency room and she was being grilled with the same questions over and over and over. Questions like, "your name is?" and "you were born when?" and for the hundredth time, "what are your allergies?" and these questions came in addition to the question asked by every person entering the room, "what brought you to the hospital today?" As I watched the clock in the emergency room I felt agony and frustration filling my body starting at my toes. Soon, after the first 45 minutes I was ankle deep in anxiety. I was chest deep in fear for my mom's condition. On the less than perfect side of who I am there was also the frustration for my day not playing out the way I had designed it the evening before going to sleep. I visualized before going to dreamland all the beads I would be making when I awakened and the gourd designs I would be working on and the planting of my vegetable starts into my garden and ......... I didn't visualize my mom having a health crisis. <br />
With intention I willed myself into deploying patience within my being and I let go and embraced the moment we were in (one after another). I let go of all my expectations for my day and for my mom's day. I surrendered to life and to just being with what we were being served. I knew my beads would be just fine and that my gourds would not cop an attitude. I felt my baby plants were just being little plants and knew the stress of caring was my own projection. My vegetable starts were not going to be mad at me for not putting them into the ground on a certain day. I witnessed my mother letting go also and embracing the fact that the doctors and nurses and aides and techs were there to help her. I witnessed myself opening my tightly clenched need to control and micro manage my immediate environment and hand over (symbolically) my mother to those who could help her. Patience was the operative word, and our patience produced a beautiful outcome. With technology and quick action my mom did not suffer a major heart attack. Nope, instead she became the recipient of a <a href="http://www.reshealth.org/yourhealth/healthinfo/default.cfm?pageID=P06445">cardiac stent</a> ... a stent that will increase the quality of her life. A stent that also lets me relax into a deeper understanding of faith and trust and the results of patience.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNYCdc7fkxcKdgPKxo6on8ltztnW1aZsemw34HzC_aE3sVrjGRbIY6CltDVko9FatAWLctT35aG7v6O1nkleOxFt6pZ8dummINpMj2v0PM-HngqvIMFPl6hmdO6fQLEznFYTNf4dlD9Yk/s1600/images-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNYCdc7fkxcKdgPKxo6on8ltztnW1aZsemw34HzC_aE3sVrjGRbIY6CltDVko9FatAWLctT35aG7v6O1nkleOxFt6pZ8dummINpMj2v0PM-HngqvIMFPl6hmdO6fQLEznFYTNf4dlD9Yk/s1600/images-10.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Image from Resurrection Health Care website)</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> So, what does my mom's health crisis have to do with creativity and time? A lot. Just think of all the beautiful creative energy that helped develop the balloon catheter needed to expand my mom's cardiac artery enough to receive a stent. Wow! I make beads from magazines and I cut and burn and paint on gourds. I plant some plants and get creative in the kitchen with the harvest. Create a stent? Think of all that is needed to develop a balloon that is small enough and strong enough to help expand a stricture within a vessel. I will say <i><b>WOW</b></i> again. It takes patience with ourselves, and patience with others and patience with our sense of time to produce anything of value. I am not talking about value in relation to dollars. I am speaking of value of personal satisfaction, the value of adding to the beauty of life, the value of being all we can be, the value of letting go and trusting life. Value. The value of knowing that if we can open our <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/proverbial">proverbial</a> fist, if we can open our hearts, if we can open our narrow thoughts to letting in who knows what, we can experience life to its fullest. As a side to letting ourselves experience the wonderful harvest of having patience we can experience the amazing wonders of technology that enables our loved ones and often times our own selves to be around this big blue marble a bit longer. Patience does produce more than we can imagine.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Hugs,</div><div style="text-align: left;">Maryanne</div>Maryanne Mesplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534643997377150631noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612588180694125394.post-55226415419252611972011-04-01T23:20:00.000-07:002011-04-07T18:33:16.121-07:00A Joyful Creation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyD2lXamp2UbObqFYeRY5CoBBY7r0Cn8iNTa4uCZn-x4JUNYB30k_HVUkieF8vMCSzPINyScobsFleQ3hftVGJFGTs2qY0vJgz-pFKFTiiIiCwbVsrCJ4_WWBU4aJQd7IC6LniJXA9i-qy/s1600/P1100489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyD2lXamp2UbObqFYeRY5CoBBY7r0Cn8iNTa4uCZn-x4JUNYB30k_HVUkieF8vMCSzPINyScobsFleQ3hftVGJFGTs2qY0vJgz-pFKFTiiIiCwbVsrCJ4_WWBU4aJQd7IC6LniJXA9i-qy/s320/P1100489.JPG" width="254" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt7RR1thiU_oKq-t20VzxaJm5GdJAQ3OEZc7o9Z1cBRB4bNoAOCPHVNE8ciR-WzIUIj_IKTDA2o5kFkG1jI_pD2OhyphenhyphenbiQh8z-MH6wUNhaZ-OfcgMQmV1z96Hi5SdEw6j_Q2LYZeoKKKRkP/s1600/gourd.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Collage <i>Owning My Creativity/My Power</i> by Maryanne Mesple</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"This <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collage">collage</a> is me embracing the flower of life. I own every single petal. I own every twisting root. I own every part of who I am. I know I deserve all the joys life holds for each of us. I celebrate in expressing my soul through my art and I own my birthright of Power in a way that only God, The Goddess, The Intelligent Universe understands. I joyfully create and I am filled with gratitude." My statement of submission of this collage to those who were sharing my experience. I am grateful for being pulled up and out of my hardened shell of denial of my love of translating what I see inside to an outside experience. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Reconnecting to my creative side is a long journey for me. A journey through over grown paths deep inside my heart and paths hidden in the convolutions of gray matter. Through the years I let my heart and soul become overgrown with a seriousness that built a wall between my self and me. Sounds a bit odd but in truth I gave up so much of my creative spark opting to experience the world through the eyes of an analytical left brained linear thinking entity and demoted my creative adventures to inconsequential events that just happened now and then ... like 70 <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2065249&id=1288939600">gourds</a> that desperately needed to be rubbed and cleaned and etched and painted :-) I am out of the left brained closet and taking up residence in my whole brain ... or at least giving myself permission to be and express who and what I am without any apologies. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't collage that much, but through the course of creating 11 in three months I fanned my spark of passion for art into a wonderfully warm flame. There are so many venues for any of us to give life to our creative side. We can do collage, paint, draw, make beads, sculpt, garden, cook, sing, dance, laugh, be silly and just give wildly delicious and messy expression to all the joy we feel or all the angst we are bogged down in.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIULN8MAFhtHL8Jpn6mRYSo_RFc5aDkGo1AtXzh0V2ssBmaUwOn-KzDuploX9P8Z1gBT3BKOzV4oJcnlICBlfHSQZQ0UGy_JaEE0QOBaj27g7FTYrL1ZGZzQOISL5kQzGmYw2mikva_FRG/s1600/P3250032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIULN8MAFhtHL8Jpn6mRYSo_RFc5aDkGo1AtXzh0V2ssBmaUwOn-KzDuploX9P8Z1gBT3BKOzV4oJcnlICBlfHSQZQ0UGy_JaEE0QOBaj27g7FTYrL1ZGZzQOISL5kQzGmYw2mikva_FRG/s320/P3250032.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: red; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Free hand drawing of a design onto a gourd bowl that I am currently playing with.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am wild and all over the place. I am cutting out images for another collage. I am drawing my twisty vines onto a gourd for a beautiful soul in California. I am cutting strips of paper for paper beads and I am starting my garden. I am exploding!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQOXTPcg6oH1vGMhuju5fhNNfdNwiEifIJhgJC_m019is8S00dAxML9JXt0uSeN-jERf_b6BnSupIqoh3L6afhdn47JYxxYqARX5wRzBI-VTy-IyMEkDfNbLvf8Y4xeZLo2kNZUlsZZ2S/s1600/paper+strips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQOXTPcg6oH1vGMhuju5fhNNfdNwiEifIJhgJC_m019is8S00dAxML9JXt0uSeN-jERf_b6BnSupIqoh3L6afhdn47JYxxYqARX5wRzBI-VTy-IyMEkDfNbLvf8Y4xeZLo2kNZUlsZZ2S/s320/paper+strips.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: red; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Strips of paper that will become beads.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I can't look at anything without wondering what I can make with it or how I can enhance it. I see myself as a work of art also and feel giddy about all the wonderful creative expressions I can wear or how I can reshape my body or how I can enhance my eyes and hair and the list goes on. I stopped lying to myself and everyone else about jewelery, the lie that I don't really like it. I have claimed to not like the 'stuff' too much but now I want to be a musical instrument when my body moves. I want my bangle bracelets to bangle around and my rings to clink. I want my beads to decorate my body and tell those who look upon me that I am a walking work of art :-)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwaQ3VRCahEcekJC8Z0lpPrjEEXDCZhLI-qhts4zY1-TtaGLfvrtHLPVQlgc5mLdru2CtGXT1D5pNu4wSJEvKw4-a4G9oSL1CU8wJuH6vRHcGrIZQBzoi2mf6weT4AYVwEgJmzYesppgm/s1600/bead+bowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwaQ3VRCahEcekJC8Z0lpPrjEEXDCZhLI-qhts4zY1-TtaGLfvrtHLPVQlgc5mLdru2CtGXT1D5pNu4wSJEvKw4-a4G9oSL1CU8wJuH6vRHcGrIZQBzoi2mf6weT4AYVwEgJmzYesppgm/s320/bead+bowl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: red; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A sample of my beads made from magazine paper.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Life is art ... have I not heard that statement before? I like the statement; Creative Expression gives joy to Life and gives expression to our natural inclination to create, to make, to manifest. We all take joy in being a force that produces something of beauty; even if that beauty is green and growing or diced up and sauteing in a pan. Beauty expressed gives life to our heart and soul and makes our minutes here on this big beautiful globe all the more interesting. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltPOSPXop9slltAWMuYTu-9QbE5nt_KT7E2LKO5iGANRMH45rvc3x2luep98JdA6uQQaxufD0tiGkQaSPtXoasGgS22BUHgL0-8YHvysC5lze8EdQqNDRxRUOvMTOAqU0VRjdNRbgj36G/s1600/P3270047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltPOSPXop9slltAWMuYTu-9QbE5nt_KT7E2LKO5iGANRMH45rvc3x2luep98JdA6uQQaxufD0tiGkQaSPtXoasGgS22BUHgL0-8YHvysC5lze8EdQqNDRxRUOvMTOAqU0VRjdNRbgj36G/s320/P3270047.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: red; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The start of something big and beautiful and delicious.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And so I sow my many seeds into fertile soil. I tend to my seedlings and provide what is necessary for the seeds to burst open letting their creative spark create. I feel like one of my seeds in one of my peat pots. I feel the warmth and moisture of creativity. I am a Joyful Creation.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hugs,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Maryanne</div>Maryanne Mesplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534643997377150631noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8612588180694125394.post-44843616866117202652011-03-23T09:20:00.001-07:002012-04-13T22:14:22.415-07:00Pushing Up and Out<span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b> </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8MPVwjQka9G_SpeD9DwaUK85-ZB8MmSUjHQJSjvbCC7B57bVX9-bmMxHTrNJFTaQM1EfKal4CpBRJYyxn6io27FOvzJ1jbgW1D7ZWL-wqB0uudL4oq7Mc10EpjonxR5ISr5OcqB4RIHux/s1600/Spring+Equinox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8MPVwjQka9G_SpeD9DwaUK85-ZB8MmSUjHQJSjvbCC7B57bVX9-bmMxHTrNJFTaQM1EfKal4CpBRJYyxn6io27FOvzJ1jbgW1D7ZWL-wqB0uudL4oq7Mc10EpjonxR5ISr5OcqB4RIHux/s320/Spring+Equinox.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(image compliments of Google Images)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Spring 2011 has arrived. Green grasses are taking over the earth's brown, prickly blanket of sleeping vegetation. I love witnessing the awakening and spreading of the color green. Green; the color and promise of life and a gift for my eyes to feast upon. Seeing the greens of plant life bursting forth excites me and inspires me. I want to feel the rush of Spring time energy course through my body, awaken my dormant energy cells and push me up and out of my lethargic wintery sleeping</span> excuse for a body. I want to exude the color green!<br />
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With emergence from my winter shell I feel a surge of creative inspiration that yanks at me from many directions. Where do I focus? Does one path of creative expression entice me more than another? No. I need to put my hands into and upon any and all mediums that nourish my spark with life affirming experience and manifestation. My agenda is big and I feel so small and at the same time I feel immense. Perhaps I am but a blade of newly emerging grass and by season's end I will be a field of tall waving seed heads sowing the earth's womb with kisses and a commitment of life continued? Perhaps.<br />
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I will stand in the sun and absorb all his loving, life giving energy and then I will transfer that energy into creating my personal joy. I write. I paint. I draw. I collage. I wrestle with gourds and etch them with wood burning tips and cut them with jigsaws and then paint them until they reflect me upon their hard shells. I roll strips of paper into beads and gloss them and string them along until they scream stop! and I see beautiful, wearable creativity. I garden with hands and on knees and I sow seeds and tend to my garden's growth as a mother tends to her children in the nursery. I harvest the earths creations, then I create in the kitchen. My list is long. My desire is burning. My hands are itching. My mental imagery is delicious ... perfectly suited for my taste.<br />
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I've so much to do, to produce, to experience, to enjoy ....<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (Gourd Art: Bowl in Midnight Blue. Image owned by Maryanne Mesplé)</span>Maryanne Mesplehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01534643997377150631noreply@blogger.com2