Here it is! The chickens couldn't be happier! And I'm pretty thrilled too!
A New Year, a New Nest: Part One of Three
Home Is Where Your Heart Sings
A self portrait of a little artist bird in her artist studio, this has many reflections of my life in it. We all have that place where our heart sings. Our home can be the place where love flourishes and creativity grows. Many of us have home studios. The chaos of life collides with the clutter of our surroundings and in the midst of it all, we still strive to create.
In my dreams, I would have a little studio like this. Rooms where art can be born. Rooms that are sunny and cheery and look out on the beautiful countryside. Rooms that house a vast expanse of materials ready for my beckoning, right at my fingertips. Rooms that provide a quiet escape of solitude and sanctuary. Rooms that allow our minds to fly into the vast realm of the imagination and bring those dreams to fruition. Rooms that recognize no limits.
I will still hold on to the hope of carving this out, in the midst of my surroundings. It might not be perfect, it might not look like my visions, but I will persist still. The Creator has put this desire into our hearts, to be creative like He is. I will find my drive and passion in the places I create. Even if this place is “just home”. Home is where my heart sings….. and the place where my dreams come to life.
This is the artist statement from the 2016 Women's Journeys in Fiber Birds piece that I created. I was ecstatic about the theme when we met in January a year ago. Right away I had an idea. With all the great brainstorming about birds, birdhouses, boxes, pets, animals and treasures that floated about that day, I offered this suggestion. Why not call it birds of our imagination and the places they dwell? It encompasses habitat and home, creatures both mythical and realistic, and as many trinkets as our hearts desired. Everyone was thrilled and so began our journey.
The group is about twenty-four women from the greater Chicago-land who love fiber arts and the creative process of working together. We have about six months to create, then our collection goes on out tour. This year, it debuted at the Chicago Botanic Garden's Fine Art of Fiber in November, it is heading off to the Anderson Arts Center in Kenosha, WI January 29th -March 3rd 2017, taking flight to Chevy Chase, MD March 1-12th and then back here for the Chicago Flower and Garden Show March 18-26th. These birds are traveling some distance!
It's so inspiring to see the works of art in person and read the stories on each one. Some make you reflect, some make you laugh, some make you wistful, and all make you think. I'm honored to be a part of this group.
My idea consisted on a self portrait of myself in my art studio. We all want that space where we can create. So I created it in the form of minatures! I had a quite the time looking for just the right pieces to fit to scale for my rooms, and when I couldn't find what I was looking for, I just made it! I spun tiny skeins of yarn, and folded tiny bundles of my own dyed and felted fabrics. I tried to make as much true to life as possible, like the discarded threads and fabric bits on the floor while you create, or the vegetables that pile up on my kitchen table after a long day of picking in the gardens. But other things are purely imagined, like having my very own room for sewing and a whole another room for preparation. Then somethings are meaningful, like the star and moon mobile, made in memory of Gale, a member who passed away last year. It came together and was quite fun and playful.
This time of the year I get the urge to nest... January gives me time to breathe, organize, create and rest. We all need a pretty place to create. A place where we can feel at peace, where we can let our thoughts fly. It's such a great feeling when we are able to get to that point and savor it.
So good luck to our nests! Whether we are reorganizing, or creating it from scratch, cheers to carving out your special place. May your January be productive!