Make Art, Not War ...

... pick your weapon! ❤

PACIFIC COAST DREAM MACHINES EVENT ON MAY 1

Come see us at the

Pacific Coast Dream Machines 
event in Half Moon Bay, California, on
Sunday, May 1, 2011
from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Discover original art that has not been for sale to date
and other treasures in our booth!

 * 

Reflecting on 2010

It’s the week between Christmas and New Year’s here in San Francisco, and the streets are so quiet it’s like a Sunday. Seems everybody took this week off. Even the ride into the city was unusually quick and effortless. As usual, I find myself reflecting at this time of year. Maybe it’s the gloss of Christmas just past. But last year at this time, I had to work to relax with the quiet, while now I find it easy and would just as happily curl up in front of a movie as write this blogpost.

Merry Christmas!

2010 has been a powerful year. Definitely not easy, but most powerful. Uncertainty and ambiguity at work has been a source of constant stress, yet I’ve learned more from it than I ever thought possible. Same job, same building, same street in downtown San Francisco, true; however, the experience has been cathartic. I find myself feeling more confident professionally than I did a year ago, and credit it to the realization that it’s not about whether I stay or go. It’s about my professional confidence. So, ironically last year at this time I was wrapping up change around personal worthiness in my relationships, and still pondering what I had to let go, and this year it’s about professional worthiness, which, I’m proud to say, is still intact.

So happy!

On the home front, we’re all doing well. Elizabeth has Leslie and I on our toes as she navigates the perils of teen angst at Middle School. A year ago she fretted about changing school systems, and now as her girlfriends go through their own weirdness, she’s actually looking forward to it. Our daughter is poised, confident, and her grades are outstanding. We had her completely faked out over Christmas. We whined for months that the uncertainty at work meant Christmas would be frugal. Instead, she got everything she wanted and more, so naturally Leslie and I enjoyed it vicariously, as well. Leslie is in good health, and this year has been blessed with an opportunity to deal with past baggage. This is the kind of situation that happens very rarely, and she’s handled it with compassion and strength. I’ve been so proud of how she’s conducted herself. She made a friend in the process, as well, which is bonus. The doggies are great, too. Still spoiled. Jack has successfully avoided major abdominal surgery this year, which is a blessing, and Daizy is still pushing him around.

Daizy is happy in her new sweater and toy,
while Jack mopes because Daizy
isn't sharing.

I’ve been blessed with new friendships this year. Surprisingly, some of the connections I’ve made on Facebook have developed unexpectedly into more substantial friendships. I’ve met and gotten to know such talented artists, and have learned so much from them. I’ve grown closer with cousins from my father’s side of the family, too, after keeping them at an arm’s length for many years. Now, I find we have more in common than our profile. I’m more convinced than ever that Facebook is a spiritual tool of the new age, whose purpose is to provide connectivity to people all over the globe at a time when they need it the most, when the world is changing so quickly and profoundly. In the real world, by the way, I’ve been blessed with a close personal friend. A real person here, near to where we live, and someone we can go to lunch with once in a while. Isn’t that marvelous? I needed a special friend so badly, and this person is a gift direct from the goddess. She listens, doesn’t waste words on useless chatter, appreciates my art, and knows when I’m being ridiculous and doesn’t hold it against me when I am. She’s smart and capable, and an unexpected source of creative inspiration, as well.

My creativity has boomed this year, by the way. I’ve done a lot of work with stickers and collages, a medium that I find most liberating, and I’ve made all kinds of greeting cards. My inner muse, Francine, has been quiet, but I think it’s because so much of my nervous energy has been used up stressing over work.

Sitting here in the office where it’s so quiet, I’m surprised to find myself looking forward to 2011. I am fully aware the axe could fall any day, but I’m not dwelling on it. Sure, I’m a little scared, but rather, I’ve taken my future well in hand, and am focused on all the possibilities.

I believe 2011 will be about love, really, love, family and friendship, which are most important to me.

And as far that goes, I’m already wealthy beyond reckoning.

Love to you and yours on this holiday,
 
D❤

Francine

MORE FRANCINE

OH, FRANCINE!

Visit the one and only Francine at

http://www.donnalouisefaber.com/!

You know she wants you!

Mimi & Eunice

FROM OUR WORKSHOP: Elizabeth on a roll

For the longest time, Elizabeth (my 13 year old daughter) was preoccupied with a digital drawing tablet.  She did a few pieces of art with it, but kept getting hung up on the technology of it.  She'd get so frustrated becuase she couldn't what she wanted out of it in her drawings.  Well, she finally got tired of it, and went back to good old pen & ink!  And this what she's been up to ...

One day, Lizii decided she wanted to be a Pokemon

© July 27, 2010 by Elizabeth Faber

A close up of my favorite bit of the previous piece.

Plus Music © July 27, 2010 by Elizabeth Faber ... so sweet.

FAMILY PORTRAIT

This Faber family portrait was done by artist, norn cutson, of New York City. norn and I met on da interwebs, and we've been in one another's orbit now for a few years.  He is a delightful human being who wants to do his art and make people happy.  I hope you take a moment to get to know norn.  He's awesome!

norn on Facebook

norn's island

Love,

D♥

FROM OUR WORKSHOP: PMS Sucks ...

"You've been on my back all day, SEE??!?"

© July 15, 2010 by Liz Faber.

And so, perimenopause begins and I become a MOMster.

Why is it that our children have such clear vision? D♥

Those Lips, Those Eyes (Francine 3)

~lo sono il segreto della nostra Regina~

Those Lips, Those Eyes (Francine 3) © June 9, 2010 by Donna L. Faber as Jupiter enters the sign of Aries for the first time since the year 2000, and I feel more myself than I have in six months. This piece is done on Strathmore Bristol Vellum, 100 lb. paper, with Prismacolor markers, a Sharpie, and Pips. The original is 11’ x 17”, and she’s four separate, assembled pieces. This portrait has been 6 months in the making. I started it in January, was stricken with an enduring case of artistic ADD, and got side tracked by work and work related stress. I filled the artistic void with short-term projects like my art journal, tarot cards, and the occasional blogpost.

I often wonder what women would do with their lives if they had more choices.  What makes them submit to unhappy or toxic domestic situations?


Francine is forever the eternal and relentless lover. She seeks love in all places, without boundary, without rest, and in defiance of convention and standard morality. She is also the embodiment of my internal creative muse; she who will not be quieted.

In this piece, she is from another life, another time, but she is still Francine. She states, “I am yours forever,” and explores love through submission.

This is her story.

***************************

I live here.


In these chambers.


I know nothing but these ornate walls and the plush gardens outside them. Born into servitude, and gifted with beauty, I was hand picked for this purpose. I am hand-maiden to the Queen. She is my soul purpose and my reason for living. This is what I was put on the earth for, and in being here in service to her I fulfill my destiny. She is the Queen of the realm, and the Queen of my heart, and I am her tiny secret.

It seems I am always waiting. Even though I was born to do so, at times I find myself wanting. I live for the moments when my Queen expresses her satisfaction. To me, her smile is akin to the rays of the sun, shining approval down on me, or the radiance of the full moon. Those moments are not easily won, but I strive for them readily. I wait for them constantly.

She is not a young Queen, and speaking of age is anathema to her. She is a fully bloomed flower, ripe and colorful, and while it is by force of will or in defiance of nature, her bloom has not wilted where others surely have. She is strong. Soft, pliable skin covers muscle and bones made of steel. I’ve learned she relies on this physical strength and endurance. Her grip is tight.  It is as tight as the back of her hand is hard and as sharp as the ascerbic cut of her tongue. Her moods are mercurial and her needs undefined, but when those needs are not met she is quick to punish either corporally, which is not intolerable or unpleasant, or by leaving me alone here in this place for days on end. No matter how empty I am rendered, when I am left without her, by days’ end, I pine. Within two days, I weep. After that ...

And then she appears again, and I am resurrected.


When she is present, I am at my most content. I am completely fulfilled in that particularly delicious service, the tasting, feeling, emotional whirlwind which is indeed the truest focus of my singular existence. Every inch of her is like nectar, and I drink deeply, memorizing every curve, fold, and hidden valley. She smells like fragrant lilacs.  Her body is a map forever burned in my memory, and I travel it’s byways in my dreams, my imagination, when she isn’t present.  Her voice ... ah her voice. When she whispers in passion, I am transported. It is the lock set on my captivation. It is why I surrender to her persistent demands.  All this and love.  All mundane details fade against the persistence of this desire, when my skin becomes alive with a million hungry mouths aching to be kissed, fed, and filled.

Only she can feed this hunger.


When she leaves, I begin to wilt.

I wait for her return, dangling on the string of our psychic rapport. I feel her each and every moment of each and every day and night no matter if she is here or not. That silver cord transmits every feeling, every concern, every fleeting moment of unhappiness, and every triumph. It reveals to me when she is in the arms of another.


This connection is my salvation as much as it is my eternal torment.


I am left only with the sureness of my intuition, and the hope that she will open the door to my chamber and enter in all her glory, thus releasing me from this suspension and into her service, delicious as it is, once again.


Until she does, I remain here wrapped in a sheet, rifling through memories of the last time I saw her.


Waiting.


I am her secret, and I am content.

***************************

"Don't Tell Me To Stop"

Francine

"Little Black Dress"

Francine 2

See more of my art at

http://www.donnalouisefaber.com/

 

FROM OUR WORKSHOP: Framed Collage Work

I've enjoyed working with stickers so much!

My day job is absolutely looney tunes right now, so I find this creative venture entirely relaxing and thoroughly therapeutic. So much that what I've done with cards and bookmarks has evolved into something hangable. This is what' s happening in our workshop ...

Mermaid Garden © May 2, 2010 -- 8 x 10 including matte, collage art compromised of card stock paper, stickers, gems, and metallic pen. This is framed in a Gallery Clipframe (frameless). I had a blast doing this! Elizabeth and I found these mermaids in a scrapbooking store yesterday. Aren't they cool?

Mermaid Garden 2 © May 2, 2010 -- 8 x 10 including matte, collage art compromised of card stock paper, stickers, gems, and metallic pen. This is framed in a Gallery Clipframe (frameless).

Bumble Bee Happy 2 © April 23, 2010 -- 8 x 10 including matte, collage art compromised of card stock paper, stickers, gems, and metallic pen. This is framed in a Gallery Clipframe (frameless). It's really a variation of a series of cards I made recently. The faeries are adorable!

I should have these posted on my art site soon. Let me know what you think?

Do you like them?

Love,
D~

SPRING 2010 LIMITED EDITION SERIES

Cards, Flat Cards & Bookmarks celebrating Spring!

View the Spring Limited Edition Gallery at www.donnalouisefaber.com.

I am happily ringing in Spring with a limited edition series of greeting cards, flat cards, and bookmarks created in collage style with stickers, hard stock paper, and metallic pen. Each is a unique work of art, handmade and signed with love that you can give to someone special or keep for yourself.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I enjoyed creating them!

Love,
D♥

MY TAROT DECK

I’d like to share my latest art project with you. It’s a tarot deck in-progress, and I’ve called it the Creating is Breathing Tarot.

What is the Creating is Breathing Tarot?

Creating is Breathing Tarot uses pop-culture imagery from any and all sources regardless of origin or copyright. I have no plans to sell this deck, and will probably end up giving the original individual cards away. Each completed card has been copy written under an Attribution Creative Commons license on Flickr, however, which I hope is the right thing to do (I’m open to input).

When all is said and done, I’ll have three separate tarot galleries on my art site donnalouisefaber.com. One will be exclusively for Major Arcana cards, one for Minor Arcana Royalty, and the last will be for Minor Arcana Suit cards. As I do with the rest of my art, I will blog significant meanings and symbolism for each tarot card and link everything together so it’s relatively easy to find.

This began as an art journal that I posted on Flickr and Facebook. I started journaling in response to a period of artistic attention deficit that I’m probably still going through, and a bunch of inspiration I got from bloggers I know who art journal regularly. It seemed like a good way to relieve my need to create without entering into too much of a commitment, so I began making little collages. Those pieces gradually transformed into tarot cards, although I’m not sure why or how. They just … well, they just sort of happened.

Sharing the Process

Each card is a 3”x5” collage. The small size is a challenge I enjoy working with. To satisfy my creative urge and bring each small vision into reality, I need the freedom to pull whatever images I desire, without any restriction.

First, I get closer to the symbolism and meaning of the card using a number of my favorite book and internet resources. Then, I focus on graphics, look for images, and loosely plan composition. I think the longest and toughest part is actually cutting all the little bits and pieces out using scissors and without mangling them. But that’s also part of the meditation or spiritual infusion of each card. It’s important I let spirit move through me (something an artist friend of mine in NYC would say) to allow the card to be whatever it needs to be. If I interfere intellectually with that process for some silly reason, it stalls or gets frustrating. When I assemble the collage, at last it transforms based on the needs of that assembly. I do highlights with a metallic pen, if it needs it. Not all cards do.

At the time of this writing, I’ve got a large, unfinished and beautiful piece on Francine sitting in my dining room. She stares out at me with lovely green eyes and enticingly red lips. This poor incomplete muse is a reluctant refugee of my artistic attention deficit syndrome. I hope she returns soon, demanding attention, making a ruckus and breaking rules in love.

Until then, I hope these tiny morsels of intuited tarot wisdom satisfy your artistic cravings as they do mine.

D♥

Visit donnalouisefaber.com to read more.

I've Loved You Before

I think of how you know me,
no doubts no thinking twice.
When your smile can be so soothing,
a familiar paradise.
When there's no one else that makes me whole.
I'm never needing more
I get this feeling that I've loved you before

We were lovers in an army,
marching off for Rome.
side by side in battle,
did we bravely leave our home?
Did I hold you in my arms,
as you were taking your last breath?
Did I shout to all the gods,
that I would love you beyond death or more.
I swear I've loved you before.

Did we hide in the dark ages,
from a vengeful god above?
Were our names too unfamiliar,
to ever speak of love?
Did I cling to every moment with you,
every parting glance?
An accidental touch,
did we ever take the chance for more?
I know I've loved you before.

Have I wandered through the desert?
Have I looked to the North Star?
Have I rode the days and nights on rails,
to get back where you are?
And every time I found you,
it's your eyes I know for sure.

When I think of how you know me,
no doubts no thinking twice.
When your smile can be so soothing,
a familiar paradise.
When there's no one else that makes me whole.
I'm never wanting more.
I get this feeling.
I know I've loved you before.

I know I've loved you before
I've loved you before.

By Melissa Etheridge

Why an ART JOURNAL?

I’ve got a beautiful journal that I found at Papyrus. It’s smallish, made of embossed leather, has hand made paper, and is just gorgeous.

I have a thing for Journals. Perhaps even a fetish. I don’t know what it is, except that I am very happy wandering around in a stationery or office supply store, and always manage to gravitate to the journal section at Barnes & Noble. I can’t help it. There is something about the blank pages that call me out and and make me want to fill them. I’ve always got a journal in my purse, as well, just in case something comes up, something that I don’t want to forget.

Concurrently, and I’m not sure why, I’m at a block with the latest art piece I’m working on. And I’m feeling kind of skippy yippy about everything else. It’s like a period of attention deficit I’m going through. Even though I still have the urge to do art, I’m not focused long enough to a large piece.

So, what is the answer?

And then it hit me!

I’ll do an art journal! Everyone is doing them. There are websites devoted to them out there. I’ve got the supplies, and I’ve always loved to do collage work. Usually when I’m going through an attention deficit period like this one, collage work or card making does the trick. Having it all together in a book will satisfy my need for magic, as well. Imagine how wonderful it will be when it’s done!

D♥

REFLECTING & REAFFIRMING

I’m feeling kind of strange today. We had a lovely, long holiday weekend over Christmas. All I did, around the Christmas prep, was relax and spend time with Leslie and Elizabeth. Elizabeth and I did a great puzzle together, too. It was glorious. Here in the office, although it is very quiet (not many people here, and those who are seem really pooped), there is an air of anticipation. Merger angst, I think.

I feel as though I should be doing something with this quiet energy, creating something, somehow working with the quiet vibe to do art or something else active. I found myself fighting with this, because my muse is very quiet right now. Francine (my muse, or internal inspiration, who emerged visibly in my art, and so I've given her this name) is in there, I can feel her, but she’s quiet. How unusual for her … and for me.

I’m going to be revolutionary and make a conscious decision to “go with the flow”. Rather than rail against the vibe, I’m going to ride the bliss and do some personal reflecting.

As 2010 approaches, riding a wave of transformation and reformation, I ask myself the following questions: What am I releasing, and what am I embracing?

I found out just how sneaky stress can be when we were looking for a home to purchase. We had a difficult time finding something in this crazy market while juggling personal financial uncertainty. Couple that with a merger announcement at work (merger = possibility of job loss), and you’ve got yourself a reason to stress. And so I did. I experienced more of the thinning veil I referred to in a previous post (written some time ago). Probably experienced more thinning of the hair, as well. Even though I tried not to make an ass of myself, I’m not sure I didn’t. The good news is that it all turned out fine, and the people I got stressed with either didn’t notice or forgive me. We found a place to buy that works for us, things at work got more solid again, and I made a friend in the process. Someone I’ve known *before*. In this, I acknowledge my need for friends, and after a long period of releasing unhealthy relationships from the past, I am eager to shower new friends of the heart with all the love, support and encouragement I have!

At work, the merger has provided opportunities for my work to be visible on higher levels. Leading an implementation sub-team is very rewarding. Mergers do indeed imply a possibility for job loss, but they also imply great opportunity through change, as well. I’ve worked my tushy off, and will admit to having a significant emotional investment over how my hard work may or may not pay off in the end. I haven’t seen a raise in salary since starting here, and while that isn’t surprising given the economy, it sure would feel good. Unfortunately, the time taken up by this work prompted me to give up my place on the school PTA, which I’ve always enjoyed. That made me sad for a while, but it was time to let it go. In this, I acknowledge my competitiveness, ambition and drive, and I cast a web of healthy expectation over the efforts I’ve planted like seeds. May they grow to manifest healthy fruit in the new year!

I launched my art site, which I’ve written about in volumes here. Doing so was a significant step for me. I plan to continue creating with great fervor, and am excited about it! There was a time in the not too distant past when my muse was completely absent! I’m glad she’s back, and with a vengeance! Over the new year, I want my art to be embraced by those who know me, and those who don’t know me.

Last, but certainly not least … I found myself quietly pondering my parents and siblings over the past holiday. I’d like to extend a special thanks to Facebook for changing their security settings so subtly no one noticed others can see all their pictures and even their wall if settings aren’t in place.

I know. I’m a voyeur. I just can’t help it.

Both of my brothers are younger than I, and I’m no longer on speaking terms with either of them (for various reasons). The youngest seems very happy with his family and in his new home. It’s like he was given another chance to make his life satisfying, which is something he never got growing up. There is a picture of my mother on his site, too. A recent one. I got no pleasure out of seeing how unhappy and unhealthy she looked, but at least she had someplace to go for Christmas. The other brother didn’t make the annual Christmas pilgrimage to Connecticut this year, and rather tried to find homesteading where he lives. This is a first for him, and he’s over 40 now. He didn’t post any photos of his holiday, so we are left guessing. Usually, when he’s got something going on, he shares. I hope he’s doing alright.

For my brother, Curtis, I wish continued happiness with his new family, and all the prosperity life has to offer. For my brother, Donald, I wish a softening of emotional defenses. I hope he lets someone in enough to make the family I know he desperately desires.

I’ve come to terms with putting these relationships aside. They do not fit for me any longer, aren’t healthy for me, and so I’ve let them go. I indulged myself over the holiday by peering into their world, but after trying for years to make it work, I don’t spend much time worrying about it any longer.

Let this be my greatest wish for 2010. I wish that the past remain in the past, and I support myself in the releasing of those burdens.

I think if I had to identify one thing that I’ve learned about who I am, it would be this: I am human. After spending the first half of my life over-achieving and paying the price for it, I want to relax and little and allow myself those human vulnerabilities. I mean, these are things that have always been there, but I denied them, ignored them. So, this year, I am going to embrace myself with all the vulnerabilities and wierdness that being me entails.

With this, I usher in a year of balance. I *expect* myself to pay more attention to the careful balance of my family, work and other activities. I *expect* myself to take better care of my body, bring my health back into balance, and to start by walking frequently. I also *expect* myself to consistently and outwardly demonstrate that balance to my family and friends, so they know I am thinking of them as much as I think of myself.

More than ever, I *expect* a prosperous and happy 2010!

And I wish you all the same.

So much love,

D~

Would you like to know me better?

Visit Donna L. Faber: Creating is Breathing and my FB Fan Page.

Visit my other blogs, When Isis Rises and Every Woman is a Witch.

Follow me on Twitter.

No, I’m not too full of myself! I just want to connect!

www.donnalouisefaber.com

Creating is breathing! Or at least it is to me! Visit my brand new art site at http://www.donnalouisefaber.com/. Purchase prints, cool stuff, and gallery quality prints. Browse the blog where I invite you along on the journey I took to get to each piece. This is something I've wanted to do since 2005, and while all things come in their own time, it so nice to be here at last!

FROM OUR WORKSHOP: The Queen of Wands

~click on the picture to get a closer look~

Become a fan of my artwork on Facebook!

My Art website, Donna Louise Faber: Creating is Breathing, will be launched soon! Just in time for Christmas!

The Queen of Wands © November 28, 2009, pen & ink on Strathmore Bristol 100 pound vellum. The original is approximately 14" x 17" , and is cut out and mounted in layers.

I started this piece in late October and didn’t expect it to take over a month to complete. At that time I was on a roll, producing art quickly and with regularity. I was focused initially on a self-portrait of myself and my spirit guide, Gregor. I’ve always wanted to do a self-portrait, but never got around to it. Maybe it’s because I never knew myself fully until this point in my life. As the piece emerged, it looked like a strega (Italian witch) and her guardian, which was appropriate because I have past life memories and impressions all around these geographic and esoteric areas. In fact, when walking a path that included the Craft, the only documented facet of modern day witchcraft that resonated to me authentically was the old religion, Stregheria. Everything else seemed reinvented. That was long before meeting my spiritual mother. I was much younger, and I’ve written much about it.

Wands, (also called Rods or Sticks) are one of four minor arcana suits in a tarot deck. They are about spirit, or spirituality and intuition. The royals in this suit are about spiritual mastery and intuitiveness. Likewise, this Queen is highly intuitive, and is a catalyst for growth in others. If this Queen is in your life (in one form or another), or if you meet her and interact with her, you will grow. You will grow because of her or in spite of her. But, have no doubt … you will change and grow.

The key phrase for the Queen of Wands is I know myself. This Queen has walked the paths of both dark and light, selfishness and compassion, and made a conscious choice toward personal evolution. She knows who she is and accepts herself wholly and without illusion. She no longer needs to see her reflection in the eyes of others for personal definition, and is beyond looking to others for approval. However, she remembers the lessons of her past.

The dragon in this piece indicates the presence of the most primal spiritual energy in the Queen’s existence. Not spirituality that you read or write about and not the kind you go to lectures to learn. Dragons, in a spiritual context, represent the day-to-day spirituality which is intrinsically a part of our lives ... also known as little voice that speaks to us. Dragons are the supreme guardian, present even before Christianity defined angels, and the modern new age movement defined spirit guides. Before all this, there was the primal and ancient dragon, whose presence as guardian, mentor, and messenger kept us connected with our spiritual and emotional natures, the truest form of who we are as spiritual beings. Now, as the earth shifts on its spiritual axis, dragon guides re-emerge to awaken the sleepers (us).

I struggled with this piece for days, through the new moon in Scorpio, the Saturn/Pluto astrological thing, a wicked case of premenstrual syndrome and as work (my office job) ramped up intensely. Suddenly, my time and attention were pulled elsewhere, and I felt like I was navigating life under water for a week. The image of the witch and her dragon seemed blurry as they competed with one another for space on the page. I had the hardest time doing her face, too, and tried and failed more than once. I reached out to my family and artistic friends on the net, looking for guidance, and for a time, I considered scrapping the piece entirely. But no, I was too in love with the dragon, my beloved Gregor, even if the rest of the piece didn't work well. So, I reworked it intensely, cutting, redo-ing, resizing, and reshaping. Then, satisfied with my efforts and in a moment of defiance, I decided to let the piece birth itself for better or worse.

I woke up one morning and realized as much as this was a self-portrait, it was also a portrait of the Queen of Wands. Herein was the cathartic moment. It was still me, but it was She, as well. With this realization, I found the Queen's inspiration, and the muse began dancing. I'd like to say the composition and flow moved perfectly thereafter. But, it didn't. She still gave me a lot of grief in her birthing. Maybe she's just a difficult Queen to get along with, hm?

I present to you the the second in my series of Tarot Queens (which began with the Queen of Pentacles in September).

So much love,

D~

EMERGING ART: The Queen of Wands

My panties are in a twist.

I've got a lot going on at work (finally!), stuff coming up for the PTA, family life to balance, the upstairs waiting to be cleaned ... and this piece of art calling me to task on a regular basis. I mean, I should be happy. When I'm bored, I'm miserable and prone to trouble. The other side of that coin is having too much to do. I'm not complaining. Well, I am a little ... but it feels good. Even if my panties are in a twist. It feels good.

This is what I'm working on right now, all whining aside. I originally called it "Donna & Gregor" and yes, it is a self-portrait of sorts. Then, I thought maybe "Strega & Guardian" made better sense. Then, the other day, first thing after awakening, I looked at it and realized it was "The Queen of Wands", which is all about spirit. The dragon, to me, is the ultimate symbol of spirit. This Queen's key words are "I know myself" which is also very much me. I do know myself. I have no illusions about who I am.

So, I present, for your consideration a work in progress called "The Queen of Wands".


~please click on the image for a better view~

FROM OUR WORKSHOP: Bernadette Rides The Moon

Bernadette Rides The Moon © October 17, 2009 (New Moon in Libra) by Donna L. Faber. All rights reserved. The original is approximately 8" x 8", on Strathmore Bristol Smooth, done with pen & ink and Prismacolor markers. Then, it was cut out and digitally enhanced. This piece was done for a client who has achieved a new plateau of self-empowerment and wishes to commemorate it with a tattoo. She was drawn to the image of a woman riding the moon, but wanted something more personal to put on her shoulder permanently. This image reflects that client's desire (her name is Bernadette or Bernie to her friends), and has similar physical characteristics, as well, right down to the long red nails. She is riding a moon that looks just enough like a biker to be cool, not to mention personally appropriate. Also, while purple is Bernie's favorite color (which is why the moon is purple), I wanted the woman to truly *pop* from the picture. I believe the juxtaposition between heavy purples and flesh tone achieves that.

Here are photos of the piece emerging ...

Categorically, commissioned art can be a creative challenge because it puts a fence around my creative expression when typically I let it run free range. It was my challenge to attain the "essense" of what Bernadette wants to convey with this tattoo, understand where her head is at, and really get a "feel" for her as a woman at this point in her life. I achieved this with a couple of email messages, a few pictures, and one 15 minute phone call. Bernie is a great communicator, so I got a lot out of our conversation.

Those of you who know me, know that I have a personal relationship with the moon, and believe the Goddess resides there. When a woman comes into her own in any way, shape or form, she is, in fact, acknowledging and honoring the goddess within her. This image, the woman on the moon, is a more visual presentation of calling down the moon, acknowledging the goddess, or realizing our power within.

I hope this image is everything Bernie wants it to be.

With Love,
D~