Public Domain

“Cats: Pictures without Words”
 by Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen (French (born Switzerland), Lausanne 1859–1923 Paris),
 Ernest Flammarion (French, 1846–1936) ,
Paris via The Metropolitan Museum of Art is licensed under CC0 1.0

Want to use images in your artwork or blog, but want to be mindful of copyright? The best way to avoid issues is to use your own images. But if you're not a good shutterbug or a specific subject isn't on hand for you to photograph, you can find images to use at Morguefile

Recently, the New York Public Library  made some 200,000 images for download. These images are now in public domain and may be used copyright free and without permissions. You can search for images here

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art has also digitized over 300,000 images for unrestricted use. You can search the Creative Commons database here

Lots of images to inspire or provide a happy, little, time waster.

Word For the Year

My dictionary. As a kid, I would spend hours flipping through
and reading.

I don't make New Year's resolutions. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The past couple of years, I settled on the trend of a word for the year. Come back tomorrow to see my word. 😸

Saturday Morning at the Feeder

The birds knew I was outside filming even though I sat very still. Even from inside the sun room, they seemed to know they were being photographed.

A Grinchy Idea

Now that the wrapping paper has been torn open and recycled, gifts have been oohed or exchanged, I had a thought about gift giving to adults.

I give you a gift card to your favorite store. You give me a gift card to a restaurant. It's very nice and wonderful, but let's think about this. What can you give me that I can't buy myself? And ditto for you? We just seem to go through an endless cycle of buying, giving, sometimes returning.  Honestly, how many scented candles do we really need? And sometimes, buying gifts for everyone puts a real strain on the wallet. What if we took a different approach?

We probably should think about donating to people and causes that could really use the cash. It's a good feeling to know you are helping out. Are you a teacher? I'll make a donation to a scholarship fund. Have a family member who suffered with Alzheimer's, Cancer, or some other ill?  (Though research to see how much of a donation actually gets allocated to the cause. Some agencies pay their executives huge salaries, and that's where the bulk of your donation goes.)

So, we've made a donation to a worthy cause. We feel good. Our homes aren't clutted with items we don't know what to do with, and we don't have to fight crowds to return items not really wanted.

Still it's fun to be surprised and open a gift chosen just for you. Here's the best part. Money is no object. What if, we gave virtual gifts? No money involved. Just happily searching the Interwebs for gifts?

I have some writer friends. Maybe one of them would like a writer's retreat. Well, Pound of Tea Island in Freeport, Maine is for sale. Wouldn't that make a great gift? Doesn't cost anything but time. Doesn't take up any physical space in your home. If you need a break, feel stressed, you can escape to your private island retreat. All without leaving your home.

So a good idea or grinch?

The Labyrinth

When Himself and I dropped off my artwork for Light at the Golden Thread Gallery, the gallery director invited us to follow the path to the labyrinth.

The gallery is in the Holy Family Retreat Center. The center is nestled in woodlands. There are marked paths to wander for contemplation. Benches to sit and rest awhile and in the middle of the woods, a labyrinth to walk.

Unlike a maze which is design to trick and confuse a person, a labyrinth is designed to guide you to the center and to bring you back out. The labyrinth is symbolic of life with twists and turns. At the center of this labyrinth was a stone circle created by stone mason, Dan Sieracki. There is no mortar holding the stones together. Just their weight and position of a keystone.

The path was wide enough that Himself and I were able to walk the labyrinth side by each. The woods were eerily quiet and still beautiful even though most of the trees had lost their leaves. Under the influence of too many movies and an overactive imagination, I thought there should have been a flaming eye in the center of the stone circle.

When Jupiter Aligns with Mars

Prynne, Coat of Arms

For my Artist in Residence du Jour, I chose The Scarlet Letter VI by Tim Rollins and K.O.S. from the WAM collection as my inspiration. I decided I wanted to alter a copy of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and use the book as my canvas. I didn't have a copy of the book on my bookshelf and friends and relatives didn't either.

On a search of AbeBooks, a site for used and out of print books, I found a 1970 Penguin Classics version with a cover picture of Elizabeth Freake and her daughter, Mary as Hester Prynne and her daughter, Pearl. The portraits of the Freakes are also in the WAM collection.

After finishing the mixed media piece, I heard of Unbound Vol. III, a juried art show from the Artistree Community Arts Center and Gallery in Woodstock, Vermont. I submitted my piece for consideration. Entering this show was a little out of my comfort zone. I almost talked myself out of entering. I thought my work wouldn't be edgy enough, calligraphy isn't considered fine art, and any number of excuses why I shouldn't submit the work. I was pleased with myself for following though.

Many would say these events were coincidental. Maybe, they are "wyrd", Anglo-Saxon for fate or personal destiny. Either way, I'm pleased to announce my book was accepted into the show. Color me my favorite blue with excitement.

Unbound Vol.III
26. July - 7. September 2013
Artistree Community Arts Center and Gallery
Woodstock, VT

Opening Reception: Friday, 26. July 2013, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Saturday Sayings

Ziller Glossy Black, Comic Z, Pigma, Watercolor pencils

Saturday Sayings

Every day you wake up is a beautiful day. Attributed to John Wayne.

Ideas

When I come across a quote or poem that moves or amuses me, I jot it down in an old composition notebook. Sometimes, I make notes with the quote about a design element I'd like to use.

Do you write your ideas down?

Inspiration

Besides looking through books for inspiration, Ink and I find it helpful to paw through my scrap paper box.  Fondling the paper, looking at the colors, inhaling the paper scent all help to spark ideas.

Where else do you get your creative ideas from?