Oh no she didn't!!!

"Very often audacity, not talent, makes one person an artist and another a shadow artist -- 

hiding in the shadows, afraid to step out and expose the dream to the light, 

fearful that it will disintegrate to the touch."

Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way

Because I'm pretty new at this artist thing, and because I've spent most of my life focused on a career in music, a lot of my friends have said to me, "Oh!  I didn't know you could paint!"

Well, neither did I.  But I did it anyway.  Go.  Paint anyway.

Love Song, completed.

Love Song, original mixed media artwork by Katie Holmes; quote by Rainer Maria Rilke

"Love Song: Part 1."

Funny how the road of creativity is so unpredictable...One day you are attempting to paint a violin, and somehow that path leads you to a profound truth about love.  What could the two possibly have in common?  One of my favorite poets said it best:

How shall I hold on to my soul, so that
it does not touch yours? How shall I lift
it gently up over you on to other things?
I would so very much like to tuck it away
among long lost objects in the dark
in some quiet unknown place, somewhere
which remains motionless when your depths resound.
And yet everything which touches us, you and me,
takes us together like a single bow,
drawing out from two strings but one voice.
On which instrument are we strung?
And which violinist holds us in the hand?
O sweetest of songs.

   -Rainer Maria Rilke 

Still trying to get the painting "just right".  I'll post it when I do!  Stay tuned...

I Heart Giveaways!

One of my favorite blogs to follow is hosting a Valentine's giveaway!  Check it out!!  And thanks, Danita, for such a generous giveaway!

"What now?"

Perhaps a distant cousin to a previously discussed question ("What if?"), I am now at the crossroads of "What now?"  After the last painting I completed, I'm feeling a bit lost!  I love that painting.  So much.  It encouraged me, and it gave me hope.  And perhaps even drained me a bit.  I was in a painting trees phase, but after that last one, I'm not sure I see any more trees that need painted.  "What now?"  Funny, this creative path sometimes looks a bit like the crazy "blizzard" we just experienced here in Arkansas...can barely see in front of your face, let alone to the next work.  Right now, just thinking about what to do next!  This I know, I must continue!  How?  Well...that part's a little blurry at the moment, but I'll let you know when I figure it out.

Embrace your seasons...

I wrote a poem around six years ago that dealt with some of the darker places in my life, and decided the other day that I'd like to put it into paint.  I hope it speaks to you, as it did me. 

Embrace Your Seasons, original mixed media artwork by Katie Holmes.

"For though it is the spring that makes you beautiful,

it was the winter that made you strong."

Darkness.

The next painting I'll be posting is called "Embrace your seasons".  I'll share more when I post the painting when I post, but I wanted to share a few thoughts about the dark of our lives.  As a recovering perfectionist, I'm not always a big fan of dark, painful, imperfect places.  However, I heard some lyrics the other day that challenged my perspective a bit: 

You're a butterfly held captive
Small and safe in your cocoon.

Go on you can take your time

Time is said to heal all wounds.

 -"All About Your Heart", Mindy Gledhill

What if we embraced our dark season as a time of growth and an opportunity to snuggle up to the One who loves us and allows us the freedom to grow and change?  I don't know about you, but I certainly need the grace to appreciate my little cocoons.  They can be somewhat confining at times...