clandestine – IF (Dec 26, 2008)

Topic: clan·des·tine
Pronunciation: \klan-ˈdes-tən also -ˌtīn or -ˌtēn or ˈklan-dəs-\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle French or Latin; Middle French clandestin, from Latin clandestinus, from clam secretly; akin to Latin celare to hide
Date: circa 1528

: marked by, held in, or conducted with secrecy : SURREPTITIOUS (a clandestine love affair)

clandestine - IF (Dec 26, 2008)

A last minute submission… it took a long time to come up with a concept that fit. Finally, in the wee hours of the morning, I finished this simple pencil sketch.

chanting incantations
in the dead of night
a clandestine ritual

Illustration Friday is a weekly illustration challenge. A topic is posted every Friday and then participants have all week to come up with their own interpretation.

thankful

I have been sitting here for the past few days feeling sorry for myself when I realized how much I should be thankful for.

I was sad that I couldn’t go to my friend’s dinner because I came down with a cold and my friend has lukemia. Their house has to be a germ-free zone. This time last year, he was in the hospital with an unknown life expectany. Today, he is successfully recovering from a bone marrow transplant and is enjoying christmas at home with his family.

My other friend had me over for dinner with her family.

My mother brought christmas dinner to my house today.

Another friend had me over for dinner with her family tonight.

I have amazing friends. So many people who care about me.

mistletoe – Inspire Me Thursday (Dec 18, 2008)

Topic: mis·tle·toe
Pronunciation: \ˈmi-səl-ˌtō, chiefly British ˈmi-zəl-\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English mistilto, from Old English misteltān, from mistel mistletoe + tān twig; akin to Old High German & Old Saxon mistil mistletoe and to Old High German zein twig
Date: before 12th century

: a European semiparasitic green shrub (Viscum album of the family Loranthaceae, the mistletoe family) with thick leaves, small yellowish flowers, and waxy-white glutinous berries ; broadly : any of various plants of the mistletoe family (as of an American genus Phoradendron) resembling the true mistletoe

mistletoe - Inspire Me Thursday (Dec 18, 2008)

The custom of kissing under mistletoe at Christmas originates in ancient Scandinavia where it was considered the plant of peace. If enemies met under mistletoe in a forest, they maintained a truce until the next day.

My submission is inspired by the intricate interlacing decorative style of Norse Art. It started with a pencil sketch and background images by Eddi 07 and jaiel.

Inspire Me Thursday is a weekly dose of inspiration for
mixed media artists and creative types to nurture their muses and CREATE!

a new day

Today I took hold of myself and made the effort to shake off the dark fog that holds me down. I showered for the first time in days. I got dressed. I took the dogs for a walk. Why the change? Life goes on, and today is a new day.

I am inspired by your comments. It reminds me to live in the moment, to silence the negative voices in my head. I am particularly drawn to this illustration by Ulti Chhatri: “I don’t need your voice. I have my own.”

Voices by Ulti Chhatri

I am not spiritual, and I don’t believe in god, but I love it’s strength and simplicity and the message it inspires.

voices – IF (Dec 19, 2008)

Topic: voices
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): voiced voic·ing
Date: 15th century

1 : to express in words : utter 2 : to adjust for producing the proper musical sounds 3 : to pronounce (as a consonant) with voice

voices - IF (Dec 19, 2008)

My first submission to IF is based on my overwhelming feelings of anxiety and depression at the time of creation. It is a digital, collage/assemblage piece created in Photoshop. It started with digital photographs I had taken and background images by nevermoregraphix and irisb477. The font used is Sketch Rockwell by ARTill.

My phone is buzzing, I don’t answer. The sound grates on my nerves. Bzz bzzz. Bzz bzzz. Missed call. Voicemail message. How many now? Three? Four? I don’t bother checking.

I should appreciate that I have people in my life who care about me. I do care, just not today.

I don’t want to hear their voices, “Where are you? Why haven’t you returned my call? Are you OK?”

I know I should be a better friend. There’s a lot that I should do. I should work on my portfolio. I should clean the house. I should take the dogs out. They haven’t had a walk in weeks. I don’t even want to leave the house. I’m tired. I slept all day, but I’m still so tired.

The phone is buzzing again. It’s my mum. She’s been calling all day. Why can’t I answer? Another missed call. Another voicemail message. I want to go back to bed.

Illustration Friday is a weekly illustration challenge. A topic is posted every Friday and then participants have all week to come up with their own interpretation.

new journal

I walk into a bookstore, a journal catches my eye. I love journals. I love their pretty covers. I love the feel of the paper. I love all the blank pages just waiting to be filled with someone’s fascinating life. It could be MY fascinating life. I’m excited and I buy the journal. I think about what I’m going to write. I even OPEN the journal and sit poised with pen in hand. I write nothing. Eventually, the journal is buried under a heap of discarded papers along with all the rest of my crap.

I own multiple journals. They’re ALL empty. I NEVER write in them. Sometimes, it’s because I hate the look of my handwriting. If I make a mistake, I’ll rip out the page and re-write the offending entry. Other times, I just don’t feel like thinking about my feelings. It just seems like so much effort.

The dumb thing is, I keep buying these goddamn journals!

My therapist suggests that my obsession with new journals represent my desire for a new life… a new beginning. I don’t think I can have a new beginning until I’ve put the old life to rest. To do that, I have to continue the psychotherapy and I have to force myself to think about my feelings. Let’s face it, the journals weren’t working. Maybe the blog will.