BLOOD, PAPER and MONEY Blood relatives, the blood shed in slavery and free servants, and lives obliterated;Paper trails of birth, marriage and death certificates, letters, and decrees, and the lack of a paper trails that keep some family members nameless and homeless;Money: the root of all evil woven through kingdoms, beliefs, and commerce. Pieter van der … Continue reading Chapter one, The Confessions of a Mother
Creativity and Meaning
Seeing Symbols in Art and Making Meaning.
Today I am going to discuss symbols in images, free-association and the ways we see into images as individuals. I am going to use this lovely intuitive abstract painting to illustrate my thoughts. It is painted by Richard Bist, a fellow blogger I follow. Here is the painting below in case you want to refer … Continue reading Seeing Symbols in Art and Making Meaning.
Writing About The Process of My Ancestors-story (ancestry).
I want to say a little bit about the process of researching and writing about my ancestry on my mother's side. I'm sure we all have destructive components to our personalities: sometimes the components are both helpful and harmful. My harmful components create problems in my writing (and other projects). Problems I faced: I tend … Continue reading Writing About The Process of My Ancestors-story (ancestry).
Friday Art Studio: with Ellie
What better way to spend time in the studio than with family who also enjoy making art. One of my recent post-surgery plans is to build up a library of colour palettes to refer back to when I need colour inspiration. I have not really done this before. This is quite new to me as … Continue reading Friday Art Studio: with Ellie
August’s Quick Update
My surgery was not something I was looking forward to but correcting the hernia held the promise of a stronger version of my future self. The time leading up to the surgery Apart from art, researching the history of my ancestry and blog posts I prepared meals for the freezer so that afterwards we would … Continue reading August’s Quick Update
Friday Art Studio: My Expressive Art – ‘Soda Can Torso’ in a swimsuit.
The Soda Can Torso, in a swimsuit, was my second creation, while working on a project with my art mentor, Ilhaam Stolof. I want to clarify that the point of my art was not art therapy but that art can always be therapeutic to the artist and viewer. My brief was to make art daily … Continue reading Friday Art Studio: My Expressive Art – ‘Soda Can Torso’ in a swimsuit.
In Appreciation of Owls.
Why am I drawn to owls? I asked you, in yesterdays' post, what you think of owls and here are some thoughts: love their wise human look; love owls; there are owls in our neighborhood - they are such silent fliers therefore difficult to track; they are beautiful, mysterious and a little haunting; and that … Continue reading In Appreciation of Owls.
Ramblings from my Teacup
When we long for things other people have Have you ever been at the beach or park and you see someone walking along with a lilt in their step, hair flying in the breeze and they seem to embody the picture of ideal happiness or health. Maybe it elicits a feeling of slight envy; you … Continue reading Ramblings from my Teacup
Matriarchy Mandala
Continuing my search and formulation of my heritage follows on from Discovering my Ancestry I discovered that I have ancestry from the beginning of the colonization of the Cape, South Africa, by the Dutch East India Company in the seventeenth Century. Obviously it starts centuries before but I hadn't realized my roots in South Africa … Continue reading Matriarchy Mandala
Walking Reveals
Under the dry grey skyGrassy hills wait, patched.Dogs running gayly Not a care in the world While a solitude couple walkWith heavy dark clouds Weighing on their shouldersAnd a man In a house findsA solution To a year-long problem.Manic happiness Give way to celebrate.Walking reveals allAs time keeps Moving on. ~Morag Noffke~
