“A quiet mind cureth all. ”
A photo my daughter took on one of our many walks.
Hi everyone,
How are you? My hope is that each one of you stays well and that you possess that inner peace, especially during this time of uncertainty. My heart goes out to all those who may be homebound and unable to connect with others. Please drop a note to me and I will definitely get back to you! Many of you may be wondering if we will ever get back to normal and we will. It may be a new normal, like the kind when a new baby enters a home. Nothing after that is ever normal like the normal you knew, it’s a new kind of normal. I write these words as my mom went into the hospital yesterday for something unrelated to the virus. Now is not the time I would like my mom to be in the hospital but in the end I know that everything will be alright and that she is in good hands.
Anyway, I would like to share some of the things I have been working on recently, but, first there is a young lady named Brittany I would like to introduce to you. She is an artist with whom I did an exchange of artwork. This is her artwork and her biography.
Wonderful photography done by Valkyyrii Arts.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a very vivid and (what some may call) an overactive imagination. The earliest piece of art I can recall completing was at four, when I took my mom’s bright red lipstick to a yellow plastic table I had in my room, drawing a spider. I took crayons to walls, markers to skin, paint to my toys. I can safely say my skills have expanded exponentially since my four-year-old self, and in middle school it moved from a simple desire to create to a driven passion for becoming GOOD at my art. At the time, what motivated me was the Japanese animated show, Sailor Moon. My art goal was to become an animator for Sailor Moon, or an artist for Japanese comic books (manga). I practiced all the time, at home, at school, everywhere – this was when I’d began carrying a sketchbook with me all the time. I was self-taught through middle and most of high school - I’d started expanding my skills to still life and collaborating work with some of my artistic friends. In my senior year at high school, I finally took a couple of art elective classes. I’d resisted for a long time because I really didn’t want to be told how to do art – in my mind, art was created out of emotions and could be anything anyone wanted. Subjective.
In college I continued to pursue my art – and knocked heads with most of my professors along the way, as I couldn’t understand at the time that they weren’t telling me necessarily WHAT to create, but more of the skills on HOW to create things or take them to the next level. I’ve always favored the 2-D arts of drawing and painting. My father is a photographer and videographer – growing up with a camera was natural for me and I passed on any photography classes during college, learning everything on my own and from my dad. I found myself intrigued with metalsmithing and jewelry making, which I ended up specializing in for my Bachelor of Fine Arts, Traditional Art. During college, my fanatic passion with Sailor Moon and other anime and manga fell to the wayside. I began to focus my works on creating things from the fantasy/sci-fi, paranormal books I read, and the pagan influences I was drawn towards and becoming deeply passionate about. After college, my work became a combination of my passions, and of completing commissions for others covering a wide range of subjects.
Today, my work is inspired with a wide range of fantasy/sci-fi, paranormal, pagan, Celtic & Baltic art, their cultures, weapon culture, sexuality, kink and tattoo cultures, and equally driven by emotions. I create art from the world around me, photographing things and perspectives I find intriguing, drawing or painting things, people, or animals that cause intense feelings. I create art daily, even if it’s just a simple sketch – not everything has to go up on social media, however it’s incredibly important to be constantly working at what you love to do. I run my art business on the side currently, however my goal is to make the jump and become a full-time working artist. I’m a huge fan and supporter of local artists and small businesses, and actively participate in a variety of communities that align with my artistic passions and interests.“
Isn’t this an awesome, awesome closeup? The colors and composition are beautiful!
You can visit Valkyyrii Arts on both facebook and Instagram.
So here are a few things I have been up to-first of all the kids are home. I love it! Really, I absolutely love having all my little ducklings in the nest. We have been taking long walks and painting together, baking and reading books. I have been going through my old recipe books and consolidating our family’s favorite recipes.
Long walks through the woods are incredibly enjoyable. We have been watching the grass turn green and flowers bloom. The hills make for some good exercise!
Gathering together family recipes for the next generation. Do you have any family favorites? If you share them with me they may become one of our family favorites!
French bread from an old recipe of my husband’s grandfather. (This morning I made apple fritters for breakfast which the kids helped me with.)
An almost complete commission painting.
A work in progress of kids playing at Muddy Run. Stay tuned for the next newsletter for the full time-lapse video of this painting from start to finish.
For the rest of year I plan on contacting Red Raven Art Gallery. The Mulberry Art Gallery is also interested in showing my work. If you are interested in a commission work please contact me. The process involves a preliminary drawing that I can always work on. This would be with out any strings attached just to see if it is something you would be interested in.
With love to you all,
Holly
Peace Light Life