Jewelry Excursions

I've been expanding into the jewelry realm lately. It's purely instinctual at this point—and I'm loving it. It takes me back to a place when I was about 10 years old and I was immersed in creating artful hair barrettes. I was a young dreamer, sure my creations would have a place in the world, never stopping to doubt it. I lost that somewhere along the way. But during recent years I've found that girl again. Now I'm reveling in experimenting with new mediums.

Here's a peek at a few in-progress pieces (using embellishments found in various places, along with my art positioned into beveled pendants and lockets). My vision is simple – I'm creating pieces I would jump at the chance to wear.

Hello Soul, I'm taking an e-course

Yipeeeeee, I just registered myself for Kelly Rae Roberts' Hello Soul, Hello Mixed Media Mantras online e-course. I'm really looking forward to learning from this possibilitarian again (I took her Flying Lessons business e-course last year). Delighted!

Kindness Mission

 [ kindness mission: heart art by Laly Mille, butterfly art by Ginger Deverell ]

I’m delighted to share my recent kindness mission with you. It began as a shared project with my online creative community, inspired by this, and her, and blossomed into so much more.

My lovely and talented artist friend Laly Mille and I collaborated. She’s in France. I’m in Canada. We sent each other our art to print, and we both penned kind notes onto them—mine in English, hers in French. This added a truly special layer to the project. We connected and energized each other with our back-and-forth emails throughout the project, and ideas flowed.

[ filling our art notes with inspirational thoughts and quotes ]

We “abandoned” them out into our communities for others to find: dropped them in mailboxes, tucked them into library books, put up take-what-you-need posters on local bulletin boards, and I strung up notes on a small tree where passerby pedestrians couldn’t help but be curious. Frowns and serious faces were replaced with smiles and softness. Secretly watching some of the reactions was heartwarming. And not knowing who would get the rest of the notes and how it would touch their lives was the gold of this project. I hope we have brought a little tenderness, hope, love and connection to a few people who need it most.

[ decorating my love notes tree ] 

[ hiding secret bookmark notes at the library ]

 [ putting take what you need posters up around the community - this fun idea was inspired by this post by kelly Rae Roberts ]

When my four year-old son asked me what I was working on I did my best to explain kindness to him, and particularly the idea of sending kindness out to strangers anonymously. He said “oh I get it, you’re trying to make people feel happy and loved.” That did it. He was in. We crafted some more notes together and together we snuck them into mailboxes. We invited friends along and quickly we became a troupe. They coasted along streets on their bikes, vying for the position of choosing a note and delivering it. Our spirits were high and our hearts were full.

[ a peek at the junior kindness deliveries, so fun ]

It got me thinking about what I want my son to experience in his education (something often on my mind these days). How I want him to have opportunities to learn through real life experiences. Conversations about intentional learning and values are abundant in our household. What could be more important than for a young mind and heart to learn the importance of giving, being kind, thinking of someone else. And doing it in an organic creative way, with care. It affirms what I already know – I’m committed to walking with our son on his learning journey and building creative ways for his education to unfold. The result? He soars.

One final spark of kindness: Laly and I are sharing our take what you need kindness posters as free downloads. Grab my poster here in English and French, and get Laly's on her blog. Print them out, hang them on your fridge, post them on bulletin boards around your own community. Keep the kindness flowing! And if you do, come back and leave us a note in the comments!

The other half of this mission lives on Laly's blog. Make sure you head over to read it, and to get her free kindness poster!  

Thank you kindness mission. You opened my heart (our hearts).

This post is part of our monthly Flying Lessons Blog Circle. Click through to Laly Mille’s blog to see her experience of our shared kindness mission! And then continue on to the next kindness project in the circle by visiting the link she shares at the end of her post. Here is the full group:
Ginger Deverell, Canada (You Are Here)
Laly Mille, France
Sandy King
Naz Laila, Australia
Kristen Fairgrieve
Lulu Bea (Alaina McGinley)
Karrlin Bain, USA
Kathie Gadd
Chandra Merod
Lisa Ullrich

And visit Kelly Rae Roberts website to gather fabulous kindness mission ideas.

 

Evolving Art – Harmony

Evolving Art is a new series documenting the evolution of my mixed media paintings from beginning to end. I'm so happy to share this with you.

HARMONY – a woman sits quietly, her thoughts alive bursting with emotion, remembering, feeling uncertain. But on the surface she appears calm. Sadness mixes with peacefulness.  She is not alone.

[ Harmony – 2013 ]

[ My inspiration board/ collection for this piece ]

[ Typography papers I created from my bio, to be ripped and cut and used in the painting ]

[ Laying down my first layers of paper and fabric with gel medium, on a cradled wood panel – a range of business papers, typography and patterned papers I made, a sewing pattern, some handmade cotton paper, a scrap from a soap package, and fabric from a discard bin ]

[ Adding paint with a brayer and fingers ] 

[ Standing back, deciding which sketch to use ]

[ My choice: this sketch I did last fall ]

[ Transferring my sketch onto my cradled wood panel. I used art transfer paper for this. It can be easier than freehand drawing on rough surfaces ]

 [ Ready to paint ]

[ Painting with acrylics, first layer ]

[ Filling in her hair with a black pitt pen - these are a recent discovery for me and I love them ]

[ Adding another layer of paint to her face and body. Giving her nice rosy cheeks. And using my pitt pen to enhance her eyes and add dramatic hair — which is a metaphor for her swirling thoughts ]

[ Using grey pitt pens to layer more into her hair, smudging with my fingers to create texture. Using white rollerball pens to add doodles and scratches. And using green and blue shades to fill in her loyal perched friend ]

[ Final enhancement of features with black pitt pen ]

[ My finished piece displayed along with two others painted at the same time. Left to Right: harmony, winter, surfacing ]

Harmony
18" x 24"
Mixed media on cradled wood panel
© Ginger Deverell 2013

It's wonderful to share with you. Prints and greeting card sets are available in my little shop.

Unleash

Unleash. My word for 2014.

I’m taking a page from Kelly Rae’s book – I knew the second I read this word that it was mine for the year ahead. I was thinking a lot about being brave, taking action and opening doors at the time.

Last year I had three words that guided my journey. They came about organically as I felt overwhelmed and needed to be peaceful, as I doubted myself and my path and needed to believe, and as I burned out and opened myself up to receive. The year wrapped up with calm, stillness, hibernation and a sense of my own power surfacing. Then the greatest thing happened – creativity poured out of me, I jumped to life, planned, worked, and felt energized and inspired. As the New Year rolls in I’m thinking big, planning big, creating bountifully and going after what I want. I am unleashing all the beauty that lives in my mind, creating with abandon, reaching and stretching for what I want my career and parenting to look like, taking chances and standing face to face with fear and rejection. I am untying the knots of pain and hurt that I’ve carried so long, creating space for the new. I am untangling myself from the patterns that aren’t moving me forward and instead taking action, being brave and being true. My voice is getting stronger as I ask for what I need and want. I can see opportunity and doors opening.

This is the year for me. The year where my growth manifests from a tiny nourished seed into a vital bloom. I am truly seen, as me.

Welcome 2014. I have been waiting for you.

In Flow

Happy New Year friends. I'm a believer in documenting our journeys. Over the holidays my creative journey was in full swing – I was in flow. You know that magical amazing state of focus and fluidity. I'm sharing some shots...

 

xo