Thankful Thursday/Thursday Thirteen Mashup

Back in my early days of blogging (2007-8), I participated in a meme called Thursday Thirteen.  The idea behind it was to write a post each week, on Thursday, listing 13 things about a subject of your choice.  Followers of 'Thirteeners' blogs would comment upon the lists, and share links.  It was a fun way to get to know other bloggers, and a weekly challenge to come up with 13 things to write about (the link above takes you to my very first post).  I was reminded of this today as I thought about what to post for Thankful Thursday, so I decided to do a mashup of both ideas, and since I am a lover and almost constant player of online word games, I present to you:

Thankful Thursday Thirteen:  13 Words Which Can Be Made
From the Word Thankful 

(I know there are more, but I confined myself to words containing 4 or more letters)

1. Lank
2. Hank
3. Tank
4. Hunk
5. Flunk
6. Flat
7. Ankh 
8. Than
9. Flan
10. Flank
11. Half
12. Haft
13. Thunk (for this, I received the dreaded spell check wavy red line, but Merriam-Webster disagrees, offering these definitions:  1. dialectal past tense and past participle of think, or 2. a flat hollow sound.  How else to describe the sound of a big book hitting the floor?!)

So where else does the thankful come in?  I am immensely thankful for word games, which keep my mind sharp (although unfortunately they don't really help much with the 'why did I enter this room,' or 'what was I about to tell you' questions).  Here are the games I play online or on my phone daily, in case you're inquisitively (cool 13-letter word!) wondering:  

On Facebook:  Puzzly Words (multi-player, timed, each player receives the same 16 letters and must make the best words from them)
Word Champs (multi-player, timed, players see the same 16 letters, and must make the best up to 10-letter word from them, with options for unveiling hidden bonus letters)
and occasionally, Scrabble.

On the phone:  Words by Post (2-player, Scrabble-like board and play)
Lexulous (2- or 3-player, Scrabble-like board, can play US or UK rules), and
UpWords (2-player version of the board game:  each player gets her own rack of 7 letters, and makes words by placing tiles on top of existing letters to create new words)

If you too enjoy word games, perhaps I'll see you across the virtual table.  If so, good luck and great letters to us both! 

~MDP
 

Thankful Thursday - In Praise of Poetry

       I am, quite regularly, grateful for the poets and their many gifts.  In much the same way I can see a beautiful scene and envision it as a painting, I often read or hear a poem and can instantly conjure the images in my mind.  Similarly, I have often thought of music (and my love of it) as having provided a virtual soundtrack to my life – hearing a certain song can instantly take me back to a specific time or experience.  And I suppose that poems are merely songs without music – so, I guess it all makes an odd sort of sense…
       My first exposure to poetry, like most of us ‘of a certain age,’ was Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes.  These short, quirky, (sometimes disturbing) nibbles of poetry were veritable 'ear worms' -- easily remembered and recited, due to their simple structure and vivid imagery -- I am surprised at how often a snippet of one will run through my head, brought to mind by a turn in conversation or learning an interesting fact.  Once in school, poetry was a regular section in English class each year and I always discovered someone or something new to carry along with me.  I think what really cemented my love of poetry, though, was hearing a record *oh, no – that won’t date me at all – ha!* of Robert Frost reading a copy of ‘Birches” in the 5th grade – MAGIC, I tell you!  To this day, I do not see a birch tree without thinking:  “One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.”  On through high school (falling in love with Gibran), and college (too many to list!) my list of poems and poets continued to grow…  Today, I am no less enamored of this incredible art form, and continue to amass favorites.
       Since my painting skills do not measure up to the vision that their words often inspire, I have developed the habit of finding poems to match my photos.  It’s loads of fun, and much like the audible clue of a favorite song, the discovery of a new poet provides the echo of their words when the photos are seen, shared, or taken anew.  For the story behind the photos featured here today (and the poems that go with them), visit me over on my blog, tomorrow (12/22/17).
       In the event that you are not a lover of the library, I have composed a list of handy web sites to add a little poetry to your days:
-  The Poetry Foundation features a Poem of the Day, Seasonal Collections of poetry, biographical information on poets, and vast collection of poems.  You can also peruse the pages of current and past issues of Poetry Magazine
-  Academy of American Poets allows you to subscribe to their “poem a day” service, as well as showcasing great poets, poems, and articles.  They also highlight section of materials for teachers.  Another neat thing here is a series of video clips of poets reading/reciting their work.
-  Poetry.com is a community for amateur poets.  Readers can enjoy by visiting the site.  After registration, members can post their own as well as review other poems.
-  Poetry 180 was the vision of US Poet Laureate (2001-2003) Billy Collins.  Hosted on the internet by the Library of Congress, the program was designed to make it easy for students to hear or read a poem on each of the 180 days of the school year.

Until next time,
-  PLA

Thankful Thursday: The Wonder of Pop-Up Books

Yes, I will freely admit it:  I love a good pop-up book.  This love affair began with my sister's copy of the Hallmark book "The Adventures of Doctor Doolittle", and continues to this day.  Whether this book was my first pop-up is not known or important; it is the one which made an indelible impression.  I can still remember how the neck of the pushmipullyu (the white, two-headed figure on the left) moved back and forth, and the double page whale pop-up was amazing to my 8-year old eyes. Fast forward many decades later, and pop-up books are among my most cherished volumes in my studio’s art book collection.  I am thankful to have been given amazing pop-up books as gifts.  Most notable and spectacular is the one from the Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild:  “America’s National Parks”.  It is filled with astonishing paper sculptures, because that’s what they really are, or as pop-up designer and author David Pelham calls them:  paper poetry (don't you love that?!).  Here are two of my favorite spreads, the Grand Canyon and Glacier National Parks, which surely ascend to the level of sculpture or poetry.

 
And since words aren't as descriptive as images, I will simply share some of my favorite pages from my collection...I'm truly thankful I can be amazed, amused, and delighted whenever I open one!

In case you're curious, here's the list of books included in the slide show above:
 1. Dimensional Mazes, An Entirely New Way of Losing Yourself in a Book (love that title!),       by David Pelham
 2.  Funny Birds, by Philippe Ug
 3.  ABC3D, by Marion Bataille
 4.  600 Black Spots, A Pop-Up Book for Children of All Ages, by David A. Carter
 5.  Trail, Paper Poetry by David Pelham
 6.  The Ultimate 3-D Pop-Up Art Book (you know I had to have this one!) by Ron Van Der        Meer and Frank Whitford
 7. and 9.:  Botticelli's Bed & Breakfast, by Jan Pienkowski (this one has 56 art masterpieces     contained within its 10-room house, and has a guidebook listing them all!)
 8.  The Christmas Alphabet, by Robert Sabuda
10.  Pop Gami, Where Pop-Up Meets Origami, paper engineered by James Diaz, illustrated         by Francesca Diaz

~MDP

Thankful Thursday - Library Love

      For as long as I can remember, the library has been a magical and amazing place to me.  In spite of the fact that I now live in the era of Google, it still is!  Be it a physical book, an audiobook download, the loan of a cinematic classic or a modern blockbuster, or an obscure reference source:  the library has it all.

This beautifully lettered quotation by Risa Rodil perfectly echos my thoughts
...with a nod to the Harry Potter series *I love that!*

     From my early school days, when I could hardly wait to exchange one weeks book for the next new adventure; to the college years, wherein I was a virtual resident of “the stacks” at NCSU – I have been a lover of books.  I cut my research teeth on the card catalogue, and fondly remember tracking down magazine articles with the aid of a Periodic Index.  It may well be quicker to use the electronic alternative these days, but it never results in the same sense of “Gotcha!” provided by the search methods of yesteryear…
     Then there is the plain and simple fact that one can only house so many books at home…  I have read several entire series, of which I have never owned a single volume – I discovered them, and devoured them, (and often bemoaned the wait for the next installment) *shameless plug for the amazing Laurie R. King, here* as a result of a trip to the library.   
     There is something ‘church-like’ about time spent in a library, too.  How can one help but be humbled in the presence of such a massive collection of knowledge?  Further, I never cease to be amazed at the level of service to the community at large presented by the library (workshops, activities for children, teens, and adults, employment assistance, author readings, etc.)  I am additionally jazzed by the fact that whatever “it” is doesn’t even have to be available at my branch for me to get it (!)  Thanks to the NC Cardinal system, the shelves of my local branch extend to every border of the state – in the time it would take to receive an order made online, the information I seek can be summoned to my local library with the push of a button.
     Finally, as an artist, I find that book sales at ANY library are grand adventures of discovery!  Collage fodder abounds among piles and piles of obscure reference books, foreign texts (if you’re lucky), and a smattering of wildly disparate interests.  Often, the covers themselves best the contents for beauty and uniqueness.  You never know when you will fall in love with a new (to you) author.  It was at a library book sale, years ago, that I first encountered the poetry of Billy Collins *swoon!* -- still a huge fan.
     So, with my rhapsodic waxing complete, I hope that you are taking advantage of the incredible resource that is your local library.  If it's been awhile since you visited, check it out *har, har, har!* -- the quicker the better -- wonders await you there.
     See you here again, soon!
      - PLA

Thankful Thursday - Honor Your Calling

Among my favorite Pinterest boards (of which there are many!) is one I call "Wise Words Written".  It's a collection of quotes, some amusing:  "I'm an Art Teacher.  What's Your Superpower?"  or, "Life is short.  Buy the damn shoes!" (advice I heeded constantly in my twenties!), or this piece of sage advice:  "When something goes wrong in your life, just yell:  Plot Twist! and move on."    Some are profound:  "What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth.  They share it." ~C.S. Lewis (this has indeed been true of many of my friendships), or, "I make art to show my soul I'm listening." (LOVE  that!), and: 

This one especially resonates with me, and I'm truly thankful to have found it.  I love it because I believe I have found, and am honoring my calling, which is to create, teach, and share my love of art with the world.  Teaching art to people of all ages (unbelievable but true: I've had students from age 17 months to 103 years old!) and abilities (my work with students on the Autism spectrum and with adults with disabilities is both rewarding and humbling) is the work I am called to do.  I am indeed 'most truly alive' when I am helping to nurture and develop a student's innate creativity, or showing them there are "no mess ups in art," or quietly marveling over a just-completed class where artful magic happened.  There is no greater gift than knowing what you do makes a positive impact on another person's life, and when you can actually witness the effect you've had firsthand, well, that's a rare and wonderful bonus!  And so, on this Thankful Thursday and every day, my wish is for everyone to find their true calling and to find ways to honor that calling, because Oprah is right:  it IS why you were born, and to become fully engaged and truly alive is a wondrous thing! 

Until next time,  

MDP

Give the Gift of Creativity

     Introducing, Your Creative Connection Gift Certificates.  An excellent gift for the artist on your list – OR – the perfect thing to whisper in Santa’s ear.  Whether you are the generous giver or the desirous recipient, these handy gifts are an easy way to add miles of smiles to your Holiday celebrations!  They come in a variety of options to be the perfect fit for any budget.
     The available amounts include:  1/2 Deposit ($75), Full Deposit ($150), 1/3 Balance ($455), and 1/2 Balance ($680).  If another amount better suits your needs, or you would prefer to gift the entire Your Creative Connection experience, please contact us, and we will gladly customize to your precise specifications.
     Orders received by December 15th have the option of electronic and/or physical delivery.  Our Presentation Certificate will arrive in a beautifully hand-made folder, complete with wax seal and ribbon (and a snazzy, die-cut decal).  All orders received after December 15th and before December 22nd will be delivered by e-mail to the purchaser.  Gift Certificate purchases in the amount of the Full Deposit or greater, made by December 1st, entitle the recipient to our special Welcome Gift -- as noted in last week's Registration opening.  
     We wish  you and yours the happiest of Holidays in the coming weeks!
     - PLA & MDP

Thankful Thursday - We Give Thanks

    “Love is prayerfulness groping toward godliness.
Love is poetry born out of the sheer joy of being.
Love is song, dance, celebration:
a song of gratitude, a dance of thankfulness, celebration for no reason at all,
for this tremendous gift that goes on showering on us, for this whole universe,
from the dust to the divine.” 
                                                      ~ Osho, The Power of Love

I am truly, perhaps inexplicably, thankful for EVERYTHING!  I carry “a song of gratitude” in my heart.  I dance *and pray no one is watching* within my thankfulness.  I revel in “celebration for no reason at all.” 

Maybe it sounds inconceivable to hear someone say that they are thankful for everything – I suppose it could also sound somewhat trite.  On second thought, it might even sound a bit crazy…  Granted, my view is undoubtedly tinted by my experiences of the past 2 1/2 years, but I still feel (more than anything else) grateful.  Don’t misunderstand:  I am in NO way thankful that my beloved died – but I AM grateful that he did not suffer, we were not wrecked by the cost of an extended hospitalization, and that we lived fully and together up until the moment that we didn’t.  I cannot claim to be directly thankful that the company that employed me for the past 20 years closed its doors, this past summer.  I am grateful beyond measure that other opportunities continue to arise that make it possible for me to pursue a creative life as an alternative, though.  I am by no means thankful that my home was burglarized last fall, especially in light of the fact that that experience has had far reaching consequences.  I can honestly say, however, that it could have been so much worse!  I am eternally grateful that my dog was not harmed, they did not set my house on fire, or cause senseless damage (i.e. broken windows, destroy the furniture, or vandalize the interior).   For all of these things, and so much more, I am daily grateful… 

Essentially, I am humbled every day by the richness of a life filled with love.  The love of family, friends, and my trusty side kick (the one and only Wito) lifts me above any worries over what I lack.  I am grateful for lessons learned, wishes granted, dreams fulfilled, opportunities presented, choices given, shoulders cried on, and the support of an amazing network to remind me *because we all forget how lucky we are sometimes* that I am enough, that all will be well, and that worry only robs us of tomorrow’s joys.

I wish you more blessings than you can count – “…from the dust to the divine”!

      - Penny

“Wherever I have knocked, a door has opened.
Wherever I have wandered, a path has appeared.”
                                                 ~Alice Walker, In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens

I am grateful for the life I’ve chosen, or rather the life which has chosen me.  If, 30 years ago, someone had suggested that I would become a mother, wife, artist, art instructor, and art consultant, producing my own work, directing art events, and working with children, the elderly, and people with disabilities, I’d have wondered what crystal ball they’d used to see that future for me.  True, I’ve always been drawn to art (pun definitely intended). From the moment, clear in my memory, of my father presenting me with my first box of 64 Crayola crayons at 7 years old, I’ve called myself (just to myself, at first) an artist.  I’m eternally grateful to my father for his early and constant support.  I’m also grateful to my mother for her admonition to “get your education, since you don’t want to be an artist starving in a garret”.  And now, I am thankful for the unconditional love and support of my husband and son, which make my life’s work possible. 

Whenever I’ve asked for help, it appeared.  Sometimes the help came in unusual ways or took unexpected forms (the Universe has an interesting way of doing that), but I’m grateful for how so many of my requests were answered.  People have entered my life for a reason, a season or a lifetime, and I’m thankful for all I’ve learned and shared as a result.  And, when the road ahead looked uncertain in my progress to this life, an idea dawned, an opportunity beckoned, the right person appeared, a door opened, and the path was made clear. 

And so, on this Thanksgiving Day, I give thanks to all I’ve encountered on this wonder-filled journey; my family, friends, fellow creative travelers, and to those I’ve not yet encountered:  I can’t wait to meet you! 

      - Michelle

The Wait is Over

Registration for our 2018 Haw River Mixed Media Retreat is now OPEN!

Here's the scoop:

Retreat Dates:  Thursday, October 11 through Monday, October 15, 2018
Location:  Haw River State Park, Brown Summit, NC

Deposit:  $150.00
Double Occupancy Retreat Fee:  $1350.00
Single Occupancy Retreat Fee:  $1400.00

Your All-Inclusive Retreat Fee includes:  your lodging, 3 meals a day -- plus delicious snacks,
3 full days of instruction, all necessary art supplies for your 3 Studio Sessions, exhibition materials, nightly Open Studio, and loads of special surprises.

All it takes to reserve your space is your deposit and completion of the Registration Form.

Plus, when you become a Creative Explorer by paying your deposit on or before
December 1, 2017, you'll enter our Kaleidoscope Circle
and receive a special welcome gift.

3 Artists, 3 Days, 1 Surface, and a Show!

3 Artists, 3 Days:
Our Special Guest Artist will be revealed in early 2018!  Stay tuned for the big reveal! 
Michelle Davis Petelinz will guide you in customizing your mark-making with your own personalized stamps, and various surface designs with gelatin mono printing.
Penny Arrowood will show you quick and easy ways to banish the empty page; we will then use elements from each of your Studio Sessions to create a finished, hand made book -- perfect for capturing memories of Your Creative Connection.

1 Surface:
And a lovely, sumptuous surface it is!  100% cotton paper, mould made in the USA, perfect for painting, print making, ink, collage, or writing applications.  

A Show:
This is one of the features which sets Your Creative Connection apart:  on Monday, we'll gather to view the work from everyone's Studio Sessions at our Au Revoir Extravaganza!  

Are you ready to become a Creative Explorer?  Great! 
Visit the Registration Form on our website to begin your journey.
After you've registered, you'll be directed to PayPal for payment of your deposit.

Thankful Thursday - Art of the Carolinas

     As mentioned in last weeks Thankful Thursday post, Michelle and I have the Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild (CMMAG) to thank for our ever having met.  In much the same way, we also have the CMMAG to thank for our 10-year association with this incredible event!  Every year artists, instructors, and vendors gather in Raleigh, NC on the 2nd weekend in November for Art of the Carolinas (AoC):  the largest Art Supply Tradeshow in the country – alongside 4 days of workshops in every medium you can think of (acrylics, colored pencils, encaustics, mixed media, oils, pastels, and watercolors)!  It’s like a Creative Circus – with wonderments to behold in every ring:  materials, workshops and demonstrations galore!

A moment of levity, as we look back on a decade of artful adventures at Art of the Carolinas (photo:  Laurel Rupe -- altered in the Prisma app)

     In 2017, along with celebrating 10 years as the Workshop Faeries of Art of the Carolinas, we also celebrated a decade of Sponsorship by Strathmore Artist Papers.  Since the very 1st iteration of what was “The Make & Take Room,” and is now “The Try it Zone,” we have worked with Strathmore to promote and highlight their latest offerings at the show.  From Artist Trading Cards to Mixed Media Journals to Toned Sketching Paper to Artists Tiles to Toned Mixed Media Paper, they have provided the basis for the Member Artists of CMMAG to develop demonstrations geared to featuring the products of various Vendor Sponsors at the event.  This year, we also celebrated 9 years of partnership with GOLDEN Artist Colors and Ampersand; we welcomed new (to us) Sponsors:  Pebeo, Amsterdam/Royal Talens, Gel-Press, and Speedball/Akua.  We also had the pleasure of working again with the myriad offerings of Marabu.
     So, you may be wondering, what has all of this to do with Your Creative Connection?  Well, over the course of the past 10 years, we have discovered how well we work together and with others in organizing and executing a 4-day creative event.  We have also had reasons to revel in the expansion of our own creative community as a result of our affiliation with AoC.  All of this serves us well as we embark on our mission to establish Your Creative Connection as an event not-to-be-missed!  As we finalize all of the details, and add more creative wonders to the line-up, we are growing more and more excited for all that awaits our Creative Explorers in 2018! 

Tools of the Trade -- our constant companions for our time at AoC -- packed up and ready for our next encounter!

     Remember:  if you have not yet done so, please take a moment to subscribe to our Newsletter!  That will give you the inside track on all things Your Creative Connection.  There’s BIG news coming, and we don’t want you to miss any of it! 

     Until next time,
        - PLA & MDP

Thankful Thursday - Art in North Carolina

We are thankful and fortunate to live in a vibrant, growing community which values its art and artists.  Your Creative Connection joins a variety of artful venues offering a diverse array of creative opportunities and exhibitions.  Here are just a few of our favorite NC artful destinations:

Visual Art Exchange (VAE):  Established by artists in 1980, VAE is "a hub for a diverse network of artists, a venue for artists to advance their careers, and a voice to influence positive change for the creative community".  VAE, the creative incubator, is Raleigh's longest running private, non-profit visual arts organization.  Frequent, cutting edge exhibitions, SPARKcon (a yearly, citywide art extravaganza), and the Ignite Creativity Summit are just a sampling of what VAE offers.  

Street art at SPARKcon 2017. (photo: ssimmerman)

North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA): The North Carolina Museum of Art serves the people of North Carolina and all visitors as a premier destination for compelling encounters with art, and its vision is to "enrich lives through the power and wonder of art." No visit to the Triangle area art venues is complete without a tour of NCMA.  From its newly expanded African Gallery in the East Building to the light-filled expanses of the West Building, the Museum offers something for every artistic taste.  Add in special exhibitions, sculptures in the Museum Park, and films in the outdoor amphitheater, and you get a full spectrum creative work across centuries and disciplines.  

Jaume Plensa, Awilda & Irma, 2014, stainless steel, H. 157.5 x W. 157.5 x D. 118 in. each, © J2017 Jaume Plensa, Courtesy Galerie Lelong, New York.

Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University:  "promotes engagement with the visual arts for the Duke and Durham communities. The museum is dedicated to presenting innovative and accessible collections, exhibitions, publications and programs that stimulate intellectual discourse, enrich individual lives and generate new knowledge. Drawing on the resources of a leading research university, the museum serves as a laboratory for interdisciplinary approaches."  We love its thought-provoking special exhibitions, as well as its commissioned works, such as "Shadow and Light," shown below.   

Shadow and Light, by Odili Donald Odita, Nasher Museum, Durham, NC.

And, while not a 'destination' per se, we are immensely thankful for the Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild (CMMAG):  If not for the Guild, we wouldn't have met!  Founded in 2002 by mixed media artist Jeanne Rhea, the CMMAG mission is to:  advance the education of mixed media arts via meetings, workshops and exhibitions; encourage personal and professional development of member artists; explore techniques in a wide variety of media; develop opportunities for member artists to show their work to the public; and promote mixed media work to galleries, museums and the public.  We have both served as Guild President, and credit working on Guild programs and special projects as the catalyst for the idea of Your Creative Connection. 

CanvaSynergy II by twenty five members of CMMAG, 2016

If you're a mixed media artist interested in joining us for our Haw River, NC Retreat in October of 2018, sign up for our Newsletter, so you'll be the first to know the details, including getting first crack at registration when it opens later this month.  We'd love to have you join us for what promises to be a wonder-filled artful experience!  

Wishing you a creative day,

~Michelle