Two Flying Girls and A Warrior Girl in Space

Flying Girl in a Strange Land, or "Hey there what ya doin'?"
10/25/08
Golden Acrylic

I have no idea what this means. None. I know I'd been seeing circles and polka dots all day.. from the ripening grapefruits on the tree in my garden, to many spreads in the new Domino magazine that I just got. Also inspired by chalkboards and chalk and graphic numbers/letters. So I know where it comes from but have no idea what is going on. Maybe nothing.Flying Girl Made of Stars, or Constellation
writing: I still believe we are the heavens. Stars in our hot little lives fires. Stories in the Sky.
10/25/08
Golden Fluid Acrylics.

This was leftover paint from the first painting. Too much, couldn't waste it. Had time after number 1 was done while watching SNL. So I kept going. This is based on an old poem I wrote back after 9/11. Oh gosh. Do I have to go find it now and post it?

Oh, all right. I found it. Here it is. I think this is a rougher poem than the one I shared a couple days ago. The ideas have always captured me, but I've never really felt I got it in the poem... not the way I wanted to.

I've Been Searching These Empty Skies

I finally found the constellations
in Manhattan. On the riverside
skyline. Lights burning in windows, burning in hot little lives, fires,
infections.
"goddamn it you bitch!"

connecting the dots between the myths in parchment thin skin
walking around on Broadway, telling the stories brighter.

Big Bear, the Hunter. The Lost Little Girl.

This is a black sky
colder still night
glowing cigarette tip chilled
by the open sky
lips on a fevered neck damped
out by air waves
riverbreeze the peace
between molecules between
wake and dream
one breath
and the next between
breath and breath
breath

and breath.

Stars fly from my mouth like
condensation.

I am not alone.

Fall 2001

Goodness. I am slightly in awe of the way what I am working on now has roots in this poem. I even have a character in my novel whose nick name is "The Hunter." And her real name means "Star Maiden." Oh, yeah. And the working title is "Mythos." Curious.

Brainstorming my nanowrimo novel. Only a week to go!

When you're brainless and confused and you don't know what to do... do a mindmap/spiderweb and figure out what really is in those twisting and turning corridors of your head. Then you can follow different threads of the web and come up with new ideas or note down things that need to be addressed, or go deeper with plot development.

Alien Flora
10/25/08 The Big Draw #25
Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens

Another way to get my head into the story. Drawing illustrations of some of the strange things I might find on my alien planet. Science Fiction is fun!

I wanted to not spend a lot of time blogging this weekend, but I'm finding I need my process.

I am watching the way I am gearing up for my novel. I can't start nanowrimo on November 1st all cold. It's like jumping into an icy pool. Over my head. Exhilarating, but shocking and possibly dangerous. I work my way up to it. Often in ways that are not visible. My brain starts casting out and about for bits and pieces to feed into my creativity. I struggle with not knowing what to do. I try old techniques that I have used in the past for my creative roadblocks.

Hopefully, when it is time to start going, I will be ready.

This is how I started doing my Flying Girl series, too. I talked about doing the 100 days of sacred art weeks before I really had anything to do. I thought about what it meant. Had discussions with people about it. Scanned blogs and the internet and magazines and life. Started a painting project with a "Hands" series that, really, when I think about it, just served as a warm-up. A dead end, but necessary. I was doing a prompt for Inspire Me Thursday when I think she came alive. And then, there I was in my 100 days.

My next challenge is actually to find a way to write my 50k words in November and still keep my painting going. Perhaps the real challenge is to find a working balance, so I don't burn out and stop writing in December, again. I wonder what it would be like to alternate a day of painting and a day of writing. Would that stave off the burnout?