Warrior Girl- Rowena Murillo

Flying Girl Searches for New Lands, or Voyage
Golden Acrylics

I think I am getting bolder in my FG decisions. Perhaps, she is too. This sea voyage could go anywhere, and it's harder to see that horizon from down at sea level, as opposed to up in the air. Plus, you never know what is going on underneath you... is it the coral reefs? sharks? treasure ship? a school of fish? Atlantis? It makes one a little woozy to think of the world going on under the surface. And this is a long distance journey, me thinks... not just a short hop to freedom or wisdom.

I like the touch of realism added to the abstraction. The sea came out much better than I expected. Sometimes you just have to trust the process and the brush and the eye and keep going until the scattered paint marks start to coalesce into sense. So did the clouds, although I could work on them a little. Also, the horizon... I had just meant to blur sky and sea together, but what ended up on the page was a hazy coastline. I think it looks good, adds more meaning to the symbolism, and connects nicely to the last FG, almost as if they are two frames of a graphic novel. Hmm. Interesting.

You see, this is the first time I really linked the two paintings together on purpose. I wanted to see where FG would go when she finished her rest and stepped off of the bank, into the waiting boat. And thus a new painting was born. I used the same process with FG and the Girls' Night Out. (Just a reminder, if you want to have a Bloggy Halloween party, go to A Fanciful Twist and sign up. Or just wander her links on the day of to witness others getting in the Halloween Spirit. I myself am planning upcycled crafts and kid treats, plus another Halloween FG.)

Life is an interesting journey, even when you can not see how your separate trippings come together to make a longer voyage. How does post partum depression connect to not only regaining my creativity, but gaining a deeper creativity? How does being isolated in a new state without friends relate to opportunities opening up from everywhere? How does financial struggle create internal peace?

Step by step, I guess. Baby steps. Small attentions. Obsessive lists. Personal kindnesses. Petty frustrations. Deeper understanding. Everyday joys. Tight constraints. Simple faith.

As part of this, I think, this small paying attention, this opening to inspiration, I allowed myself to be inspired by Danny Gregory (as I said yesterday) but I went in a completely different direction than I planned. Every Day Matters, here. (Ooooh. Pens. I love pens.)
Snack, 10/5/08 Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens, Prismacolor Watercolor Pencils.

I was sitting at my computer, wondering what I should draw, thinking about the photo thing that I had talked about and feeling uninspired. Then my eye spied my snack on the tv tray next to me, and an inspiration was born.

Even thought I had an awesome photo, I didn't want to draw it.


This, by the way is my great, great, (great?) grandmother, on the bottom left. Madeline Bancer was her name. Wasn't she pretty? I wonder what she was like? Was she a suffragette? Sweet? Mean? I wonder if there are any family legends about her.

I still may draw this later, or do something with it. I just think it's a cool picture, even though it didn't inspire me. I guess it just wasn't going in the direction I was going. And that's something to honor. We shouldn't feel forced to take on a challenge that doesn't help us reach our goals. Like Inspire Me Thursday this week, whose prompt is Cereal Box. I might make something crafty with a cereal box, like an inspiration file, but it's not going into Flying Girl. And that's okay.

How are you doing with your daily choices? Are you letting your dreams guide them? Or are you fighting your instincts to do what you think you are "supposed" to do?