Friday, March 13, 2015

Art: Baby Steps, Fearless Play

TGIF!!!

Happy Friday :)
weekend!  weekend!  weekend!  

Photos!  Books!  Prints!  In the works!

Last night was quite fun - I've been creating like mad lately and have made more art in the past month than I have in quite a few years actually!  So since I have my Mixed Media Gallery as well as my Inchies Gallery and Still Life Gallery on my website www.amyoes.com, I decided it was about time to do another round of photographs...

I had so much to photograph that it took almost three hours to get everything done - and the photographer was amazing and worked very fast - I was scared I'd intimidate him with nearly 80 painting to photograph!  Plus some pottery I've created and mixed media stuffed animals I've done.
so...much...art...
So stay tuned, folks, there's going to be a great new addition to amyoes.com with some spankin' new artwork - can't wait!
The photographer was excellent...and very patient!!!
I also have plans to put together another book of my prints - I've gotten many requests for a book of inspiration full of prints of my work with inspiring quotes and poetry I've written - this will be soon - as soon as I can put it together!
Still can't figure out where to store all these canvases!

In The Studio...

I didn't finish anything today - but lots of middles and beginnings - which counts too!  (Process, it's the process..)  First I started to paint over the textured spackle paint I had bought at Lowe's.
It dried very hard and textured, which was awesome to paint over!
 So overnight, the paint turned into a sandy like rigid canvas, filled with delicious textured lines and curves - fun!

 This is what I've painted on them:
I am going to leave these alone for now because honestly, I don't know what to do with them.  If I do too much it will be headache-inducing just because there's so much going on with the teture already - something very minimal - which I'm not good at - I'll figure it out another time :)

Then...

I just love doing these textured coloring pages - check these out!

A light wash of gesso paint and water over a magazine ad that I liked...

My, what a little paint can do!  And sprays, watercolor pencils, crayons, pastels, drippy stuff, smudging, wiping it with my sleeve, you know, the works :)
 These are addictive because they can be so mindless and fun, so here's another one I did this morning:
Gesso to start...

Cool, right?  Added some glitter, powder, and believe it or not -  NUTMEG - it's a little trick I've used for years :)
 These will be so great to blend into backgrounds.  I've done quite a few this past week actually:

I think I've done all three in a week - I'm on a roll!

So I can't wait to see what I do with these two.  Plus I have this one I still don't know what to do with yet:

These are the painted pages in their "humble beginnings"
Wow, what a little paint and playing around can do!  Never be afraid to get messy - you never know what can come from it!!!

Including this!!!

Baby Steps...

I haven't included one of the poems I've written in a while, so I'd like to share "Baby Steps" - baby steps in the studio today for sure - I always have to tell myself that it's "okay" to not have an entire painting completed every day, and each session, I am taking more and more time to work on little nuances rather than just aim to get the "whole thing done" which is very good for me!  And baby steps in life, of course - because lord knows it's taken me a very long time to get to where I am now! 
:(

 I often think back to how little hope I had when I first awoke from my coma and didn't understand why I couldn't even stand up without my feet violently shaking.  I just didn't feel like a real person and I wondered if I'd ever be able to at least walk again.  And that literally took baby-steps - but even before that took baby-sitting-up-in-bed's, and baby-placing a foot on the floor...the actual "baby-steps" didn't come for months.  But one day, I started to limp, then hobble, and then soon enough  .  I was the five-walks-a-day patient with her trademark yellow Ugg boots, who the ICU nurses could never pin down - "Where did Amy go this time???"

(I'll save the story about how my parents snuck me out of the ICU in my hospital gown to go shopping for another post...)

Anyway, here's my poem!

Baby Steps
By Amy Oestreicher
An old "baby-step" of coloring in a magazine ad...
Ask baby-steps of yourself
Pray just one word at a time
Show kindness to someone else
Take the first mount of this climb
Slowly but surely embark
On your journey’s winding trail
Bravely step out of the dark
Soak in light with each inhale

Crutches we leaned on before
Don’t have much use here and now
When you can’t deal anymore
Calmly take a loyal vow
That you won’t resort to using
Quick-fix coping habits and vices
Long-term ease is what you’re losing
Such rash actions have their prices

Be the voice who redirects
Your own actions when you struggle
Be the anchor that connects
Thoughts and feelings tough to juggle
Body language says a lot
Walk with pride and fierce intention
Use the coping skills you’ve got
Pay yourself some warm attention

What is the next baby-step
Of this bold discovery-dance?
What skills do you need to prep?
What risks do you need to chance?
Stars could fall out of the skies
Winds could sweep the world away
So don’t waste time on “what if’s” or “why’s”
Focus on what you can do TODAY.

Chase your dreams to the earth’s ends
But don’t dwell on the destination
Presence and patience are your friends
This very moment’s your creation
As long as you choose to plant your feet
Down into where you are NOW,
The prize of life will taste so sweet
And doors will open up somehow

Who knows what happens tomorrow
NOW you’ve got breath and vitality
Micro-movements keep the sorrow
In a realm of thoughts, not reality
Anguish comes from thinking of
What could happen here or then
When, the truth is, now’s enough
It all will work out in the end.

Will you remember this when life
Throws a curve-ball and you hide?
Know that with the fearful strife
You’ve got a sea of strength inside
Baby-steps, baby-steps, one by one
Steadily trailing over hills
Though meadows, towards the sun
You’ve got such a life to fill

Baby-steps, baby-steps, best foot forward
Follow up on your ambition
In the NOW, you’ll never be bored
As you bring dreams to fruition
Treat this path like a scavenger hunt
Playfully gathering each clue
Face the fears you must confront
Let them melt to reveal YOU.

Thanks and have a great day!

I continue to be so honored, inspired and touched by all of your feedback.  On my website, my blog, my story, how I've helped you - I can't even begin to tell you.  And I am so proud of myself, grateful and overjoyed that I took the plunge of posting about my ostomy in my Buzzfeed article - the support I've been getting is so overwhelming - it's just so beautiful, so thank you all so much, and keep sharing it, let's spread the message about how awesome ostomies are!!!
:)
Oh okay, one random thing before I go...or four.

These are beautiful:

These I really really really want:

These you can make tonight - and you should!

These you probably won't be able to make yourself (or maybe?) but it's awesome eye candy:

So have a wonderful day, enjoy Friday, and ask yourself:

What baby-steps can you take today?

15 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  2. These are great I'm not artistic at all.

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  3. You are VERY talented. LOVE IT!

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  4. Loving the art. You're very talented and I love how you've shown it all off.

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  5. I'm bookmarking this to show my daughter. She enjoys art and is always looking for something new to try. Great job! Thanks for sharing :)

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  6. Your artwork is so unique! Very nice!!

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  7. You have a lot of talent. I really like your poem too!

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  8. Your work is very inspirational! Thank you for sharing!

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  9. I just love your art work. Thank you for sharing that poem too.

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  10. So unique. You do such a good job!! Thank you for sharing.

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  11. Yes, middles and beginnings count, too! That's where I am with blogging right now.

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  12. Yes, middles and beginnings count, too! That's where I am with blogging right now.

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  13. Congrats on getting everything photographed. That must feel like a weight off your shoulders.

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  14. Love the art it's so inspiring! :)

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