A WONDERFUL LIFE EXHIBITION

Firstly, I'd just like to send out a huge thanks to everyone who's supported the exhibition, I'm so grateful....particularly to the two lovely ladies below, Annie and Robyn, who participated heart and soul....extending aloha to you girls, and to you all......i hope that you can find time to really have a look at these wonderful artworks and descriptions, they are treasures from souls who were so ready and willing and open to share some deep part of themselves with me/us virtual strangers, and somehow this brings us deeper and closer.....it helps me to realise, that we are never alone.....to go gently and to be loving and kind.....to everyone under heaven :) for we never know the circumstances that surround the people the pass us by....and a smile can draw a smile....and bring a moment of grace and peace/hope and joy....to be bearers of these things in this life, is a really special thing......it costs nothing....it's absolutely free...and it's a gift that gives back to the bearer.....please enjoy the girls responses and entries to "A Wonderful Life Exhibition" below:

Finally folks, it's time to reveal the wonderful entries received for "A Wonderful Life Exhibition" from Annie and Robyn of Redbubble....these two artists immersed themselves in the idea of representing their lives through a drawn garment, and to them I'm exceedingly grateful and so happy to honour their works here today on my blog. For them and for myself, it was a personal journey....although we have positives and negatives in our lives, if we are able to draw out the positives that come from negatives, we have a great win/win.....this is what we were attempting to do...I hope you enjoy reading the girls description of their entries as much as viewing their delightful works of art... you can also find both artists on redbubble at the addresses below:
Annie is here and Robyn is here

'MY LIFE A CLOAK' by Annie (Annie chose a cloak, as the 'garment' to represent her life)



(click on images for larger view)









































...and here is Annies description/writing regarding her work:

"a little about me and the cloak"

i am a grannie
that is the best most exciting thing ever
to be a gran and especially when a four year old states to the lady at the shop counter ..loud and clear for all to hear...THIS IS MY GRANNIE
i am a widow
i could well be deacribed as the merry widow
i am a daughter
i still have my fantastic mum
i am a mother
and very proud of my offspring
i am still undecided what to be when i grow up

the decision to join karins challenge was made as i readit ...i admire her work and pop in to see what is new...
that night i had a dream very simply that i would draw a cloak as that is what my life is like... it wraps around me keeping me warm and safe.

next day unusually i recalled the dream; i collected paper amd a graphite stick. as i made my simple shape i found there were words that needed putting on the paper
when i finished i immediatly began again... this time lesswords ...some the same

on looking carefully the first was private but the second held a message

i givi it now to you with love and blessings
annie
.....
thank you so much Annie for your beautiful contribution, it touched my heart....I love love love that you had a dream and from this dream your work evolved.....just like the creation unfolding....and so often, as you point out....a dream will offer more than one message....some for the viewer, some for the dreamer who dreamt the dream...beautiful, powerful, life building image and words....
.....

and now for the 2nd entry, which was submitted by Robyn Bradshaw titled "Veiled" - Robyn chose a veil as the 'garment' to represent her life - you can purchase prints and cards of "Veiled" JUST CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

"VEILED" by Robyn Bradshaw
(click on image to view larger)





















Robyn's poem and description of her entry "Veiled"

Black velvet ribbon, the threads that hold memories of sorrow, suicide
Softly in acceptance, sink gratefully into the velvet of sleep
Let rest renew body and soul
Tomorrow turn your face to the sun
Open your heart, breathe in life
Recapture the innocence of the child inside.



Drawing though long denied to me in a less than ideal 23 year marriage, is one of the joys of leaving & oh how I have ached for my childhood therapy.
The suicide of a parent 3 years ago was part of the catalyst of physical exhaustion in leaving to regain my health. Art has had a significant role in coming back from chronic fatigue.
The death of 2 siblings when I was young myself had left a scar as well.
It is hard to tell if the depression I have experienced is genetic or circumstantial, I would guess a combination of both.
I have come into a place of hope & healing. Art has become joyful therapy. A gift from the heart of the Creator.

My picture evolved & I enjoyed just going with where it took me.
It took me to a feeling of regaining trust, innocence, youth on the threshold of life, starting again.
The veil was symbolic of protecting against negative thoughts & focusing on beauty, love & hope while hiding the face and heart from the world for a time.
The velvet is the softness that does come in the eventual acceptance of tragedies, of leaving the endless questioning behind.
The 2 flowers are for my brother and sister who passed away at 5 months & almost 7 years old.
The pearls on the ribbon are tears, the sequins below are the memories of these lives that sparkled for such a short season.
The glass beads, gems & crystals symbolise the fragility, strength, beauty, & multifaceted complexity of our lives. The gems that are created under much pressure, when cut & crafted leave us with empathy, strength & hope for others.

........
thnks so much Robyn for putting your heart and soul into this work, I was so moved by it...i loved the symbolism and felt it was a beautiful tribute to a beautiful life, sorrows and sadness, grief and pain....but the flowers still blossom and the warmth of the sun still caresses one's face, a reminder that life is perennial as the flowers that return to bloom each year, that although there are seasons of sorrow, we remain optimistic about life....