I’ve been thinking about friendship, diversity and community, and one morning jotted this visual idea in my notebook. (Do you do morning pages, too?) It’s three friends – based loosely and composite-ly on people I know – which later got a background of the pretty Willunga hills.
You can see by the pencil writing at left, I was toying with the ideas and words of Luka & light, Pax & peace, Joy (joy), freedom & happiness. I percolated on these ideas and ideals, while I made the lino artwork. First I drew upon and carved the lino – you can see the plan for the friends’ hair has been reversed – then made the print of the lines I wanted:
Then it was time to paint. Usually I look at the skin on my own hand, and think “I want to be global and inclusive but I can only tell my own story, right?” (There’s recently been a concept of cultural misappropriation flying around too. I don’t even know how that fits in.)
A Facebook friend made a perfectly timed request of her artist followers to ‘… represent folk of different coloured skins’! The newly requested option for a full spectrum of skin colours felt liberating, and the range of human browns has happily opened a whole new world of vibrant colours that are fantastic alongside them!
This also lets me express, even if simply, my global village view that we can all live cooperatively and peacefully on our dear little earth ship, that we’re all equal and valuable and part of the story. (And all needed to together cease hate and destruction.)
Although this final lino print is of course more developed than the initial basic sketch, it has none-the-less got the original spirit. That makes me happy.
I’m enjoying stepping onto a more inclusive, diverse path, in this picture and others in my recent Happy To Be Here Exhibition. In due course, I’ll put up posts for “Speak With Love” and “Cuss Like Sailors, Hug Like Angels” and you’ll see how they all weave together. Todays post is the first in the series.
When have you made a quick note to yourself and it’s helped to remember an idea or insight? And when has a note or squiggle turned out to be indecipherable later, and you’ve no idea what you’d intended? I’ll bet that’s happened to us all, too!
Talk soon,
Love Meg x o
PS Click this if you’d like to check out my Bold Souls Pinterest board to see some of the people who inspire me.
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Such good information, thank you, Kate! <3 Looks like it’s on YouTube so I’ll have a look! M x o
Enchanted April is a marvelous book….
but I thought it was even better as a film…..
the process of blending musical score, quality acting and marvelous camera work and editing brought out every bit of magick in the story, where the book, maybe let me feel more of the sadness that underlay the changes these people succeeded in making for themselves.
Speak with love, and if you must carry a stick (in my case, a Hickory walking stick)….Manifest someday planting it in the ground and seeing it bloom with flowers.
The ending of Enchanted April enchanted me more than the rest of the film (or the book)…..and that was difficult for the author/filmmaker to accomplish, because the entirety was a thing of joy and compassion.
Or, I could say ” Speak with love, and walk with stars in your eyes!
Blessed be
Woman of Colors
I love the idea of your walking stick being planted and blooming with flowers!
I’ll check out “Enchanted April”. Thanks for your love lovely remarks. M x o
Enchanted April is a marvelous book….
but I thought it was even better as a film…..
the process of blending musical score, quality acting and marvelous camera work and editing brought out every bit of magick in the story, where the book, maybe let me feel more of the sadness that underlay the changes these people succeeded in making for themselves.
Pingback: Work in Progress: Speak With Love - Tangerine Meg