My absolute fascination
with nature began early in my life and has run all through it. I remember
watching bugs and ants and looking at leaves very closely as a child. I
remember hiding behind bushes in the front of our house so I could be alone to
feel nature more. I remember getting down in the grass and imagining I was a
bug crawling up a blade of grass.
Upon meeting Debbie, my
vision of nature was magnified even more. In my experience in taking walks with
Debbie, I discovered she, too, was marveling at the designs and colors found in
nature. We would not have to walk very far before we found something that
caught our interests. The kinship we had for appreciating the artistic value of
nature was amplified.
We had an irresistible
urge to use nature, as findings, to create imaginary furnishings so that our
daydreams and visions could come into fruition. I believe we needed to step out
of the solemnities of our present world into the peacefulness of a make-believe
world. I believe this kind of creativity can have merit as art therapy. I
believe we are all creative. I have found that holding nature in my hands and
using it as a medium is satisfying and rewarding in itself. Grasses compliment
woods, woods compliment flowers and lines and forms compliment colors and
shades in endless variety.
I try to frame nature
into a more magnified view. It is like seeing the stars over the ocean on a
clear night. They seem so close that you can almost touch them. When you look
at where you are on a map, you realize that you are but a speck on a big
planet. Yet, when you create art by the work of your hands, using nature and
seeing it “up close”, the world doesn’t seem so big and ominous. It looks
intriguing……like the stars.
I began to see each
piece of nature as possessing spirit and voice. I could hear the branches
telling me of their delight in being chosen to represent their original plant
form as delegates in the chorus I was creating. The flowers knew that what I was
making was going to bring them attention and appreciation. The pods felt they
were being eternalized with other delegates into a memorial to nature as art.
All of the seeds, the
leaves and the rest of the natural materials were telling me they would now be
recognized for their artistic value. When my final selection had been made,
organized and arranged, they could take their assigned places and sing and
shine in harmony.
Now, deservedly, all of
these beautiful gifts from nature have finally made their way into galleries
and museums as art. The original artist may be appreciated and thought of with
more depth and closeness. I feel that I am only the collector and arranger of
these pieces under the inspiration of their real creator.
Hence, I know that each one of
us have God-given talents; it is evident to me when I am working on my art, I
can feel that knowledge. I always have the audience in mind when I begin
creating; soon though, I forget myself and get deep into the work. I will keep
creating for the joy and happiness of those around me.
I
love making extraordinary paintings, toys and sculptures. I love classical,
abstract and folk art that is actually fine art. I love the whimsical, the
mysterious, the colorful and the sublime. I love art that is emotional,
intuitive and heartwarming. I love art that makes a new room in the heart. I
like the surprise that life is to me when I sit down to create something new
that has never been made before.
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