Thursday, December 6, 2012

My Wild, Passionate Nature is Leaking Again


I've spent many years living a pastel life. My house was mint-chip green and every interior room was decorated in soothing shades of muted colors. The art I aspired to create was romantic, dreamy, and---well---pastel. I liked watercolors of lilacs and bunnies and gardens and tulips. Wicker chairs, vintage china, and lace curtains in the windows.

But when I actually painted, something very awkward happened. I would sit down to bring my pastel vision to life and out would pour forth vibrant colors of reds, blues, yellows, and every other primary color. No matter how hard I tried, I could not make pastel art. My artistic career was hit and miss anyway, since I would get to paint a picture every 5 years or so, but eventually I began to suspect that I might have a colorful nature somewhere buried deep inside.

Ancient artwork...



As I've aged, and hopefully matured, I've come to accept---and even embrace---the bright colors of my soul. That's why in my new home, there are almost no pastels. Almost every room incorporates red in some way. And that's why I'm seriously contemplating painting the exterior of my house bright blue next summer. If I can't keep my inner colors down, why not join 'em?

Maybe I'll eventually stop trying to make delicate art, either, but for now, I keep trying. Last week I wanted to make a little felt owl kitty toy. Something cute and colorful. I didn't have a clear design in mind---more like a mental tickle---but I knew I'd recognize it when I saw it. So I made the owl.

I'll show you a picture of it in a minute, but first let me show you another picture. In my ego's defense, I did not see these owls until after finishing my own creation. I wasn't trying to copy them because I hadn't seen them yet, OK!? But as soon as I saw them, I realized that these owls were what my mind wanted me to create.

Needle felting Owl kit

Aren't they cute?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/96418998/needle-felting-owl-kit

But this is what sprung out of my own tortured artistic mists...


I call him "Attitude Owl".

I wonder what this says about my subconscious?

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