The Long and Winding Road

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My digital artwork on display above the librar4y stacks.

Sometimes you just don't know when the circumstances of your life will take a turn and lead you in an unexpected direction. A nephew of mine who works for the public library notified me of a storytelling workshop being held at his branch. I agreed to participate in an attempt to get my father, someone who has been writing stories most of his life, to come along. Well, Dad didn't come and I went on my own. At last week's meeting, the staff member who coordinated the storytelling workshop announced the library's first art show and sale taking place this weekend. When I expressed interest in participating but said there was not enough time for me to prepare anything, I was asked if I had any completed work that I could exhibit. Well, heck yeah I've got completed work...lots of it. And so it was that I literally grabbed any work I could lay my hands on and decided what to display at the library.

The display cabinet containing my custom cards.

Remember I said this was a show and sale. There was no way I had the time to set up in the morning, break down at night, repeat the process the following day while manning a vendor table for six hours. That's when I was told that there was a lockable showcase available where I could set up a display for viewing. Okay, I thought, this is a sign that I'm supposed to be here and now it's up to me to take advantage of the opportunity. I set up a quick and dirty display of my cards and ATCs in the showcase and was also granted wall space to exhibit some of my framed digital graphics work.

The display case from another angle.

It is a two day show so I expected to have to pick up my goods sometime on Saturday to clear our the space. Again Providence intervened and I was told that I could leave my cards and digital art work on display until the end of June if I so desired. Wow. Can't get any easier than that. Set up the display and just let it stay for six weeks. But it gets even better. The library staff person coordinating the show asked about one of my cards and I explained it was from a project I created for the senior center for which I used to volunteer. When she heard that, she wondered if such a class could be offered at the library and told me to think about it.

So the workshop I had hoped to get my father interested put me in a place that offered me the opportunity to show my work and possibly start a class in card making. Not too shabby. Now let's see if the exposure leads to anything. Hey, ya never know.

Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

An Incredible Mail Day

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In March, I wrote about several art competitions that I was entering and how busy I was preparing for them (click here to read that post). What I didn't tell you was what eventually happened. My submission didn't make it in the FEGS art competition so that was one out of three contests out of the way. The entries I submitted to the contest sponsored by the rubber stamp company (Blockhead Stamps) were a hit and I won a prize. That's two out of three contests out of the way. The competition sponsored by my husband's local union...to tell the truth, after the exhibit was over and I picked up my entries, I put the whole thing out of my mind. I never heard from anyone regarding the winners of the contest so I assumed I didn't win and promptly forgot about it. Three out of three contests out of the way. Well...not quite.

I received a large envelope from the division of the union that runs the art show a few days ago. My husband assumed it was a certificate of appreciation for participating in the show so that is what I had in mind when I opened it. Was I ever surprised to find a letter congratulating me for winning first prize in the digital art category! A certificate and a blue ribbon accompanied the letter. As if that wasn't good enough, there was another letter congratulating me on winning a prize. And another letter. And yet another letter. That's right. Out of six entries that I submitted to the art show, four of them won prizes: two first prizes and two second prizes. In fact, I took both first AND second prize in the digital art category. I was so flabbergasted I started shaking.

Such a bonanza was totally unthinkable. No, the prizes weren't the bonanza. (I never entered the contest for the prizes which were miniscule at best.) The bonanza was that this particular art show is big, with well over two hundred entries in a few dozen categories. My first time entering the contest I win four times!! How amazing is that? Here you can see all my winning entries from the past couple of months. The Inspire Daisy is the winner for the Blockhead Stamps contest and the other four are the winning entries for the Local 3 contest.

Unfortunately I have no time to rest on my laurels. I'm under a deadline crunch. I have yet to complete the paper flower arrangements for my daughter's high school graduation ceremony at the end of this month. I'll post more information and pictures about that project soon. Busy, busy.

Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

Artistic Gratification

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It's always a gratifying experience when one's work is appreciated and recognized by others. It is all the more gratifying when that acknowledgement comes from one's peers. In a posting this past December, I mentioned my renewed focus on creating digital art that centered around images of feminine power. Serif Inc., the company that developed the graphics software I use to create these images, sponsors a monthly contest for users of its products. I was just notified by the company that I was chosen the winner for February 2008. The winning piece, entitled "Radiant Energy" appears here. You can see a larger version on the Serif website here through the month of February 2008. It would seem I am finally tapping into my own feminine power. Onward and upwards.

Ballo ergo sum,
Always and all ways,
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

A Change of Pace...

The holidays are over and I greet this new year with renewed artistic energy. It seems every time I turn around, there is something else to inspire my inner diva.

For the last year and a half, I have embarked on a journey in search of inner calm and enlightenment. As I become more finely attuned to my spiritual center, I am becoming more in touch with my feminine power. As a result, my most recent creative endeavors have focused on creating a series of original digital art inspired by feminine power and energy. The image shown in my last entry, entitled "Priestess", is the first of this series. The others completed to date can be seen in my Photobucket in the "Other Creative Endeavors" sub-album. As other works are created, they will be added to the album. Use the link at the top of the left-hand column to get to my Photobucket.

I will eventually use these images to create a line of note cards and other items. Someone has expressed interest in using one of my images as a logo for a future woman's event. For now, they are images that bring me joy and great satisfaction in their creation.

I would love for you to look at the images and give me your comments. Feedback is always welcomed.

Namaste.

Ballo ergo sum,
Always and All Ways,
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

Energetic Renewal

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We artists view the world through eyes that see beauty in the mundane. Anything can set off an intuitive spark that becomes a source of artistic inspiration. So it was with "Priestess", my latest work of digital art. The large circular motif and the lotus blossom were design elements in, of all things, some rubber stamped images I saw in an online catalog. They became the foundation of this piece.

"Priestess" is a composite of elements found in many ancient belief systems; the sun, the lotus, the circle. The deep blue field represents both sky (air) and water. The woman, kneeling in an impassioned pose, appears to be both drawing energy and radiating it. The large central motif, composed of discs of various sizes, can be interpreted in various ways; as the circle of life, the symbol of Mother Earth, the woman herself and the shrine at which she prays.

For me, she represents an energetic rebirth. As this year comes to a close, I take it as a sign of an exciting and energized new year ahead.

Ballo ergo sum,
Always and all ways,
- Gitana, the Creative Diva