Beauty in Bugs

August 2nd, 2013, Bodhi and I took a rather impromptu field trip to the Peggy Notebart Nature Museum in Lincoln Park. Not having been there in a while, I checked online first to make sure there would be things he'd enjoy. No doubt he'd have a blast, and when I saw a tidbit about this exhibit, I knew we had to spend some time there as well. 

B in front of one portion of Jennifer Angus' installation

Artist Statement...explains it better than I ever could.

Mesmerized doesn't really begin to capture my feelings when I saw this installation. I'm still trying to figure it out, but I was entranced, and couldn't stop looking, both from a distance and up close, taking picture after picture. If I ever encountered these creatures in their natural habitats, I'm quite sure I would freak out, to put it mildly. Transformed like this, they were magical.

 

These undulating ribbons of moths reminded me so much of delicate, Victorian lace winding its way up the walls.

When I got home, I searched online for more images of her work and came up with this small selection. The spaces she creates, the patterns, the mandala effects are all just beyond stunning. I look forward to stumbling upon more exhibits of this artist in the future. 

One of these days, I'll document my own work again; it's being created. But I guess part of my process is finding inspiration in all that surrounds me. I am so grateful to have had this experience today.

Recent Sightings

I shoot with my iphone constantly. It's often the only creative outlet I can fit into a day, and it feels really good. An old High School friend wrote on my Facebook wall the other day "Too see things thru your eyes...all must be beautiful!" I was so touched by those words. I DO love to look at my surroundings constantly; finding shapes and lines and colors and patterns...that brings me huge joy!  I've been doing a little bit of everything recently, and feeling like I'm completing nothing :-/ 

A bit of visual journaling here, some random embroidery there, fulfilling custom requests, doodling etc...

When I find myself feeling disjointed, it feels good to collect some beauty and delightful experiences all in one place. And here's today's random assortment: 

My munchkin about a month ago. A chilly day, but with just the right layers, a perfect day for the swings!
I like the edit on this...feels timeless.

An oldie but a goodie, circa summer 2005. Reflected self-portrait at the Garfield Park Conservatory, just West of  downtown Chicago. There were beautiful, robust, mosaic-filled sculptures everywhere by artist  Niki de Saint Phalle.

Mindless, meditative embroidery. Sitting in my art room / sun room the other day,  staring at all my "stuff," I grabbed a small embroidery hoop, linen scraps, and this weird, flexible woven mesh material I've had forever.  Layered them in the hoop and started making knots. 

This wall advertisement was hidden for decades until the adjacent building was demolished.  It's  in Andersonville, a  neighborhood just North of downtown Chicago. I don't know what the plans are for the open land, but for now, it's a nostalgic piece of history that I get to see on a regular basis. If something is built on the empty lot, I think the structure should have a wall of windows so as not to hide this beauty.

Oh, textures and layers and all that good stuff. This is a section of wall I occasionally  photograph; sometimes it holds weird artwork, images of creepy clowns or Jesus have been known to hang there. It's in the old Calo Theater in Andersonville. The space currently houses the Howard Brown / Brown Elephant resale shop. The interior was left untouched, so the huge vaulted ceilings, dilapidated walls and so many layers of history are always a treat to behold.

My babe's sweet toes in the Spring grass. That is all. *love*

Silo at the Farm in the Zoo, part of the Lincoln Park Zoo. (Hipstamatic)

Signage, origami, silhouettes and reflections. On my walk to work, this restaurant window has a growing collection of what I can only call origami star spheres...they're so great! Edited this via Instagram the other day, and am loving the layers, shapes and colors!

Today, being a gorgeous, hot in the sun and chilly in the shade day, we took a family walk for nearly two hours throughout the neighborhood. Just across from our block and parked in front of The Coffee Studio, was the most cheerful little camper I had ever seen! Painted orange with white zigzags, its insides where overflowing with vintage beauty in the form of dresses, tops, skirts, purses and accessories. I had heard of mobile shops, but this was my first time seeing one up close and personal. SO. Awesome!

Check out Lost Girls Vintage

And last, but not least, these GAH-mazing! pink magnolias beckoned me across the street and into teh cemetery. They just had to be photographed. Not much to say other than they were so freaking stunning!

Visual Journaling...it's been too long.

These past few days, I've been feeling depleted, and a little defeated...hard to pinpoint why. One thing I do know is that when I feel like this, it usually coincides with a lengthy absence from my studio and creative time. I was fortunate that my sweet baby slept an entire 3 hours this morning. After getting one load of laundry started, I settled in and created via my typical process, layers upon layers of things that catch my eye or just happen to be within arm's reach.  

As I wrote on my page, I did have a vision of a plan...something that would start centrally and work its way out, like a mandala. When I feel the way I felt, I just need to cathartically purge, throw all the pieces together and see what evolves. I did have a note from my dear friend, Elon, that I came upon recently. It used to hang in my creative space, bringing both inspiration and humor to the atmosphere.  She is an inspiring woman, who exudes calming energy and wisdom; her note seemed the proper starting place for this entry.

I've been nibbling on too much of the best chocolate ever! Theo Fair Trade Chocolates, www.theochocolate.com , out of Seattle. We stock it at the store...Danger! Danger!

Layers upon layers. When the page was first covered, it was colorful, as most of my pages are, but too pristine, too neat. It just didn't feel right, it needed more stuff, more scraps, more layers. I have a variety of boxes and containers where I accumulate said scraps. I opened one in particular and it all just spoke too me. And this is the result.

Interestingly enough, as I was just finishing this page, I offered up a thank you, gratitude that B slept soundly for 3 hours. Just as I was attaching a mini thank you note, acknowledging that  perhaps a soothing energy surrounded B, the same energy that knew how vital it was for me to work in my journal today. I lifted my hand from the page, smile on my face, and, right on cue, B woke up. I need to get in that creative mode more often.