LOVE YOUR SELF

This is the title of my newest painting in acrylic and mixed media. It is my 5" X 5" art piece in response to Seth's call for art.

As you can see I've started to crochet a border around the outside edge which will be the 'soft' frame. I've combined art with craft and view it as a sort of art/craft matrix in that within the art there is craft and within the craft there is art. I cut a chunk of painted canvas from one found in the dumpster and so I'm using the exact original painting for the background. I'm painting right over top of it for the owl which is my own contribution to the canvas. In this way I see it as a recycled piece, as well as a 'crafty' piece. I designed a chest piece which is meant to be literally untied by the viewer. In order to see what lies hidden within the chest of the bird you have to actually work at it to get there. When you do you will see the words LOVE YOUR SELF.

The words will be hidden behind the chest piece once it is in place.

The chest piece in position. This is an earlier shot. I've sinced done more painting on the piece.

Here is the art in its planning and very beginning stages. I've chosen the image I want to paint, and have installed the grommets so they align.

So what is this message LOVE YOUR SELF? It came as a sort of unravelling of my own self in my experience of viewing art for 31 days straight which Seth thoughtfully provided for us all. Every day my heart strings were being tugged at and I felt love for what I saw on screen. I felt love for all of the pieces that I saw and all of the artists that I met and I became in love with my own art as I was inspired to do it, and love for all of my own art that I have struggled to make in the past and then that love grew into a love of me and so the words came to me one night...make art, love art, love your self, love the universe. Simple. So I began to think of a chest with the words inside of what is felt (the heart area) and of an unravelling of that message and the heart strings being pulled and so that others would pull the strings to untie them to see what is there. The string theme grew as I worked on the piece so that in the end I decided to do a soft frame of thread (crocheted). So that is my response to the call for art and I hope I get it done before the deadline! I have some crocheting to do!! Glad you popped in and we'll see you soon, I hope, *smiles* Norma