tattoo

i am contemplating a tattoo...what do we think. it would be subtle, simple, and strategically placed...

any suggestions?

tattocredit:{betsydunlap}

the only thing i know

i dedicated myself earlier this year to exploring the concept of bravery. i have been thinking a lot about what it means to live thoughtfully, yet tenaciously and what it means to take the small and sometimes invisible steps towards a life lived boldly. yesterday marked the birthday of frida kahlo: mexican painter, cultural icon, and personal inspiration to yours truly.

i know that it is cliche to carry around frida paraphernalia. frida kahlo is to young female aspiring artisans and hipsters what hillary clinton has been to a generation of politicas. it is a cliche that i'm willing to embrace because for as long as i've loved art, i've loved frida kahlo.

i am drawn to her use of color and symbolism, but primarily i am fascinated by her obsession with the self. it is bold to make any piece of art. it takes a certain gumption and abandon to perceive, feel, and then respond through creation. however, i find that it is even more brave to recreate images of the self. frida's long term partner diego's revolution was on the streets; frida's revolution existed within her soul and body. it is brave to struggle and to look deeply within yourself and then even more flagrant to then share the raw internal truth with the world.

i do not love frida because she is a superior painter to others of her generation. i do not love her because she suffered and indeed i wish that her life had been full of sweetness. i love her because she was brave. i love her because she took what was graceful and what was awkward; she took what was broken and divine to reflect and transform herself.

frida said, "I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration."

happy birthday frida. thank you for living boldly in your own reality...

it's a beautiful thing.

images:{fridakahlo}

i spy...

something so endearing. this artist, sophie blackall, illustrates the missed connection adds in the nyc craigslist. what a fun idea...

have you had any notable missed connections recently?

a needle and a thread, a bushel and a peck

i love watching people who are skilled in the arts of sewing and embroidery. they have dexterous and magical hands. recently i have been learning how to do detail work on wedding dresses. i'm quite new to this craft and my fingers are slowly learning how to speak to the fabric. i can't wait until i can stitch while carrying on a conversation. for now though it is my hands' solitary and meditative practice.

i have been working on some detailing for a woman. she wishes to replicate the style that one of her dear friends used on her wedding dress. just a little something fun for you before bedtime...

good night weekend, good night moon, hello pillow,
becca ann

flagrant color

this week i bundled up and visited the denver museum of art to see its most recent and temporary exhibit "embrace" . the museum asked 17 artists to make instillations throughout the museum in response to the building's shape and feel. it is a fascinating exhibit and i enjoyed moseying around the museum happening upon the various installations.

one of the pieces was done directly on one of the large slanting walls using spray paint. i turned the corner to find myself enveloped in a sea of greens, blues, and purples punctuated by splashes of reds and yellows. it was truly a flagrant and massive display of color.

perhaps it is because i was raised in the inner-city where graffiti was the most common form of art, but i have to confess that i love the idea of using walls or found objects as canvases. when graffiti is done well it is as if the wall it is painted on is crying out the song of the community in which it resides. admittedly graffiti can be done very poorly and be used as an act of intimidation, but often it is a true and striking expression of a person, a group, a place, a time...

this piece in embrace is not per se graffiti, but it evoked the same emotions. the colors and the way they dance together in the style that only spray paint can create took me to a place of wonder.

do you ever feel this way about a piece of art?
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