THe Creative Self

The Family Tree

carolg1849 — Wed, 02 May 2012 21:52:13 +0000

The Creative Journey continues

deep in the woods

carolg1849 — Tue, 01 May 2012 21:40:34 +0000

another colourful journey

inspired by trees

carolg1849 — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 18:18:06 +0000

drawing, painting, walking, reading, my spare time is taken up with these things. My days are spend creating interiors, all good stuff, but its not freedom, a lot of constraints. Drawing allows me to express what I sense and just lately its something about the spirit and energy that abounds when I walk in the woods.

My studio has been littered with ideas, written descriptions, and little sketches. my first sketch I would like to capture as a tiny miniature with raised gilding and jewel like colours like a medieval illumination. then through a series of sketches I came up with another tree spirit this time in oils and much biger. Its not finished yet and I am sure will go through many transformative colour changes. But here is where I am for now…………..

hooray its the weekend !!

carolg1849 — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:37:31 +0000

Oh my its been busy………….. thank goodness its the weekend, meditation and painting, what more could I ask for !!

just love these colours, so inspiring, work of the wild beasts, the fauvists

space for a goddess

carolg1849 — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 08:44:33 +0000

my its been a busy full on time lately…….. always so much to do, constant pressure to meet deadlines.

However yesterday I took myself of to the National Portrait Gallery to see all the amazing paintings of Lucian Freud. All in my eyes were stunning, the huge overscale sized painting of Liegh Bowery was stunning, but nothing could prepare me for the view as I walked into the last gallery, the tall black doors standing sentinel, to the huge goddess like figure depicted on the wall. The room was almost like a shrine to the mother goddess, her voluptuous folds of flesh, so generous, full and wondrous, her abundance flowing in all directions, she just left me in awe of her beauty…………….

marathon in many ways

carolg1849 — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 12:00:04 +0000

camera out of juice and so is my i-phone. But I am sitting in this chair looking out the same window watching and clapping the many sweaty , gasping bodies on the road below, running the T Wells Half Marathon. Good for them, but by the sounds of the grunting and groaning it doesnt sound like something that is pleasurable or enjoyable. Apart from the feelings of joy when you actually step over the finish line. I remember many years back standing along Birdcage walk waiting for the arrival of my daughter, and remember feeling she looked so happy, carefeee and light……………. My thoughts back then, were “one day” I would do it, however, over 20 years later and I still havent done it or even had the feelings of being able to.

the years have passed like a “life” marathon, enduring and coping with the highs and lows life throws at us. I could never have guessed what lay ahead of me all those years back, and of course it makes me wonder what is in store for me. I know that the next 20 months are going to be so full in many creative ways , an abundance of good things that feels so enriching. my creativity has taken me on a journey that has been scary, terrifying even, but through this marathon of lifes trials I have grown and stretched myself to cope with the new horizons ahead, Just like the runners passing me at this moment, the sense of achievement when one surpasses the pain barrier is immense.

magical images

carolg1849 — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:49:56 +0000

Its always nice to share others creative journeys……….. Yao a dear friend has just put together a website for his wonderful photography. An Artist who “paints” with his lens, instead of a set of brushes. take a peek http://www.yao-photography.co.uk/

Stillness prevails in the snow

carolg1849 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:28:31 +0000

Its been awhile since I posted, well on here anyhow, keeping three blogs going is like a chinese acrobat balancing the saucers on poles !!.

However today the snow bought with it an unexpected surprise, space, time to watch the stillness out of the window, that kind of dead sound that only snow can produce that seems to permeate everything and bring it to a standstill. I love it and found time to phone a dear friend who I havent spoken to in along while.

Its been a strange week, everyday very full, putting a presentation together, meeting suppliers, finalising designs to place on order, getting organised for my buying trip to Amsterdam tomorrow. The icing on this proverbial gateaux is full and thick but the cherry on the top just had to be when I pulled my left shoe from my bag and left the huge cumbersome boot and crutches behind me.

Sitting here this afternoon sipping my Paul D’arco tea, the taste of which I have now become accustomed to, I read about a tea atelier in New York called Bellocq. So I looked it up………. such wonderful names and blends take a look here http://www.bellocq.com/

and I thought the invisible mother was bad enough

carolg1849 — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:04:07 +0000

To think I was a teenager in this era, what messages did I receive into my uncouncious mind? Actually my mother was a great role model for me, she would not be subordinate to anyone, worked hard and was financially independant with a strong work ethic…….. until she met husband no.2 and produced my little brother

This is probably why I have run my own business for last 20 years and left a marriage that was not at all “balanced”…….. dont think I dont believe in marriage, because I do, I just haven’t seen any marriages that convince me its the right thing.

I look at these images with shock actually, and can see why it resulted in such a backlash, burning bras and the like. Think because I did not grow up in the archetypal image of a household where dad was respected and mum stayed at home, I couldnt see what all the fuss was about, always felt it went to the extreme, but this is how the pendulum of change swings, the the extremes before settling back down.

But has sexism gone?, NO! we all know that, its just in a different format, its gone underground !! still alive but not so blatant !!

images courtesy of Vintage Ad Sexism | Retronaut.

The Invisible Mother

carolg1849 — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:53:42 +0000

I came across the site Retronaut this morning, courtesy of Remodelista. It’s an amazing site…………… and came across the following.

Completely enthralled by the concept of the Victorian practice of the “invisible mother” I realise it was set up this way so that the babies and children were able to be supported through the long exposure times. HOwever I couldn’t help thinking of the mother, it’s just bizarre to be there so obviously, but “hidden” under a cloth. What is this saying about how the photographer, most likely male, is seeing the role of a woman in Victorian society? Seems like it didn’t count for much…………….

The Invisible Mother | Retronaut.