The Poetry of Fall

Days are ending sooner and already I'm finding comfort in sweaters and steaming cups of tea.  Less time is spent outdoors enjoying the sun's warm rays, now I'm resting earlier in the evening.  My dog is more often found sleeping on the edge of my bed.  Poetry moves my soul and the loud music of summer becomes more subdued.  
The leaves are in the midst of changing and suddenly I'm nostalgic like Jacques Prevert when he wrote Barbara.  His poetry wistfully creating vignettes of the sadness inherent in war and love, ruminating on the past.  There's a sweet sorrow one participates in as candles are lit and shadows lengthen.  We consider longer, nurture our moodiness, become quiet.
Whereas I recite the early poetry of Yeats in the summer, the poems of his later years are relished.  Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven and Annabel Lee are annual autumnal favorites around the world and Robert Frost finds new followers.  Dickinson's sunnier poems are disregarded, seeming garish compared to her thoughtful ruminations on mortality.  And Li Po must not be forgotten- his musings on youth and the changing seasons are enjoyed with a glass of deep red wine.
Yes, fall is here.  A loneliness pervades the air, but I am not alone as I have poetry to warm my soul.

In Honor of Halloween...

 

Just posted Joe's 8 Bit Skeleton card in Blackbird and Peacock.  In the transition of moving all cards and journals from BBAC to the new shop.  Also have listed some skull journals, zombies and postcards.  Enjoying creating with the skull stamp- very inspiring.  My son likes that one.  Will be posting some Halloween cards, journals and postcards over the next couple of weeks.  Oh yeah!

It's Fall Already- You Know What That Means...Horror Films!

Summer is my favorite season, so I'm pretty stoked that it's still shorts and t-shirt weather here in the Catskills.  Every year I mourn the leaves falling from the trees, as much as I love that fall smell.  On the flip side, there's Halloween.
Every September I start loading my Netflix queue up with horror movies.  Some slashers, some kitsch.  Last year the rotation included watched Evil Dead 2, Ginger Snaps, Sleepy Hollow (a classic), Amityville Horror, House, and Rob Zombie's Halloween.  This year we're considering re-watching The X-Files- my son was too young the first time I saw it and at 14 years old, he'll probably appreciate it.  Will also watch Zombie's 2nd Halloween (although I've been told it is disappointing).
In a few more years, I'll be re-visiting Twin Peaks, which is all the eerier when there's a chill in the air.

Creating something lovely out of a mistake

Painters do it all of the time- they take a canvas horribly gone wrong and paint right over it.  I wonder how many masterpieces have been created over a work that was shmeared by an elbow or painted by a very dear, but untalented aunt.  It is in our very nature to make and destroy- hence, civilizations rise and fall.
Lately I've been revisiting my mistakes.  I hate throwing things away, so the other day when I was tidying up my workspace I found some early stamped postcards that I completely fudged.  Now, some I've used just to write on (as space) and then have thrown in a card for friends.  I can't stand wasting paper- and watercolor postcard paper is very nice.  That's when I realized that there was a better way to re-use this canvas- collage!

I've always appreciated the art of collage.  I'm not much of a drawer per se, but I love thinking about different media come together.  Right now I'm enjoying bringing together stamping, recycled magazines, and watercolor.  So, I've given the postcards I completely ruined new life.  It's also been a great way to use up all of my scrap paper in creative ways.

Blackbird & Peacock

It's official- Blackbird and Peacock are now open for business!  A love of all things paper- journals, letters, pretty paper- helped spawn this new Etsy shop by husband and wife team, Hope and Joe Von Stengel.  The shop will have an eco-friendly edge, as many of the materials used will be recycled or created from recycled  and sustainable materials.
This new venture is a movement outside of the bigbadartcollective shop on Etsy, an opportunity to focus time and energy.  Right now Hope has been getting ready for the holidays by making cards for friends, as well as the shop.  Joe sold quite a few journals at the City of the Hills art festival in Oneonta, NY, so a little catching up and re-ordering supplies has kept us busy was well.
Take a look at our new store- a great place to browse for those with eclectic tastes!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/blackbirdandpeacock