USING PERSONAL SYMBOLISM IN ART...

Symbolism: The use of symbols to represent things such as ideas or emotions. A symbol is something such as an object, picture, written word, sound, or particular mark that represents something else by association, or resemblance, or convention.

Using personal imagery or symbolism in the art pieces I make is a visual language for what rests at the seat of my soul. Sometimes the use of symbolism is intentional and others it is done subconsciously, but, I immediately recognize it after the fact. I am often surprised at what my hands create at the direction of my heart, at how this type of art validates what I am thinking, experiencing, have experienced, or want to affirm. It can even aid in a painful healing process.

Often, the symbols I use are intensely personal, private, obscure, or ambiguous references that only I would recognize the depth of meaning attached to them. The casual onlooker might just see a gathering of objects that are pleasingly arranged in collage or assemblage fashion and nothing more. Most of the time I give a nod to my core beliefs of faith in Christ, other times I use the symbols to process thoughts and feelings or to work through things of the past, much as a writer might use their pen and words or a painter their brush and strokes to convey a message, hidden or otherwise.I don't always employ this method in creating an art piece, sometimes an object or element is what it is and nothing more. My most recent symbolic work of art was a small collage/assemblage project. It did not start out as anything other than a desire to have a decorative art piece for a vacant space on a shelf where I had recently rearranged things, nothing more and nothing less. This was one of those surprise projects where my heart was conveying a message to my hands as I worked.

It wasn't until I was seeking out words to string together for some sort of quote that fit the bird theme that I stumbled upon this combination of words, "There is no confusion in the notes of his song, as to be heard above every other sound.", that I suddenly "saw" the messages in the piece before me.St. John 10:3-5 instantly sprang to mind. The connection between there being no confusion about the notes of his song and the ability to hear it above every other sound solidified what I knew to be true in Scripture - I hear His voice, I know it, it guides me, I follow it without confusion. It is distinct above every other sound and there is no mistaking it.From there on, I was very intentional about the elements I chose to complete the piece from the background to the foreground and everything in between. Each layer, when dissected, acknowledges a spiritual truth that I hold to be true.
The background paper is an old store receipt that reminds me that I was bought and paid for with a great price, His life for mine. (John 10:11, 1 Corinthians 7:23)

The receipt is from Shafer 's Cash Store, which represents a family name, only ours is spelled a little different, reminds me that I am a part of the family of God. (Romans 8:16)The watchful mother bird on the nest of eggs reminds me that I can nestle comfortably in the safety of my Heavenly Fathers attentive care. (Job 11:18)

The woven nest of natural fibers, twigs, moss, string, and paper bits remind me that I have a purpose in being here on this earth, my creation was intentional, I was woven and knit together in my mother womb, fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:13-15)

The eggs resting in the nest symbolize rebirth and the transforming cycle of new life, being a new creation in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17)The feathers are a symbol of being covered with His protective wings. (Psalm 91:4)

The bound together budding twigs remind me that He is the vine and I am the branch, I am to abide in Him, together we can bring forth much fruit, apart I can do nothing. (John 15:5)

The music notes entwined among the twigs represent my praise to Him, He is my strength and my song. (Exodus 15:2)His words are inscribed on a tag hanging from the twig branch. (John 10:3-5) The Scripture bound to the branch with twine represents the binding of the Bible's words to my heart, a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. (Deuteronomy 11:18, Proverbs 6: 21-22, Psalm 119:105)The stained gauze and tattered cheese cloth bound up by a button and twine remind me that life can sometimes get messy. I may get wounded along the way. I may feel tattered and scattered but He is always there to bind up any wounds I might receive, to gather up any tattered pieces and turn them into beautiful accents that embellish my life story and bring Him glory. (Psalm 147:3, Isaiah 61:1-3)Symbolism in art, whether it be painting, literature, prose or poetry, theater, music, or any other visual art form has been used by artists through the ages to convey a personal message that was meaningful to the artist. The next time you view a piece of art, look a little deeper and you might just get a glimpse of something greater, the seat of an artist soul.

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

300th Post Birds & Books Give Away Sign Up (UPDATED).....

Please note this Give Away is closed

"Pleasure is spread through the earth

In stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find."

~William Wordsworth , 1806~

(click on any photo to enlarge for better viewing)

UPDATE NOTE: My sincerest apologies about not getting the update of the third offering in my give away up yesterday. You can scroll down in the post to see the added item. Have a wonderful day!

I recently reached my 300th post and to celebrate I am hosting a birds & books themed give away! My idea was to create three art pieces with the theme of birds & books to offer as prizes. I seriously and truly wish I could give something to each and every one of you who takes the time from your busy days to visit here at Quill Cottage. I am blessed by your sweet friendships, loving support, and encouraging words. I am so amazed at the connection that this modern form of pen pals provides. I appreciate each and everyone of you and thank you for your visits here.

The first offering is a "Sweet Tweet" bird journal. This darling bird journal was inspired by artist Vanessa Spencer of Stampington & Co., you can visit this post to learn more about the Stampington's video library and YouTube channel. This large board book journal measures 12"x5" and contains 14 journaling blocks. The journal is bound with a simple clip ring and embellished with a chocolate brown ribbon closure. Sepia tones with hints of chocolate and pink make this little bird sing with style. Her tail feathers and wings are ruffled with lace and trim and she had black button eyes. She is accented with stamped feathers. Mon cher petite bird only warbles in French as her beak is papered in French text .The second offering is an original mixed media nature collage creation by me. The dimensional collage measures 10"x13". The base of the piece is an old box bottom, the interior of which is collaged with a variety of papers and over stamped with butterflies. The exterior is covered in original handwritten text taken from an old composition book. The edge is trimmed in natural jute twine. The piece hangs from chocolate brown ribbon sewn on with buttons.This collage tells a story and it begins with a lovely young girl reclining under the trees at the edge of a forest reading a book. She is featured on the rubber stamped faux book cover. As she was reclining and reading she became drowsy, laying her book aside, she drifted off to sleep. As she slept she dreamed the strangest dream, of her storybook come to life. She had been reading "The Birds Nest" before drifting off, the tale of a darling little bird who lived in an enchanted forest where flowers sing and dance beside babbling brooks and the strangest and most magical of things happen.In the dream she was chasing and gathering the dancing flowers in her gathering basket as they played a giggly game of "catch~me~if~you~can". The colorful flowers weaved and bobbed on their dancing stems, little leaf petaled hands clapping in delight at being scooped up and lovingly admired as they were placed in the basket. You can see her gathering basket full of dancing flowers coming to life and slipping from the pages of the book, peeking just beyond the books open cover.The little bird who lived in the forest sat in a nearby tree watching with great interest the game being played below. She was resting from her labor of building a nest in which to lay her enchanted blue speckled egg. After weaving together traditional nest building materials like moss, lichen, and twigs, her nest was being feathered with snips and slips of dictionary pages. With these she would teach her little hatchling how to read and build good vocabulary skills.
"May I play?", little bird asked. "Certainly.", replied the little girl, as if talking birds and playing games with dancing flowers were an everyday occurrence. Amid a flutter of wings and flashing flower petals could be heard peals of musical laughter, all of which were being observed by an intruder hiding behind a big rock at the edge of the forest.The intruder wanted to capture the magical talking bird and the dancing flowers and sell them to the circus. Slowly sneaking upon the unsuspecting group, the intruder carried with him a cage that he kept under lock and key. He kept the key tied around his pudgy neck on a ribbon. Talking birds and dancing flowers were sure to fetch a pretty penny or two he thought as he rubbed his greedy little troll like hands together. He hoped to collect the little bird and her flower friends without the little girls notice.As he edged closer he kept his eye on the game and not upon his feet. He took a step forward and a loud "SNAP!" of a twig alerted the giggling group of his presence. They all spun as one in his direction as he made a giant leap over the brook, cage held high in one hand as the other hand tried to grasp a pretty purple pansy! The little bird was swift to take action and swooped down to peck his hand allowing the pansy to escape but a beautiful buttercup was not so lucky. She was swiftly nabbed and locked inside the cage.He turned his attention to the little talking bird. While she fluttered in place just beyond his grasp the stealthy little flowers tied the laces of his elfin like footwear together. She gave a little lower forward flutter and the intruder started after her, tripping and tumbling into the babbling brook. His grip slipped and the little girl seized the opportunity to grab the cage. The angry babbling brook tossed him to and fro, holding him in a wavelike grip. The little bird circled waiting for her chance to retrieve the key. The ribbon floated out from the pudgy neck upon which it hung and the little bird swooped down cutting through the ribbon with her scissor sharp beak quickly snatching the key before it could sink into the water.She placed the key in the palm of the little girls hand, who used it to open the cage and set the trembling buttercup free. Together they watched as the babbling brook further tossed and tumbled the intruder down stream where he was never heard from again.
The lovely young girl awoke from her dream and marveled at such strange and enchanted happenings. Smiling, she wished that it had been real, the pleasant game of playing with flowers and conversation with a real talking bird. Yawning and stretching she stood and brushed off her dress and pinafore which seemed to be littered with bits of paper. "Strange.", she thought as she bent to retrieve her book. Her hand stilled as her eyes fastened upon a shiny tiny silver old fashioned key tied with a snip of ribbon, a key exactly like the one she used to set the buttercup free. There it lay on the cover of her book. As she looked a wisp of torn paper fluttered down. A bright eyed little bird flitted down to retrieve it in her beak.Following the direction of the little birds ascent she saw a nest high above in the tree under which she stood and it was woven just as she had seen it in her dream. The saucy little bird gave her a sly slow wink. Was it real or was it a dream? What do you think?Most of the details of this artwork are woven into the story above and showcased in the photographs.

Offering number three is an altered book cover collage. If you look very carefully you will see that the background of this piece is the inside cover of a Little Golden Book. The leafy like background made it a perfect choice for a nature collage. The background is over stamped with feathers and a butterfly. A vintage button card layered over and aged blue paper and piece of handmade paper sports a little bird image. The nest is made from natural materials as well as paper scraps and is filled with handmade paper covered eggs. Vintage lace, ribbon, and buttons add fun embellishment. Cardboard stencils were used to spell out "NEST" with cute button brads adding accent color. The piece hang from simple twine. The back of the collage is covered in a dictionary page.

To sign up for the give away just leave a comment on this post. Winners will be announced on Monday, June 15, 2009. You do not have to have a blog to enter, anyone is welcome. There are no shipping restrictions. If you share this give away on your blog, please let me know so I can give you a special mention and a link back to your blog in the winning announcement post.

Have a super Saturday!

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

I *HEART* Nature Art.....

"If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive."

~Eleonora Duse~

(click on any photo to enlarge for better viewing)

It is no secret that I adore the natural world and all things nature related. I was thrilled to have recently won two fantastic nature inspired works of art from two equally fantastic artists! I have been gathering some items to put together a little nature inspired vignette in the corner of our family room and can't wait to integrate both these wonderful pieces into my little nature nook! I love how both of these blend well with the sepia look I want in this vignette. Here it is all in a muddle, a work in progress:I picked up this sweet framed print for $1.00 this week!I received this awesome painting from Rita of phthalo blue. Rita is a graphic artist who shares about art, poetry, culture, and daily life on her blog. I am so extremely in love with this darling little bird painting! Thank you so much Rita, this little painting has me all twitter~pated!I also received this spectacular nature assemblage from none other than my favorite feather nester friend Dawn! I am so doing the happy dance. I have been trying to purchase a piece of her work and it is snapped up as soon as she gets it made. Dawn, THIS is now my favorite book on my shelves, thank you so much.You might or might not remember, it's been so long, when I started a mixed media nature collage featuring a watercolor of a blue bird on a background of vintage sheet music. I originally intended this to be a sweet collage featuring a nursery rhyme but as often happens once I picked it up, it took off in its own direction. Here is the finished project:The base of this piece is a scrap of foam core covered in vintage sheet music. After reading this line as a caption in a magazine I knew it would be perfect for this collage. Dried rose petals and bark, snippets of old lace, vintage shell buttons, and a little wooden bunny surround the caption.
Torn decorative paper strips, stamped butterfly, and a vellum flowering bulb grace the right side of the piece. The bottom of the piece is finished off with a row of vintage crochet lace, a corsage pin holds another snippet of lace and colorful button in place. The twig hanger is wired to old rusty square tacks. The copper wire ends are spiraled into trendles.The handmade suede branch is textured with bits of handmade paper. Leaves cut from a scrap of vintage velvet adorn the branch tips. A little rubber stamped nest rests on the branch.This is my favorite part of the whole piece, the handmade branch with the little nut cradle! I love the vine curly cues and the fat speckled egg resting inside!An embellished shipping tag hangs from the branch and illustrates the caption of sleeping in the garden. The background of the tag is painted, layered over the background is a row of roses from a vintage greeting card, a textured natural grass wallpaper, a copy of a vintage postcard, crochet lace, and a little copper jewelry piece topped off with snips of paper. I think this one is a keeper, at least for now. In other nature news here at the Quill, the jonquils are in bloom!!!I found this little bouquet blooming at the edge of the east woods near the bramble where the cardinals are building a nest. I wondered how they got there so far away from house. Perhaps Mrs. Red Bird planted them there to brighten her front stoop!And the robins are running rampant!!! Yesterday, when I opened the shades, my yard was teaming with an entire flock of these beauties. I let the door swing softly open and stood in the chill of the early morning air listening to their happy chirps. They were rustling through the dried leaves, pitching them up in the air as they scratched the damp earth underneath hoping to find a lucky worm.Over the next few days I will be doing what this little robin is doing, looking for signs of spring!
My soul is alive at the thought of spring! Have you seen any signs yet?

Blessings,
Miss Sandy