Life Lesson's Wraped in an Art Class

I haven't posted anything new in a while. 
I have been busy working on my assignments for the Creatively Made class by Jeanne Oliver that I have  been taking.  I have loved taking this e-course more than I thought I would.  But even more than the projects, I love the camaraderie of the other women taking the class.  They are all complete strangers to me, but through a page Jeanne set up for us all to connect through, and share our art, I have found many new friends.  These are women who have several of the same interests as me and clearly a love for mixed media art just like me.  Many of my friends don't quite get the whole mixed media thing, and aren't quite sure when I show them my work, so it is nice to be able to post my projects to other women who understand it, and hear their thoughts on what I have done. 

At the start of each week, Jeanne has made several different videos for us to watch about the projects she has planned for us, but more importantly, these videos are little life lessons.  They are videos about us learning to trust in our gifts and our creativity that God has given us.  To let go of any doubts that we have, that what we do is not good enough to share with others.  To learn to not be jealous of the talents that others have, but celebrate what we have been given and nurture our own gifts.

A Vintage Journal made from old book covers and vintage elements.

 
When I was in college and took an art class, I will never forget the complete and utter fear I had when we had to show our work to the class for what our professor called "constructive criticism".  I would purposely skip class on these days for fear of having to stand in front of my peers and be "criticized"
for something I had created.  Needless to say, I didn't do so well in that class because of my refusal to show up and share my work with others.  I never even gave anyone a chance to tell me I did a good job or a bad job, I was just certain it wasn't good enough.  I also  never saw what anyone else did since I wouldn't show up to class on those days, so I really never knew if they were better than me or equal to me.  But that wasn't really the point of us showing our work in the first place.  It wasn't meant to tear us down, but to help us do better or realize that we were doing just fine. 

An Altered Journal cover. 

As I have gotten older, I have finally learned not to be quite so worried of others opinions.  Don't get me wrong, I still want to do right by others, and I would never intentionally do something wrong, but I finally have accepted that when I do my best, that is good enough regardless of what others may think.  As long as I know I have tried 100%, that is all I can ask of myself.  It may not be as good as someone else can do, but it is the best I can do.  As a result, putting my work up on Jeanne's page for us taking her class has been easy for me to do.  The women are so kind and helpful in their comments.  Some of us have never taken an art class before and have just recently decided to start creating and others are pros and teachers themselves just looking for another fun class to take.  But all of us are treated equally.  Jeanne is such a nurturing spirit and is so inspiring and encouraging in her lessons.  I feel as if I am not only becoming a better artist, but also a better person because of her class.

I took some of the techniques I learned from the first week of classes and applied them to a canvas that I made for my mom.  Her 80th birthday was on Saturday, the 21st.  My dad had called and asked us to please come to Richmond for the weekend and stay with him so he wouldn't be alone for her birthday.  I knew I wanted something different to place on her burial marker but was not sure what.  She never liked artificial flowers, so any wreath made of those was out of the question.  I decided on a mixed media canvas using her engagement picture.  In a book I read right after my mom died, Heaven is For Real, it was explained that in Heaven, no one looks old.  Everyone looks like they did in the prime of their lives.  I thought about it and decided that if my mom were asked, she would say that when she was 21, she was in her prime.  So that is why i chose her engagement picture to use on her canvas.  Making that canvas for her was very  therapeutic for me and I only hope she was watching and knows the love that went into it.  My dad, Robby and my brother Steve and sister-in-law Mary went to the cemetery together on that Saturday and hung Mom's canvas and wished her a Happy Birthday.  It was a beautiful moment shared with the people closest to me, and I would not have traded it for the world. 

My beautiful mom at the age of 21.

The finished canvas for my mom's 80th birthday.