flower friday . . .

'dear georgia . . . ' #fromthelandofdragons

'dizzying . . . ' #fromthelandofdragons

'out there . . . ' #fromthelandofdragons

living in the boston area, these past few weeks, i am reminded of the movie Brigadoon where two men stumble into a totally different world.   here, our world has turned into a land of ice and snow!! more snow than i have ever seen and i am from chicago!!!

so as a reminder of what lies in dormancy  under these mountains of snow, and which will be here in just a few months, some images from my series, #fromthelandofdragons.

today is also flower friday because after SO many days of prepping i am finally going to start painting the flowers on my #wip (work in progress), my 'tree of life' mural for the Common Street Spiritual Center.

this mural has been quite the creative journey . .  talk about something having a mind of its own, that expression completely fits this experience.  the mural appears to know what and how it wants to be painted and i am just its faithful servant.

don't get me wrong i am SO enjoying the process but it has been a much longer process than i thought planned for/expected.  but you can't rush the creative process?!?!?
and on that note,  if i want to be successful in my quest to paint the flowers i must get myself to the studio.

so i leave you with these images of the magic of mother nature AND David Byrne and friends singing about flowers!!

peace 

#tbt: stories from my dressproject

one of my new year's intentions is to reclaim my art blog, this blog, which i started back in january 2008 (the first post, if you are interested, click here) 

my dearest cohort in crime, the day
i made 'floating . . . ' #scruffywalk

i began this blog as a response to this amazing 'experience' that i was a part of . . . my 'dressproject'.  as anyone knows, who has heard me talk about my 'dressproject', i feel as though i am a conduit for this body of work.  since the dresses were appearing fast and furiously i needed a way to document the journey, hence this blog.  

so to get this blog back up to speed, with more regular postings and covering more than just my 'dressproject',  i have many ideas for different features (more on that in another post) and wish to make posting more of a daily practice.  

and since in the world of social media, #tbt or 'throw back thurday' is an already established tradition, i am going to honor #tbt here.  on thursday i am going to look back to one of the many, many dresses from the 'dressproject'. i will post a picture or two and share story of that specific dress; because it is amazing how most all dresses have some kind of story.

today's #tbt is part of my #dailydressseries, which i officially labeled last december and continue to share on my instagram feed.  so without further adieu, 'floating . . . .'

'floating . . . ' 1jan 2014, natick, ma

'floating' was made on the natick rail trail in a stream under the Cochituate st bridge. It was New Year's Day morning 2014; cold, bright & so quiet! My dog doesn't distinguish between regular mornings verses holiday morning, so we were out the door around 6:30am. But the morning air was bracing, a perfect way to greet the new year. While exploring the rail trail, I noticed a small beguiling leaf poised in the stream that ran along the trail, being in the water highlighted its beauty. So I accepted the challenge of creating a dress in the icy cold stream. Of course the reality that it was below freezing and I was working with my bare hands didn't occur to me until the dress was done.

peace, and see you tomorrow . . .

today's 'dOsE oF TaLenT: Michelle Lougee

click dOsE oF TaLenT link or here for more

enjoy . . . 

so much to discover in this cyber-world in which we play . . .

today i am bring back my series:

dOse oF TaLenT

"dOse oF TaLenT"
which started a few years ago on my artist's page on Facebook.
i shared the works and links of artists that inspired me,
that i thought was doing something new,
artists that caught my attention.

i stopped this 'practice' because other life events needed my time and attention, but i have been itching to start up again.  now even more, thanks to instagram and pinterest, i have discovered amazing artists that more people need to know about!!!

so i have started a "dOse oF TaLenT" blog which can be found in the above dashboard of this blog. this way if you are interested in my "dOse oF TaLenT" then you can click through or just follow that blog, and this blog can stay more information about what is happening in my art world (although, i DO have some fun ideas for this blog) 

instagram

as i have written numerous times, i miss this blog. i love doing the dailydress inspiration blog, but i miss the deeper exploration that i was doing here . . . i honestly get a lot of insight when i read past posts and remember what i was doing and thinking at that time.

so introducing the addition of my  "dOse oF TaLenT" blog into my cyber-world.

here is the link to today's post (clickhere) but as I mentioned you can get there by clicking "dOse oF TaLenT" in this blog's dashboard (look up ^).  

happy clicking and please leave a comment if you are having trouble, or if you have a comment about the new format, or if you just have a comment or idea to share.

FB artist page

400 followers ?!?!?!

as anyone who has read my blogs know I have a love/hate relationship with all things social media!!!  

I understand it's perks but I am very suspicious of the black hole of time is can be and how social media fans the flames of comparison and create even more internal strive.

'studio light . . . ' vlf©2015

However, that said, I love my Instagram!! (the place where #fromthelandofdragons began) ! 

and I am totally addicted to Pinterest (I swear it is my crack cocaine)!!! 

just a fraction of my boards . . .  click here to see them all

I have always LOVED blogging, this blog was my first foray into the 'social' cyber-world!!  

And now I see that my Art & Inspiration page on FaceBook has almost 400 followers!!! 

'guppy . . . ' #fromthelandofdragons ©2014

That is cool!!! 

So thank you all for the 'likes'!! That is one of the perks of social media, these venues bring like minded people together.  The people who like my FB page are interested in the going-ons of my studio and my work. That is a wonderful, wonderful gift to an artist!!! 

thank you and peace . . . .

xxx 

the two sides of procrastination . . . .

“The work you do while you procrastinate is probably

the work you should be doing for the rest of your life.” Jessica Hische

'always beginning . . .'  © v.fitzgerald 2015

if the above quote is true then i am supposed to be creating for the rest of my life!!! 

'no nitrates added . . . ' made while cooking breakfast for the girls.
and they wondering why there meals take so long!!!!

I am the queen of 'productive procrastination'!!!! 

but if we factor in what ms. Hische says, then maybe my procrastination has 

been some much needed research for where to put my time and energy, especially now$$

And as not to procrastinate even more with a lengthy post

 (i have other places that i need to be) . . .

here is a quick visual tour of what i have been doing instead of my paying gig!!! :D

first, a quick doodle turned into an entire day affair - working on 

hand-lettering and experimenting in photoshop (and loving it!!!!)!!

and voila at midnight last night i finished 'always beginning . . .'

'winter wonderland ball gown . . . ' #faeriecouture #scruffywalk

then there is my ongoing and omnipresent obsession with the dress . . .

#vadressobsessed.  

I wonder if other mothers get distracted by the idea that 

bacon strips would make an awesome skirt??

'janus . . . ' #fromthelandofdragons
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus  is the god of beginnings and transitions, and thereby of gates, doors, doorways, passages and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces, since he looks to the future and to the past. It is conventionally thought that the month of January is named for Janus, but according to ancient Roman farmers' almanacs Juno was the tutelary deity of the month.

Janus presided over the beginning and ending of conflict, and hence war and peace. The doors of his temple were open in time of war, and closed to mark the peace. As a god of transitions, he had functions pertaining to birth and to journeys and exchange, and in his association with Portunus, a similar harbor and gateway god, he was concerned with travelling, trading and shipping. (thank you wikipedia)

'yearning . . . ' #fromthelandofdragons #scruffywalk

and then there is a love for photographing nature, 

story-telling and my beloved #landofthedragons!

so i gather from these different activities, produced in just the last few days,

 shows my deep desire and need to create!!! 

when i procrastinate I create . . . 

but then there is the other view of procrastination: 

time thief, black hole of inspiration, a scapegoat . . . .

“If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, 

just keep putting off doing it.”

– Olin Miller

so ciao for now, 

I'm off to the studio!!! 

peace

wishing you a . . .

very happy 2015!!!

may it be a year full of creativity, love, kindness, 

good health & good friends!

may it be overflowing with passion, clarity, 

strength, joy, compassion and magic!!

and for you  . . .  a printable calendar for january. 

i found this quote to be amazingly transformative . . .

to print this calendar either double click on the above image and print

or 

click on this link to go to my flickr account 

where you can download the calendar

namaste & peace on earth!! ~ Virginia

note to self: trust the process

© virginiafitzgerald 2014
as I was doing my version of 'morning pages' I caught myself suddenly getting anxious, my head and heart began to whirl not knowing where to put my focus and energy . . .

but then I remembered my intention to be more mindful, present in this moment, this breathe and I doodled myself this reminder:

trust the process.

The act of doodling brought me back to my kitchen table
and soothed my anxiety!!!
( I think this could be the reason zentangle could be so popular.)
I reminded myself that stress and worry is not going to help,
and that i just need to trust myself and my journey.

As I sat with that idea I realized that this was a good thought to share, especially as the end of the year looms and the need to tie up loose ends can be suffocating.

So I expanded my doodle to a pencil drawing, scanned it and worked on it in photoshop (a technique i wish to learn more about in the coming year) and voila!!!

And as I trusted the process my day,
so far, has unfolded in
a pleasant and productive way
without me stressing and worrying . . .

(note to self :)

peace

Holiday LOVE #fromthelandofdragons and virginia fitzgerald (me)

(In the virginia fitzgerald tradition of best laid plans but that is a longer story which I have posted below.) 

can't look (2014) #fromthelandofdragons

But in brief . . . as a way to THANK everyone who has been so responsive and encouraging about my most recent obsession, my #fromthelandofdragons series, I wish to offer 4 of the top favorite images, matted and frame ready for a holiday special price of $48 (including shipping). Click HERE to go to web site: Link

http://gallery55.homestead.com/Virginia-Holiday-Sales.html?_=1418848398222

I will be running this offer through the end of the year, however for those who may want to gift one of these print I will be send your orders out on Saturday/priority mail. 

More details and information is on the web page.

Any questions either leave a comment below or email me:

va.fitzgerald (at) comcast.net

click here to see an album of most of the photographs from this series on flickr

& now for those who are interested the longer story . . . 

In regards to the above mentioned, best laid plan . . . my 'plan' was to print some of some photos from my #fromthelandofdragons series in response to the many inquiries I have received about purchasing an image.  

In fact, I thought the holiday season would be the perfect time to roll out a collection from the series; cards, calendars, etc. . . 

However this idea was hijacked by life & a very stubborn case of bronchitis!, and here we are, in the midst of holiday celebration & cheer.  

But I did want to offer something who all those wonderful folks who have shown an interest on this latest obsession of mine and who have been so wonderfully supportive of this latest endeavor!!!

 SO I present to you, the first four prints #fromthelandofdragons!! These are four that have received the most inquires and 'likes' :) 

To see more of the series click here to visit my #fromthelandofdragons flickr album.  And if you want to read a bit about the series, please visit THIS post.  

And again thank you for all your encouragement to this series, it is a very special 'place' for me, my landofdragons.  Thank you and . . .

Happy Hanukkah, Blessed Winter Solstice or Shabe Yalda, Happy Celebration of Lights & Sinterklaas/ St. Nicholas' Day, Happy Newtonmas, Merry Christmas & Happy Boxing Day, Happy Kwanzaa,  Bodhi Day, Pancha Ganapati & Happy Festivus, Joyous Chalica and peace and love to all during this month of celebrations and good cheer!!! 

Blessed be ~ X

from the atelier, week #47 (aka a week in review)

This week i finished my latest #wellnesswrap,

finished for a friend who is fighting breast cancer.

this has been my response to the news 

of a friend battling cancer, 

i crochet . . .

 i start with a color and then the shawl grows  

organically  . . .

i am never quite sure 

where it will go. 

this one surprised me with a button and a collar.

 

below is a link about the first #wellnesswrap and the thoughts behind this practice:

virginia fitzgerald . . art . . inspiration . . ink: a day of thanks...: 

also this week i received this picture of a card that i designed for a friend 

who lost her husband earlier this year. 

she has been a long time fan of my dailydress inspirations 

but we felt that a dress wouldn't be appropriate 

so i learned how to make an origami star. 

since she needed a good number of cards, 

i got them printed. 

i am so happy with the way the origami still has some of the 3D quality, 

i'm consider creating 

a set of quote and origami notecards . . .

any suggestions for which quotes to print?!?!?

'casted sun rise . . . .'

and to wrap up this w.i.r. 
here are some of this 
week's photos from my
 #fromthelandofdragons series
(especially for those of you not on FB and/or instagram . . . :) 

'one if these things is not like the others . . . ' 

'top of the morning' . . . '

thank you for visiting and peace . . .


if you have received this post as an email

click below to visit the entire blog, blog link

or click below to visit my FB art page:
virginia fitzgerald . . .art . . . inspiration . . . ink

November . . . the month I take back my studio!!!

I was in my studio last week and I realized that it had been about 

one and a half years 

since I had last really worked there!!! 

(cringe, sob, faint!!!)

But

 NO MORE!!! 

This month I am #takingbackmystudio ~ 

and to start off this adventurous month, 

here is a printable calendar for us all . . .

I will be using it to keep track of all the coming days that I am going to my studio!!! 

And I plan to be posting visuals of this grand adventure on my instagram account , 

with #takingbackmystudio, if you are curious . . . . 

to access this calendar either click on this link to go to Flickr 

where you can download the calendar or just click on 

the calendar above 

and then right click for the option to download the image.

If you are having any technical issues just leave me a comment and 

we will figure out what needs to be done :D

I hope you enjoy your calendar ~

Happy November and

Peace!!! 

This story will bring you hope . . . .

“We’re not just sending dresses, we’re sending HOPE!” Little Dresses for Africa's website

Today I learned the inspiring story of Lillian Weber, a 99 year old woman who spends her days sewing beautiful dresses for little girls in Africa.  And once again I think to myself, 'the power of a dress'.

I have attached a video of her and the article from Station WQUAD8 , as well as the link to the charity "Little Dresses for Africa" AND the link to the pillowcase dress pattern they recommend as a dress to make, so you too can join Lillian.

I find this entire story so uplifting and hopeful at this time when news from around the world and home is so grim.  And for those who might scoff at the effects that little girl dresses can have on world matters  . . .

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead

Girls are the future mothers of our society, and it is important that we focus on their well-being. Miriam Makeba

Research shows the presence of women raise the standards of ethical behavior and lowers corruption. Hillary Clinton 

In fact I was so moved that I m going to make a pillowcase dress (or more) and send it off, and/or host a dress making party!!  But for now cheer, cheer to Lillian Weber!!




or Click here to see the video

& here is the article from  WQUAD8's website :

Lillian Weber is on a mission.

Every day she makes another dress for a small child she’ll never meet.

“I could probably make two a day, but I only make one,” she says.

The dresses are collected and sent overseas to little girls in Africa by a Christian outreach group called “Little Dresses for Africa”.

“I have to be busy,” says Lillian.

And she’s been very busy.

In the past two years she’s made more than 840 dresses and she plans to make 150 more by May 6th of next year.

You see, by next May, Lillian will turn 100 years old and it will be her one thousandth dress.

“It’s just one of those things you learn how to do and enjoy,” she says.

In Lillian’s Scott County farm house are completed dresses for little girls, made from a pattern, but each with extra stitching and individual details, designed to give each child a little extra pride.

“She personalizes them all,” says Lillian’s daughter, Linda Purcell. “It’s not like good enough that she makes the dresses, she has to put something on the front to make it look special, to give it her touch.”

What started as a hobby has become a daily labor of love.

Lillian says she starts work on a dress in the morning, takes a break during the midday, and puts finishing touches in the afternoon.

“I just think she’s somebody to look up to, somebody whose not just sitting around and frittering her life away,” says Tonya Urbatsch, who nominated Lillian for the “Pay It Forward” award.

“I’m amazed at her every day,” adds Linda. “I’m very, very proud of my mother.”

Family and friends will continue to be proud of Lillian, well after her 1000th dress. After all, 1000 is just a number.

“When I get to that thousand, if I’m able to. I won’t quit. I’ll go at it again because there’s no reason to not do nothing.”

When Lillian is finished with her dresses, her daughters deliver them to a Davenport senior living apartment complex where a group of residents have a weekly sewing appointment to make dresses for the charitable organization.

“Little Dresses for Africa” is a Christian charitable organization founded in 2008 in Michigan.

Its founder, Rachel O’Neill, says 2.5 million dresses have been distributed.

The simple dresses are distributed to orphanages, churches, and schools in Africa.

Rachel says she’s traveling to Africa again in September 2014 and February 2015 and hopes to be able to present to a child one of the dresses personally made by Lillian.

IF: journey

mixed media collage: assignment was night traveling in eastern europe

Illustration Friday (IF): 

 a weekly drawing challenge sponsored by Illustration Age, where every Friday a new topic is posted and illustrators from around the globe have one week to come up with their own unique interpretation and share it on the IF home page.

~ 

Off and on, over the years, I have participated in this creative illustration challenge. I would do it every week if I had 48+ hrs. in the day.  

IF has always been a touchstone for me, it gave me a opportunity to be creative. I would participate when I was in-between projects or generally at ~ sea creatively, which would accurately describe my current state.  

So when the IF email popped up in my inbox this morning, with the topic of JOURNEY; 

it felt like a sign.  

I am on a journey, a journey of self discovery and new direction.  I am taking stock to see which and where I go next, how to proceed, especially in the area of occupation, since I was a stay-at-home mom/artist who now needs to support herself and her girls, this is a tricky topic.

One possible career 'trajectory' that has recently been surfacing again and again 

when I ponder said future is:

illustrator.  

Yes, even as I write it I feel a quickening.  

Now this is not a new desire, I have wanted to be an illustrator since I was a little girl, soaking up the riches of Richard Scarry, Margaret Wise Brown, Maurice Bernard Sendak, Garth Williams, Beatrix Potter and Joan Walsh Anglund (click on her name to go to the world of Joan Walsh Anglund :) to name a few.  

I spent hours racing through the halls and riding the elevators of the Plaza Hotel with Hilary Knight's Eloise, and days accompaning Dare Wright's Lonely Doll, Little Bear and Mr. Bear on their many adventures.

As I got older I realized that illustrations weren't only in books,and  I wanted to follow in the foot steps of Sandra Boyton, Sara Anderson or better yet, Lily Pulitzer, designing bold and colorful fabrics with her name hidden in every pattern - a creative puzzle of sorts.

My love of illustration has never waned, however it was damped by the foreboding reality of how impossible it is to become a financially successful illustrator. I took many an illustration course in New York, only to hear that your success is basically based on the chance that your portfolio lands on the top of the art director's desk the day she/he is looking for your particular style . . . it was grim.  

So I decided to make myself stand out from the sea of submissions by creating a name for myself in other creative fields, which I did, which I have, so . . .   

Now I don't believe that the destiny of being a financially solvent illustrator has changed, however I have changed and I have learned much, so . . .  

For now I am going to let this idea of illustrating percolate more, as I take some much needed time to assess.  But I do believe it was providence that I received this IF prompt today,  as it reminded me of a journey that I wish to take, a path that I long to follow.  

Happy Friday & peace . . . .

a gift for you . . .

Happy August!

Here is a printable calendar for you ~

click on above image and download it to you computer so you can print.

There is a longer story about august and this calendar on my Dailydress Inspiration blog, which some of you follow but for those who don't I wanted to share my dresscalendar with everyone. 

click here to go to dailydress blog

So if you need a calendar for your desk, refrigerator, car  . . . please enjoy this dresscalendar.  

I have loaded the calendar image to this blog at a high resolution, 

so you should  be able to click on the calendar and download it.  or visit my album dresscalendars on my flickr account.

It should fit on an 81/2 x 11 piece of paper, 

however I always click the printing option "scale to fit". 

(see picture below)

Please contact me if you are having problems and I can email it to you?!?! 

I am having a bit of trouble posting the dresscalendar so that others can download?!?! 

always more to learn . . .

so, happy august & let the dog days begin!! 

peace