Forever is composed of nows ...

 

“Forever – is composed of Nows – (690)


Forever – is composed of Nows –
‘Tis not a different time –
Except for Infiniteness –
And Latitude of Home –

From this – experienced Here –
Remove the Dates – to These –
Let Months dissolve in further Months –
And Years – exhale in Years –

Without Debate – or Pause –
Or Celebrated Days –
No different Our Years would be
From Anno Dominies –”

― Emily Dickinson, The Poems of Emily Dickinson (Goodreads)

Work hard, play hard, dream big, love loads ... and give back!

Work hard, play hard, dream big, love loads, laugh as much as you can, and give back.

Deirdre O'Kane

peace, Virginia

never lose your invaluable curiosity ...

“It is simply this: do not tire, never lose interest, 

never grow indifferent—

lose your invaluable curiosity and you let yourself die. 

It's as simple as that.” 

Tove Jansson, Fair Play

This past summer I learned more about the amazing Tove Jansson because of a  fun instagram challenge I did last summer called #cupfull2022*. 

Here is the illustration/drawing that I created inspired by Tove Jansson and the blurb that I shared about her ~

Cup full: Tove Jansson
Such a wonderful prompt!! I loved trying to recreate Jansson’s luscious creepiness & her wonderful line work 🖤

Tove Marika Jansson (9 August 1914 – 27 June 2001) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish author, novelist, painter, illustrator and comic strip author. Brought up by artistic parents, Jansson studied art from 1930 to 1938 in Stockholm, Helsinki and Paris. Her first solo art exhibition was in 1943. At the same time, she was writing short stories and articles for publication, as well as creating the graphics for book covers and other purposes. She continued to work as an artist and a writer for the rest of her life.
Jansson wrote the Moomin books for children, starting in 1945 with The Moomins and the Great Flood. #wikipedia 

*this challenge was hosted by these lovely artists - if you have a moment, check out their instagram feeds.

@lorisiebert.studio 

@nullsie 

@snippetsofwhimsy 

@michelleallenart 

@joturnerillustration 

a month to love and be loved ...

feel free to print and use for your personal enjoyment ~ peace

There is only one happiness in this life, 

to love and be loved.

George Sand

George Sand, pseudonym of Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dudevant, née Dupin, (born July 1, 1804, Paris, France—died June 8, 1876, Nohant), French Romantic writer known primarily for her so-called rustic novels.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Sand

wishing you a joyous, blessed and peaceful new year!!

feel free to print and use for your personal enjoyment ~ peace

 Happiness lies not

 in finding what is missing but

 in finding what is present. 

Jean Smith

As we head into a new year, let us be present for where we are and what we have, not waste our precious time here with what we believe is lacking. 

happy new year & peace ~ 

Happy Solstice ....

May your life be full peace, light  and love ... 

“This is the solstice, the still point of the sun,

its cusp and midnight,

the year’s threshold and unlocking,

where the past lets go of and becomes the future;

the place of caught breath ...”

 Margaret Atwood

 Eating Fire: Selected Poetry 1965-1995

tis the season to be kind ...

 

feel free to print and use for your personal enjoyment ~ peace

Wishing all a joyous and wondrous December!

& don't forget,

 during this month that gets so hectic,

 be kind to yourself & to others.

peace, Virginia

November, a time to turn up the attitude of gratitude ...

 Welcome to November ...

feel free to print and use for your personal enjoyment ~ peace

When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out & the tide of love rushes in.

Kristin Armstrong

thank you & peace,

Virginia

As mother nature preps for her deep sleep, let us all remember the importance of rest!!

 

feel free to print and use for your personal enjoyment ~ peace

Take rest; a field that has rested 

gives a beautiful crop.

Ovid

    I am a HUGE fan of the colder months, much to many of my friend's disbelief. Besides the fact that I don't do well in the heat, I find that the cooler temperatures offer many opportunities to curl up and take a moment to pause.  Similar to what much of Mother Nature does, burrowing down, underground to regroup and recharge.  

So as we head into October and the next few months full of  holidays, merriment and many gathering, I felt a good quote for this month's calendar is a friendly reminder of the importance of taking a rest!! 

Happy October!! 

peace, virginia

Let's enjoy the journey as we head into September ...

it is better to travel well than to arrive ~ buddha

september always makes me think of school - even though i haven’t gone back to school in a long while. 

i was that kid that loved school. i loved!!! getting new school supplies - i mean who wouldn’t want new pens and pads of paper?!?? but besides the new supplies i did love being in the classroom - it was an adventure. 

i feel like school was a bit like traveling. though not as exciting as physically traveling, you were expanding your horizons and learning about new places and people and even different languages. 

as a parent i tried to instill this idea about school into my girls (sadly, not quite successfully). i tried emphasize the learning and not grades, to help them see the adventure and not the drudgery. 

i feel every day offers us lessons and new perspectives. so i choose this quote from buddha for this month, in the hopes that we will remember that we are all on a journey and to enjoy the ride.

happy learning & peace, virginia

Pay attention!!! Stay eager!!!!

feel free to print and use for your personal enjoyment ~ peace

“Do stuff. be clenched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration's shove or society's kiss on your forehead. Pay attention. It's all about paying attention. attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. stay eager.”

 Susan Sontag

Summer is on its way ...

“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. 

The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.”

 Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy and Tib

Betsy-Tacy and Tib was a favorite for me and the girls for bedtime reading! 

peace ~

 

May is here: live immediately!

 

“Putting things off is the biggest waste of life: it snatches away each day as it comes, and denies us the present by promising the future. The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow, and loses today. You are arranging what lies in Fortune's control, and abandoning what lies in yours. What are you looking at? To what goal are you straining?

The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.”

Seneca

peace, virginia 

April is upon us ... enjoy!!

 

You're imperfect, and you're wired for struggle,

but you are worthy of love and belonging.

Brene Brown

peace ~

be the light ...

“Light is to darkness what love is to fear; 

in the presence of one, the other disappears.

Marianne Williamson

I have posted this collage on my P.O.P. site (society6and Redbubble) and I will donate the entirety of my portion of the sale of this print, 'be the light ... ' to UNICEF to help the children in the Ukraine.

print on society 6:

https://society6.com/product/be-the-light6628744_print?sku=s6-23296111p4a1v45

Print on redbubble: 

https://www.redbubble.com/i/art-print/be-the-light-by-Virginiacreate/103391524.1G4ZT?asc=u

Click here to go directly to UNICEF's site to donate directly:

www.unicefusa.org

When I sat down yesterday to create this month's collage for my #virginiacreates monthly calendar - this collage came quite clearly to me.  I didn't struggle with it or question it, which usually happens with most of my work.  But this piece seemed to flow. 

 I was listening to an interview with the lovely and talented Anne Lamott (see link below) and she was speaking about the importance of being the light - especially for creatives - and so I named this collage, 'be the light ...'  However as I was putting together my March calendar page I started seeing that this piece speaks to the heart-breaking situation in the Ukraine.  

As I do with many of my collages I cut shapes from  pages of different foreign text.  I am always picking up foreign books when I see them!! Unknowingly I used pages from one of my book that is in a Slavic language.  This particular book seems to be about Walt Disney and is in some East Slavic language though I am not sure which language. I love to use text in my work and especially text using different alphabets.  I find lettering/text/language so inspiring and beautiful of many levels.  

Also when I first sat down to make this collage I felt the need to stamp a peace sign, something that I don't always do, but yesterday it felt important.

I mention all this because I really wasn't consciously thinking about the Ukraine crisis, but as I look at the finished collage I feel like it speaks to the crisis, peace & light with a slavic text sprinkled around.  And this is an idea that Anne Lamott talks about, that we, as creatives, need to be open so that we are receptors of the world and that it what feeds our work.

A Conversation with Anne Lamott - 2007:

Best-selling author Anne Lamott returns to San Diego with more hilarious tales of her life as a mother, daughter and writer who is drawn to the struggles of imperfect characters. The humor of host Dean Nelson puts the normally reclusive Lamott at ease and the two keep the audience laughing throughout this edition of the 2007 Writer’s Symposium by the Sea, sponsored by Point Loma Nazarene University. [4/2007] [Show ID: 12220]

https://youtu.be/PhP5GmybvPM

T'is the month for self-love!!

 

for your personal use - peace

“When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.”

 Jean Shinoda Bolen

I felt that this was a good quote for this month of love, as we must remember to be kind to ourselves, and shower ourselves with love as we would a valentine !! Self-love and self compassion are so important as only when we love ourselves, truly love ourselves, can we really love another.  

and remember that YOU are ENOUGH! 

as is! full stop!! 

sending love, Virginia

this is the year for our wildest manifestations ...

Happy 2022!!!

Letting go creates the space we need to welcome our wildest manifestations.

Taj Arora

it is the time for your december calendar and time for home ...

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, 

for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire:

 it is the time for home.”

Edith Sitwell

wishing you and peaceful and calm month of december.

peace, virginia

my #dressproject 2005-present ...

'lilith's room ...' manhattanville 

Today I had the honor of speaking to the students at Manhattanville College about 'lilith's room ...' and my #dressproject.  Here is the slideshow that I created for the talk.  A little visual review of how I am #vadressobsessed ~ 

'this is me ... a work in progress' and 'flirt ...' 
manhattanville college

the Attleboro Arts Museum auction ends today!!

link to bid on 'don't slip ...' 

‘don’t slip …’ is now available in the @attleboroartsmuseum’s annual auction - follow the link to see all the glorious art & support this awesome museum! 

link to bid on 'don't slip ...' 

link to bid on 'lilith contemplates the oceans ...'

Have a piece of ‘lilith …’ with this photograph from my ‘lilith contemplates …’ series in which I take my sculpture ‘lilith …’ and photograph her in a myriad of surroundings. Here ‘lilith …’ contemplates the oceans - their beauty & what we humans are doing to them

link to bid on 'lilith contemplates the oceans ...'

link to auction catalog