October: fall, leaves turning, cooler weather, pumpkins, summer's end, Halloween, pansies, time to cozy up and pull out the throws, make soup and chicken pot pie...
HAPPY OCTOBER!
2017 Corola de la Moda Calendar
I have been particularly attached to the flower petal fashions as of late. Dreaming up all the different designs has been sooooo much fun. Whenever possible, I like to use art for something utilitarian and a calendar seemed the perfect fit for my girls!. The idea began after I designed a flower petal outfit for Halloween. I ended up using it for the month of October. From there, I chose designs to best correspond with each month. An African American for February which is black history month, a Latin inspired design for Cinco de Mayo, a dress made from lotus flowers for August, the month of their peak bloom, and snow falling for December.
The calendar measures 6" X 8" which includes a half inch border of black mat board. It can be used as a desk calendar with an optional black easel, a small wall calendar, or on the fridge (it has a magnet on the back). A 9" x 11" wall version is available by special order.
Available on the Shop page.
Floral Alphabet
My niece, Olivia, was born last month. It's my brother, Stan and his wife, Heidi's third beautiful child. Their first two are twins whom I've met only twice to my dismay. Cruz and Eva were born in Los Angeles which explains the dilemma. I would love to be their "Auntie" as I am to my nieces Sydney and Lauren, whom I am close to and love with all my heart. Although I love Stan's three children with all my heart, they don't know me. It's a common problem today with families who live far apart from one another.
When we moved to Virgina 22 years ago, my boys were 5 and 8 years old. We thought that we would return to California within a few years where we would be close to our families again. Instead, John's job kept us in Virginia. Consequently, our boys were raised without extended family, I have often wondered if things could have been different if their aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents would have been part of their lives. But then all "is" as it is meant to be, no matter how hard certain things are to accept.
Back to my brother, he and his wife wanted to name their baby after a relative and since he was close to my aunt Olivia, my mother's sister, Olivia it is. Sadly, my aunt passed away recently and I think this is a wonderful tribute to her.
In wanting to create something for baby Olivia, I decided to use her special name. I used photographs I've taken of various flowers and layered them to create letters. I framed the print and plan on mailing it this week to Albuquerque, New Mexico where the Wilson family now lives.
The Ampersand
I don't know what drew me to the ampersand. It had to have been the beauty of its form. Many letters of the alphabet are beautiful when looked at individually, but none of them mean something on their own. The history is impressive as well. The ampersand is a graphic of the Latin "et," which translates to "and." One of the first written ampersands was found on papyrus in 45 AD!
Many of the flower petal fashion characters I have drawn have tattoos. Personally, I don't care for tattoos, but I like to use them as a design element to add some edge. I use an ampersand I drew several years ago. I removed the background, (which makes the background transparent) so that I am able to place it anywhere on my drawing.
Design challenge to myself and anyone who would like an art project: Create ampersands using variations on the shape and fill with pattern and color. Please share!
Corola de la Moda
The latest...
Who Is This Blog For?
Sometimes I ask myself why I am doing this. It takes lots of time and energy to put together a blog. The reason is that I thoroughly enjoy every single minute of it. Who is it for? It's for myself. To chronicle the passions in my life, to express my thoughts in words, to honor myself. I am grateful that each morning when I wake up, even if I am feeling low, I look forward to doing something creative. It could be through art, gardening, cooking, so many ways... It just flows through me and I lose myself in time. I become fully present in the moment which is the place at which I am most content in this life. To those who read my blog, thank you for sharing this journey with me.
Calla Petal Gal Print
These garnet colored mini calla lilies caught my eye...
All of the Corola de la Moda prints are available individually or in groups of three on one print. See Shop page or inquire at mail to:deborahrhansen@gmail.com
Decluttering for the Soul
Friday, August 26th, would have been Bret's 28th birthday. In the days preceding I thought a lot about being a young, pregnant mom, anticipating the birth of my second child. I never could have imagined what the future held. No one can predict when our world will be rocked so I try my best to value the present. It's not easy, especially when going through challenging times. Memories can evoke happiness and sadness. I was filled with both, as I spent his birthday, alone in my studio, by my own choice, sorting through an accumulation of old photos, letters, books, art supplies, old watercolors, even artwork I'd kept from my college years. Something told me I needed to purge. I felt the need to lighten my load. As I sorted through these belongings, I found notes and letters Bret wrote as a child. I was the best mom, he said, so many times. I ached with love and sadness as I looked at photos of my beautiful baby, child, boy, young man. I began to think about impermanence. The impermanence of everything. The accumulation of stuff in my studio became irrelevant. I felt that my heart, my inner being, was what mattered most. I purged through everything in my room, keeping only things precious or useful. Subconsciously I knew it was time to let go of things that weigh me down. To tackle my fears head on. To trust in the universe and let the gentle breeze guide me. I am grateful for these lessons. I am also grateful for the presence of Bret's spirit, on what was a tough, but enlightening day.
