30 Days of Gratitude - November 5th

I am grateful for the friends that haven't let me forget that deep down my artistic talent is still there.  "It will come back in time" Well the time has come my friends.  I making time for art again. I'm planning again and coming up with ideas for new projects again.  There's no doubt it will take time, I'm not going to like everything I create right now, but I am trusting in the process.  I love you for believing in me.

A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails. Donna Roberts

30 Days of Gratitude - November 4th

Today I'm grateful for a change in my point of view. Even though I am still struggling with my self confidence I continue to take small steps on the Journey to find my Creativity again. Even more amazing, to me anyway, is that when I was having a bad day today I followed through on my 30 days of Gratitude Sketching.  I'm slightly embarrassed each time I press the publish button but at least I'm trying. Follow me at Cindy Rippe - Artist on facebook.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:9 NIV

30 Days of Gratitude - November 3rd

Day 3 - Thankful for Family & Friends & the courage to Create

Have you been following my Cindy Rippe - Artist page on Facebook?  I have challenged myself to sketch and post something I'm thankful for each day in November. It's kind of a big deal for me.  2 years ago I passed out here at home (Dr over-prescribed a medication) and sustained a concussion near my brain stem.  Post Concussion syndrome (as well a few Auto Immune issues) has been interesting to say the least. Things are SO much better.  I wasn't prepared for the loss of my Creativity though.  There's this "fear of failure" thing that I've been fighting for the last year.  So, again, sharing my sketches with my facebook fans is a huge step for me.  My family and friends have been so encouraging and keep telling me that I just need to get started and it will all come back! So this blog post is dedicated to Lee, Jon, Jason, Sarah, & Bella, Bev, Alice, Lauri, Jeanette, Kelly Hoernig & Madeline Faiella.   Thanks everyone!   LYM

“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.”  Desmond Tutu

Creative Dreams - Flora's Art Adventures

Not much Art being made around here lately - Flora's Friday Art Adventures

I've spent most of my time here lately.  On the couch, catching up on all the episodes of Doc Martin, sleeping and getting over whatever flu bug went around this year.  On the days I felt a little better I spent the time at my sister's house with Mom and rested on her couch.  This sounds so depressing, I know, but the truth is that I did a lot of dreaming about my future art projects. My creative mind was in overdrive. I have a cuckoo clock project to finish but in my dream it became an entire story about how time was created in a garden.  There were also Angels, flowers made of clock gears (which is the project I started before getting sick) and bees instead of a bird coming out of the clock. Each dream was different but with the same theme. I also planned a trip to Port Isaac in Cornwall, England (the village where they film Doc Martin).  So overall I'm not as depressed as I could be about missing the creative side of my design business.  I accomplished more than I thought I would!

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

Playing with Color Palettes

A Neutral Christmas Color Palette ©Cindy Rippe 2013

I've been wanting to create and photograph style boards ever since I saw a picture of one in a magazine from 1996.  My friend Kelly Hoernig and I finally started on this project the other day.  We gathered treasures we've been collecting; including fabrics, jewelry, books, dried seed pods, flowers.... you name it.  If it inspires us artistically we save it.  We had a really fun day playing with color and creativity.

I have been struggling with color for the last few years.  I think it's because I've been drawing so much in graphite.  There could be other reasons for it but I'm going to use this exercise to find my internal rainbow again!

One of my challenges will be to work with color schemes that I would normally not choose.  This neutral, primitive style, print was perfect.  I didn't really like the colors at first but it did have pine cones on it. Nature; you know I love that, and it reminded me of Christmas.   I laid the fabric swatch and green knitted place mat onto an old cable knit sweater. The little bird that I display each winter at home, plastic snowflakes, buttons, a wooden heart from Kelly's stash and a few of my pine cones completed the board.  Surprise!  I like it now.

I'll be sharing one of these Inspiration Boards each week throughout 2014.  We aren't all going to love the same color combinations but it might just spark the imagination and become a "jumping off" spot to create something new. My hope is to get back to painting more next year and maybe this will help.  I hope it will help you too!

"Creativity is contagious, pass it on!"  Albert Einstein