Painting a picture is a funny thing

Painting a picture is a funny thing. 

It's so easy to look at a finished piece and think 'if I knew it was going to look like that then I could have done it a lot quicker'. 

The finished piece of art doesn't show its stages of incompleteness and indecision, it simply radiates it's cohesion and harmony.

I am guilty sometimes of looking at other people's work and thinking 'I could do that!' And yes I probably could, now that the piece has been created, but would I have gone through all the creative decisions that they did to get there in the first place?

The answer is probably no.

What would you do when faced with the infinity of a blank page? For the options really are infinite and can stop a lot of creativity in its tracks. But if you go beyond that and get something down, what choices do you then make?

What size, what shape, what colour, what subject, what medium, what style, what, what what? A million decisions need to be made and this is often at the stage when the answer to those questions is actually 'I have no idea!'

I rarely start a piece of art with the completed vision sitting like a photograph in my head. 

The beginning for me is the impulse, the drive to create something, anything ! 

And so then I get drawn to colour and I play and let the paints do their own thing.

I like a certain amount of randomness in my work. It's good to have control, but it's good to let go and experiment. To see where you might go. New visions and images start opening up and this is so exciting! 

My Glitter and Earth pictures come together almost serendipitously. With my handmade stamps I can compose pictures quickly and without that feeling of infinite search that can be so exhausting!

Before I know it they have a life of their own and then I can build up the scene, adding texture and of course glitter. 

I can't quite help it. I love the way that different coloured glitter reflects the light. It changes the picture ever so slightly as you move it. It's entrancing and beautiful. 

I love the process of making my cards and pictures. I find it meditative and healing.

At the moment, looking after my little girl, my time is so precious that my art has become my surfing and my yoga. I take flight in my moments of creativity and I connect to something that is beyond me as well as part of me.

This connection with something outside of me, gives me confidence in the finished piece. I feel like I'm channeling energy, prana, something
 divine. In this way my work is guided. I don't create. I am simply the vehicle that facilitated it! 

It's a journey every time and it's important to me that the process is one of joy, because that is what I want to share with the world.

Thanks for reading and being part of my journey.

I'd love to hear about your creative journey! Have you ever said 'I could do that' after looking at somebody's work and then actually tried? 

Personalised Christmas Gifts

It's a bit weird thinking about Christmas when the summer's warmth is still lingering and autumn has only started to touch the trees.

But I wanted to show you some of my new framed pictures.

These are available to buy at The Roundhouse and Capstan Gallery in Sennen. the Roundhouse and Capstan Gallery

However, if you would like something custom made for you or a friend, then this is the perfect time to get in touch to avoid disappointment!

These pictures cost £35 and the frame measures 5"x7". (I will be making larger ones soon!)

Please get in touch to discuss! The more info you give me about the recipient, the more I can tailor it and make it extra special.

    glitterandearth@gmail.com
     www.jacquelinewild.com

Best wishes and fairy kisses xxxx

Rogue theatre

Days of magic

08/24/2014

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"Remember you are the stories you tell about yourself. So make them good ones."

It was the end of summer fairy ball and we wound our way along a woodland path past mermaids and singers, fire jugglers and a spider lady.

Each character and scene a preview of what was to come.

Like Alice in Wonderland we found ourselves in a world where things were not quite as they normally are.

But a world of beauty and magic which we were lucky enough to be part of.

The fairy path led us this way and that until we passed through a door that took us to the fairy ball.

We watched as five tales were told, of dragons and head teachers that turn into spiders and a tale of love and passion and the thrill of the ride.

At the end we danced as the sunlight sent it's last kisses into the clearing.

How we found our way out is another story, but we made it in the end and we know that we will go back. Although it will be another time and another door.

We made it home dreaming of the stories we could tell about ourselves and the magic we really are.

http://www.roguetheatre.co.uk

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The Whimsy Emporium

It's a great feeling when you are inspired. I was lucky enough to find The Bohemian Collective and fall in love with their beautiful, whimsical look books. The Collective shares a spiritual, earth, hippie vibe, filled with white lacey crochet, turquoise and animal skulls.

Take a look at the website to see what I mean: Boho collective

There is a sense of freedom and connection on every page.

The Whimsy Emporium is part of this collective and when I saw an Instagram post for a collaboration, I said 'yeah!'

This picture is the end result and below is a bit more about the process and some earlier stages of the work.

Natasha, Miss Whimsy herself, said she liked my work and that was enough to get me scribbling away.

I used an image from the Boho Collective's 'Winter blues, summer dreaming' look book and incorporated Natasha's most recent necklace and earrings that she had posted on Facebook.

Things quickly took shape.

I played around with the image in Photocandy a little bit in the initial stages to get an idea for layers and patterns.

In the end however, I didn't feel that it needed any extras. I loved the process so much! I felt like I was channeling the image and it just came alive.

I am so grateful for having the opportunity to create this piece and look forward to seeing where Natasha uses it.

Please take a look at her Etsy shop: The Whimsy Emporium which has so many glorious pieces and the adornments that my whimsical fairy is wearing.

A mermaids tail

Making a mermaids tail has been an exciting project for me. Did I really have time to do it? No! But I couldn't let that stop me. The thought of making a wearable piece of fantasy art was just too tempting.

The tail is for a calendar to raise money for Jubilee Pool in Penzance that got damaged by all the storms over the winter. It's much loved by locals and deserves to continue to be an iconic facility.

Once I had made my mind up I had a quick trawl on ebay to see what I could use and ended up buying a white pair of jogging bottoms, a pack of doilies and a mish mash of crochet table mats. 

I cut the doilies in half and sewed them onto the jogging bottoms. I did most of the work in the car so that Tabitha wouldn't start pulling at it and hurt herself on pins. I simply layered it up, started at the bottom and worked round and round till I used up my pack.

I was pretty happy when the crochet arrived as I needed it to cover up the top half. The amount I had was perfect for filling in the gap.

I used some distress inks and some glitter to add a bit more layering to it. I thought that it was looking a bit too bridal! Lovely though! Made me think of my wedding dress! 

Fairy oracle Friday

When I was about 15 I was given some crystals with a fortune telling kit and I think that that was one of the things that hooked me into all things magical. I loved the way certain crystals seemed to leap out of my hand and fix themselves firmly on the velvet cloth.

I got my first tarot pack not long after and spent hours reading about the meanings, trying to dedicate it all to memory. I learnt about the Major and Minor Arcana, how to read different layouts and generally how to tap into something that just whispered at the edge of my consciousness. 

I can't remember the name of this pack, but it used Greek mythology as part of its imagery and I enjoyed the way that each suit followed a logical story, making the message of the cards easy to remember.

I wrapped these cards in black silk as you are supposed to do and packed them carefully away during times of non use. For years I kept them in a box. Too precious to throw away, to personal to pass on.

I was lucky enough to win my Brian Froud deck. I remember decorating the envelope with a mushroom and glitter! I'm pretty sure it helped! The book is even signed by Mr Froud himself.

This deck is beautiful and an art form to read! The explanations in the book are a joy to read and are really insightful on their own. Full of fairy wisdom, topsy turvy logic and a sense of deep spirituality. I love it. 

The book is really useful in learning how to read the cards. You could read them just with intuition, but there would be a lot of depth missed that way. The lady that wrote the meanings spent hours meditating on each one and I have not put that level of work in!

The fairy oracle by Doreen Virtue was a present from my sister and is perfect for a one card reading. The cards are self explanatory on their own, but the booklet goes a bit deeper and includes affirmations.

This I great when you you just fancy a little guidance without having to get yourself in a meditative zone.

I'm not sure what made me pull down my box of cards the other day (the fairies must have been tugging at my sleeve!) but it's been nice to reacquaint myself with a bit of fairy magic. 

There was a time when I pulled a card a day and I thought that other people might like the odd fairy card read here and there. I am going to do a Fairy Oracle Friday, from now on, so just get in touch and ask! I'd be really happy to help the fairies pass on their wisdom. Xxx

Best craft bag ever?

Well my sister kindly bought this bag for me not long after the birth of my beautiful little girl. I think I was supposed to use it as a nappy bag, but I found it impractical for shopping with as I could hardly fit anything in!

However, I have found that my craft supplies fit ever so neatly into the many pockets. I have a pocket for acrylics, another for sequins, another for my cards and so on. Plus, there is still room for a nappy and wet wipes. It's so handy. And it looks lovely too!

How about you? Do you have a bag that you couldn't live without? Please share your favourite!

Things worth keeping

So, it was my beautiful baby girl's first birthday on Wednesday and I can't help but think back to when I saw her for the first time: the midwife asked me what sex it was and me, delirious and bewildered, looked at my baby and saw it was a girl. A beautiful, raw, bonny girl! 

A year has passed in a dreamy delight. A bubble of sleep deprived love that is so wonderful. I am blessed and I know it. 

I was sent a lot of cards to celebrate the birth of Tabitha Joy and I have kept them all. Each precious in their warm wishes and love for a new life in the world. 

I wanted to share the gifts and words that my friend from college, Emma, sent to me. Her words are another blessing, treasures that can't be bought, but something that will always be kept.

"Then you came" was written for her birth and "A Silver Spoon" was written for her birthday.

Random acts of kindness

So I was enjoying my large cappuccino and munching on a particularly buttery flap jack at the Cafe Dog and Rabbit last Thursday. Some Latin music was playing and I jigged around trying to entertain Tabitha whilst reading the notice board with posters for shamanic healing and art exhibitions.

I then spied a lone bit of paper with the words "practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty" and some info on how Anne Herbert had written those words on a napkin in a cafe in San Francisco. The words stuck with me long after I had finished my drink and whooshed my baby off on her next adventure.

Just the mention  of San Francisco is enough to get me reminiscing about my honeymoon in California and the one evening we spent in San Fransisco riding the cable cars and watching fireworks light up the sky as it was the Fourth of July. Our stay was brief as we were lucky enough to get a last minute camping pitch in Yosemite and a night under ancient redwoods and the promise of bears called us onward.

I would love to go back though and explore streets lined with beautiful pastel coloured houses and have a whiskey in a bar where Keroac used to go. I have a soft spot for the hippie movement that was so strong there and the words of Anne Herbert seem to sum up some of that spirit.

Happily dreaming I wondered what I could do that would be considered a random act of kindness. There is a website Random acts of kindness that has lots of ideas and resources. It's great to think about how doing something simple, like writing a letter can have such a positive impact on someone.

Well, after my giveaway last week, the idea of giving away something as my act of kindness twirled around in my head for a while. I remembered my box of handmade flower brooches and also the felt flowers I made for dogs (!) that had been tucked away and decided to release them into the world.

I put some on the tables at the Cafe Dog and Rabbit yesterday and some at Archie's in Penzance earlier today. It felt a little odd, (I asked the staff and explained first) but it was also quite exciting! I like the thought that someone will read my little note and feel a bit special for a while. Maybe it will inspire them to research random acts of kindness and start practicing their own.

There is a world kindness day later this year on November 13th and a whole week dedicated to random acts of kindness next year Feb 9-15th.

I think that I am going to have to send some of my cards out.

What about you? Any ideas?

Friends and family are my inspiration

Friends and family really are my inspiration. It is when I create work for people that I know, I feel that images just come to me. It makes me want to do my best work too, so that they know how special they are.

I try to put the same energy into every card I do as it's really important to me that a card 'sings' and has the right energy. 

Below are the stages of development of a card for my friends who have just had a baby girl. 

It all starts pretty basic, just getting some colours down. My friend has a thing for orange and turquoise though so I knew I wanted those as foundation colours.

I made some tiny fairy stamps to represent the new baby and played around a little bit with the placement of different stamps.

Things are starting to take shape at this stage, but with the new baby called Flora, I simply had to add more flowers!

A fresh take on business

Well, business has always been a bit of a dirty word in my book. As a creative person I have looked at business as something that proper people do and not something that my brain was ever properly designed to deal with.

I have realised though that in order to become the artist that I want to be, to develop my skills, create beauty and also be a positive role model for my little girl, I need to work on the business side of my creativity.

I have been making lots of connections, working on my teams on Etsy, joined the Indie hour, a support and network group for fellow small businesses (hello Jill and Peta!) and joined some great groups on Facebook. 

Some of the best articles I have read recently include:
The Design Trust 
How to sell your crafts online

There are lots of articles. Really good ones. So I will be going back for ongoing advice.

Etsy on working together and focusing on your target market
Marketing your shop together

A brilliant article that really helps you to focus and how to work with your online teams and buddies.

My creative mind is being expanded and I am enjoying the process. 

I haven't got to the number crunching bit yet though, but I promise I will. (Mentally uncrosses fingers). I will, I will, I will!

But not today. Now is sleepy time for baby and it's #wineoclock for me.

Card giveaway

My first giveaway!

I am giving away one frameable, keepsake card to three lucky people.

Each one is signed, titled and dated and looks lovely in a simple frame. (So you might want to keep it for yourself!)

 All you have to do is like my Facebook page, glitter and earth and share the card you would like on your timeline. Simples! 

You have a really good chance of winning as my page is quite new.

I shall select winners on June 6th at 8.00pm.

Good luck x

Spring in Cornwall

It's happening slowly. Just wanted to share some recent photos I have taken.

This is my front garden.

Sea thrift

Gorse.

There's magic in the air!

There's a lot of magic around at the moment, especially with the sun shining. Cornwall is transformed from a granite cage into a paradise with a stunning blue ocean that once again seems inviting. The air feels fresh and hopeful and the hedgerows are blossoming with whites and pinks. 

All in all it's very pretty!

I was inspired by Massofhair's suggestion to enter the pan pastel palette challenge and it's been on my mind all week.

I decided to do an entry in Tabitha's journal that included elements  of our days out together.

I'm quite new to journaling, but it's nice to have some freedom to explore shapes and patterns without getting too hung up on results.

I picked a flower so that I could do a close up study of it. 

Driving to the top of Sennen has been lovely this week. Tabitha has slept for a couple of hours each time, while I have been able to let my mind wander whilst doodling away.

I used the cd case to squirt my acrylics onto and baby wipes to clean my brush with. I used one of my stamps for the leaf pattern at the bottom, but was happy just using a brush to fill in the colours with.