Getting in my groove

Somewhere along the way in the last year, I lost my groove. It just happened. Certainly there was plenty of chaos and life stressors. It's easy to put oneself, or one's passions, on the back burner when it comes to raising kids. I'm fine with that these days although there was a time I felt decidedly more resentful. There is usually an ebb and flow, and I have a great life. Still, it just feels so good when some of my dreams take center stage.

Recently, several things converged for me artistically... drawing, block carving, print making, and sewing. They were driven by the deadline of our upcoming holiday show, but nevertheless, it got me in gear. These images are prints that I did on textile with my carved stamps. I did these more than a year ago, but I carved them again during my hiatus this summer (aka: dog attack recovery.) Plenty of helpful info is listed in this post and this one if you're interested in giving carving and printing a try.

I absolutely love drawing, and it is thrilling to see how your drawing will look once you've carved it. The printing process is equally as gratifying for me. There is something very meditative about it as you get into the rhythm of printing. These were my first attempts at printing on textile. I used linen and Pebeo Setacolour opaque textile paint from Dharma Trading Post.

Here's some of the results. The top two are being made into pillows. I also designed a messenger bag. I've printed up about 18 for the show and we'll see if I get them all constructed in time. Did I mention that the show is just 10 days away?! Hmmmm. My goal is to remain healthy while cranking it all out.

So... I've been a busy little bee, but that's usually the case this time of year. I find that I'm feeling really energized by my new creations, so let's hope is the drive that I need to get it all done. Really, though, even if I don't get everything made that I want to, the very best part is feeling like I'm back in my creative groove. Ah, yes. That's more like it.