Paper Meditations

You may believe that to create a new piece I would think to myself something like the following:       “How could I create a unique flower inspired piece?”        “I think a sun shape would be nice to make out of this yellow paper.”       “Today I feel like making a cool looking star.” NO! None of that ever happens. Unlike a painter who typically has a general idea of what they want to paint I do not have a finished piece in mind. So how does my process work?  Rejected and/or Potential Ideas Recently I was analyzing my creative process and realized that no matter what I work on I always start with the same fundamental idea. This idea is the very reason I want to create. It is why I want to create. It has nothing to do with what you may think. I am not trying to make a pretty flower or represent a particular thing in a new way. I am motivated by the challenge of using paper in a way that no one has thought of before.   I see that as my purpose

Exhibition Announcement: As part of a First Friday event, the York Jewish Community Center was planning to hold a reception tonight for their latest art exhibition. Since that gathering was cancelled a virtual exhibit is currently available online. As a featured artist, you can view a few of my pieces and learn about Paper Meditations on the  JCC website . In addition, you will see many talented artists' works from the York Art Association. So let’s talk about the last six weeks. We have experienced weeks of building stress and uncertainty about our social and economic future. We have spent time researching questions about our new situation and our lives have been disrupted. We have faced emotional upheaval. We are trying to take one day at a time. Of course I am talking about the pandemic but I am also talking about a personal situation I have been dealing with at the same time. I have been so lucky to have an elderly parent that was able to live on her own, well into

I am not talking about the windows in your house that let the fresh air in!   I mean windows of activities.  Image a time frame in your day that you do certain things.  The first time I heard about “windows” was from my teenage son a long time ago. He was looking for a snack to eat after dinner. I suggested one of his favorites and he told me the “window” wasn’t open yet to eat that particular food and that he would have it later, closer to bedtime. I asked him to explain what he meant by “window.” I learned that it was part of a routine that he had determined worked best for him and that he had applied other “windows” to his day. I remember thinking to myself that having a set time to eat something seemed a bit strict, but I didn’t dismiss the idea. It did seem to work for him. Basically, it is having a routine that you have given thought to and have determined works for your benefit . Recently I applied two “windows” to my own life as part of a new year’s resolution, and I am happy

          It was rewarding to start the year by reaching 1000 followers to my PaperMeditations Instagram account. I was also gratified to complete some major art projects in 2019. You can read about them in my previous posts, including the table décor for a Bat Mitzvah , and the store window display in the United Kingdom . In addition, I was honored to have been recognized as a Master Artisan with the PA Guild of Craftsmen and to have receives awards for two pieces in the Lancaster County Art Association shows.           Those were the major accomplishments of the year but there were challenges too. When I started writing a monthly blog a year ago I didn’t think it would be difficult to find things to talk about but there have been more than a few times in the past year that I found myself stuck for an idea. One bit of advice my son offered me a few months ago was “write it for yourself as if it were like a diary”. Thanks to this encouragement from my son, Michael, I didn’t g

I was presented with an amazing opportunity in October. At that time, I was approached by Simon Morgan, the owner of  Bread + Butter Creative , a small  agency from Leeds, UK . He had seen my work on Instagram and asked if I would be interested in supplying 24 Blooming Facets of varying sizes for a holiday window display he was creating for   Owen & Robinson , a jewelry store client. I have always believed my work to be uniquely suited for store window displays so I was excited to take on the job. I got to work right away, got it done and out the door faster than I estimated and was happy that everything was going smoothly... until it didn't.   On Wednesday, November 6 th , I was very relieved to hear that the biggest and most important art project I had ever worked on was delivered successfully to the UK! This confirmation arrived after two weeks of intense work, followed by two weeks of anxious waiting for delivery by USPS Priority International mail. I was looking

           Halloween costumes have always been important to me. As a child my mother created wonderful, elaborate costumes for me and my brothers. My costumes as The Jolly green Giant and the Statue of Liberty won awards in our local contests. (Somehow, we created our own green make-up!) It was so fun to get compliments on my mother's creations that I wanted my own kids to have that same experience. I also enjoyed the creative process so I carried on the tradition.           My two oldest children are close in age so I was usually making two costumes at the same time every October. I really enjoyed the creative challenge of finding materials and putting them together. I  usually looked in goodwill stores for the basic pieces of a costume and keep adding details. I could hand stitch fabric together but I didn't have my mothers skills on a sewing machine so I relied on hot glue some of the time. My mom taught me that having a "gimmick" was key to a great costume. That