tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50877176454875591432024-03-06T02:10:36.390-06:00The Art and Poetry of Kathie BirdKatherine Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18344546546177188534noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5087717645487559143.post-76240915452690811182015-10-04T22:37:00.001-06:002015-12-09T00:00:23.893-06:00Sharing Energies<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This painting honors the inner strength and sacred beliefs of my friend Connie.</span><br />
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"Sharing Energies" Copyright Katherine Bird <br />
<span style="text-align: center;">Acrylic on gallery wrap canvas </span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;">24 x 36" </span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;">Completed September 13, 2015</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Painted with fluid colors applied with a dropper, this particular piece contains an interesting effect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After the preliminary drawing I coated the canvas with tar gel, a clear coating that allows a smooth surface for easier paint application. When the tar gel dried, I started applying the paint. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next day, after the paint had dried I noticed many cracks in the paint surface. It had happened to me before when painting on a hard surface, but never on a canvas. It thought it was because of the tar gel, but I used it as directed. I contacted the company who produced the product. The company technician seemed to be scratching his head about it, saying he has never seen that before, suggesting it may have something to do with fluctuating room temperature. I knew that it wasn't the case. I decided to accept the aberration and continued painting. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">More interesting was that the cracks only appeared in the trees and in the background. The paint in the figure did not behave the same way.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlAjCs3Og1hZWn9ZuhV9M17q3EYbWePuZ0A5Y6YTWr71y79OXQwoLR2Pak-PH80N1PDQPHhiUA8UBWdrMQtA_nuLXe978RuWUXDZrPCJVKndS64GQ-fUk3uqpu7XqMUjPcDHjfiziar13/s1600/Sharing+Energies+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlAjCs3Og1hZWn9ZuhV9M17q3EYbWePuZ0A5Y6YTWr71y79OXQwoLR2Pak-PH80N1PDQPHhiUA8UBWdrMQtA_nuLXe978RuWUXDZrPCJVKndS64GQ-fUk3uqpu7XqMUjPcDHjfiziar13/s400/Sharing+Energies+crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It is one of those cases where the paint seems to take its own action to show the meaning of the image. The cracks represent the crackles of energy from the trees - so fitting with the action of acknowledging the tree and its connection to life; exchanging respect, wisdom and energies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The benefits of tree energy: "It has recently been scientifically validated that hugging trees is good for you. Research has shown that you don't even have to touch a tree to get better - just being within its vicinity has a beneficial effect.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"In a recently published book, <i>Blinded by Science,</i> the author Matthew Silverstone proves scientifically that trees do in fact improve many health issues such as concentration levels, reaction times, depression, stress and other various forms of mental illness. He even points to research indicating a tree's ability to alleviate headaches in humans seeking relief by communing with trees."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">See more at:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://theunboundedspirit.com/tree-hugging-now-scientifically-validated/">http://theunboundedspirit.com/tree-hugging-now-scientifically-validated/</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Katherine Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18344546546177188534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5087717645487559143.post-76815547815490505722015-05-03T12:34:00.000-06:002015-05-03T13:48:06.373-06:00The Naturalist<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsBeLbE7szH4NySNgEQas6NFV4FlXIyeEtltWsPAtvgj_1Jgb-ihoQH2QmXvNio4R_kP3GHsj5RhuAscCd5L1UEctLlxbJRXEvibGEoh-s2wTzhsyDp5rIAV4dbTk7ffMndzLI6ZpHYHjN/s1600/The+Naturalist+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsBeLbE7szH4NySNgEQas6NFV4FlXIyeEtltWsPAtvgj_1Jgb-ihoQH2QmXvNio4R_kP3GHsj5RhuAscCd5L1UEctLlxbJRXEvibGEoh-s2wTzhsyDp5rIAV4dbTk7ffMndzLI6ZpHYHjN/s1600/The+Naturalist+3.jpg" height="400" width="293" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Titled, "The Naturalist" for my friend, Trista, who carries much knowledge about natural alternatives to health. Her home, a small apartment, is alive with colorful blankets and interesting objects that convert the usual trappings of north american lifestyle to that of an older and wiser world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Acrylic "dropper" on canvas 24 x 18"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">completed April 28, 2015</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4RYPrEHW2Lv7LuuUHhYioRCRgnKlhVbPY0fkt9BgfoKX7tS8nPy4_MXBvQorqP2lm-Ef3fhpzFhjjsLfjJjmbzvrNCkEkEZLzYuikOIc_N7Vu3kpHC2OhrmogpgUq5orTqlqgbuXyl3CP/s1600/2015-04-12+20.49.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4RYPrEHW2Lv7LuuUHhYioRCRgnKlhVbPY0fkt9BgfoKX7tS8nPy4_MXBvQorqP2lm-Ef3fhpzFhjjsLfjJjmbzvrNCkEkEZLzYuikOIc_N7Vu3kpHC2OhrmogpgUq5orTqlqgbuXyl3CP/s1600/2015-04-12+20.49.02.jpg" height="320" width="233" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The painting was done from a small digital photo source - one that Trista had posted of herself on Facebook. I thought the photo was so exquisite - the patterns, the colors, and the cosy atmosphere - that I was inspired to create the painting.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQGFcQzpYTT36vdyqe9_zVpxfKp4vOtFEJoyGNIhjWcb5Ay2YNvUcqrSPa-ISbScYEIeqQsfTUy39G9ki76dlM2tuj06UG-ddzqKCGudsRNYlK3reilvHmSMT6EUg24pw0czfdSYV15oD/s1600/2015-04-16+12.12.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQGFcQzpYTT36vdyqe9_zVpxfKp4vOtFEJoyGNIhjWcb5Ay2YNvUcqrSPa-ISbScYEIeqQsfTUy39G9ki76dlM2tuj06UG-ddzqKCGudsRNYlK3reilvHmSMT6EUg24pw0czfdSYV15oD/s1600/2015-04-16+12.12.04.jpg" height="320" width="232" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">This one was done directly from the initial sketch without an under painting.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQGFcQzpYTT36vdyqe9_zVpxfKp4vOtFEJoyGNIhjWcb5Ay2YNvUcqrSPa-ISbScYEIeqQsfTUy39G9ki76dlM2tuj06UG-ddzqKCGudsRNYlK3reilvHmSMT6EUg24pw0czfdSYV15oD/s1600/2015-04-16+12.12.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I prepared a range of 26 premixed shades for this piece. Colors were applied with a dropper and wetly 'scumbled,' or blended in small sections of the canvas during the painting process.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEv1LLReDXLhFHlsoNpgel_AiodEQb6YGJjY7798idEUdFzAhljcHEWZJdrr86nsJHND2P1wHVmFb3xeBqH206_Rb8rT0siqynaGJiVZU39hJ4zjpI8b_cY2Dn9cuAthZ8QdSe8Zvvgg4k/s1600/2015-04-19+11.59.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEv1LLReDXLhFHlsoNpgel_AiodEQb6YGJjY7798idEUdFzAhljcHEWZJdrr86nsJHND2P1wHVmFb3xeBqH206_Rb8rT0siqynaGJiVZU39hJ4zjpI8b_cY2Dn9cuAthZ8QdSe8Zvvgg4k/s1600/2015-04-19+11.59.50.jpg" height="320" width="236" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;">I thoroughly enjoyed each part of this painting process because I had to work quickly with the paint for each section - mixing the colors in before they began to set - and then anticipating how they would actually</span><br />
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<br />Katherine Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18344546546177188534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5087717645487559143.post-56111641387558574112015-04-12T22:00:00.000-06:002015-04-13T12:16:16.793-06:00Being the Ocean<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Being the Ocean </i>24 x 48 inches</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Acrylic 'dropper' technique</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">April 15, 2015</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On a recent trip to Costa Rica I spotted these beautiful kids absorbed in their experience: the warmth and movement of the water; the sun; the rhythmic music of the surf. This is the original photo that I took of the moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I wanted to preserve as much as possible of their gestures and the way the sun lit their figures, while intensifying the range of colors in the water.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIskjnQIraV11mfhcLbpUjY9FSUJy41-H3AJIY-OqRxpmWgdBgFLDMS7VTQs78ujQ29JDSNRcLFQHjBDJelzfXaU0hV2z_4lzlEmPtRmsktSrPpQM_u7rE42D5QcNGosuWfI0tDhovTBO/s1600/2015-03-14+22.34.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIskjnQIraV11mfhcLbpUjY9FSUJy41-H3AJIY-OqRxpmWgdBgFLDMS7VTQs78ujQ29JDSNRcLFQHjBDJelzfXaU0hV2z_4lzlEmPtRmsktSrPpQM_u7rE42D5QcNGosuWfI0tDhovTBO/s1600/2015-03-14+22.34.20.jpg" height="156" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">After drawing, my first step was to apply an under-painting of colored glazes to make the canvas more receptive to the application of paint applied with an eye dropper.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6O_UUBZZi9s9Mmoj0LsdKM9zZzEtEGBzr55B6mwSKutRcIRU1GC3JUA09BsUQzvXSBcVuPODPDw3s-VsUn3_NRtYsz3CA5NoD3OvEUkiQsXBnvsUu3eVCynfNLUJ-WlHUdPmy4_a6lmI/s1600/2015-03-18+13.27.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6O_UUBZZi9s9Mmoj0LsdKM9zZzEtEGBzr55B6mwSKutRcIRU1GC3JUA09BsUQzvXSBcVuPODPDw3s-VsUn3_NRtYsz3CA5NoD3OvEUkiQsXBnvsUu3eVCynfNLUJ-WlHUdPmy4_a6lmI/s1600/2015-03-18+13.27.13.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Beginning at the top right (because I am left-handed) I started applying complete layers of paint to the far ocean water and distant rocks, then worked my way down the top wave. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Colors are applied wet-in-wet, giving them a pleasing swirly quality that work well with the water.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiA6TkKxmsonE-BHxE7_Tl65C5p_tMvOtPeIkJ5nY82fmyiNo9V9aQIgkzoPrsfUn8Z0eT5TJ0aZQvwis9O-UXQS-6xZvlqwRkfqk9tDrFu5oybCAdujU-dEGENPiTjHJ919US50mMGLq7/s1600/2015-03-20+19.07.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiA6TkKxmsonE-BHxE7_Tl65C5p_tMvOtPeIkJ5nY82fmyiNo9V9aQIgkzoPrsfUn8Z0eT5TJ0aZQvwis9O-UXQS-6xZvlqwRkfqk9tDrFu5oybCAdujU-dEGENPiTjHJ919US50mMGLq7/s1600/2015-03-20+19.07.17.jpg" height="158" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Darker colors in the water-washed sand are added first. Fluid acrylics, when mixed with a generous portion of fluid medium, have a small degree of transparency, so overlaid colors offer hints of the darker layers beneath.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRES0dMmskaCYRoLKruCRrBHy5Jb-c-POZ7EhwAd8KG1Sby4aCGA-4ZgtZ3XYTolEWUNx3au6IwzVR_Bcelac4QzyhW5HQdypP5pvFM3mOtZt5lejI8b9wwMzhyzilrVF4_VbRQRDalM0a/s1600/2015-03-22+22.10.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRES0dMmskaCYRoLKruCRrBHy5Jb-c-POZ7EhwAd8KG1Sby4aCGA-4ZgtZ3XYTolEWUNx3au6IwzVR_Bcelac4QzyhW5HQdypP5pvFM3mOtZt5lejI8b9wwMzhyzilrVF4_VbRQRDalM0a/s1600/2015-03-22+22.10.04.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a> <span style="font-size: large;">The canvas is always laid flat for paint application. The main range of colors, like an organized palette, stay in a handy order of hue and saturation.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbvTDSToeyxpOQy-O4zyCTI7marktRNdbcWeJ84pWJfkS5A_b79R6VNGCXEj2vfn_LYIRb9bmy_4mEYrqPzPbE404780UmSPwEdzWFxFUYbf3WvQZ0Z7h-lwD8JRkxhl5hNxw7SpZBjkY/s1600/2015-04-04+18.17.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbvTDSToeyxpOQy-O4zyCTI7marktRNdbcWeJ84pWJfkS5A_b79R6VNGCXEj2vfn_LYIRb9bmy_4mEYrqPzPbE404780UmSPwEdzWFxFUYbf3WvQZ0Z7h-lwD8JRkxhl5hNxw7SpZBjkY/s1600/2015-04-04+18.17.46.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">The children are rendered in varying shades of orange and an orange/violet/blue mix for shadows.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJYg9pb_6XVnpRM1JdfbLUFosKwYnOlStoouQ90rnxYfSkB9Z30E2PZ0BOus0xOIFpITCqhdtQ3ncHxqEowBNWbvrKHCrADwm-ORdxtuYogT9eiA8lmBr8DFk7KS9nLAWiaAGHQsBK4Z4/s1600/2015-04-06+17.22.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJYg9pb_6XVnpRM1JdfbLUFosKwYnOlStoouQ90rnxYfSkB9Z30E2PZ0BOus0xOIFpITCqhdtQ3ncHxqEowBNWbvrKHCrADwm-ORdxtuYogT9eiA8lmBr8DFk7KS9nLAWiaAGHQsBK4Z4/s1600/2015-04-06+17.22.13.jpg" height="161" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The movement of the water is rendered by wet-in-wet applications of various shades of blue and violet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Applications of layers of paint for the water, the bottom wave, and the children are alternated over several days to allow for drying time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Final touches consist of adding splashes of water around the playing boys and additional sparkles of light on other areas of the water.</span><br />
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<br />Katherine Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18344546546177188534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5087717645487559143.post-25950289349641204522015-03-21T22:44:00.001-06:002015-03-21T22:54:09.883-06:00"I am a Writer" The Story of the Painting<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">One of my
artistic goals is to do a collection of portraits of local homeless
people. I want to show others how those
individuals who may be spotted on our downtown streets can have such
interesting stories. They deserve more attention
and respect than they usually receive.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It was July
of 2013. I was taking a week of independent
painting with instructor George Glen at the Prince Albert Art Centre. It was a great opportunity to use this
location to find models for portraits by looking out the second floor
window at the downtown park below. I
spotted an older man sitting on one of the benches. Quickly I gathered my notebook, camera, and a
prepared model release form and went outside to meet him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I
introduced myself and offered to pay five dollars for a few photos and a
little information. The man immediately
agreed. I had him sign my model release
form, getting his name and his signed permission for me to use his image for a potential
painting for which I retained copyright.
Legalities out of the way I told him to tell me a bit about himself
while I took some impromptu photos.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Augie’s
first statement about himself was this: “I am a Writer.” He went on to tell me that he was writing
stories about himself for a book. That
was not an unusual thing to hear – even from someone who declared himself to be
relatively homeless. It was his
subsequent descriptions of his life that had me thinking, “Okay, this man is
obviously a story teller, and a good one.”
Some of his experiences, such becoming a star boxer and meeting Sugar
Ray fit in with my understanding of story tellers, for whom accuracy of fact
takes a back seat to fictional embellishment.
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I enjoyed
listening to him talk as I photographed and sketched him. As he described his experiences of
residential school I consciously kept my mouth shut, for that is an area I deal
with in my work life as a mental health therapist. Here I was just being an artist. I already had a notion of just how the
experience of separation from family and community and language would have
affected the child that he was. He went
on to describe his adult life as a northern guide and naturalist. He said “The things I know about survival in
the bush – those are things that will be important to many other people very
soon. I am writing about that too. The
world needs that knowledge.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MynZTWFOoubVnr-yRsSgAXSRn998G8Wkg5r7r-jpRS6K0SpCTDQcNk0sLew-lTw5N6MNWKlykDOan1sAIVH-5xMxYqfZNPWzsomNpFvUOa6V-K7Di8B60ljDc3-_XXQffY2RSNlhqkAp/s1600/DSCN1829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></a><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Very satisfied
with the time spent with Augie, I returned to the studio in the Art Centre and
commenced the under-</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">painting for the portrait of this interesting man; his full
name, Joseph Augustus Merasty. Later in
the year the painting was enhanced by applying a final layer of paint with a
dropper, rather than a brush. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqSwVfZDOqSYwDgR8Qi32cZfeCfkTGpI7w0GQOSDnCIhb_XD31hXCRpoXKbXKBAw6U0778qwhbwTnbljIp83LyPx8gEsAc9dKow4POD7HkXzYW0YSU3mjt62Z8vxk3QoweZEqUaCst1ZD/s1600/I+am+a+writer+Joseph+Merasty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqSwVfZDOqSYwDgR8Qi32cZfeCfkTGpI7w0GQOSDnCIhb_XD31hXCRpoXKbXKBAw6U0778qwhbwTnbljIp83LyPx8gEsAc9dKow4POD7HkXzYW0YSU3mjt62Z8vxk3QoweZEqUaCst1ZD/s1600/I+am+a+writer+Joseph+Merasty.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">On its
first public display the portrait of Augie was purchased by the Mann Art
Gallery for its permanent collection.
Subsequently it was displayed in Saskatoon as a part of a show curated
by Michel Boutin. It was at that show
that someone relayed the information about it to the University of Regina
publishing company – the one that was in the process of publishing a book of
memoirs of Augie Merasty!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I found
that out when I got an email from the publisher, Bruce Walsh.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> He</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> received a photo of my painting and
wanted to know if it could be used in the book and if it was, indeed, Augie
Merasty.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I was grateful that I did have
the foresight to have had Augie sign the model release, although I was teased a
little in the class for being so business-like with street people.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Sending him a copy of the document was an easy confirmation.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Perhaps
that is the lesson behind this painting.
People that we may see (and most want to avoid) on the streets –
particularly those that appear a little shabbier, may contain the most valuable
stories for all of us. We would not know
that unless we treat them as rightful citizens and take the time to listen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Book <i>The Education of Augie Merasty: A Residential School Memoir </i>has now been published and available through the University of Regina Press. The link brings another story about the man and his book.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/residential-school-survivors-memoir-details-decade-of-utter-cruelty/article23556082/?cmpid=rss1&click=sf_globefb" target="_blank">http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/residential-school-survivors-memoir-details-decade-of-utter-cruelty/article23556082/?cmpid=rss1&click=sf_globefb</a></span></span></span></div>
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<br />
Here is a glimpse into this wonderful space. <br />
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Scroll down for an older, slightly related poem.<br />
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<b><span lang="EN-CA">Pastel Pictures</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">Can’t you see that life is too precious<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">for bland, pastel pictures<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">faded and dulled to complacency?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">Do they really capture your spirit<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">make it laugh or cry or sing?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">I could not declare my life to be truth<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">if I gazed on a sweep of mountains<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">splashed with morning light<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">and did not feel the ache to share their
beauty;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">witness the gifts of life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">without the urge to gift them again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">If I walked, as many would have it, through my
days containing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">all the melodies of my love<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">the drumbeats of my anger<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">the sharps and flats of my grief<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">I could not speak with those deep reds of
passion<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">Shimmering blues of insight<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA">excited oranges of curiosity<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA">ballooning yellows of joy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA">or the erratic splashes of glee<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA">If I lived with grey walls and moats and
armoured heart<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA">I would live a picture with no spirit<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">to be glimpsed at, then forgotten.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Copyright Kathie Bird, 1984<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Katherine Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18344546546177188534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5087717645487559143.post-91956120911573493782015-03-09T21:42:00.000-06:002015-03-09T21:56:22.858-06:00Urban Gaea<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Urban Gaea</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Acrylic dropper 36 x 24"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">March 3, 2015</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbD6_4kaesrs_AzZ1YFA1wS7RP_P1QFKHpIG7p3TGDaG2m6-WfxEiYn6IQCYl5o324AymvIUvbrO7SL-H1DQD5XaAb8LgUVoH2fUl3h-zgbsCkBWF-UVjNCE6bb0zKg5ch-JoZdAljS1lU/s1600/DSC_0871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbD6_4kaesrs_AzZ1YFA1wS7RP_P1QFKHpIG7p3TGDaG2m6-WfxEiYn6IQCYl5o324AymvIUvbrO7SL-H1DQD5XaAb8LgUVoH2fUl3h-zgbsCkBWF-UVjNCE6bb0zKg5ch-JoZdAljS1lU/s1600/DSC_0871.JPG" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Copyright Katherine Bird</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: large;">Urban Gaea</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">September 16, 2014</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: large;">Her child
against her breast like a second skin<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: large;">Her countenance
serene<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: large;">As her
energy vies for power with the sun<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: large;">Disguising her gift ‘neath casual cast<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: large;">From Gaea her spirit feeds </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: large;">She blesses
the bus with her voluptuous light</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA"><br /></span></div>
"Gaea, or Mother Earth, was the great goddess of the early Greeks. She represented the Earth and was worshipped as the universal mother. In Greek mythology, she created the Universe and gave birth to both the first race of gods and the first humans."<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">http://www.windows2universe.org/mythology/gaea.html</span></span>Katherine Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18344546546177188534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5087717645487559143.post-77976128122953903302015-03-09T20:53:00.000-06:002015-03-09T21:44:04.865-06:00Storytime<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Storytime</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Acrylic dropper, February 28/15</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">24 x 30"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_V2DFSBGhuNY4dNDzsnF2GZWxI5TlcrJ8HnNpwHN3ElYYIHXK3Vk6NQF9GH9lJQX2Kqf-h0wRyaqAbM_xqvXlyb0teWTHXjSFkYc8JMrbsnvScWoqeQJSWyVSoJWsqkj7NDNSgJ5XZuv/s1600/DSC_0872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_V2DFSBGhuNY4dNDzsnF2GZWxI5TlcrJ8HnNpwHN3ElYYIHXK3Vk6NQF9GH9lJQX2Kqf-h0wRyaqAbM_xqvXlyb0teWTHXjSFkYc8JMrbsnvScWoqeQJSWyVSoJWsqkj7NDNSgJ5XZuv/s1600/DSC_0872.JPG" height="321" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was an outdoor lunch in Italy - sunlight flooding the tabletop, bouncing off of glass, reflecting on the faces of people deep in happy conversation.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Some photos of the creation of Storytime (courtesy Shirley Barg, photographer, Edmonton, Alta)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV77rvFFt0J7MExYYP06n8eC-eHD4jiDGCyJnBQNk-rPrhOGBYHCg3k-N_rTw_jmcsr-ALKpsdC0OdklGR3zvL0GW0SKIwUVhErfy40Kp5Whyphenhyphenjg4rUUipcGvGTm8BFGvIo5vqs_ZAChgLd/s1600/IMG_4213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV77rvFFt0J7MExYYP06n8eC-eHD4jiDGCyJnBQNk-rPrhOGBYHCg3k-N_rTw_jmcsr-ALKpsdC0OdklGR3zvL0GW0SKIwUVhErfy40Kp5Whyphenhyphenjg4rUUipcGvGTm8BFGvIo5vqs_ZAChgLd/s1600/IMG_4213.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Katherine Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18344546546177188534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5087717645487559143.post-79547781499815406332015-03-05T22:51:00.000-06:002015-03-05T22:51:38.664-06:00Wash Day<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial Alternative",serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial Alternative",serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">A poem penned in 1984 while sitting in a laundromat<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial Alternative",serif;">Wash day</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA">He remembers wash day as a child</span><br />
W<span lang="EN-CA">hen everyone would gather at the river with their bundles</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA">The women - laughing over private jokes</span></div>
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Worked diligently with their family clothing</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Tender hands on precious cloth</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Water and stones and trees and fires</div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA">And the men, hunkered in circles</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA">Exchanged stories and news</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA">While the children tended the horses</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA">And shrieked in tumbling play</span><br />
It was a sharing day - a happy day</div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA">Not much time has passed</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA">Since we began to use these places</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA">Where we haul our baskets and plastic baggage</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA">Shove coins into machines</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
That slurp and roar</div>
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Metal and motors and florescent lights</div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA">We bring our wash once a week</span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA">To idly stand and watch it all slog clean on its own</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-CA">Too noisy for words</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">We keep to ourselves and avert our eyes</span></div>
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And think our own thoughts</div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><br />
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<span lang="EN-CA">The children, regarded as nuisance</span></div>
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Are made to hush in their play</div>
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It’s a tedious day - a lonely day</div>
Katherine Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18344546546177188534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5087717645487559143.post-5694426284650778522014-12-26T23:24:00.001-06:002014-12-27T16:10:26.083-06:00When in Naples<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJBGYD12FuK9dbTGL1wPFaec_dXXucitTkRas_9GX5zQ5vBq0y8sfsRBud3Horg9ZLJ8LMMmfPqFHLLpesvhkacffQlO697emgXK8mo1OrUq9xX_qYm3zESXyYqozGVGLiGEe9U6uhgj-/s1600/naples-12-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJBGYD12FuK9dbTGL1wPFaec_dXXucitTkRas_9GX5zQ5vBq0y8sfsRBud3Horg9ZLJ8LMMmfPqFHLLpesvhkacffQlO697emgXK8mo1OrUq9xX_qYm3zESXyYqozGVGLiGEe9U6uhgj-/s1600/naples-12-21.jpg" height="400" width="263" /></a><br />
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This is another acrylic "dropper" painting, completed December 21, 2014. I logged over 90 hours on this one, challenging myself to see how much detail I could depict with liquid paint applied with medicine droppers. A photo does not show the particular texture of the painting, nor its pleasing sheen. Much of the brighter architectural features are rendered in metallic colors. I like how the dropper paintings are quite touchable and easy to clean as each color is mixed in a cup of thick gloss varnish. <br />
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In September of 2013 I enjoyed a wonderful tour of the highlights of Italy. One of our stops was the city of Naples. Unlike much of the rest of the country, Naples is quite a city of contrasts. The opulence of both old and modern Italy is everywhere juxtaposed against evidence of its mafia rule: its anarchist traffic, prolific graffiti and decay, and its desperate people vying for living space among the wealthy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrlevniIB0wiD92MZ7ef0iSRdBHirRuwQDaAjER3AgbjPL_rpMXgqUfKfEAWj-bdyHO1uHWaqlDjcmiE4DNMlWtA-WTlGQuH2oBHpmXTq2ijzJaW4N90DLJ26-cEDgGER-WtDgrS-ck5l/s1600/SAM_4668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrlevniIB0wiD92MZ7ef0iSRdBHirRuwQDaAjER3AgbjPL_rpMXgqUfKfEAWj-bdyHO1uHWaqlDjcmiE4DNMlWtA-WTlGQuH2oBHpmXTq2ijzJaW4N90DLJ26-cEDgGER-WtDgrS-ck5l/s1600/SAM_4668.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
Our group took a fascinating tour one morning through Naples' many personalities. While stopped at a traffic light my eye was attracted to the man in the red sweater and I quickly snapped the reference photo for the painting. It was only on later viewing that the picture revealed to me the spirit of Naples: the breathtaking architecture housing its elitist population, either oblivious to, or peering down upon those in the margins. It is a picture within a picture of Naples, Italy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFoVjvkwApX9K9eyVAr2MD2AmLf2TVgezkMTYWiL9X_VNU0CBMgqx28iOzQuju1bmZLb5fUy8ukf6HF83grbn97vCGxy6j2zPr06o-FuTXmc3AWwmig1LBzZxP5tD8FPN_I4tjqwpW_8K0/s1600/SAM_4139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFoVjvkwApX9K9eyVAr2MD2AmLf2TVgezkMTYWiL9X_VNU0CBMgqx28iOzQuju1bmZLb5fUy8ukf6HF83grbn97vCGxy6j2zPr06o-FuTXmc3AWwmig1LBzZxP5tD8FPN_I4tjqwpW_8K0/s1600/SAM_4139.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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Click on the link to watch the painting grow from the initial pencil sketch to the completion. Each transition is the product of several hour's work each day.<br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/avvbCeQtgK0">The creation of "When in Naples" slide show</a><br />
<br />Katherine Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18344546546177188534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5087717645487559143.post-45375256785738960092014-10-14T22:47:00.000-06:002014-10-14T22:59:19.625-06:00For the grieving<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Good Grief, pastel, 2006</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This evening my heart is with all the people who I know are grieving a loss right now - and there are many. Grief can feel like a dagger to the heart or like a big bag of sand at the bottom of the lungs. It hurts. We are human. We are supposed to hurt. Rather than trying to escape it, we must dare to embrace it like we may embrace a wounded child - with a clear mind and loving heart. That is what heals us.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">So many people are told not to cry, led by a belief that crying keeps the spirit of their loved one from reaching the light. I have been taught instead that our tears are an important gift for our healing, and that the extent of our crying honors the breadth of the love we have for the one we have lost. I tell people that inside there is a certain size bucket of tears, depending on how much love we have, and that the only way to empty the bucket and shed its heaviness is to let the tears flow. A family who cries together heals together.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I have also been taught that it is not the absence of our tears that help the newly-freed spirit from reaching the light. Rather it is our love for them. It is the honest heart-felt wishes for their easy journey home. It is our ability to let go of any hurts that they may have caused us. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Love is what sends a spirit to the light, even love that glistens with tears. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I learned that in the spirit world there is no time, and that on the other side they may wait for us to finish grieving - wanting to see us happy again, but that wait, for the spirit, even if it takes us months or years, can be like just a moment to them. They are already in a place of joy and all-wisdom. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Grief brings gifts - gifts of heartfelt love and forgiveness. Like with the family depicted above it can bring such connection to the survivors if they dare to surrender to it. And with surrender, grief can also bring a deep connection to our Creator, as in the poem below.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It's not so bad...</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Being sad</span><br />
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lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>ADVANCE \d4</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Melancholy holds a delicate beauty of its own <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>ADVANCE \d4</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Now draw inside and find coziness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Peer out from within</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>ADVANCE \d4</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Like watching a rainy day through a windowpane <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>ADVANCE \d4</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">When questions and reasons are all stripped away</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>ADVANCE \d4</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Appears a fine breath of splendor<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>ADVANCE \d4</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Acceptance really needs no excuse <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>ADVANCE \d4</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">We know why there is autumn <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>ADVANCE \d4</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">But let’s forget that for now <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>ADVANCE \d4</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And simply bask in its fragile beauty <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>ADVANCE \d4</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">For it won't last long<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>ADVANCE \d4</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sit back and release that weighty sigh <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>ADVANCE \d4</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Still the thoughts; listen to the calm<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Let go</span></div>
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lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>ADVANCE \d4</span><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><span
lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Its now, devoid of pictures of future and past <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In the space between anguish and anger</span></div>
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style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In supple sinking into being <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy'><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Watch... <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="QuickMark"></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">God reaches in to touch with magnificence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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style='mso-element:field-end'></span></span><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Copyright
1983, Kathie Bird<span style="color: navy;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Katherine Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18344546546177188534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5087717645487559143.post-78940492614776206872014-10-06T13:20:00.000-06:002014-10-06T13:20:16.434-06:00The Bullies and the Bullied<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDcx2kalSoMYicTuHznbKKTYCvM48sraJnArtyQyRo0DtrVW6VWIfyJwzXufQxf_9XDHEdoYU4SxMhlpskVczCA0Fvwat_ezeVRqfZH5NFCq72d11FF5v-xpOplzrwyp58-R0ZGQZPkIa/s1600/Blame+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDcx2kalSoMYicTuHznbKKTYCvM48sraJnArtyQyRo0DtrVW6VWIfyJwzXufQxf_9XDHEdoYU4SxMhlpskVczCA0Fvwat_ezeVRqfZH5NFCq72d11FF5v-xpOplzrwyp58-R0ZGQZPkIa/s1600/Blame+small.jpg" height="320" width="246" /></a></div>
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Bullying happens in every age group. It happens in almost every setting. Psychologically it is a form of projection. If one is subconsciously feeling the effects of oppression from others or from negative self-thoughts they may say and do things to others to cause those same feelings. Passive people can be bullies too, but often they hide their actions - doing their deeds in more sneaky ways while they wear a friendly face. People who have good insight - who are aware of their emotions - do not tend to be bullies. Children can often bully others because there is more chance that they feel oppressed by over control or negativity by caregivers or of general family dysfunction that can lead the child to feel unimportant. Kids have less capacity to be able to identify their negative feelings. They will bully in an unconscious attempt to relate to their inner feelings in the reactions of others.</div>
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"Blame"</div>
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Acrylic, 2006</div>
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This painting is a depiction of domestic bullying: emotional abuse. Often the abuser will blame his/her partner for their own shortcomings, making it their fault for his/her inner discomfort. The energy of the bully's intention is projected to the figure which is turned away in self-protection. The energy spirals in, muddying the other person's orange (social connection) spirit and she becomes defensive rather than being her true loving self.<br />
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The poem below has been written in two parts. I wrote the first part in my late teens, remembering my own childhood experiences with bullying from other kids. I was still not quite over it at the time, continuing to feel separate from and judgmental about others who in my mind had more power than me However I was beginning to recognize my own value and perhaps some of the reason why I was the victim rather than the oppressor in childhood. The second part, written earlier this year, becomes a retrospect of the growth and change that is possible for any individual, and how sometimes our more painful experiences can be turned into our most useful gifts.<br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US">She & They</span></b><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Part 1 (1977)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Taunting, gibing,
flouting, laughing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Snickers in a
group<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Arms protrude to
point in sneer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Their victim acts
aloof<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">She</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols";">=</span><span lang="EN-US">ll show them. She will, someday<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">She</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols";">=</span><span lang="EN-US">ll prove them they were wrong<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">They saw that she
was different, yes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">She never will
belong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The knowing one
who lives apart<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Must find a
different road<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">And sometimes on
a steeper path<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Grows stronger
with the load.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">They run upon
their plains of life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">To find the
rainbow</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols";">=</span><span lang="EN-US">s end<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Looking for a
gift of gold<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">On which they can
depend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">They plunge into
their systems<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">A plodding
elephant trek<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">In following they
fail to see<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Beyond the next one’s
back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Some stand upon a
pedestal<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">And get their due
ovation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The crowds, on
seeing them stepping down<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Look for the next
sensation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">They peer into their
mirror world<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">And wail at
growing old<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">That days are
short, there’s work and pain<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">That life runs
hot and cold.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="QuickMark"></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">So blind amidst
their forest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">They cry, </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols";">A</span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">W</span></span><span lang="EN-US">hat does life mean?</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols";">@</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The stars just twinkle
their mysteries<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Between the
boughs of trees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">She wants to
call, </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols";">A</span><span lang="EN-US">Hello down there;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Come climb this
hill with me<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">I’ll show you
with unburdened eyes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The doorway to
eternity.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols"; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols";">@</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US"> </span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Part 2 (2014)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Her victimhood
has come to pass<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">She’s shed oppression’s
chains<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">And moved beyond
the world’s morass<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Gained wisdom
from her pain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">She sees the
bright, the dark, the grey<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Still watching
from the rim<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">She sees their
world has gone astray<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Their spark grows
dim within<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">She’s learned she
is no different<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Each carries
their own world<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">And some will
find their way to love<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">And some will
nurture hurt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">She belongs
within her body <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">For her time upon
the earth<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The web of her
connectedness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Supports her
every move<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">They come to sit
before her<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The seekers and
the hurt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">They carry pain
from other’s pain<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Want out of their
mirror world<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">She works to help
them find their heart<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">To fill their
spirit’s need<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">To see with their
unburdened eyes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The doorway to eternity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Copyright 1977 (part 1) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Revised 2014 (part 2), Katherine Bird</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />Katherine Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18344546546177188534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5087717645487559143.post-73337293370812804332014-10-04T22:48:00.001-06:002015-03-19T19:38:02.117-06:00New Painting, old poem: At the Fair"At the Fair" 16 x 24 Acrylic with photo - just completed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXauwtxHR0XOofVeSENa5ndFBOVCbMeSduDsbkRSHgugoJBqjhtmnteFKSF19Bm1kx4Q450gxGLZs42Z7RNP_a0OFguvOVnJSUqCVlkyrfdaD8eGp1Bq4JO07BAkHJ91uH6i_WVx1z1Pvm/s1600/26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXauwtxHR0XOofVeSENa5ndFBOVCbMeSduDsbkRSHgugoJBqjhtmnteFKSF19Bm1kx4Q450gxGLZs42Z7RNP_a0OFguvOVnJSUqCVlkyrfdaD8eGp1Bq4JO07BAkHJ91uH6i_WVx1z1Pvm/s1600/26.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
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This piece took me 75 hours of work, from preparing the source photo, to applying the last drop of paint with a glass dropper. When the paint is starting to dry I must carefully inspect it for bubbles and pop them with a pin before they dry in. There are small bits of pen and brushwork on some of the finer details. I would often use a nail tip as well to push paint into tight corners. The process takes so long because each small application of paint must be dry before another color can be laid over or beside it. Its when the side of my hand would accidentally get into the wet paint as I worked that I would have to decide to quit for the day.<br />
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Here is a bit of the process:<br />
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Source photo, taken at the PA Exhibition this summer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjPfXKg7ImoehIGwO8PQhwzBlDnnxE9AuFBdmuB2bE9yDyis7GIKbnWXHvC2tjuY0wm4EUfddmUNg9G-1p_lcnrbH50InlbzSceD9LDU4ADt_SLxWfmxLqWP_IFnGUPsVa2pcle7pudAj/s1600/SAM_5716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjPfXKg7ImoehIGwO8PQhwzBlDnnxE9AuFBdmuB2bE9yDyis7GIKbnWXHvC2tjuY0wm4EUfddmUNg9G-1p_lcnrbH50InlbzSceD9LDU4ADt_SLxWfmxLqWP_IFnGUPsVa2pcle7pudAj/s1600/SAM_5716.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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Using Photoshop, the photo is cropped, resized to the 16 x 24 canvas size, then altered with increased saturation, brightness, poster edge and cutout filters. This tends to outline and polarize some of the colors.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3B4RE2SUr60dbHWHxRaNeIXTD75Gjs2-24j5jVX3lbOD1aI_38nhBzFZ_rM1vuRWAri8BbLfKMDNHXMZZzbnXLXB8t9wp26E_X_Mo9dGBwnXWPeeU9cNzAsJ8lJCLW7O23E05yXilbJHi/s1600/Fair6grid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3B4RE2SUr60dbHWHxRaNeIXTD75Gjs2-24j5jVX3lbOD1aI_38nhBzFZ_rM1vuRWAri8BbLfKMDNHXMZZzbnXLXB8t9wp26E_X_Mo9dGBwnXWPeeU9cNzAsJ8lJCLW7O23E05yXilbJHi/s1600/Fair6grid.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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The photo is cropped into sections and each printed. Then the sections are reassembled and taped into place to line up with the canvas. This looks easy, but it was quite frustrating and time consuming.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjHnXxAOfbTeNP-rmgi8enbVEcYYV9-TOLy2BJrxZSPXnlstGg9XP5Rw3BRODfwWvZ6ma0YzrpOdVfvTSKDnt4nwRm22k30tDsc62yKPWPtJdpZWvA_dE_DBFJExslmhi7HbFaTYbDF9PD/s1600/DSCN2366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjHnXxAOfbTeNP-rmgi8enbVEcYYV9-TOLy2BJrxZSPXnlstGg9XP5Rw3BRODfwWvZ6ma0YzrpOdVfvTSKDnt4nwRm22k30tDsc62yKPWPtJdpZWvA_dE_DBFJExslmhi7HbFaTYbDF9PD/s1600/DSCN2366.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I decided that any part of the painting that was a sign would be applied to the canvas, while all the rest of the picture would be rendered freehand. That entailed cutting out each piece and gluing it down, constantly making sure they were lined up accurately. If one piece was slightly out of line it would make the whole drawing go wonky.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5fZ6von7r1FEiS4vTRVjKjF1Ra7mWOJmkAtEUhyphenhyphenyo_VS4Qd_0O6MwOTvlUWO-RZ2iqTDJPOzYJhgt9ebcYsEPk6gmiW4ysUqC9jHAGb89or3ECUut6nKGHrZk4VxxkCZ_2CgG96BsWSM/s1600/DSCN2376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5fZ6von7r1FEiS4vTRVjKjF1Ra7mWOJmkAtEUhyphenhyphenyo_VS4Qd_0O6MwOTvlUWO-RZ2iqTDJPOzYJhgt9ebcYsEPk6gmiW4ysUqC9jHAGb89or3ECUut6nKGHrZk4VxxkCZ_2CgG96BsWSM/s1600/DSCN2376.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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These are the photo pieces glued in. next I could start drawing and painting.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMitymfXnHd_ALsnLTvEMIoux56TxQjFpzaRlTUokRE_3FH8n8SXiIKQx1hyphenhyphenAgnl_Vs98nv2ij3p8B8U3wRbO6Ge-dELsOBimMf5f-Tvym8ezrLYOa4WajVQ5kFcpk885mLSe9zD6OvVUT/s1600/DSCN2377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMitymfXnHd_ALsnLTvEMIoux56TxQjFpzaRlTUokRE_3FH8n8SXiIKQx1hyphenhyphenAgnl_Vs98nv2ij3p8B8U3wRbO6Ge-dELsOBimMf5f-Tvym8ezrLYOa4WajVQ5kFcpk885mLSe9zD6OvVUT/s1600/DSCN2377.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I hung on to what remained of the photo because I did need to cut out and add the menu lists and prices later in the process.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgb4_qgAGW9004eh9Ja5GSxRxnmZmsazN8oycXFMMqgnc4Td1xXkECRrNLn9cRVtw30lIjPjmjq6JkcbXkwI2hruTMDpS16XcfDZLLIUX0lZIeEoyIDtqcWxeKD_sA15GdCpLWHtSxjUp/s1600/DSCN2378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgb4_qgAGW9004eh9Ja5GSxRxnmZmsazN8oycXFMMqgnc4Td1xXkECRrNLn9cRVtw30lIjPjmjq6JkcbXkwI2hruTMDpS16XcfDZLLIUX0lZIeEoyIDtqcWxeKD_sA15GdCpLWHtSxjUp/s1600/DSCN2378.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Carefully, paint is applied with a dropper with colors mixed in a multitude of plastic salad dressing cups that have good snap-on lids. I mix liquid or tube acrylic colors with a liquid gloss medium and a little thinner.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBHBi-t4m2fPiH04uPQMDgvya2ztaHdPjISFp5rVCIaBC8MGjrIYWyoQSzIFUv6YA07vbVwqE9sT9UkNXhp8h_NADqA3EsId5J1FbHFZ3paSPimARK7z9Wf8HVvMTsJV2UMNDX1mlrWUF/s1600/DSCN2410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBHBi-t4m2fPiH04uPQMDgvya2ztaHdPjISFp5rVCIaBC8MGjrIYWyoQSzIFUv6YA07vbVwqE9sT9UkNXhp8h_NADqA3EsId5J1FbHFZ3paSPimARK7z9Wf8HVvMTsJV2UMNDX1mlrWUF/s1600/DSCN2410.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here are some closeups:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnHXBrIRaQwP7b_oef-s2TsEcI4VDiZaJ5L9NWM26vNVIKOs3BwDReEy_pgfRvc1xoBcB5rNGkKad7CryaY2gUSh5-YIXwuVx0m0RG8hhzPZI98NroHJg2q6OyjUCjUUdAeVoo2OCUHwX/s1600/SAM_5870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnHXBrIRaQwP7b_oef-s2TsEcI4VDiZaJ5L9NWM26vNVIKOs3BwDReEy_pgfRvc1xoBcB5rNGkKad7CryaY2gUSh5-YIXwuVx0m0RG8hhzPZI98NroHJg2q6OyjUCjUUdAeVoo2OCUHwX/s1600/SAM_5870.JPG" height="112" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFsTomxG_Z_Sbo4tpjuJ7mf070GfX13WwCLXIS89ptv4L0BgSSVzoRMfEg-NWVDAACn-LRxtCJEQxGm-BcTDp1WC7amVcQpllaIT-9MGPSuat6Z6ms9WDqaExpDp7NpTt7nlGoA65Ebc5/s1600/SAM_5871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFsTomxG_Z_Sbo4tpjuJ7mf070GfX13WwCLXIS89ptv4L0BgSSVzoRMfEg-NWVDAACn-LRxtCJEQxGm-BcTDp1WC7amVcQpllaIT-9MGPSuat6Z6ms9WDqaExpDp7NpTt7nlGoA65Ebc5/s1600/SAM_5871.JPG" height="112" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_g_GkISdOt16EJaSNEo1CWTULlj5Ez4dZZb1mQo_YiABUyLhK8kT73RURWqylbid_hvutX59HNuWf-tpjYBt0ASV2saudoWwODKmDG-u66ElCXaclIrEN9nZZwLCvO_uib3I630efOxh/s1600/SAM_5872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_g_GkISdOt16EJaSNEo1CWTULlj5Ez4dZZb1mQo_YiABUyLhK8kT73RURWqylbid_hvutX59HNuWf-tpjYBt0ASV2saudoWwODKmDG-u66ElCXaclIrEN9nZZwLCvO_uib3I630efOxh/s1600/SAM_5872.JPG" height="112" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br />
Watch the painting grow from beginning to end in this little video:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/3dzCn83641w?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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That was the new painting, now here is the old poem:<br />
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<b>At the Fair <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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(1981) Copyright Kathie Bird<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m six and jittery-thrilled. We
are going to the fair! <o:p></o:p></div>
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We walk through Normandy Park to Seventh Street, my mother and
sisters. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I jump and stretch my neck to get a glimpse of the big high Ferris wheel
over the rooftops. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I have a whole six dollars to spend!
<o:p></o:p></div>
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There is a gentle roller coaster that circles the grounds. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I marvel to see everything beneath my feet.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fingers sticky with candy floss, my mouth red from a half-eaten candy
apple<o:p></o:p></div>
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I clutch my take-home treasure – a floating balloon with Mickey Mouse
inside.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s yellow.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My sisters and mother, much bigger than me, walk home so quick.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My feet hurt.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Halfway down Normandy Park I stop to take a pebble from my shoe<o:p></o:p></div>
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And let go of my balloon!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I watched it sail high, high up until it is just a tiny yellow speck in
the sky<o:p></o:p></div>
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There is no consoling me while I cry.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m fourteen and walking through the midway<o:p></o:p></div>
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More thrilled to be with my boyfriend than anything else.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A ride on the Ferris wheel with him beside me feels warmer somehow.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I notice myself more than I notice the colors and lights and smells.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My button-front jeans flare out wide at the bottom, swishing around my
feet <o:p></o:p></div>
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My denim jacket sports flowered embroidery front and back – my own
creation<o:p></o:p></div>
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I carry a brown leather bag with long fringes that sway with my gait.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I feel grown-up and cool. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We stroll toward a large tent with a sign in front that says “Adults
Only.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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I know it’s the place where men go to watch women dance naked.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A guy we know beckons from the doorway.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Giggling, we slip inside the tent.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I stand against the back corner behind the shouting crowd.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I catch glimpses of a woman dancing up front, removing her clothes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My face goes hot and my stomach knots as she flaunts her private
parts to the gawking men.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When we leave, I have no opinion – just the knots.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m twenty-three and just finished working my shift at the armouries
booth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Tomorrow I will volunteer at the lost and found room.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Because it feels good to do such things.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I meet my husband and daughter to enjoy the fair.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I take pictures of her on one of the brightly colored kiddie rides.<o:p></o:p></div>
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She bears a smug expression that looks so cute.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I buy her a yellow floating balloon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I notice the colors and smells and sounds as if through her senses<o:p></o:p></div>
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And it’s all so exciting again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The petting zoo and the butts of the big Clydesdales in the barns<o:p></o:p></div>
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And the big pink wads of candy floss and somehow always the smell of
fried onions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have entered artwork in the competition and discover it bears a First
Prize ribbon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My little family congratulates me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We three sit in the Tilt-a-whirl, one on each side of our little girl<o:p></o:p></div>
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Laughing at the rocking tease and squealing in the spins and sighing at
the stop.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The balloon still floats in my little girl’s room.<o:p></o:p></div>
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No cries this time. No knots. Just joy. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Katherine Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18344546546177188534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5087717645487559143.post-43532763330430658782014-10-03T23:12:00.000-06:002014-10-03T23:12:02.956-06:00Welcome to my new blogWelcome to my new blog. It features my creative writing and artwork, sometimes with detailed information on the creation of certain pieces - the how and the why.<br />
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As an artist I create paintings that express a myriad of images from my internal and external experiences. I play with a variety of mediums and approaches to suit my intentions of the moment. Sometimes a painting will simply be about play and nothing else. <br />
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My poetry has largely sat hidden in binders and in digital form on the parade of hard drives that passed through my life since the advent of computers. When I was much younger I entertained the dream of being a semi-famous published poet but the dream became frazzled with editors who wanted to alter my words and lines. No one would dare to tell me that they would only accept my art if I changed it to suit them. Why is it an accepted practice with poetry? Nevertheless I continued to put pen to paper for many more years during those moments of introspection, always with the intention to share it all one day.<br />
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Now I am at a point in my life where I have no need to make a living from my creations. I believe there is another reason that I remain motivated to play with observations, words and paint. Here, through my blog entries you may spot my underlying purpose. The arts - be they poetry, painting, dance, music, drama...carry a different language: one of emotion and of spirit - a growing spirit. <br />
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I hope to entertain, to educate, but mostly to inspire. Take from it what you need, share my blog if you like, but remember to respect my inherent copyright of everything here.<br />
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Thank you for joining me.<br />
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You may also follow my other blog: <a href="http://balancebykatherinebird.blogspot.ca/">http://balancebykatherinebird.blogspot.ca/</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGvFgjCL1Esqol_iKLnSYRe-Vmoy64u-QXhG3K3yoeIEHm9tfZdA-eGCpCMPh0A68e9jrDgTmKGLJ_9KJFue8IAN3i2MsohS2-GNgM2-EKRMpw6xK866cf9rtbO7IYBQt7-VVMKpx9EYo/s1600/Quatre+Sanctity+small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGvFgjCL1Esqol_iKLnSYRe-Vmoy64u-QXhG3K3yoeIEHm9tfZdA-eGCpCMPh0A68e9jrDgTmKGLJ_9KJFue8IAN3i2MsohS2-GNgM2-EKRMpw6xK866cf9rtbO7IYBQt7-VVMKpx9EYo/s1600/Quatre+Sanctity+small.JPG" height="400" width="291" /></a></div>
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Quatre Sanctity, 2003<br />
Acrylic with additives<br />
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I like to believe that we walk through our physical lives representing four parts - depicted here in feminine form. We are Universal Source ('God' energy), Spirit (the higher, immortal self), Physical Body (the manifestation of spirit in the form of matter), and The Child (the seeker/learner within us - motivated to grow).<br />
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<br />Katherine Birdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18344546546177188534noreply@blogger.com1