Sunday night miscellany

(An update on the Too Much Information post can be found at the bottom of this post if you're interested.)

Inspired by playing FarmVille on FaceBook, here is the first piece of art I've finished in over a week. I am addicted to FarmVille because it requires very little thinking and helps keep me awake when I want to be sleeping and can't be. You know, writing things and creating things takes so much motivation - it takes a lot to bring forth something that didn't exist before you put the letters together or brought the elements together in a piece of art. There's a place and energy you have to tap into to bring those things out. Mine is all plugged up right now. And you don't realize how much motivation it takes to do what we do until you are all of a sudden on empty! Things like doing laundry or running the vacuum have been comforting for me because I don't have to think to do them and still feel productive. Anyway, you can read more about that stuff at the bottom of this post if you want.

Soul Growing


copyright by Marsha Jorgensen 11/22/09. All rights reserved. You may not copy, download, print, or use this image in any way without my permision.
This is a 7 3/4 x 9 3/4 collage using bodies from the 1930 painting American Gothic by Grant Wood, and faces of Albert and Mileva Einstein from the public domain. Both of these elements were altered significantly in PhotoShop, reprinted, hand trimmed with scissors, and hand colored. The corn crowns come from my own vintage seed package, words from crowabout.etsy.com, the fish from phenomenon1851.etsy.com, the house from collagevisions.etsy.com, and the small frame from Studio Lorrie at Scrapbookgraphics.com and used with a commercial license. The backwards letters and numbers at the bottom are from Studio Maya at Scrapbookgraphics.com and also used with commercial permission. The Native American photograph and the eggs are from the public domain. The 2 hearts were cut from a 100 year old encyclopedia page. The raspberry pieces and most other border elements are from Gaby Braun of gaby-cajubrasil.blogspot.com. Thank you, Gaby for your generosity. All pieces were reprinted, hand cut, and hand colored and then placed on a background created by merging textures from flickr's JoesSistah and Itkupilli.etsy.com. Many thanks to JoesSistah for always providing such lovely textures to play with.

Did you get yours? Oh, my. Anahata Katkin's Papaya catalog is a feast for the eyes and a must have for making your holiday wish list! It is like a little portable museum of her gorgeous work and I want one of everything inside. Anahata has commented my work once or twice before so to see her big amazing 62 page catalog makes me a little star crossed and giddy. She is living my dream and I find so much inspiration in her work and from her example - another art idol to worship.



Once again, the mailbox Gods have been good to me and brought me surprises galore. I received this gorgeous and so fun piece from Janny Tricolore of Tricolore of Mixed Media blog. I have loved Janny's work forever and after gushing over this piece on flickr she up and sent it to me! I just love that guy sitting there so matter-of-factly in his tutu and boots! You'll notice the same words I used in my piece above - Replinish the Soul. They're part of a hot, hot, hot collage sheet from Nancy Baumiller at crowabout.etsy.com! Thank you, Janny, for this very much enjoyed piece! I love it.



And then the very kind and talented Lorraine Stobie of Creative Daily blog sent me these beautiful Christmas tags. What another lovely surprise to get! Thank you, Lorraine! You are too good to me and so thoughtful. They will be used and enjoyed and bragged about this holiday season!




Okay more on the previous Too Much Information (TMI) post. Mother nature has given me a break for a couple of days and I've had just enough energy to do what needs to be done and just a bit more. I go in for blood work Tuesday or Wednesday and waiting for paperwork to see the gynocologist, who just happens to be the obstetrician that delivered both of my kids 16 and 18 years ago. I am very pleased with that as I loved him and trusted him completely. Anyway, I imagine I'll get to see him in the next 2 weeks. Thank you for all of the emails and comments. I told my husband it helps so much to know I am not crazy in trying to describe how very exhausted I am feeling because so many of you have been through it, came out of it, and "get" what I'm going through. I'm sure this will be all over soon. Until then, I'll do the best I can with everything! Thanks heaps for your loving thoughts and wishes!