Trees

Back to Basics!

One of my latest finds while pursuing new inventory for my vintage shop was this old Smith Corona Galaxy typewriter. I fell in love with it when I saw it and just couldn't bring myself to sell it in my shop.

It seems to be in perfect working order, so I ordered a new ink ribbon and fired her up.  The coolest part is that it comes in a little portable travel case.

I have big plans for this machine.  I've always loved typewriters- I think they connect you more to your writing than typing on a computer.  It's slow and gives you time to mentally edit a little more as you're writing as well as digging deeper into your thoughts as they spill out on the page.  I like that and I'm hoping to do a little more writing now that I have a typewriter to do it on.

 




















I dug out some of the poetry I've written over the last few years and thought I would type some of them up and post them. Here's the first, written during a solo trip to Puerta Vallarta that I took a few years back.

Inspiration Abounds!

Thanks to Victoria over at www.sfgirlbybay.com for starting the blogger mashup of over 300 bloggers posting about what inspires them most!  You can find the schedule and links to all other bloggers here .  

There are a lot of things that inspire me such as colorful art, plants, the ocean, vintage looking photography, prints, books, my husband's poetry, live music, hiking above treeline, walking through the city on a snow day, riding my bike (preferably downhill of course...), interesting typography, birds and many more things too numerous to list but I've highlighted a few of my favorites.

Travel

Perhaps the one single thing, that encompasses a lot of other types of inspiration is traveling.  I'm slowly working my way around the world and I never cease to be inspired by new sights, hills to climb, languages to learn, culture to be immersed in and generally wondering what's around the next corner because you just really have no idea.  My travels inspire my life and art, so I thought I would share with you some of my favorite and inspirational places from some of my more recent travels.

My list of favorite books is ever changing and constantly growing.  These are just a few of my all-time favorites which inspire me every time I pick them up.

Poetry is a definite inspiration- my favorite published poem being: Mending Wall by Robert Frost and anything by Anna Akhmatova.  My hubdude has written me stacks of poetry which might be the first thing I would grab if my house was burning down.  Lately I've been inspired by the short, generally calming words of Haiku.

I also find a lot of inspiration in art, particularly earth art and wide open spaces like my summer 'office'.  It's hard not to be inspired on a daily basis when working in such a beautiful place where anything seems possible.

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I find all things plant related to be incredibly inspiring because the diversity, resilience and hardiness of plants is simply amazing, not to mention their looks.  I gave up my 'career' and traded it in to study plants because I find them so incredible and I've never been happier.  These are some of the miniature beauties that I find so inspiring and have the biggest impact on my art. The colors shapes and texture are amazing, and all from a little miraculous seed. 

Tomorrow's 'blog it forward' blogger is Style Bust which you can find here: http://stylebust.com/  
and if you really want a big dose of great 'blog it forward' posts check out the full list on sfgirlbybay's schedule here  http://www.sfgirlbybay.com/blog-it-forward/

Inspiring Poetry

I've been writing poetry for as long as I have been able to string words into sentences on paper, from before I even knew what a poem was. Perhaps my first inspiring poet was Dr. Seuss, I don't know exactly. But poetry has been informing my life for a long time and I feel so lucky to have been exposed to it. While poetry isn't directly related to my artwork, it definitely inspires me.

My two favorite poets are Robert Frost and Anna Akhmatova. Most people are familiar with Robert Frost's work, particularly with the poem 'The Road Not Taken'.

While I really like this poem and the message it sends, it's not my favorite. My favorites are 'Mending Wall' and 'Wind and the Window Flower'. You can read them here:

http://writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/frost-mending.html

http://www.bartleby.com/117/8.html

Frost's poetry is lyrical, smooth and I always finish reading thinking 'I wish I had thought to say this most amazing thing'. The hallmark of a powerful writer.

My other favorite poet, Anna Akhmatova, was a Russian poet, first published in 1907 at the age of 18. She was incredibly prolific, though she led a tragic life, and I can't help but think how it must have heavily influenced her work and her need to be prolific about her life.

This is one of my favorites from Akhmatova:

Solitude by Anna Akhmatova

So many stones have been thrown at me,
That I'm not frightened of them anymore,
And the pit has become a solid tower,
Tall among tall towers.
I thank the builders,
May care and sadness pass them by.
From here I'll see the sunrise earlier,
Here the sun's last ray rejoices.
And into the windows of my room
The northern breezes often fly.
And from my hand a dove eats grains of wheat...
As for my unfinished page,
The Muse's tawny hand, divinely calm
And delicate, will finish it.


The other 'poet' that inspires me, though not a poet in the sense that he writes poems, is Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I haven't read any of his works in his native language, but the English translations of his books are the most lyrical, beautiful writing I've ever read. I can only imagine that it is even better when read in Spanish, directly through the author's native tongue. Marquez's writing is just as magical as the stories themselves.

I love poetry for its ability to speak volumes in so few words. With just a few pen strokes, you can send untold numbers of messages to those reading a poem, because the message taken away is different for each person. That it affects each person differently is also what I love about art.

Andrea at Studio6