Finding Centre

Centre found

The Power of Ohmmm

When your mind finds itself tumbling as if it is the middle of this...

Rushing along in NYC



While you long for the peace, calm and clarity of a space more like this... 

Contemplation pool,  Reykjavik

Hit the pause button on your thoughts and simply breathe in, breathe out, and repeat.   Breathe in. Breathe out.  Repeat.

Wisps in the summer sky

With four deep breaths, the noise and chaos that is cluttering your mind will recede, and you will find yourself in a place that feels more like this....

The long view high on the western coast

Whether your notion of centre appears like this...

The setting sun at Eastgate

Is captured in the serenity of a face like this...

Japanese fragment

Or is expressed by the glorious light of a setting like this...

 Along the southern coast of Portugal

Just four deep breaths and you will be on your way there.  I promise.
 

 

View from my mat;

A place to breathe and find centre






 

Photos D. Sleziak

Where It Comes and Where It Goes

A line in the Himalayas, Richard Long, 1975

 



Inspiration.  Where does it come from? 

From personal experience...

Stone stack, Joshua Tree National Park

From family history...

                                                                    Onions from the farm



From other artists...

Untitled, Richard Long, 1990
(River Avon mud on card)

From nature...

                                                                                 A pair of rocks from my collection



                                            


Inspiration.  What does it lead to?




Muck, Darina Sleziak, 2011
(Charcoal from farm fire and graphite on rag paper)

                                                                              

 

 

 

Photos D. Sleziak 

Show and Tell

Work in progress: traditional tapestry closeup, 2012

With a blog entitled, Threads, it would come as no surprise that a lifelong past-time of mine is needlework of all types: sewing, embroidery, needlepoint, cross stitch, knitting.  A favourite is tapestry work.  I find it engaging yet relaxing, creative -- particularly when I develop my own designs, unlike the sample above that I am currently working from a printed canvas kit -- and rewarding.   I love that the threads of such endeavours span back generations and across many cultures, but what I find the most exciting is that although the process of needlework is very traditional, it can still generate modern forms.  And when that form crosses from the realm of craft to art, well...  for this formally trained artist, that is simply the best.   

Through the Eye of the Needle

 

Abbi, 2011

Elly, 2000

Artist Cayce Zavaglia has turned the art of embroidery on its head by employing the technique often associated with samplers and handkerchiefs to create photo-realist portraits.  Her subject matter is family and friends, and pieces can take anywhere from eight weeks to seven months to complete by hand.  Isn't it breathtakingly beautiful when you consider that each image is composed of thousands of tiny stitches layered atop one another?  And, isn't it inspirational?  Don't you just want to run out and create something that is as personally meaningful and as an original an interpretation of... (now, you fill in the rest).

Woven Web

 

Like Zavaglia, Emil Lukas enjoyed craft projects as a child; as an artist, Lukas draws on accessible, everyday, often discarded materials -- the interior of an old piano, or a box of tangled threads -- to create works of art.  The tangled threads of silk have been reimagined into thread paintings that seem to generate an ethereal glow from within.  The threads, nearly 100,000 individuals lines per painting, are woven by hand around the edges of a shallow box whose interior is painted white.  The glow is generated by a looser density of threads in the centre and a more concentrated volume along the edges.   Don't you think the words that come to mind when looking at such a work are awe-inspiring and beautiful?  To my mind, they seems to capture a kind of spiritual sense, too.  And if the thread paintings aren't incredible enough, he has also produced works that suggest a woven, tangled nest, but are created by larvae moving through ink.  Isn't that wild?  How does that open up the world of creative possibility for you?

 





                         Liquid Silk Light, 2012                                                                                                    Untitled, 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top photo D. Sleziak;

All other images via Elle Decor

Rise Up

Oprah advocates that our homes should rise up to meet us. What a compelling notion.

Fragmented hand-painted 18th-century Chinese wallpaper

Don't you agree that the best homes are the ones that reflect the owners and meet their needs?  Our homes are an intimate expression of who we are.  Yes, intimate.  Think about it.  When we leave our homes, countless strangers see how we present ourselves to the world, while only those few we invite into our homes, see us in that oh-so-personal environment which we create for ourselves and within which our daily lives unfold.  And, according to Oprah, this space should rise up: It is not just a repository for all of our "stuff," but a place -- one hopes -- of comfort, of joy, a refuge and a shelter; a space that celebrates our lives and who we are.  The means by which a home can accomplish this are as varied as the owners who reside within them.  For one, a tattered treasured find is pieced together like a collage to make the most of a beautiful old paper, and a bedroom is transformed.  How exquisite.

The beguiling beauty of the papered wall
as viewed from hall

For another, it might start with a prettily painted front door, the kind that evokes a sense of welcoming calm every time you see it.

Alternatively, you might prefer a door that radiates sunshine and makes you smile; once you open it, a tranquil oasis awaits you.

Perhaps you value a relaxed, comfortable environment with sink-into-me-and-stay seating that encourages prolonged conversation...

Or, you're a glitz-and-glamour guy or girl, who feels most at home in a light-filled, art-graced room of sophisticated elegance.

Whatever your style or taste, here are a few ideas on how your home might rise up to meet you.

For Your Consideration: Why don't you...

 

Only bring in things you really love or really need.  This doesn't mean your space needs to be bare-bones minimum.  Look at the kitchen below -- it's chocked full of china, but with the restrained palette and the beautiful presentation, it wows. 

Clear the clutter.  Closely linked to the philosophy above, and supported by sound organisation, when everything has a place, clutter can be kept at bay.

Add a dose of your favourite colour (if it isn't there already!) somewhere, anywhere.  It is guaranteed to bring you joy every time you see it, so indulge.

Give the things you love centre stage for easy access.  This homeowner ensures her favourite books are close at hand for daily perusing by making them the core of her coffee table display. 

Honour mementos.  Placing meaningful family photos in the space the family most often uses -- brilliant!

Skip the trends and embrace your personal style.  Not a touch of mid-century modern, industrial chic, or whatever the latest trend is, just simple, fresh beauty.

Finally, be inspired by interior designer, Michael Whaley who painted his front door his favourite colour: a deep but vivid purple.  "It makes me smile every time I come down the driveway," he states, "and I love how it complements the green glaze of my [garden] pots." (House Beautiful, Sept 2012)  Now that's a home that is certainly rising up.

Images via the following: Elle Decor, House Beautiful,

Martha Stewart, tumblr and Vogue