emerging green

Today, my family took our first hike of the season and it was wonderful. It was cloudy as we started out, but as we hiked through the woods behind our house, the sun came out and kept us warm. Calder insisted on being in the lead and I lagged behind, taking shots of this or that along the path. Brian and the boys would scout out things ahead and point them out to me as I caught up. A "new" kind of flower, some deer prints. Here are a few of the shots I took along the way. It was wonderful to see spring green emerging and some of the woodsy flowers coming up for air. A perfect way to be with my family this afternoon.

unfurling

our path

waiting branches

the cooperative one

forsythia

why linaee

So, why the name linaee designs? Way back when, I took graphic design, design and advertising classes in college. I loved it, but knew that the market was very competitive and ended up with a major in college that encompassed many different mediums...all of which communicate. Eventually, I made up business cards and with them came the name linaee designs. linaee is my mother's name, Elaine, rearranged. I always wanted to use it as a middle name for my daughter. But I figured my two boys wouldn't appreciate that middle name as much. So, there it is.

This week, I have been working on a Zentangle Inspired Art piece closely related to spring and Easter. Thank you to Laura Harms at i am the diva czt blog for the Challenge. This is Challenge #18. It isn't anything like a contest at all, so don't worry about pressure. But, it is immensely invigorating and amazing to see the vast variety of work that is submitted from one idea. Please let me know if you decide to participate.

I am also working on adding a Challenge page so that I have all of my Challenges in one place. So, stay tuned...oh, and are you now wondering what Zentangle Inspired Art is? Take a look at Penny Raile's blog for a good explanation.

my former life

In my former life, before I had kids, I was artsy. Artsy Fartsy, some might go so far to say. I dabbled in many different art forms, and felt at home doing most of them. I tried hard to break away from my perfectionist persona and just let it flow. Whether painting, drawing, writing poetry, making greeting cards, creating collage or altered books, I was at peace when I did these things. I was in the zone.

After years of devoting much of my time and energy to my family, I am excited to be dabbling again. A few years ago, a Friend from my Quaker Meeting came back from Friends General Conference and she had attended a session on SoulCollage. She shared some of her completed cards and I was intrigued. She allowed me to borrow her book and I began to do it. I shared it with a small group of women soon after.  Then serendipity stepped in and I found out that some of the women at work also had been doing SoulCollage. And, I began doing some of my favorite art pieces I have ever made. Small in scale, yet beyond my expectations.

Recently, in November 2010, my dear friend Kip introduced me to Zentangle. I was hooked immediately. While SoulCollage takes a lot of supplies, time and space, Zentangle is portable in the little mini kit that she supplied when I took her class. It also introduced me to a new way of being. A way to quiet my mind when I had been having some issue with doing just that as of recent. And, it brought easy access of art back into my life. Priceless.

Kip is now on the eve (practically) of her newest venture. She is opening an art studio called, Small but Mighty Arts. Thank you, Kip, and I can't wait to see what happens next...