I am beginning to prep for the 2022 Delaware Fun-a-Day, where folks sign up to create a piece of art each day for a month. I don’t consider myself an artist most of the time, but Fun-a-Day is a wonderful way to explore creativity and create art daily. I try to make it an opportunity to try something new. I am an artist wannabe. Nearly EVERYONE in my family paints or creates some kind of art. My grandmother was an oil artist and ceramicist who worshipped Andrew Wyeth from afar. My Mom and my Dad painted in oils. My great uncle, Harvey Stahl, was a professional, as is my cousin, Jeanne Warren, in England. I have other relatives that dabble in art, and I am always in awe.
I have dabbled in painting and have taken a few classes. Since elementary school, I made jewelry when a guy from Bell Telephone left a huge spool of beautifully colored wire. I made wire flower rings and sold them for a nickel at school. Now, I love to explore silver, copper, sea glass, and color on metal. I am barely above a beginner, but I love the creativity and freedom of creating jewelry.
Some of you may argue and say that my writing is my art. Perhaps. The books always surprise me. My stories are just that, my stories that live inside my head. Their birth is a combination of joy and pain, but mostly joy. As Terri Windling’s character in The Wood Wife states, “it’s in the hard wiring.” Writing is that way for me. It’s not a choice; it just ‘is.’
So, the reason for this baring from the soul is to confess that I still crave to be a visual artist. I dabble in little fun folk-art ‘ish’ pieces – garden dancers. They bring joy, as does any creative activity. So, in my quest to find a new challenge for the 2022 Delaware Fun-a-Day project, I decided to take an online class from Domestika. (domestika.org). I bumped into this on Instagram. WOW, that is my first reaction. This is an AMAZING resource! In addition to the instruction, the artists introduce themselves and talk about their influences. Once again, I am in awe, but the very wonderful thing is that I see a thread of myself in this creative tribe. Yes, it’s a shameless plug for Domestika, but I just had to share what a great resource this is! I am still deciding what to create and focus on for Delaware Fun-a-Day. While I decide, Domestika.org is my new best friend in exploring art.
