Friday 14 June 2013

Photo Art Friday - The Child Who Survived

So happy to have Bonnie's Photo Art Friday back after a 2 month hiatus.  She was very busy in her studio as you can see if your pop over to her Pixel Dust Photo Art site.

 I came across a couple of quotes this week that really tie together the images I am submitting . . . hope you all enjoy them.

"Every child is an artist . . . 
the problem is staying an artist when you grow up."
~ Pablo Picasso

When I was a child I was very artistic and often received special mention on report cards regarding my art work.  Then I hit grade eight and my art teacher, who was also my math teacher, shut me down big time.  At the very start of the semester, we were to design a folder that would serve as a portfolio for the terms work.  We were given free rein to do whatever we liked. 

 At the time, my family life was in great turmoil as my parents had split up less than a year ago and there was much sadness and fear and acting out among myself and 4 siblings.  Consequently, my folder design was quite dark and moody and very abstract.  Mr. P. decided that the work did not fit who he felt I was (pretty flowers, ribbons and lace, etc.) and refused to accept it.  I was always very submissive to authority figures and dutifully redid the folder to his liking but my creativity was definitely squelched for some time to come.  

I doodled a little and many years later a Jenny-girl, daughter of a friend would always ask me  . . . 'Can you draw me a girl?' She would colour my creations and always thought they were just beautiful.  The creative juices inside of me had always found a way to come out whether in sewing, crocheting, gardening but I still longed to produce artwork with pencil and paper, pastels and paint.  And then I discovered photography . . .

"The creative adult is the child who survived."
~ Unknown

Working with the prompts "Dreamy" or "Ethereal", here is what I came up with.

 My grand-niece Pippa (again) looking very ethereal as she poses on the deck.
Converted to black and white, some desaturation and a blur filter.

 Here I have combined an image of columbines with a paisley texture I made myself and Bonnie's texture "pdpa Heartache by the Number".  I also ran the image through a cut out filter in Serif PhotoPlus X4 before adding the textures.  I consider this quite "Dreamy" as my dreams often consist of concrete and abstract elements and symbols.

This last image has more of a dreamy quality than the others . . . I love the way this turned out.  The original photo is a bee gathering pollen from a giant allium.  No textures used just various adjustments to brightness, contrast, hue and saturation.

I recall that just a few months ago, I said to my sister and brother-in-law,
 "I am an artist."
I meant it.
 I finally believe it.
I am the child who survived.

Linking with Bonnie and the other children who survived @
Photo Art Friday

11 comments:

  1. You are an artist, giving us/me really beautiful works. I fell for the last one :)
    Deilicious.
    Happy weekend.
    Annemor

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  2. These are so wonderful, yes you are an artist!

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  3. Yes you are an "artist"...I can so relate to your teacher experience. My sophomore year in High School I took art. The teacher took us outside and told us to draw what we saw around us as we saw it. I drew some trees and then he came by and proceeded to tell me everything he thought was "wrong" with my piece. I never took art again. Now I enjoy my photography and rubber stamping and am quite pleased that the artist in me wasn't totally buried away.
    Absolutely LOVE your last piece here. It is very dreamy. All your work was lovely.

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  4. Oh my goodness..these are beautiful! Please join me at Ramble Ann's World..You'll be the first..lol!

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  5. Oh! these are beautiful, yes you are an artist and I too can relate to your teacher experience. I love the Aquilegia best.

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  6. Matches the theme beautifully. I wonder...how do you feel about text on photos. I only ask because with the graduations and weddings this time of year, it would make a beautiful background for an uplifting message.

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  7. oh my!! so very BEautimous.

    I am so sorry for your teacher AND your sharing that story reminded me that when I was teaching I tried ALWAYS to encourage the creative spirit of ALL.

    one year at the museum my theme was that we are each an artist and our art, even with the same materials at the outset canNOT help but BE unique.

    it was a wonderful year with lots of interesting responses from the teachers and parents who came with the kids.

    I have been sad that the museum eliminated having me come in to DO this and then realised that DOing it when and for as long as I DID was such a gift.

    BE YOU, no one does it better!!
    xoxo

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  8. Thanks for sharing these powerful moments in your life: the one that was hurtful and shut you down, the other, the realization of God's gift of art in you.

    I'm so glad you now believe you're an artist. You always were to me. Your intellect that blends the written word with the theme of your photography is somewhat unique and gives you a niche that is rarely seen.

    Onward, Dear Sister!

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  9. I took the liberty of sharing this on Google+ with the comment: "Andrea's work is always beautiful... this posting in particular has sounded a deep chord within me -- not only for the images but for her commentary. Andrea is both an artist and an inspiration. It is not what we do but who we are. And, embracing who we are can be the hardest challenge. :)" And I mean it, Andrea... thank you for this.

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  10. Stunning artistic images Andrea! We are all blessed by your work and your sharing. Thank you.

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  11. You are indeed an artist. How lovely these images are. The allium is so beautiful - but then blues have always been my favorite.
    Oh, if teachers could only grasp how sensitive children's minds and hearts are to criticism. I wonder how much creativity has been squelched by an adult's unthoughtful comment?

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Thanks for stopping by . . . appreciate your comments.