Creating Home


creating_home
Creating Home
acrylic and mixed media
24×24 inches

I finished the above acrylic and mixed media painting in the last week of December. I was working on it for several months, on and off. It is based on a small 6×6 inch panel I created for one of my handbound mixed media journal. I really enjoyed painting this and working so much larger than I normally do. This painting is marking the first of an acrylic series that I will be working on this year. Many moons ago I came across a quote on Jenny Doh’s blog that said:

Home is where your story begins

I jotted it down on a yellow sticky note and put it up on my wall above my computer. As a mother of a young child (soon to be children) these words really stayed with me. I don’t know too many people who had the most functional homes growing up, I certainly didn’t! But there was a lot of love in my home and I think that has made such a difference in the shaping of myself and my sisters. But now it’s my turn, and no, I won’t do a perfect job, that’s impossible. But if I keep these words in the forefront of my brain and heart, I can create a safe and nurturing home for my children.

As many of you know I also struggle with “home” and what it means to me. I’m always searching, searching, searching. Moving here and there. But I am learning that it is not necessarily a physical place.

Anyway, deep thoughts, sorry. My intent to share that quote and my thoughts behind it is that I want to work on a series about those words. About home and about family. This series will be large paintings (for me) and will be done in acrylic.

When I sat down to the computer I was going to write about my intentions for 2010, but I will have to save that for another post!

13 Comments

  1. This is such a wonderful piece. My favorite things are houses and birds. I’ve been thinking about doing more house pieces myself.

    Really enjoyed this post. I’m thinking that I should look close to home for happiness and inspiration at this point in my life and worry less about what is happening on the outside world. Perhaps a bit selfish on my part, but I feel it is necessary.

  2. Is this 6 INCHES or 6 FEET? I love your mosaic in the post right before. I framed the piece that I bought from you and am loving looking at it on a continual basis. Can’t wait to see more for sale. This tree and bird series…incredible! I’m with Kim: two of my favorite things also, especially the crows/black birds.

  3. I just discovered you this morning, and as I read it with my ten week old wiggling in my lap as she runs through the octaves, discovering her voice. Crows have always held great significance for me, and I have always been a storyteller, so this post gets me right where I live. Thanks and blessings.

  4. I love this!! Yes, home is where our story begins, but thankfully it does not have to end there!!

    And, I was enjoying writing in that beautiful little journal yesterday.

    Blessings!

  5. Beautiful artwork and a beautiful post. The concept of home is something I really struggled with in younger years too, and the home I have made for my own family brings me more joy than I can say. 🙂

  6. That’s one of the themes I keep coming back to as well and I love it when you share your insights about ‘home’. In your newest piece I think of the bird as being you, a kind of nurturing protector. The house itself has the warm feeling of “home.” Well done!

    Thanks for sharing, Bridgette and have a wonderfully creative 2010.

  7. I love this piece and the size.
    Intimate yet strong.

    I once worked on a series where I explored the idea that we all come from a womb, we’re all moving toward a tomb, we all have a mom, we’re all afraid of the bomb…we’re all looking for h’OM’e….and you find those two letters, the sound of the universe in each of those
    womb
    tomb
    mom
    bomb
    home
    OM
    Happy New Year.

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