Make a joyful noise....SING....

Today is Monday's Inchie and the word to inspire is "sing". At first I wanted to create the quote "Make a Joyful Noise" but that is a lot to put into a one inch fabric square. So to make it more accessible and completed on time.... I created a colorful square with a bird in flight singing her Spring songs as she make a new nest in the birdhouse on my front porch. She seems to be a very happy spirit as she gathers, selects and arranges her natural materials to feather her nest for her future young babies. We had a sudden downpour with two inches of hard rain pounding down my beloved daffodils...the tornado sirens went off three distinct warnings and we gathered into the safety of the wash room at St. Vincent's Thrift Store. I really did not feel afraid...for some reason I found myself grateful that this was not a late horrendous Spring snowfall. I came home and dried off my dear 19 year old cat Desdemona..she refused to come inside the house this morning when the temperatures were down right balmy. I wrapped her in a warm towel and she purred her appreciation for my gentle hands as she began to warm up once again.

I worked on the collage today thinking about the power in the word "fear". I decided to add a layer of pearl glaze onto top of my paper design elements with hope that tomorrow I will add some sketches or a portrait with text.... I am considering adding another layer with textures from vintage aged fibers. The process is intriguing me and I have to say that I am in awesome appreciation to my blog mates who have generously shared their various processes and tutorials. Gary is a plein aire painter who came in to say hello...he creates the impression in a very short amount of time outdoors of the beauty found in the moment of nature's splendor. I own one of his paintings and his brushstrokes are so incredibly strong. Gail came in to check on my progress with the pneumonia and sat quietly watching me create individual pages of a travel journal for a good friend who is traveling to China next week. I had really wanted to go but my health issues and lack of extra funds prevented me this time. But maybe next time I will be able to make the trip. Judy is looking for artifacts and buttons for me as well as silk scraps to use
later in my narratives.

Ken delivered the materials needed to file our taxes. next year I am planning on a separate filing but for 2010 is was really only for three months so this seemed the easiest route to take. Have a safe evening and I plan to work in the upstairs studio to patch together some strips of fabrics in an orderly fashion for a bag I am thinking about making. God bless the airlines...I pray they stick ...stay together! Imagine and Live in peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart