Atiliay noun, a play off the French word “atelier”; a workshop/studio, esp of an artist or designer; my creative space

Notes plural noun, a brief record of facts, topics, thoughts written down as an aid to memory; a short informal letter

 

I was thinking about what I wanted to do for the first Creative Spark Challenge prompt. I knew I wanted to work with the digital art prompt and use the beautiful elements Marisa, Susan, Jenna, Shay, and Parmeet generously donated to the bundle (you can get it by clicking here). They are representations of who they are, their art, their creativity--how can I bring them together without changing anything but somehow making it cohesive? The first thing that came to mind was a patchwork quilt and to create a paper version.

 

The idea of different elements with a variety of colors and patterns being stitched together to create something whole made me think of CA--of all the different people and communities that are coming together to support their friends, families, neighbors, as well as complete strangers who have been affected by the fires. In the midst of all the destruction, loss, and chaos, seeing these selfless acts of generosity, care, concern, and love has been so touching and inspiring to witness. I hope I can capture a bit of this spirit in my paper patchwork.

 

There are so many organizations to support or to contact for resources.

Here are 3 sites that offer comprehensive lists of places to look to:

 

If you are interested in putting together your own paper patchwork--it can be done with photos as well or other types of images--here is a tutorial with all the details:

 

 

And if you'd like the digital packet to create your own art with, you can find it here:

 

 

How's your piece coming along? Just a quick reminder that your art doesn't have to look like a typical completed piece of artwork--it can be messy or a hodge podge of things, it can be of notes and examples of trail and error, an on-going experiment that you add more to later, a mix of different sketches, doodles, and mini paintings. The most important things are to take action and try something and that can be reflected onto your canvas in so many different ways! Remember there's no right or wrong way to interpret our prompts!

For those of you joining me for the Creative Spark Challenge, I would love to see your works of art! I'm hosting a VERY casual Zoom call where we can share a bit more about what we created. It'll be happening Saturday, January 26th at 1PM PST! You can RSVP throughout the month here. The RSVP helps to give me an idea of how many people to expect. This is something brand new to me so I'm not sure if there is any interest for this type of thing but I'm going to continue offering it for awhile and see how it goes :)

 

Have a good rest of your weekend. Take good care and talk to you soon,

PS: I've been staying in Des Moines, WA this past month and now it's time to move back to Renton. Here are some snapshots of one of my favorite places, the Des Moines Marina / Pier! If you are ever in the area I highly recommend stopping here, especially for a sunset! And don't forget to bring your pup--it's very dog friendly! :)

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