Happy Valentine's Day!

It's Valentine's day, sunny and 57 degrees outside. Feels like a heat wave compared to the last few weeks. It did seem odd that Friday 13th fell the day before. I guess if you survived all the black cats that crossed your path and all the ladders you walked under and that mirror you broke yesterday..... then today should feel pretty good. 😄

Every year, for the fun of it, I make a little piece of heart art near Valentine's Day. This year, I ended up with three. It wasn't planned, it just happened as I played at my art table.

This one was the last one I worked on last evening and I believe it is my favorite, but you know I like abstract and bold color. I had put some paint and stuff on a little canvas board. I had worked on it twice previously and it was hideous and not coming together in any way that I liked. I had two hearts cut out and on a whim, I thought I'd put them on the crazy piece and see if I could make something more in that direction. I glued them on and then reworked the background and added lots more and this is how it turned out. It now has many layers and is kind of grungy and something about it appeals to me.

I normally don't get too deeply involved in the news of entertainers or tragedies that are not local to me as I really can't take on all the emotions of the world. Too heavy of a load to carry daily. This case though where a woman named Nancy Guthrie, an 84 year old woman was abducted (and maybe killed).... in her home 2 weeks ago has drawn me in the last couple of days. I have heard about it along the way, prayed for her and carried on, but did not dive in to follow it a lot. In the last couple of days though, I have internalized it a little, thinking about my own Mom who is 91 years old, lives alone and whose home is a little remote. When I stopped on it long enough to think on it like that, it really got me. Now I am following for any new news. For real, I never do this! I can't imagine what it would be like if my Mom disappeared all of the sudden and now two weeks later no answer..... it would be SO awful!

Back to art, this one is the first I made (besides two tiny ones)... and it is more happy happy traditonal'ish, which was my intention. All the hearts are made from papers I painted, printed, stenciled to make collages with. It was simple and fun and kind of like a Valentine's Day card front.

This is the second one. This is the one that I thought would be the odd one, before I made the third one.... ha.... Odd for me with the cool colored background and more warm hearts. All of the hearts were made out of a paper I showed last year that I had just played on with paint and collage. It was not an art piece, just something I made messing around one night. I had no idea at the time what I might use it for later or even if I ever would, but now, here it is! There was nothing about hearts on the original paper.

I'm older you know and although I've always been aware we're not promised another day no matter what age, as I've gotten older, that comes to mind a little more often. I don't obsess on it.... anyway, I got my updated credit card this week from my bank and as I walked down the hall a while ago on the way to my desk here, to update the new expiration date on a few things, I saw that it expires in February 2029 and I said out loud to the card and myself "I wonder if I will still be alive when you expire"

Does that sound morbid? Actually, it made me laugh. One never knows.

I don't have any Valentine's plans for the day. I thought about ordering pizza for supper and get them to deliver it to me, but really, my refrigerator and pantry are full, so that would almost be like a crime! LOL..... For now, I won't decide, I'll just leave it to be decided later.

Just throwing this in for the crazy of it. After finishing the last Valentine, I sat at the art desk with the TV on and played with my mini gel print plate, making a design and then slapping it on a play sheet. After multiple color blocks were on the sheet, I dabbed some stencil designs in contrasting colors here and there. I think it kind of has a retro vibe. I wonder if this one will end up on next year's Valentine.

I hope however you spend your Valentine's Day (if you're somewhere that there is such a thing) ....you will be happy and content.

Love Ya Valentine!

Jacey