InSPIRALation...

I am so grateful that I live near the Coast! I truly cannot imagine living any place where I was land-locked...with no possibilities of a quick trip to the shore. I love that at a moments notice, I can soak-up the glorious sun, feel the sand between my toes, be surrounded by the wonder of the ocean and see such beauty in all its details. It feeds my very soul.

Most visits, I can barely finish taking-in one sight, before catching a glimpse of something else I just have to capture forever with my camera. The lighting right before dusk is incredible, magical and completely illuminating too! And so it was yesterday when me and the FAM made our way to the breakers for a little spiral guided scavenger hunt of sorts.

It was a truly magical moment that left me inspired and wanting to share...

Encapsulated...

For me, feeling nervous or anxious is a completely interior emotion. I may feel it on the inside, but I don't let it show on the outside...it's encapsulated if you will. So, I worked on a quick sketch of me in perfect harmony for this week's IMT prompt and then manipulated it in Photoshop until I felt it visualized how I might personally show distress or uneasiness of mind.

Her story in words...

Her words held her deepest wishes, her fears, her joys, but most importantly...her story.

Su if you are reading this, know that this piece did not start out being about you, but somehow ended up that way. Or maybe more to the point, it ended up as a reflection of mine and your written thoughts and visual symbols all layered together to create this final (at least I think I'm done?) image. Putting yourself, your craft, your words OUT THERE for all the world to see, takes a lot of courage and personal strength. I admire that in you and enjoy it when I can recognize that in myself too. Maybe that is how our lives...our stories...will be forever intertwined?

Does the gray really matter?

I don't know, maybe it's all the rainy days I've been experiencing lately that really inspired me, but when the IMT prompt came up this week as opposites...I didn't even blink an eye before heading directly to my studio to create this piece. Good or evil, right or wrong, conservative or liberal, sinner or saint, black or white -- seems we spend a lot of time and energy focusing on the opposites in our lives, when all there really seems to be is gray matter to me. So, I painted this environment on my canvas that (hopefully) captures value opposites, but also exposes the wonder...the little swirling goodness...the colorful gray matter...that ends up being the more interesting stuff in between the opposition.

Her inspiration becomes mine...

I am so lucky to have this child in my life. Her smile, her creativity, her compassion and love for life is positively contagious. That's why after taking her to a Frida Kahlo exhibit, I had to get out my camera as she came home, found bits and pieces in her wardrobe and decided to dress the part. How wonderful that InspireMeThursday came up with a prompt that fit both her and my inspirations...

A perfectly circumscribed creative act...

She created something using color, movement and words...found it beautiful...and was happy.


What He Said... (Or maybe just what she wanted him to say)
Gina Caraviello
26" x 60"
Textile Pigments and Cotton Fabric
July 2008

Delight of the senses...

"Water, thou hast no taste, no color, no odor; canst not be defined, art relished while ever mysterious. Not necessary to life, but rather life itself, thou fillest us with a gratification that exceeds the delight of the senses." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery