4/3/09

IF - Talisman

Talisman: an object that is thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck.


Hush - charcoal on paper

The above definition was sent by the folks at Illustration Friday. Such a fantastic prompt, Talisman. It immediately made me think of this charcoal piece I made several years ago. It is almost life size & was drawn from a Polaroid I shot years before.

This piece of art was my talisman.

Until this past year, I've rarely kept up a steady flow of creativity. I'd get into 1 medium or other & make stuff for a couple of months. And then Nothing .... for years. Yes, years. This piece marked the end of a long dry spell & became my good luck charm. It got me into a number of juried shows & galleries, won some awards, and opened up PR opportunities. It became the key to whatever little door I had my eye on.

Then it was stolen.

A dozen pieces were taken, but I felt the blow when I lost this one. This was almost 6 yrs ago. I also had my son around that time & found myself very busy. The new baby, some health issues, plus work were great excuses to not create for a long long time.

February 2008 I started drawing again. 1st ATCs & then larger pieces. I am now at a point where I have more ideas than time. Although I'd like to create more each day, I am grateful for what hours I can claim as my own.

They're Here - charcoal on grey paper

Speaking of "carving out" I'm trying to carve out more elbow room so I'm adding some older pieces at my etsy shop, ArtSnark. The latest is this matted charcoal drawing & it is priced sell! I've also listed my two newest pieces (from yesterday's post)

If you've stayed with me through today's ramble, thank you. The encouragement I have received from so many kind & talented people has helped me get over the loss of my talisman. Now I make my own luck ;D

30 comments:

  1. gurl- you are SOOOOO talented- you need to make art so you can keep your soul alive! i am so happy that you are re-surfacing...

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  2. Wow, Stacey. Powerful images.

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  3. Stacey~ Such talent!! So glad you began creating again so you can share it with the world! You're too good to keep it bottled up!

    ~Sheila

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  4. what a wonderful piece, no wonder it was your talisman! it's just stunning. i'm sorry it got stolen :(

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  5. Your work is beautiful and deserves to be added to on a daily basis. Your "talisman" piece is exceptional.

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  6. Amazing.

    The lighting, the expression, everything.

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  7. Beautiful charcoal drawing!! Very powerful. How sad that someone stole them!!!! I had that happen to me too...it can be heart-breaking.
    Glad you still have photo records of them.
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  8. I'm so glad you're back to arting! My story is not very different from yours. I almost feel self indulgent doing art all day now, but I'm loving it! And your work is incredible. You are making the world a prettier place!

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  9. woah. It look like a picture!
    beautiful work...and thanks so much for dropping by!

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  10. fab, Stacey. I'm a graphite and charcoal freak and haven't used either medium in years. Keep tempting me.

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  11. Nice work.

    You left a comment for me on my (Botaday) Talisman submission, which led me here, to your blog.

    I too have known long dry periods and I also have some "Lost Children", although mine weren't due to theft. That has to really be cruel.

    But you got me thinking about them nonetheless, so I put up this post in their honor.

    Cheers!

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  12. great to read your story and hear that you have lots of ideas now and motivation to work. Very strong thought provoking work. Thanks for your comment on my blog.

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  13. No way !!! It was stolen ?!!! Karma will catch up to that person.

    Residual powers of the talisman are still with you, though, Stacey. You really are a talent.

    :-)
    Shelly

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  14. Stolen...good lord...i hope whoever it was somehow passed it on to somebody who loved it and felt it's spirit...but oh my...i envy your drawing talent!

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  15. great atmosphere, very inspiring piece :)

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  16. it is a soulful piece!! you're very talented!! look forward to your upcoming creations. and i have always wanted to tell you i enjoy admiring your work all along ;)

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  17. That is awful to have your work stolen. It is very powerful and so amazing, keep it up!

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  18. hurrah for the ending of dry spells!

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  19. What a powerful talisman! It came and brought you back to art! It is haunting, magical and beautifully done! We all have our dry spells, but we all don't have a "mojo" like yours! :)

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  20. Sorry to hear you art was stolen. Glad that you had photos of them though. Your work is wonderful and I'm glad you are renewing your creativity.

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  21. that is such a stunning piece and it made me feel sad to hear it was stolen. When I was at art school my entire dissertation was lost by my professor, it consisted of 6 big - A1 size paintings and text, I understand how that must have felt for you.
    You are super talented and these are lovely drawings.

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  22. I did stay with you through this post. It was a wonderful talisman drawing, and what a bummer to have it stolen.

    I could totally relate to what you said about having creative spurts, and then going YEARS without doing anything.

    For me, I'm finding Illustration Friday very helpful in keeping going.

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  23. Wonderful explanation of your chosen piece. So very well executed. I thought it was a photo at first. Wonderful job on the charcoal.

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  24. You are an awesome artist!!! That is a stunning piece.

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  25. That drawing is so powerful, so passionate. I'm not the least bit surprised that it's your talisman, it is fantastic!

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  26. Goes to show that a talisman is very powerful, no matter where it might be in the world. Think of the adventures it might be having out in the world! There is a great story about a treasured piece of art finding its way home at http://timewithtascha.blogspot.com/2009/02/first-painting-i-sold-on-ebay.html

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  27. very evocative, love your face expression. thanks for visiting my place.

    Cheers!

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  28. Very powerful! Pitty that it was stolen :(

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