A Quote to Carry YouFebruary 24, 2014
“Sometimes it is in the losing your way that you find your true self.” (paraphrased)
This quote has meant different things to me at different times. In most cases, I’ve identified with it just as it is written; the meaning is clearly and obviously presented. At other times, my focus has been keenly on the losing part.
Peace,
Felecia
“A Winter Freeze,” photograph by Martin Watson
“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me.” Psalm 138:7
The word enemy is defined as someone who hates another or something that harms or threatens someone or something. With such a sobering definition, having an enemy is a foreboding prospect. I doubt that anyone welcomes the thought of having an enemy, but there are times when I feel that I am being attacked by all sorts of “enemies” from every direction in life. Continue reading
A Quote to Carry YouFebruary 17, 2014
“The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.” Abraham Lincoln
Can an enemy become a friend? When I first read this quote, I didn’t think much of it. Reading it a second time, however, I realized how easily this advice can be applied to any adversity in life. When we embrace the difficulties that come our way, and transform them from being hindrances into welcomed opportunities…well, they may become some of the strongest “friends” we have.
Face your challenges with a welcoming calmness…you may be surprised at how amiable the end results turn out to be.
Peace,
Felecia
“A Different Point of View,” photograph by Lewis Eliacopoulos, Festibrate.com
“One thing that I love about being an artist’s model, is the stillness, the quiet. It is a solitary thing that I experience all my own because for those several minutes that I am in a particular pose, I become that moment in time, that form, that being. I hold onto it and embrace it, the beauty of it, the intensity of it, and I never experience the same thing again. It’s like taking on a new identity with every pose, something that I’ve created that is my own that can only be interpreted by others…beyond reality, an extension of life itself.” Felecia R. Weber, OntheWingofaDove.com
I’ve always been amazed at how differently the artist’s eye views its subject. For me, it all starts with a preconceived vision of the image I would like to end up seeing on the paper. Of course, if I am drawing a flower, I want it to look like a flower, or a dancer, to look like a dancer…but there is more. I am not always trying to capture an exact likeness of the subject, but I am also trying to convey what I am feeling while drawing it. To put a part of myself into it, to make it uniquely mine.
When I think about it, I suppose I do the same thing when I am the subject. Posing for a painting or a sketch, whether it is a two-minute gesture or a 30-minute seated pose, can be as creative as when I am on the other side of the canvas or sketchpad. Art modeling is not as easy as it may seem, you’d be surprised how much stamina it takes to hold what appears to be even the simplest of poses. My mind quickly fills with all sorts of thoughts, while I am in a pose…counting out the minutes for shorter poses; wondering if I’ve set my timer properly as I get toward the end of longer ones. I envision the series of poses that I’ve practiced over and over before hand, making sure that I can move into the next gesture with grace and ease. Will the next pose be too much like this one? Is it interesting enough to challenge the artists’ skills? Hmmm, I wish I’d knelt down on my pillow instead of on the hard wooden floor for this pose! These are all the sorts of things that whirl through my mind while I am on the platform…but there is another dimension that filters through me that makes art modeling such a unique experience for me.
A figure study, painting by Martin Watson
As when I am seated in front of my own drawing board, I also have a vision of what I’d like the pose to look like when the artist interprets it using his chosen medium. With each pose, I try to exude a certain feeling or mood…the fluidity of an adagio as a brush strokes the bold, angular lines of an arabesque. Or the quiet hashes that fill in the dark shades that land on my face in a pencil-sketched portrait. What I see staring back at me as I peruse the studio during a break, is always fascinating. You see, not only is there a part of me woven into the works of art before me, but each artist has poured out their own color, their own vibrancy, their own passion into each piece as well. In essence, what has been created is a new translation of me…a different point of view.
Peace,
Felecia
“Visions of Me,” a self-portrait, photograph by Felecia R. Weber, OntheWingofaDove.com
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” George Bernard Shaw
Things aren’t always as they seem,
sometimes they only reflect a dream.
For whom we are deep down inside,
that is something not easy to hide.
A vision one sees springs to life from within.
Go on, let it be free, let it begin.
It is yours alone, it is all that you make it.
Only you know exactly how far you can take it.
What is this likeness, this creation you’ve made?
An interpretation of life, a new foundation laid.
Felecia R. Weber, OntheWingofaDove.com
A Quote to Carry You February 3, 2014
“All who wander are not lost.” (Anonymous)
When I “wander,” I let my mind go and I travel to the most marvelous places. The stops that I make along the way seem to stir my creativity and I gain a fresh perspective on life. I’ve traveled many miles that way.
Why not enrich your creative spirit too? Lose yourself in wandering…you may be surprised where you land. Happy travels.
Peace,
Felecia
“The Octopus,” 1912, Alvin Langdon Coburn. Image taken from a page of the 2011 Desk Calendar, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Store
Sometimes life can feel like a journey. With no map to guide us, it is surprisingly easy to get off the beaten path, and end up heading in an entirely new direction. I must admit that I have a terrible sense of direction…just ask anyone who knows me personally and they will confirm that to be true. I couldn’t tell you whether I am heading east or west, north or south, to save my life! Whenever I plan to travel to some place new, I make certain that I have a map, written directions, and GPS readily on hand to get me there. When traveling along the road of life, however, there is no compass, there are no street signs, there may even be a few detours, which can be much harder to navigate. So what is it that guides us? How do we find our way?
“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
For me, it seems I travel my life’s journey even in my sleep. I have a recurring dream that crept into my slumber just recently. I am in my car driving to work, motoring along on my usual route. As I proceed, I notice that the road is getting progressively narrow, and the smooth surface of the asphalt is getting rougher and rockier…before I know it the road is littered with stones; some as large as boulders! At this point, my vehicle is now a bicycle which I am frantically pedaling for fear I will be late for work. I am not alone on the road at this point as now there is a little girl, also on a bicycle, weaving back and forth along the path in front of me. She gets so close sometimes that I think I’ll topple over her. Finally I step off of my bike and wheel it along side of me, all the while the little girl laces her jagged string of distractions closer and tighter around me. I keep trudging along for a while in this manner, trying to avoid her. Suddenly the little girl disappears, trailing off onto some discreet trail. The rocky road ends and before me is a huge majestic view of a never-ending valley.
That dream varies here and there whenever I dream it, but the feeling that I have when I awaken from it is always the same. I have this overwhelming sense of lightness of being and an excitement that makes me want to jump out of bed and start afresh. What lies in the hours ahead of me beckons me as if I am about to embark on a new journey….a wonderful adventure! Certainly I have an idea of what the day before me holds, the things that make up my daily routine. But like the little girl in my dream who keeps seemingly to get in the way of my travels, the challenges and surprises that will surely cause me to alter my normal route, often times are the very things that lead to the best destination for me. The way is not always clear, the mode of transportation from one interruption to the next frustration may not always be ideal. One thing is for sure, holding on tightly to the reigns of what God has revealed to me and continually treading forward in that, I know that I will get to where I need to be each step of the way.
How about you? As you look back at the souvenirs of your life’s journey so far, remembering the paths that have led to where you are now…what is it that has brought you there; where will your journey take you?
Peace,
Felecia