Fairies in My Garden

I have random pottery everywhere. I have things from every stage of my pottery career from my first pot ever from when I was 12, up to something that came out of my last firing. (Which was a couple months ago.) Every now and then I repurpose something from early in my pottery development.

Today my mom and I visited three of the greenhouses in our immediate area, I picked up plants that could belong in a fairy world. Small leaves and flowers and fun textures. Then I needed just a few more things so I gathered some moss from our backyard and some small flowers from one of our gardens.

The bowl is actually the base of a fountain that I made at my first pottery job. I apprenticed for a few years around the time I got my driver's license. This was a collaborative piece with my mentor and I got to bring it home when it was done. It had a very short life as a fountain.

I also raided my trinkets and dug out some marbles.

The little pots and figurines are also from that time, or perhaps from before the apprenticeship when I was taking lessons in pottery from my mentor. The glass filled leaf was an experiment for ornaments and I kept several for myself. Stones that we have collected from various trips to Lake Superior became a path and the gravel is actually chicken grit.

The littlest frog lives in this pot with his "water" filled leaf pond.

It's my first fairy garden and I'm rather proud of how it turned out! I'm already thinking about adding a few things. I may need a dragon for deep in the shadows or a little hut for my little guy. Maybe another frog or two...

Dragonflies

Do you believe in signs from guardian angels, spirits, your creative genius, or whoever or what ever you believe is watching out for you? Do you know what to look for? Some people have a personal symbol, something they identify with. I always look for feathers when I'm out walking, but beyond that I haven't noticed any real significant signs.

Until a couple weeks ago.

My dragonfly painting.

When I started my painting for Katlyn's Bohemian Designs, one of my favorite images was a dragonfly, I hoped I'd be able to use it for my new business cards. Then a potter I follow on Facebook posted an image of a small platter she had made with a labyrinth, a symbol of walking or finding your path, surrounded by dragonflies. And she described dragonflies as "bringing positive transformation" and being associated with "courage, strength and happiness." That struck a chord with me as that was/is what I am hoping for with my new work.

A dragonfly pocket stone.

Then there was mention of a dragonfly in the book I was reading, and an over sized dragonfly balloon at the grocery store. One of the other pages I follow on Facebook posted a dragonfly inspired basket. I also found a little dragonfly pocket stone I had made a while back and just tossed in a dish and the dragon whistle I had decided to keep in my personal collection has dragonfly wings.

My "dragonfly" whistle.

Last week I went to a friends house to pick up some art and craft supplies she thought I might like and there sitting on top of them was a little box stamped with a dragonfly. I told her the whole story about seeing dragonflies everywhere and how I was hoping they were trying to tell me I was on the right path with my new art. When I got home I opened my "suggested pins" on Pinterest and two of them were dragonflies. Up to that point, I hadn't looked at anything dragonfly related. Now I keep getting dragonflies there too.

The little box that was "right there" on top of the art supplies.

I always considered the butterfly my personal symbol. But maybe it is time for a change there as well. Whoever or whatever is sending me these dragonflies, I hope they are looking out for me. They are telling me it is time to adapt, change, transform. Which is what I have been doing with my art, I hope, maybe I really am going the right way with my work. Time will tell, but I do believe there will be more dragonflies in my artwork.

I painted this little stone after seeing so many dragonflies.

Katlyn's Bohemian Designs

My new Facebook page has gone "live." I've decided after much mind changing to call this new venture "Katlyn's Bohemian Designs." In any art path I take, I've not been able to keep my focus on one medium. I started in pottery and branched into crochet and now with this new business branching off of Katlyn Koester Designs, I'm expanding on the crochet and adding painting and beading. And maybe some other things, I don't know yet, but everything will have a more bohemian and gypsy vibe.

To me that means pattern, color and texture. Bright bold paintings. Vibrant and/or luxurious crochet. Fun, a little funky, and little additions that make each thing just that much more unique.

I realized after unpacking my pottery this spring to set up for open studios, (which I am now in the midst of doing each day I am home) that the patterns I've been painting on my pottery have started going that way too. So all of my work is becoming bright, bold, fun, and hopefully worthy of the gypsies. I can picture many of my items being right at home in a gypsy wagon. And I can't even count the number of times I have wished to take a caravan and go exploring like a gypsy and just sell my art along the way. Just one of those fantasies that sounds very appealing when the winter snows start to cause cabin fever.

I still hope to get my Etsy shop up and running, but each time I look at it again I get frustrated by the steps I have yet to take to make it look professional and work as a store. For right now, my work can be viewed and bought on my Facebook page as I get it posted. I hope to have greeting cards before June. The printers have some of my paintings right now to turn into cards, so I will have those soon and I'm pretty excited about that. I also discussed with a friend some other options of things I could do with my new work, but that's still down the road a little bit.

Spring Renewal

Spring is in the air!

I mean it has been in the air for the last month or so, but the last couple weeks the daffodils have been blooming and to me it isn't really spring until the poplar trees start putting on their bright spring green leaves. And I noticed yesterday that they are definitely doing that now in my neck of the woods.

Spring is a time for renewal, reinvention, revival, rebirth. And this spring I am holding true to that. I have my new business venture well under way. New products being made, a friend is busy working on my new graphic design needs, and I have had (and turned down) a couple new offers. The offers were teaching opportunities and I still have no desire, interest or passion for teaching. Some people are born with it, some find it along the way, and some, like me, are very unsuited to the role of teacher no matter how much other people think they would thrive in that role.

But, anyways, a little off track there. I will soon have a new Facebook page with my new mediums of work. Or my new medium and new products in another medium, all hopefully falling under the same style. I will hopefully begin listing to an Etsy page to sell the new work, my pottery is still available but will not be on my Etsy page, unless I make something specifically for this new business and then it will be something small and easily shipped.

So things are still coming to fruition, I just haven't shared much because it is small steps, important steps, but not really blog worthy until I have some final products.

Our one and lonely tulip, it got nipped off by a chipmunk shortly after I took a picture.

As always, stay tuned!

Ramblings

I started writing a post this morning and realized I was just trying to fill up space without really saying anything. I'm not quite ready to share my new plans in full so here's what's up.

My first four months of my temperature afghan. I'm marking
family birthdays with special rows, and up toward the top you can
see the orange rows where we've had two days of 70 degree weather.
Immediately followed by 30 degree days.

This week has been quiet. I have spent a lot of time painting and crocheting. I have thought a lot about some options and things I am working on, but it is all still pretty new, so I'm not sharing it with the world just yet.

Some of our daffodils that got 3 inches of snow dropped on them.
And then rain, and wind, and some blazing sun. Briefly.

And it is being a fairly typical northwoods Wisconsin spring. Meaning the weather is trying to fit winter, spring, summer and a little fall into one week, sometimes into one day.

Are You Happy?

I can honestly say that I have not been happy. Sure, I've had moments of joy, excitement, fulfillment, satisfaction, interest, but to be truly happy, to be in "a state of well-being and contentment" (definition, Merriam Webster), I don't think I have. Some people will argue that to have joy or those other emotions is to be happy.

I think "happy" is a deeper, more true emotion. You can be simply happy, or deep-down-in-the-gut happy. It is a glowing contentment (see I'm using the definition to describe happy because there is no other way to do so.) And that's been the problem for me, I haven't been content. Not with my life, my job, my goals or ambitions, my accomplishments (which there haven't been many in my way of thinking. Or is it society's view?)

In fact my subconscious, my soul, my inner voice have been trying to convey that point to me even in sleep. All the dreams I have remembered, written down and then interpreted the meaning of, have included signs and symbols of a discontent life. Hiding emotions, being stuck, running away, fear, embarrassment, avoiding issues, etc. And I haven't woken from any of those dreams feeling good about it.

Until last night. Last night's dream included symbols for peace of mind; renewal and new beginnings; rest, relaxation, clearing of the mind; foundation, stability, and sense of understanding; mobility, independence, and freedom; taking a step in the right direction; wanting to reconnect (old hobby, talent, or interest); being too hard on yourself; freely expressing femininity; love, joy, sweetness, happiness, affection and kindness; getting back to your roots. Plus in the dream I was content, I felt peaceful. I woke up feeling calm.

Something I am currently doing or thinking about has led me and my inner me to feel good. I am focusing on bringing more mystical things into my life. (As many times as I have linked back to this post, I probably could have figured this out sooner had I been paying attention.) Maybe I need the energy from meditation, lighting candles, and crystals. Maybe that is who I am really and I have been trying too hard to fit into society's idea of a person, or business person. I've been trying to fit the mold, as much as an artist can since artists tend to be on the outskirts of the "norm" anyway, but maybe focusing on some new paintings, a new style, new imagery and new ideas (all from a part of my interests in childhood), has finally allowed me to find "happy." I know I am enjoying what I've been working on and the business plans I have been forming in my head are certainly entertaining. Watch for new comings in my art, maybe I've figured out what it takes for me to be ME.

 And then when I went outside this morning, one of the first things I found was a feather. It was grey, black and white side up, but I haven't found a meaning for three colors so... Black and white feathers represent protection or the sense of union. Grey and white feathers symbolize hope. Grey is peace and neutrality, peace within, wisdom, a nudge that you are on the right track, authenticity, and flexibility. I was starting to compose this post in my head when I found it.

Post Hike

I've been home almost a week now. I had my posts set on a delay for my own safety. Unless I can know exactly who is reading my blog there is no guarantee that everyone has good intentions for me. And so I've been posting a few days behind where I actually was on the trail.

A collage of my first day, the river was the view from my first campsite,
the tent obviously my first site, and the flowers I saw all over the trail that day.

Since being at home I've been angry, frustrated, sad, confused and several more emotions in regards to my hike and the rather abrupt end of it. The whole trip was not what I expected. Nothing in my life really ever is what I expect. I was going to spend the hike trying to figure out what is next for me. I was using it as a break from the frustration I have felt in my life and as a time to maybe spend a little less time worrying about everything. Being away from home meant I only had to worry about more primal matters. Staying safe, dry, healthy, eating, setting up my shelter. There was no income or expenses, I had taken care of that before I left or my mom was going to be mailing out some things. There was no immediate concerns about my profession or personal relationships.

No painting the second day, it was raining and windy. This was from a bench
overlooking a marshy area the third day. An otter ran through while I was painting.

It was peaceful, or as peaceful as I could get when I spent a lot, ok, most of my time swearing at hills that I'm sure they routed the trail over because it was a glacial feature, or swearing at the adverse weather of which I had plenty, or wondering about my poor choices in life of which I have made plenty. There were a couple days I didn't even bother with painting and I left my journal stashed most of the time because I knew what I wrote would have been the same as it was the last dozen times I took it out.

The sunrise at Moh's Mountain the fourth day. I spent some extra time trying
to get warm that morning and hoped my tent would dry out before I packed up.

I'm still using this time as "free-time." I got enough done before I left that I don't need to worry about getting pottery done. I'm still using this time as thinking time and since I am home I am using it to focus on projects that I thought for sure would never get finished because they are extra things that I don't have to do. I'm also using it as time to relax. I certainly won't use the next two months that way, but at least I can take another week or two, until the end of April, to see if anything comes to mind as to where I need to be heading with my life.

Painted this at the home of the chapter coordinator. I had seen three giant
white pines and three interesting feathers that were the inspiration for this one.
I was hoping the feathers would be messages from the spirits while I hiked, but
never stopped to figure out what each one meant at that particular moment.

I actually spent one afternoon (maybe an hour) meditating. I lit some candles, closed my curtains, grabbed a few of my crystals and repeated to myself What do I need? What do I need? like a mantra. It's amazing what comes into your head and what you experience when you have no outside influence, when you are completely relaxed and focused on one thing. I'm not going to tell you what popped into my head, I don't know if it something my head, heart or soul needs or if it something that I want. Maybe what I want is what I need, but either way it is mine, and I don't know if I will act on it, or even how to act on it. Maybe I'll try meditating again and see if the same ideas come to me, but in the meantime I thought I'd share the paintings I did while hiking or that were inspired by things I saw.

There was some interesting mushrooms, no idea what kind, but I immediately
saw purple, blue and gray when I first saw them and that is how they ended up in my painting.