Everyday Art: silk in the wind

Waves breaking at Buffles Baai, Cape Point, 2011 by Morag Noffke.

The elements, such as the wind and the waves of the sea speak to me of the mutability of life and humans while the rocks speak of the immutability of certain physical and spiritual laws such as gravity and giving. There is variability and security woven into our existence. I believe ultimately the Creator knew what he was doing.

Who are we?

A fleeting life, a mere breath…
Aimlessly blowing in the wind
“when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind” - Solomon, Ecclesiastes

But
We are a spirit-soul malleable in the Makers hand
like a seed blowing where He wishes through the land
Gently responsive to his Spirit
merging with the flow as one
in unison,
My life is to receive His kindnesses
to return to fuller connection
to repair this world
hand-in-Hand
to live my fleeting life,
a mere breath
in response to His
Breath.  
  

What
He does, the Spirit-Maker, is create us…
we are His silk blowing in the Wind
In response to his toil
he has achieved,
he has loved,
he has breathed
His life
into
us.

We are not
meaninglessly
blowing in the wind
although our achievements
and our toiling might be meaningless
a chasing after the wind, in place of the Wind. 

 

Everyday Art: mixed medium flowers

Fantasy flowers floating: Acrylic paint, pearly acrylic inks, beads, glitter, and patterned material,
by Morag Noffke 05.09.11

The same painting: light reflecting on the pearly inks from a different angle.

Everyday Art: The goose laid an egg.

11,5 X 8,5 cm, The Goose laid an Egg, Pen and water colour, by Morag Noffke 22.08.11

When passing time by doodling and painting I fall back upon symbols I have enjoyed thinking about in the past. Geese have become one of my internal friends; one of the many properties (symbols) which have been included in the fabric of my life.

Nests are symbolic of nesting, germination, incubation, brooding, nurturing, etc. You will notice that this is one of the many  themes to which  I return. That shall suffice for now.

Everyday Art: my neighbouring geese

I watch the geese...

they see me...

they relax...

and preen... 

I like birds of every kind.

Birds remind me of our souls.

They are free to move between earth and sky

that is why

I like birds to be free.

One of my favourite birds is geese.

They symbolize migration

and know their direction. 

They are water birds.

Water is the age old symbol 

of the psyche's unconscious and emotion.

When they call

it is as if they reach deep into my heart;

and my soul 

echoes back in humble response 

to the knowledge that we all 

are part of nature created by the Great Designer. 

I am grateful that I am free.

These are Egyptian geese.

Everyday Art: labyrinth of life.

Size: 15X11cm: Pen, watercolour and gold glitter: Shell (perlemoen) inspired.

Life is a Labyrinth

When looking at the lines and shapes of this shell
I saw the winding pattern of the labyrinth. 

I think I have labyrinths on the brain. 

I like to think that we all have our own personal labyrinth to follow; 

they come in every design. 

Maybe through the years our own one changes when going through different challenges. 

I think I rarely come to dead ends only difficult corners.  

I sometimes have difficulty seeing the corner
and run smack into the wall before realizing it.  

Everyday Art: A rainy-day poem

I thought I would share one of my poems with you as it shows the other side of my enjoyment of weather.
I like communicating with written words; and especially using words that I make up.

I love the Rain.  11.07.08

Some people say:
"Wetting clothes,
Getting cold...
Cold seeping through to the bones,
Bones creaking to a halt,
Freezing cheer,
Wheezing chest...
I hate the Rain!"

I love the rain.

It is a comforting sound,

Hearing it pelt against the pain,

Feeling cocooned against the cold.

The bidding call of the Olive thrush,

Synonymous with rainy seclusion,

Adds to my appreciation.

I love the rain.

This is the rain.

I see it puddling across the garden,

Pouring down from the Heavens.

A roaring sound dying away

To a spittering glitter at play:

A patch of sun.

A dash of fun.

This is the rain.

*

What do you think of my words:

Puddling and  spittering?

Here is my explanation: Puddling is the verb for a puddle growing bigger or many puddles forming. Pittering is a smaller version of pattering, just at the ‘i’ is a smaller shape than the ‘a’ shape. Think of pitter patter little raindrops (the sound of rain) and mix with splitter splatter little raindrops (the feeling of the rain) and you get my word spittering which is a tiniest wet soundless sound (the opposite of a roar). J

Everyday Art: A warm winter's day

Size: 17cm X 8.5cm

Pen and Watercolour

In this little painting
I have tried to capture a sense of warmth and brightness.
As I mentioned in my profile 
I like to communicate through the creative medium.
I enjoy winter because here in the Cape the weather can be quite changeable: cold, windy and wet, sometimes stormy, 
and at other times the days can be warm and sunny.
 A warm winter’s day has a soft glow about it.
While I love the storms and the rain
 the sunny days are my favourite,
they make me feel good;
warm right down into the centre of my being.

What type of weather do you like?
Tell me why.

Everyday Art

Inspired to give it my all; by playing everyday 

I don't know about you, but I tend to take myself and life too seriously, at times, when I actually should let go and be. One way of being, for me, is to 'play.' So it is with caution that I share these two recent pieces of inspiration; I want to qualify it by saying that I would like to learn to focus my creative energy and play with child-like gusto. It is in the balance of work and play that talents and skills are developed. 


I have been inspired by the book Becoming a writer, written by  Dorothea Brande (1934). She encourages one to write everyday just after waking and before getting on with the daily activities. This is often the time when one is between dreaming and waking; here dreams are readily remembered .She says this is a good time to tap into the creative center of the brain. It helps to draw the creative juices out of the well; the more you do the more steadily the flow pulses. 


Soon afterwards, I read a quote by Ira Glass on http://creativeartjournal.blogspot.com/ (6 Aug 2011) which has inspired me to, as Ira puts it, "do a lot of work". I have decided to commit to practicing my artistic skill (which I have neglected for quite a while) regularly throughout each week. It could be sketching or painting that I will do, just as I already practice my writing.

I think there are many of us ‘mere mortals’ who feel that sharing one’s creativity with others is too intimidating, that we would be seen to be showing off or that we are not good enough. This site is to encourage others and inspire, not by showing how good we are, but that we grow by trying. 

The creative muse visits us and inspires us one way or the other: art, writing, and poetry, music…dance…drama…craft…etc. When we are visited we should not disrespect her by fobbing off these inspirations; but with child-like gusto we should begin our play. As a friend said, "don't try to be perfectionistic." 

So I will be 'playing everyday' doing a lot of art and I look forward  to sharing some of my 'works' soon.