 ... a quote from James Harriot, Yorkshire animal vet and famed hero of the book All Creatures Great and Small said that... "Big Steps and Little Uns". He had visited an urbanscape (of the time-which was 1950's) and he struggled in the hustle and bustle to walk his usual pace and gait. You see, he was used to the Dales; rolling hills, few fences, fewer people; walking with long strides, unencumbered by crowds and curbs and cars and such.
England was at war and the time had come for James to join his military unit. His last day at the practice was a busy one and James was repeatedly called out when he had hopes to spend a last, quiet evening at home with wife Helen. He had plans and war had poked its ugly head in and said-"feed me now". Dealing with the frustration of that final day, he reminded himself that it takes big steps AND little uns to get through. We are at war, us artists. The enemy of our soul wants to discourage us, to tire us out, to make us quit. He wants to divide and conquer us. He wants to make us doubt our call. But he will not have his way. We know who wins the war. The right side wins the war - the side of good. That is just the way it is. James went to war, came back from war, and took up his practice again. Can't you imagine that one of the first things he did was take a lengthy walk in the hills of the Dales, with his really long strides? This week I have had little and big steps. Monday I was discouraged and wanted to quit. Tuesday was one of the most progressive days in my art business. So glad I did not give up on Monday night (I really wanted to). Walking that way is disturbing. Sometimes-big strides, small movement, and sometimes feeling like we are standing still... worse yet... moving backwards. Ouch! Today, be encouraged, no matter if your steps are small or large, or if you are crawling along -you will get there. Remember, you win! These "Colorado Love Rocks" which I created on Tuesday remind me of the "little uns". I left my studio at 11:15 PM, tired, happy and reminded that I am on the winning side too. http://www.etsy.com/shop/GreatCompany
8 Comments
Sue
1/4/2015 04:42:28 pm
are the love rocks meant to be carried in your pocket or something? I didn't see any information about therm or a search feature
Lori Vafiades
1/4/2015 11:56:51 pm
Sue-yes, or placed on your bedside table, coffee table. Sometimes I carry one with me and give it to someone during my activities in the day, such as a waitress. They have so many uses. What would you do with yours?
Sue
1/5/2015 08:14:29 am
I accidentally clicked on the link to unsubscribe. I'll try clicking the box below to see if that fixes it. I asked about the Colorado stones because I was curious about your process, and didn't see a search feature on your blog and your store was empty.
Lori Vafiades
1/5/2015 01:05:25 pm
My Etsy Store is empty, oops. The process of the stones is to watercolor a sweet design on a piece of watercolor paper. Seal it with spray and then adhere it to the stone, the top or the bottom, whichever you choose. I use a gel medium as glue under and then on top for a final seal. Hope that helps.
Sue
1/5/2015 02:38:02 pm
Thanks, I do something similar with handpainted wc scenes, then use gel to glue them to the back side of a 1 x 2" glass tile, then sell them as necklaces. I put colored mulberry paper on the back of the wc paper. Could I ask ho much you sell them for? They are a good idea. I work in a park that sells things to tourists in the summer. Mine would be completely different from yours of course.
Lori Vafiades
1/5/2015 08:27:27 pm
Sue, feel free to copy any of my ideas. What is mulberry paper? And cost, depends on the venue. I a gallery in Manitou Springs, CO I sell them packaged as in the photo for $7.50. They are a favorite to tourists as I call them Colorado Love Rocks, which is a play on words. It's a hippy town (I am a bit of an old hippy) and they sell. Other places I sell them without the package for $2.50, $1.00 or even give them away when the Spirit leads!
Sue
1/6/2015 06:44:26 am
Mulberry paper is from India usually, made from the mulberry plant , has threads in it and comes in colors. it gets transparent when you put the gel on it. I use a color that is in the painting. Sometimes I use abstracts or my marbled paper on the tiles. I'm an old hippy as well. There is a group on facebook called Art Abandonment that leaves things like that in places with a note on them that it is free and to notify the website if they want where and when they found it. Thanks again for being helpful, promotes good karma. I'm on facebook if you want to see the necklaces. They are in a photo album called "jewelry i make".
Lori Vafiades
1/6/2015 08:11:29 am
Wow, I just went to India and picked up a bunch of papers. Missed the mulberry thing. Next time! Leave a Reply. |
AuthorLori Vafiades; An artist, mom, wife, friend of God (in random order). Archives
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