2010 February : Jill Berry Blog

Poppies

Posted on February 26, 2010 - Filed Under 2010 Workshops, Creative Exercises, Written Inspiration | 3 Comments

This is a piece that I did a few years ago. It is a wild on-the-floor journaling exercise that I did when I was working with Mary Oliver’s poem, Poppies. It took me about a half hour. Sometimes you just have to splash things around.
Some of this you can learn at Magical Midnight Stories at [...]

Teeter Totter

Posted on February 25, 2010 - Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment

In the last few weeks I have been up and down so often it feels like the teeter totter I used to ride in Lacy Park. It has been the kind of ride that means I am way heavier than the one facing me, who is up. I am keeping her there. Then suddenly, I [...]

Reality Blogging

Posted on February 23, 2010 - Filed Under Real Life | 5 Comments

Today I have four friends in medical crisis. I am the kind of person who takes that to heart, and my mother would describe me as “acutely sensitive”. When you are made out of one kind of material, it is impossible to imagine that all of humankind does not share that makeup, but I am [...]

Poetry for Healing

Posted on February 19, 2010 - Filed Under Uncategorized | 3 Comments

On Wednesday of this week, I went to see my friend Nancy in the hospital. Nancy has a brain tumor. It has been a long haul for all of us who call her friend, since the dark day in January that she had a stroke, to now, when we know why. Just this week she [...]

Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 16, 2010 - Filed Under Creative Exercises | 1 Comment

This Valentine was made about 1916, about 45 years after the greeting card for this holiday became popular. Now it is second only to Christmas, billions of cards per year. Yesterday I received three Valentines from arty friends, this is such a huge benefit to being in the art community. Last week I also received [...]

Becoming an Artist

Posted on February 10, 2010 - Filed Under About me, Being an Artist, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

This gal, I call her Grammy, clearly lives in de Nile. Her epidermis had turned to leather, which she continued to bake daily. I drew her on the beach in Mexico a number of years ago, then came home and painted this. What I love about Grammy is that she reminds me that despite being [...]

The difference of a day, and a big win

Posted on February 8, 2010 - Filed Under Visual Inspiration | 1 Comment

Yesterday’s Super Bowl game was just what I needed. It was a clean, impressive, exciting and immensely gratifying to watch New Orleans win.
You may have noticed the fleur-de-lis on the side of their helmets. This is a heraldic representation of an Iris, which is also the symbol of one of my other favorite cities, Firenze, [...]

Once Upon a Time

Posted on February 7, 2010 - Filed Under 2010 Workshops | 8 Comments

Artfest is coming up in about six weeks, where I am teaching for the first time. Two classes, Spontaneous Deconstructed Journal, and Three Letter Words. I am excited, nervous, thrilled, happy and ready.
The theme this year is Once Upon a Time. Here is a map I am working on for a trade.
I have to finish [...]

Magical Midnight Stories, real ones

Posted on February 6, 2010 - Filed Under 2010 Workshops, Creative Exercises, My Work | 3 Comments

My friend Nancy had a stroke last week. She is out of the coma she was in, but it seems to me that she is still not with us. It looks sort of like her, but I think she is on vacation, trying to figure it out. Her hospital room is devoid of flowers, but [...]

The Captain of my Soul

Posted on February 5, 2010 - Filed Under Written Inspiration | Leave a Comment

Lots of events this week.
Sam sent the dog outside saying “Teebo, wanna go out? Wanna go out into the world? Wanna go out into love?”
Sydney woke up and said “Mama, it feels like there is a whole world in my stomach and the continents are crashing into each other.”
My niece, Sophie and a large group [...]