Written Inspiration : Jill Berry Blog

Iris, Girls, and Joss

Posted on August 29, 2010 - Filed Under Visual Inspiration, Written Inspiration | 5 Comments

This is a watercolor and sketch in my journal of the Hi Calypso Iris in my garden. Iris is on my mind, both the flower and the goddess. I am working on a series of artists’ books with this subject and as usual have become a bit carried away. Iris, the goddess, was the messenger [...]

Channeling my Nana

Posted on August 11, 2010 - Filed Under Creative Exercises, My Work, Written Inspiration | Leave a Comment

My grandparents, Kelly and Glenn I spent yesterday spinning a tale, channeling the voice of my grandmother, Mildred Masterson McNeilly. She was called Kelly. She was complex, delightful to me, and challenging. In 1954 she and my grandpa went to Paris with my mother, who was 19 at the time and engaged (Holy cow, that [...]

Flight

Posted on March 22, 2010 - Filed Under What I am up to, Written Inspiration | 1 Comment

Yesterday I was on the phone with my girl at the end of the day. I was sitting outside my little cottage looking at the bay in front of me, when a large winged creature swooped by. The wingtips were up, and I knew it was an eagle. He landed right in front of me, [...]

Landscape with Yellow Birds

Posted on March 18, 2010 - Filed Under Visual Inspiration, What I am up to, Written Inspiration | 6 Comments

It is dark outside, the dogs and the kids are asleep, Steve headed off for the train to work and I am painting. Ah, I am painting. This morning is it three letter words, a concept that I have worked with for about six years. Mighty little words. Today my words are “ART” and “SKY”, [...]

Lines of Delineation

Posted on March 14, 2010 - Filed Under 2010 Workshops, Written Inspiration | 6 Comments

This week has been full of prep for Artfest, kid hauling, reading map books and being a domestic/mother/goddess. That, and clearing the first floor out to a POD on the driveway so we can get our damaged floors refinished after the latest flood. Manic is a good word for this week. At the end of [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

YES

Posted on January 21, 2010 - Filed Under Written Inspiration | 4 Comments

Yes It could happen any time, tornado, earthquake, Armageddon. It could happen. Or sunshine, love, salvation. It could, you know. That’s why we wake and look out — no guarantees in this life. But some bonuses, like morning, like right now, like noon, like evening. ~ William Stafford ~ This is one of my favorite [...]

Make it New

Posted on March 20, 2008 - Filed Under Written Inspiration | Leave a Comment

What an amazing roller coaster my life is right now. The good parts are wonderful, new and exciting, the bad parts are deep-in-the-soul painful. On the side of great things is my new exposure in print, more than four publications already this year, including Somerset Studio. Yesterday Jenny Doh at Somerset asked me to work with [...]

Sydney and Shakespeare

Posted on January 22, 2008 - Filed Under Written Inspiration | 2 Comments

My daughter Sydney is nine and brilliant. Lately she has been smitten with Shakespeare, and copies pithy quotes on lined paper which I find around the house. Here is one of her favorites: ‘We fail! But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we’ll not fail.’ Lady Macbeth said that. Isn’t that a visual? “The sticking place” [...]