Sylviebead Journal

A new day... a little sunnier.

I went on a creative field-trip today to the Atlanta Dogwood Festival with my oldest son. He has a true appreciation for art (both my boys do, but the oldest is a bit more into looking and talking about art than the youngest is). It's always fun to see what catches his eye and I think it's pretty cool that he can tell from far away what pieces I'm going to like.

So, we toured the show taking in all the visual inspiration and there really were a LOT of things that caught my eye. My favorites were a a really whimsical painter/sculptor that did rubenesque asian women and another woman who did quirky little mosaic pieces. Of COURSE I came home thinking they'd have a list of vendors on the dogwood festival website.... but noooooooo. SO I need to try to find out WHO these people were, so that I can find them again if a truckload full of money makes a delivery at my house. :)

I DID buy a print by my favorite painter though. I've wanted one for 6 years (or more?) and I don't spend money on art casually. I only buy pieces that are really special to me. So, after pondering this purchase for all these years, I bought a giclee print from Bruce Holwerda. There were 2 pieces I was interested in (having viewed his website constantly for all these years, I knew them by name when I walked into the booth... he probably thinks I'm a stalker!), but he only had one of them at the show.

SO... I am now the proud owner of a giclee print of "The Elusive Ruby-Throated Humming Bird" which is, as you can see, not a bird painting.... but a really quirky, whimsical, dark and weird portrait of a woman.


I love his work because you see their "thoughts".... and I so relate to the chaos that is going on in their heads. They all have a sort-of peaceful look...while everything is going on behind the scenes. Very me. (although I'm probably not as serene looking as they are!)


There is something akin in his work to my "big-haired girls" that I've made... and the vessel that has the face that I use as the image for the FYV classes. I think that if you could see the inner workings of those girls heads... what's under the big hair.... Mr. Holwerda's paintings would be inside.



My favorite piece (above) is called "Our Lady of Perpetual Confusion" and I don't think that a name of a painting would ever be MORE fitting for me than that one. Hopefully, I'll be able to add it to my collection someday. He still sells that one on the website.

So... thank you Bruce Holwerda for making art that speaks to me.


(I don't usually post on Saturday, but I had to share my purchase!!)


tiny blah blah blah... will be back Monday!