No, I am not transitioning over to the other side, not yet anyway! I have more to share and life to experience! Though there is a change taking place. A change that is calling for a new presence and new online location. You can now follow me through flowerosity.com. Nature’s Sweet Grace is, and always will be part of my being, and close to my heart. It is where I have shared content around the art I am working on, living consciously, nature, and spirituality. This site, naturessweetgrace.wordpress.com will remain live with this being the last post. You’ll still be able to visit older posts through categories, plus tutorials, and videos which are part of the main menu.
Flowerosity originates from the metaphor, seed to blossom. Feeling into the blossom and then planting a seed(s) and simply allow for the in-between to grace the way. Flowerosity.com is about participating in the grandeur of our imagination and life experiences. I’ll be sharing my art and art process, blogging about imagination, life, wisdom, different art worlds, and connecting with other world builders.
What is a world builder? A world builder lives by Imagination Elation, which happens to be a great lead in to take you to this Flowerosity.com post. Enjoy!
Lastly, in celebration, a collection of shorties and poetry from Nature’s Sweet Grace blog, including several new writings, are now presented in Nature’s Sweet Grace eBook. Do take a look inside.
In gratitude for connecting with each one of you. Do join me on the other side at flowerosity.com.
The Weathered Art Show has come and gone. A one evening event with art, art lovers, food and music at a Downers Grove hidden gem and inviting venue, Upstairs at St. Andrew’s.
The community art that weathered outside the front entrance of the Downers Grove Public Library was on display along with eleven weathered art panels by twelve local artists.
The Art Department – a Downers Grove-based arts organization dedicated to making Downers Grove a welcoming and nurturing place for the arts by promoting local artists, sponsoring arts activities, and building awareness about the importance of the arts in the community and our lives. The arts play an integral role in helping communities express big ideas, beautify spaces, spark conversations, and defines spaces.
Weathered Art – Theme for Downers Grove Art Department’s current project with twelve artists participating. Artist’s are provided a 30″x48″ unstretched, unprimed canvas to do their art-making with and then weather the canvas outside for 20-30 days, and if choosing so, intermittently along the way. You’ll find posts of each artist’s process throughout the summer on the Art Department’s Facebook page and on Instagram @#weatheredartDG. The theme Weathered Art is inspired by the Guatemalan artist Vivian Suter who had her weathered art shown at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Gems: Soul Sisters & Soul Brothers known for their innate beauty, luminescence, and spectrum of wisdom that touches every one of us.
Barefoot Summers and Animal Connections
Petr and Ranger
For many of us, in the summer we put on a pair of sandals, flip flops, or some type of shoe before venturing outside. And once in a while, we’ll find ourself barefoot in our home, yard, or public place where it’s expected, like a beach or pubic pool. For Petr Kratky, walking barefoot is an all-day, everyday summer occurrence. Especially when he is walking his clients’ dogs. Some clients notice Petr’s barefoot presence and they’ll ask questions like how does it feel. He talks about it with his clients though it’s not like he presents himself as this way, the barefoot dog walker. He’s walking dogs because he loves walking dogs and when he returns them home they are happy.
For the past two to three summers, Petr has been walking barefoot. It’s not like he was thinking about it, it came to him by feel. Being barefoot all summer, and going by feel, is nothing new for Petr, from his earliest memories as a young child, playing naked outside was natural. Then in his late teens to early 20’s he did a lot of windsurfing, barefoot.
I had a better feel with the board, with the waves, with the wind so there was no space in between me and the thing I am doing.
It’s mostly by feel. In nature I just love it. If I stand still, I close my eyes and meditate for a while, I connect to universe so I can literally feel the earth spinning, and it’s pretty much like falling somewhere through the universe. And it’s an amazing feeling.
Petr, originally from the Czech Republic, came to the United States in 1999. After exploring Europe and many places in the U.S., he landed here in Chicago’s western suburbs. A couple of years ago, Petr started working intensively with dogs and is now a consultant for those who have a dog. It’s all about dogs, the dog’s time with nature, and the dog’s life.
From his experiences watching, walking, and training dogs Petr discovered he has a special connection with these four-legged creatures and most animals. The dogs, most the time, have a connection with Petr, too. On several occasions, Petr has been told by seers that there are dog-like spirits sitting on his shoulder.
I feel like some dogs are afraid of that, but most of the dogs are connecting with that. They see they can rely on you, trust you, let’s do things.
Special bonds take place and us humans can learn a lot from the human-animal connection. The biggest thing Petr has learned from the dogs he works with, and with his dog Ranger, is that dogs are related to love.
One little girl was asked about how people come to live 80 to 100 years and dogs only to like 10 to 15 to 18 years. Her answer was because they know how to love so they don’t need a time to learn how to love like us. It’s amazing and I think that’s what it is.
We can also learn from dogs behaviors.
If a dog wants something, they pretty much go for it. But if you don’t give it to them they’re not being upset about things. I’ll take Rangers toy away, he’s going to be one thing for a while, but then he finds something else to play with and does whatever he thinks he wants to do next. He’s not going to hold any grudges against me.
What I’ve learned from dogs is somewhere inside me too….to be connected to ourself.
Petr’s clients are through word of mouth and meeting people at dog parks. You can connect with him at one of these three locations; Oldfield Oaks Dog Park (Darien), Katherine Legge Memorial Park (Hinsdale), or Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve (Lemont).
Location Four –Downers Grove, Illinois, my front entrance sidewalk
I saved flower petals from flowers that graced my living space that I had gotten from the farmers market, Mary’s backyard garden, and petals that had fallen to the ground found on my walks. With the petal varieties, I wanted to see if the petals would stain or stick to the acrylic paint. And with the breezy days we’ve been having, I decided to cover the petals with cheesecloth so they would not fly away. It was supposed to rain on this day so I was equally curious if the watercolor cakes would splatter or create puddles of color since the art panel was placed flat on the sidewalk. There’s still enough watercolor cake left to create more weathering color.
This is where the weathering story and images end and the sharing takes a rest. More to come about the Weathered Art panel Sun Play and the other 11 artist panels after the October 5th Weathered Art Opening at Upstairs@St. Andrew’s. I look forward to seeing you there!
The Art Department – a Downers Grove-based arts organization dedicated to making Downers Grove a welcoming and nurturing place for the arts by promoting local artists, sponsoring arts activities, and building awareness about the importance of the arts in the community and our lives. The arts play an integral role in helping communities express big ideas, beautify spaces, spark conversations, and defines spaces.
Weathered Art – Theme for Downers Grove Art Department’s current project with thirteen artists participating. Artist’s are provided a 30″x48″ unstretched, unprimed canvas to do their art making with and then weather the canvas outside for 20-30 days, and if choosing so, intermittently along the way. You’ll find posts of each artists process throughout the summer on the Art Department’s Facebook page and on Instagram @#weatheredartDG. The theme Weathered Art is inspired by the Guatemalan artist Vivian Suter who had her weathered art shown at the Art Institute of Chicago.
The location weathering is told through photos with descriptions. There are quite a few images from three different locations. More to come in future posts. Enjoy!
Location One – Cedar Falls, Iowa, brother’s backyard
Cedar Falls, Iowa – a trip to visit my brother and his family. The art panel is welcomed in my brother’s backyard and hung from their clothesline. Ahhhh, take in that Iowa fresh air! You can see the cornfields from here and lots of fireflies and stars at night.
Location Two – Downers Grove, Illinois, Mary and Ron’s backyard garden
Started here, garden’s northside.
Switched to garden’s southside.
Garden Art Gathering! – What started as a simple request to weather my panel in their backyard, turned into a garden art gathering. Mary and Ron invited friends and neighbors to bring their art over to display at the garden.
An idea sparked, with the rain that is coming, what if I sewed onto the art panel watercolor cakes. Would the rain be enough to have color drip down from them? And how much rain would it take to have this happen? Would the color follow the shadow outlines, or drip over them straight to bottom of the panel?
Can you spot the hummingbird near the left red lobelia? A regular visitor to these flowers that are near my panel. Every time I visited the garden to take photos it was as if the hummingbird was greeting me.
Last day in Mary and Ron’s garden. On most of my visits, Mary shared with me info about the plants and creatures in their garden.
Location Three – Downers Grove, Illinois, Maryanne’s backyard
A few days into this location, trying out different spots. Maryanne’s backyard gets creatures like skunk, raccoon, and neighborhood children passing through, so instead of lying flat on the ground, for now, we’re opting for the top of bushes.
The Art Department – a Downers Grove-based arts organization dedicated to making Downers Grove a welcoming and nurturing place for the arts by promoting local artists, sponsoring arts activities, and building awareness about the importance of the arts in the community and our lives. The arts play an integral role in helping communities express big ideas, beautify spaces, spark conversations, and defines spaces.
Weathered Art – Theme for Downers Grove Art Department’s current project with thirteen artists participating. Artist’s are provided a 30″x48″ unstretched, unprimed canvas to do their art making with and then weather the canvas outside for 20-30 days, and if choosing so, intermittently along the way. You’ll find posts of each artists process throughout the summer on the Art Department’s Facebook page and on Instagram @#weatheredartDG. The theme Weathered Art is inspired by the Guatemalan artist Vivian Suter who had her weathered art shown at the Art Institute of Chicago.
The sun loves to interact and play with whatever it touches and in this case, it is with four young girls on a hot summer day at Downers Grove Fischell Park. Therefore the title for this artwork is to be called Sun Play. A sun for each figure are the final touches, along with an added layer of paint over the thread on the canvas backside. I’d like the beaded work to stay in tack during the weathering process and adding the layer of paint is one way to do this. We’ll see what the weather and other variables (plant life and creatures) have to say about this!
I’m taking the canvas on an Iowa road trip. Then back to Downers Grove to weather in two different backyards. There may even be a garden party at one of the locations. How cool would that be!
The Art Department – a Downers Grove-based arts organization dedicated to making Downers Grove a welcoming and nurturing place for the arts by promoting local artists, sponsoring arts activities, and building awareness about the importance of the arts in the community and our lives. The arts play an integral role in helping communities express big ideas, beautify spaces, spark conversations, and defines spaces.
Weathered Art – Theme for Downers Grove Art Department’s current project with thirteen artists participating. Artist’s are provided a 30″x48″ unstretched, unprimed canvas to do their art making with and then weather the canvas outside for 20-30 days, and if choosing so, intermittently along the way. You’ll find posts of each artists process throughout the summer on the Art Department’s Facebook page and on Instagram @#weatheredartDG. The theme Weathered Art is inspired by the Guatemalan artist Vivian Suter who had her weathered art shown at the Art Institute of Chicago.
The beaded shadow outline is complete and now the hair is added by feathering cotton rope. The sun and shadow play captures even the finer details such as strands of hair falling from the girl’s heads as they leaned over.
These shadows were not possible without the light, aka the sun. What’s next? Stay tuned for the SUNS!
The Art Department – a Downers Grove-based arts organization dedicated to making Downers Grove a welcoming and nurturing place for the arts by promoting local artists, sponsoring arts activities, and building awareness about the importance of the arts in the community and our lives. The arts play an integral role in helping communities express big ideas, beautify spaces, spark conversations, and defines spaces.
Weathered Art – Theme for Downers Grove Art Department’s current project with thirteen artists participating. Artist’s are provided a 30″x48″ unstretched, unprimed canvas to do their art making with and then weather the canvas outside for 20-30 days, and if choosing so, intermittently along the way. You’ll find posts of each artists process throughout the summer on the Art Department’s Facebook page and on Instagram @#weatheredartDG. The theme Weathered Art is inspired by the Guatemalan artist Vivian Suter who had her weathered art shown at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Onto the second layer, adding the bluesy sky and leaves found on a walk. Even with paint covering the leaves they stay true to their form, the edges and stems do not lay flat. This creates spaces for the weather to sneak under the leaves. I am curious how long the leaves will stay on the canvas once out in the elements.
Now for the shadow play. Using one of the field trip photos for reference I sketch out the shadow shapes onto to newsprint. The shapes are then cut out to create a template for making an outline to work from. White twine is glued down along the outline.
Here’s a sneak peek for what is added next! Find out more in the next blog.
The Art Department – a Downers Grove-based arts organization dedicated to making Downers Grove a welcoming and nurturing place for the arts by promoting local artists, sponsoring arts activities, and building awareness about the importance of the arts in the community and our lives. The arts play an integral role in helping communities express big ideas, beautify spaces, spark conversations, and defines spaces.
Weathered Art – Theme for Downers Grove Art Department’s current project with thirteen artists participating. Artist’s are provided a 30″x48″ unstretched, unprimed canvas to do their art making with and then weather the canvas outside for 20-30 days, and if choosing so, intermittently along the way. You’ll find posts of each artists process throughout the summer on the Art Department’s Facebook page and on Instagram @#weatheredartDG. The theme Weathered Art is inspired by the Guatemalan artist Vivian Suter who had her weathered art shown at the Art Institute of Chicago.
We left off with welcoming the canvas to the outdoors and neighborhood. Now it’s all about paint colors, layering, how to incorporate the shadow play silhouette, and adding elements that reflect light. The Downers Grove Art Department provided each artist with small canvas panels for experimentation which I have been having fun with. From this play, I now know the start of where the art process is going.
yellow base layer
add Irish saying in white paint on yellow base layer
sky and water blues for the second layer
trim off the selvage, cut into thin strips and use for shadow play silhouette outline
metallic paint and beading on silhouette outline, big bead vs small bead
next – incorporate leaf prints in the blue layer while the paint is thick and wet
top layer – light reflection on side of building
and other processes that pop up along the way
as always, go with the flow
Cut the selvage into thin strips that get glued down. Strips are flexible enough to make curves with. Yellow base layer, blue second layer, selvage third layer.After morning rain, the sun came out. Trying out different size and types of beads. Can I get a needle through the paint, glue, and selvage? Yes!Yellow base layer is down!
The Art Department – a Downers Grove-based arts organization dedicated to making Downers Grove a welcoming and nurturing place for the arts by promoting local artists, sponsoring arts activities, and building awareness about the importance of the arts in the community and our lives. The arts play an integral role in helping communities express big ideas, beautify spaces, spark conversations, and defines spaces.
Weathered Art – Theme for Downers Grove Art Department’s current project with thirteen artists participating. Artist’s are provided a 30″x48″ unstretched, unprimed canvas to do their art making with and then weather the canvas outside for 20-30 days, and if choosing so, intermittently along the way. You’ll find posts of each artists process throughout the summer on the Art Department’s Facebook page and on Instagram @#weatheredartDG. The theme Weathered Art is inspired by the Guatemalan artist Vivian Suter who had her weathered art shown at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Gone is the world of the hermit artist, now is the world of the joyful sharing artist. There is great expansion for the artist today, be it visual, music, performance, literary, dance, and many other art forms. Social media plays a big role in this welcoming of our passions, purpose, talents, and creativity to be shared with the masses. We are now able to collaborate with artists from the other side of the planet, post our music/dance videos and DIY art videos, share our art process on Instagram and blogs, create a pop-up studio, start a new arts organization, upload our art to online galleries, participate in communal art installations, inspire the next generation of young artists, the new possibilities seem endless. From all this, we also are witness to the mind-blowing, out of this world artistry. The beauty in it all can leave one speechless. Art is being taken to a higher level of creativity and craft than ever before. It’s almost as if there has been an explosion and a portal opened up to unleash the new artists way.
This portal opening is allowing our artistry, and the creative creatures that we are, to stream the pure joy of creating with conscious creation. It’s all quite extraordinary. What does an artist do with this streaming joy? Share in a way that fills our extraordinary self and world to a higher frequency, like turning up the dial on our songs of the soul station. We are creators after all. Did I mention, it’s an inward job, too? Yep, yep, it’s an inward job. And that’s a whole other story! Have fun!!!
Life is art, we are the artist of our creations.
It’s one thing to look at beauty, it’s another to jump into it and be part of it.
Now for the shadow play. Using one of the 
Nature's Sweet Grace 