Art for a new year

Symbolism plays a big part in my life and my art (yes, I’ve got a little of that hippie thing going). Celebrating a new year is in itself a form of symbolism. It represents new beginnings and hope for a better future. Life is constant renewal and we have the opportunity to renew and reinvent ourselves every day.  So, in this piece to mark the beginning of 2012, I incorporated some of my favorite icons to express that idea. Butterflies are symbols of metamorphosis, renewal, reincarnation, Psyche and the soul. The moon represents the feminine spirit, resurrection and the cyclical nature of all things. The fish is a masculine symbol and stands for the life-giving properties of water as well creativity. Circles have no beginning or end and therefore symbolize eternity and the infinite. I threw in the alchemical symbol for mercury to represent myself.  I won’t elaborate on that. ; ) Prints are available here. 

May you have a creative and abundant new year.

Feed your imagination

Read a book and feed your imagination.

My second bookish illustration in as many weeks – I’ve books on the brain, as I often do! This one evolved from a quick sketch I did some time ago. I love iconography, symbols and pictographs so I created some of my own to symbolize the reader’s imagination alight with imagery and ideas she gleaned from books. Some of them do represent actual stories, books, characters or myths and some are just figments of my own over-active imagination!

Watercolor and ink on hot press Arches watercolor paper. Want one for yourself? Prints may be purchased here.