Art Give Away - Thankful Photography

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! pickin' red rasberries by marisol diaz

So lets try a Thanksgiving Art giveaway! Leave a comment with what you're thankful for and be in the running to win an 8X10 photographic print of this Pickin Red Rasberries image! Remember be creative - we may find that we're all thankful for family - so what will set your winning comment apart? I'm thankful for vibrant LIFE in all of its forms...my truly extraordinary relationship with my husband, my three four-legged children and their bright eyes, my parents, my hands, my art, my bed, my house, my niece and nephew and every thriving member of my family...especially those that have mastered the art of laughter and joy - life is too short for sour grapes! What Are You Thankful for?

Update on Sunday, November 30, 2008 at 11:34AM by Amarettogirl

WINNER ANNOUNCED!

I received such thoughtful, introspections for the Art Giveaway - I was truly moved. It was so hard to choose that I chose a winner AND a runner up! So I will be sending two copies of this signed photographic print out to the winners (one 8x10 and the other 5x7). In first place is Ogun with his thankful comment about waking up to life. I have read Eckhart Tolle as well, and recognize the power of this kind of spiritual journey and the difficulty of dissecting the ego. The runner up is Sharon whose thankful comment recognized the generations that paved the way for our paths and gifts heralded to us in our very biological make-up that too often go unappreciated. Stainboy was in close running all along with his thankful comment, but seeing as he won the last art giveaway I chose to spread the wealth! Winners- please send me an email message (not a comment) with your mailing address in order to mail the digital prints to you and Congrats!

ART GIVEAWAY WINNER !! Happy 4th of July!!!

In honor of the fourth of July and reinterpreting the word 'Independence' in a creative way, I took a page out of Kerri Smith's Guerilla Art book and am doing a free art giveaway.
In order to be in the running for 'winning' the signed photographic print of the collage entitled Rain Birds, I asked readers to comment on their personal 'rainbird'. What is a rainbird? A rainbird is something we need to say goodbye to that in its somber and sad way still does good by LIBERATING us and setting us free.

I received some truly amazing, insightful and personal rainbirds that should help all of us in our pursuit of inner peace. It was so difficult to choose between the powerful comments that I chose my top six, called witnesses and used a random number generator (a die) to choose the winner. Here are some of my favorites (the runner-ups and their amazing rainbirds):

Beautiful Witch wrote:
I think for me it is a more freedom-through-letting go. I let go of my expectations of myself, they were sky high and almost unreachable. I let go of the need to be perfect, to be great at everything and instead found joy in trying and just doing, whether it be putting paint on a canvas or words on a page. I smile more now, and at night I feel great wings unfurl from my back and carry me through the night and that, I believe, is true freedom.

Stainboy wrote:
Finding my grandmother who had passed during my youth...I found her in the form of a wonderfully kind and crafty Navajo woman in Chinle, Arizona, who took me in, fed me body, heart and soul....it was only when a tourist asked is she my grandmother and before I could respond she said, 'I'm everyone's grandmother sweeping her arm gently to encompass both the children playing nearby and myself. At that moment there was a new clarity, independence and sense of purpose knowing my grandmother was with me as I continued my journey.

Beatriz wrote:Turning 40 has given me a new perspective on my life. I now KNOW who I am, what I want, and where I want to go. Not that I did not know these things before, but now, there is this assertiveness to "ME" I am. I am. I am. I am comfortable in my own skin, I do not want to please anyone else but me. Call it the selfish period, but it was about time to rediscover me.

Devilmood wrote:
I think the best rainbird I can imagine is getting rid of the parts of us that no longer seem to fit, the parts of us that drag us down, make us feel inadequate and stuck in the past. If we could shed them like old skin, it would be very liberating and would open new doors in our lives.

Mary Jenkins wrote:
I was raised by my grandfather who was controlling, loving, commanding,loud, protective. He died a couple of years ago of Alzheimer related causes. Tending to the giant, Zues-like entity as if he were a child was both painful and healing. I had always relied on him to make everything thing okay. his illness and eventual death eased me into my independence and responsibility for my own life.

Stephanie wrote:
so the biggest goodbye of my life is happening right now: college. Obviously this is a beginning but its also an end. a goodbye to all my childhood friends, to school, to everything i once called home. while i'm not completely on my own, going to college is the closest to true independence i will have for at least another 4 years. More than just the obvious freedom of being away from my parents though, is being away from my twin. Ryan and I rely on each other a lot, so as we each go off on our own, for the first time in 18 years, it is the essence of both a sad goodbye, but also new life free of responsibility for the other, replaced with full responsibility for myself.

Laura wrote:
One thing that has held me back has been my fear of heights (or more specifically falling from heights). As a climber, this fear has held me back a lot at times, and has kept me from performing at my best. Although I don't think I'll ever be able to fully say goodbye to this fear, I find myself distancing myself from it as much as possible. The more that I can distance myself from my fear, the stronger I become.

And the WINNER is......

DRAGONFLY REFLECTIONS!!!!

Dragonfly Reflections wrote:
When my daughter, Megan, decided to get married over the summer following her freshman year of college, I thought my heart would break. I didn't want her to make a choice she might regret, but more than that, I didn't want to lose her. Since then, Megan has gone through many other big changes and, with each, it's been a struggle not to dig in my heals and resist. With every ending, my heart focuses for a little while on the way of life I'm losing and those are stormy, painful days. Eventually... I remember to take a deep breath, the clouds clear, the pain settles, and I begin to notice the little ways our relationship is growing and changing. I've finally begun to realize that each of these little endings seems to pave the way for something new and better to grow - not just in our relationship with each other, but also for each of us individually.

Congrats Dragonfly!!!!! I hope we all feel a bit liberated after sharing these stories and as Devil mood recommended I think the winner should host their own Art giveaway!!! And if you didn't make it this time around no worries I will be doing one giveaway a month for this summer!!! So the next art giveaway will be the end of July!! So keep posted!!!!

Guerilla Art and First GIVEAWAY!!!!

So thanks for waiting so patiently!!! The first monthly giveaway piece is ready to go!!! So here is how and why I am doing this giveaway of art (in this case A SIGNED PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT of a collage art piece that I made for Illustration Friday prompt; Forgotten. The collage you see above entitled 'Rainbirds'.)

Guerilla Art Kit by Keri SmithI'm a big proponent of Guerilla Art (you may have seen the book in my suggested book list). In the way we often think of small random acts of kindness making the world a better place - with Guerilla art Keri Smith shares her vision of small random acts of ART making the world a better place. Often the art is 'anonymous' (which is a beautiful way to do something selflessly) for example: you're scanning a book or magazine in the bookstore and out between the pages falls a drawing left there purposely for you to find, keep or pass on...and you know not by who, such is the nature of Guerilla art.
I think those of us in the blogosphere can adopt this idea even if not anonymous, and I have already seen creative bloggers out there begin to do 'Giveaways' where the payment is not monetary, nor even an object of equal value, but instead the payment is made in an exchange of connection. Such was the case with my wonderful blogger friend BEATRIZ, a fellow artist living in Italy - her blog http://suitcase-contents.blogspot.com/, is listed under my favorite bloggers list and has already completed her first giveaway!!!

So here is how it is going to work. I will pick the receiver/winner of the photographic print on the Fourth of July through those who have left a comment!!! It will be my way of celebrating independence and I will choose the receiver/winner by reading through all the comments left for the print and seeing who left a comment that truly touched the answer to my comment question. So here is your comment question:

In this collage I use the parasol as a symbol of bidding fairwell...though goodbye's can be somber and difficult aspects of our lives - they can also be releasing and un-inhibiting, as well as a form of independence. This is why I entitled the piece Rainbirds...the rain has set her free - flight - birds...so what is your Freedom-Through-Goodbye story??

Leave me a comment and I will choose from among you - but if it becomes too difficult to choose I will use a random number generator to help me choose. You have from now to the fourth of July (which is over two weeks) to comment - please be sure to leave your email address with your comment so that I can contact you! I will announce the winner and their blog on the fourth of July post.

http://sundayscribblings.blogspot.com/