A Magnificent Group of Artists Ignite the Fires of Imagination as They Paint the World a Fiery Red

The works this week are visually and creatively powerful. They invite you to unleash your imagination, spend time enjoying adventures in your own backyard, break the rules, turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, and trust the magic inside of you. When I read the stories and look at the works of these spectacularly talented artists, I get lost in the beauty of their work. The passion, heart and willingness to take risks with art are what inspire me most about these professional artists.

Please join me on this exploration of red.....

Kittydesigns created this awe-inspiring piece.

'Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?''That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat.'I don't much care where --' said Alice.'Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat.'--so long as I get somewhere,' Alice added as an explanation.~Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland~

http://kittydesignes.blogspot.com/

Ruthie, creator of Rose Works Jewelry, created this beautiful "Rocking Red Bead Woven Bracelet". http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26531258

"I fell in love with this stitch recently," said Ruthie, "and so I knew exactly what I wanted to make as soon as I saw the challenge! Thanks for giving me the idea for the color!"

http://www.roseworksjewelry.etsy.com/

Susan, creator of Yaffa Dreams, created these stellar "Opposite of Ordinary Guitar Pick Earrings." http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26583923

"Trust me just this once — you are the opposite of ordinary."~~~ Edward Cullen

"Beautiful, unique and definitely NOT ordinary, dangle earrings with red and black glass beads and red pearloid guitar picks," said Susan. "The guitar picks look like mother of pearl. The earrings are about 2 7/8" long."

http://www.yaffadreams.etsy.com/
http://www.redheadhomestead.blogspot.com/

Janie, creator of lifeartdesigns and mypolymerclaycanes, created this simply phenomenal piece.

"Here's what happened...I got some time to myself and was able to totally relax because I knew all I had to work with was scrap clay," begins Janie. "It wasn't for anybody or anything else, so if I didn't like it, all I had to do was smoosh it all back up and put it back in the box. I didn't even have to finish anything if I didn't feel like it.

I opened up my plastic bin of solid clay scraps I keep that has left over clay from previous work...and I saw red, a lot of red! So I knew whatever kind of cane I made, it had to have a lot of red. So, I had a good chuckle when you announced the theme on Friday! First, I took some green and some light yellow and made a leaf cane. Then, I grabbed the red, a little purple, some gold, and a smidgeon of yellow. It became a mindless pursuit after that in shaping and combining it all. Although, I did have a specific intention of making a paisley cane before I ever began.

When I was all done, I was satisfied with how the design turned out, but thought it would not reduce well because of the clays I used to construct it. I had intentionally done everything "wrong" that you are not supposed to do with making canes. I used soft clay with hard clay, old clay with new clay, and so on. I found it very liberating being restrained to work with only the colors and clay I had on hand. However, given all the "rules" I broke, theoretically, the cane should have turned to mud and mush when I reduced it. So, I let it sit for a day by itself and rest. The next day, I took my time and lots of care and reduced it, stopping occasionally to let it rest and refirm up again. And lo and behold...I actually had a decent paisley in the end! What a happy camper I was. And a cool thing about it is, it's all recycled clay. I never opened a new package of clay for this.

The pictures show the completed construction before reduction, the reduction, and finally the cane all cut up into sections.

http://lifeartdesigns.etsy.com/

http://mypolymerclaycanes.etsy.com/

Reduction

Kelly, creator of Backward Glances, created these stunning pieces.

"When I first read this week's challenge, I thought it would be a breeze - I love color! But inspiration was elusive, so I decided to spend a day taking photos of all the red in my life... and it was great fun!

I'm submitting two photos from that day, both representing iconic objects for Mackinac. The first is Round Island Lighthouse, the subject of a photo for every visitor to the Island. The second is a true "front porch" favorite, ever since Grand Hotel choose red geraniums as a symbol back in the 1980's. Red geraniums are found everywhere on the Island.

I ended up with a number of other photos I was pleased with, I'll be posting more of my "Red Day" photos on my blog."

http://www.backwardglances.net/
http://www.backwardglances.etsy.com/
http://www.mackin-art.blogspot.com/

Kris, creator of Lisianblue, created this gorgeous "Wild Red Roses Ornament".

"Red. Although red is not one of my favorite colors, some of my best paintings have been done in red," said Kris. "It was funny, I had just bought some red glass without even reading the theme for this week. I sat down and did a drawing of the Sandia Mountains, and blocked in a red, yellow, and purple sky for a stained glass piece. By the time, I had finished this, it was time to go to sleep. Now it's Sunday morning. I was a bit hesitant about starting a stained glass piece with 42 pieces to it to be done by Wed. afternoon. So, I thought, maybe an ornament. I started going through some of my drawings that I keep on hand to use for my ornaments and came across a wild rose drawing. Perfect. And so, the wild red roses started growing on a 2" clear glass ornament. I'm not real happy about the way the pictures came out, it's a little hard to see the details. In the center of each rose, there are iridescent yellow dots, and each petal is a combination of translucent red and a pink frost (my own mix), the background is a light blue frost. I'm pretty happy with the way the ornament came out, just not the pictures of the 7 wild red roses. "

http://lisianblue.artfire.com/

Amanda, creator of Persistent Green, created this truly gorgeous 8x8 mixed media piece using watercolor and ink titled "Begin with Joy".

"My first impulse when I found this theme was "Passion." I wanted to convey that through warm color, contrast, pattern, and a bold thought to enjoy. No matter what I'm working on these days, my goal is to take a deep breath and begin with joy. And yes, I know there actually isn't much red here! The colors were deeper when wet, but dried to a softer pinkish hue--but hopefully the passion of red remains."

http://persistentgreen.etsy.com/

http://persistentgreen.blogspot.com/

Jenjen Furer, creator of Gotta Love Mom, created this exceptional piece.

I love red. It symbolizes so many things big and small.
It’s everywhere in my life.
It surrounds me.

The first color I see when I wake up is the color red – the color of my bedroom!
Oh, you should have seen the different shades of red that we painted on our walls to determine which red is better than the other red. At one point, it looked kind of scary and cheesy!

Red can mean love and at the same time it can mean rage!
Red reminds me of beauty of nature and at the same time red can be symbol of a busy metropolitan.
Red is such an intense emotion of passion.
Red can be so powerful.

http://gottalovemom.blogspot.com/search/label/zenwalk

I live in a suburb of New Jersey. My husband and I love to zen-walk around the park or the reservation.
I love the little touches of red in the vast greenery.
I smile seeing the bumble bees kissing the red buds.
(My husband, Brooklyn born and raised, can’t get far enough from the bugs!)

http://gottalovemom.blogspot.com/search/label/joshizms
http://joshizms.blogspot.com/

Have you ever been to New York?
Have you seen Times Square lately?
I love being in Manhattan. Red is just everywhere – the clothes, the signs, the buildings!
My 8yo and I visit the city every time he has to go for an audition.
I just love the colors of the city – and red is just so striking in New York!
Any time spent with my kid is just full of giggles, skittles and tickles!

And lastly I want you to look at this picture. What do you see?
Can you see the red dot? Was that the first thing that you noticed?
Can you see the olive green border? Was that the second thing that you noticed?
Did you think of the white background at all?

Don’t people do the same thing in looking at their lives?
Sometimes people focus on that one spot – that one flaw in their lives that they forget to see the whole picture.
As I’m currently going through some tough times, I have to remind myself that my life is one big white canvas. Sometimes there is that one thing that might get me out of focused or out of “zen”. I just have to remember that as a whole, I am still blessed and fortunate.
The olive border represents my faith and the love of families and friends that keep me together intact and help contain that one red spot!

Hi there, I am the creator behind Doodlestar, a shop that's now going through a transition.

This week, I spent time thinking about red which led to thoughts about passion, heart, and following one's dreams. I have been on the most amazing journey however, I realized that I have not been fully following my dreams. I love journals. At last count, I had 22 completed ones. In my travels and explorations this week, it dawned on me that I want to make more journals for folks and thus, this was born. I had made one early on in the TST and then got sidetracked. Thankfully, I've found my way back :)

This journal is meant to inspire creation. The words on the front are a reminder that we are creative beings that need to play. Whatever it is that you want to create, be true to your heart and do it. Without you and your creations, the world is not half as bright as it could be.

Inside the journal there are writing prompts such as, "When was the last time you took a step toward your dream? What step do you want to take right now?" as well as a special little surprise.

http://doodlestar.etsy.com/

Here are the words on the cover:

Write It
Paint It
Bead It
Sew It
Sing It
Dance It
Compose It
Mold It
Take a Photo of It

Be True to Your Heart
Be True to Your Art

The World Needs More of You
So
Create, Create, Create!

Are you filled with a fiery passion to create?? Me too!

Please share your thoughts, ask the artists questions, leave a comment and some love here. Then, go visit them at their shops and blogs, share some more and tell a friend! Thanks so much for visiting!!