hold on to your dreams

On the first day of Christmas our grown-up children found some notebooks (1996) in which we wrote down our holiday-memories. It was nice to read our personal "familychronicle". Every family has a story with memories, with love and pain, with loss and happiness.

Yesterday one of my collages was printed in the newspaper. The theme was family and a quote of the French philosopher Sartre: Family is like chicken pox, you get in childhood and you get marks for a lifetime (maybe my translation is not quite right but it gives the meaning of the quote).

We often spent time with our family. A family is a world by itself, hopefully with love and caring but even love can become a cage. Often we see violence, hatred and tension. I hope you have a caring and loving family that stimulates your creativity and potention. Otherwise you have to free yourself.

In my collages I try to express different aspects, the spectator can make his/her own story.

I love familystories. Being a part of a system, being in the history of your own children. Doing as well as I can but also aware of the "pox". 

My wish for you: Hold on to your dreams in 2012

Paulien/fontys danceacademy
photo: Amat Bolsius

Merry Christmas

I want to wish all the readers of my blog a merry Christmas and a joyful time with the ones you love.
When you feel alone I hope that there will be new friends next year. On the picture you see one of my dearest friends. For nine years she is a part of our family and everyone loves her. I am looking forward to Christmas and celebrating these days with my family.
Every year I have christmas-flowers in my red glass bowl.
The color of red and Christmas belong together in my opinion.

Guardian angel for christmas

guardian angel

It took me a long time to finish this angel. It was hard to find a balance on bended spoons.
She is made of papiermache and has big blue (they seem black on the picture) marbles for eyes. I do not know if I'm going tot sell her perhaps she may stay. I must admit I do not sell much lately, I do not attend creative markets or exhibitions anymore. Perhaps I should try this again and focus more on the local market in stead of Etsy. Do you have a successful Etsy-shop, please tell me your secret....
Have a  nice day!

Camelia

This weekend we celebrate the feast of St Nicolas, I wrote about this Feast before.
It is a busy time, as usual. This morning I found a moment of silence and contemplation in my garden:

My camelia is blooming, far too early. And I was grateful that I had given this plant a second chance. Perhaps we should give our beloved ones and ourselves also a second chance.