Tuesday, August 16, 2011

"Swell" Illustration Friday Challenge Aug. 12/2011

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Inspired by the quote:
"Some days you must learn a great deal. But you should also have days when you allow what is already in you to swell up and touch everything. If you never let that happen, then you just accumulate facts, and they begin to rattle around inside of you." ~ E.L. Konigsburg

Song came to mind first, as something that truly swells up inside of us and touches everything in earshot, but I kept mulling over ideas until I arrived at the expression that a bud swells - flowers do a wonderful job of reaching out and touching everything, with their rich beauty and aroma. I spent part of my summer studying Dutch painting so their masterful reminders of time passing, the still lives with flowers, bugs and various other symbols of the brevity of life suggested what flowers would reach out from the mind of someone taking a day to allow what is already inside to swell up and spill over.

13 comments:

  1. Very pretty, like the contemplative thought and mix of nature.

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  2. Very lovely painting. My eye goes to the vase first, I especially love it.

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  3. Lovely! My eyes go to the vase too. I love the way the painting goes with the quote. Something for all of us to learn by.

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  4. The flowers are gorgeous and love the vase. I want one like it.

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  5. How lovely your flowers are and I adore the vase.

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  6. for me it's a self portrait of you "mulling over ideas' we always paint ourselves _ I love to say that... but I wonder if it's true? :) see you

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  7. Thanks All!

    AF: ...although every time we paint ourselves it may not be a self-portrait. No mirror involved, so must be an inner self. And now I think back over some of your paintings... hmmm...

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  8. I like that quote very much! And that vase is just beautiful and imaginative, what a great expression.

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  9. Great quote, nice illustration and a very special design! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and ideas with us.

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  10. Thanks everyone for stopping by!

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  11. ooo...I really LIKE this!! Excellent! I also really like your work!

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  12. I love how you use the whole quote rather than just the word for inspiration. This is beautiful.

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So glad you stopped by. I love to hear your thoughts. Drop me a line! Hurrah! Aino