Kat Eye Studio

Archives for February 2014

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Wide Open

 
What do you see in this image?

Kat Sloma Photography Tree

When I first saw this tree last week, I saw arms wide open, ready for a hug. I saw a mother tree, offering a sheltering embrace for her children. So I photographed it a couple of ways, but nothing came of them. They were flat, uninteresting.

But this week, after writing about arms reaching in my Photo-Heart Connection, I saw something else. I saw arms open wide, in celebration. Sending into the universe, receiving from the universe. And so, that’s what it needed to become. Arms wide open, in joyous celebration.

Hugging, sending, receiving… it can be all of those things. What do you see?

As I worked on the image, a line from a Gary Go song, Open Arms, kept running through my head: “It’s like open arms to me… Ready to… Ready to receive.” This was a favorite song of mine while I was in Italy, and it spoke to me deeply, connecting with where I was at that time in my journey.

In the way of beautiful art, it continues to speak to me, several years later, as I think about having arms uplifted, open. Ready to receive.

What speaks to you in this song, this image? What is it you see?

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A Stack of Letters

 
Finally, finally! I’ve been anxiously waiting for weeks for that first decorated envelope to arrive, and now I can write a Liberate Your Art postcard swap update here on the blog. The envelopes have been trickling in, but there hadn’t been any decorated ones until this week. Now it feels like the swap is officially under way, and it’s time for a swap update! There is still plenty of time to join us in the swap, if you haven’t already. Just visit the swap page here to get the details and sign up.

Here’s the stack of envelopes I’ve received to date. Pretty amazing to receive this many 6 weeks before the swap deadline! You all are overachievers. 🙂 The very fun purple envelope on the top of the stack is from Tina Wittmer. I am partial to purple lately, so this one tickled my fancy!

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I love what Carlyn Clark did with her envelope: Using what looks like a magazine ad, she created an envelope and managed to make the tiger lick the stamp. That’s pretty cool!!

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Lynne Foerster added some lovely little hand-drawn details to her envelope. Personal touches like this just make me smile. I almost don’t want to open the envelopes sometimes, for fear of ruining the art!

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And finally, a different kind of mail art, stamps from a new country — Malaysia! It’s the first-ever time we’ve had someone living in Malaysia in the swap. I’ll be saving these stamps, for sure.

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So there you have it, the first Liberate Your Art blog post for the 2014 swap. I look forward to sharing more in the coming weeks. If you decorate your envelope, you just might find yourself featured here!

And the winner is…

Stephanie Skiff wins the drawing for a print of the The Last Tree. Thanks to everyone who entered. While I expected a number of entries, I didn’t quite expect all of the lovely comments that you all left. Thank you so much. I wish I could give you all a print! (Oh, I guess I can, and do, in the swap!! Join us!)

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Photo-Heart Connection: January 2014

 
Stretching. Reaching. Celebrating.

Kat Sloma Tree Photograph

Grounded in the earth, stretching for the sky. I see in this image a joyous uplift of arms, opening up in celebration, releasing and connecting with something beyond.

The thought of “reaching” has come up for me multiple times in the pieces I’ve created this month. But I don’t see this reaching as a yearning for something just beyond grasp, but a stretching to become part of something bigger than the individual. To acknowledge and celebrate something greater than the self. Heart open, receiving what the universe has to offer.

We did tree pose in yoga this month and it felt like this: Beautiful and solid, to be rooted into the ground, yet lifting and reaching to the sky. Flexible, moving, yet stable. It make me feel connected to the trees, the beauty and wisdom they hold, even more than before. It made me connect to the reaching of the branches I’ve seen in my art in all month.

So, the trees have a lesson for me, once again. My son asked me this month if I would stop with the trees, already.

Nope, I answer, they aren’t finished with me yet.

It could be a good long while.

Do you ever approach the Photo-Heart Connection with trepidation? Do you ever skip it, because you feel like you don’t have time, you don’t have images, you aren’t sure you want to hear what your heart has to say? Believe me, I understand. There are so many times I want to skip doing the Photo-Heart Connection for all of those reasons and more. But I can’t, because I’m the host, and so I do it. And you know what happens? Every time, no matter what fears crept up, what resistance I felt… I sit down, push all of that baggage aside, and find a message. Something I needed to hear. Sometimes encouraging, sometimes scary. Always honest and open and straight from the heart.

As we head into 2014, the third year of PHC, I encourage you to make a commitment to do the Photo-Heart Connection every month. There are seven days for the link up for a reason. You have flexibility to do this on your time. Clear out space in your schedule and your head and join in. And then, if you would like, share it with us here.

PS - Don't miss the giveaway I have going on now! Enter by Monday, February 3rd.

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