Wise Words on "Penguin" Wednesday 4/2016

Art Tag 2012 - Wilma Simmons

January 20 is Penguin Awareness Day - a great opportunity to learn about and appreciate one of the few natives of Antarctica. Spend a little time learning about them.... a pictorial book or internet site is fun. Perhaps watch a documentary of these cute and popular, grounded birds?

Today is also a time to wear black and white---penguin colours. However, wearing a tuxedo in their honour is optional. It is also popular today to tell a penguin joke or two, but I think it is worthwhile considering what wisdom can penguins impart to us?

1. EMBRACE CHANGE

While gradual change is easier to process, sometimes change comes suddenly and unexpectedly. Instead of shedding feathers here and there, penguins molt all at once and must stay on land for two to three weeks as their new coat grows in. If life brings you sudden change, embrace it, give yourself time to process, and get ready to return to life renewed and restored.

2. BE SOCIAL

Most penguin species congregate in large colonies of up to 1,000 birds. There’s power in numbers, so get out there, find your tribe and mingle!

3. BE LOYAL

Most penguins mate for life with the same partner and retain a connection to the rookery where they were born. Honour your commitments and stay connected with your roots.

4. MAKE PARENTING A TEAM EFFORT

Penguin males are known for being very active in caring for their young, and some species even incubate the eggs while the female hunts. Strive for a balanced, harmonious team effort when raising little ones.

5. CHOOSE YOUR SURROUNDINGS WISELY

Penguins are only found in the Southern hemisphere of the world, where there is no danger of encountering predators like polar bears or wolves. They naturally gravitated and evolved toward this safer, more supportive environment. Are you living in the right surroundings for your safety, well-being and highest good?

The penguin delights with their adorable look and whimsical way of walking around on land. They also have much to teach us. How might you apply these five lessons from the penguin in your own life?

Did you know? Penguins are found in Antarctica, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, the Falkland Islands, and the Galapagos Islands. Elsewhere, they are only found in zoos.

Sources :

http://www.holidayinsights.com/other/penguinawareness.htm
http://www.mindfueldaily.com/livewell/wisdom-from-the-penguin#sthash.kJXcAAzp.dpuf

In the Pink

At Tag Tuesday . Pinky O' Hagan is hosting a tag challenge which asks for 'a bit of pink".... not so difficult if you like pink. I don't use a lot of pink in my work, so it was quite a bit of a challenge when I thought only of pink - my thoughts went to pink roses, pink hearts, pink confectionery !!! Then I referred to this week's colour prompts, #coloricombo by artists Este MacLeod.... pink with sap green, dark tea, and sea green. I'm not sure I got the colours in this palette exactly, but here is my tag, a stylised landscape - The collaged background of the tag has torn pieces of watercolour art rejects, painted magazine pages and a little bit of gift paper. The tree silhouette is decorated with paper dots, cut with a hole puncher.

The Sea - for Tag Tuesday

For the current challenge "The Sea" at Tag Tuesday, I made a couple of painted/ hand drawn tags . These were created from a piece of watercolour paper which had been sprayed with acrylic paint - blue, yellow and quinacridone gold. I then sketched over the top , trying to follow some pattern created by the splatter and then add some felt tip pen lines watercolour pencil to highlight the shapes. The tags represent the fantasies of the hidden city of Atlantis and a mermaid. With this theme in mind, I also add a free motion stitched tag I made earlier this year for 29 Faces -

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks .... The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or my husband or from off cuts gifted to us from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks. Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

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