Awake Stroke Recovery Art

Finishing “Awake” took much effort but it is here, reworked, beaming with color and striking details.

Bellow are my comments.

I woke to a new existence somewhere unknown, they called it a stroke. Now words come like slow snails, or they are kidnapped so as not to form on my chapped lips. 

I painted the emotional roller-coaster I felt as I played tug of war with my body, emotions, speech and interpersonal relationships. Ultimately I felt lost, defeated and misunderstood. I also thought I’d never paint again.

Grueling therapy and persistence with paint brushes helped me get to the point where I can say I’m awake. I’m awake to what has happened and the I’m happy the hardest part of it is behind me. Awake is about surviving the body after stroke and making it my new home.

You will find more images and a short video on Etsy. I also accept PayPal.

Thank you for letting me talk. Thank you for visiting SUNDRIP Art for Life.

Faith Magdalene

Sketchbook Pages: Uprooted

uprooted sundrip

I feel uprooted. Everything is different. My home is great but I’ve not laid down roots here. Most of my possessions are new because the old got thrown out. The only photo of my father that I had was thrown away accidentally. It is gone forever and it hurts.

My dishes, terrariums, plants, shoes, bed, sheets, furniture, everything is different and new. My frogs are new, fish are new. No dog or cat anymore. Heck, my laptop and phone are even new. I realized I have few things that I am emotionally attached to because I’ve not had them long enough. It feels like everything has new roots, nothing is stable, consistent, long term, dependable. 

I’m new. I’ve changed physically and emotionally. My eyes haven’t stopped watering since the amputation. They water nearly non-stop. 

I feel like I’m complaining but all I’m trying to say is that laying down new roots at 47 is difficult.

Outlook sundrip

Art supplies are new. Again, these are observations not necessarily complaints. I love my new art supplies, especially the Winsor and Newton watercolors seen in the photos. Winsor Newton puts out a superior product that I totally love and yet there’s a feeling of sadness because they don’t have longer history with me. It would seem their only history with me is the hospitalization. 

It hurts my heart to think that what all the new things have in common is trauma. So I’ve got to try and change that view to one more positive, something like this: All the new things are associated with SURVIVAL not near death. They are evidence of life, of a future, of deep, deep roots that helped me walk to this very day. 

Jordan

The Resilience Tree Series

The Resilience Tree
Resilience Tree

Resilience Tree – Beginnings
Resilience Tree - Beginnings

Resilience Tree – Risen
Resilience Tree -Risen

We have not seen the last of the Resilience Trees. Next year’s creative goals includes a tree a day. I look forward to starting January 1st in a special book just for trees 🙂

Original art by Faith Magdalene Austin is available through PayPal or Etsy. All contact information is on the sidebar. Thank you for visiting Sundrip.

Faith

Art for Art SALE 25% off *** ArtForArt17 ***

On sale now are all items in my Etsy shop and items in my Available Art Galleries until August 4th, 2017.

Color RushI’m having a sale so I can spend money in August. 🙂 I gotta buy art supplies. In other words, I’m selling art to make art.

August is the month I stock up on art supplies for the entire year. Also, I’m going to Goodwill on August 2nd to purchase some exercise equipment, among other things.

There are some fun new listings in my Etsy shop. I’ve put together two or three art pieces in one listing for one price. You’ll find these lot listings throughout the shop.

At check out on Etsy, use coupon code ArtForArtSale17 for 25% off your total purchase until August 4th, 2017. If you would like to have a PayPal invoice, I will apply the discount to the invoice.

Trees Lot Art SaleAdditional international shipping locations upon request. I return all international shipping above $1.
Please contact me for financial assistance (layaway, payments) if needed. We will work together to put art on your walls.

Please keep in mind that I also barter. On the sidebar is a wish list from Amazon. You don’t need to use Amazon but the items listed are the ones I’m looking for. I’m specifically interested in the wood burning set that I can use with encaustic art. The set is good for wood, soldering and wax work. That’s at the top of the list. 🙂

Blue Wonder How does bartering work? Basically, you buy the item and send it to me. I pack up the art piece(s) you chose with corresponding price and send it to you. Easy as that. Contact me and we’ll set up our agreement.

Adopt art. Take it home and love it.

I never used to have sales but these are so fun. The prospect of someone taking advantage of the sale just makes me happy. I need to work on banners and such but you can expect to see more sales. This is fun.

Happy shopping!! 🙂

Live free. Create well.
Sundrip

Soothing Tree Drawings in Watercolor and Ink

Drawing trees is soothing. I usually draw them bare. I love leaves. i like to see them up close and examine the cells. I recently learned that my sweet potato plant was holding water in the cells of the leaf because I watered too much and too late in the day. Leaves are a beautiful creation but I hardly ever draw them. I like them bare. There’s something so beautifully vulnerable about a bare tree.

I love to follow the designs on bark with my finger. There’s something so …. spiritual….about trees.

When it comes to art, I have a go to doodle.  I think all artists have a certain something they draw in almost a self soothing kind of way. The self soothing art for me is to draw trees with the branches reaching out, twisting and breaking through the things we can’t even see. Branches break through the air, they hold themselves erect when gravity tries to pull them over. I love that they take their place in the soil and let their roots reach as far and deep as they desire.

I absolutely love above the ground root systems. Those are fun to follow, too. Of course I have to peak in the little crevices where moss grows. I admire spider webs and small bugs that scramble to get away from my curious fingers.

When I was a kid I was told that if a person draws a tree it usually represents them. I was told that putting a scar on the tree represents personal trauma. I never forgot that. Despite the psychological reasons for drawing trees, doing so is soothing for me.

Two trees displayed in this entry are Pay it Forward art pieces. You can find them in the Community Grabs and PIF section in my Etsy shop.

The first entry on trees has been posted in the Featured Art Gallery. page.

Unfortunately, the comment option may not appear on the WP feed but you are always welcome to leave one on my webpage if you desire.

Encaustic Rise – A Heart of Fire

Encaustic Rise - Available

Earlier in the day I said, “I have no reason to be awake.” Let me correct that please, and introduce what was done with the anger instead of internalizing it.

A reason to be irritated was that, after turning my phone to do not disturb, I still got a call from Dr. Yes who wants me to come in. I can’t block his number or anyone close in my care team but I blocked most people. Sooo, tomorrow at 1 pm I need to go in. I’m like, what could he want? I though to myself, Faith, you can control the way this appointment goes by the way you speak and respond to him. You can go in there with an attitude or you can go in there with concern and desire to sit down and talk about things. I have that choice..After a short pep talk I painted. I was mad, good and mad. I don’t want to see him but I also didn’t want to lay in bed, facing the wall burning up inside.

The process - Sundrip StudioThis painting was calming for me. It’s also another painting done in one day. I love wax art.

In addition to this piece I was able to scan 19 art pieces that will soon be in the Etsy shop.

It’s funny because, when I was working I kept losing my pen. The first time I got irritated by it I was reminded of our desire to not badger ourselves. It’s a pen. I mean, look at my desk, that pen could be anywhere!!! I eventually found the pen then lost it again but I didn’t abuse myself, didn’t talk down to myself for losing that dang on pen, or the cat !!

Continue reading “Encaustic Rise – A Heart of Fire”

Community Grabs and Pay it Forward

I’ve updated the Etsy shop with a few new things. I thought I might try digital downloads of tree drawings. Sometimes I see drawings and think, I’d love to paint that. I figure a creative person can take a simple tree drawing, print it on watercolor paper and have some fun for a personal project. Why not? The trees in this entry aren’t offered, this is an example of fun one might have with a simple tree drawing. You’ll find the trees that are available for instant download in the Etsy shop category Community Grabs and Pay it Forward.


The Community Grab Bag and Pay it Forward section of Etsy
Pay it Forward art is Sundrip quality but is meant as a gift to the buyer. The gift is that Pay it Forward art will be as much as a 3rd less than normal prices. Once you accept the PIF gift you must find a way to make a small difference in the life of another person. Digital downloads will be in this section as well as Experimental art. Experimental art  is art created with techniques I’m trying out for the first time such as art on tiles. They may or may not be something someone wants, but I’ll give you the chance to snatch it up. After a time it’ll get tossed because I don’t want to store it.

I think I might have to purchase a few more tiles. I love doing them. I have to work on photographing these things. I have a cell phone that I’m working with…. and shaky hands. This was taken with me leaning my hands on the desk beside a scarf.

Here is Mary Jane making sure this drawing is up to par. She’s been in charge of quality control for years.  That’s Bernhardt the Bear behind her sleeping on the job.

Flip flop the firebelly toad isn’t employed. As a matter of fact she begs a lot.

I really like crickets
crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside

That’s a face only a mother can love. I do, so does her tank mate Steve ‘the Beast’ Austin.

Pertinent links:  Etsy and Redbubble are where you can purchase art, or you can request a Paypal invoice. See the sidebar for my contact info.

Faith

Pencil Drawing, Tree Child

Sometimes when I don’t know where to go with a drawing I’ll hang it up and leave it alone. Eventually it’ll come to me.

Child tree

I don’t know if I want to go a different direction with her hair or keep going then add a bird or two.

Child tree detail

I’m not sure, so she hangs on the wall waiting for the ah-ha moment.

Child tree full image

I’m certain she’ll remain a pencil drawing without strong color added.

Art by: Faith M. Austin

 

Doll House and Tree Art

A soft white rabbit with a rose colored dress sits beside my very first doll house.

My First Doll House - available

Art Title: “My First Doll House”
Art By: Faith Magdalene Austin
Media: HP ink, acrylic and ink on acrylic paper with small grain
Paper size: 11.5 x 8
Painting size: 5 x 6.25 inches
Finish: signed, unmounted, unsealed
Style: Illustration
Continue reading “Doll House and Tree Art”