Good to know

Thoughts about myself two years ago from a post on a blog that I no longer author. It was then, and still is, good to know.

In the shower this morning, I was thinking about my life and more specifically the last two years of it. If I were gone tomorrow someone might ask, “Who was she and what was she like?” I believe that my friends and (some) members of my family would have a clear answer to give and good stories to tell. That being said, I really got to thinking and had to ask myself, “Who are you?” I could compose a lofty and important sounding description to make myself seem much more than I am but I am not lofty or important. I could write simple and self-deprecating prose to present myself as humble but I am never simple and often not humble. I decided that I should think of small things that are indicative of what I am and what I would like to be and I’ve included some here.

I have been alive for 38 (now 40) years. I know where I came from, where I want to be, and where I’m going when I die. I prefer both my hair and my fingernails short and I don’t get manicures or have my toes “done”. I do not wear make up everyday. I have contact lenses but I like to wear my glasses. I am honest. I am sensitive. I am fragile. I am brave. I am reserved. I am intelligent AND clever. I am loving. I am not shy. I like to listen more than talk. I have a great sense of humor and I know it. I love rain. I enjoy quietness. I have experienced joy. I understand awe. I have so many ideas in my brain—things to create, photos to capture, thoughts to write about, places to travel, foods to eat, people to enjoy, music to listen to, experiences to discover—that it often overwhelms me. I lead better than I follow. Life is painfully beautiful in the best ways. I am thankful.

“No one ever became wise by accident.” ~Anonymous

Image via Pfeiffer Photos, copyright 2009.

My Art: Bohemian Souls ACEOs

Original art cards displayed in this post by Tina of tina's whimsy (aka Pfeiffer Photos), copyright 2009 - all rights reserved. To purchase please contact me direct for more information.

tina's whimsy revisited

I have always been an artist. Before I fell in love with photography, I tried a bit of many mediums. Drawing, watercolor, rubber stamp art, decoupage, assemblage, jewelry design, and my eventual favorite, collage.


t 2 b:
Dream a Little Dream, 2.5" x 3.5" - ACEO Collage, Open Edition
Love Many Things, 4" x 10" - Original Collage on Canvas Board

Techniques of collage, were first used at the time of the invention of paper in China around 200 BC. The use of collage, however, remained very limited until the 10th century in Japan, when calligraphers began to apply glued paper, using texts on surfaces, when writing their poems.



t 2 b:
The Wild Joys of Living, 8" x 10" - Original Collage on Canvas Board
Inspire, 2.5" x 3.5" - ACEO Collage, Open Edition

The technique of collage appeared in medieval Europe during the 13th century. Gold leaf panels started to be applied in Gothic cathedrals around the 15th and 16th centuries. Gemstones and other precious metals were applied to religious images, icons, and also, to coats of arms.


t 2 b:
Retro Green Girl - 11 x 14 collage on canvas board
Life Requires Beauty - 2.5 x 3.5 ACEO Collage, Open Edition

In the 19th century, collage methods also were used among hobbyists for memorabilia (i.e. applied to photo albums) and books (i.e. Hans Christian Andersen, Carl Spitzweg).

The term collage derives from the French "coller" meaning "glue". This term was coined by both Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso in the beginning of the 20th century when collage became a distinctive part of modern art.[1]



t 2 b:
Ladies Bingo Night - 4 x 5 collage on canvas board
We Can Claim Ruffles all for Ourselves, 10" x 10" - Original Collage on canvas

I used to offer my collage work in an Etsy shop, known as tina's whimsy. I sold a handful of my items in the two years that the shop was alive online but then I discovered I was spending far more time trying to sell and less and less on the process of creation. And so I stopped altogether--the selling and the creating.

The pieces displayed in this post are a handful of my collage works from 2004-2007. I plan to begin some new work in 2009, and would love your comments on these. Let me know if you'd like to see more and I will include them in a future post...thanks!


[1] Wikipedia 2008.

collages displayed are all copyright tina's whimsy 2004-2007.