May my work, be lanterns ...

"I am out with lanterns, looking for myself" is a quote by Emily Dickinson. It found me in the stillness of the night. It found me when I should have been asleep, and when I knew the morning was to arrive quicker than I cared to recognize. Yet, I was up, somewhat anxious about being on the ebb of launching my first pattern design into a Spoonflower challenge and not being sure if I was ready to do so just yet. How do I sum up a lifetime of what has led me to here?

Maybe it was a few moments or perhaps those which surpassed an hour when time went by. In this avalanche of thought, as I searched for the words - they ended up finding me.

Somewhat perfect, and oddly on cue, this 1855 quote appeared in a random fashion- a google search for all the words that I was trying to formulate into one sentence to describe my work as an artist and a brand. This led to a firestorm of quotes. I have always been intrigued by quotes for their ability to be so short and to the point with their clarity in words, obviously something I am still working on as I write this post.

So, here I was with this quote, a marvel for its simplicity and complexity all rolled up into one sentence. Emily you had it right, thank you, for encouraging me to go out with lanterns. My younger self knew long before my older self - that art never truly leaves you and as an artist you are meant to share your art with the world.

So in that instant, I entered the Spoonflower challenge with "In Bloom". I had decided in just a few hours when the sun rose, I would create a website to showcase my design and create a blog post all about it - and here we are.

Complete with nuances in their design, my patterns are translated from hand-carved and printed linocuts that I create at my kitchen table. My work aims to capture a sense of movement and timelessness and is for use in textiles and home products. May my work illuminate the place that you call home.

May my work, be lanterns ...