Hi Everyone,
Paula Here. And this is my first ever blog post on this website. I still can not believe I am doing this, but I do have a good reason. Bare with me here...
As you may have noticed in recent months (although many would argue recent years) social media has become rather chaotic. It is becoming increasingly hard to find your own voice or even control your creative endeavors (hello algorithms!).
I have had a lot of time to absorb thoughts around this and have come to the conclusion that in order to feel at peace with my work (and avoid the chaos of keeping up with unreasonable algorithms and doom scrolling) that one way to do this effectively is having my own blog.
Maybe I do not have to explain it. I have a strong sense that most of you are starting to feel this way. And that is a good thing!
When I was staying in Arizona late last year I was drawing a lot of birds. Birds have always been great examples of freedom and hope to me. These are two things that seem to be slipping away from all of us lately. Without getting into the politics of this right now, I came up with a few drawings that seemed to be perfect for printing - whether on a tea towel, a bag, a tee, a jacket or even a bandana.
Take the example of the mirrored finch drawing above - when I was drawing this I also saw a duality appear - almost like a face or a mask. There is something quite special about this drawing - whether its the mask you see or the intensity of the 2 mirrored finches - it is strong and it is determined.
When I screen print this design it just brings those emotions to an even higher level. Whether on a sweat shirt tee or sewn onto a jean jacket to create a one of a kind upcycled gem - it feels special and direct.
Then there is the cardinal (my top opening image). I love what the cardinal represents - a symbol of change or divine intervention. Holy moly. Nature. It's just so darn compelling, right? So i started working away at a reflective design with this cardinal that incorporates a tulip - which is a symbol in my Ukrainian culture that expresses eternal love and passion. And with that, my bandana design evolved to this:
And then there was my Blue Jay Bird drawing. It started as a colourful pattern while i was playing around on my ipad in the desert:
I very much love the playfulness of this pattern - but being the avid screen printer that I am - I could not help but want to turn this bird into something I could screen print on all sorts of textiles: a tote, tee or towel. Ofcourse the great thing about colour is that when you change it (say.. going from Blue to Black) you change the overall mood ...and even the intensity!
Above: Blue Jay (or Blue Bird) Tea Towel
Above: Black Bird Boxy Sweat Shirt Tee
Birds (and animals in general) are always present in our lives. Some can carry you through good times or even bad times, warn you, give you a reason to simply continue on or just make you feel warm and fuzzy all over. I know I have felt all of those feelings in the presence of animals!
So keep an eye out for those little creatures, I truly believe they are meant to be in our lives one way or another.
Well...
There you have it. My first blog and a look into the overall thinking behind my lovely bird designs.
I am lucky in that I have this creative outlet and the privilege of being able to draw, print or share it with you all - whether in a post like this or for you to wear, use or have a conversation about it to others.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post.
xo, Paula