I'm Still Dancing - through it all - I'm Still Dancing

A Letter to the Big C, 

"I'm still Dancing. Through it all, I'm still Dancing. 

You may take my strong threshold for pain, and you may take my ability to keep food down. Through it all, I learned to honor my pain and find ways to gently nurture and comfort my body

You may attack my immune warriors and make me feel as though I am waking roughly on a battle field. Through it all, I learned to be a guardian of my energy. retaining and spending it wisely. 

You may force me to spend too many days getting poked and prodded by doctors instead of enjoying the beautiful things in my life.Through it all, I learned the importance of surrounding myself with healthy relationships and enjoying each moment with them. 

Through it all, Big C, I made sure to level the playing field. I made sure you didn't take more than I was willing to lose. Through it all, for each thing that you took, I created a space for something special to reside. And while I now take back any power that I think you may have had....

I give myself permission to color my life a new kind of beautiful.

I'm still Living. I'm still Loving. And I'm still Dancing. 

Through it all."

This mixed media Figurative Sculpture is probably my most diverse piece of Art, and at the same time is one of the most meaningful. She is #1 in my new "BraveHearts" series. Her symbolism focuses on Breast Cancer Survival and her Mastectomy Tattoo. 

Her "neutral" state (in regards to her color palette of Beige and White) should not distract you from her mosaic of textures. 

"I'm Still Dancing" was created from Burlap, Clay, and Linen, along with supportive mediums. 

She stands 19 inches in height, spans 11 inches in width, and is 9 inches in depth. 

Her head, face, and torso are an Original Sculpt from Clay. Her hair was sculpted into an up-do, and is a rich honey blonde shade. Using Acrylics, her torso and face were painted a pale skin tone in the softest of a Cream shade. 

One breast was sculpted on her torso, the other is absent (reflective of a mastectomy)and now replaced with a mastectomy "tattoo". The tattoo was painted in white, yellow, grey-lavender, and cream. 

Her arms were hand stitched from muslin, stuffed with polyester filling, and attached to the torso in an outstretched form. 

From her hips downward a metal armature was created in a long skirt shape. Strips of burlap and glittered organza were draped around the armature and coated with a special medium that when dried, transformed the burlap just as hard and stiff as the clay. A thick sheet of felt encloses the bottom of the sculpture. 

Her arms were hand stitched from muslin, stuffed with polyester filling, and attached to the torso in an outstretched form. 

The above "Letter to the Big C" comes with the Art Doll, printed on card stock, signed and dated. 

You can find her listed in my Etsy here

I'm Still Dancing Figurative Sculpture

Fearless - A Spirit Doll for Encouraging Bravery while Redesigning one's Life

Fear.

We all have it, that thing that holds us back from living the life we're meant to live. It feeds our Inner Critic all the things it can to make sure we don't try new things. If you let it, it will hold your Soul in a perpetual state of anxiety afraid of your own capabilities, other people, and even the world. 

It also can present itself in small almost unseen ways, quietly slipping in, and holding us just enough that it doesn't stop us from living life - but it will interfere by lowering our expectations of ourselves. It will whisper in our ears to only put ourselves out there...just a little bit...as if flying under the radar...trying to convince us that living "safe" is the answer. Of course, there is a difference in living safe and not fully putting your heart into something. If you only give fifty percent, you'll never receive the fullest potential. 

And then there comes the day, that miraculous and long awaited day, when your gentle Spirit screams inside....

"Let me OUT ! I want to Live ! I want to dance in the rain and sing on the mountain tops. I want to take my brush and paint everything I see, purple and red and orange and yellow. I want to DO the things that other people write about. I want to love without fear and laugh without limits.  I want to trust my own voice and see where it leads me. I want to live, FULLY live, this one Life that I have. 

And when the spirit has finished her plea, the glass wall of fear shatters into a bunch of meaningless, powerless shards that crumble into nothingness. And what is left....is a beautiful blank white canvas...waiting for You to start painting your new reality. 

This is a moment to celebrate,to honor like a new birth. And it is this moment that inspired my creation of the "Fearless" Spirit Doll, an honoring and a reminder of how you got here, why you're here, and to cheer lead Each Step Forward. 

The "Fearless" Spirit Art Doll is available in my Etsy shop here

Fearless Spiritual Warrior Art Doll on Etsy