Archive for

8/13 Weekly creativity contest winner & new prompt

You guys always come through! A bunch of goodies arrived for the creativity contest prompt “circles.” Our winner is newcomer Carmen Torbus, who sent in two gorgeous paintings, both acrylic and mixed media. (The first is entitled “Thy Will Be Done” and the second is “August.” Visit Carmen’s blog here.) I just love the icon-like design quality, don’t you? Congratulations, Carmen — your $10 amazon.com gift certificate will arrive momentarily. Welcome to Creative Construction!

From Juliet Bell: “I had several ideas for the ‘Circles’ competition but none came to the fore until I fell asleep and dreamed I was having tea with a friend in her shop. On the wall behind my friend was a beautiful china platter, round, with a soft pattern of mixed blue circles and leaves suggesting grapes. The platter hung on a wall papered with a complimentary blue grape design. My dog barked, awaking me with this image sharp in my mind’s eye. This watercolor design (4” x 4”) is based on my dream. I love it when my dreams send me ideas.” (Juliet’s Etsy shop here.)

From Sam Hirst: “Here is a card I made using branches from a birch tree that had to be taken out of my yard. I cut the branches and block printed the card using them.” (I love the use of found materials! Sam’s blog and Etsy shop.)

From Cathy Coley, a poem. Cathy writes: “The idea is better than the poem, but it’s a start.” (I think it’s all good, Cathy!)

Circles
Going in circles
I re-read old books,
some six, seven times.
I walk with the ghosts
of what I know they’ll do
before they do. Walker’s
Zede relives her past not just once.
Lissie relives every past
over and over since the dawn of time.
We go back again together
to live in the trees.

My dreams breeze fill
with blue green peacock
and red parrot feathers,
three stones in dirt.
Just last week,
gods of every continent.
I don’t usually need help.
I walk hand in hand with goddesses,
elements, even by day.
Gaiman just choreographs them
better than I would dare.
I follow them while he directs.

I read my dreams and thank
all gods Elegba, Odin, Bast, and Balthazar
for the circles of life, the spirals of centuries,
and these authors for
reading my dreams
and writing them down.

From Lisa Worthington-Brown, last week’s winner, a bounty of circle paintings! Lisa writes: “Painting circles is relaxing for me, so I find that I have a lot of recent work with circles. Here are a few.” (The first image is a detail from a larger-than-life self-portrait.)

From me (Miranda), the usual pair! I took this photo on Sunday at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, Mass. I have to admit I didn’t realize I had snagged a shot for the “circles” prompt until later that evening when I was reviewing my photos. I smacked my head, V-8 style, and said, “Circles!”

Garden in the Woods
The pond is brimming
with turtles and dragonflies,
life in gloss and green

This week’s prompt: “Chocolate”

Use the prompt however you like — literally; just a suggestion of color; or a tengential theme. All media are welcome. Please e-mail your entries to creativereality@live.com by 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 19. The winning entry receives a $10 gift certificate to amazon.com. Writers should include their submission directly in the body text of their e-mail. Visual artists and photographers should attach an image of their work as a jpeg. Enter as often as you like; multiple submissions for a single prompt are welcome. There is no limit to how many times you can win the weekly contest, either. (You do not have to be a contributor to this blog in order to enter. All are invited to participate.) Remember, the point here is to stimulate your output, not to create a masterpiece. Keep the bar low and see what happens. Dusting off work you created previously is OK too. For more info, read the original contest blog post.