Friday, December 7, 2012

Welcome to the world of lupine bleu!



Once Upon a Time....there was a little girl who loved to marvel at the colors of the sky, the loftiness of dandelions seeds swaying in the wind, the soft, powdery texture of marshmallows that melted effortlessly in her mouth. The little girl grew up, and now has children of her own. Her appreciation of all things color, texture and taste has only grown over the years....and she is me!

My world of lupine bleu began when I was only a child, but it didn't have a name until a few years ago. On a long awaited trip to the Green Mountains of Vermont, while hiking with my husband on a rural road just outside of Stowe, we came upon a field of lupines lit subtly & beautifully by the evening sun. The streaks of light transformed the blue, purple and pink flowers into ethereal, magical beings. It was as if we had stepped into another time, surrounded by the damp smell of the majestic pines, in this tiny, solemn little valley, surrounded by mountains. It was then that my love of the world around me took it's name, lupine bleu. I just didn't know it yet!

A few years later, while traveling on the North Shore of Lake Superior, in Minnesota, nearer to my home, my entire family had a remarkably similar experience. As the sun set, we drove down scenic highway 61.We noticed cars stopping at the side of the road, about every half mile. We realized that people were stopping  with their cameras to capture the fields of fleeting lupine flowers in the fading evening sunlight. It was as if we all knew the same secret! I hadn't realized that years before, in Vermont, I had joined a club of Lupine Lookers. You know who you are if you are a Lupine Looker. Maybe, like me, you have trouble driving down country roads when the clouds in the summer sky are so beautiful. Or perhaps you notice the texture on someone's knitted sweater so much (from afar) that you find yourself crossing a room to meet a stranger to ask about the sweater --and see if you can touch it! I am often influenced in my creative work by the things I experience around me. I am glad to finally name my creative world in honor of the fleeting, magical blue lupine flower. It gives me hope that I will forever be a person who finds beauty in the world around me, takes it and transforms it into something beautiful for others to enjoy.

Stop back and check on what creative items I am working on in the future. You are likely to find handwoven blankets, knitted items, hand-carved stamped images on cards and jewelry. Don't be surprised if I make you hungry on occasion with a post about some lovely baked item I made for afternoon tea either! At some point I will be making items available for sale on etsy.com. I will let you know when that happens!

Welcome to my world of lupine bleu. I am so glad you can join me on my creative journey.