Scintilla Project: The End

Prompt:  Tell a story that you haven't told yet. Give it a different ending than the one that really happened. Don't tell us where you start changing things. Just go.

water pulling you under

slipping away until all air gone

the fight, gasping at life

******

She found herself drawn to the water's edge and stood there a while.  As the sand shifted beneath her feet her gaze drifted lazily towards the horizon.  The sky was a deep blue, mirroring the intensity of the ocean and the sun sat high in the sky.  A trickle of sweat rolled down her face and the slight breeze felt cool against her skin.

Her gaze shifted downwards and feeling the gentle pull of the water as it swirled around her ankles she began to inch forward.  Goosebumps rose to cover her flesh and she gave a slight shudder.  Her steps were tentative at first but once the water reached her midsection she gave way to the cold and began to swim.

The gentle rocking motion of the water was comforting, soothing and she soon found herself lost in thought.  Turning towards the beach she smiled, life just didn't get better than this. 

She didn't see it coming . . . the large wave that wrapped its arms around her and pulled her under.  Spinning out of control she was confused and disorientated.  Round and around she rolled unable to get a solid footing.   Tirelessly she fought to reach the surface, to catch her breath, but the grip of the ocean was strong and had no plans of letting go.  In that moment fear gave way to acceptance.  She felt the fight  leave her body and a calm descend upon her, it was time.

A Splash Of Color

There's nothing quite like a splash of color on a grey rainy day.

 



Scintilla Project: A Part Of Me Lost

Prompt:  Show a part of your nature that you feel you've lost.  Can you get it back?  Would it be worth it?

I heard someone say "it's time".  My breath caught in my throat as my heart pounded.  Two simple words that would forever change my life.  I wanted to shake them off like an ill fitting sweater but the more I struggled the tighter they took hold. 

My feet began to to move and I found myself inching towards the room where you lay.  There was a strange sound that seemed out of place . . . . . a death rattle filled the room, filling my heart and soul with its presence. 

I took your hand and just moments later I felt you leave.  With one last breath, you, the man who had meant the world to me were gone.  In that moment I felt ripped wide open as though there was a gaping hole right through the very core of me.  A part of me was lost that day.  Even though nine years have passed, and the hole is smaller, a part of me will remain forever lost.

Scintilla Project: You Rescued Me

Prompt:  No one does it alone. Write a letter to your rescuer or mentor (be it a person, book, film, record, anything). Share the way they lit up your path.

 

through the doctor visits and surgeries

you were there for me

when I didn't understand

you explained it to me

when no one else understood

you got me

when I was scared and confused

you comforted me

when I couldn't help myself

you cared for me

through the good times and the bad

you supported me

when I was in so much pain I wanted to die

you rescued me

Linking up with the Scintilla Project

The Pulse Of Mixed Media - A Dream Realized

Seth is one of those incredibly unique individuals that has a huge heart, a warm soul and an amazing ability to unite artists of all abilities.  If you follow his blog, The Altered Page, you will know what I'm talking about and when you pick up a copy of his book you will experience this first hand.

 

I feel extremely honored to have a piece of my artwork featured in its pages along with so many other incredibly talented artists.  Having something published always felt like a far away dream, something always out of reach but then Seth placed that dream firmly within the palm of my hand.

 

Seth has been introducing us to the 31 main artists contained within this book over on his blog.  I urge you to stop by, the talent really is incredible.

Winters Dance With Fall

unfurling, whirling, twirling, swirling

the sound of rustling leaves Winters sweet serenade

as it dances with Fall across the woodland floor

Saturday Salon Feature With Marci Scudder

Each month Marcie Scudder runs a feature called 'Saturday Salon' where she interviews other artists that she's met online. I was honored to be invited as this months guest and would love it if you'd join us today over at her blog, Daily Practice.

Image courtesy of Marcie Scudder



When I first stumbled upon Marcie's blog I immediately fell in love with her photography and unique writing style.  With each post Marcie creates a little piece of magic.  The stories that accompany her photos give voice to self expression and through her imagery and writing she shares a unique talent for finding the extrordinary in the ordinary everyday moments.  

To learn more about Marcie you can visit her at www.marciescudderphotography.com.  Marcie can also be found at Vision and Verb where she serves as the co-author of this wonderfully diverse blog.

Beautifully Different {#reverb10}

Prompt: Beautifully Different

Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful.

Ooooooh this is a tough one and I've been staring a blank screen for the best part of the day.  Different I can do . . . . .

Being British (Welsh) & Living In The US

I'm a fairly shy, quiet and private person and don't like to draw too much attention to myself so it was an interesting experience when I first moved to the US.  Suddenly, without even trying, I found myself drawing unwanted attention each time I opened my mouth.

I would say as little as possible while I was out running errands to avoid the inevitable conversation about my accent.

I've gotten used to it over the years and am now able to smile and thank people when they tell me how much they love the British accent and I even laugh and smile when they think I'm Australian.

My Little Fingers Are Bent

I was born with two bent little fingers and the funny thing is my uncle's are exactly the same way.  It certainly made playing the piano and using a typewriter interesting!

Vertically Challenged

I'm short, scraping it at exactly 5ft.  I know I'm not the only short person out there but I often find myself in a room of people towering over me which can leave you feeling more than a little different. 

Growing up I used to use a hand mirror to check how the top of my hair looked because I figured that's what most people would see when they saw me!

Loner

I'm a bit of a loner, I swear I was a hermit in a former life.  A lot of people just don't get how I can spend so much time alone with myself (maybe they know something I don't) but I've always been that way and I kind of like it.

Not Wanting Children

When people learn that I don't wish to have children they either think I'm selfish or a child hater.  Truth is I don't hate children at all, I've just chosen not to have any.  I love my nieces and nephews, I just couldn't eat a whole one (tongue firmly implanted in cheek).

Super Emotional

I'm highly emotional  and cry at all sorts of things.  It can be embarassing, frustrating a hinderance but beautiful it is not.  There are those that look beautiful when they cry, but not me.  I have the ugly cry down pat.  I look as though I've been smacked around the face with a frying pan and I get all blotchy and red.  I'd love to be able to control it, but sadly I can't.

Beautifully Different was harder to articulate so I thought I would ask those who know me.  Here's what they had to say:

Husband:  "The combination of your eyes, smile and aura make you beautifully unique and different from everyone else".

Sister:  "That's easy, the way you love".

Mum:  "You're thoughtful, caring, have a a smile to die for and the fact that you're my daughter".

Brother:  "Being such an outgoing person creatively but not sociably".

Sister-In-Law:  "Your ability to live with a Dechairo and still remain a calm, centered person".

Yvette (Friend):  "1. beautiful (def) wonderful, very pleasing or satisfying... 2. different (def) not ordinary; unusual... so if 1 + 2 = x then I think x = your art!"

Tony (Friend):  "The fact that you're a career artist? Not an easy feat to pull off."

Maggie (Friend):  "Your talent and your kind heart <3"

Their responses made me cry (told you I was emotional).

It's all too easy for us to focus on our faults but if we choose to truly look into the eyes of those closest to us we might be surprised to find our own beauty reflected there.

I’m participating in a 31-day blogging challenge called #reverb10, responding to writing prompts that encourage you to reflect on the past year and consider hopes for the coming year.

One Word {#reverb10}

I recently stumbled upon #Reverb10, an annual initiative that encourages you to reflect on the past year and to send out reverberations for the year ahead by responding to 31 daily prompts.  I thought it would be a fun challenge so  . . . . .

Prompt:  One Word
Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you're choosing the word.  Now imagine it's one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

There are so many words that could describe my year (unpredictable, tentative, momentum, discovery, acceptance) but if I had to select just one it would have to be 'PLAY'.  For it was through giving myself permission to 'play' that I discovered a love for mixed media artwork and in a sense found myself. 

At first I felt like a newborn fledgling, a little shaky and scared, teetering on the edge of a precipice, wondering if I really could fly.  I inched forward, breathed deeply, closed my eyes tight and made the leap, fearful that if I looked down I would find the ground rushing up to meet me.  Tentatively I opened one eye, then another.  Fear gave way to surprise, exhilaration and excitement, I could fly!

As I head into 2011 my chosen word would have to be 'SOAR', for now my wish is to fly more gracefully and in doing so attain new heights.

What one word would you choose to describe your year?

Mood Of The Moment - Migraine

The dark clouds, the heavy rain

Brings with it a degree of pain

As the pressure builds inside your head

Almost to the point where you wish yourself dead

Then the clouds pass and the pressure lifts

And you soon find that your mood shifts

From a devil possessed to a human being

As you peel yourself down from off the ceiling

poem by Kathryn Dyche Dechairo

Eyes Wide Open

Sleep is like an allusive state that my body instinctively reaches out for yet seems unable to grasp.  So close you can almost touch it, but for now it remains out of reach.  Plagued by this weariness, seconds seem like minutes, minutes like hours.  The night is long.

I lay here willing sleep to wrap its arms around me and hold me tight, releasing me from its grip only at sun's first light.  Why is sleep not my friend, its visits intermittent?

It beckons to me, toys with me, drawing me close yet remaining distant.

Listing to the sounds of a house at rest I lay, I wait, I wonder . . . . . will sleep be my friend tonight?

Changes

Watching the leaves change color and fall to the ground made me think of a poem I wrote back in 2004 which I'd like to share with you.  It was written when I was going through a particularly reflective time.

The wind in your hair, the sun on your face

Makes your whole body want to embrace

The changes that the seasons bring

Not only outside but also within

by Kathryn Dyche Dechairo

Photo by Chris Dyche http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisdyche/page2/

Artist Statement

I have always loved items with a textural quality so when I began creating art I was looking for ways to invoke that feeling you get as a child; the kind where you instinctively want to reach out and touch.  This love of texture spills into all aspects of my life from the objects and materials I chose to surround myself with, to the art and sculptures I create.

Nature is a huge source of inspiration for me, not only in subject matter but color palette too.  Maybe it's because I'm an October baby that I have a love for the richer, darker, autumnal hues.

I love the flexibility and freedom that comes from creating.  The piece which forms before me will depend on what I'm feeling at the time.  It's often a random and chaotic event but through letting go, losing myself in the process, and experimenting with colors, shapes and textures a piece eventually emerges that echoes some part of me.

I believe that great ideas are born from mistakes and I plan on making many on this exploratory journey.

 

 

Contact Details

  

Web: www.dychedesigns.com

 

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DycheDesigns

 

Blog: http://dychedesigns.blogspot.com

 

Email: dychedesigns@hotmail.com 

Artist Biography

Kathryn Dyche Dechairo was born in South Wales, grew up in Oxfordshire and now resides in Ohio as a mixed media and ceramic artist.

 

Her creative journey first began during her early thirty's. Barely audible at first, like a soft whisper. It took the death of her father and a move stateside for those initial whisperings to find their voice and become a catalyst for her creativity.

 

 

Kathryn has always felt a strong connection to texture, nature and wildlife and these elements remain a strong component in her work today. Her art can be viewed at http://dychedesigns.com where she specializes in art paintings, journals and ceramic sculptures.