Tribute to Red Circles, Birds and Friendship

I am so touched by Mia Bloom paying tribute to our friendship in her Collage #29 that I must write about this today.  There couldn't be a better way to describe who a person is than to illustrate that person's likes.  Mia certainly did this in her Collage #29.  She wrote that I love red circles and birds and then produced this wonderful collage.

Mia Bloom's "Collage #29"

My appreciation for a solitary red circle harkens back many decades to an evening when my mother and I attended an art exhibit at UCLA.  When we walked into the exhibit, we came face to face with a painting the size of a wall.  It was all white with the exception of a big red circle.  At that time neither my mother nor I could figure out why this was considered art.

Over the years I have learned how very important placement, balance (or lack of it),  and color are in a work of art.  Periodically a circle, sometimes a red circle, will appear in my own art and each time, I smile as I reflect upon that painting we saw many years ago.  I shared that story with Mia some time ago and she remembered it. 

Here is a stark example of my thinking about that same red circle.

"On the Edge"

Now, for the reference to birds...Somehow, birds keep popping up in my art.  Some are in flight, some are not, but but every so often they manage to creep into my work one way or another.  Just the other day I caught a glimpse of a loudly chirping little bird atop a telephone pole.  Because ledges and heights are not among my favorite places to be, I had a fleeting moment of compassion for the little feathered fellow.  Instantly, my mind acknowledged that birds can fly and I figured that if I, too, could fly, heights would not longer be threatening.  Perhaps I have a hidden desire to be able to fly.

All that being said, Mia Bloom tapped into the essence of the things that make me tick and for her to take the time to put her creative thoughts into action to recognize the Linda of Linda is an honor, indeed.  Thank you, Mia Bloom. 

I highly recommend that you check out Mia's collages on her blog.  She describes her 30 collages as a self imposed challenge to create a collage a day, in 30 minutes, for 30 days. 

Always remember, never fear to experiment.  

Sometimes wonderful things happen.

© Linda Friedman 2014.  All rights reserved.