2009
was an awful year...
my personal life was pretty miserable...
my brother had just shot himself in the heart..
and I felt a powerful inner struggle
that was exacerbated by the things going on around me..
It was also the year I began to
blog and named my blog
La Dolce Vita..
gentle reader
I literally took
heart
in
my spiritual practice
and my art work
 |
| My art journal stack, my 2009 journal is on top.. |
I took refuge in art..
escaping to my studio, I created shrines, nichos and art
that reflected my personal spiritual work
knowing that
I am the attraction for all that comes to me
I decided then,
that I needed to love myself..
more than I did then..
and it was a promise that I made to myself
that I would consciously make the effort..
 |
| 2015 Journal Detail, February journal pages, Caterina Giglio.. Antique bible pages gifted from Lisa DiNunzio |
Part of my practice was to write myself
a Valentine letter..
a love letter to myself...
at the time
I was not in a, "hearts and flowers" kind of place...
in fact I never used hearts in my work at all...
my brother's death changed that..
 |
| February 2015 Art Journal Pages, on my desk.. |
using a heart in my work
became a symbol
of life and death and love...
transformation
 |
| Closeup of February 2015 Love Letter to Myself |
It all began in this journal, below
I started by facilitating
an art journal group...
 |
| Art Journal 2009, Caterina Giglio |
and this was my first spread...
 |
| 2009 Art Journal spread Love Letter To Myself, Caterina Giglio |
not being in a
"hearts and flowers" kind of place emotionally
I decided to create just that in my pages
because I firmly believe that
what we visualize we
create
and the French couple
stood in as
a model for myself
a person who was balanced both
by a strong feminine and masculine side..
 |
| 2010 Art Journal, Caterina Giglio |
I finished that journal and moved on
to #5
the number of transition and transformation
2010 was certainly that...
I decided that I loved the large format of the
antique record books..
and #5 had the most beautiful marbled front...
 |
| 2010 Art Journal Spread, Love Letter To Myself, Caterina Giglio |
In 2010
I collaged over much of my writing... using my own image in my work
and an image of a young girl, to represent my
inner child...
time was ticking...
 |
| 2011/2012 Art Journal, Fern Caterina Giglio |
I found another record book
in better shape for my
2011 and 2012 art journal
my life began to transform
in amazing ways
lots of things were
changing...
myself included...
 |
| 2011 Art Journal spread, Love Letter To Myself, Caterina Giglio |
in 2011, I wrote...
Yes I have loved you well...
for you are the secret of all my secrets..
and I will love you
long after
the body is dust...
and our being-ness
is
feather
light
 |
my stitched spread for
2012
was simple enough
a heart stitched
back together
the bottom
of my page reads...
life is good...
 |
| 2013-2015, Untitled Current Art Journal |
In 2013 I found
a perfect antique record book
that is not only substantial
it was in fabulous shape...
 |
| 2013 Art Journal spread, Love Letter To Myself, Caterina Giglio |
In 2013
my cold heart was
thawed out
 |
2014, Art Journal spread, Love Letter To Myself, Caterina Giglio
2014
brought
a return of
my heritage
my lily life and love..
I used antique imagery to represent
my
profound love of life
and transformation...
La Dolce Vita
 |
| Detail of 2014 Art Journal spread, Love Letter To Myself, Caterina Giglio |
My current pages below..
 |
| 2015 Art Journal spread, Love Letter To Myself, Caterina Giglio |
Where I celebrate
not only myself
and my love for me,
but my ability to create...
not just with my hands...
but with my love and my thought..
 |
| A celebration of life, 4 journals, representing one month on two pages for 6 years.. Caterina Giglio |
You don't have to be an artist
to write yourself a love letter...
I urge you to try it..
just start by writing one thing that you appreciate
about yourself..
it can be simply that you have the eyes
to read this post..
all I can tell you
is that you cannot control what goes on around you
but you can be the person you want to be...
and that alone
can create
La Dolce Vita..
xo
Happy Valentines
