As promised I am doing a giveaway to celebrate the latest issue of Somerset Workshop. I have a whole section on what else? CANVAS! And I am pretty proud of it because it looks beautiful- huge kudos to everyone who worked on it but also because it really takes me a lot of time and thought to come up with new projects especially ones that involve only a few materials- paint and canvas. (If you have never tried to limit your supplies or your tools or even color when working on a project...try it. In my opinion it will challenge you to be really creative!) 
In this issue, one of the projects that I demonstrate is a canvas crown. While I don't typically play favorites, this is one of my all time favorite projects that I have come up with. I am SO inspired by crowns and have always been intrigued by both the symbolism and their decorative nature through the ages. When faced with the challenge of coming up with some new projects made from canvas (that weren't in my book) I knew I had to create my own version of a crown!
You have until Wednesday morning to leave me a comment
Tell me what object is symbolic to you and why
On Wednesday I will 3 draw names from comments and each of you will get one of the crowns in the picture above!
83 comments:
I love a good "rock". I have quite the collection. each one is unique (like us). it's pretty hard to break a rock and I like to think of it as a symbol of strength for me.
love the canvas crowns! ciao!
I hope this counts but mountains are very symbolic for me. I revel in their strength, feel protected by them, nestled into them. Whenever I feel off-kilter or anxious, I look to mountains and feel grounded, calmer, protected.
Your canvas crowns are one of my favorite features Somerset has ever ran. They are ridiculously cool. Thanks for the inspiration.
The paint brush is symbolic to me. It represents a catalyst for which helps me to express my inner imagination.
I just love the symbol of the heart and all that it stands for - love for people, love for God, love, hope, peace.
Speaking of, I would LOVE one of your crowns! AMAZING!!
Jessica
jnschim@hotmail.com
The symbol I am drawn to over and over and over again is a bird. For me a bird represents freedom and simplicity. Love your crowns!!!
I love pomegranates and use them in my art all the time...part of it is the memories I have of the tree in our backyard and often getting into trouble for staining my good clothes because I loved to pick them and eat them no matter what I was wearing...but there's also something about the jewel like seeds, and the impracticality of the fruit all around that appeals to me!
I love birds of all kinds. Probably for their symbolic idea of flight and soaring in all aspects of my life. Or at the least the reminder to stretch out my wings and try again.
Your crowns are just beautiful! I have a 'thing' for crowns and make and collect several.
I love STARS! I collect all kinds of them but my favorite right now is star-shaped jello molds.
Oops! I'm still figuring this out. I was the previous comment about STARS! Love 'em!
I don’t know if you can count this as a symbol but I’m drawn to cats. They have such diverse personalities. They are strong, independent and fierce while still being laid-back, loyal and affectionate. Not to mention prettyful and cuddly ^.^
Never thought about the subject before but I think 'circles' play an important in my life as much as everyone elses....Ive had a lot of vicious circles while dealing with my agoraphobia....as well as dealing with the 'circle of life and death' - actually thats quite dark...mmmm not sure what that says about me!
The one thing I do know is that I would love a piece of your work....I have found your book so inspirational and its helping me break another circle...my creative work has taken on another dimension all thanks to you...thank you x
Alisa! Congrats on making the cover and the headline feature! I would have to say that the cross inspires me. I have taken some rough rides in my life and I feel that the love and support that comes through my spirituality has been what got me through the storm. The cross reminds me constantly to try my best, be good to others, and know that I am loved no matter how imperfect I am.
polar bears - since the time I was like 4 or 5 I have slept with a stuffed polar bear. I travel for a living and until recently I traveled with him (but I digress). For me he and the other bears I have picked up over the years symbolize - memories, comfort, habitualness, strength, confidence, and at the same time - my insecurities.
The moon is symbolic to me in that it gives everything a serene glow and brings about an inner peace to me. Things can be kinda hectic and then all of a sudden I stare out at the moon and it all seems to be dulled. It is often the subject of my work.
btw, I love your work and your anti scrap workshop!
Alisa, what a fabulous idea! These are fantastic- my symbolic symbol is a skull. Used to just be cow skulls but has grown into just the human skull. I love bones and when sculpting in clay I always have to think about what is under the skin when forming. ;-) Thanks, nicole
It may not be a symbol - but I am drawn to anything with a little bling. I love old buttons with rhinestones or pins. Symbolically it's my shine.
A crown has such a I am worthy significance to it. I am royal. How can you not want to wear one every day?
For me it's been wings. I love their symbolic nature as it pertains to living and ethereal beings. If we could fly how fantastic would that be. !!!!
I love butterflies. They symbolize 'new beginnings', beauty and 'new birth'. I love butterflies. Thanks for the chance. Your work is absolutely awesome and inspiring.
Love your crowns...haven't seen the issue yet..but my favorite symbol which I use often is a cross. I always seem to make cross shaped beadwork, or buy lots of crosses...just love them. Obviously a very strong religious symbol for me as well as beautiful
Hmmmmm, this is thought provoking! First, to me a cross is symbolic of my spirituality, especially a celtic cross as the circle part represents eternity. Also, the circle that is a wedding ring is symbolic of never ending love.
And the canvas crowns are awesome!!
Beki Ward at msn dot com
Butterflies are very symbolic to me of life and death and the many transformations inbetween. I love these crowns ansd would love to own one. Thanks for your generosity!
Eyes have always been my symbol of choice. I doodled them endlessly all through school! There is so much that is conveyed and said in that one body part though it never actually speaks.
The spiral has been my personal symbol for my life since 1993--it goes around like a circle or the seasons, and the space between can vary. Some cycles are closer, some veer away. I find that life is very much like that. We return to the same themes, the things we love, even though we may not have thought of them for many years.
Your work is very inspiring. Thank you.
I would have to say crows and stars. Crows because I have always found them fascinating since childhood, they seem so wise, calm and collected. Stars because my mother always called me her "shining star" since I had a sticker that said that on some homework when I was little. I remember it was on the fridge for the longest time, and the name kind of stuck after that.
Erika
creadiem.whatthehenkel.com
hi alisa! LOVE your crowns! ;) on symbols... i've been drawn to the circle a lot lately. they're easy to draw, they have a lot of meaning behind them in so many ways... and they can be just plain fun! ;) xo
There are a few things that are symbolic to me, but I would say the 'tree' is one of them. It is a sign that life goes on. If the trees could talk, oh what stories it may have to tell! Some trees can live for hundreds of years! To stand at the base of a very large, and old tree is awe inspiring to me. To wonder what all that tree has 'seen'...
I love your work. You have been an inspiration to many of us. I would be so honored to have one of your crowns! Thank you for giving us this opportunity!
Alisa, What an awesome idea! I loved your crowns from the first moment I saw them, as a matter of fact I'm off to B&N to get the magazine. I've been a fan for awhile now, and this just cements it! My symbol is a tree. I paint them a lot. To me they symbolize peace and strength. I've gotten both just being among them! Thank you for being such an inspiration!
Your crowns are beautiful! Thanks for sharing such inspirational work! I look forward to getting my issue of the magazine...
I am drawn towards all things in nature - but trees are high on my list. They have such a quiet strength about them that I think we take for granted. They literally weather so much and yet still persist in continuing to grow. They offer protection and seem so watchful and all knowing...a little fanciful I realize but :/
Thank again!
Strange, but I like containers. The last one I saved was a square tin box that came with a bunch of little tins with earrings in them. The 4x5 flat tin box was just to be thrown away. But I can see all of its potential. It is a story waiting to be told. I love empty containers.
A long-time symbolic object for me has been the automobile. To me it symbolizes freedom, mobility, opportunity, power, beauty, and myriad other things. I always name my cars (the current one is named "Luna") and keep them clean and well-maintained. I am an amateur photographer (camera is likewise symbolic for me) and I love taking mini "road trips" to capture scenes and objects along the way.
i bought this one and i was really happy with it..your pieces just popped off the page! congratulations! please count me in for the give-away!
*jean*
The smiley face I place by my name when I sign things to friends. It's that extra touch to let you know that you are special.
I love spirals, they can be very calming and help me focus.
Also, in buddhism there is the concept of the Triple Jewel which i like to use with a variety of objects.
Love the crowns! Perfect for my DD sweet sixteen next week, I will have to try my hand at one if I don't win :)
dianne
Letters! Alone they are just interesting shapes, but in a group they form words! Words for statements or questions. Statements and questions form paragraphs and stories.
I love how everyone creates a letter in a different way and it becomes a signature.
I love letters!!!!
I'm attracted to Dog art, I buy it all the time from artist's. quirky, fun, dog art. You'd think I'd try to make it myself. but I can't draw a dog.I should look at other mediums to make dogs. I love to photograph my dogs and do all sorts of digital "stuff" to the photos. Your crowns are very cool! thanks!
i should add, dogs love you unconditionally, and backwards, dog spells God...unconditional love involved there as well.
A tree. For me, it symbolizes roots and it reaches into the sky, it bends in the wind, yet is strong too. A tree oftentimes will stop me in my tracks. Ahhh, trees.
I am into crowns actually. Not because of the contest but because the crown represents being a goddess, treating yourself special. I think that's important regardless of your age. Love your work!! Lisa S.
I don't know that I have a favorite symbol, but that's a good question... *thinks*
But I'd be honored to when one of your crowns. Thanks for the chance to win! xo.
I have loved stars since I was a kid. They were what you wished upon, made dreams of the future looking at and were just so beautiful sparkling up in the sky like diamonds. I like them so much that I even put a scribble then a star to represent a shooting star after signing my name.
Your crowns are incredible and I think I need to learn how to make those.
these are gorgeous, girl. i have a couple of paper crowns given to me by friends on special occasions. i think i'll have to make me some canvas crowns now. they're just awesome. now, something that is very symbolic and meaningful to me is the crow. i feel a great affinity for birds in general and crows in particular. they remind of me things that i need not to forget.
thanks for a shot at a new crown!
These are adorable crowns! How generous of you to give away not one but THREE!!!!
Symbols. I love them. I look for signs in my daily life and read them as clues as to where I'm heading creatively and spiritually.
The symbols that I am drawn to change and these days the "turtle" keeps coming up. One of the meanings associated with the turtle is:
The turtle naturally withdraws and goes within when in turmoil. It does not need to learn the importance of this, it naturally knows.
The turtle's whole life is one of steadfastness of effort and patience. Slow and steady: A life of 'non-doing'. There is a saying "home is where the heart is". The turtle is always at home within itself.
Oh that one crown with the cross reminds me of a bishop's miter. Great job!
The symbol that gets be going is a "clock". Seeing a clock reminds me to take time, make time and cherish my time with the ones I love, my art and myself...tick tock tick tock...
I am going with a ribbon. Ribbons have become the symbol of hope for so many causes, whether it be to tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree, the infamous pink ribbon, or a host of others. Hope is everything. Nice job, as always!
Houses are very symboltic for me. It makes me thing of family, safety and good memories. Love your crowns. Your work is really very different and I love it. Peggy
Doorways, Arches and Windows...and all that they represent. Oh yeah.
A paint palette. I love color and if you use a typical round palette or a watercolor box filled with squares, it is so much fun to look at all the colors and try to decide which ones you are going to use, that day, for that project and if it doesn't work out, you just start all over again with new colors.
I love anything black and white or off white harlequin. It draws me right to it in the store or a magazine...where ever. I have lots of pieces with that pattern on it.
I painged it on a wooden table clock and on clothes....I have a plate on the wall, scrapbook paper, a doll, a small chair and so on..
Pdot from Northern California
I've been following your blog ever since I saw you on Craft Lab. Very inspiring!
Wolves are symbolic to me. They're largely misunderstood by the world--condemned as evil creatures when really, they're just trying to survive like everybody else. They can be savage at times, but also quite nurturing--kinda' like us.
i'm very drawn to crystal spheres. my absolute favorite being a small rose quartz sphere i keep close to my bed. but have all different ones around the house...they have such great energy to them!
The symbol that is powerful to me, is the Butterfly. A Blue Morpho butterfly to be exact. I love them so much, I have quite a collection of butterflies from my friends and family. To me, the Blue Morpho means "creativity" and "freedom". It also represents the calmness that I seek in my life, the feeling it envokes as it sits still on a flower. Transformation is another thing it means to me. I am constantly trying to transform myself into what I "want" to be, not what I "should" be.
In Aboriginal culture, its also the messenger of the Creator (God). So surrounding myself with these beautiful creatures, I know that the Creator is listening to me. That's why I use it in alot of things, especially things that are very personal to me. Like my art, jewelry and my signature ;)
I haven't seen the new Somerset magazine yet, I hope I can get it really soon before it gets bought up :) I saw a crown that you made for someone else on their blog(I think it was Teesha Moore? I may have misremebered), and I instantly fell in love! So I would love one! Thank you for the great giveaway!
My personal symbol is the spiral and I've been including them in almost everything I create for at least the last fifteen years or so...my obsession began with a biology class in college in which I wrote a paper on natural & manmade spirals...to me, they symbolize change and more importantly, flexibility with change...thank you for a great giveaway idea! Your work is, as always, fabulous!
Angels inspire my work. I have them all over the house and hanging in my art room. They symbolize peace, love, strength, compassion, creation and protection. I believe my grandmother is my guardian angel. She was the strongest woman I've ever known and always told me I could do anything.
I look to my angels in guiding my hand and furthering my inspiration for my art.
Your crowns say that we are all queens! Fantastic symbolism itself.
Love the crowns, no matter how old I get, I will always be a princess at heart! Sooo....gotta have a crown!
You know I love your crowns and congrats on the publication. I think home is symbolic for me.
I love your work and I would be so happy to win a piece that you have done.
Flowers are my favorite symbol to use. They show growth and color and just plain happiness. However, they can repreent any emotion by the color and shapes that are used.
Love your crowns. Congrats on the giant spread.
It's the circle that speaks to me. Everything goes round and round. Families, the seasons, our emotions. I like the thought that if I am in a bad place in the circle that it will pass and that there is always good on the horizon or "just around the circle. . ."
Birds in flight (outstretched wings) are very important icons for me. In addition to be in awe of the marvel of flight, I sometimes have very poweful dreams of me flying.
Keys are hugely symbolic to me, sometimes they mean I am locked out, sometimes they are a way in. I loves me some keys!
I love my IPhone! How is that a symbolic object...I bet you're wondering? For me it represents the hybrid blending of traditional and digital art. I refer to it frequently when I'm out by visiting my favorite creative sites, bookmarking inspirational ideas and snapping fun photos to use for scrapbooking and art projects. I'm on the far side of 50 and this little baby makes me feel like a teenager again!
not to be cliche, but the Cross is very important to me and it ties in so well with the crowns. I am a princess. My Father is the King of Kings.
I have used leaves in a lot of my artwork as a symbol of life and change
I can't wait till they stock this magazine at my local bookstore! A simple heart is symbolic to me. I always sign my letter with a heart followed by my name. It always reminds me to open my heart to others, love, peace and God that he is always with me.
Christine
p.s. The crowns are beautiful!
I'm not sure that I can narrow it down to just one. I collect so many things, but old photos are my favorite. I love to restore them - especially family members. It is amazing to me to look at my grandmother when she was young and see how beautiful she was. To see her in photos through out the years. It's funny, I always thought I had a close relationship with her, but now I feel like I know here better. I think about what life must have been like for her and what a strong person she was. She was amazing.
When I first saw the cover of this issue online, I knew I had to have a copy. I thought I had pre-ordered it, but found out some how it didn't go through. For the last week, I have been running in and out of bookstores and craft stores watching looking for it. I think the people who work in some of these places were getting a little bit sick of me stopping by for the same thing. I decided the fastest way to get a copy would be to order it online, and wait patiently knowing it's on it's way.
I want to make crowns for the special people in my life. It would be great to win a special one from you. Thank you for the great inspiration.
What a fantastic giveaway, I have been reading your blog every day for a couple months now and find it awesome and very inspiring!
I adore your crowns I am known as "princess" by a bunch of my arty friends so one of those would be incredible for me:-)
The symbol that I relate to most is "doors", I love thinking that if one door closes another one will always open. It keeps me optomistic about life.
Thanks so much for this chance Alisa.
Di
What beautiful crowns! Can't wait to get my hands on this issue!
Hearts are symbolic to me. They protect, shield and shelter. :)
Circles have no beginning or ending. They are always and already there.
So cool to have you on our cover, Alisa.
Jenny :)
Your crowns are marvelous!!
Elephants are very symbolic to me. They show me that I can be strong yet also very gentle. We have a new baby at our local zoo and I spend hours up there watching the huge Mama lovingly interact with her darling little boy.
How great for you, alisa!
Leaves are a symbol that always come up for me. I think it's that their beauty takes so many shapes. And they evolve and are signify our journey through life and the beauty we posses at every stage whether young and green, fiery with autumnal colors of middle age or weathered and fallen near the end.
nice topic. Fun to read everyone's answers. Thanks!
Birds, crowns, houses...I really do not have a favorite. There are to many to name! Love your canvas crowns and I would be honored to win one!
You know that crowns are symbolic to me! They symbolize the power of the soul........and the queen (that would be me.....La Reina!).
I think your crowns are lovely! I live in San Diego and I love it when the Blue Angels fly over the house. They symbolize freedom!
My favourite symbol is the spiral....the spiral of life...it's like an ancient symbol!
I can't wait to see the latest Somerset Workshop so i can see your crown project! Congrats.
Love, Violette
THe crowns are great. I would love to have one to wear, because it symbolized confidence to me - something I need more of even though I am a quilt diva!
My favorite simbol is a cat. Why? I probably was one in previous life. :) I own seven of them right now and I cannot think of anything more beautiful to look at than cats when they play. :) Cats to me are elegant and mistirious.
Thanks for the chance to win your artwork.
x Natasha x
Love your work!
My symbol is the raven - it is associated with the Triple Goddess in Celtic mythology. My son's name in gaelic means little raven. Whenever I see one I know that he his near.
I love and collect owls, because they are so wise.
love the canvas crowns and everything else you do.
You rock!
Trees are symbolic of life to me.
the number 11 - always shows up at the right time
did you pick the winners?
I figured out where the winners were posted ;-(. Maybe next time! Looking forward to seeing the magazine article!
Your crowns are just so much fun!! I love the symbolism! I have marbles everywhere. They inspire me not to take life to seriously (you never know....one day i could loose them!) and the colours...On Man!! I just came home from a shpping trip with the most beautiful big "Van Gogh" marble, beautiful blue and yellow. It's enough to trip me into creative mode just like *that*.
I love your blog! I'm a first time visitor, but I will be back!
What wonderful comments from every one! It was fascinating to see what everyone see's as their special symbols in life!
WOW! I have a couple that have followed me through out my Life:
First... The number two! Or 22!
I also have collected "fleur de lis" and Eiffel towers ... for over 25 years! Yikes i am getting old
!
But never to old to wear a crown! I put on one of my tiara's ( another collection) every weekend and head out the door to dance and giggle and just Have fun!
It looks like you have the right idea!
Enjoy life! Make Art!
Vanessa!
http://RhinestoneContessa.com
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