BLOOM

This is a piece i finished last weekend & mailed in for the GREAT BIG STITCHED POSTCARD SWAP (courtesy of Beth Nichols, DWYL). Basically, there are something like 180 people from 20 different countries around the world, participating in the swap. We each get to create our own little postcard & mail it to someone anonymously. In return, we receive a postcard from someone.  Kind of like a pen pal, except with art. No restrictions (obviously, it doesn't need to be totally stitched, or i never would have participated!), a simple 6" x 4" postcard with the theme: BLOOM. Those who want can share a pic of their postcard on Flicker. There's some amazing artwork there...

During the past few months, I've discovered the importance of community. We all know how important it is to be supported, but i really think many of us are unclear about what that actually means for us. The people who are closest to us aren't necessarily the strongest supporters. I have a few good friends who I know I can always count on, but it was such a joy to find other like minded people out there who were immediately cheering me on as well, as though we were kindred spirits. Maybe I am just more ready now than I was. Maybe I'm more open to new ideas, new ways of looking at the world. Or maybe - just maybe - I've finally learned to live the questions instead of search for answers.

xox

paralysis of perfection

I did this a few weeks ago, on a perfect beach day. As i drew, I noticed a few kids behind me, trying to be discreet (as discreet as kids can be!) as they peeked at the page. They stood behind me for a while as i continued drawing, and at one point, one of the little boys, about 8 or 9 years old, piped up & said, "you draw good". I smiled & said thank you, then asked him if he liked to draw. He replied, "yeah, but I'm not good".

Needless to say I had a good chat with this boy about the importance of doing "not good" drawings, and how you need to do thousands of not so good drawings to get to the great ones. And besides, I was willing to bet that they were already really good artists who just needed a bit of practice. Within minutes, the three of them were telling me what they loved to draw as they scoured the beach for drawing sticks.

We said our goodbyes & I returned to my page, but not until I snuck a peek at them drawing in the sand.

random blue

Life has been a little busier than normal these past few weeks and I've had little time to post anything. This 'random blue' piece is another painting i did during the DO WHAT YOU LOVE course. Things should slowly be returning back to normal in the next weeks, so i should be posting a little more regularly.

When i first began this blog, my only intention was to 'put myself out there'. To share my work with the world. Or with the 5 or 6 people who may be interested. :o)  Actually, the primary focus was to get myself comfortable with having my work out there. It's one thing to share a painting with a friend, but that almost always guarantees a positive comment - and life is not always so gentle. Fear of criticism or just fear of sharing too much is often what keeps us from daring to take a step. And let's face it - some of us aren't as comfortable as others to toot our own horns. But the blog for me is more about connecting with others. If i get such joy out of painting, maybe someone will get joy out of seeing the painting? A poet or a songwriter writes to express a feeling or an experience - to get it on paper - and then to share with others in the chance that he (or she) will connect & perhaps feel less alone. Same thing for a painting. At least for me it is.