Paint Party Friday and life's curve balls

This morning, as i went out for a little drive

(and picked up a coffee at the same time!)

i was thinking about what my life was like a few years ago

and how different it is today.

Based on all the cheerful, sparkly, yellow paintings

you've seen here on my blog,

some may think i live in la-la land.

That my life is always beautiful and peaceful

and pretty.

Well... it's not.

I face the same issues many of you face

on a daily basis

I just make a conscious choice

to focus on the good things.

I think this is the key to a happy life.

It may sound like denial to some

but it keeps me sane

so it's all good to me. :-)

In the past few years,

I've lost a job,

my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer,

my father had a serious heart attack,

good friends of ours lived through the painful experience

of seeing their son paralyzed in a car accident

and a dear friend of mine left this planet

way too soon,

leaving 2 beautiful young boys

who miss her deeply.

It's not what happens that matters,

it's how we look at it.

Each of these experiences

forced me to face

the important questions

and as cliché as it sounds

made me a stronger person.

My issues are minor

compared to the issues of so many others

and yet

i allow myself the space to grieve when it is time.

 I do this mostly through art and writing

as many of you must do as well.

So there is truth for me in the words:

Art saves

And there is still so much goodness

in the world...

my son's smile,

a good book,

conversation with a friend,

a walk on the beach,

morning coffee,

...and the chance to win a new car!

:-)

Try to notice the good things

in your day today.

...and don't lose sight of them,

regardless of the chaos around you.

xoxo

spring is in the air...

A quick little pencil sketch on canvas paper...

two little love birds (in acrylic paints & micron pens)...

and a curly breeze,

welcoming spring like open arms.

:-)

(Soon to be found in my Etsy shop)

This morning, I took another beautiful walk and since it was low tide,

i made my way towards the seashore.

There's something about the sound

of chirping birds

that just makes my day.

As i walked on the frozen sand

and admired the calm waters,

I stopped for a bit,

to listen to the birds and

watch a few soaring seagulls.

(yes, seagulls soar too, along with the eagles...)

Just then, i heard a sound somewhere behind me

and when i turned around

there stood 3 deer,

watching me.

I've seen many wild animals during my morning walks.

Deer, coyote, pheasants, racoons, eagles, and last winter, a moose.

When i saw the moose in the dead of January,

he was crossing the frozen ice to the other side.

He was quite a distance from me

but still, I turned around

and headed for home. :-)

I love wildlife but the size of a moose

scares me.

I didn't have my camera with me this morning,

but i did have it a while ago

during another morning walk

and took these deer tracks...

a common sight now on the sand.

I somehow think i would just go numb

if i lived in a big, concrete city.

I know there are lots of perks about the city,

but i doubt i'd find them

because i'd be too busy 

looking for trees and the ocean.

Go figure.

xoxo

Rex Ray: Art and Design

I saw this video last week on Julie's lovely site (Spaark - Artistically Afflicted)

and i just had to share for those of you who aren't familiar with Rex Ray.

Rex Ray. Artist. Collage lover. Designer extraordinaire. :-)

I love this guy.

This is for all of you out there

who ever feel like you're wasting time

when you're collaging or playing with paints.

Rex reminds us all

that playing is good.

That being creative is the essence of life itself.

That developing our own style

or body of work,

isn't always obvious or even necessary

and that the true pleasure

is the process itself.

He also reminded me that

there's room for everyone

and that we all see the world differently

and we should all embrace each others' views

and learn from one another

rather than compete and compare.

What works for one artist

may not work for another.

When i worked as a designer

for a large corporation

i often felt like a fish out of water.

Today,

i am not only working from home

- i am at home.

:-)

So let yourself be inspired by Rex

and take out those magazines

and spread them out everywhere

and use those scissors you love

to cut whatever your little heart desires

and play baby - play!

sand and sea

Nature does not hurry,

yet everything is accomplished.

Lao Tzu

hi fellow creative hearts!

A little sand painting i did this morning,

in anticipation of beach weather. 

Is there any better feeling

than having your toes in the sand?

Well, um, ahem, ok... i can think of one,

but other than that one,

toes in the sand is pretty damn awesome.

;-)

This print is in my Etsy shop as of this morning,

one with the quote (above) and one without.

I was getting a little discouraged with Etsy,

having sold so little since i've been posting there.

But then i remind myself that some things take time

and perseverance is key.

So i'm not giving up quite yet.

When i think back at my first blog post on November 15 2010,

i can't help but think of how wonderful the journey has been,

thanks to all of you and your willingness to share.

The purpose of blogging (initially) for me

was to get more comfortable with sharing my art.

It's been said that an artist who exhibits her (or his) work for the first time

feels naked.

Exposed.

You could say this is how i felt when i first began blogging.

But i knew that it would eventually get easier

and that in times of doubt,

I would find a new kind of inspiration

to keep me going on this creative path.

And maybe, just maybe,

i'd be able to inspire others as well.

I found far more than inspiration

and i am forever grateful to ALL of you

for being on this journey with me.

A wonderful message on the beach near my home...

...and another one that always makes me smile.

...and this is the beach near my home.

The one that often inspires me, one way or another.

Nature is a wonderful inspiration, isn't it?

...and can't you just feel your toes in the sand here?

Wishing you a week filled with sparkles & lollipops.

xoxo

TAG! you're it...

I got a few surprises today - invitations to play TAG!
I just got back from running a few errands but hey, i'm never too tired to play! GAME ON!! :-)

The Rules

...you must post the rules

...answer 11 questions the tagger posted for you

...create 11 questions to ask the people you tag

...tag 11 people

...let them know you've tagged them

Lori's questions to me...(tagger #1)

1. Coffee or Tea? Coffee in the morning, tea at night.

2. What's your favorite color? prussian blue

3. What's your least favorite color? magenta

4. Do you use your favorite color more in your art? Absolutely.

5. Are you a cat or a dog person? I'm an any kind of animal person. 

6. If you could have lunch with one person (alive or dead) who would it be? 

7. Carnivore, Vegetarian, or Vegan? Quasi vegetarian.

8. What's your favorite piece of clothing that you wear often? Comfy sweater vest

9. What's your favorite way to spend a rainy afternoon? Reading.

10. Snow or Sand? Both. I live in Canada, remember? ;-)

11. If you had 12 hours in between flights in NYC, what would you do? i'd visit something. Most likely a museum or gallery.

Lorinda's questions to me…(tagger #2)

1. What's your favourite medium for creating? acrylics, watercolor, collage. Depends on the mood.

2. What is your favourite accessory? earrings.

3. Books or movies? Or? Books!

4. Is creating your day job or your night job? Day job, night job, middle of the night job... :-)

5. Glass half empty or half full? oh definitely half full with added sparkles & coloring!  

6. What's your favourite time of day? early morning

7. What's your favourite form of exercise and/or physical expression? Walking & yoga.

8. What kind of music inspires you? jazz & blues, fado, classical, new age...i'm pretty open.

9. What's your favourite month of the year? September

10. What's your favorite quote? And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. (Anais Nin)

11. If you could spend a free month anywhere in the world, where would it be and what would you do? Bali, and i would take in as much as i can in a month without exploding. :-)

My questions to all YOU lovelies...

1. Favorite ice cream flavor?

2. Favorite book (or movie)?

3. One thing that you love? (thing, not person) :-)

4. What makes you smile?

5. Where was your best vacation?

6. What color is your car (if you have one) or your bike?

7. If money was no object, what is the ONE thing you would do?

8. Where do you feel most at home or 'connected' to the world?

9. high heels or flip flops?

10. If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?

11.What are you most proud of?

And here are the 11 talented people i am tagging:

JennibelliStudio

Lori Moon

Tara Leaver

Tracey Fletcher King  (sorry Tracey, i know you were picked more than once. That's what happens when you're popular.) heheheee..

Fran at Wethree3

Rita at SoulComfort's Corner

Cat at SeaSkyStone

Terrie at Creative Explorer

Michelle at Brain Angles

Spaark at Artistically Afflicted

Jan Jan at a blog of art and stuff

Handmade Portraits: Sophie Blackall

I love this girl's work.

Happy Sunday, folks!

xoxo

flower fairy, wings and waves

Everyone should carefully observe

which way his heart draws him,

and then choose that way

with all his strength.

- Hasidic saying

It's Friday, the sun is shining

and I feel a song comin' on... 

:-)

I really wasn't sure about this one,

but a while ago,

i had sketched this in pencil

with the words 

"is there anyone out there?"

I put paint to paper,

but once i got this far,

the words didn't seem to make sense anymore.

So instead of the words,

i put a bird.

The bird is the word.

:-)

I usually go with my first instinct,

but this little flower winged fairy

just didn't seem to be someone who would question

whether or not there was anyone out there.

It's PAINT PARTY FRIDAY!!

Check out some of the other

wonderfully talented artists out there.

Get inspired.

Get pumped.

Get the paints.

I certainly had myself a party here this morning...

Here's my one rule when I sit myself down to paint:

coffee on left.

water for brushes on right.

:-)

I painted this one this morning as well.

The sea.

Inspired by the sea,

the heat wave we had yesterday,

and the promise of summer on its way!!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

xoxo

Do something that makes you smile.

surprise purple bird

hi peoples!

A few years ago,

i came across something on the net called black out poetry.

It's basically using text in newspapers,

or magazines or books,

and hiding (or blacking out) the words you don't need

for the creation of your own masterpiece poem. :-)

You can see a sample here...

I began this journal page last night

thinking about black out poems...

only my poem ended up being loose words

just scattered across the page

willy-nilly. 

:-)

And the text i chose happened to be

from a boring article about finances.

Yawn.

Still - i managed to find a few choice words in there.

The purple bird just kinda happened

when i began to contour a few leaves

and saw the shape of a bird.

Well, ok, i kinda made it into the shape of a bird. 

:-)

This is a photo i took this morning, in natural light.

What a difference it makes, huh?

These colors are much closer to reality,

although the leaves are a punchier lime green.

And speaking of green...

let's talk money for a minute.

I read a lot,

although i've never been interested in books like these.

But this morning at the book store,

this one caught my eye

and practically jumped off the shelf and into my hands.

Published in 1937 - before it was even cool to be rich. :-)

I was raised to believe

that money is the root of all evil,

that money can't buy happiness

that those who seek wealth are selfish,

that real wealth is found

in a kind heart

rather than a full bank account.

I suspect i was raised this way

because we had no money.

:-)

I believe the greatest thing about having money

is being able to share it.

Being able to use it somehow

to inspire others

to reach their potential...

to realize their own dreams.

And one by one,

make the world a better place.

Maybe I'm naive to think this way -

but i know that in the end, i'd feel better about my life

knowing that I had lived it with an open heart,

rather than hoarding everything to myself.

Hoarding anything is unhealthy.

Especially art.

xoxo

spring is in the air...

Good morning Munchkins.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

:-)

I'm posting something that i painted a while ago,

since i spent most of my weekend outside

and have very little art to show this morning.

This is the view from our front porch.

That tree you see on the left side

is a lilac tree.

It's nowhere near growing flowers yet,

but soon my friends... soon.

:-)

We could feel spring in the air this weekend

and it was exactly what my body and soul needed.

After a few months of very little sunlight,

it does the body good.

I went for a long walk on the beach with my son yesterday

and we both smiled when we saw the ice breaking free.

Such a welcome sight after months of everything being frozen.

In Eastern Canada,

there are three things that scream SPRING IS HERE!!!

1. taking out the summer furniture...

2. chirping birds...

3. Tim Horton's "roll up the rim" contest. :-)

It's another beautiful day here today.

If all goes well,

i'll finish my work a little early today,

and sit out on those Adirondack chairs

with a good book and a glass of wine.

If all doesn't go well,

i'll just pout.

;-)

Wishing you all a week filled with fun, laughter, and art.

And no pouting.

xoxo

One of the secrets of a happy life

is continuous small treats.

- Iris Murdoch

A few photos of last night's painting,

although i got carried away pretty quickly

and forgot to take "in between" photos. 

They basically go from the starting point...

to the end point. 

:-)

At first, all those lines in the yellowy-mustard color

made me think of the gates of hell.

(stop laughing...)

Don't ask me why, since i don't believe in hell.

I do know, however, that If there was a hell,

there would be more than one entrance. :-)

I was tempted to paint over them

cause i really didn't like where it was going

but then reminded myself

to let go.

Stop controlling.

Stop judging.

Stop planning.

Just go with whatever feels right for your next move,

your next brush stroke,

your next color.

That's not always easy to do,

because although we may not have an image in our heads

of what the final painting will look like,

we usually know what we don't like

and when we SEE what we don't like in our own brush strokes,

we're tempted to erase them,

remove them,

paint them over.

When instead,

we need to allow this transformation

to take place naturally.

So I resisted the temptation

(another difficult task sometimes...)

and kept the yellow gates where they were

and eventually,

they became more organic

and turned into seeds

and pods

and then trees.

...then a word that speak to me, for whatever reason...

and there you have it.

Magic.

Just like the taste in my mouth

after i ate one of these little babies...

:-)

Are there any other chocolate lovers out there?

Don't all scream at the same time.

(giggle)

Wishing you all a wonderful day filled with 

whatever your little heart desires.

xoxo

Morgan Freeman

Good morning peeps.

it's portrait time again...

a few layers of green, brown, beige, white and black

 

I love Morgan Freeman as an actor.

I also think he's a pretty cool person - 

at least what i've seen of him.

The media gets caught up on things like

the 72 year old wanting to marry his 26 year old step grand-daughter

but i couldn't give a rat's ass who he marries.

As long as she's of legal age -

and she is, so more power to you, Morgan!

I know many 72 year olds

who would be more than happy 

to marry a 26 year old.

If only they were given the chance. 

But they don't have Morgan's money,

or sex appeal,

so it doesn't work the same way.

:-)

One of my favorite movies is THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION.

It was based on a Stephen King novel 

although you'd never tell when you watch the movie.

(Most of Stephen King's books are thrillers)

It's set in the 1940's - the story of 2 men in prison

who form a friendship over years of incarceration

and eventually find redemption.

Morgan plays a character called Red. 

I loved him - so believable.

These portraits are fun for me

because the format is relatively small

( 8.5 x 11, a normal sheet of paper )

and I do them pretty loosely so they don't take very long.

Once in a while,

we all feel the need to return to something familiar.

Something comfortable.

Portraits are kinda becoming my "something comfortable".

Enjoy the day folks.

xoxo