yellow head and spirit man

hi everyone!

Finally - a night of painting last night.

a few blotches of color...

(purple, blue, beige)

spreading the color and adding a bit of texture

in white and black...

I use anything at hand... in this case,

an old credit card (for the lines)

bubble wrap for the black circles,

and a sponge for the white texture. 

Some added red and detail,

like dots, of course!

 ;-)

Then just for the fun of it,

i flipped the book upside down,

and saw something totally different.

Do you do this sometimes?

It only works with semi abstract paintings, of course

but it's fun to be surprised

by what we find when we look at it

from another angle.

In this case, i saw a giant yellow head

eating a purple germ.

I'm sure a shrink would have a far better description

of what this actually represents, but for now,

let's go with the giant head and purple germ,

shall we?

;-)

So after this fun, colorful little abstract piece,

i still felt like painting, but this time,

something more quiet. 

I bought this book

at a second hand book store

a few weeks ago (for $3)

filled with wonderful black and white photographs

and beautiful stories.

a great title, i thought...

And so i chose this photograph,

taken in India.

Something very spiritual about this.

When i looked at this photo initially,

my first thought was:

I wish i was this spiritual.

There's a big difference

between being spiritual and being religious.

i am not religious.

I had a little piece of left over watercolor paper.

A few lines with Micron pens...

added watercolor, and then (brace yourselves...)

without even thinking about it

i was inspired to add these words -

misspelling and all.

(heroes)

Don't ask me why.

Other than the fact that

I was listening to music at the time (Pink Floyd)

and these are some of the lyrics

in the song "Wish you were here".

I love the lyrics of that song,

i'm just not sure they belong here.

But thanks to Photoshop,

I'll have them removed by the end of the day. 

;-)

Wishing you all a great day

in your little corner of the world.

Make time for the things

and the people

you love.

xoxo

flower child...

Courage doesn’t always roar.

Sometimes courage is the quiet voice

at the end of the day saying,

“I will try again tomorrow”.

- Mary Anne Radmacher

Courage comes in all shapes and sizes,

doesn't it?

For some, getting out of bed in the morning

feels like an act of courage.

For others who face debilitating obstacles

 on a daily basis,

and who do so with a peaceful heart,

a strong determination

and without resentment -

courage is simply a way of being

in the world.

Their way of being.

Surely, they have dark days or moments,

but they choose to move ahead

and face the day as if it were their last.

I believe certain circumstances

give birth to courage.

My own mother has become

far more courageous 

through her journey with cancer.

We all know people who have faced

unsurmountable situations

and have surmounted them

with tremendous courage.

One of my favorite books is Viktor Frankl's

Man's search for meaning.

If you want to learn about courage,

read this book.

Sometimes, courage means

wearing flowers in your hair

when what you really want to do

is throw in the towel.

It's not about being in denial,

it's about choosing to create

 your own circumstances

whenever and however

you can.

I had fun doing this one last night...

Acrylic, collage, and oil pastels on paper.

I believe being an artist

takes courage.

Yes, I do. 

Sharing art takes courage.

Like being naked in front of a crowd.

Well, ok, some of us may be 

totally ok with this... ;-)

Go out and practice courage today.

Apply for that job.

Quit that job.

Tell someone how you really feel.

Take that walk.

Take that nap.

Express gratitude.

Move to the ocean.

Make a decision.

Volunteer.

Paint that masterpiece.

Wear flowers in your hair.

xoxo

abstract doodles and migraines...

Hello world.

:-)

I haven't posted in a few days,

so it's nice to be back.

This piece (above) was created after a migraine

over the weekend.

I get them now and then.

Painful enough to make my eyelashes hurt,

but not life threatening, so it's all good. :-)

Watercolor and colored pencils.

This little squiggly pencil sketch is from last night.

It was such a lovely night for art,

although i could do without the june bugs,

flapping their desperate wings in the window screen.

Welcome to summer... :-)

A bit of added color...

...a bit more, and then black sharpie marker.

I took the other photos last night

and this photo was taken this morning,

next to the window (natural lighting).

So much prettier with natural light.

It's not done yet.

I'll add a few things to it today...

probably dots!

;-)

Thank you all again so much for your comments.

I would continue to be creative

even if no one was out there,

and i was the last person on earth,

but it's so much more fun

and inspiring

to have you all on this journey with me.

I love being able to share our art

with one another,

despite the distances and differences

that separate us.

I appreciate our differences,

but I like to focus on our similarities.

Our commonalities.

What makes us tick.

What gives us purpose.

What connects us to one another.

Art.

Rah Rah Rah!!

:-)

Have a great week everyone...

xoxo

Picasso

It took me four years to paint like Raphael,

but a lifetime to paint like a child.

Pablo Picasso

Picasso - painted last night.

Watercolor on paper.

Sometimes, I just feel like copying what i see.

No big revelations

or  inspirations

or color combinations.

(hey, that could be a song...)

;-)

I just paint what i see.

Don't you love the texture in this paper?

Paper makes all the difference in the world.

i can paint with dollar store paints,

but the paper needs to be top notch.

Especially for watercolors.

By the way, do you ever check the stats on your blog

to see how many visitors you've had in a day?

Well, i do.

Here are my stats for the day so far...

Isn't that amazing?

That technology allows us

not only to connect with one another

on this huge blue ball in the sky,

but to KNOW who we're connecting with!

When i first began to blog

i told myself it didn't make a difference 

whether people visited or not.

That i was doing this for myself,

to get more comfortable

with putting my work out there.

But there's more to it now.

It does matter.

You do matter to me.

It was a strange feeling

when i first saw that i had visitors

from all over the world.

Something magical happens

when you realize you've just communicated

with someone in Taiwan,

or Russia,

or the UK

or India...

At least it's magical for me.

So thank you to all you lovely visitors,

whether you comment or not.

It melts my heart

to know that someone out there

may be inspired

by my words or my art.

I hope it's you.

:-)

Wishing everyone a great weekend,

wherever you happen to be in the world.

xoxo

I am linking this to Paint Party Friday,
Creative Every Day
and for the first time ever,
Illustration Friday

Come on over and check out
some of the great stuff there!

obsolete world, Giving hARTS and funny book

i LOVE surprises in the mail.

Well, ok, this one wasn't a total surprise,

since i'm the one who bought it on ETSY a few weeks ago.

:-)

i love the work of Jeannie L. Paske,

from Obsolete World. 

I bought this cute little print a few weeks ago called

Flight of the recently departed.

Isn't it gorgeous?

Watercolor, charcoal, pastel and ink.

Some things just speak to us louder than others.

This was one of those things.

And she sent these other lovely things

along with the print.

So precious and kind of her...

On another note,

I did this one last night, 

to be donated to a charity for cancer.

Not quite done, but i thought i'd post anyway.

And on yet another note!

(just cause i don't want anyone to get bored here)...

this cute little drawing was given to me a while back,

by a little boy in the 3rd or 4th grade, 

when i was doing an art project with children

 in the local elementary schools.

So precious, isn't it?

I was so amazed 

at how little encouragement they needed

to get all excited about art,

and reach for the stars.

For many of them,

you just knew in your heart

that they heard more criticism at home

than praise.

I made sure to tell them every day

that they were all fabulous artists

and important to the world.

:-)

On the last day,

many of them gave me little drawings like this one,

and despite the misspelled name,

i love these little drawings

as much as the prints i buy on ETSY. :-)

ok, so let's end this one with a bang,

shall we?

I got this in the mail yesterday

from a great friend.

A cute little book with vintage photos and text

that had me laughing all morning.

Yeah, i think we should all have cocktails,

does everyone agree?

;-)

sad girl and Rainer Maria Rilke

hi there.

Feeling a little off today,

so no words of wisdom.

Here's what i painted this morning.

(acrylic and charcoal on watercolor paper)

There's a quote by Picasso that i love:

Every child is an artist.

The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. 

So this morning,

i felt like connecting to the artist i may have been

as a child.

It's a real challenge for me to let go of control

and paint from a place of innocence

rather than judgement.

I do like her...

...and her red shoes. :-)

I may have shared this with you already,

but i'm doing it again.

I read these words often,

by Rainer Maria Rilke

the genius poet.

His words comfort me

in times of doubt,

more than any other words ever do.

*****

Your work needs to be independent of others' work.

You must not compare yourself to others.

No one can help you. You have to help yourself.

Criticism leads to misunderstandings and defeatism.

Work from necessity and your compulsion to do it.

Work on what you know and what you are sure you love.

Don't observe yourself too closely, just let it happen.

Don't let yourself be controlled by too much irony.

Live in and love the activity of your work.

Be free of thoughts of sin, guilt and misgiving.

Be touched by the beautiful anxiety of life.

Be patient with the unresolved in your heart.

Try to be in love with the questions themselves.

Love your solitude and try to sing with its pain.

Be gentle to all of those who stay behind.

Your inner self is worth your entire concentration.

Allow your art to make extraordinary demands on you.

Bear your sadness with greater trust than your joy.

Do not persecute yourself with how things are going.

It's good to be solitary, because solitude is difficult.

It's good to love, because love is difficult.

You are not a prisoner of anything or anyone.

- Rainer Maria Rilke

*****

abstract, the great North, pheasant in the yard

Ahhhh... Saturdays. 

Don't you love them?

Especially rainy Saturdays.

I try my hand at abstract now and then

but it almost always ends up looking like something.

Usually flowers...

sigh.

Always so meditative though. 

I saw this quote the other day

and loved it:

Modern art = I could do that + Yeah, but you didn't

(Craig Damrauer)

Then it was time for a National Geographic portrait,

and this guy begged my attention,

for whatever reason.

the tattoo?

the lovely hair?

the gun?

Nah...

 it's the feeling of FREEDOM. 

Sitting in a canoe in a wide open space.

My kinda guy.

;-) 

Acrylic paint on sheet music...

although there's very little music on this one.

a bit more detail...

And voilà.

I was obviously tired by the end of this one.

Check out the claw hands... ;-)

oh well.

It is what it is.

a little visitor in our yard this morning...

always so beautiful.

Life is all about balance, isn't it?

We find time for work,

for family,

for chores,

for friends,

for Facebook

for entertainment,

for appointments,

for making meals,

and preparing lunch boxes...

and yet,

 why is it still so difficult for so many of us

who are artists at heart

to make time to practice our art?

Do we consider it frivolous?

Do we consider it less important

than real work

like doing the dishes

or cutting the lawn

or putting in a wash load?

Really?

I'm quite comfortable

with dirty dishes in the sink.

They'll get done eventually.

But i am not comfortable

with going days without making art.

I believe it is so important as artists

to give ourselves at least a bit of time each day

to practice our art.

Putting paint to canvas.

Creating a melody.

Writing a poem.

Developing a dance.

Making a sculpture...

The world needs more right brained people.

Really - it does.

What if your painting

is the one who inspires someone else

to become a full fledged artist?

What if the song you write

touches someone and

makes them want to pursue the passionate life

of a musician or a songwriter?

So in reality, you're not only creating your art,

but you're creating opportunities

for other little art hearts out there.

Leave it to me to give your art purpose,

dammit. ;-)

How we spend our days is, of course,

how we spend our lives.

(Annie Dillard)

Sade | Long Hard Road

girl in water, woman and wavy hair, the beginning...

She's scary, isn't she?

She scares me and i'm the one who drew her. :-)

I'm posting her anyway because i believe

flawed art is still better than no art. 

This little wavy haired woman was done right after the girl in the water,

and it's a work in progress.

In BIC marker and acrylic paints.

These kinds of doodles are always so meditative for me.

The quote you see on the left is one that i love

by J.R.R. Tolkien...

Not all who wander are lost

I'm reading the FIRE STARTER SESSIONS

and working on some of the worksheets.

I'll tell you a little secret about myself.

i am not a goal oriented person. 

At all.

So whenever i see someone with calendars

or a strategic 5 year plan on their wall

my heart starts to palpitate.

It just all seems far too mechanical for me.

I'm just saying.

It's just not who i am.

For those of you who can fly with 5 year plans on their walls,

more power to you!

I've never been good at setting goals for myself

and yet,

i've accomplished most of what i set out to do,

through passion

and determination

and perseverance

and courage

and work.

Oh, and love is important too.

If you don't love what you're doing

chances are good you may meet the deadline

but you'll still feel empty inside

and almost always drained at the end of the day.

I know. I've been there. It's not a good feeling.

Danielle Laporte gently asks this question in her book:

how do you want to feel?

An important question, wouldn't you say?

Once i thought about this for a while,

i realized that one of the most important values for me

is freedom.

Maybe i really am a hippie at heart. :-)

I want to feel free more than anything,

which probably explains why i've always struggled 

with the 9 to 5 job.

I've done it, for years, but i never strived there.

I was trading my freedom for financial reward,

and that just wasn't cutting it for me.

There had to be another way.

There was another way.

i just had to claim it as my own. 

:-)

When i walked on the beach last weekend,

in this one spot on the sand,

there had been a bonfire there the night before.

Out of the ashes, i saw this one piece of paper...

and these 2 words made me smile.

Wishing you all a happy Wednesday.

xoxo