Illustration Friday, taxes and the magic of Sharpies

Illustration Friday: SWIMMING.

you just know i'm gonna find a way to include dots in there, right?

I'm squeezing this one in again.

i seem to be on the tail end all the time... ;-)

(digital illustration)

a great little package i got in the mail yesterday...
Something i ordered from ETSY.
Organic Lip Bliss.

They kinda look like little cigars. (giggle)
I thought the packaging was adorable with the flying bird
and just wanted to share.

a little painting i did a while ago...

as a reminder of how boring life could be.

Tax time here in Canada.

Now THIS takes courage.

At least for me. Gathering receipts and invoices is like pulling teeth for me.

Hate it.

So i put some really good music on, some really good coffee on,

and i dive in.

This reminds me that no matter how much fun i have painting,

how much fun it is to write, and read, and go for meditative walks...

i don't live in la la land

and i still have bills to pay.

There are still lots of things about my day

that i really dislike. (ok, hate).

I've just managed to keep them at a minimum

and i make sure to pepper my day

with a lots of good stuff too.

I think we make choices all the time

about whether or not we let things weigh us down.

lord knows we all have reasons to be weighed down sometimes...

 (Sharpie and collage on paper)

this was fun to do last night...

 it actually made me forget about my yucky taxes. (giggle)

Can you tell i look forward to spring at this point?
xox

Linking this to Illustration Friday. 
Check out some of the cool illustrations there...

saying yes to the voices in your head...

hey Munchkins.

remember this?

it was sitting on my easel for months...

I knew it wasn't finished,

but i wasn't inspired to finish it

until this past weekend.

So it's official.

Painting makes me happy.

(like i didn't already know this)

If i go more than a few days without picking up a paintbrush

or a pen and paper (to write or doodle)

i go insane.

Art is the connection i need

to feel grounded

to what's around me

and what's inside me.

Art and wine.

(giggle)...

It doesn't mean it always makes sense,

but i am at least connected to it,

whereas when i don't make art

or when i am not writing,

i feel a disconnection to everything.

I am positive many of you know

what i am talking about...

and that many of you

feel the same way.

I discovered something while painting this...

that i am getting more and more comfortable

with being an introvert

and trying less and less to fit in.

That i am getting better with painting

what i feel like painting

as opposed to what i think

others want to see,

even if i know it may not make sense

to everyone.

I'm getting far more comfortable with saying no

to the outer voices and the inner ones.

Years ago, i said yes to many things,

and then regretted my decision...

Life is too short for regrets.

Now i say no - gently -

and with a peaceful heart,

and i keep painting...

I had so much fun painting this.

It's all about finding our own happy place, isn't it?

whatever brings a smile to your face...

whatever makes your day brighter -

whether it takes an hour or 10 minutes...

do that.

You may not get the chance to do it tomorrow.

xox

And a little video for you on the FUN THEORY!

sketches, paintings, and Leo Tolstoy

scary little guy, isn't he?

or maybe he's just tired...

but he loves his plaid pants...

and i love this message.

the snow in the window yesterday morning...

isn't it cool how that one little empty space on the window looks like a butterfly?

a quick little sketch i did after watching a film

about Banksy, the internationally famous British street artist.

Things just seem awfully fucked up to me sometimes.

You can go to jail for painting something on a brick wall,

but bombing innocent people is ok.

i just don't get it.

surprise! i have been painting...

this is a sneak peek at what i worked on yesterday.

I'll be posting about it as soon as it's done. 

Probably this weekend.

and this man... Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, aka Leo Tolstoy,

a Russian writer known best for his book, WAR AND PEACE.

I watched a film last night called THE LAST STATION,
about his life and death, but mostly,
about his tumultuous relationship with his wife
and how her resentment eventually led him to want to escape.

So in October 1910, with his daughter,
he boarded a train with the intention of going on a pilgrimage...
but he never made it.

He died on November 20, 1910, at the train depot in Astapovo. 

When he wrote, he wrote about freedom and peace and philosophy
and yet, he lived in turmoil.
He lived a life that seemed opposite to peace.

So sad...

His part was played by a Canadian in this film...
Christopher Plummer (who i thought was great).

sorry about jumping all over the place with this post,

but that's kind of how things have been around here lately... 

happy weekend, everyone!

a calm, winter walk on the beach...

I need the sea because it teaches me.
Pablo Neruda

let's all go for a walk on the beach this morning, shall we?

My son woke up late, and i had to drive him to school

so i thought i'd take a walk at the beach after i dropped him off.

those who say they only like the beach in the summer
have obviously never been there in the winter...
such a vast beauty.

who doesn't love sand ripples...

and wide open spaces...

and close up sand ripples... ;-)

i had to lay down on the frozen sand for this shot...
you're welcome. ;-)

 just in case i forget where i am...
(yes, that's a beer cap. And yes, it's the Canadian maple leaf...)

washrooms, canteens, souvenir boutiques... 
all closed during the winter months, but still so pretty in the sun.

benches, just waiting for someone... 

another worn out lighthouse...
still beautiful.

The worn out, falling apart things
hold more beauty for me
than the sparkly, shiny things.

and here's my little painting from last night...

a small 6" x 6" - different than what i normally do,

but it felt good to get out of my comfort zone.

not sure what inspired it... 
i just felt very geometric last night, i guess... ;-)

Happy Tuesday, everyone!
xox

blowing bubbles with Gerhard Richter and Dar Willliams

hi everyone!

There is no better way for me to spend an evening

than by painting.

Even when things don't go so well...

(acrylic on small canvas, 6" x 6")

The colors in these pics are way too yellow,

but i'm posting anyway.

I wanted to show how sometimes,

the process doesn't always go so smoothly.

When i was at this stage (above),

i thought the arm was too extended,

and i didn't like the face

so i painted over it.

Then i thought she was leaning forward too much,
and i hated the neck.

fixing or changing things in a painting
is really not that difficult.

You can see where i painted over the face

and the arm again...

At first, it may look messy

but in time, it's all "fix-able"!

If you're not comfortable with something, change it.

It's a painting - not brain surgery. ;-)

Finally coming together for me here...

this is closer to the actual color 
(taken by the window this morning)
although in reality, it's more turquoise than blue.

i love blowing bubbles...

In the springtime, i sit on the front porch
and blow bubbles. I do.

Who said blowing bubbles was uncool after a certain age?

After i painted this, i watched this film
on Gerhard Richter.

I wasn't sure i would like it at first -
to watch a man put paint to a canvas
and then use a squeegee to go over it.

But it's about far more than that...
He is about far more than that.

He can paint things like this:

and like this...

but he chooses to paint this...(below)

because this has more meaning to him

at this time in his life.

It's not about what sells

or what the public expects from him.

it's about what he feels.

This is what fascinates me.

Now that he has the choice

to paint what he wants

he chooses this.

And speaking of feeling,

I'll end with a little video of a song

that i love as much today as i did 10 years ago...

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead.

Thanks for being here...

xox