spring skies, writing & wonky art

Never work just for money or for power.

They won't save your soul

or help you sleep at night.

- Marian Wright Edelman

I just bought myself this new box of Crayolas.

Happiness = $5.00

I guess money does buy happiness. :)

This place will be far more fun

once the snow is gone. :)

We are all breathing a little easier

now that the ice has broken up on the bay.

It's taking all the energy I have these days

to do my job from 9 to 5,

and stay afloat with the rest of my life.

So the art is a little wonky.

And no, i am not on drugs
although sometimes,
I consider it. :)

Check out the half clouded sky.
You could literally see the clouds
come rolling in.

2 fisherman on the wharf...

acrylic and pencil on paper.

I like this one,

even if she looks a little sad.

Oh, and I'm just finishing an on-line course

with the lovely Christine Mason Miller

called "the Conscious Booksmith"

(a mindful approach to creating your book).

My head is swimming with thoughts & ideas

and i cannot wait to have time to myself,

to finally put pen to paper

in a way that doesn't feel rushed.

There was a chapter on rejection

and how there is rarely a writer out there

who has not been rejected.

I once read that Stephen King

had an entire wall covered in rejection slips.

J.K. Rowling had her Harry Potter book

rejected by several publishers

before ONE finally said yes.

Rejection doesn't just apply to writers.

It applies to life in general.

Divorce is rejection.

Losing a job is rejection.

Not getting a job.

Not making the team.

Not being selected for an art show.

Not being invited to the party.

Losing that connection with someone...

Dreams aren't made real

because rejections are avoided;

dreams are made real

because the dreamer keeps going

despite them.

- Christine Mason Miller

Wishing you all a soft Sunday.
xx

over and around and under and out...

i love this quote by Anais Nin.
Exactly how i feel these days.

A bit of acrylic on paper.
i am in the habit
of turning things over while i paint
and in this case,
ended up keeping it turned over
when i spotted a figure that looked like a man to me.
So i painted a flower for him to admire.

You should never be afraid
to change things up as you paint.
Turn things over.
Paint over something you don't like.
Especially when you're painting something abstract.

Letting go is all part of the process.
Trusting your gut.
Following your intuition.
Not worrying about the final result.

I see a lot of overlapping
in the last few paintings I've done.

Overlapping and layers and things
that are intertwined.

 A bit like my life right now.

Working full time in a non creative environment...

painting and reading and writing every chance I get,
so that I don't lose touch
with who i am at the core.

A quick sketch (5 min) done with Chinese markers (white and black)
and Sharpie markers on tan paper.

It's so important for artists
and musicians, and poets, and writers
to surround themselves with
LIKE MINDS and HEARTS.

If Bob Dylan hung out with politicians...
businessmen in 3 piece suits -
i'm pretty certain the world would have missed out
on these beautiful lyrics:

You used to laugh about

Everybody that was hanging out

Now you don't talk so loud

Now you don't seem so proud

About having to be scrounging

for your next meal.

(Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone)

And beautiful songs and paintings

carry me so much further

than a boring business meeting does.

 I had so much fun doing this one...

And i even like the end result.
I'm getting better with balancing the reds
so that they don't feel overpowering to me.
I'm not sure what I see when i look at this
but what i REMEMBER is how much fun it was to paint.
What do you see...if anything?

the awakening

Hello peeps of the world...

Finally, the snow here is beginning to melt

and i feel an energy within

that i haven't felt in months.

So YAY!

I never found winters difficult
but I must say this one was a little heavy.
I haven't felt like myself in a while
for several reasons - 
let's just say the weather and the job
are 2 of those reasons.
So i'm quite happy to see
that little river of water on the road.

Other than the weather improving,
what's even MORE exciting
is that my 9 to 5 contract ends on May 12th,
so I get to be myself again
and find a way to express this 
compressed creativity
i feel inside.

To all the artists out there
who have full time jobs that are not so creative,
i'm sure you understand.
Working full time
means far less energy for the fun stuff.
It means more frustration.

It means our minds are preoccupied
with something other than art 
for at least 8 hours a day,
and although the idea of making art
after a day at work sounds wonderful...
my mind (and more importantly, my heart!)
are not always in the right place.
I am often just too tired.
But making art to me (and to you?)
is as important as breathing,
so it's not like we can just say,
"oh well. We'll do it in 6 months"...

But as you can see in the above painting -
mama bear is beginning to awaken.

So i'm surrounding myself

with inspiring books and words

and i'm spending as much time

outside as I can.

Being in nature always makes me feel better.

Here are two of the books

I keep near my table

for little snippets of inspiration.

These little books may be small in size,

but don't let that fool you.

So much to offer...

I painted this a few weeks ago

but didn't feel brave enough to share it.

I'm feeling brave enough now. 

...and I can't wait to give this book

the time it deserves.

I've always loved handwritten letters,

and letters written from artists - well,

what's not to love?

The lips of Frida Kahlo.

These books are such gems

because not only is the reader part of the intimacy,

but I feel like we learn so much

about the person writing the letter

and there is always so much to learn

about one another, don't you think?

And it's always so reassuring to me

that I'm not crazy

and that someone in 1875 felt 

exactly the same way I did

about art and life.

Or maybe we're just both crazy?

Either way, I'm not alone.

giggle...

Love this.
I just do.
Hugs to all of you.
Especially those of you who really need it.
xx

how much snow can a winter snow?

hello friends...

I have a headache tonight,
but i'm posting this anyway.
Must be all the chocolate.

I've painted a few things lately...

I don't like this one but i'm sharing anyway.

It feels too aggressive to me

although I enjoyed painting it.

Isn't it strange

how you can be painting something

almost in a trance

and when you get done & look at it,

you think "what the hell is THIS?!"

(At least I ask myself this question)

And as you can see,

spring hasn't yet happened here.

We are in the 'dirty snow' stage of the season...

This was taken a few weeks ago,

so we have a bit less than this now.

Still lots to go.

Another painting
with happier colours

Polar bear on a funky background

If it's gonna look like Alaska out here

I may as well pretend it is. :)

I like this one a lot more.
It took about 15 minutes to paint. 
acrylic on paper

Motels & cabins near our home,
still covered in snow

the setting sun
and yes, that's the roof of the motel
you see at the top of the snow.

And a lovely sunset behind the trees.
I wanna say 'it's beautiful'
but after months of snow & cold
i'm not so sure anymore.
sigh...