sketching, organizing and a lesson on Acadians

hi everyone!

I'm posting a little sooner than I expected I would.

When inspired to post - post!

I got this little book for my birthday a month ago.

I'm carrying it around with me as much as I can

and sketching little things here & there.

Sometimes, all you need is a few minutes.

I love contour drawing or "blind" drawing.

That's when you draw something

without looking at the page.

In this case (below), I drew a plant.

Years ago, I taught a few classes at Community College

and whenever I did this exercise with the students,

they would immediately tense up,

as if I had asked them to fly a spaceship.

We have this fear with art about doing it wrong

when in reality,

there IS no wrong in art.

This fear that it might be ugly,

or not as good as the others.

As you can see from the drawing above,

"looking pretty" is not the objective.

The objective, I believe,

is getting over the fear.

And getting over fear of anything

creates confidence.

I have a fear of cleaning.
(giggle...)
This table is in my studio space
and it seems to be piling up with more junk every day.

This is the space I use right now for working.
When I first set up this upstairs loft,
my intention was to use it for painting
but that just never happened.
Not sure why.
The space just didn't feel right
and I always ended up painting in my
small, cozy, blue room on the main floor.
So the loft became a space for my computer and junk.
Lots of junk.
Binders that I've kept for years.
Old magazines & books.
Paper, paper & more paper.
So I decided to sort some things out,
while I have some time to myself this summer.

And of course, what better excuse than to buy another book!

There are some great tips in here,

some of which I have already done,

but most of which I will never do. ;)

With all due respect Marie Kondo,

I won't be de-cluttering my house

while wearing a skirt & blazer,

and I won't be talking to my socks

anytime soon. :)

To each his own.

I totally agree that many of us

have an excessive amount of 'stuff' around the house

and it's important to weed it out now & then.

This book is not only about getting rid of stuff,

but it's about respecting the stuff you have

and keeping ONLY what brings you joy.

Oh my.

How many of the things you own

bring you joy?

How many of those things could you NOT part with?

How many of the clothes you wear

make you happy?

Should it matter?

When your cupboards start to look like this,

yes, it matters.

At least to me it does.

It's only two cupboards,

but this is what i'm tackling next.

When I start feeling like there's too much stuff around me,

i hyperventilate.

I don't watch those hoarder shows on TV

because I feel like I can't breathe.

A few of the books I'm reading lately.

I am loving this one, by Steve Martin.

(yes, the comedian).

And this one...

which I was inspired to read

while painting mom's portrait.

Ironically, I am reading this in English.

(I am Acadian, my mother tongue is french but i read mostly in english)

The Acadians have a rich history.

Long story short, in the 1600's,

the french established a settlement

in the eastern provinces of Canada,

on what is now Nova Scotia & New Brunswick.

By 1755, after more than a century of living

in peace with the Mi'kmaq natives,

over 10,000 Acadians were deported by British soldiers

(with the assistance of Massachusetts)

to different parts of the world,

including the English colonies,

France, Louisiana, the Caribbean, etc.

Thousands died along the voyage,

and thousands more spent years

hiding in the woods,

in hopes of returning to their beloved land someday.

Happily, for hundreds of years after,

carrying on to this day,

Acadians from all around the world

have found their way home again

and the Acadian World Congress,

Le Congrès Mondial Acadien

was established to let the world know

we're still here. :)

It's so important not to hate people

let alone hating them based on

language, race, culture, or religion.

If interested, you can read more about the Acadians here.

And here's a sneak peek at mom's portrait...

almost done.

thanks for hanging out & reading my rants.

Wishing you all a great week.

xx