hello friends!
Not much art to show this week...
I'm in the crest of the wave
rather than on the wave itself lately.
But that's ok.
I'm still on the ocean.
:-)
I've had these dry pastels for about 20 years.
Truth.
I've used them once or twice,
and didn't like the feel so much
so i just left them there.
But time changes things, doesn't it?
Like dreams we had years ago
that are no longer the same dreams,
or partners we chose
that no longer meet our needs
or the car we loved
that we no longer care for... ;-)
All of a sudden, when i found the box the other night,
they called to me again. ;-)
So this is what i attempted, on paper.
The face looks far too male -
or maybe it's the lack of hair...
but she's a cancer survivor,
so i wanted little hair.
i loved the pastels this time.
Love the feeling of rubbing my fingers in the chalk dust
and the rough look of dry pastels.
...yes, that's a halo. :-)
Anyone going through chemotherapy,
I've decided -
deserves a halo.
Don't you love the roughness?
It's funny how much we change
in terms of what we want to paint or draw as artists.
Years ago, i loved precision.
i loved making art that looked as much
like a photograph as possible.
Now - not so much.
There's nothing wrong with painting realistically.
It's just not where my heart is at this time.
Then i had this little piece of scrap watercolor paper
and did this little bunch of funky leaves.
The paper is only about 3" x 7"
but you don't need huge amounts of paper
to make a little bit of art, right?
i love making the little spirals...
meditative.
On another note, this past Friday night
my family and i went to the Relay for Life, in our home town.
The Relay is a yearly fundraising event
that focuses on cancer survivors
and those who have lost the battle.
I was never comfortable with calling it a "battle"...
it sounds like a fight within oneself,
and i'm not sure that's really what it is.
Anything we see as a battle
is already lost from the beginning.
The beauty and transformation comes,
i believe - in acceptance.
In surrender.
These are my lovely parents... from behind. :-)
Cancer survivors (in the yellow and white tshirts)
walk around the track and teams of people
who participated in the fundraising
walk for 24 hours...
from 7pm till 7am
in support of finding a cure for cancer.
Each little white bag you see on each side of the track
has a little tealight candle in it
and the name of a person chosen by those
who donated to the cause.
They are usually names
of lost loved ones.
At dusk, they light all the candles around the track
and they stay lit for the duration
of the 24 hour walk...
it's beautiful.
One word describes what the Relay for Life is all about:
love.
wishing you all a wonderful week ahead
filled with good moments.
xoxo
