when things don't go as planned...

Good morning friends!

i'm feeling a little less inspired these days,

probably due to the fact that it's a million degrees here...

a million + ten with humidity. ;-)

Actually, Danny Gregory posted something

a few days ago while he was in Dallas, Texas

and mentioned that it was 106 degrees there

and my first thought was:

holy crap, i would die. 

Well, ok that's a slight exaggeration -

but i would obviously spend lots of time indoors,

with air conditioning.

So i started this one last night,

with intentions of painting a sketch i had done a while ago

of a woman waiting for a train...

Just a bit of texture with acrylics and paper towel (and my fingertips!)

It's ok, but it's not the feeling I was looking for.

(I paint for a feeling more than for a look.)

Maybe it needed to be done on canvas?

Maybe it needed to be watercolor?

Maybe it's the colors?

Maybe it just needs to exist as a sketch?

Who knows...

But i do know that sometimes,

the image i have in my head

doesn't always match the image I end up with.

As an artist, it's frustrating, yes,

but i've learned to roll with the punches and just carry on.

For now, this is what it is...

It feels unfinished and i felt rushed while doing it,

fearing another kink in my neck... 

...and a little message to remind us all.

Maybe your "something incredible" is that your life is already blissful?

or that you can find time every day to do what you love...

or that you've always had what you really needed all along...

or that you really will be ok if you follow a different path...

...or that you can finally declare to the world

that you ARE an artist,

and for the first time ever,

this feels "at home" in your heart.

These are all humungous discoveries.

Anything that makes anyone a better person

is huge to me.

As important as the discovery of a new planet.

A new planet doesn't change my life much,

but a happy heart does.

And speaking of happy hearts...

my breakfast of champions.

:-)

Find something that makes your heart happy today,

and do it.

And if you can,

share it with the world.

Especially if it's art.

:-)

abstracts, strawberries and Virginia Woolf

I was all over the place yesterday.

You know those days when you're not sure

what kind of a mood you're in,

or rather, what kind of painting

you feel like doing, if any?

Yeah, that kind of a day.

So i have these little 4" x 6" cardboards that i use...

this is acrylic on the little card.

Looks like winter.

Yuck.

Then i jumped to this little watercolor on cardboard.

Not sure what it is, but it's titled REACH.

That much i know. 

Then i took a lovely little break with these...

and with Virginia Woolf.

(strawberries always make it a brighter day!)

Then i jumped to this collage.

See? I told you i was all over the place.

Maybe i have multiple personality disorder?

giggle.

All of this only accounts for about 1.5 hours in my day.

90 minutes in a day.

They're no masterpieces,

but the important thing is

i played.

At least it's important to me.

So today is a day of catching up

and running errands

and finishing projects,

but before i do this

i'm going for a nice walk

in the morning sun.

Priorities.

;-)