abstract, the great North, pheasant in the yard

Ahhhh... Saturdays. 

Don't you love them?

Especially rainy Saturdays.

I try my hand at abstract now and then

but it almost always ends up looking like something.

Usually flowers...

sigh.

Always so meditative though. 

I saw this quote the other day

and loved it:

Modern art = I could do that + Yeah, but you didn't

(Craig Damrauer)

Then it was time for a National Geographic portrait,

and this guy begged my attention,

for whatever reason.

the tattoo?

the lovely hair?

the gun?

Nah...

 it's the feeling of FREEDOM. 

Sitting in a canoe in a wide open space.

My kinda guy.

;-) 

Acrylic paint on sheet music...

although there's very little music on this one.

a bit more detail...

And voilà.

I was obviously tired by the end of this one.

Check out the claw hands... ;-)

oh well.

It is what it is.

a little visitor in our yard this morning...

always so beautiful.

Life is all about balance, isn't it?

We find time for work,

for family,

for chores,

for friends,

for Facebook

for entertainment,

for appointments,

for making meals,

and preparing lunch boxes...

and yet,

 why is it still so difficult for so many of us

who are artists at heart

to make time to practice our art?

Do we consider it frivolous?

Do we consider it less important

than real work

like doing the dishes

or cutting the lawn

or putting in a wash load?

Really?

I'm quite comfortable

with dirty dishes in the sink.

They'll get done eventually.

But i am not comfortable

with going days without making art.

I believe it is so important as artists

to give ourselves at least a bit of time each day

to practice our art.

Putting paint to canvas.

Creating a melody.

Writing a poem.

Developing a dance.

Making a sculpture...

The world needs more right brained people.

Really - it does.

What if your painting

is the one who inspires someone else

to become a full fledged artist?

What if the song you write

touches someone and

makes them want to pursue the passionate life

of a musician or a songwriter?

So in reality, you're not only creating your art,

but you're creating opportunities

for other little art hearts out there.

Leave it to me to give your art purpose,

dammit. ;-)

How we spend our days is, of course,

how we spend our lives.

(Annie Dillard)

Sade | Long Hard Road

girl in water, woman and wavy hair, the beginning...

She's scary, isn't she?

She scares me and i'm the one who drew her. :-)

I'm posting her anyway because i believe

flawed art is still better than no art. 

This little wavy haired woman was done right after the girl in the water,

and it's a work in progress.

In BIC marker and acrylic paints.

These kinds of doodles are always so meditative for me.

The quote you see on the left is one that i love

by J.R.R. Tolkien...

Not all who wander are lost

I'm reading the FIRE STARTER SESSIONS

and working on some of the worksheets.

I'll tell you a little secret about myself.

i am not a goal oriented person. 

At all.

So whenever i see someone with calendars

or a strategic 5 year plan on their wall

my heart starts to palpitate.

It just all seems far too mechanical for me.

I'm just saying.

It's just not who i am.

For those of you who can fly with 5 year plans on their walls,

more power to you!

I've never been good at setting goals for myself

and yet,

i've accomplished most of what i set out to do,

through passion

and determination

and perseverance

and courage

and work.

Oh, and love is important too.

If you don't love what you're doing

chances are good you may meet the deadline

but you'll still feel empty inside

and almost always drained at the end of the day.

I know. I've been there. It's not a good feeling.

Danielle Laporte gently asks this question in her book:

how do you want to feel?

An important question, wouldn't you say?

Once i thought about this for a while,

i realized that one of the most important values for me

is freedom.

Maybe i really am a hippie at heart. :-)

I want to feel free more than anything,

which probably explains why i've always struggled 

with the 9 to 5 job.

I've done it, for years, but i never strived there.

I was trading my freedom for financial reward,

and that just wasn't cutting it for me.

There had to be another way.

There was another way.

i just had to claim it as my own. 

:-)

When i walked on the beach last weekend,

in this one spot on the sand,

there had been a bonfire there the night before.

Out of the ashes, i saw this one piece of paper...

and these 2 words made me smile.

Wishing you all a happy Wednesday.

xoxo