pastels and Relay for Life

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