chip clips, happy faces and Sugar Man

i'm happy to say that things are better

than they were on my last post. :)

So many of you out there
are so wise with your words.
Your thoughtful comments always bring me back
to what's important in life
and remind me that I am not alone
in my ranting. 
They also remind me that in the grand scheme of things -
a bad day is just that - a bad day.
Not a bad life.
So thank you for that.
There is always tomorrow, right?
Or the day after.

My little chip clip.
It could close bags of rice cakes,
or raisins,
or peanuts,
but in this house - it closes bags of
Sour Cream & Onion, BBQ or Roast Chicken chips. :)

 Day 25 - Crayola wax crayons on paper

Day 26 - acrylic paint on paper.

I am trying to limit my time

on these little index card drawings & paintings

and so far, i must say,

i haven't spent more than 30 minutes on any of them.

Proof again that we do not need 2 or 3 hours to make art.

Just a bit of time,

a few supplies,

and the desire in our hearts.

I cannot wait for the weekend

to visit all of your blogs & see all of your 

29 faces in February!

Can you believe it's almost over?

I'll be visiting a few of my other favorite blogs too,

so already, i'm excited.

Hang in there folks.

The weekend is just around the corner. 

Love & lollipops

xx

...for those of you out there who aren't familiar

with Sugar Man & his music - look him up.

So worth it.

rough day = rough art

The real voyage of discovery 

consists not in seeking new landscapes,

but in having new eyes.

- Marcel Proust

It is so true that we paint what we feel
and not necessarily what we see.
Day 23 (yesterday) was an ok day.
Nothing extraordinary, but sometimes,
having an ok day is good enough for me.

Day 24, however... not so good.
Clearly.
Long story short: work was hell.
One of those days where I see
all the injustices
and the greed.
If there is one thing in life
that grinds my fucking gears -
it's greed.
And this place bleeds greed.
I'm sure you've all had those days.
I came home tonight
not knowing whether i wanted a warm bath
or chocolate
or a punching bag
or my journal
or pizza
or a walk outside
or just to flop myself in front of the tv
and not move until bedtime.
Slowly, i had a decent meal,
watched a bit of tv,
then put on some zen music,
lit a candle,
and painted today's self portrait.
Right after i post this,
i'm going to write a bit in my journal.
Just thinking about that makes me feel better.
I am so behind on visiting all your blogs
and although I'd love to see your lovely art tonight,
i will wait until I feel a little more rested.
A little less frustrated.
A little more grateful
and a little more like myself.
Big bear hugs to all of you.
xx

time flies when you're having fun

How did it get so late so soon?

- Dr. Seuss

Day 20 - coloured pencils on index card.
Gentle Jesus, where does the time go?
When the weekend gets here
i always think I'll have more than enough time
to do the things I wanna do...
and then all of a sudden,
it's Sunday night again
and I need to prepare for the work week ahead.
This 9 to 5 - 5 days a week crap is killing me.
ok, maybe i'm being a little dramatic
but I am not liking it one bit. ;-)

 Day 21 - acrylic on index card paper

Day 22 - acrylic on index card paper.
I have to say i don't know WHO this woman is
but she's certainly not me.
giggle...
We are already nearing the end
of 29 faces in February (only 7 to go!)
I must say that I've really enjoyed this.
It got me sitting at the art table
when it would have been so easy just to watch TV.
Plus, i've learned something
with this series of selfies.
It is very difficult to paint myself from the mirror.
If i'm looking at a photo, not so bad.
But from the reflected image - so much more difficult.
Makes sense, since the mirror image is reality (3D)
and the photograph is flat - 2D.
Maybe it goes deeper than that.
Who knows?
I just know that i'd much rather paint
from a photograph.

This is the real me.
Dressed for the season. :)
Thank you ALL for your wonderful comments
and please know that i will respond soon
by visiting your blogs 
and catching up with what you've all been doing.
I saw this quote last week
and thought it was an important reminder
for us all.
Happy week everybody!

the year of the goat - and the snow.

29 faces in February,

Day 17

acrylic on paper.

This one scares me.

Eyes way too big.

Shadows way too dark.

Face way too serious.

i look like i'm about to pounce.

Which incidentally... i MAY just do

if this snow doesn't stop soon.

day 18
acrylic on paper (with a sponge)
i love this rough look
although it was a real challenge 
to make it look like me.

I could have used a smaller sponge i guess... :)

Day 19 (today)...
a cartoony version of me.

So here's the thing,
I know you're probably all tired of seeing my face,
and all tired of seeing the snow pics i've been posting,
but here are a few more,
just so you get a better sense of my madness
and of how much fun we've all been having here.
(insert sarcasm here)

a few buried vehicles

 trying to escape through the door...

trying to find the door...

I never used to mind winter much
but the older i get,
the less use I have for frozen forts
and home made igloos.

And it is the Chinese New Year!
The year of the goat...
maybe some of the good karma & warm love
will find their way to eastern Canada
and melt our snow.
xx

day 16 + how much snow can we get?!?

day 16 - 29 faces in February

(this one is a cold face. And a tired of the snow face)

We got another dumping of snow yesterday.

Over 50cm.

With the snow we already had on the ground,

New Brunswick is basically shut down today.

This isn't our garage,

but it could be, and photos like these

are all over social media today.

A few houses with the same dilemma. ;-)

Another one that could have been our own door...
I'll post some of my own photos tomorrow.
I just don't feel like going out there today.

I took advantage of the storm day
to get a bit of painting done.
Not sure where i'm going with this one.
I only know I'm inside, in the heat,
drinking wine and painting.
And all is well with the world.
Happy week everyone!
xx

selfies and why I love life

What art offers is space -

a certain breathing room for the spirt.

- John Updike, American writer

29 faces of February!
day 11... Micron pen on paper

day 12 - acrylic on paper

day 13 - sharpie marker on paper

day 14 - sharpie thin marker on paper

and today, day 15 - 
This one looks more like me
than any of the others I think...
although i must admit,
i'm getting really tired of looking at myself
so i can just imagine how you all feel by now.
I really like the little cartoon series
and they're quick to do,
so you may be seeing more of those
in the coming days.

Layers of snow in the patio door this morning...

I thought it was kinda cool...

Being bombarded by another snowstorm.
Not so cool.
50+cm today, and more tomorrow.

This is the view from our front window.

It was pretty 2 months ago.

The only pretty thing about it now

is the possibility of another snow day tomorrow!

(do i hear an amen?)

I wanna say thank you for your comments.

I love them because it reminds me

that there is someone out there - reading.

But after reading a few of the last comments

i want to say this:

I am far from being wise.

Let's just say i'm wise enough to know

that I really know very little.

And Arti, I don't always keep it together.

Sometimes, I lose it.

You just have to look at a few

of those self portraits to know I lose it.

Sometimes I drive to work thinking:

how the hell did I get this far away

from my path in life?

What happened to the dreams I had 

years ago?

Why am I not living them yet?

Why do i not have my shit together already?

Why is the world in such a mess?

I am grateful for what I have

and where I am and who I am,

but like everyone - I have bad days.

Those are usually the days where I need to make art.

Where I need to write.

Where I need to call a friend.

Where I need to believe what's in my own heart,

so that i can feel grounded again

and not so "off the path".

When we're surrounded by greed

and consumerism

and materialism

and McMansions

and shiny new every things...

it's sometimes difficult to stay true to ourselves.

And yes, Sheila, you are absolutely right -

we do need to find a balance

that's right for us

between work & play.

Somewhere in the world,

someone feels rich if they have one pair of shoes,

or if they own a bicycle,

or get one square meal a day.

Some people need $100,000 in the bank

to feel comfortable,

and some need far less.

I need less.

A lot less.

It doesn't mean I'm any better (or worse)

it only means that I won't live my life

towards that goal, because

it's not an important goal to me.

Having a shiny new car

is not important to me.

Having the best of everything

is not important to me.

What IS important to me

is time.

Being grateful for the time I have

right now.

Not the time I'll have when i'm 60 or 65,

or when my bank account is full,

but now.

I'll happily do with less things,

so that I can have more time to myself

to make art and to write and to be with friends.

When I mentioned in my past post

that I was already rich in the heart,

this is what I mean.

I am healthy (and so already, more wealthy than many)

I have time to myself (not as much as i want, but more than most)

I have friends & family who love me.

I know what I like & what I don't like.

I have more than enough food & warm shelter.

I am more comfortable in my own skin than I ever was.

I am comfortable with people not liking me.

(as long as the important ones do - that's all that matters)

I have wonderful memories and stories in my heart to tell.

Money can't buy these things.

xx

29 faces and how to be alone

Day 9 - 29 faces

a cartoon version of myself

holding your heart in my hands.

It's safe there.

and day 10...

red and green Sharpie markers.

A bit of painting last night...

acrylic on paper...

I'm not so good lately with taking progress shots...
seems like all of a sudden,
i realize i'm almost done 
and i've only taken one photo.

I work full time in an office setting (for now)
where money seems to be 
the topic of discussion on most days.
Making money, saving money,
lack of money, RRSPs, pension plans...
B-O-R-I-N-G!!
When i first started this painting,
i had absolutely no idea what i wanted to paint.

And almost as soon as i finished it,

i saw myself in this little pig tailed girl...

standing on a mountain of money,

oblivious to the flying money around her...

holding a sign that reads: true

She is not concerned about what goes on around her.

She is concerned about TRUTH.

The air she breathes.

The sunrise.

Waking up in the morning to a new day.

Her art.

Too many people sacrifice happiness

and peace of mind

for the promise of a financially secure future.

But not this girl.

She knows her path in life

regardless of what foolishness goes on

around her.

She may not be rich at the bank

but she's rich in the heart.

:-)

I may have shared this video already,

but i love it so much,

i wanted to share it again.

For those who may not have seen it.

A wonderful reminder

that the simple things in life

can be the best...

self portraits - Frida and me

Is there anything sweeter

than getting a surprise card in the mail?

No. 

I didn't think so.

I've made some wonderful friends on-line,
and I've even had the pleasure
of meeting a few in person.
This beautiful Frida card (& quotes!) came this week,
from the thoughtful Stephanie, at
Creative Living Experiment

She is as loving in person as she is on-line.
THANK YOU Stéphanie. 
Your words made my week more tolerable,
and it makes me happy to know
that we are friends.

I've been painting these daily
but posting them a bit late.
Day 4 - another rough day at work. 
Done in Crayola wax crayons.

Day 5 - from a photo rather than a mirror...

thin blue Sharpie marker.

Day 6, acrylic paint (on index card paper)

from looking in the mirror.
I took my glasses off, 
so very little detail in this one
(because everything was blurred!)
plus I gave myself a sideways glance,
and shorter hair. 

 This one, day 7
i did from memory.
No photo, no mirror.
Whenever i try to draw myself from memory,
i always end up looking like a man.
i FEEL like a woman,
when I look at myself in the mirror,
i SEE a woman,
but for whatever reason,
so many of these self portraits look like men to me.
Maybe my YIN YANG is off balance.
teeheehee...

And today, day 8, coloured pencils.

Today is my son's 19th birthday.

Explains the smile, doesn't it?

I'll be back to visit you all on your blogs

as soon as i have a bit more time to myself.

I miss you all. 

Keep making art

and don't EVER feel

like it's a waste of time.

Time spent doing something you love

is never wasted.

xox

faces and snow, snow, and snow.

DAY 2 & DAY 3

Linking up with

29 faces in February!

No pressure to make it a work of art

when it's on a little index card (3" x 5")

I'm already amazed at how different they are.

Check this out...

Our neighbours' swing set,
buried deep in the snow.

 ...and our road, not yet cleared after the storm.

And after all this snow (& more for tomorrow!)

this my friends, is how i feel right about now.