Sunday, April 26, 2015

spring skies, writing & wonky art

Never work just for money or for power.
They won't save your soul
or help you sleep at night.
- Marian Wright Edelman
I just bought myself this new box of Crayolas.
Happiness = $5.00
I guess money does buy happiness. :)
This place will be far more fun
once the snow is gone. :)
We are all breathing a little easier
now that the ice has broken up on the bay.
It's taking all the energy I have these days
to do my job from 9 to 5,
and stay afloat with the rest of my life.
So the art is a little wonky.
And no, i am not on drugs
although sometimes,
I consider it. :)
Check out the half clouded sky.
You could literally see the clouds
come rolling in.
2 fisherman on the wharf...
acrylic and pencil on paper.
I like this one,
even if she looks a little sad.
Oh, and I'm just finishing an on-line course
with the lovely Christine Mason Miller
(a mindful approach to creating your book).
My head is swimming with thoughts & ideas
and i cannot wait to have time to myself,
to finally put pen to paper
in a way that doesn't feel rushed.
There was a chapter on rejection
and how there is rarely a writer out there
who has not been rejected.
I once read that Stephen King
had an entire wall covered in rejection slips.
J.K. Rowling had her Harry Potter book
rejected by several publishers
before ONE finally said yes.
Rejection doesn't just apply to writers.
It applies to life in general.
Divorce is rejection.
Losing a job is rejection.
Not getting a job.
Not making the team.
Not being selected for an art show.
Not being invited to the party.
Losing that connection with someone...
Dreams aren't made real
because rejections are avoided;
dreams are made real
because the dreamer keeps going
despite them.
- Christine Mason Miller

Wishing you all a soft Sunday.
xx

Sunday, April 19, 2015

over and around and under and out...

i love this quote by Anais Nin.
Exactly how i feel these days.
A bit of acrylic on paper.
i am in the habit
of turning things over while i paint
and in this case,
ended up keeping it turned over
when i spotted a figure that looked like a man to me.
So i painted a flower for him to admire.

You should never be afraid
to change things up as you paint.
Turn things over.
Paint over something you don't like.
Especially when you're painting something abstract.
Letting go is all part of the process.
Trusting your gut.
Following your intuition.
Not worrying about the final result.
I see a lot of overlapping
in the last few paintings I've done.
Overlapping and layers and things
that are intertwined.
 A bit like my life right now.
Working full time in a non creative environment...
painting and reading and writing every chance I get,
so that I don't lose touch
with who i am at the core.
A quick sketch (5 min) done with Chinese markers (white and black)
and Sharpie markers on tan paper.
It's so important for artists
and musicians, and poets, and writers
to surround themselves with
LIKE MINDS and HEARTS.
If Bob Dylan hung out with politicians...
businessmen in 3 piece suits -
i'm pretty certain the world would have missed out
on these beautiful lyrics:
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hanging out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging
for your next meal.
(Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone)
And beautiful songs and paintings
carry me so much further
than a boring business meeting does.
 I had so much fun doing this one...
And i even like the end result.
I'm getting better with balancing the reds
so that they don't feel overpowering to me.
I'm not sure what I see when i look at this
but what i REMEMBER is how much fun it was to paint.
What do you see...if anything?

Sunday, April 12, 2015

the awakening

Hello peeps of the world...
Finally, the snow here is beginning to melt
and i feel an energy within
that i haven't felt in months.
So YAY!
I never found winters difficult
but I must say this one was a little heavy.
I haven't felt like myself in a while
for several reasons - 
let's just say the weather and the job
are 2 of those reasons.
So i'm quite happy to see
that little river of water on the road.
Other than the weather improving,
what's even MORE exciting
is that my 9 to 5 contract ends on May 12th,
so I get to be myself again
and find a way to express this 
compressed creativity
i feel inside.
To all the artists out there
who have full time jobs that are not so creative,
i'm sure you understand.
Working full time
means far less energy for the fun stuff.
It means more frustration.
It means our minds are preoccupied
with something other than art 
for at least 8 hours a day,
and although the idea of making art
after a day at work sounds wonderful...
my mind (and more importantly, my heart!)
are not always in the right place.
I am often just too tired.
But making art to me (and to you?)
is as important as breathing,
so it's not like we can just say,
"oh well. We'll do it in 6 months"...
But as you can see in the above painting -
mama bear is beginning to awaken.
So i'm surrounding myself
with inspiring books and words
and i'm spending as much time
outside as I can.
Being in nature always makes me feel better.
Here are two of the books
I keep near my table
for little snippets of inspiration.

These little books may be small in size,
but don't let that fool you.
So much to offer...

I painted this a few weeks ago
but didn't feel brave enough to share it.
I'm feeling brave enough now. 
...and I can't wait to give this book
the time it deserves.
I've always loved handwritten letters,
and letters written from artists - well,
what's not to love?
The lips of Frida Kahlo.
These books are such gems
because not only is the reader part of the intimacy,
but I feel like we learn so much
about the person writing the letter
and there is always so much to learn
about one another, don't you think?
And it's always so reassuring to me
that I'm not crazy
and that someone in 1875 felt 
exactly the same way I did
about art and life.
Or maybe we're just both crazy?
Either way, I'm not alone.
giggle...
Love this.
I just do.
Hugs to all of you.
Especially those of you who really need it.
xx

Monday, April 6, 2015

how much snow can a winter snow?

hello friends...
I have a headache tonight,
but i'm posting this anyway.
Must be all the chocolate.
I've painted a few things lately...
I don't like this one but i'm sharing anyway.
It feels too aggressive to me
although I enjoyed painting it.
Isn't it strange
how you can be painting something
almost in a trance
and when you get done & look at it,
you think "what the hell is THIS?!"
(At least I ask myself this question)
And as you can see,
spring hasn't yet happened here.
We are in the 'dirty snow' stage of the season...
This was taken a few weeks ago,
so we have a bit less than this now.
Still lots to go.
Another painting
with happier colours
Polar bear on a funky background
If it's gonna look like Alaska out here
I may as well pretend it is. :)
I like this one a lot more.
It took about 15 minutes to paint. 
acrylic on paper

Motels & cabins near our home,
still covered in snow

the setting sun
and yes, that's the roof of the motel
you see at the top of the snow.
And a lovely sunset behind the trees.
I wanna say 'it's beautiful'
but after months of snow & cold
i'm not so sure anymore.
sigh...