life on other planets, the crazies and art.

hello friends.

It's been a strange couple of weeks

although if you ask me why

i can't give you an answer.

Maybe because it's that time of year,

maybe because of the way of the world,

maybe because I've not painted much lately.

Maybe because I'm writing more,

and because I'm watching

great documentaries

and reading great books

that remind me that

life is not the same for everyone

and we don't all see

through the same eyes.

Getting up in the morning

is easy for me.

It's hell for someone else.

I wake up to the sound of silence.

Others wake up to the sound of bombs,

or in incredible pain,

or hungry, 

or unloved.

I eat when I want.

Others don't.

This is a huge privilege

and it shouldn't be.

Governments are spending

billions on wars they create,

on defence budgets,

on space programs,

and there are still people on this planet

who don't eat.

That is a fucking BASIC need.

Food.

Clothing.

Shelter.

We send people in space

but we've yet to figure out a way

to feed the world.

I love science

but why are we concerning ourselves

with finding life on other planets

when we are not taking care

of the lives we have here,

on this planet?

Makes me crazy.
(hence, the crazy doodle) ;)
This makes as much sense to me
as those who sacrifice this life
for an eternal life after death.
And they usually kill others
in the process. 
I believe in life before death.
Not life after.
I guess i'm still trying to make sense
of something that will forever be
senseless.

And then, there's this...
We got our first snowfall last week. 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Time to take out the music.

I just bought this one, and I love it.

But this one is still

my favorite of all time. :)

It's not Christmas until the Charlie Brown music comes on.

And then this happened. ;)
I may have shared this already
but it's cute, so I get to share it again.

Dad made Fluffy this little bed.

She totally loves being a princess.

She can do no wrong.

A few doodles from my 'draw your life' book.
A left handed drawing.

A few weeks ago,

I ordered this watercolor print from Prashant Miranda,

one of the great Sketchbook Skool teachers.

(They're all SO good)

Prash makes his home

between Canada and India.

Isn't it beautiful!?

I love it.

Love the bold colours.
He was so much fun as a teacher.
If you want your own print,
you can get it here.

And last, but not least...

If you purchase a copy of Color for Clarity by Jan 1st 2016,

you’ll receive a free e-book as our gift to you in thanks

for your support. Inside, you’ll find bonus colouring pages

and some great resources (several of which are free!)

to continue exploring your own creativity.

To claim your free e-book, forward your receipt

(or send a photo of Color for Clarity or other proof of purchase)

to me at:

paulinel@nb.sympatico.ca

and I'll send you your free e-book within a day or two.

And YES! Anyone who purchased the book when it was first released gets a FREE e-book as well!

If you haven’t grabbed your copy yet (and you know you want to) ;)

you can get it at:  http://colorforclarity.com/

And if you can, please leave us a review on Amazon!

We'd love to know how you like it.

Thanks for hanging out
and listening to my rants. ;)
xx

is money really all that and a bag of chips?

hi everyone!

Happy Saturday... (at least it's Saturday as i write this)

i am slowly getting back into my routine
of playing & writing & making art during the evenings.
i love these evenings...

After mentioning on my last post
that i was done my 4 month term job,
one of the comments i got was from the very wise & talented Gwen...
(you can find her here)

She wrote this:
you do what you need to do,
to do what you want to do.
Such truth to this.

Few of us are lucky enough to do what we love as our work.

Many of us (i want to say most) are stuck in jobs we hate,

selling at least 8 hours of our day to someone else, 

to another business,

another corporation,

for money.

And some of us need more money than others...

In the past few years,
i've discovered that i can do a lot with very little
and that some people are higher maintenance
than others.

I've also discovered
that we're not all given the same chance in life
and when circumstances steer your life in a different direction
than what you thought your life would be -
it's not all sparkles & rainbows.
But it's not all bad either.
It is your new life.

And when directions change...
Opportunities change.
Priorities change.
People change.
Sometimes, in ways that make them feel more grounded.

Those who know me know

that my definition of success

is not a full bank account,

but a full heart.

And i don't get a full heart

by watching my money grow,

or by shopping,

or by driving a new car.

Someone else might - i don't.

I get a full heart

by connecting with others (like you!)

by listening to music

by sharing coffee & conversation with friends

by being in nature

by asking questions

by making art

by reading

by writing...

by doing what i need to do,

to do what i want to do.

(thank you Gwen)...

Bob Dylan once said:

What's money?

A man is a success if he gets up in the morning

and goes to bed at night

and in between,

does what he wants to do.

I try to live up to this,

and follow my own heart as much as i can.

...and whenever i can, i have fun.
How can striped orange socks 
and cowboy boots with spurs NOT be fun?! :-)

When i drew this,
i realized she (or he, or it!) seemed awfully uncomfortable
balancing on her hands with her bum in the air on the beach.
So i gave her a little stool.
And her boots have to be on the blanket,
cause you don't wanna get sand in the spurs...
(giggle)

See what happens when i sit on a Saturday morning,
with nothing but good coffee,
and time on my hands?
(does she ever shut up?)

Thanks for sticking with me, folks.
...for those of you who are still reading.

Have a great weekend!
xox

full bank accounts and empty hearts

hi everyone.

Another rainy Sunday here.

It's been raining for days.

I spent a bit of time in the little blue room last night -

I doodled and dabbled with blobs of paint,

colored pencils, markers...

Nothing to write home about, but still - enjoyable for me.

That's what it's all about, isn't it?

Feeling groovy...  :-)

I've discovered a few things in the past weeks
that i had been sheltered from for the past few years.

I am floored by how many people out there are unfulfilled.
Bored.
Resigned.
Unhappy.
Surrendered.
Stuck.

They have full bank accounts and empty hearts.

They fill their time with distractions...

shopping
tv
drinking
gadgets
vacationing
social media
more shopping...

They've lost touch with who they are, deep down inside -
who they wanted to become when they dared to dream as teenagers.

What things are important to them in life.
They no longer believe in dreams,
or possibilities...

We all enjoy the occasional shopping spree,

or the night out with friends over a few drinks.

But i see something wrong

with a society that needs these things

in order to feel validated.

In order to feel worthy.

In order to feel loved.

The woman at work who needs the expensive purse

to feel like a somebody.

The other woman who needs the expensive shoes or

the yearly trip to a beach in the South.

The man who feels like a somebody

only when he's driving his new, shiny car.

There's something very sad about this to me.
Our society has become so focused on money,
and what money can buy,
that we've lost touch with the most important things in life...
the things that money can't buy.
The things that give our lives true meaning.

Health.
The sunrise.
The moon.
The ocean.
A smile on a child's face.
A hug. From anyone.
Support when we need it.
A letter in the mail.
Art.
Friends.
Music.
Being barefoot.
The smell of flowers.
Family.
Love.

We've become so competitive with one another,
each one wanting to outdo the next...

when we all really want the same thing.

To be loved and understood for who we are.
To feel accepted.

I may love you for who you are
open arms and all  :-)

but never for what you have
or where you've been
or what you've done
or who you know.

These things never impress me.
YOU impress me.
xox

... an instrumental song by MOBY that i love...

watercolor bed, danny gregory and success

Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.

John Lennon

I think i need to clean up and fill up my little watercolor set...

or get a new one. 

oh yeah, babay... :-)

A quick little watercolor i did last night.

I need to get some new sketchbooks soon too,

and i think i'll try the Moleskin sketchbooks.

I've never tried them.

Have any of you out there tried them?

I know they're a bit more expensive,

but it's money well spent to me.

I'll bark about paying $3 for broccoli

but i don't mind paying $20 for a sketchbook. 

Priorities.

:-)

I love painting things that have exaggerated darks and lights.

Like these creases in the clothes...

Although these were obviously done too quickly.

I've been re-reading a few of my Danny Gregory books.

I had forgotten how brilliant this man is.

So many important words for artists to read.

If any of you still need permission

to call yourselves artists,

read his book "the Creative License".

It'll help you find your wings.

This page is one of my favorites,

although it's one of the rare ones without any illustration.

Haven't we all struggled with this?

If we're so good, why aren't we making more money?

There are genuine artists

who never seem to be able to break through

and then there are those who paint the same thing

over and over and over

in different colors

who have no sense of discovery 

or of the importance of art in the world

but they play the part

and they walk the walk

and they talk the talk

(usually bullshit)

and they get the government grants.

I can almost hear my father's voice here...

"y'a pas de justice dans le monde"

(basically, "life isn't fair").

I always think back at Vincent Van Gogh,

who sold only one painting during his lifetime,

and they now sell for millions.

But is that what it's about?

About selling?

Was his art not art

when it didn't sell?

Why did it all of a sudden become more valuable?

It was always the same art.

Was Van Gogh considered more of an artist

because his paintings eventually reached in the millions?

Would we ever have known about him

if his art had remained unsold, in obscurity?

Is that the measuring stick we use

to determine whether one is a successful artist or not?

It's certainly not my stick.

I don't think it was Henry Miller's stick either.

Art needs no measuring sticks.

The only sticks we need

are those attached to our paintbrushes.
xoxo

Joy Seeker

We do not remember days,

we remember moments.

Cesare Pavese

Statistics show that there are higher rates of heart attacks

on Mondays than any other day of the week.

I believe this is because

so many of us work at jobs we hate.

I hope you're not one of them...

and if you are,

i wish you baby steps towards 

an eventual peaceful, gentle exit.

We often stay in a crappy job

because we need to pay the bills,

we need to eat.

Most of us tend to believe we need this job

to make ends meet. 

We need to make this much money

otherwise, everything would fall apart, right?

Wrong.

I'm here to tell you 

that it won't fall apart.

That there may even be a chance

that you'll be happier in the end.

I speak from experience.

When i lost my job (several years ago now)

we were in the process of building a new home.

My salary was the most stable of the two

and we had our 8 year old son to care for.

Two weeks after i lost my job,

my husband was laid off.

Long story short: we not only survived,

but we strived.

We spent less, worked hard,

compromised (temporarily)

and kept our courage.

We discovered that as long as we had a place to sleep

and food on the table,

we were ok.

This isn't the 1920's anymore...

there are so many other options out there

to set you free from work that makes you feel 

like a caged bird.

We discovered that we really needed

far less things than we thought.

And you need far less than you think.

Unless of course,

you're keeping up with the Jones'.

If that's the case, 

then yes,

you need a shitload of money. :-)

I believe there is more value to be found

in watching waves on the shore

or a soaring bird in a blue filled sky

than in any Lexus,

or Rolex,

or Gucci bag.

Of course i still work,

but i work to live,

I don't live to work.

And I do what i love as much as i can.

That includes art & writing,

listening to good music,

meditative morning walks,

watching the waves

and the soaring birds

in the blue filled sky...

Wishing you all your own blue filled sky today...

and maybe even a pretty flower. 

xoxo

surprise purple bird

hi peoples!

A few years ago,

i came across something on the net called black out poetry.

It's basically using text in newspapers,

or magazines or books,

and hiding (or blacking out) the words you don't need

for the creation of your own masterpiece poem. :-)

You can see a sample here...

I began this journal page last night

thinking about black out poems...

only my poem ended up being loose words

just scattered across the page

willy-nilly. 

:-)

And the text i chose happened to be

from a boring article about finances.

Yawn.

Still - i managed to find a few choice words in there.

The purple bird just kinda happened

when i began to contour a few leaves

and saw the shape of a bird.

Well, ok, i kinda made it into the shape of a bird. 

:-)

This is a photo i took this morning, in natural light.

What a difference it makes, huh?

These colors are much closer to reality,

although the leaves are a punchier lime green.

And speaking of green...

let's talk money for a minute.

I read a lot,

although i've never been interested in books like these.

But this morning at the book store,

this one caught my eye

and practically jumped off the shelf and into my hands.

Published in 1937 - before it was even cool to be rich. :-)

I was raised to believe

that money is the root of all evil,

that money can't buy happiness

that those who seek wealth are selfish,

that real wealth is found

in a kind heart

rather than a full bank account.

I suspect i was raised this way

because we had no money.

:-)

I believe the greatest thing about having money

is being able to share it.

Being able to use it somehow

to inspire others

to reach their potential...

to realize their own dreams.

And one by one,

make the world a better place.

Maybe I'm naive to think this way -

but i know that in the end, i'd feel better about my life

knowing that I had lived it with an open heart,

rather than hoarding everything to myself.

Hoarding anything is unhealthy.

Especially art.

xoxo