ocean waves of sorrow and joy

hello everyone!

I have so much to share,

i'm not sure where to begin...

Let's start with the fact that 

it's still summer here!

We broke a 100 year record yesterday for temperature.

I was 30C (86F).

Hot for us in September.

Normally, by this time of the year,

we're pulling out the thick sweaters

and looking for our socks.

But this year, we seem to be

about a month+ behind in the seasons.

It's a strange thing,

the reaction we have to weather.

September here usually brings with it

a burst of energy for me

and a cozy feeling of cocooning.

Kids are going back to school,

some to university,

moms are getting the house to themselves... ;)

new beginnings.

But this year feels different.

There's this churning of creativity inside me

but when I notice it's still summer out there,

I wanna be out walking or swimming or kayaking.

(and on a good day, I usually am)

Because I know what's coming.

W.I.N.T.E.R.

So I hate to admit it,

but I would welcome a rainy day.

And if the forecast is right,

we're getting one tomorrow. (Sunday)

There's a little story to this sunflower.

Earlier this year,

we decided to plant a few things.

(I don't have a green thumb).

So we planted a few flowers along the walkway...

but we didn't plant this sunflower!

Honest, we didn't.

When we noticed something growing,

we were curious to see what would pop up there.

At first, I thought it was just weed...

no, not the kind you smoke! ;)

but lo and behold - 

this beautiful sunflower pops up! 

The birds & the bees carried the seeds

exactly at the right spot. :)

So next year, I'm planting sunflowers.

This is Fluffy, my dad's dog,

and she loves to hide her treats in the carpet,

just in case someone is thinking

of taking them from her.

Cracks me up.

I did a quick little sketch of her

while she slept by my side on the grass.

This is part of my blue room...
I used to have my mac upstairs,
but finally brought it down here.
This room just feels right for writing.

I am sitting in the chair you see here right now...

I love this space...
You don't need a big, fancy shmancy studio
to make art.
It just has to feel right in your heart.
Some people use a shed,
the basement, the back porch,
a kitchen table,
Whatever works for you.

A few weeks ago,
we were awakened at 2am 
by the sound of helicopters just above our house.
By morning, we found out
they were looking for a missing man in the water.
A boating accident.
He and a friend were boating
when the boat capsized.
His friend searched for him in the water
for a half hour before making it to shore
to call 911.
They found the missing man days later - drowned,
only about 50 feet from the shore here.
42 years old.

Whenever something like this happens,
you always have the nitwits who want to give
their two cents worth about what happened.

"well, they had to be drinking!"

"who goes out boating after dark?"

"well, why weren't they wearing lifejackets?"

That's why it's called an ACCIDENT, you morons.
Cause it's not supposed to happen.
No one ever goes out on a boat thinking:

"I know! We'll put ourselves in danger
and then we'll drown!! It'll be fun!"

It angers me how quickly we are to judge
when something like this happens.
We all know what should have happened
to prevent this tragedy, 
but it didn't, and the man is dead.
Why bring any more suffering
to his poor family
and the friend who searched
for 30 minutes in the water for him?
They lost someone they loved
and this beautiful place
will forever haunt them.
Is that not enough?

I went for a walk there the other day
and saw this one lone flower...
and I thought of him.

 Then I picked up this book again...

and read this...

Funny how the same questions
have different meaning now...

I had ordered new cards from MOO
and they came in as the helicopters
searched overhead...
it made me sad
when i noticed my ocean paintings.
I can be overly sensitive about my surroundings,
so I usually try to paint or sketch something
as soon as i can,
to put the pain on paper
rather than keep it in my heart.

I started this painting thinking of water,
and ocean, and waves, and nighttime... 
(it's acrylic on paper)

Not sure where I was going with the pink,
but I just let it go where it wanted to go.

Added a bit of white...
still not sure if it's anything 
other than abstract.

Then I flipped it over
and saw a dragon and someone flying
and a moon and water and a heart...

These are closer to the real colours..

taken in daylight.

Looking at it this way just feels 

less scary to me.

Why a dragon would feel less scary,

I'm not sure.  ;)

I'm not sure if i mentioned anything in my last post,

but I'm working on a little something

with a few other artists

that we'll be sharing with you all soon.

I am thrilled to be contributing

to such a fun project

and I know that many of you

will be happy to

color along with me very soon!

(Yes, that's a little hint for you.)

As soon as I get the ok to share,

I will.

Hang tight.

In the meantime,

you might wanna

sharpen your color pencils!

xx

This is how excited I am:

fall colors and edith piaf

hello peeps.

Sunday night already... 

where did the weekend go?

 a few pics from my morning walk at the beach

Sometimes i think i live in the most beautiful part of the world
and other times, i'd do anything to leave, just for a bit.

I suspect most everyone feels like this now & then,
when things just feel heavy.

Whenever i start to feel the weight of the world
on my shoulders, i come to the ocean.
This is Parlee Beach.
It's about a 10 minute drive from where i live
and at this time of the year,
there's hardly ever anybody there.

 the sand finds its way to the grass...

...a calm and cloudy morning

so nice & quiet here

the tide coming up 

 tiny waves... ;-)

 another tiny wave...

i love this one... 
it looked like it was gonna rain.
I was walking in the opposite direction
when i turned around to look at the view
and saw this blue piece of sky...

seaweed, sand, ocean, tire tracks...
(one of these things is not like the other) ;-)
This is a provincial park,
so they drive around the beach to keep it clean
and to keep the sand level
at the beginning and the end of the summer.

A little watercolor i did this morning,
as the rest of the house slept
and i enjoyed a good cup of coffee.

 this is the view i see from the window in my blue room.

i love these calm mornings
when the bay looks like a mirror
and each cottage/house is reflected in the water.

it was very windy this weekend,
so the fall colors are slowly disappearing.

still pretty though...
i love the fall.
Still my favorite season.
Something about the cool, crisp air
and changing colors
makes me feel more creative.
Wishing you all a good week ahead!
xox

and for all Edith Piaf fans out there...
la vie en rose :-)

i am one with the world - but not with spam.

Excuse me while i kiss the sky.

Jimi Hendrix

no words are necessary, right?

 except maybe beauty

This is what i find at the end of the road
after a long early morning walk.

Some people have attained that guru state
where they feel "at one" with the universe all the time.

i haven't yet.

But in places like this...
i am one with the world.

 or when i'm painting funky oranges... ;-)

a 15 minute sketch done with colored pencils and markers.

i like the rough sketches now and then...

art doesn't need to be perfect.

Art usually expresses a feeling, or an emotion, or a thought,

so actually - it should be anything but perfect.

At least that's how i see it.

 then i did this in my little Moleskin book

micron pen, watercolor and colored pencils.
i found the photo on-line and just added text.

On another note...

i've been getting a shitload of Anonymous spam comments lately.

i hate to resort to the WORD VERIFICATION thing,

but i may finally set it up this week.

18 spam comments in my inbox on one day is too much.

If anyone out there knows of a way to get rid of them

without doing the Word Verification thing, please let me know.

By the time i trash the 10th comment,

let's just say i am not feeling very zen.

Wishing you all a beautiful Sunday and a great week

filled with health and happy things.

And maybe ice cream.

Or rainbow lollipops.

Or chocolate.

Yes. Definitely chocolate. 

xox

the sound of melting snow...

It wasn't about believing this or that,

it wasn't about good and evil and right and wrong,

it was about finding the strength

to bear the discomfort that came

with being in the world.

- Mark Haddon (The red house)

i love this quote...

because truth be told, sometimes,

it is discomforting to be in the world.

A few pics of the melting snow and ice...

always a welcome sight after months of cold winter...

the thawing out of things...

the waking up of things...

slowly, the ice is transforming...and the blue ocean is visible once again.

...sigh...

You could actually hear the snow melting...

i stood there for a while and thought the sound was as beautiful
as what it must have been like to listen to Mozart live.
Well, ok, maybe not quite as beautiful,
but close.

ice melting and droplets of water,
falling on pools of calm ocean around me...
sounding like a room full of tiny clapping hands.

the sand shifting with the thawing and the tides and the mini icebergs
pushing their way on shore...

snow fences to be mended or torn down.

a parade of picnic tables
just waiting for summer.

Who doesn't love spring?

There's been little art for me lately,
but i wanted to share this beautiful video
of Beverly Hawksley,
and artist and woman i love.

I can't seem to link the video directly here,
so i'll copy the URL and you can just paste it in your browser.

Check it out if you can.
So inspirational.
http://vimeo.com/59933056

Wishing you the kind of week that makes you smile.

xox