toes in the sand

Greetings friends!

Can you believe it's almost JULY?!?

For several weeks now, I've been wanting to post something here,

to at least let you know that I'm still alive!

But alas...

it's SUMMER here

so I'm taking every chance I get

to spend some time outside. 

ok, so I have some art to share,

photos and musings of the past few weeks,

and i basically just wanted you all to know

how very excited I am to be done working soon.

I finish on July 21, so less than a month to go.

Yes, that works for me.

We got a lot of rain for a few weeks
but then when the sun came out,
it was absolutely gorgeous.
Our summer season is quite short here
(3 months if we're lucky)
so i take advantage of every day i can.

 ...sunset at the local Parlee Beach.

...and is there anything prettier

than designs by nature?

Sand ripples caused by the tides.

a very quick sketch I did the other night

as a warm up with acrylics on paper.

Quick sketches are always fun to do

because in 5 minutes,

you don't expect a masterpiece

so there's no pressure.

So what that the eyes are crooked?

It took 5 minutes.

So what that the nose is only on one side?

it's a 5 minute sketch!

No pressure. 

Gotta love it.

I am finding myself more tired
after a day at work,
even when I am sitting all day.
I'm tired mentally
from all the bullshit -
plus I feel like a robot for 8 hours.
Oh, and i miss making art.

I'm finding little bits of time
here and there (mostly on weekends)
to do something creative
and i've even joined another
Sketchbook Skool class! :)

For $99 (US), you get 6 different artists
for 6 fabulous weeks
and you learn all sorts of fun things.
And the best part?
You go at your own pace!
And you don't need expensive art materials
to follow along.

I'm doing the class called EXPRESSING

and I love it (even if i'm behind in "homework").

I'll catch up eventually.

There's always so much to learn

in a class like that,

as much from the participants

as from the teachers.

Those who want to share, do,

so we get to be inspired by ALL sorts of 

wonderful amateur and professional artists.

Plus - you make wonderful connections

that often become lifelong friendships.

So this (above) is an acrylic on paper,
in honour of my dear friend, Tara Leaver -
who inspired me once again
to use painting tape around my paper,
so that I can get that crisp line
and that beautiful white border around my painting.
It's kind of a surprise when you remove the tape,
because you're not sure where the painting ends
and the white border begins.
I know - cheap thrills for me. :)
That's what happens when you get older.
Takes VERY little to get me excited now.

So weekends usually consist of

walking on the beach,

kayaking (my son has the red kayak, his friend has the green one)

sitting out on the porch with iced tea...

or water

or wine. :)

Anything that doesn't require

too much thinking

heavy lifting,

or being inside for any length of time.

I actually feel like i'm decompressing...
just knowing i'll be done work
in a few weeks
already has me breathing lighter.
That, and this beautiful weather helps.

I have so many creative ideas

i want to get off the ground

when i get done with this contract.

I wanna do more illustrations for children's books.

I wanna do my own book.

I wanna help others do their books.

I wanna paint on canvas. Big canvas.

I wanna work on developing an e-course

that will inspire others to

live their own creative lives

and shout it out over the rooftops,

for the whole world to hear and see.

There are still too many

artists in hiding out there.

It was my birthday a few weeks ago (June 24)

and my good friend Lucille (who knows me well)

got me these 2 gems.

A big fat journal with blank pages

that i cannot wait to fill,

and a profound book of poetry

called Milk and Honey.

I also got to share a lovely meal

with friends last weekend,

at a place called Captain Dan's

here in Shediac,

sitting out on the patio

on a beautiful sunny evening.

You don't need a million bucks 

to do things that matter,

or that you enjoy.

Making memories is usually

pretty cheap.

(photo credit: Alvin Richard)

And speaking of Shediac...

(Sherrie, aka HAPPY TILER, this one's for you!)

we actually have a "Scrabble" festival happening

this summer here!!

oh the excitement!

i can't contain myself.

(giggle...)

Shediac is known as the lobster capitol of the world

(yeah, it's a thing) and this summer,

Shediac will host the

1st Atlantic International Scrabble Tournament!!

The thrill of it all.

How DO we do it?!? :)

Here's how i feel about the weekend approaching.

Friday (July 1st) is Canada Day, so

HAPPY CANADA DAY

to all fellow Canucks out there!

Here's to health,

maple sirup,

canoes & kayaks,

clean rivers,

good beer,

bonfires on the beach,

star gazing in a black velvet sky,

and love.

xx

The WILD TRUTH about Into the Wild

hi folks...

It's Friday night here, 

and the wind is howling outside.

Halloween tomorrow.

The little witches & goblins are gonna be out

trickin' & treatin'.

I may watch a movie later on

but first, I have a few things to share.

It seems like I'm doing nothing

but trying to catch up these days.

Well, that, and watching movies. ;)

There are so many emails I want to send,

thank you cards (or just cards to say 'hello'),

blogs & books to read,

paintings to make,

friends to visit,

things to write...

And here's the thing:

I am currently not working outside the home!

I should have all the time in the world

to get everything done!

But do I?

No.

I never seem to have enough hours in the day

to do everything I wanna do.

Maybe my list is too long?

Or I'm too easily distracted?

oh ok, fuck it,

I already know the answer.

I procrastinate. :)

I'll write those emails,

as soon as I go for a walk outside.

I'll send those cards,

right after I do a little painting.

I get everything done eventually,

it's just that sometimes,

'eventually' takes a long time to get here. ;)

And of course, 
there's always that other "fun stuff"
like housework
and groceries
and changing lightbulbs
and making meals.
The other day, a friend of mine told me
that I made her feel lazy
because I got so much done in the course of a day.
You're fucking kidding, right?
No, she wasn't kidding.
So maybe I really am productive
and I just FEEL like a procrastinator? ;)
Maybe i have razor sharp focus
but it just FEELS like a total mess in my own head? 
giggle....
As my son would say:
Whatevs.
(translation: WHATEVER - because the word "whatever"
just takes far too much energy for teenagers to say) ;)
I'm doing my best
and as long as I don't kill anyone
in the course of a day - it's all good.

I go for walks whenever I can
because nature is my sanctuary.
I spend as many quiet moments in a day
as I can, because silence is golden for me.
I'm not one of these people
who needs to turn on the radio or tv
as soon as I get up in the morning.
I listen to music when I'm painting
but too much noise just makes me
wanna run the other way.

And speaking of noise & nature,
I wanted to say a few things
about the movie Into the Wild.
For those who don't know the movie,
it's the true story of Christopher McCandless
who decides, after graduating from university
with top honours, to give away all his money to charity,
and set out for Alaska, to live off the land.
Oh, and did I mention
that his parents were wealthy assholes?
Yeah, his father was a scientist for NASA
who was used to manipulating people
with his money,
and his mother was basically a puppet on a string.
They were devoted to their church,
while at the same time,
abusive to their children (physically and mentally).

It's a movie about
freedom and adventure
and a young man who decides to
escape the clutches of his controlling parents
and live life on his terms.
That's where the heaviness comes in.
It's also profoundly sad.
I wish I could say he lived happily ever after,
but...
I'm sure you all know the outcome.
If you don't, Google it.
I came out of that theatre
feeling like I had been hit by a truck.
I had a heavy heart for weeks.
But still - one of my favorite movies.
The music, the scenery, the meaning...

Then in 2014, Christopher's sister, Carine McCandless
wrote a book called THE WILD TRUTH.
It explained everything.
I am happy she wrote this,
for herself, her siblings, and for Chris.
After reading her book,
I understood his reasons for leaving
and for breaking the family ties completely.

Appearances can be deceiving.
What you see in public
is not always the truth
which is why we should never judge others
who do things that may seem irrational to us.
We never really know
what someone is living behind closed doors.

And on that note,

I'll leave you with this adorable little face...

Fluffy (dad's dog)

making a tongue at us.

:)

Happy Halloween everyone!
Remember: chocolate is good for you!
xx

colouring books, little birds and big skies

Hello everyone!

I'm finally back!

I hesitate to say 

I have some wonderful news

because maybe it's just wonderful for ME,

but hell, 

i'm sure at least ONE of you

will benefit from this as well.

At least I hope so.

That's the whole point.

Some of you already know this,

but for those who don't,

I'm working on an adult colouring book!!

Along with 5 other fabulous artists,

the book, called COLOR FOR CLARITY,

should be out in the world this November!

You can click here

to find out more

and don't forget to sign up

so you can get updates on where 

and when the book will be available.

We all have different styles,

so it's gonna be a great variety.

Every page has a quote or a question,

to encourage self discovery

and hopefully help you realize

that you have the potential

within yourself

to become who you want.

We tend to forget this, don't we?

We rely too much on outsiders

to teach us about our own worthiness.

I certainly hope that those who buy the book

have as much fun colouring the drawings

as I had in making them.

Such a fun project to work on.

Basically, it all happened very fast,

but sometimes, 

those are the best kinds of projects.

The kind that are unplanned.

No time to worry.

Right after I said YES

I knew it was the right decision.

We all had to develop several drawings

in a short amount of time,

but it's all coming together

and the work is amazing.

I cannot wait to color in it myself.

The wonderful Kristal Norton

is driving the bus on this one.

You can find her here.

Thanks to her genius organizational skills,

we are working together on a common goal,

from different parts of the world,

and she makes it feel easy. 

So besides that,
I've been painting here & there
whenever I get the chance.

When we went to New York last year in September,
I took a quick pic of these beautiful orchids 
we had in our hotel room,
with a card that said WELCOME!

I was really having problems

with the leaves & the pot on this one...

so what do you do when

there's part of the painting

that just doesn't seem to be working?

You remove it!
:)
Some will say *that's cheating*!
But i don't listen to those people,
and you shouldn't either.
Do what you gotta do
to feel good about the painting.
Or at least not to hate it.
I hated it with the leaves & pot.

I don't hate it so much anymore,
although i don't know why i added the words...
looks like something you could buy
at Walmart. Not good. ;)

Far from my greatest work,
but hey - win some, lose some.
The colours are off in the 1st few pics,
but you can see the actual color here.
i'm liking the teal these days. :)  

I drew this the other day
when we lost power for a few hours...
with no lights, no TV, no computer...
What a better time
than to draw something
by the light of the window?

Coloured pencils on paper.

This little bird urn holds my mom's ashes...

She loved birds. :)

A quick painting (acrylic on paper)...

I ordered these prints from Vistaprint the other day.
They had a sale on posters.
Something like $30 for 10 posters (11 x 14 or 28 x 35.5cm)
Next time, I'll order thicker paper
but other than that, quality is good.

It's a water-colour i did of Steve Jobs a while back...

and i love his 'here's to the crazy ones' quote.

These will be for sale in my Etsy shop

within the next week or so.

The ring around the sun, a day before
the torrential downpour we had the other day.

And of course,
you know I can't end a post
without sharing a few pics
of the sand and the sea... :)

 seagulls in a row

 ...and a more daring seagull. 
Maybe he thought I had fries. :)

wide open space... and sky. 

Warmer than usual for this time of the year for us. 

(like 75 F)

And skies like this
always make me feel
like i'm part of something grand
and that the real miracle of life
is the fact that I am here AT ALL.
If it all ends when I die
I'm ok with this
because I get to see
skies like this while I am here.
xx