I have a dream...

We have guided missiles

and misguided men.

- Martin Luther King Jr.

put a little love in your heart...

Yup. It's a big black square.

I used a piece of cardboard from a pizza box

and covered it with black acrylic paint.

Chose a few colours, and started with this...

added a few pencil marks...

covered a few things here and there with white...

flipped it around,

circles, bubbles, dots... ;-)

i was using an older brush when i made these little red marks.
i did them really quickly and once they were done,
i noticed some of them looked like little hearts.

That made me smile. :-)

i actually kinda like it. 
i love the look of layers, one on top of the other.

And this, an inspiring little tip, from Viktor Frankl.

His book, Man's Search for Meaning
is still one of my favourites
even if it's sometimes hard to read.

I have such admiration for people like him,
who not only survive such ordeals,
but who are able to love again
rather than hate,
and spend the rest of their lives
inspiring others to do the same.

Have a happy mid-week everyone.
Thanks for being here...
xox

the difference between dreams that come true, and dreams that don't

A lie can travel half way around the world

while the truth is putting on its shoes.

Charles Spurgeon

It's always so much fun for me to go into my little blue room,
light a candle, put on some music, and paint.

love the name of this one - Tutti Fruitti... yeah.

I'm not the greatest at making marks when i begin a painting.

Mine are usually shapes rather than marks. :-)

a few added red squares and lines of text from a magazine.
I liked the dark blue color...

a bit of black Sharpie marker...

and a bit of white pen and paint.

So much fun to do...

and just for you. :-)

And then something simple and quick in my lovely little yellow book...

with colored pencils.

A gentle little reminder for all of us...

Thank you ALL for your kind words concerning my book.

(and Jez... thank you in particular for all those wonderfully detailed steps!!)

I've often wondered what makes one person's dreams become reality,
while the next person seems stuck in the mud and fails to realize them.

Wanna know what i believe the difference is?

Hard work.

That's it. 

We may think it has to do with money,
or time
or opportunity
or talent
or circumstance
or education...

all of these things may help,
but I believe it has most to do
with a willingness to do the work involved.

J.K. Rowling became a supposed overnight success with the Harry Potter books,
but in reality, it was anything but overnight.

She sat for years in a small café near her home
where she could hardly afford a tea...
and she wrote, and wrote, and wrote.

And we all know what happens when you continue doing something,
day in and day out.... 
you get better at it.

I don't want to say practice makes perfect,
because i don't believe in perfection.

But practice definitely makes "humongous-ly better". ;-)

So yeah, here I am with my little idea for a book,
and i am finally beginning to understand that this is so possible.

They say that if you put things out to the universe,
it gets the ball rolling.

Things start to happen.

I have a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson in my face that i read every day -

Once you make a decision,
the universe conspires to make it happen.

True, yes?

The quote should perhaps be this:

Once you make a decision,

the universe conspires to make it happen -

and then you have to show up for the actual work to be done.

Wishing you all the kind of Saturday you love...

I'm off to do some sketching and take notes for the book... :-)

why words matter...

hello peeps!

I'm back from a few days away 
and looking forward to getting my work done so i can get back
to some serious painting and journaling and blogging again. :-)

My weekend was not as relaxing as i was planning it would be, but still...
family time, book shopping, an outdoor concert, swimming... 
So all in all, it was good for the soul.

A few years back, a good friend of mine gave me this journal book.
Actually, I feel like a teeny bopper when i say this,
but she's my best friend... * hallo Lucille!!*

I wrote in a few of the pages, and then put the book aside.
As weeks passed (and months)... and i forgot about it!

I actually forgot that i had it. 

So now I have this beautiful, almost empty little journal
with quotes on every page to prompt me to CREATE every day. :-)

Feels like Christmas to me. 

The pages are thicker than regular paper, so it holds paint quite well.
So i'll be playing in this little journal for a while...

I've been thinking about this idea for a while now...

We all have that big ass dream in life, right?

We all have that ONE thing we wish we could do,
but somehow never find the time,

the energy,

the money,

the guts,

the *fill in the blank*

For me, it's writing a book.

I know, everyone and their dog has written a book these days it seems,
but still - it's one of my dreams.

ONE of my dreams. ;-)

I've met some pretty damn interesting people in my life,

and they've all taught me something, one way or another.

The girl above and her story are true.

The kind of book i'd love to write

is an illustrated book, with little tidbits of writing and painting

on each page.

Kinda like this one, only more well thought out. :-)

I did this last night as a sample on a small postcard size,

just to get a feel for what it could look like.

Whenever i write anything,

I always wonder whether others will find it interesting or not,

because it's about my life and those i've crossed paths with...

But then i remind myself of the books i've read,

and how i've loved so many that had nothing to do with me.

Shared stories.

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

They remind me of how connected we all are,

regardless of where we live in the world.

How universal so many things are...

like love.

xox

little houses, pépére, and stuff

I've had a few people send me emails lately,

telling me they've had problems leaving comments on my blog.

I've checked my settings & everything looks ok

but who knows...

For those of you who are able to leave comments,

i read them with a smile on my face & tuck them 

safely in my heart. :-)

So here are my little houses...

watercolour & white pen on paper.

I've felt a little stuck in the mud lately.

Maybe i need a trip to Bali, or Australia, or France? 

;-)

I find myself reading my little quotes

more often than usual these days...

needing the extra boost.

This is one of my favorites...

A quote by Steve Jobs and a print by an artist i love

from the Boston area, Mae Chevrette.

Check her out here.

I think it's important to feel inspired in our work spaces.

I try to surround myself with a few things 

that inspire me - this being one of them.

My grandfather made this years ago,

carved in one piece of wood,

and he was so proud of the fact

that he didn't cut or glue anything together.

Like many others of his generation

he had very little education.

He couldn't read or write,

but he worked hard his entire life

and provided for his family - 13 children.

I have memories of my grandmother

sitting at the kitchen table with him

trying to teach him to read.

He spent any spare time he had in his basement,

carving wood. 

He had carved an entire little village down there,

with horse drawn carriages and houses and churches

and fences and roads...

When he died years ago,

I inherited this.

More precious to me than gold

because it reminds me of who he was, at heart.

An artist.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Do at least one thing that you love.

Celebrate the fact that you are an artist.

The world needs more of us.

:-)

OMG!!

I'm so friggin' excited about this, i'm not even waiting till tomorrow to post.

A few weeks ago, i bought this mini poster on ETSY (this 8x10 was $20),

by artist extraordinaire Mae Chevrette. I think it's important to support one another as artists, and

I love how she combines photography, typography and painting to make these fabulous posters.

It came in the mail today, and it's going on my wall tomorrow. :-)

Another great quote by Steve Jobs.

Don't you love it?!?