sketching, organizing and a lesson on Acadians

hi everyone!

I'm posting a little sooner than I expected I would.

When inspired to post - post!

I got this little book for my birthday a month ago.

I'm carrying it around with me as much as I can

and sketching little things here & there.

Sometimes, all you need is a few minutes.

I love contour drawing or "blind" drawing.

That's when you draw something

without looking at the page.

In this case (below), I drew a plant.

Years ago, I taught a few classes at Community College

and whenever I did this exercise with the students,

they would immediately tense up,

as if I had asked them to fly a spaceship.

We have this fear with art about doing it wrong

when in reality,

there IS no wrong in art.

This fear that it might be ugly,

or not as good as the others.

As you can see from the drawing above,

"looking pretty" is not the objective.

The objective, I believe,

is getting over the fear.

And getting over fear of anything

creates confidence.

I have a fear of cleaning.
(giggle...)
This table is in my studio space
and it seems to be piling up with more junk every day.

This is the space I use right now for working.
When I first set up this upstairs loft,
my intention was to use it for painting
but that just never happened.
Not sure why.
The space just didn't feel right
and I always ended up painting in my
small, cozy, blue room on the main floor.
So the loft became a space for my computer and junk.
Lots of junk.
Binders that I've kept for years.
Old magazines & books.
Paper, paper & more paper.
So I decided to sort some things out,
while I have some time to myself this summer.

And of course, what better excuse than to buy another book!

There are some great tips in here,

some of which I have already done,

but most of which I will never do. ;)

With all due respect Marie Kondo,

I won't be de-cluttering my house

while wearing a skirt & blazer,

and I won't be talking to my socks

anytime soon. :)

To each his own.

I totally agree that many of us

have an excessive amount of 'stuff' around the house

and it's important to weed it out now & then.

This book is not only about getting rid of stuff,

but it's about respecting the stuff you have

and keeping ONLY what brings you joy.

Oh my.

How many of the things you own

bring you joy?

How many of those things could you NOT part with?

How many of the clothes you wear

make you happy?

Should it matter?

When your cupboards start to look like this,

yes, it matters.

At least to me it does.

It's only two cupboards,

but this is what i'm tackling next.

When I start feeling like there's too much stuff around me,

i hyperventilate.

I don't watch those hoarder shows on TV

because I feel like I can't breathe.

A few of the books I'm reading lately.

I am loving this one, by Steve Martin.

(yes, the comedian).

And this one...

which I was inspired to read

while painting mom's portrait.

Ironically, I am reading this in English.

(I am Acadian, my mother tongue is french but i read mostly in english)

The Acadians have a rich history.

Long story short, in the 1600's,

the french established a settlement

in the eastern provinces of Canada,

on what is now Nova Scotia & New Brunswick.

By 1755, after more than a century of living

in peace with the Mi'kmaq natives,

over 10,000 Acadians were deported by British soldiers

(with the assistance of Massachusetts)

to different parts of the world,

including the English colonies,

France, Louisiana, the Caribbean, etc.

Thousands died along the voyage,

and thousands more spent years

hiding in the woods,

in hopes of returning to their beloved land someday.

Happily, for hundreds of years after,

carrying on to this day,

Acadians from all around the world

have found their way home again

and the Acadian World Congress,

Le Congrès Mondial Acadien

was established to let the world know

we're still here. :)

It's so important not to hate people

let alone hating them based on

language, race, culture, or religion.

If interested, you can read more about the Acadians here.

And here's a sneak peek at mom's portrait...

almost done.

thanks for hanging out & reading my rants.

Wishing you all a great week.

xx

a mishmash of art, words and snow

Loneliness is the poverty of self;

solitude is the richness of self.

May Sarton

(micron pen and acrylic on paper)

There's a huge difference between being lonely

and being solitary.

I am a solitary person.

I am rarely lonely.

I rather enjoy being alone,

with my books,

and writings

and paintings,

and thoughts.

this doesn't mean i don't enjoy the company of others -

i just more often prefer to be by myself.

I believe (like May Sarton),

that this is often where we find our own richness.

My best writing

or painting

is done when i am alone.

when i am not comparing myself to anyone.

when i am listening to myself

rather than being drowned out

by someone else's voice,

or perspective,

or talent

or genius.

(micron pen on paper)

With the world at our fingertips today,

it is so important as artists

to let ourselves be inspired by others

without letting ourselves be diminished

by everyone else's greatness.

Comparison paralyzes creativity.

So if you are here to make the world a better place,

in your own way,

it cannot be done if you compare yourself to others.

They are they,

and you are you. :-)

we're getting a snowstorm today.

It will be a white christmas after all. :-)

 

And this, a lovely handmade card i got from Lorinda last week...

reminding me that there are better days ahead,

and that love can be expressed in more ways than one.

She actually thanked me for having inspired her.

That just made my heart swell. xox

and speaking of love,
how great is this?!
Check out the bookworm bookmark. :-)

Colouring books i got from Doodlers Anonymous -
drawings done by artists from all over the world.

Love on paper.

i bought them to give as Christmas gifts,
but i think i may need to order a few extras for myself.

You even get a chance to have your doodles in the next book!

how fun are these faces?

oh yeah, i'll need to get extras for myself.

I'm kinda thinking it's a good thing i wrapped them already -

otherwise, i'd be colouring right now. :-)

xox

the only disadvantage of being in the zone

hi everyone!

A quick little painting from last night...

It should actually read:

wings and heart and a good massage will take me home.

:-)

I actually have a kinked neck (and back) from spending

too much time with my head down

working on that last collage. :-(

One of the only disadvantages of being in the zone...

I sometimes start working on a painting on my easel,

and by the time i finish,

the canvas is on the table,

i'm not too sure how it got there

...and my neck hurts. 

So last night, rather than spend 2 hours painting,

i spent about 20 minutes

on this little pink bird. 

I may do a cleaned up version

for my little ETSY shop - we'll see.

And a quick little sketch after the painting...

not sure what i'll do with this - if anything.

Wishing you all a wonderful evening,

and unkinked necks. 

;-)

xoxo

http://legerillustrations.blogspot.ca/2012/07/handwritten-letters-bring-them-back-to.html