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

Illustration Friday, taxes and the magic of Sharpies

Illustration Friday: SWIMMING.

you just know i'm gonna find a way to include dots in there, right?

I'm squeezing this one in again.

i seem to be on the tail end all the time... ;-)

(digital illustration)

a great little package i got in the mail yesterday...
Something i ordered from ETSY.
Organic Lip Bliss.

They kinda look like little cigars. (giggle)
I thought the packaging was adorable with the flying bird
and just wanted to share.

a little painting i did a while ago...

as a reminder of how boring life could be.

Tax time here in Canada.

Now THIS takes courage.

At least for me. Gathering receipts and invoices is like pulling teeth for me.

Hate it.

So i put some really good music on, some really good coffee on,

and i dive in.

This reminds me that no matter how much fun i have painting,

how much fun it is to write, and read, and go for meditative walks...

i don't live in la la land

and i still have bills to pay.

There are still lots of things about my day

that i really dislike. (ok, hate).

I've just managed to keep them at a minimum

and i make sure to pepper my day

with a lots of good stuff too.

I think we make choices all the time

about whether or not we let things weigh us down.

lord knows we all have reasons to be weighed down sometimes...

 (Sharpie and collage on paper)

this was fun to do last night...

 it actually made me forget about my yucky taxes. (giggle)

Can you tell i look forward to spring at this point?
xox

Linking this to Illustration Friday. 
Check out some of the cool illustrations there...

spring is in the air...

A quick little pencil sketch on canvas paper...

two little love birds (in acrylic paints & micron pens)...

and a curly breeze,

welcoming spring like open arms.

:-)

(Soon to be found in my Etsy shop)

This morning, I took another beautiful walk and since it was low tide,

i made my way towards the seashore.

There's something about the sound

of chirping birds

that just makes my day.

As i walked on the frozen sand

and admired the calm waters,

I stopped for a bit,

to listen to the birds and

watch a few soaring seagulls.

(yes, seagulls soar too, along with the eagles...)

Just then, i heard a sound somewhere behind me

and when i turned around

there stood 3 deer,

watching me.

I've seen many wild animals during my morning walks.

Deer, coyote, pheasants, racoons, eagles, and last winter, a moose.

When i saw the moose in the dead of January,

he was crossing the frozen ice to the other side.

He was quite a distance from me

but still, I turned around

and headed for home. :-)

I love wildlife but the size of a moose

scares me.

I didn't have my camera with me this morning,

but i did have it a while ago

during another morning walk

and took these deer tracks...

a common sight now on the sand.

I somehow think i would just go numb

if i lived in a big, concrete city.

I know there are lots of perks about the city,

but i doubt i'd find them

because i'd be too busy 

looking for trees and the ocean.

Go figure.

xoxo

spring is in the air...

Good morning Munchkins.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

:-)

I'm posting something that i painted a while ago,

since i spent most of my weekend outside

and have very little art to show this morning.

This is the view from our front porch.

That tree you see on the left side

is a lilac tree.

It's nowhere near growing flowers yet,

but soon my friends... soon.

:-)

We could feel spring in the air this weekend

and it was exactly what my body and soul needed.

After a few months of very little sunlight,

it does the body good.

I went for a long walk on the beach with my son yesterday

and we both smiled when we saw the ice breaking free.

Such a welcome sight after months of everything being frozen.

In Eastern Canada,

there are three things that scream SPRING IS HERE!!!

1. taking out the summer furniture...

2. chirping birds...

3. Tim Horton's "roll up the rim" contest. :-)

It's another beautiful day here today.

If all goes well,

i'll finish my work a little early today,

and sit out on those Adirondack chairs

with a good book and a glass of wine.

If all doesn't go well,

i'll just pout.

;-)

Wishing you all a week filled with fun, laughter, and art.

And no pouting.

xoxo

the sapling king...

I found this little tree near a brook by my parents' home. It almost looked brave there in the snow, welcoming spring in its own way. I loved the shadow cast on the snow & the fact that it stood there  - quietly waiting for warmer days. Nature is a wonderful teacher. If only we were all so patient. Most of us don't take the time to observe our surroundings long enough to appreciate such beauty. We rarely even notice the little things, because we're too busy with our to-do lists. We're too busy "DO-ing". Toni Morrison (the author) once asked, "if you thought about your to-do list, about what you needed to do today, and considered only the things you must absolutely do, those things that are crucial in your life, what items on your list would you be left with?"

For me, there are really only a few things I MUST do today, or I will die... :o)

1. be a good mother to my son

2. writing, reading, art

Of course, I also realize that bills need to be paid, so i don't always play. But I make it a point to play as often as I can... and to be a good mother to my son. 

What would you have on your list? :o)