how art and Leonard Cohen heal my heart

hello everyone...

I am not a big fan of social media
and neither is this little bird,
even with the tweets. ;-)

This past Sunday was a difficult day,
but when evening came,
along with it came relief
that day would soon turn to night
and night into a new morning.

During the early evening,
I found my way to the blue room,
and played with paints and paper for a while.
(a great remedy for a sad heart)

If i was a doctor,
this is what i would prescribe to patients.
Solitary time
in a room with a view,
pens, paper,
and a box of Crayolas.
Maybe some music.
And some wine. ;-)

I was all over the place
with sketching and collaging and painting.

Like i had a thousand images in my head that wanted out...

Then i opened a book i had nearby
and landed on this page
and it was fucking poetic.
Don't you love it
when something comes together?
When you read something
or see something
or hear something
at what feels like exactly the right time?

Then i read this one...

What do i do?

i paint.

i write.

i listen to Leonard Cohen.

i count my blessings.

i see miracles in the every day.

Not in heaven,

but here.

In the every day.

i light a candle.

i pay attention to my breathing.

i walk along the ocean.
i read.
i remember.

i look at the moon & stars

and consider how minuscule i am

and how vast the universe is

and yet...

and yet.

xox

(what do YOU do?)

it's a bird... it's a plane... WTF is it?

hello everyone!

Last night's painting session

on large poster size paper/bristol board.

Sometimes, i feel like using a larger format,

but i don't really know what i'll be painting

and i never want to waste large canvas

in case it ends up looking like crap.

So i use poster paper. :-)

i started out with finger painting...

again... my fingers

by this stage, i picked up the brush

birds in the forest...
but i hated the left side.
The orange, yellow, greenish part
that looks like there's a tree on fire.

So i decided to add white & texture.
I used a plastic hair curler thing -
one of the many tools i buy at the dollar store
specifically for art textures.

i also use sponges, 
or whatever else i have in the house at the time.

 filled in some spaces with turquoise, black, white...

a close up of the bird...

this was taken this morning,
in natural light.

and look! i added some red.

Making art is a lot about daring to get away 
from our comfort zone, isn't it?

We're tempted to stay
where it's familiar
where we know exactly which color to use,
or which shape to draw.
There's nothing wrong with doing this,
but if you stick with doing this too long,
I believe the art becomes stagnant.
Predictable.
Safe.

It's good to feel scared when making art.
It's good to not always like what you see.
It's good to give ourselves permission to make bad art.
To use unfamiliar colors.
To make a mess.

It's in the MAKING that the magic occurs.

I read a story somewhere about a woman
who was asked by her psychologist to draw something really bad...
to make him a really crappy drawing.

She froze, starring at the blank piece of paper in front of her,
afraid that her drawing wouldn't be bad enough.
(need i tell you that she was a perfectionist?)

So if you want to create something,
but you're afraid it won't measure up...
give yourself permission to suck.
Give yourself permission to make it really bad.

But make it anyway.
You'll be happy you did.

Your heart will be happy too.
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...

a calm, winter walk on the beach...

I need the sea because it teaches me.
Pablo Neruda

let's all go for a walk on the beach this morning, shall we?

My son woke up late, and i had to drive him to school

so i thought i'd take a walk at the beach after i dropped him off.

those who say they only like the beach in the summer
have obviously never been there in the winter...
such a vast beauty.

who doesn't love sand ripples...

and wide open spaces...

and close up sand ripples... ;-)

i had to lay down on the frozen sand for this shot...
you're welcome. ;-)

 just in case i forget where i am...
(yes, that's a beer cap. And yes, it's the Canadian maple leaf...)

washrooms, canteens, souvenir boutiques... 
all closed during the winter months, but still so pretty in the sun.

benches, just waiting for someone... 

another worn out lighthouse...
still beautiful.

The worn out, falling apart things
hold more beauty for me
than the sparkly, shiny things.

and here's my little painting from last night...

a small 6" x 6" - different than what i normally do,

but it felt good to get out of my comfort zone.

not sure what inspired it... 
i just felt very geometric last night, i guess... ;-)

Happy Tuesday, everyone!
xox

blowing bubbles with Gerhard Richter and Dar Willliams

hi everyone!

There is no better way for me to spend an evening

than by painting.

Even when things don't go so well...

(acrylic on small canvas, 6" x 6")

The colors in these pics are way too yellow,

but i'm posting anyway.

I wanted to show how sometimes,

the process doesn't always go so smoothly.

When i was at this stage (above),

i thought the arm was too extended,

and i didn't like the face

so i painted over it.

Then i thought she was leaning forward too much,
and i hated the neck.

fixing or changing things in a painting
is really not that difficult.

You can see where i painted over the face

and the arm again...

At first, it may look messy

but in time, it's all "fix-able"!

If you're not comfortable with something, change it.

It's a painting - not brain surgery. ;-)

Finally coming together for me here...

this is closer to the actual color 
(taken by the window this morning)
although in reality, it's more turquoise than blue.

i love blowing bubbles...

In the springtime, i sit on the front porch
and blow bubbles. I do.

Who said blowing bubbles was uncool after a certain age?

After i painted this, i watched this film
on Gerhard Richter.

I wasn't sure i would like it at first -
to watch a man put paint to a canvas
and then use a squeegee to go over it.

But it's about far more than that...
He is about far more than that.

He can paint things like this:

and like this...

but he chooses to paint this...(below)

because this has more meaning to him

at this time in his life.

It's not about what sells

or what the public expects from him.

it's about what he feels.

This is what fascinates me.

Now that he has the choice

to paint what he wants

he chooses this.

And speaking of feeling,

I'll end with a little video of a song

that i love as much today as i did 10 years ago...

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead.

Thanks for being here...

xox