sunlight and shadows...

Good morning peeps.

Yesterday on my morning walk, i saw this beauty.

Well, not this exact one - but a blue jay nonetheless.

So last night, i did this -
a quick little pencil sketch in my journal...

Then some watercolour...
Not too happy with what was supposed to look like
sunlight and shadow - especially the top part.

It looks like he's wearing a little blue fur coat. :-)

i kinda like the little legs... :-)

a bit of green for the background,

to make the light on his stomach more obvious.

A bit of writing,
and a photo taken in natural light, this morning.

The writing reads as follows:

During my morning walk,

i saw this. A blue jay.

In mid November.

I watched him for a while

and then continued on my way.

Until I saw a rainbow,

from end to end.

I stood in my tracks,

since the sky was clouded,

but without rain.

And for a moment,

with my eyes towards the skies,

I believed the universe

really was on my side.

*****

I don't always believe the universe is on my side.

Now you know i'm not always the optimist.

And then, my morning green smoothie.

I know, it's not green,

but it's filled with spinach, celery, carrots and berries,

so yeah, it's green to me.

Morning reading...

Some of you may think this is too dark a subject

for morning reading,

but it makes sense to me,

considering my world at this time.

Understanding something often leads to acceptance.

I think we shy away from this too much.

No one is untouched by death,

and yet,

we avoid discussing it

like we avoid the plague.

I believe science and nature

have so much to teach us,

if we're only brave enough

to open our hearts to our surroundings...

love and hugs to all of you.

Thank for sharing this space with me.

xox

Remembering...

hi everyone.

First of all, in honour of all those who have died,

who have served and/or who are still serving...

THANK YOU.

(watercolour on paper, done in 2011)

Another cool, grey Sunday here...

The perfect day for a walk in the trails.

I wake up in the morning not knowing too much
what to do with myself.

My thoughts go immediately to my mother,
who is in a hospital bed, making the most of each moment.

As much as i tell myself that life must go on,
and that i can't be there with her ALL the time,
there's no denying that it's hard sometimes.

So i lace up the sneakers
and find my way outside, where the air is cool
and the dry leaves crinkle under my feet
and with each step I take, 
the heaviness seems to lift from my heart.

And of course, we're all adjusting to this in our own way.

This works for me.
Let others find their own ways...

Some of us grieve quietly,
some of us cry constantly,
some of us cling to the hope that miracles happen,
some of us worry 24-7... (my least favourite way to deal with anything!)

and others, like mom, accept what is and still find a way to be grateful.

Hers is the example i want to follow.

I believe i get my love of writing from her.

Her journal still sits on her table,
by her hospital bed,
and when she is well enough, she writes.

I remember being a young child
and often seeing her write letters at the kitchen table at night
to family and friends who lived far away.

She always had a deep sense of connection to others.
She still does.

It is this sense of connection that gives life meaning.

For me, more often than not,
it is a connection with nature.

Frank Lloyd Wright once said:

I believe in God, only I spell it NATURE.

I totally get this.

So there you have it -

not much art, but a walk in the trails.

There may not be much art here for a while.

I do hope you still visit now and then,

just in case i should happen to paint my masterpiece

and post it one of these days.

Wouldn't want any of you to miss it. ;-)

And on a lighter note,

my messed up, disorganized book shelf on Friday night..

and then... ta-daaaa!

Cleaned up and kinda colour coordinated!
Isn't this so much more fun to look at?!

I liked the living room one so much,
i decided to do the same thing to the smaller bookshelf.

Maybe i've just officially gone off the deep end, who knows. ;-)

I just know it makes me happy when i see all these colours.

Wishing you all a peaceful, healthy Sunday

filled with gratitude.

xox

confidence

We've all had our share of people who question what we do, or why we do it.

We've all seen those strange looks

after we tell them we are artists

as if part of the sentence is missing.

I used to think that art was just for fun.

That the only purpose for art was to make things more beautiful.

This may be true,

but I now know that art is so much more.

It is beauty,

and therapy,

and a way to communicate.

It is the telling of stories

and the sharing of cultures

through image and colour

and composition.

It is emotion expressed.

It is a way out of the darkness.

It heals

and cries

and sets fire to the soul.

It is a beacon

for those who are lost

and home

for those who are found.

It is truth

because it is essentially 

from the heart.

So for all of you out there

who yearn to create or write or sing or play...

and feel somehow intimidated

or shamed

or not "good enough"

Go ahead.

Let it go and make art.

Don't let anyone (or anything) stand in your way.

xoxo

steve jobs (AEDM day 25)

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." - Steve Jobs

Some nights, when i don't feel the most creative, i work on technique.

Found a photo i liked of Steve Jobs...

I use my trusty MICRON pens for a general outline. I'm not a big fan of erasers, except if i'm doing a pencil drawing, and even then - i try to limit my use. At first it's difficult but you'll find that as you practice more & gain confidence with drawing (if it's your thing!), it becomes more comfortable.

Besides, i really like seeing pencil (or pen) lines under the paint. I'm not a big fan of perfection either.

...add a little watercolour (one tone, in this case, blue)

...a little more detail & contrast

...and there you have it. Steve Jobs. 

When i was younger, i used to think that working from a photo was cheating. Key word: younger. :-)

As I mature (giggle...), i'm taking Steve's advice & learning to follow the beat of my own drum.

are you?

(i certainly hope you are...)

xoxo