killing each other sucks

Right after my last post titled "art is my religion",

some fucking yahoo goes into a church in Charleston

and kills 9 innocent people who were praying at the time.

And the world goes round & round...

I am not a religious person,
but if you can't feel safe in a church,
where the hell CAN you feel safe?
The whole thing just makes me sad.
That so many lives are shattered
because one idiot racist decided
he didn't like the idea of black people praying for peace...

 ...a few quick sketches

Whenever I hear news like that,
my mind goes all over the place
and I have a hard time concentrating on one thing.

 ...and of course, i try to sketch how i feel.

 or how I wish things were.

And then i usually try to escape to my happy place,
about 10 minutes from my home.

Dramatic skies and blue ocean
always make me feel grounded again
and bring at least some sense
into my world.

i love when you can't see the line
between ocean and sky.

 ...and then these lovely little reflections in the water

 The setting sun always gives such beautiful light...

Cottages in the mist. :)

And this - Robin Williams' last performance
in a movie called BOULEVARD.
I can't wait to see it,
even if the trailer breaks my fucking heart.

because making art is my religion

The only courage that matters

is the kind that gets you

from one moment to the next.

- Mignon McLaughlin

There's nothing like a quick trip to the hospital

to make me happy to come home.

It was nothing serious -

taking a friend who would not be able to drive back.

But seeing people who are sick

always makes me sad

that so many people are suffering.

It also makes me grateful

for being healthy, and at home.

A bit of sketching on tags again...

I love working with the small size...

and adding a touch of color makes it fun, i think.

When i comes to art supplies,

I'm not big of the idea of buying expensive art supplies

because that would limit art

to those who can afford it

and I think that anyone who wants to make art,

should be able to make art.

I don't like anything that caters

to a chosen few (usually the rich)

like golf

or some art galleries.

:)

I treat myself now and then

to a nice tube of Golden paint,

or a beautiful brush...

but I don't think it's NECESSARY

to have expensive materials

to make good art.

You don't need any fancy paper

(although a drawing pad is always nice!)

Start layering things slowly.
I always start the drawing
with a bit of a contour...

then start adding more color...
lighter at first,
and later you'll go over some areas
to give them more depth.

I used a black crayon & blue one at the end,
to highlight some areas.
As you can see,
I didn't draw the bottle
exactly as it is.
If I'd want the exact bottle,
i'd take a photo. :)

It's a rough drawing,
not meant to be exact
(especially not with wax crayons).
The shape isn't perfect,
the perspective isn't perfect,
the lines are exaggerated,
but it doesn't matter
because it's a DRAWING!

Just the act of sitting down

and making this drawing

made me happy.

I wonder sometimes

why it's so important for me

to inspire others to make art.

I almost feel like the Jehovah's Witness

who comes to my door

wanting to save me... ;)

I always respectfully tell them 

that religion has no place in my life.

And of course,

they are only trying to share their joy,

the same way I am trying to share mine

except they're a bit more pushy about it

by coming to my door

and I usually have to say no more than once. ;)

In a funny way,

I almost feel like a jehovah's witness

when i'm trying to convince you

of the importance of art.

It's my way of trying to save you ALL

from the confines of society.

giggle...

why should it matter to everyone?

I ask myself.

As long as it matters to me.

But it's like someone finding the fountain of youth.

Or the secret to happiness.

Or the path to freedom.

Having found it,  

you want to share it with the world

so that others can feel that same joy.

Art is meditation for me.

It is self discovery.

It is therapy.

It is peace of mind.

It is stress relief.

It is pride.

It is confidence.

It is courage.

It is grounding.

It is clarity.

It is expression.

It is freedom.

That's why I want to share it with you.

That's why I want everyone to connect

with their own creativity -

whether it be in cooking or gardening

or sewing or acting

or writing or singing.

Because it has brought me so much in my life

and who knows?

maybe it could bring you the same.

With everyone and everything

screaming for attention around us these days,

listening to your own voice

and finding your own space to breathe

is more important than ever.

xx

making space for magic

I had three chairs in my house;

one for solitude,

two for friendship,

three for society.

- Henry David Thoreau

I had coffee with a good friend last night.

I don't have many friends,

but the few that I do have,

I hold near & dear to my heart.

Whenever I meet with her,

I always come home feeling energized,

inspired, good about myself.

That's when you know it's a true friend.

The older I get,

the wiser I am about who I choose

to spend time with,

and the less guilty I feel

about distancing myself from certain people.

So I've been cleaning & sorting things out at home...

or at least trying to.

Between walks and painting and reading,

I'm trying to create order where there is chaos

getting rid of clothes that no longer fit me,

giving away things that no longer serve me

and that may be of use to someone else.

It always feels good to give.

During my sorting out paper stuff day,

I found old sketches and scribblings

that i forgot I even had.

...nose & mouth sketches,

when I was teaching the basics of drawing.

...mini watercolor paintings,

of the sea & sky 

...and more of the sea & sand & trees in the winter.

I used to love these simple little watercolors.

When I started watercolor,

this is how I began. 

Small, simple, limited colours.

If any of you out there are itching

to try watercolors,

try starting small.

You may find it far less intimidating

and if you screw up,

it's only a small piece of paper. 

No big deal, right? 

A great way to get comfortable

with this sometimes difficult medium.

And in between the cleaning & sorting out,
I find time for walks in nature.

Always a priority for me.

There is nothing
like the sound of birds chirping
and even the buzzing of bees
after the long winter.

A quick painting on paper -
getting rid of leftover paint. :)

 I didn't like the gloomy blue background...

So I switched it to orange!
(Sorry, i should have told you to get your sunglasses.) 
giggle....

And this wonderful surprise.

I love the art & words of Tommy Kane

and several months ago,

I joined Sketchbook Skool.

Tommy was one of the 6 teachers during one of those weeks,

and I don't remember how this portrait thing happened,

but at the end of the 6 weeks,

a bunch of the students (myself included)

ended up doing his self portrait.

It was so much fun to see all the different styles

from artists all around the world.

The above image is Tommy Kane's blog banner -

and the 1st painting on the left is mine!

I nearly passed out when a fellow blogger

sent me an email to ask me if I had seen my portrait there.

I hadn't.

My portrait of Tommy Kane.

On his banner.

THE Tommy Kane.

Artist extraordinaire.

Holy shit.

It was painted with acrylics on paper.

When I told my friend about this,

(the one I joined for coffee last night!)

she looked at me and said:

NOW do you believe you are good?

ok.

Sometimes now, I do.

But not always.

I still have my doubts.

Every day.

I've just learned to paint anyway -

despite the little voice in my head.

xx