A New Hello!

Often to get to a different perspective something has to change.  Getting arthritis in my hands was a big change that included a number of endings.  In order for me to move past the self pity and entropy I was swimming in I had to question and make shifts in strongly held beliefs.
I found out very quickly how strongly my sense of meaning was tied to what I was able to DO: drawing, painting, cleaning, cooking, gardening (all activities that I needed my hands for) and was not very connected to who I am.
I will be writing more in the coming weeks about this Grace Filled process of discovery and sharing how in the midst of changes it became very clear to me that mysterious creative process is always present and available.
I have been doing different types of art:

And have been rediscovering creating out of love rather than to get love.

My arthritis is healing and that too involved a significant change in diet.  If anyone is interested in the diet that has been helping me it is called the GAPS diet.

If you are brave

enough to say

goodbye, life will

reward you with

a new hello

-Paulo Coehlo

 

 

Inspired by Kindness

I received an e-mail from Robyn Gordon  her blog: Art Propelled and her art are a deep source of inspiration and 'awe' for me.  There are times when someone reaches out and it is just at the time a 'lifesaver' is needed.  I was needing a 'hand' when Robyn's kind e-mail arrived letting me know that she too had addressed dealing with arthritis.   
Look at one of Robyn's amazing Niche Carvings:

Here is a stunning Tribal Door that she carved:

 

I encourage you to look at both her website (attached to her name above) and her blog. 

I am a bit embarrassed to share the art I made for myself to remind me how important words of kindness are and yet here is my work sparked by Robyn titled: Inspired by Kindness

 

 

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. ~Leo Buscaglia

 

What will our children do in the morning if they do not see us fly? - Rumi

 

These are some pages from one of my art journals.  This is a new approach for me inspired by  

 Matisse who described his paper cut out process as "drawing with scissors" explaining: "Paper cutouts allow me to draw in color, I see it as a simplification. Instead of drawing the contour and putting color into it--one modifying the other--I draw directly in color." 

 I used loose watercolors in the background and then cut out past drawings and glued them on.  This was wonderfully fun! 

 

 

"Creativity takes Courage"  H. Matisse

Reminders of Summer

The last Monarch Butterfly of the summer: 

I will be taking a blogging break for an unknown period of time.  Thank you for all of your support. 

Is it possible to make a living by simply watching light?" - Terry Tempest Williams

"Is it possible to make a living by simply watching light? Monet did. Vermeer did. I believe Vincent did too. They painted light in order to witness the dance between revelation and concealment, exposure and darkness. "  - Terry Tempest Williams

 

 

The beauty of nature reflected in art is just another reminder of our need to protect it.

An interesting 'green' alternative to shopping is the 'Swap don't Shop' movement.  I heard about it through  The Nature Conservancy and find it inspiring.  This kind of movement is happening all around the country in all kinds of communities.  Swapping is a sustainable idea that will help our planet.  All kinds of things can be swapped, clothes are probably the most common (the average American throws 68lbs of clothing and textiles into the land fill EVERY YEAR!) but garden surplus, eggs, milk, art, dishes, tools, and many other items could be swapped.
So many of the choices we make have a major impact on the planet.  This means that there are Eco-friendly changes that we can make everyday that can have a lasting healthy effect.
Hosting a 'Swap don't Shop' party is one way to be an everyday environmentalist.

"....Because He Loved the Sky...." - Brenda Ueland

A book I go back to over and over again for support and inspiration is called, "If You Want to Write" by Brenda Ueland.  I think the title could be, "If You Want to Create Art of any kind."  I just substitute the word 'write' for 'art' when I read this book.  Here is a passage from this book:
The author writes......
".......the moment I read Van Gogh's letter I knew what art was, and the creative impulse. It is a feeling of love and enthusiasm for something, and in a direct, simple, passionate and true way, you try to show this beauty in things to others, by drawing it. And Van Gogh's little drawing on the cheap note paper was a work of art because he loved the sky and the frail lamppost against it so seriously that he made the drawing with the most exquisite conscientiousness and care. ”
- Brenda Ueland (from If Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit)

Perhaps anytime we do something from a place of love we are contributing 'art' to this fragile home we call earth.

“We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry.” E.B White

These are some small mixed media paintings I am selling at "Dino's" in Loch Lomond, CA.  Dino's is a wonderful Deli and market where you can get freshly made sandwiches, salads, drinks and much more.  Loch Lomond is in Northern California a beautiful pine tree filled rural area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creating an Atmosphere

"Every person, from morning till evening, is making invisible forms in space by what he says.  He is creating invisible vibrations around him, and so he is creating an atmosphere."
-Hazrat Inayat Khan

May the colorful beauty of nature fill your heart

I am moved by all the colors around me, sunflowers, hummingbirds, sunrise and sunsets, pine trees, butterflys, honeybees.....the colors in this world are amazing.

"I thank you God for this most amazing day"

“I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.”
- ee Cummings

Garden Art

I decided to make some paintings for one of our outside garden fences:

my loving garden art helper

Let's Start Our Days With Kindness

I rescued Raven when she was approximately a year old (perhaps a bit younger) and often wondered what she was like as a puppy.  This painting is one of my tributes to Raven and how I imagine her as a puppy!  She starts my days out with her love and kindness so I titled this painting, "Starting Our Days with Kindness."

Horses lend us the wings we lack.

The power, grace and beauty of a horse....what joy!

Rock Collecting

Raven and I went rock collecting:

The above image was taken after we had found the rocks we wanted.  Raven does actually bring rocks to me with the hopes that I will throw them for her to retreive!

These were a lot of fun to paint:

Inspired by Flowers

We are continuing to have an amazing array of blooming wildflowers this year.  Gazing at them often brings tears to my eyes.

"Gratefulness is heaven itself." - William Blake

I am grateful to be participating in the creative process....making some bird houses:

a small Luna moth painting:

another bird house:

A wonderful day!

"I am sure there is magic in everything" - Frances H. Burnett

Moths are magical creatures to me and they are appearing in my art!

White Moth, flutter off:
fly back into
my breast now
Quickly, my own soul!

- Wafu-

Won't you come into the garden? I would like my roses to see you. - Richard B Sheridan

I picked one rose from my garden today.  Here is a photo of it in front of a painting I am currently working on:

Here are some images I painted inspired by the same rose bush:

Another photo of today's rose:

Love this quote from Abraham Lincoln:
"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."

Sweet Wild Song

I have been watching the birds at our feeders and water fountains.  They each have such different personalities.  This is inspired by a kingfisher and the patience it must take to sit on a nest.