You gotta hand it to Mother Nature…
On the same morning that she gave me this :
(which was supposed to be one to two inches…not !)
she also gave me this :
blooming redder than red in my studio.
Everyday miracles, right, Beautiful Ones ?
I hope you have a happy and miraculous Sunday !
Big Love !
One of the places that brings me the most joy is my studio.
It is in fact the place that I create joy while I joyfully create.
You get it.
I love this space.
I know I am very lucky to have this whole space just for me to create in.
It is a good sized room with a big bay window and patio doors that open onto the back deck.
It is often a real mess, as I have lots of things in process and hate to stop to clean.
But I am as happy as the proverbial “piggy in do-do” in this space anyway…
The top of my paper dresser – 6 drawers filled with paper of all kinds.
The top serves as an altar some days, or extra space to pile things on others…
My bay window filled with plants to give me privacy from the neighbors in the winter .
The hibicus in the blue pot is about 5 years old and has tons of buds on it right now ready to burst !
The 9 foot table expanse is a kitchen counter top resting on two side tables from Ikea.
It always seems to get full of stuff though I have cleaned and organized everything so that everything has a place to go
.
I just have to take the time to put it there after I use it…
which I do about every two weeks, or when I start to feel like I can’t find anything, or when a guest is coming over…
I love the light from and the view onto the back deck but during the winter when the trees are bare, the morning sun is so bright, I can’t see the computer screen or paint at my desk.
I put up two sarongs from Mexico to serve as curtains in the winter but in the summer, I let all the light in. The leaves on the huge maples out side filter it a lot.
Happy artist in the sunlight…
I have a second desk for my computer, printer, full spectrum lamp, and the crazy, kick-ass Bose speakers that David, my gadget man, bought for us recently. I say bought for us, but they hang out here most of the time. Believe me, once you have heard the sound of your favorite tune on Bose speakers, you will have a hard time going back ! Wowza !
Lately, I have been listen to this one, full blast and singing a long…
I have to share my joyful studio garb this morning too.
This is my crazy tunic that was originally all black and from Old Navy.
When I went to Florida in January, Beth, Deb, Debi, Laurie and I did a little project with hand prints in white paint.
There was a lot of white paint left on my hands, and I just couldn’t resist.
I grabbed my own boobs and left these perfect prints on the top.
Deb added some little bits of fabric to the shirt for me and a little sign on the back that reads “beautiful”.
With that top on, black leggings and my worn out old El Naturalista green clogs/slippers,
I feel like me
and I am ready to create…
And create I do…
I always love creating.
My art is the one place where I am really quite fearless and just get into the process completely joyfully.
I rarely have a preconceived notion of what will come.
I just go with the flow.
Sometimes a piece comes out of me
that makes me feel like it is being given to me
by some force Greater than my Self.
The piece I completed this morning was like that.
Looking at this piece fills me with joy.
It makes me feel like I know my Artist Self.
It makes me want to go and create some more ! ;)
Fireflies
– collage/acrylic/watercolor paint on canvas – February, 2011
For more joy sharing, make sure to visit Meri’s Musings !
Happy Thursday, Joyful Ones !
Or how letting go of perfection lead to a perfect walk.
So this morning I knew it was supposed to be nice out. Around 34 degrees, and bright sun, not too much wind.
I though of taking a drive to the beach with Chica.
I thought how good that would be for both of us.
Then I immediately also started the sabotaging self talk, the crazy woman inner dialogue…
“It will be colder at the beach…”
“It is a 30 minute drive and gas prices are so high, especially for my boot-around town Jeep Grand Cherokee…”
“Just get dressed and go”, the voice said.
Started to get dressed…
Feel like a icky frump in puffy layers…
Wondered about what footwear would be best… Maybe I don’t have the right footwear…
Feel the anger that a parka was probably still needed at the beach…and GLOVEs!
“Argh, I just won’t go then !”
“But you really should go…You will feel like crap if you don’t go. I already feel like crap…”
Got dressed in a couple of layers, being followed around by the dog who just knew something was up…
Walked back to the computer instead of to the door…
Dog lies down beside me with a sigh…
Feel guilty about not walking her enough this winter…
“Will surf blogs for awhile then maybe, maybe go…”
Read Cinner’s blog…all about letting go of perfection and how we should stop beating ourselves up about not doing everything “right”, progress instead of perfection…
Write a comment to Cinner, letting her know how inspiring she is, and then decide to just go for a walk.
Not at the scenic beach, but right here, around the neighborhood.
Right Now.
Get bundled up, grab point and shoot camera, some rocks and put the excited pooch on her leash.
Head out. Walk in the street because there are no sidewalks because the city doesn’t bother to clean them off, and there is a lot of ice around.
It was cold.
It was windy.
My legs felt like lead for the first block.
Then, it suddenly got a bit better.
Get to the only park that is cleared for dog walking about three blocks from home.
See a perfectly clear bench waiting for some rocking…
Chica was so happy, sniffing out the news from gossip left behind by the other neighborhood dogs.
After the park, the wind is to my back. I decide to add in a few more blocks.
As Chica is sniffing, I look up.
I see this roof peak against the extreme blue of the sky.
Gorgeous architectural detail on this white house, including two of these stained glass windows. Imagine what the inside looks like ?
I love the sun beam detail on the very top peak…
Keep walking while Chica kept sniffing…
About one block from home, I heard a new sound on the quiet street.
“Tock, tock, tock, tock…”
I looked around, listening and finally located him in this tree that is looking a little worse for wear…
A wood pecker, having breakie.
I was so thrilled to have heard it, found it and then, even capture it on my camera.
I said thanks, and we walked on home.
As I walked up the steps, I remembered the words I had read on Cinner’s blog.
By thinking that the walk had to be “perfect”, ie: at the beach, out of the ordinary, whatever, I almost gave myself enough excuses to not walk at all !
By letting go of the perfection idea, I ended up having 25 minutes of perfect walking,
seeing beauty all around me, giving my somewhat neglected pooch some exercise and doing something good for myself in the process.
Now, that is progress…
for this day, anyway !
Speaking of progress, here is the page I am working on in my journal..
It is turning out so well, I may just have to do it on a canvas instead.
The heart is cut out of a bristol board blotter that I had on my desk for months.
I used it to protect the desk when painting rocks.
Doodles and stuff got added to it…
This morning, I added some TwinklingH20’s to it and cut out this shape.
I like where this is going…
Happy Wednesday, Beautiful Ones !
Live in Choice – Art Journal Page – Feb.21, 2011
Golden acrylics, Twinkle H2O’s (Love them !!!) rubber stamped girl, rubber stamped letters, doodles with India Ink Pitt Pens and white Gel Pen. Collage pieces from blotter paper that has been covering my desk for about 6 months and some old dictionary pages torn up.
I won’t kid you.
This Winter/Blues/SAD/Depression crap is kind of kicking my butt right now.
I do have some really good days,
and even good moments in every bad day.
But man, it is tiring to be coming from a place of climbing up a lot of the time…
Still working hard though,
every day,
to be ok.
(making art helps !!!)
This is my theme song for February 2011.
Thanks, Ingrid.
I hope you are okay or better than okay, Lovely Ones !
Big Love !
drip. drip. drip. drip. drip.
Melting winter frozen-ness.
I wait for Spring’s kiss.
***************************
We have had a few days of such warm and sunny weather for February !
It has been so good for me.
I have been out, soaking it in, breathing deeply, sharing it with friends and basically just loving it !
I said to a friend “ Ah, but this is just a tease !”
My friend replied, “No, not a tease. A promise.”
Loved that !
So while winter may still give us some major blasts of its power,
this sweet promise has melted a big chunk of the ice damn inside me.
Going with that today !
Happy Friday, Beautiful Ones.
Go and check out some more haiku my heart here.
It has been a lovely ride ! I have met some great new bloggers and got to visit some sweet old friends in Blogland and enter their fun giveaways.
My own 4 winners were drawn early this morning from the random generator. And they are :
Pea from Pea’s Corner is the winner of the Winged Love Magnets.
Michelle from My Journey of Hope is the winner of Rainbow Love magnets.
Alice Stroppel of Polymer Clay Etc. is the winner of the orange lavender stuffed Love Bird.
Marie S. from Art from My Heart is the is the winner of the set of 4 Love Is note cards.
I have emails out to all the winners now and hope to be able to send them off their little packages of Love asap.
Thank you so much to Lisa Swifka at Whimsical Bohemian once again for all she does to bring bloggers together in this fun way !
Don’t get me wrong.
I absolutely adore this sweet, sweet, white furry beast .
She is my playmate, my dancing partner, my bum-to-bum napping buddy.
She gives sweet stinky-breath kisses and she is the best dog any one could ever want to share their home with.
I love you, Chica-Lulu !
For some reason however, this winter especially,
I am really, really loving my purring pals too.
Perhaps it is because, like me, they can’t think of anything better than hanging out in a sunbeam in the studio for hours on end.
Or maybe it is their mellow, laid-back cat attitude, with just the occasion “run around the house with a stuffed mouse in your mouth” burst of energy.
Or maybe, it is the way they totally melt, curve themselves into your palm, and completely and utterly bliss out when they are touched by a loving hand.
Whatever it is, my Cats have been bringing me such joy this winter.
And I am soaking it in.
So much so that it popped into my art journal pages yesterday…
(quote by Jean Burden)
I hope you find some purrfect joy today too, Beautiful Ones !
Happy Thursday !
