creating.....

i have not been that arty here for a while.

travelling can keep one busy

yet all the while i have been so super inspired

and now the exciting part for me is that i get to hang out with my kids, and be creative....

i don't have to go to a job, i don't have to meet schedules, no drop-offs or pick-ups.

playing games and searching for gorgeousness everywhere.

of course anyone can do this.

lots of people do, just where they are.

but there is something to having fresh eyes in a foreign place and see things for the first time.

so these are the images that have been uncovered along the way.....

She offers peace & guidance. Calm & surrender.

I love going into the old churches.

You just never know what amazingness will be in there.

We find ourselves going to churches, often on a sunday, on our way to the markets.

We don't stay for the service, however we give thanks.

I have a sense that the divine is caring for us during this grand adventure.

Some our games are about seeking signs to see if we are on the right path.

Regardless of what the signs are, i know we are.

We look to the streets, the skies and smells to lead us to our next adventure, meal or destination.

 When walking in the main square we discovered these little lights. 

They are not just lights, they are pretty, stencilled with snowflakes.

I love this.

A star sign brass mural on the ground near by has a similar detail.

A speck of green glass, washed up on the edge from the ocean of cafes.

My feet were happy to stand close to a heart, left by a recent wedding party.

They do this crazy (loud) thing here that if you are on your way to a wedding, 

you toot your car horn as you drive through the streets. At first we thought there were lots of angry, impatient drivers. We have learnt to expect tooting most weekends. "Wedding" we chorus.

 So this what my paintings are looking like lately.

I am doing some online activities to give me ideas, focus & tasks to complete.

Cultivating Courage, 

to acknowledge the brave, ordinary things we are doing.

 Words of Me Project for October2012

word for week1 is Courage

serendipity?

 We have shopped at the 2nd hand stores, markets for old books, music manuscripts & magazines.

We cut, collage, paste, then paint & colour. 

The word for me this year is BLOOM.

so here i am in France, blooming...

listening to this right now

sparkle & twirl*

Feeling Brave….

Its school holidays and we went off to see the latest kid flix. 

Lucky i love 'em, cause they are the main kinds of movies i get to see these days. 

This one is wonderful. Mystical, fierce and heart-centered. The best kind. 

Last movie i loved like this was Tangled and you can see what i thought of that here.

The highlight for me was the Pixar short movie "La Luna" before the feature began.

 Simply took my breath away. Who thinks of this stuff? Such gentle imagination.

These films are for boys and girls alike. For us Mums we get to escape and open our  childlike-wonder, suspend our disbelief. And for a while in a dark theatre with our children beside us we too are riding horses, following sprites and imagining it is all possible. I love it. 

N.B.There are some big bear growls, so little ones might like to wait for the DVD. 

I have not been in this blog space for a while. 

I am in my life, fully, messily, hopefully and consciously. 

I am practicing my painting, being tender-hearted and being a student. 

I miss the wonderful stories, connections and inspiration but am glad for some distance. 

I will check on you from time to time, so keep well, be brave and practice tenderness.

 my latest Princesses

 work in progress 

Being brave is something that takes lots of practice. Like anything we get better at it with practice.

 It takes courage to be brave everyday in little ways. 

Trust, faith and openness need perseverence. 

Vulnerability, curiosity and playfulness require a gentle braveness.

 Little steps each day. 

Be brave and feel amazing.

Change Your Fate….

Sparkle & Twirl

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How to paint a girl…...

I took Juliette Crane's e-course "How to paint a Girl". I have admired her style for a while now. Although i did the class months ago this week i was sick in bed and re-watched her painting. I can only highly recommend this generous lady's class.
Do yourself a favour. I'm glad i did.

I ask you is there anything more relaxing than watching someones painting process, with lovely music soundtrack and seeing the creation of a gorgeous piece? Doing your own comes close. But learning is great, too.

Although at this stage i feel like i am copying or imitating her style, i do see how inspiration, plus new technique, plus practice  helps one develop their own style. I have loved the trickiness of trying something new. Got me some new india ink gear. Love.

I once posted i couldn't do faces so i painted the backs of ladies, but i am developing some ways that i really like. Its in the eyes.

So here are some works in process……

 no faces yet

 Little Red

Swirly Joy 

 Miss Skye Blu

Miss Poppy

Miss Boufant

I have enjoyed this playing so much. It has restored me.

I look forward to more learning, finding more of me in my paintings and spreading my wings and soaring with paints.

Thanks JC.

sparkling & twirling….

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She...

 turns six tomorrow.

i painted this for her on the eve of her birthday.

she is so very beautiful. 

quietly spoken.

intelligent.

friendly.

active and the best colour-in-er.

a miracle to me.

i am so blessed to get to be her mum.

she is having a little tea party on the weekend and i thought i would prepare a canvas for her stick little bugs and fairies that she & her friends might like to draw & colour. 

but i love it just the way it is. it will be up to her.

i'll show you next week.

This is so very true...

When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you

If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do

Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing

Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true

by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington

sparkle & twirl

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Looking for little things.....

learning to use the camera and seeing the beauty in the little things around us....

                                     "Looking for little..."

    

      

(click on the title above to see bigger slideshow)

sparkle & twirl

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new year...

...new JOY...

 new year to "BLOOM"

this will be my word, vow & adventure...

 i received some parcels 

filled with such fabulous treasures...

 one had amazon books from my wishlist

 the other was from Pipi 

the gorgeous girls

i encourage you all totreat yourselves to art from the artists around the world

buy art

buy books

 paint with your kids

these are the flowers that my daughter painted for my grandfather

stunning...

our Christmas was light, peace and joy all at once

i wish for you an amazing 2012

let the dragons free

fly

roar

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painting faces.....

i wrote about being inspired the art of artists who paint ladies here.

i love that their face tell a story.

for the longest time i painted ladies without faces.

then for a while i was not painting anything.

*these school holidays i did art lots of art work with my kids.

we shared techniques. my son showed me how he does faces and i copied him.

these paintings are basic.

i am loving the colours and these little faces are only the beginning.

: my son :

: my daughter :

: inspired from watching the Tour de France (and loving it, those cyclists are amazing) :

also i read this today about kindred spirits:

" - some of them you've never met but you know their poems or have read an article about them, or have seen their paintings and you are instantly in tune with them. It's reassuring to know that, no matter how many people don't know who you really are, there are a few who do, a few who seem to live their lives with a sensibility akin to your own, even if you don't actually know each other in the flesh."

by Caroline Jones "through a glass darkly" 2009

i love this, because i feel this way with some artists i have met on line. it seems so strange and yet so real. i often say to someone if i am describing someone whose work i really like ;

"oh, we would be friends if if we knew each other..." or

"she would be our friend if she'd lived near us...".

so is it just a matter of geography who you know? it is mind blowing that we can transcend the limits of the physical world and soar through the net to visit new friends all the time....

so to you, dear friends

i send you happy, chirpy birds

and fields of rainbow coloured poppies....

sparkle & twirl

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breakfast...

citrus...

blueberries...

pancake brunch with friends...

a bike ride in the winter sunshine at the park...

a family painting effort...

still excited about my art journal...

its going to rain for a few days.

we'll be doing more arty stuff here...

sparkle & twirl

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a bright colourful flash....

with a few splashes of paint...

inspiration comes from anywhere. mine came in an email. i tend to sign up to receive emails from inspiring people, you know those newsletters. sometimes i get too many and i unsubscribe from lots of them, because the overload and reading is too much. i know that most are just trying to sell you their stuff. some is annoying, some is fantastic.

so today's email from the Organised Artist Company was the very thing that moved me to get my painting gear out. it has been packed away since before christmas.

i have been NOT creating. but one line made the difference.

"remember: the world needs your art"

having just finished Dream Lab & i have been thinking about some of my stuff differently. interesting & a bit tricky. so this too may have helped.

so i say thank you Samantha Bennett & Brene Brown

where did you find inspiration today?

sparkle & twirl

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whats going on?

school holidays means long busy days and tired nights. i have not been painting much.

have found an old needlepoint piece and i have loved completing that. there is something calming in the repetition of each stitch and knowing what it is going to look like. i feel like a little old lady pulling out my needlepoint and working away while chatting with the women i have caught up with this week. i know a few little old ladies but they don't seem to make handcrafts, they are too busy travelling, socialising and doing other fun stuff.

my heart has been heavy. i tend to be an emotional sponge when stuff happens. i feel too much, i empathise deeply, and although i cope well, i think a lot about how the other person and their loved ones are doing. i am sad that strong women get knocked by ill health. it is such a blessing when we have strong women and sound health. i hope they will be ok. and with whatever comes may the angels make the pain less, the love grow and stronger hearts for us all.

there are times to be busy and times to rest. harmony is there when resistance is given up, control relinquished, and peace is practiced. off to sleep now to be able to wake up and play another day.

happy 1st birthday to my little nephew, may his big brother turn 7 with all the warmest wishes & love from us all. i hope their presents bring fun, their friends and family bring arms full of love and hugs, and cakes to make them squeal with delight.

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The Ladies have it......

I am finding myself getting braver with my art. sharing with strangers. but here's my next thing. i am drawing and painting some new ladies. it comes from doing a brief life drawing class, being inspired by other artists who have ladies of their own in their paintings. the difficulty i have is in capturing faces. my ladies are whispering to me they want to get out, be in the world, on canvas, in watercolour, acrylic (they really don't mind). so to combat my struggles my ladies have no faces, not in a creepy way, but just from the back. could this be it? could it be that simple? is that enough? i can't get past the fact that i love the face. it tells its own story.
these artists are some of my favourites, check them out :
kelly rae,
katherine quinn,
denise daffara,
michelle from pipi lala
these artists have their own styles and truth. i wonder how long it takes for the whispers to become clear pictures in your heart and then onto the page?
in the waiting for the answer, i will keep experimenting and communicating with the whispers from the ladies within. please know i do not have any mental condition that you need to know about(hee hee hee)

dance freely little ladies from where ever you venture from deep within......
i look forward to meeting you and one day seeing your lovely faces.....
being an artist is a bit like becoming a mother. new insight, there. iv'e done that before, so maybe if i apply some nurturing, preparation and love i will birth wonderful new creations.....
will keep you posted...
sparkle & twirl all
*

feeling sparkly & doing some twirls.......

a small (not gr8 reproduction) of a bigger collage i started yesterday.

create. future. be gentle.

i feel happy lots going on (but there always is, right). bubbling new energy, shared wisdom, artistic encouragement abound. i am so blessed.

the opportunity to focus on my art and start thinking about my future and how it might look, is at times, daunting but exciting. by bravely putting my self, my art and my dreams out into the ether reflects my commitment, trust and delight in a possible creative, artistic future.

kelly rae recommends writing a letter to your future self. for the first time in ages i feel i can do this. i have for the last 7weeks immersed in SARK-inspirations which have been thought provoking and challenging, yet so revealing and rewarding.

some lovely encouragement and a new suggestion has me really thinking about being an artist in the world. i have lots to learn, and more to do to make this my future reality, but the alternative, a life without art and creative expression is too difficult and sad to even consider. i know if i stay clear that this is a way i want my life to go then with right intention, attention and self care i just might fill my heart up with all that i desire.

learning to fly a is tricky business, but what a view. off to play like a four year old. lots of tickles and squeezing........ bring on the sound of laughter......

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a new forest speaks....

reminds me of an old forest

new inspiration

thanks to my godmother

*

for my far away friend....

this is for my dear friend

i hope you can feel like this pink lady

floating on blowy , swirly blossoms

cultivate the spirit of the peaceful pink lady

sending you lots of love 

*

painting lots and lots......

am loving the painting i'm doing at the moment

feel overwhelm at my underperformance around my household

.....oh well.......

practicing letting things go even if only 50%

hard 4 me to do

lucky i have this other focus to distract me 

but better do some laundry b4 we run out of jocks

bringing the art back to my heart

good for me

sparkles in sight

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look what i did......

i am so excited with this little painting i call

"hope grows with tears"

kell rae asked for ideas for her new paintings

i was inspired by my contribution

thought i'd see what that looks like to me 

just incase she uses it 

which would be so interesting to see what she would do

but i love this 

so very much

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