Crazy Cats

some days he thinks he's a cat, 

other days he thinks he's 

a famous artist or something. 

 

Mason Jar

my messy mason jar

 

No mud, no lotus

muddy layers, muddy colors, muddy mud.. muddy practice with mud. no mud, no lotus, though.

 

Being Gentle

my morning mantra. sometimes you just have to listen to your body. I turned off my alarm, skipped my morning run, and am just trying to sense into how I feel. I have some coffee to drink, some orders to do, and some laundry to fold, but maybe that's it for the day. maybe I will take a rest day . .

 

Notes from a First Art Show

Notes from a first art show!!

-putting yourself out there, taking things that you have made and displaying them in front of a bunch of strangers and inviting them to judge you is hard. But-

-If you want to do a show, do it, even if you aren't ready for it. Everything is a learning experience! If you do something that doesn't work, you can change it for the next one. Life is a practice, not a perfect performance.

-Setting up is waaayy easier than breaking down!

-Having company (and help) makes it a lot more fun. Dave was with me for the entire morning, and my booth was set up next to my friend and her husband, so I was lucky there and definitely not lonely!

-Seeing people you know at the show is sooo special. Huge smiles and huge hugs make everything better. And if they came specifically to see you, then there aren't even words for how freaking special that is!

-I think there will always be at least one person with a rude, unsolicited opinion. Smiling and wishing them well is the best response, I think. (It's how I handled it, anyway!)

-heartfelt compliments from strangers are one of the best things ever and things you'll keep forever, even if they don't buy anything. A man told me - "you have such a distinctive, recognizable style and your paintings have such happy colors" and I am so treasuring that today!!

-selling a painting is so humbling and moving.

-Doing a 10 mile race the day after an all day show isn't necessarily recommended (but can be fun). 

-being married to someone who is super supportive IS recommended (and can also be fun)

Be Here Now

feeling low today, and there isn't much I can do on days like this except be there with the low feeling. I usually try to chase it away or distract myself but today I am just being there. painted a bit. this is my now.

 

Balance

some days you create masterpieces and some days all you create is mud. it's all about balance. muddy, muddy balance.

 

Breathe

sometimes I need a reminder to just breathe, so I am painting it into a work in progress today ✌🏻

 

Hearts

I have carpet cleaners coming today and a million things to do to get my house ready for them before they get here, but I am painting a little bit instead. Oops, don't tell anyone. Here's some mixed media fun that I am playing with (including some crayon hearts given to me by my 5 year old niece ❤️💚). No idea the direction this painting is going and that's okay..

 

If You Were a Mermaid

If you were a mermaid, you might look like this. 

You might also want me to paint you a body, but you'd have to wait..

 

Art Heals

I woke up today feeling an inexplicable, weird blend of despair and lethargy. I came into my little studio to paint a bit, with no clear goal or idea in mind, and found myself starting to cover an already finished painting with dark, dark gray. I covered almost half of it before I realized what I was doing. To counter it, reached for the white, and ended up painting myself a message. I guess I now know part of what is weighing on me. And what I should focus on today. Doing what I can.

 

Intuitive Painting

when I spread paint around intuitively, without any goal in mind, sometimes even with my eyes closed, I am always amazed by what comes out. this showed up for me this morning and is really speaking to me.

 

Morning Mantra

painting (and burying) a mantra 

into the background of this one today.. 

this one aimed directly at myself 

as I work through some deep shit. 

don't allow your wounds 

to turn you into a person you are not.

 

Namaste

namaste ✌🏻️🙏🏻❤️

Not only am I seeing and honoring the light I see in others, but I am speaking it, too. 

Soo many of us don't know how bright we shine. I see your light and it is beautiful.

be the good

Believe there is good in the world. 
(there is. it’s you and it’s me. let’s go do good.)

Self - love

I am free to love who I am. And so are you. So what are we waiting for? Let's do this.

Work in Progress

A lotus mandala painting in progress, complete with positive affirmations ✌🏻️💕

Creating Peace

I create peace in my mind and in my heart.

This is the affirmation I painted into today's art work. 

Art Journaling

A fun page from my art journal. Today may or may not be spent painting 😍🎨💅🏻💕

Galaxies

Working on painting a galaxy inspired mandala and loving how it is coming along!! 😍