Flying angels, and movies...

Sometimes you go through phases where you just don't feel like doing anything creative. That would be me the last couple of weeks, it doesn't mean I 'm not painting, just that what I do paint isn't turning out how I 'd like. The above angel took me days to complete! I just didn't know what to do with her, so I would do a bit here and there, and would leave it for the next day. She is done now, and I have another 2 paintings on the go, and neither of them are working as imagined. Oh well, guess you got to go with the flow.

This previous week has been a lazy one for me. I watched more TV than the last few months put together! It started with the series 'The Tudors' which I kept reading good things about. I watched the entire series in 2 days! Of course I never miss American Idol, and I watched Grease, Ghost, Music within, and some other forgettable romantic movie....

Last weekend me, my friend, and my sister watched Twilight, which I had been looking forward to for a while now. (I love vampire movies!). I enjoyed it! But I can see another crop of young girls now pining away for moody, sullen boys who are dangerous, and who pretend not to like them. This is how it begins...it happens to a lot of us, we are young, and impressionable, and we get our ideas of how a relationship looks like through movies, and not all of them are good! For most of my life I thought I would find my 'prince charming', you know, the perfect man who understands you. Never happened, I only wish I hadn't wasted all my youth pining over men who never noticed me, lol! Anyway I digress....

After I finish this blog post I will make another cup of coffee and continue working on the 2 new girls I started yesterday. They are not flowing like my usual paintings, I have to think about every step. I won't show a sneak peak right now, however, I will tell you that they are part of a new series titled 'Legends'.
You will see the first one soon, unless I get so fed up I
destroy it :-)

Red hot Frida, and random musings....

Here is the rest of the painting from last week's sneak peek. She is not actually called Red Hot Frida, I just can't think of a name for the painting right now...you can't tell in this pic but that is a crow she holds in her hands, and there is an outline of a bird cage in her skirt. I have never used this much red in a painting, and I really love it! I don't know why I was so afraid to go bold, it seems to work nicely in this painting. I just added a print of her in my Etsy shop.

It's late but I actually have some energy right now, so thought I'd update my blog. I'm so happy that some of you have found last week's health tips useful. I am always willing to expand on a topic, or share more details.

I'd like to mention a group of exercises that I've known about for many years called the 5 Tibetans.
I started doing these again last week, and have felt so much more lively, and more positive. I can't be sure these exercises are the cause, but they are the only thing I have done differently.
These exercises are said to work your whole body, help trim your waist, increase your energy, and so much more. They work because they focus on your spine, which is where your kundalini energy resides. I won't bore you with details, but if you click here , there are some animated instructions that show how to do them. Unfortunately they move pretty fast, but at least you get an idea of what each exercise should look like. Please do not do these if you have any health issues until you speak to your doctor. Always start slow, and listen to your body. Click here for more info from google if this is something you are interested in.
Oh, did I mention they can be done in less than 5 minutes?

Last week I said I would share healthy salad recipe with you, so here it is...there is no 'recipe' you need to follow, but here are the basics, and you adjust as you like.

Main ingredients: raw beets, carrots, radicchio(small red lettuce) parsley, and pineapple chunks. Chop everything, and place in a bowl, then you add as many of the following ingredients as you like: dried cranberries, walnuts, pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds,and pumpkin seeds (I love it sweet so I add dried mango) Sprinkle olive oil on top, stir, then add red wine vinegar, or balsamic (I use a bit of both). Add some feta cheese on top, and finish off with ginger powder.

Super easy! and look at some of the ingredients, they are nutritious powerhouses! I try to make this my main meal a couple of times a week...

that's it for now, I don't want to write a novel, lol! Always happy to hear your thoughts :-)

Yet another Frida....and some health tips...

After last week, I felt like doing another Frida painting, and here is a sneak peak for now...I will put up the rest later in the week. I can't seem to get a good scan of it.

I was hoping to finish a folk art painting tonight. A friend asked me to help her walk 3 dogs, and I thought, why not, the exercise will be good for me too, then I can come home energized, and finish my painting. Well, the dogs ended up walking, or running us, lol! I can barely move, but I have to say it felt so exhilarating to move again. I have been a lazy slug the last few months, but I am ready to re-commit to exercise.

I've always wanted to add some health tips to my blog, rather than just talk art. I want people to take control of their health, and not wait for some time in the 'future' to start...So here are a few things to try out...

First thing I do every morning, and have done for over 10 years, is warm up some water in a kettle - do not let boil, and add 1 teaspoon honey and approx 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar for each mug, and enjoy. There are many benefits to this, as ACV is considered a wonder drug...click here to see some articles on google. I love the taste, and never miss a day. (I use Bragg's brand, but any organic brand found in a health food store should do).

-Walk every day, at least 20 minutes, it is for your heart, and lungs, and keeps your body fluid. More is better, but 20 minutes is a great start. You feel refreshed, and after a bit of time, will most likely notice some weight loss.

-drink more water...here is an idea: Add cut strawberries, raspberries and a slice or two of orange in a big pitcher of water. Just let it steep, and drink it throughout the day.

-get more greens in your diet, preferably local, because they don't need to travel long distances to get to your table. The best thing you can do for your health is to eat more fresh produce, especially a big salad daily.

-eat oatmeal for breakfast. I know someone who works with cosmetic surgeons, and she asked them about their eating habits. Every one of them has steel cut oatmeal for breakfast. These are people who care about skin.
-Here are some suggestions: Steel cut oatmeal is the one you want, or Scottish oatmeal. I cook with half an apple, then add almond milk, cinnamon (helps your blood sugar level),a few walnuts, half a banana, and any berries on hand. Delicious!

-avoid wheat and sugar if you are a woman over 40, it helps cause that lovely jelly belly. Try rye bread instead. If you have a sweet craving, like me most days, I read that a spoon full of peanut butter or any protein cuts the craving. It works for me.

-take your vitamin D! lots of research coming out about the benefits, this is the sun vitamin....we don't get enough of it because we have been told to stay out of the sun. Do some research or ask your doctor how much to take.

-consider using the spice 'turmeric', lots of info about the health benefits, click here to see some google search results I found.

-I almost forgot, get more sleep! It seems obvious, but most people do not get enough sleep at night. I read that it's so important especially if you have stress, and who doesn't.

I see that I could go one for many pages, so I better stop now, lol! If I can find my recipe for a super anti-oxidant salad I will share it later.

feel free to share any health tips you have, we need to start looking after ourselves, and this beautiful body that houses our soul.

blessing!

Finally Frida

I finally finished this painting, which was started two and a half years ago! It was meant to be a Day of the Dead painting. I wish I had taken a photo of what this looked like before I started. It's interesting to see how your style changes over time. This face is much smoother than what I was capable of doing back then. The background, I changed completely, thanks to new techniques I picked up in some classes. Frida is delicate and young looking, and the background is shabby, and grungy. I thought it was a nice contrast. I just put her up for sale in my Etsy shop, as I have too many originals sitting around. Maybe some Frida fan will appreciate her :-D

I had lots more to blog about, but it will have to wait. I'm in the middle of re-organizing my messy art space. It is hard to work on art when there are bits of paper, and all sorts of supplies lying around. Every mixed media artists will understand this :-D

I'm excited about some new folk art paintings I am planning. So many ideas, so little time!

I'd like to give a big thank you to the sweet Stacey, for giving me a Kreativ blogger award! Check out her blog here for a lovely treat.

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend!

The lonely Mermaid

So much for working on my Cinderella painting, I got side tracked :-)
I used to paint mermaids all the time, especially ACEOs, and haven't done one in a while, so here is my latest, a poor lonely mermaid, with no one to play with.

Looking through my unfinished canvases I found a Frida painting I started two Halloweens ago. Back then I was happy with the face, but now it looks too rough. I stopped because I didn't know how to get the background that was in my imagination on the paper. I still can't, I am working on it though. I want to be like those artists that can put so much detail in their art. How do they do it? I wonder if they use reference photos? I'm sure I am not alone when I say this is one of the most frustrating parts of creating art. Your head is filled with beautiful images, but you just don't know how to get them on canvas, so the viewer can see what you see.

Speaking of beautiful images, have you ever been ready to drift off to sleep, when a fantastic image pops into your head? I've had ideas I would never imagine, and wonder, where do they come from?