A little bit of Sunshine

I felt refreshed after my vacation, and after settling in for the last couple of weeks, it is time to get back to business. I have online classes to get caught up in, illustration Friday challenges I would like to take on, and with Halloween and Christmas coming quickly, I must fill my Etsy shop.

Right now there are so many ideas in my sketchbook, I don't know which direction to take. Please tell me I am not alone in wanting to try many types of art. Sometimes I feel like I should focus on developing one recognizable style (not that I can see that happening any time soon, lol!). Since I can't focus on one thing, I noticed a lot of distractions popping up...it seems like there is always something that needs to be taken care of before I sit down and work. The result is not much art being done at the moment, and of course, guilt shows up.

Art can be a sanctuary, a way to leave the mundane world, and live somewhere beautiful, if only for a brief time. I know there are a few of you feeling stressed right now because you can't seem to find time to create. There will always be distractions, and things that come up unexpectedly. Sometimes we must sacrifice our own time to give to others who need us.
Drop the guilt! It doesn't serve us. The best we can do is carve out a few moments for ourselves whenever we can.

There is so much negativity everywhere these days, the media is doing a great job keeping us fearful. I say let's unplug from the news, and spend that time in our art journals, drawing, painting, and journaling our lives. Even if we can only manage 15 minutes, that's 15 minutes of happiness added to the world. Our outside world can only change when we change our inner world. I really believe this.

happy creating!

More Greece pics

*click pictures for bigger view

After looking through the several hundred images I took in Greece, I was disappointed with how few scenery shots I had. Lots of them have people in them, or just don't do the scene justice. I love doorways, and old run down buildings, and if it wasn't for me being shy about photographing them, I would have had so many! It wasn't so bad taking photos in Athens, but in the small villages people were always on their porch, and wherever we went, we were stared at.
look at the little kitten hiding out. The poor thing's mother had died earlier, and he was one of 4 left on their own.


This pic was taken from high on the mountain opposite our beach. On the left hand corner,where you see greenery, is the mountain that had burnt down in 1997.
Reading about the fires in Greece this week made me think back to that time. How sad to think that a lot of the fires are deliberately started.

This was taken on the island Syros. On the boat ride there, I had one of the highlights of my trip. I sat outside on the deck, with the sun beating down on me, and a nice breeze, and sketched. It felt so free, and wonderful, I made sure to enjoy every second of it.

The last picture I will leave you with is a donkey I saw on our walk to the beach. I didn't want to get too close because he was tied to a long rope, and the last thing I wanted was to be drop kicked, haha!

Glad to be home again

hello blogging friends! I am happy to be back from my vacation in Greece. After the summer of constant rain, I really needed to see the sun for a few weeks.

Greece was beautiful as always. As soon as we arrived we headed to the village where some of my relatives live, and after getting our stuff put away in the little guest house we were staying in, headed to the beach. The beach is a 20 minute walk from the house, and on the Aegean Sea. You can see it in the picture below, which was taken from our house.

The first week was so busy, as we headed to Athens for 5 days. We visited the new National Museum, which was incredible! Shopped in Athens, enjoyed greek food, visited the market place of Monesteraki- where we purchased cute touristy gifts, traveled to the island of Syros for an overnight stay, and of course, enjoyed the night life.


The second week we headed back to the village we were staying in, and the remaining vacation was more relaxed. Beach twice a day, lots of food of course, and going to cafes in the evening. Great for the first few days, but I was getting a bit restless without any computer access.
I was hoping to lose some weight from all the exercise, but unfortunately, the bakery near our house was just too tempting. There is nothing as delicious as Greek bread, or pastries.
We were happy to find 3 stray cats where we were staying. There was a mother, and 2 kittens, afraid of humans. With a bit of work, we had them coming when we whistled, and we fed them the whole time we were there. They were filling in quite nicely, and it was sad to leave them to fend for themselves again. I know our relatives thought we were crazy.

Greece is beautiful, but the one thing I had a problem with is the treatment of animals. I can't bear to see stray dogs roaming the streets, dodging cars and uncaring people. Or so many thin, flea infested cats. I can only hope for a new generation of children that understands that we must love all things on this earth if we are to survive.

I took lots of photos, and will put some of them up on my Flickr page, so check back soon if you'd like to see.

As nice as my vacation was, I was so looking forward to coming back home. I love Canada, and wouldn't trade it for anything (well, maybe for California, lol!). I am glad to be home, and look forward to getting out the art supplies, and creating!