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!

Vacation time!

Hi bloggers, I'm getting ready to go on a two week vacation.
My sister treated me to my first manicure/pedicure today...yes I am a girly girl who has never had a manicure, lol!
We have a few more things to take care of, then it's off to sunny Greece!
I will be checking in while away, but not sure how much time I will have. I would love to show some photos, we will see though.

I thought I would leave you with this cute Youtube video that was forwarded to me. Check out how this couple decided to walk down the isle on their wedding day. Enjoy!

Rain Rain Go Away!

What is with this lousy weather? The entire weekend has been rainy, or ready to rain.
In fact,the entire season has been like this, and every once in a while, we get to see a few minutes of sun! (insert sarcasm here). Since I can't do anything about this, I may as well make the best of it. Hey, at least it keeps me inside where I can paint or draw :-)
Believe me, it is not easy to look on the bright side, when I love summer. However, in one week, I am off to Greece, for a well deserved vacation. I haven't been in 9 years!

From the time I decided to go, I had 2 months to get in shape. No problem, I thought! I would do yoga, go to the gym, swim, walk, and watch my diet. Well, you can guess where this is going right? haha! not a chance...I swear this was easier to do when I was younger. Now I understand why women complain about that stubborn belly fat! I thought it would melt off with a bit of exercise, and salads every day. Oh well, I will keep reminding myself that my relatives love me no matter what I look like in a bikini, lol!

Speaking of salads, I thought I'd share one of my favorite ones with you. It is delicious, easy and healthy.

Pink's Berrylicious Salad

Spinach or a mix of baby greens
Slices of yellow pepper
Sliced vidalia onion (adds interest, but not necessary)
Any, or all of the following: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, tangerine slices
Any of the following: walnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pecans
Dried cranberries
A wee bit of Brie cheese for protein, and because its good! (goat cheese works as well)

Dressing: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, raspberry vinaigrette (or your fave fruity salad dressing)

The dressing is really simple. Add olive oil to the greens, peppers and vidalia. Don't be stingy with the olive oil, its good for you :-)
Then add balsamic vinegar to taste, and mix well. Then add some of the raspberry vinaigrette for sweetness. Now toss in your fruits, nuts, cranberries and cheese, and enjoy!

Avocado and dried fruit are also nice in this.

Ok, must get back to painting :-D

If not now, when?

That question is directed at anyone who tends to postpone or procrastinate their life away. I went looking through my piles of art related stuff and came across a painting on a vintage page I did maybe a year or so ago. It was not very well done, it was an experiment, but I had wanted to start a new series. Well, that obviously didn't happen, lol! Until this weekend that is...I found it, and asked myself one of my favorite questions when I find myself putting off things that need to be done..'if not now, when?'. So I sat down and created a few of my girls, on beautiful old book pages.



There is an assumption that we have all the time in the world, when the truth is, it can be gone in a second. Instead of living in fear of that thought, it serves us well to remember that nothing is promised. So let's commit to looking at our excuses for not doing the things we want to do. If you hear that evil little excuse that says you don't have time, ask yourself, is this true? Sometimes we don't have time, it happens, don't beat yourself up for that. Life can be hectic, especially for those of you with children. You may have to sacrifice temporarily, until things settle down, and they will. But don't put things off until it is too late. If you have a passion for something, fit in a few moments a day working towards it. I cannot stress enough to people how important it is to add some joy to your life every day. Do one little thing that feels good, even if it is simply sitting quietly by a sunny window, enjoying a cup of your favorite beverage.

Creating art makes me happy, and this weekend, I fought those excuses, and got to work. I ended up with lots of new art, and a feeling of accomplishment. Tomorrow, I will have to fight procrastination again, but if I keep painting daily, it will become a habit, and then the excuses will become so quiet, they may as well not exist. At least I'm hoping :-D
Have a wonderful day!

Illustration Friday - Hollow

We are the hollow men....
is the first line from T.S. Elliot's poem titled 'The hollow men'. This week's Illustration Friday topic was a tough one for me to illustrate. I had a hard time deciding how to show 'hollow, so I went with this quick sketch, and I mean 'quick' sketch. This will never be mistaken for fine art, haha!
I made a commitment to attempt each weeks theme, and I wasn't about to be beaten by a little word.
So here are my 'hollow' men (and one woman) trudging off to work.

New Art, and other news

I love cupcakes!! so naturally I had to do a painting praising them :-D

Today I finally got around to updating my Etsy shop, it was getting quite stale. It's been a busy few weeks, and I feel pulled in many directions, which I am sure many of you understand. There is so much to do, and focusing on one thing is a problem.

This weeks word for Illustration Friday is 'hollow' and I was hoping to have something to submit, but this one has me stumped. If nothing comes to mind, I may have to pass.

Now for some good news (for me at least)...one of my prints made it to the July issue of 'Pregnancy and Newborn' magazine! What a great feeling to open up this magazine, and see my American Beauty print!
Here is a pic of the page, and the magazine. I'd like to say thanks again to Shea, for choosing my little American gal.




That's it for tonight, I have some new ACEO mermaids I finished today, but I will have to show them another day...thanks for reading my blog dear friends :-)

Illustration Friday - Shaky

This weeks topic for Illustration Friday is the word 'shaky'. It took me a while to figure out how to illustrate this one, but eventually came up with this quick little drawing showing how some of us would feel if we didn't get our morning coffee.

I would recommend joining Illustration Friday, it forces you to stretch yourself artistically. This is out of my comfort zone, but maybe if I stick with it, the ideas will come much easier. It's also a good way to kick your butt if you find yourself in a slump :-)

Happy 4th of July!!

It's been a while since I picked up my paints,(not including my journal page posted last week) so I finally started this one last night, in honor of Independence Day, and refused to go to bed till it was done. I had planned to do this one as well as one for Canada Day on July 1st, which I never got done - Sorry to my Canadian friends :-(
Just call it good old fashion procrastination, or fear, you choose, lol!

Anyway, my sister likes her except for the pink background, so what do you all think? Should I add touches of cream paint to make the pink not so obvious? or leave it?

Today is the first time I can see the blue sky, we've had such a crappy last week, with thick grey clouds and rain, so I'm off to the market to enjoy the sunshine.
Have a safe and happy weekend everyone!!

Illustration Friday - Worn

I've been wanting to join 'Illustration Friday' for a while now, and finally did. The word for this week is 'worn' and this is my interpretation. It is a small mixed media drawing in my art journal.

The first idea that came to my mind for this weeks topic was a young woman worn out by life. It was only after I finished, that I noticed what the collage paper used on her dress said. Very appropriate :--D

Back to Art

Hello everyone! This is just a quick update. Shining Star is one of my last folk art paintings, finished a couple of weeks ago. The second one, is still unfinished as I can't stand her face! so will have to redo it.
Tonight I finally got off my lazy butt and attempted to finish a background I am working on in one of my classes. I'm already behind in the lessons! (I'm taking Julie Prichard's Layer love to improve my backgrounds, and because it's fun!)

I just finished a coffee and the biggest biscotti you have ever seen, so I feel a bit sluggish. Darn those sugar cravings! I couldn't just have half, no, I went to the freezer and removed the other half. This is a short update because I am going to be walking my parent's beagle tonight, they are on vacation for 2 months, so I am the lucky one who gets a very energetic 8 month old puppy. Maybe I can burn off those calories, lol!

Thats it for now, I'm putting on my running shoes, and preparing to be dragged behind a super hyper dog, help!!

Sweet Caroline, the Raccoon

Last night me and a friend went to visit one of her relatives, who had raised a raccoon by hand since it was a baby. Of course it now lives in the wild, however,Caroline the raccoon comes by the house every night after dark, to enjoy the treats left out for her. She is a playful little critter, and after she ate her peanuts, she proceeded to wrestle with my pant legs, play with the dogs, and stuck her face right up to mine! I had this tiny fear in the back of my head saying what if she bites my nose, haha! but she didn't. We fed her marshmallows that she loved, and I got to snap a few photos as well. What an interesting experience! Her hands are just like a human's and she showed no fear when she saw us strangers.


She loves to get belly rubs :-D


Then when driving home a little after midnight to the city we live in, would you believe a raccoon ran across the road in front of us? what are the chances of that?

I thought I'd mention that some Etsy sellers are having a Treasure Hunt on Monday, in which you may be able to win some ACEO cards. I am not part of it due to timing issues, but I think it's a great idea. Take a look at Pam's blog here on Monday: http://alwaysartistic.blogspot.com/

Red White and True

Here is my latest little yankee girl. I think I am still sad at selling the one I did last year, lol! or maybe it's the fact that I love all things Americana. There is another one coming soon, that I planned out in my sketchbook. I find it strange that as much as I may love an idea I have sketched out, it could take days or weeks to sit down and do it. And yet, the minute I put paint to canvas, I don't want to stop until it is done. I wonder why the resistance?

Maybe I should re-read 'The War of Art' by Steven Pressfield , which I would highly recommend to any of you artists, or writers who may find yourself blocked. He said something that rang true for me, that the thing that you most need to do is the thing you resist the most. I know exactly what that is for me: anatomy. I dread studying this, and keep postponing it, even though it must be done if I expect to become a better artist. I made a promise to myself that as soon as the weather gets better here, I will take my sketchbook and instruction books outside, and get to work.

I will never be a realistic artist, it's not my style. I love whimsical and folk art too much! But any time you improve yourself, it can't help but show up in your work.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this, as I have discussed it with a fellow artist and friend. She disagrees with me, and says to throw away the books and learn by doing.
Do you think it is better to jump in, paint, and let your art go where it wants to? Or do you like using books and classes to learn new things?
I believe your style evolves by 'doing' however, I also think it is always a good idea to be aware of certain techniques that you will only learn from other sources.
What do you all think? Feel free to share your favorite books too :-)

Carnival love

As I mentioned in my previous post, an old friend came to visit, and instead of going for lunch then heading for the mall I had something else in mind...

Since I was a child I have loved traveling carnivals. I remember how excited me and my best friend Christine would get when they were in town. The two of us would walk downtown and spend the day there playing games, eating cotton candy, and enjoying all the rides. Our parents had no fear of letting us go anywhere ourselves back then, times were different. I am so grateful to have been a child of the 70's, when you didn't have a cell phone attached to you at all times, and your summers were spent outdoors playing with your friends, not instant messaging them.
Here I go getting carried away again, lol!


So I asked my friend if she would mind if we stopped by the carnival for a bit, and she agreed. I took my camera since this was the perfect opportunity to get some reference photos for possible artwork. My pictures didn't turn out that great, thanks to some huge dark clouds rolling in, but at least a few turned out ok. It was nice to walk around and see all the bright gaudy colors of the rides, and see children enjoying themselves. Then we did what big girls do, and headed to the mall, haha!

It is now Sunday night, and I had a busy weekend. Not much time for art, although I managed to finish one folk art painting. I just got back from the movies, where I saw 'Drag me to hell'. We expected it to be a scary movie, instead it was a comedy, although I'm not sure it was supposed to be. On the way home we stopped at a video store, where I found the first season of 'The Tudors' for $12!

Then I checked my blog and see that I was given 'one lovely blog award' by sweet Carole
at Art Plus. As with the other blog awards I've received, I don't feel right picking who to award these to. There are too many worthy blogs, and I can't choose, so I will graciously say thank you for thinking of me.