Early birthday gift

This is an early birthday gift from me to me! I am joking.... my birthday is in November, way to early to think about now, but it did take me a very long time (10 years!) to give myself a permission to have a real easel, so it feels like a real gift. Many times I painted something that looked ok to me while on the table, but the moment I put it in a vertical position - it was all wrong. A good example is the angel that's peeking at the top of my easel (and is going to be painted over as soon as I can get to it). 

I purchased the easel through Amazon and couldn't be happier - it came in two days, fully assembled! It is very sturdy, large enough for big canvases, easy to use and takes really a small amount of space. I thought maybe someone else could benefit from the information, so here is the link.

Happy creating!

A new painting

Trees are flowering. Hello February!

Letting go

It is said that we paint ourselves over and over and over again. If it is so, then this is the most true self-portrait I ever painted. I don't mean the physical resemblance (far off, and I didn't even try). More that it is a true portrait of my feelings. It is also the favorite thing I painted in 2013. Not sure why I didn't show it earlier... maybe because it came from the place we usually guard and keep for ourselves. I took pictures of the process, which I hope you will enjoy. 

-24"x36", mixed media on canvas-

After helping our daughter move far, far away and officially becoming an empty-nester, I tried releasing my emotions through a Flora Bowley way of painting. No thinking, just colors and music and layers... Here are the first stages of the painting.

And then the subconscious started working and she emerged, and the two birds with their beautiful wings spread out were suddenly there too...

I didn't fight it. I knew exactly that I was painting my children, and that it was me there, letting them go, calm and sure, and accepting of the new phase in our lives.

Interesting how those things happen.... It felt good.

When I finished the painting I was completely ok with all of it and ready to celebrate what comes next.

Can you believe that it is the last day of January? Already?

xoxoxoxo

101 BIRDS - Painting #39

I did as I said I would in the previous post. I set the timer for one hour, found a piece of paper that has been pre-cut for my bird series (8"x10") and attacked it. It wasn't difficult to find a reference photo, as walking on this beach is still very fresh in my mind.

I picked these two and did my loose interpretation of the scene.

While I was painting, my dear neighbor was kind to bring me oranges she just picked from her tree, and I couldn't resist snapping a picture to remind me how simple moments like this one make life wonderful :-)

So, this is painting #39. I better speed up with this series, if I ever want to see it finished. Luckily, I enjoy painting birds so much that it shouldn't be a problem.

If you want to see other paintings from my 101 Birds series click here.

xoxo

Scattered....

I have a list of things I want to do - paint my bird series, paint on canvas, try a new technique, open my neglected journal, re-shoot some finished canvases.... and I can't seem to focus on any of those things. Time is slipping by while I read a blog post, click on a link, listen to music, put a load of laundry... YIKES! Why is it sometimes so hard just to pick up the brush and start?

I think I will put a timer on and as soon as I hit "publish" on this post force myself to paint for an hour and see what happens.

Until then, I'll leave you with the last angel I painted last year. Her "sister" sold, so they are not a pair anymore.

January sketches

Hello dear people!

Happy January!

Happy 2014!

 In the last 30 days I barely stepped into my studio. When I did, it was to use it as a storage space, to throw in things that I didn't know where else to put. No surprise then that it looks like a total mess. I have big plans for transforming it into a place where I will, once again, love to come in and paint. I want to let go of supplies that don't serve me anymore, but am afraid to start...

The only art I have to show are these sketches... and they were not done in my studio, but in my lap in the living room :-)

I feel rusty.... not sure where to start, what to paint... Did anyone else have a long pause from art? How are you dealing with it?

In other news - paintings in my etsy shop are 50% off right now. They will stay that way till the end of January, and then I will make some changes there. If you wanted to own one of my pieces, this is probably the best time for it.

Also, my class for Soul Food started today and I am delighted to see that ladies are already inspired to create and show what they made. Here is a snippet of colors we are using in my class.