What Can Come From A Doodle?

I never would of thought so much could come from doodling! I always loved to doodle it was something I just did. I would often doodle when I was on the phone, watching T.V or while sitting in class.  So when my creative coach said to me start doodling everyday I happily began.  I was told just to doodle and not really think much about what I was doodling but just have fun.  I was amazed at what all came about. It went like this:

Day One:  What should I doodle? It should look something? What pictures are coming through in my doodles? What does that look like? Where is the meaning in this? Where is that deep earth shaking revelation? I feel so tense, I am not really having fun, Where do I go next.  I am was amazed at how much pressure I put on myself just to doodle.  I totally ignored the instructions of having fun and well not to think about what I was doodling? It was all I was thinking about.

My 10+year battle of trying to find my style and who I was as an artist was surfacing in my first 10 minutes of doodling.  The need to always try to figure out what I was painting really took away the freedom just to paint,  not to mention fun.  

Day Two-Seven: Continuing on with my doodles I became more aware of my thoughts and realized how much I was creating for others.  Even in my doodles who nobody was really going to see(except my creative coach) I found myself thinking they needed to look a certain way for people to like them.  I was creating for others instead of creating out of what was inside of me.  It kinda goes along with what I always thought and that was you are your very best when you are being you! nobody else but you.

Day eight:  I began my usual doodling but something happened.  I would of missed it except I loved the way it felt when I did it! I was doodling not trying to pay attention too much to what I was doing and all of a sudden one my lines went really kinda funky.  The norm kinda went out the door and I found myself in a whimsical droopy world.  I loved it! That was the beginning to finding my style! My long lost style had been found!

Letting go

40 Begins

Well the day has arrived! the long awaited big 4-0.  I don't know what the big deal is? but somehow I can't help but think 40 is a big deal.  As much as I try to pretend that it's just another Birthday I can't seem to shake the feelings of anticipation, sadness. fear and expectancy.  What a mixed bag of emotions I can feel.  If I search deep inside  I will find that I am sad, sad that my life is probably half over(although you never know) That inside I have so many dreams that have not been fulfilled. That some of the best times in my life have passed and all that is left is a memory.

However I can't help but hope for 40 to be a year that some of my long awaited dreams will begin to unlock.  That this will be year that I will look back on with great delight! because of all the great memories that will occur.

So to celebrate my 40th my thoughtful husband Steve, thought he would arrange for me and him to go on a road trip.  He gave me the keys and said lets just drive and see where we end up.  Total freedom to drive to where I want and no need to return until the next day! wow I can't remember the last time I could do that.  I have alway's been a free spirit, but after having three kids I have been more tied down then ever.  So off we went!

At first I found myself turning down a fimilar road. I went the route that I was used to going for the past  so many years. Was I afraid to try another route?Maybe it was time to go down an unfamiliar route?

Coming up to crossroads I stopped and hesitated to go forward and wondered which way was the best way to go? how many times in life do I stop and get stuck at a crossroad.  Sometimes you just have to make a choice of direction and go! and so I did I chose to turn.  After taking a long scenic tour I ended up in a big circle.  Hmm  there is something to be said about knowing where you are going because you can take a long road to go a short distance.  On the flip side  I would of missed being on a road I have never travelled before and the adventure of it all!  

A little gem on the off beaten path

Onward we go! by this time Me and my navigator are getting pretty hungry, since I had one plan and that was to stop at one of my favorite resturant's for breakfast.  Hungerly we drove up but only to find it closed.  This was the first disappointment of the day, but not the last!

What do you mean it's closed It's my birthday

So continuing on we tried another restaurant that I loved and it too was closed.  So at the point of starving to death we stopped at the nearest pizza place and grabbed a slice. A little different then what I had thought but hey we are going with the flow.

My Navigator Steve giving me full control of the wheel was silent alot but still had a few things to say about getting places.  I realized Steve has a good sense of direction and is needed at times.

So we carried on and saw more scenery along the way. There was a really rare bird that had made a huge nest.  Not sure what it is but kinda cool to capture on camera.

hello strange hawk bird

 Our tour took us up to a small city which we thought we would hang out in and stay the night.  We got out and toured a bit and again to our surprise almost everything was closed. We were able to go to one cool art store and bring some encouragement to a much needed lady. This day wasn't going as planned but wait a minute I didn't have a plan? or did I?

So after exploring the small city a bit we decided to drive somewhere else.  Yes the ride was scenic again but by this point I was looking for some kind of destination to stop at, some kind of purpose to all this driving,  The next place we went to was even less exciting and so we thought we would go back to the small city again and find a place to stay.  Once again to our surprise there was only one really nice place to stay in and it was way out of our price range.  So unsure what to do we started our drive back home.

There was one more place I thought of that I would like to stay at and so we drove up to it to only find a big iron fence surrounding it with a big sign saying closed due to renovations! Another closed door! So we went for dinner and a movie and back to our own bed and three kids!

So what does all this mean? I don't know! maybe it's good to have a plan! Maybe I am not the same person I was when I was 20 and just flew by the seat of my pants.   Maybe there really is more freedom in knowing where you're going than not? As much as I didn't want to have an expectation for the day.  The truth was I did, I did have plans in my heart that I wanted to happen.  Is it wrong to have expectations? I don't think so, as long as we can let go when things may not go as we expected.

I Spy With My Little Eye

A typical April day rain! After being inside so much this winte,  rain isn't going to keep me from venturing outdoors.  Rubber boots, a camera, and what am I missing? The KIDS!  Out we go for a game of I spy with my little eye.

  

But first....let me grab a chair and my tools so that I am ready when inspiration hits me!  Hopefully inspiration comes quickly because it's a little chilly out here.   Eight degrees is not ideal weather to paint in.

Let the game begin!  I spy with my little eye.....

Bright pink, yellow and orange.  Colours that speak to me.  Hello Inspiration.  Now I just need something to paint.

Bright, bold, beautiful colours + faith!
A little message from an angel of faith reminding me that I need faith to step out into the dreams in my heart.  That faith is beautiful, it is bold, and it is bright.  This angel radiates just like faith!

Celebrate Easter

'One more day until Easter mom,' Is what I wake up to this morning.  My cheery Lucy smiles at me from ear to ear.  She is definitely a morning person!  I, not so much, as I roll over in bed.  Trying to catch up to her upbeat, wide awake mood,  I manage a smile more with my eyes then my mouth.  With an agenda in her head, she's already got the day fully planned.  From colouring and decorating the eggs, picking up the Easter treats, and getting an Easter movie to watch, we have a full day ahead.

Easter eggs doodled

But what is Easter to Me?

It is a celebration.

A time to be Happy.

A time to have fun.

To embrace others with love

Mostly Easter is a time where I remember what Jesus did for me on the cross over 2,000 years ago.  We celebrate that Jesus died for us and rose again!  It is a time where I reflect on my own heart and seek God to see if I have any unforgiveness towards anybody in my life.  It is a time to forgive and to bless.

Although I love easter chocolates, colouring eggs with my kids, giving out gifts and eating too much turkey and mashed potatoes,  I do it more because I want to celebrate!  I want to celebrate the best thing that ever has happened to me.........Jesus!

Yes, Lucy.  Only one more day until Easter!  Let the celebrations begin!

Artist at work

Steve's steady hand

Anna-Grace is more interested in drinking the yummy looking water

Trying to keep little hands out of the cups! I gave up, Yellow hands isn't so bad

Anna-Grace: Mission No More White Walls

As I am sure any mom can relate to, there are times in a day when you just long for some peace and quiet.  Having three kids at home, I find there is no lack of noise.  I try to encourage creativity and fun as much as I can, however it often comes with a volume that is off the scale.  So this particular day I wasn't bothered by the lack of noise that was happening in my house.

Now as most mom's would agree, a quiet house with three little ones, should set an inner alarm off.  But instead, I went into overdrive and thought I would begin to multi-task, and I kinda got lost in the moment, only to look up and see that Anna was on a mission:  a marker mission.  Not washable markers I might add (which I have since purchased by the dozens).  This was no undercover mission, as there she was in her everyday wear (diaper, t-shirt, and leotards) with markers in hand, taking out the white wall in my kitchen.  Glancing over at what she was doing, I gasped and yelled, "ANNA"!!!  I kinda had mixed emotions because I was liking the creativity that was coming out of her.  However, the words of my husband were ringing in my ears, "No more paint in the kitchen!", as he took great pride in his nice freshly painted white walls.

She must have enjoyed herself, because since then, she has also tackled missions doorway, bathroom wall, and window ledges.  She doesn't cover her tracks very well through because she always leaves a trail of uncapped markers behind her!  At least paint has not ended up on the walls!  Surprisingly, she likes to keep that on her fingers.  I think it may be time for mission removal:  all art supplies to the studio!

Anna's attempt to bring colour to the walls!

Finger painting

Notice the word washable!!

Embracing Uniqueness

I loved the fact that it wasn't supposed to look like something familiar

The music starts, and I feel my spirit coming alive as I grab for my paint brushes and paints.  It's another night of creativity as our art group 'the Discovery' meets in our studio.  What should I paint tonight? Having no idea or picture in my head, I begin.  That's the way I like it!  Embarking off into the unknown with my paints, not sure what is to come out of me and what lesson may even be awaiting.  I love the adventure of the journey.  I begin with a prayer as I squeeze paints out on my pallet.  A handful of musicians have gathered around and have begun to release a creative sound.  Taking my brush I  dip it in paint and it begins to make its own movements.   For anybody that knows me, you would know that I am not known to have great rhythm if any at all.   But that doesn't matter to me.   I am getting lost in the moment and creating my own rhythm with my paint.   As I paint I see so many parallels to life, and I find there is so much more then just completing a picture.   Painting and creating has become more about the journey and what I learn along the way.   So many times I don't know what the end result of my painting will look like.   I don't know where I am going with it and I can't figure out what it always is.  Kinda like life,  I don't always know what is before me and what the end of each day will look like, but you keep going.   I have found that if you keep going, even when it looks like nothing but a big mess on canvass, something beautiful does come.   The key is not to give up and get discouraged, but rather to see what it is that you can learn in that moment.   There have been many times that what I was painting seemed very ugly to me and I wanted to throw it out.   The more I focused on what I thought was ugly and a mistake, the more my mood changed and the joy of creating left me.

As the music continued I felt a joy bubbling out of me and spilling on my canvass.   It was the joy of embracing my uniqueness.   What I was painting on my canvass was completely unique and me.   It didn't have to look a certain way to be accepted.   I could feel the freedom rising up in me as I loved the fact that it wasn't supposed to look like something familiar.   As I stood back and looked at it, I loved how the lines moved all over and how there were bright colours.   It was fun to look at and something about it captured my heart.   It was simple, but really complex all at the same time.   I realized that this painting was about me and the joy that happens when we begin to embrace our uniqueness

Spring Inspiration

I step outside on this early April day.  One look around me and I see there has been a fresh layer of snow added to the snow that already exists.  Good morning spring!  I know you are here, just wondering where you went?  Breathing in the cold air,  I look around for some sign that you are really here.  To my surprise, I see numerous bird footprints on my snow dusted sidewalk.  Not just a few, but I mean 20, 30, or even 40 footprints.

One thing I have always liked about spring is walking up to the sound of many birds chirping.  But this morning was different.  It was a symphony of birds and they were right in front of my house.  I looked across the street and there were dozens of robins!

Ahhh you are here spring, and even if I don't feel you, I see signs of you!  The long harsh winter we have experienced is going and the new life that spring brings is coming!

Each year my kids and I  go on a Robin hunt looking for one robin to remind us that spring is here.  This year we didn't have to go far, but just look outside our front door. Little kisses from Heaven.

                                          Welcome Spring! We have looked forward to seeing you!

Seeing all these robins inspired me creatively and I think it is time to break open the robins egg paint with a splash of robin's breast orange and hit a wall.

Creativity Hits The Road

Join us as we do a mission possible make-over on our new RV, 'The Champion'.  We recently were given a 1970's something RV which we called 'The Campion', taken right from the words written in between the headlights and above the very large grill.  Take a good look at 'The Champion' in it's present condition, because we are doing an extreme makeover of it starting in the spring of 2014.  We said good-bye to it last fall by tearing down all the old curtains and pulling out the rug, as well as all the old pillows and cushions, as it is awaiting some very unique textiles, designed by me!

'The Champion'

As you can see, this mission won't be possible without a lot of extreme creativity.  The Champion currently is a bit of a sight for sore eyes.  Steve is pulling out the big guns for this one.....that is, the paint gun!  Not sure what he is planning on doing with it, however if his artwork is any indication, then it should be done in about 40 years.  I have already decided that my artistic flare will be better off in the interior.  After a few paint gun catastrophes, and being engulfed in a blue paint haze, it seems that I work better with a paint brush.  SO, I am leaving the paint gun in Steve's capable hands for the exterior of the RV.  I am confident that when he is done, it should be easily seen through the forest that it sits in.

Steve's artwork.  Perhaps some inspiration for the exterior???

If you are hoping to see 'The Champion' driving down the road, I am sorry to disappoint you.  As much as I would love to take it for a ride (I have never driven anything like this before), it has been declared road unworthy.  Sorry Champ!  You have seen better days I'm sure, but with some TLC, we will get you looking like a champion once again!  SAVE THE CHAMP!

Rear-end view, equipped with ladder for moonlighting!

The Joy Of Painting

Recently I was hired to do a mural in a pediatrician's office.  I was happy to accept this job because it was a great opportunity to use art to bring some joy and smiles to children. After all laughter is good medicine

I first did two drawings with two colour schemes for the client to choose from

Guess which one they chose?

Fish beginning to take shape.  

 

The finished mural!

Little peeps!

Bye for now