Raining in the Willows

 

Just a sweet painting to start off our Monday on.  Have a great week! 

Choose...Chose

So this week has flown by.  Seriously.  Sometimes I am so glad when weeks go by fast, other times not.  I've mixed emotions about it this week because I literally didn't have one second to do anything creative.  Zip.  Zero.  Notta.  Not even a minute to make a sketch in my sketchbook.  I like to take small projects to school to work on while kids are working, they enjoy watching me and it helps keep me sane honestly.  But I didn't even have time for that this week! 

But as I type this I realize that sometimes I have to make a choice.  Be a mother....be an art teacher..be a wife...be a friend.....I can't BE all those things at one time and give what I need to.  I have to choose.  I have to balance.  And let go of the iamafailurebecauseican'tdoitall syndrome.  Yep. 

So...I did conspire in my head some new product ideas for my upcoming 52 Canvases in My 40th Year opening.  It's just 4 weeks away!  And while all the paintings are obviously done, Vero likes an assortment of small items to sell in the middle of the room.  I've come up with a pillow design, blankets and favorite idea sketchbook covers (thanks to my sweet friend Cheri who gifted me one at Christmas!).  We'll see how far I get tomorrow.  I turned down a trip to Scott's (local antique market that happens once a month.  it's HUGE) to work in the studio tomorrow morning.  According to my calendar there shouldn't be anything else to stop me.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Spring and Winter Landscapes

Just a few happy paintings I completed for the Trinity show.  I love the gradual transition in the backgrounds of them both.  Just silly little landscapes.  With daubs of bright colors in the foreground there's plenty to keep your eye happy!

Trinity Spotlight on Art

This is just one of a dozen sweet little paintings headed to Trinity Spotlight on Art this afternoon.  If you have a chance to check out the show it is so worth it! 

Hope you have a great weekend.  My Dad is coming back for another race.  Looks like he's got the running bug again.  So cool.  I hope to make it through the 5K myself.  I've not shared this yet, but almost 4 weeks ago at family skate night for our school I was taken down by the PE teacher.  Yep.  It happened so very fast that I didn't have time to catch myself.  First thing to hit the ground?  You guessed it.  My tailbone.  It was ridiculously painful.  But for some reason I was able to keep running that week and then ran the Hot Chocolate run.  From that weekend on though the pain has gotten beyond intense when I run.  The doctor said heat, tylenol and no running for 2 weeks.  I let one week go by....then tried to exercise walk.  And that didn't work either.  Crap.  Running is such a part of my mental day.  Kinda like my 2 cups of coffee.  It's necessary.  For my sanity.  I love it.  I'm beginning to get grumpy.  So wish me luck tomorrow.  I am so ready to get back my running mojo.  Sigh....

Teaching

 

I've never really seen a photo of myself teaching.  But this weekend several were taken.  And I realize I gotta smile more while teaching.  haha!  I never worry about what to say or how to say it.  But I do get terribly teary when I get to a certain point.  So perhaps my frowny faces are from trying to not be a blubbering idiot while instructing.  Above I'm sharing the tiny sketchbook I take to school.  Trying to share how I get from idea to canvas.  I think for some people that is the hardest obstacle to overcome.  "What do I paint?" they always ask.  The technique we use in my workshops takes the stress of how to draw out of the equation.  But what to draw really should be something that comes from within.  The end results from the weekend were lovely.   

I hate to draw personally.  But love to paint.   So my style is this.  I sketch lots of little ideas out in my sketchbooks.  When it comes time to paint I use one of the sketched ideas to then sketch onto a panel.  It's all very quickly done.  I try not to worry too much about the details.  And then comes the paint.....oh how I love to pick up gooey color from the palette and place the first stroke on the board.  It's like little pieces of happy being placed onto the panel.

After the class was done Saturday I realized a lot of what I usually about say about painting I left out.  Perhaps it was not being in my own studio that got me off my game.  Although somehow everyone completed an amazing piece of art to take home.  And perhaps my heart and head knew that these students needed to hear something a little different. 

Now I'm back to reality.  To my little classroom filled with crazy imaginations.  To little anxious creative minds.  To the smell of tempera paint and brown paper towels (they smell funny).  I'm going to work on smiling while teaching.  But mostly I'm going to work on inspiring. 

Southern Circle Retreats...through instagram

So it happened.  This past weekend.  Our first Southern Circle Retreat.  Man.  It.  Was.  So.  Amazing.  Seriously.  We were both raising our glasses with tears at Saturday night's dinner.  In all our planning we never doubted we could pull it off, it's not that.  But to finally experience it and the weekend exceed expectation.  Well now, that's something to bring tears of joy on for certain.

We took more photos than a wedding photographer I think.  It was hilarious.  But honestly, some of my favorites are from my phone.  In particular the ones I took through Instagram.  If you have an Instagram account check out our hashtag #southerncircleretreats to see all the photos everyone was taking.  Turns out we ALL had i phones.  We even had a mini Instagram how-to session at one point so everyone could join in the photo taking fun!

Serenbe couldn't have been a more gracious host.  From accommodating our last minute needs, to an ever friendly staff we felt comfortable and loved.

We stayed up late making art....in our PJ's of course!  I only put on shoes to go to breakfast I think.  The rest of the time I was in the turquoise cabin socks below.  Cindy called her house shoes on the left something funny and now for the life of me I can't remember what.  Ah...the memories we made.  The 10 of us.

We made journal boxes, painted, and sewed together.  Everyone left with 3 completed projects.  Everyone left with 9 new friends.  Everyone left wanting more......

We didn't miss a detail.  Even celebrated a special birthday with Gretchen.  And yes, below is a decadent homemade strawberry cake sitting on top of a table covered in vintage linens and milk glass.

 Saturday night during the sewing circle I made this hankie art.  It says.....

"Love What's Next".....So who's joining us for next time?  Who wants to see what's next?  Who wants to join the circle?  Because the best thing about a circle is the more friends you add the bigger the circle gets. 

Sometimes Love

 

"Sometimes love is what we need to reach new heights".......J Horne

In about 48 hours Tiffin and I will be setting up for the first ever Southern Circle Retreat.  Wow.  A little seed was planted in the fall of 2011 when we attended Art and Soul in Portland together.  We discussed what we loved about the big retreat atmosphere but how we longed for a more intimate setting where we could truly discover ourselves and art in a special weekend.  Fast forward to the summer of 2012 when I started hosting the PSW workshops in my home.  After having people come from literally 3 states to attend a one day workshop I said to Tiffin...now or never.  Let's do this!  So we started the journey in August.  Luckily we balance each other perfectly.  Her strengths are my weaknesses and visa-verse.  This retreat is everything I'd want as an attendee.  A special way to socialize, yummy food, amazing projects, amazing setting, and 10 people who don't know each other.  Perfect.  I'm packed, pretty sure she is too.  I'm not nervous at all.  Teaching is my passion.  And with as much joy and love as we have invested into the weekend.....well as photoed above, sometimes it's pure love for what you do that can help you to reach new heights.  Skills are great....but when passion comes into play then.....then you can be simply amazing.