Water Lilies and Why I Paint
There are lots of reasons why I paint.
I paint because I have an over-whelming desire to create; to have a sense of creative discovery is deeply satisfying. Every painting is a new adventure...
Water Lilies, 36" x 36", oil on canvas
There are lots of reasons why I paint.
I paint because I have an overwhelming desire to create; to have a sense of creative discovery is deeply satisfying. Every painting is a new adventure...
I paint because it's fun. Making art is sometimes just pure, playful fun! And that's healthy...
And therapeutic. When I'm painting, time disappears and I can let go of all the noise of the outside world. I'm in my world now... I never feel depleted after a full days work in the studio.
I paint because I'm very visual and constantly noticing the colours and shapes in the world around me... And I want to express what I see and experience.
I painted Water Lilies purely as an expression of the beauty and tranquility of one of my favourite places... a little pond in the woods in Norway where all you hear are the birds singing and the wind whistling through the trees...
Beauty makes my heart sing.
And sometimes, all I want to do is paint a pretty picture.
I changed my mind...
One day I woke up.
I looked around me and asked... Is this my life?
And I answered... No, this is not my life! I change my mind...
‘The only way to change our lives is by changing our minds.’ ~ Ross Cooper
So what would that look like?
I spent a lot of time dreaming and imagining...
I realized, if I want to experience something, I can always go there in my imagination.
A memory is just a memory. The past and future exist only in the imagination...
The imagination is powerful.
‘I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination.’ ~ Albert Einstein
And I see beauty all around me.
Now this is my life...
What is Art?
Art is beauty, inspiration and magic...
I love creating... transforming the visions in my mind to form on canvas. When I write I transform the words and ideas swirling in my mind and bring them together as an expression on paper. When I dance I express through movement...
Through art I express and create mySelf. I define who I am through what I do and how I express.
Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures. ~ Henry Ward Beecher
How we live is an expression of who we are. Everything we do, say, wear, eat, think about... is our art.
Everything in creation has its appointed painter or poet and remains in bondage like the princess in the fairy tale 'til its appropriate liberator comes to set it free. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Art is the expression of our inherent beauty and way of Being in the world.
The most important thing...
If I made a list of everything I could think of it would be very long indeed. It includes my wonderful family, many like-minded friends, my health, the place I live and play, my studio, the wind, the ocean, sunny October days...
And then I was thinking...
All of these ‘things’ come and go. Relationships change, families evolve, children grow and live their own lives, careers change, sunny October days become rainy November days...
What am I most grateful for?
When life inevitably changes and I feel overwhelmed, sad or in a place of just ‘not knowing’ I say to myself, “Well, I always have Me.” I am so grateful for that connection I have. It always brings me back to a feeling of ‘Home’ and presence. Of just Be-ing. I'm my own best friend.
When I feel like throwing my arms up in the air and saying, “I give up!” It’s also nice to be able to say, “Well, I’m just going to paint.” Then I let everything else go...
That’s the most important thing.
Peace, Love, Beauty.
flowers as muse
I’m in love with colour and all things beautiful...
A flower represents the very essence of beauty.
Whether a wild flower dancing in a mountain meadow,
Or a velvety, red rose in a fragrant bouquet...
Flowers lift my spirit and make my heart sing!
A flower has it’s own unique character and personality,
And this is what I paint.
It is very much like painting a figure...
Perhaps a solitary soul bursting forth in radiant colour,
Or three sisters dancing...
There is a story in each painting.
With colour and shape the characters are created on canvas,
And the painting takes on a life of it’s own.
These were my thoughts when I asked myself ~ Why do I paint flowers?
I'm so happy to be a part of the upcoming exhibition ~ Bold and Beautiful at Cityscape Gallery in North Vancouver.
What is more beautiful than a flower?...
finding beauty
Today I see beauty in the rain.
I'm sitting in my favourite cafe feeling warm and cozy as I look out the window....
The music is from another era. Edith Piaf sings, 'Non, Je ne regrette rien.'
Pure contentment. 
The rain is falling and the sky is grey, but the cherry blossoms are in full bloom...