Slow Painting

Have you heard of the "Slow Movement"? It's described as:

"A cultural revolution against the notion that faster is always better. The Slow philosophy is not about doing everything at a snail’s pace. It’s about seeking to do everything at the right speed. Savouring the hours and minutes rather than just counting them."

When I look out my studio window I can see the world rushing by...  

I can hear the world rushing by... And it's so easy to get caught up in all that busy energy.

To be creative requires slowing down... 

In the creative zone, time does not exist.

Slow Clothes: The Art of Fashion

Presented by Wearable Art Vancouver August 5th, 12:30 - 1:30 pm

at the Harmony Arts Festival in West Vancouver.

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The Tapestry Dress

“Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so that each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry. ”

— Richard P. Feynman

The Harmony Arts Festival is coming up and each week I'm featuring a new clothing design for the show. Each design represents one of the four seasons and this week's feature is the Tapestry Dress designed from the painting Tapestry. Tapestry represents the essence of winter. Winter is a time to draw inward, nurture, heal and transform. It is the end of the life cycle, a time to return home… Connecting to Mother Earth and preparing for the next cycle of birth and creation. This dress is a colourful tapestry of the forest floor; a vibrant sleeveless dress designed from the painting Tapestry.

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Have you taken the quiz?

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
~ Which one are You?

I made a quiz that describes each season in nature's 'Life Cycle of Creativity'. You can take the quiz to find out which season you are in... 

Harmony Arts Festival 2015 - Slow Clothes Fashion Show

Upcoming Event

Slow Clothes: The Art of Fashion at the Harmony Arts Festival
Presented by Wearable Art Vancouver August 5th, 12:30 - 1:30 pm

I've been preparing for the Harmony Arts Festival and the Slow Clothes Fashion Show!

This week's feature is the Emerging Red Leggings. These vibrant and dynamic art leggings represent the essence of Autumn and are designed from the painting Emerging Red.

Emerging Red Leggings

Essence Word: Create
Element: Fire
Colours: Vibrant Red, Electric Blue, Brilliant Green

The Emerging Red Leggings symbolize the essence of Autumn (stepping out, energy and action to harvest our dreams). These fun and vibrant art leggings can be worn for yoga and active-wear (or as a bold statement piece to accompany a dressier style). They are designed from the painting "Emerging Red" with each leg, front and back, showing a unique aspect of the painting.

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Before the idea... The Creative Process from The Beginning

I love new projects! From blank canvas to completed painting, the creative process is always a thrill...

I was musing about this as I walked through the woods today. I was wondering where creativity comes from... What's the process from the unknown to the known?

I'm not afraid of a blank canvas. To me it represents endless possibilities... A clean slate... And I realized that this is where the creative process actually begins. Before the sketch, before the idea, before the vision in the mind's eye... Creation begins with an intention.

Before I have any idea of what I'm going to create, I first have an intention to create it. Whether it's a new idea for a painting, something I'm writing, a business idea... Or anything in life for that matter! It all begins with an intention...

“Our intention creates our reality.”

— Wayne Dyer

Once the intention is set, then the seed of an idea will plant in my mind's eye. For me one of the best ways to harvest these idea seeds is to go out walking...

Sudden inspiration comes when we least expect it. So set an intention and then keep on walking...

Painting Roses

One day, while painting 'Roses', I imagined myself wearing a print of my art, and suddenly I was inspired to make my painting into a dress.

This, after all, is my 'Essence Art'... so why not take it to the next level and wear my art?

The Essence Art™ Boutique was born.

Upcoming Event

Slow Clothes: The Art of Fashion at the Harmony Arts Festival
Presented by Wearable Art Vancouver August 5th, 12:30 - 1:30 pm

Last week I featured the Daisy Dress (the essence of Spring) and so this week's feature is the Rose Dress  which is the essence of Summer. You can read more about the Rose Dress below...

Essence Word: Love
Element: Water
Colours: Rose Red, Pink

This dress was originally inspired one summer while creating a signature piece (a painting representing my essence). Once the painting was complete I was inspired to 'wear my art' and so I set about to create a dress with a print that was the full scale of the painting. Using high resolution images of my painting I created a computerized design of the dress. The design is digitally transferred onto fabric, and then hand cut and sewn. The unique Rose Dress symbolizes the essence of Summer (love and beauty), and comes in either a flare style or fitted, sleeveless dress. 

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Fine Art and Fashion ~ The Daisy Dress and Scarf

Coming Soon!

Slow Clothes: The Art of Fashion at the Harmony Arts Festival
Presented by Wearable Art Vancouver August 5th, 12:30 - 1:30 pm

Over the next few weeks I'll showcase each of these designs; the story behind the story, a little bit about the process, and of course, the art and the fashion!

And to celebrate the fun, there will be free shipping until August 5th! Just enter the code KCODOJC at check out when you shop at the Essence Art™ Boutique

The Daisy Dress and Scarf

Essence Word: Dream
Element: Air
Colours: Sky Blue, Emerald Green

The Daisy Dress comes in either a fitted or flare style. This design represents the essence of Spring (fun, adventure, dreams and new beginnings) and is fashioned from the painting "Daisies". The Daisy Dress is created through a digital design process, transferred onto fabric, and then printed, cut and sewn by hand. The Daisy Scarf is 100% silk and measures 16" x 72" with machine rolled baby hem. It is light and airy with the print visible through the fabric on both sides. 

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The Story of Daisy

Once upon a time there was a white canvas lined up alongside many other canvases on a store shelf... some bigger than others, but all looking very much the same.

All the canvases wanted to grow up to become paintings, but this particular canvas had BIG dreams... She wanted to be so much more than an ordinary painting. This White Canvas wanted to COME ALIVE with beautiful, vibrant colours... To DANCE and be all that she could BE... She dreamed of having an adventurous life and to travel the world.

One day the White Canvas was brought to a large room full of bright and colourful paintings. She was so excited... Finally her DREAM was coming true!

Soon lines began to appear on her white canvas skin. The lines became shapes and the shapes became characters… Then came layers of rich, vibrant, beautiful colour… And the White Canvas became a painting.

Her name was Daisy.

Daisy the painting had a happy life, hanging with her colourful friends Rose, Red, and Polly... They enjoyed many shows and events together.

But Daisy was not content to be just another pretty wallflower. She always sensed there was more to life. Oh, she was happy and grateful to be her bold, beautiful self, but she was restless…

So Daisy dreamed, imagined and played with ideas. How could she see more people and places? How could she be all that she could be? 

The Daisy Dress and Scarf

An idea was born. She told her best friend Rose about it and together they began to imagine themselves manifest in other forms… Being free to move, to dance, to travel and see the world… They told their friends Red, Polly and the girls, and so every day they all dreamed and imagined… Until one day...

The Essence Art™ Boutique was born.

*The adventurous Daisy is off on more travels soon! And coming up... A fashion show! Sign up and follow along...

And that is The Story of Daisy.

Visit the Boutique to see the many incarnations of Daisy and her friends, and stay tuned for more adventures...

What is most important to an artist?

Recently I was asked ~ What is most important to you as an artist?

And so I’ve been doing some musing about that…

The most important thing for an artist is to create.

My creativity is my essence expressed. So to be creative I need to connect with my essence everyday; to nourish my creative soul.

I do something that I love, everyday.

I feed and inspire my soul with beauty, walks in nature, time alone, reading, writing, contemplation… Yoga, healthy food, sleep… Friends, laughter and creative play…  I listen. I have fun. I take risks… I daydream and imagine…

And then I create. I do the work.

Whether it’s painting, writing, or taking action on my latest idea, project or goal, creating is what makes me come alive.

What makes you come alive?

How do you nurture your creative spirit?

My Secret Forest

My Secret Forest

I've been busily painting away... Preparing for a show, creating new designs, and moving to a new studio this month. It's easy to fall into overwhelm.

The more I have to DO, the more I need to BE.
My inspiration comes from nature and the magical world of my imagination, so luckily I have nature on my doorstep...

The forest is my muse.
 

Forest Painting (detail), work in progress

New Designs!

Midsummer Forest Cell Phone Cases

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Gudrun Vibrations

“I, I love the colourful clothes she wears
And the way the sunlight plays upon her hair...”

— The Beach Boys, Good Vibrations

Fine Art, Fashion and Good Vibrations ♬♪

Here is a little video I made from our fashion show at the North Shore Art Crawl.