Why I paint...
Lately I've been thinking a lot about why.
Why do I do what I do? Why do I paint? Why do I paint what I paint?...
Daisies (detail) available at Rouge Gallery
Lately I've been thinking a lot about why.
Why do I do what I do? Why do I paint? Why do I paint what I paint?...
I like what’s known. It’s comfortable and predictable. But sometimes I think I like the unknown better. The unknown is a sea of endless possibilities…
The act of creation is the process of making the unknown known… Creating something out of nothing. If the outcome is known, then it ceases to be creative…
It already is.
Each time I begin a painting, I step into the unknown. I don’t know how it will turn out. I have to embrace uncertainty and trust in my vision coming to life. But this is the creative process and ultimately it's why I paint...
Featured Design ~ The Daisy Dress
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
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.
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter ~ Which one are you?
- Available in sizes x-small to x-large
- Printed and sewn by hand in Canada
- Vivid print that will never fade after washing
- Cover-stitched edges
- Made from 72% ecopoly/28% spandex manufactured in Canada
- Fabric treated for moisture wicking to keep you comfortable
- Easy care: machine wash cold. Tumble dry on regular or hang to dry. Fabric is naturally quick to dry.
Me, My Brush and I
I love nature. I need nature.
I was thinking this as I hummed along to myself, walking through the woods and listening to the sound of the wind through the tree tops and the multitude of birds singing… In that moment, nothing else really mattered...
Tree of Life, 36" x 60" oil on canvas Available at Art Junction Gallery, Whistler, B.C.
I love nature. I need nature.
I was thinking this as I hummed along to myself, walking through the woods and listening to the sound of the wind through the tree tops and the multitude of birds singing… In that moment, nothing else really mattered.
Art and nature have something very important in common. They both bring you into the present moment. Time stops.
It’s just me, the trees, the birds, the breeze…
Me, my brush and I.
Featured Product
Custom designed silk scarf from the painting Tree of Life
Dream Catcher ~ part two
When we last left off, Rose was captured by the Old Woman of the forest and held as prisoner under an old, old tree...
When we last left off, Rose was captured by the Old Woman of the forest and held as prisoner under an old, old tree... (read part one here)
Into the Forest...
Last Spring I published a little story on Steller. It's a fairy tale that came to me as I painted Dream Catcher. Here is Part One if you missed it...
“If I’m honest I have to tell you I still read fairy-tales and I like them best of all.”
Autumn Special ~ Emerging Red Leggings
I love Autumn. The nights are cooler, the days seem clearer... Change is in the air and I can feel the energy of new projects beginning to emerge...
I love Autumn. The nights are cooler, the days seem clearer... Change is in the air and I can feel the energy of new projects beginning to emerge...
“Red is the dynamic energy that flows through all living things... and emerges as herSelf.
Red is smart and knows what she wants. She takes decisive action to bring her dreams to reality... Red is strong, courageous and ready to step forward into her dreams. Bold and dynamic, she walks her own path...”
Leggings designed from the painting "Emerging Red" symbolize the energy of Autumn
In the Life Cycle of Creativity, the painting Emerging Red symbolizes the energy of Autumn.
Autumn is about stepping out, creating, energy and action.
As you emerge with a new sense of self in the world, you are clear on who you are and what you want to create. It's time to reap what you have sown as you harvest your dreams and make them real.
After Summer’s inhale into Being, Autumn exhales into Doing. This is a time for action and creating your visions into physical form.
ESSENCE WORD: CREATE
COLOURS: VIBRANT RED, ELECTRIC BLUE, BRILLIANT GREEN
ELEMENT: FIRE
Take the creativity quiz and find out which season you are... Take the Quiz!
Autumn Celebration Special
The Emerging Red leggings are on sale for a limited time!
Visit the Boutique and receive 10% off (Valid until Sept. 30th, 2015)
Art as Transformation
How can art transform us?
There are two states of mind. One is based on survival and one is based on creation.
Survival is fear-based. When we're in this state we feel separated and disconnected...
Work in progress, new forest painting layer one.
How can art transform us?
There are two states of mind. One is based on survival and one is based on creation.
Survival is fear-based. When we're in this state we feel separated and disconnected. We're concerned with the ego self, which is judgemental and analytical. We see things as ‘out there’ and separate from us. This is the critical mind. When we're living in this state we're unable to grow and create.
When we're in the creative state we're feeling love, joy and inspiration. We feel connected and whole. Time and space disappear... We become Self-less. The ego moves out of the way. This is our natural state of BEing...
Art is a way to bring you into the present moment. You move into a place where you forget your problems, time disappears... Your energy moves from your head to your heart.
“When you are so in love with life and what you’re creating, then you’re in your natural state of being. ”
The more you experience this state, the more your body (your subconscious mind) recognizes it as You... and you begin to grow this new way of Being.
This is how art transforms us. It brings us into the present moment where we experience ourselves as whole Beings. The more we can be in this state, the more we increase these higher feelings of love, joy and inspiration. We're able to grow and re-create ourselves and our lives.
“The secret to art is love.”
And perhaps the secret to love is art...
Slow Clothes and Videotape
Slow Clothes ~ The Art of Fashion was held at the Ferry Building Gallery last week during the Harmony Arts Festival in West Vancouver. Here's a short video clip...
Slow Clothes ~ The Art of Fashion was held at the Ferry Building Gallery last week during the Harmony Arts Festival in West Vancouver. The Gallery was standing room only and despite the rain, the show was a great success!
Here's a short video clip from the show...
Slow Painting
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...
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.
The Tapestry Dress
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...
“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. ”
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.
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...
