Flower Blooms

I've been making a lot of floral repeat patterns this week for an upcoming art licensing show. I keep hearing that florals are what's hot for this year and it got me thinking....  I'm not sure if they were ever really unpopular. But if they were, they tend to only be "out" for a short spell. By out, I mean mainly fashion and home decor because who doesn't love actual flowers? When I purchased my first home, all I thought about was planting lots and lots of flowers. I love growing them, seeing them, smelling them, touching them and especially drawing them. I think it might be because flowers are so pure and delicate. They are natures perfection and symbolize freshness, new beginnings, life and color. It's truly hard to walk by a pretty flower and not notice it. I especially love flowers on fabric or surfaces and it's really fun to see it come back on wallpaper in a high end way. So for this week, I wanted to show what I've been working on. I saw this beautiful orange tulip with lavender accents and I knew it had to be in this pattern. I chose a black background because I love how colors just pop off of it. What's your favorite flower? Happy Wednesday ❤

Peaceful Dreams

I've been thinking about the things people think about the minute they wake up. What are the first thoughts that enter your mind when you open your eyes? If you don't settle your mind before slumber, you could pick up right where you left off. Rest, creative visualization, daydreaming and meditation are all great tools for slowing down thoughts. There's been quite a lot of noise out there lately - political chatter, negativity on the news, changes out in the world you believe will affect you directly - basically stuff that stirs up fear, anxiety, futility and negativity. Paying attention to all the stuff you can't control is never going to be good for you in any way shape or form. I'm not saying to neglect things you feel are important to you, I'm just reminding you it's important to take care of yourself when you feel stress. Take a moment to have a different perspective on things, distract yourself with thoughts that make you feel good or actions that make you feel good. It's only when you feel good that makes you ready to be the best co-creator, assister, participant or whatever it is you want to be. Make peaceful dreams in your mind. Do your best to find respite to feel good and be the best you, you can be. That is the best gift you can give yourself and let the rest fall where it may. This weeks art is called "Canoe Ride at Dawn"

Happy Wednesday ❤

Keen on the Seasons

We're days into the zodiac sign of Aries which is all about energy, change and optimism. The Spring Equinox has come and hopefully you are seeing some good healthy signs of spring. I got bitten by a mosquito the other day and it felt like the first sign of warmer weather to come. The seasons are truly the best thing ever. When each one first starts, it brings on feelings of change and all the comforts we do to make the transition easier for us as humans. Winters with all it's beauty, can be quite hard after a few months, so it's always so exciting to see bursts of color and growth in nature. We had such an early spring here I am already keen on summer! This weeks art piece is all about spring/ summer. Happy Wednesday ❤

Unbounded

I've been incredibly sick for the past week and a half. I do believe it's directly linked to the thoughts you think. If they're stressful thoughts, your body reacts in a fight or flight way which lowers your immune system and then you become susceptible to getting sick. Being unwell is kind of a strange thing because it allowed me appreciation for what it really is. Getting sick forces you to stop thinking, stop doing and just be. Not even all the Netflix movies can get you away from yourself. It's a beautiful thing how sickness forces you to take care of yourself and focus on yourself. When you're sick, you're stuck. And for this weeks art piece I felt stuck. Stuck because I have an upcoming art show where I need to make repeating patterns. While I love making patterns, I was feeling the pressure of the deadline and for some reason the pressure always makes me feel like drawing something else! When you're stuck it's because of two opposing thoughts are felt strongly at the same time and it puts you at an impasse. In my case, draw what I'm supposed to or draw what I want. So I sat with the stuck feeling until it came to me to go ahead and just start drawing what I wanted to. I really wanted to draw characters and then somehow a pattern showed up all by itself. You see, I didn't have to choose one or the other, just draw. I'm pretty pleased with the results that came from just giving myself a little time to get out of my own way. And there's always time. You can't not have the time to basically meditate to find an answer, to become unstuck or to be surprised. It was a good reminder to practice the art of allowing.

Happy Wednesday ❤

Beachcombing

I grew up near water my whole life and hadn't lived more than 30 minutes from a beach somewhere. But now I live a little over an hour from the ocean and it feels like another world. Since the beach is a little further away, a little planning is involved or I don't get out there as often as I like. There are lots of rivers and lakes to suffice but there is nothing like breathing in the negative ions of that blustery, fresh ocean air. Growing up on Long Island Sound, the waves were super tiny (because Long Island was in the way of the Atlantic) but the Sound provided lots of beachcombing for me as a kid. That's pretty much where I started collecting little bits of nature. There were mostly muscle shells, oyster shells, horseshoe crabs, sea stars, fiddler crabs and lots and lots of old sea glass. Here in the Pacific Northwest, you'll find giant sea kelp, unusual seashells and driftwood, the biggest and most colorful starfish I've ever seen, anemones, agate rocks and tide pools. I am so appreciative of the coast here and to be able to collect nature (sparingly of course).

We spent time at the beach this past weekend. The tide was way high so it didn't leave much beach walking space for looking around but here is my art piece inspired by beachcombing.

Happy Wednesday ❤