Quote of the day

The sky is the daily bread of the eyes. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Where's my Art?

You may wonder why there isn't much artwork on here of late - I am currently working on two larger pieces, which I will post when finished. In the meantime, here is someone else's work I love, and of course this blog is not purely about art, it is also my creative journey, and there are many more thoughts in a day than finished paintings!!



This is just one example of the incredible work of Zhaoming Wu - for more, go here.

Quote(s) of the day

In life, as in art, the beautiful moves in curves.- Bulwer-Lytton

Anything in any way beautiful derives its beauty from itself and asks nothing beyond itself. - Marcus Aurelius

The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. - Aristotle

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious, the source of all art and science.- Albert Einstein

WHat makes Beauty?

What makes something beautiful? If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it is perception. Someone said that the job of the artist is to find beauty. Artists will tell you that when they are seeing through artists eyes, everything becomes beautiful. What makes it so? I think it's because the artists eye is one that sees without judgement, that sees what is there, and which takes notice. When we are drawing from life, we see not a fat or thin or ugly person - we see curves, shadows, light, form, edges - to make a successful drawing, we must forget what we know, and see what is there in front of us. We must really see what is there. We need to leave out what is unnecessary, and focus on the essence, the gesture, what is truly the heart of the sitter. Leaving out the "baggage" and focusing on the heart is what gives us a likeness, and a drawing with life, with beauty. You know what else makes a drawing beautiful? It's interest. The most beautiful drawings are interesting. A perfect face is beautiful on it's own, but what makes it interesting, and an extraordinary portrait, is expression, soul, life. Simply rendering perfect bone structure is usually less satisfying, and much less interesting. What makes it beautiful is often life itself - the light on a curve in a given moment; the colours of her dress reflected in her face; her expression as she looks out to the world; the pose - what is she doing in this precious moment? A "plain" face captured in a moment by an artist who has observed and captured these things becomes beautiful and is often more so than a conventionally beautiful face. A face that is what would normally be described diplomatically as "interesting" becomes extraordinarily beautiful seen with the artists eye, this face with all it's folds and curves and shadows and light becomes (as it always was) a work of art, breathtaking in it's beauty. Perfection is neither interesting nor beautiful. What makes something beautiful is it's essence, it's very imperfections, it's uniqueness, and the more "imperfections", the more interesting, the more potential for the play of light and Shadow, the more places for the colours of the world to rest, the more room there is for the portrait to stand by itself, breathtaking in simply being itself.

All this is kind of like life. What makes a life beautiful? Not perfection, that's for sure, and yet so many of us feel the need to be that way. An interesting life is a beautiful life, and what makes life interesting is being in each precious moment - noticing what is around us, seeing without judgement, embracing the folds and curves and shadows and light of life, and of ourselves. If we see with an artists eye, life becomes beautiful. Everyone and everything becomes interesting, breathtaking and exciting. There is no room for judgement, only possibility, acceptance and love. We can see what is really there and leave out the details that do not serve the essence. We can create our own beautiful portrait, of ourselves, and of our lives.

I have been working with Marie Forleo, an extraordinary woman who sees through artists eyes. She transforms people's lives not by fixing what is wrong, but by helping people embrace what is, to live in each moment, and to look at the world with interest. Change happens miraculously and in an instant when we live in each moment, as artists creating our lives. In her book, she shows how by seeing life with artists eyes (becoming interested in what is, living in each moment, seeing ourselves and others kindly) , we become irresistible, and life becomes magical. She's right. When we are absorbed in each moment, seeing what is, and leaving judgements behind, life simply drips with the juice of colour, of form, of precious moments, of this wonderful world and the beautiful life that surrounds us, and most importantly, we forget ourselves and merge into this lusciousness, and see the beauty and possibility and magnificence within ourselves.

Love and Devotion - Mother's Day

What makes a Mother?

What I am most grateful to my Mum for, is that she is always, always there for me. No matter how much of a pain I'm being, how irrational, how wrong, how lazy, how inconsiderate, how selfish, how sad, or how in trouble I am, she's there for me just the same as when I'm being brilliant. She's there giving me a helping hand, encouragement, support, a shoulder to cry on and a loving hug - she reminds me who I am and she sees the good in me when all I can see is the bad. She is constant. She just loves me no matter what. She tells me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear, and she picks me up, kisses me better and sets me on my feet again, just as she did when I was little. I know she'll still be doing that for me when I am old. She is my foundation, my rock, my joy and my inspiration. She is love and devotion. She is my best friend, and the joy I have in sharing my own mother's journey with her is as bright and warm as the sun. What I am most grtaeful for, is that my Mum is all this for me, taht she is a Mother, and gives me a Mother's love. I love you Mum, you fill my heart, my mind, my soul, and your love overflows into my children too. Thank you for being my Mum, for being a Mother.

Mother's love is like a thread than runs throughout our lives, binding the generations together, entangling us all in love, like life lines connecting us as we drift away, ready always to pull us back and wrap us tight when we need it, and setting us free again, and again. It is the Mothers of the world who keep us all fed, clothed, loved and cared for, whatever the cost of doing so. They are the quilt that warms the world.

This tale of love and devotion, and family, is worth checking out this Mother's Day.

Birthday Resolutions...

Well, today is the beginning of another year of my life! Lindt chocolates and massages from the kids was a very lovely start to the day!!

I have been inspired today by Bill Wadman. Check out his incredible 365 projects, #1 and #2, and his 52 project. I clicked on the 11th of May from the first 365 project, and found a piece that resonates perfectly with many of my own thoughts lately - he talks about our desire for happy endings, and how we are conditioned by the media to expect happy endings, and how hard this kind of thinking can make real life. Bill says it much better than I do, but this quote in particular was inspiring to me, on my birthday, as I turn another page of the book of my life:
Life is organic, life is complex, threads overlap. This is the way is should be. Each of our lives weaves in and out of others every minute of every day. And it’s beautiful that way. Very few things have a distinct beginning and a distinct end, but that’s what let’s things sneak up on you and leads to the next chapter of the book of your life that you’re writing right now. Read More...


Bill has inspired me to copy his 52 project -I'm off for a birthday afternoon tea now, but will have formulated the first weeks project, as per the rules, by the time I go to bed tonight.

Quote of the day

“Seek not that the things which happen should happen as you wish; but wish the things which happen to be as they are, and you will have a tranquil flow of life"
Epictetus (Greek philosopher associated with the Stoics, AD 55-c.135)