New Work - Art Share - Embracing his light

From seemingly not having enough time to sit down and do some art I have found ways over the years to grab snippets of time.  I no longer wait for those big chunks of time because they never happen, and if they do very rarely but found as I kept working especially on the smaller stuff there were more little chunks of time that soon added up.  I also had to get over not being able to finish a piece of work in one sitting, and this painting is a great example.  You can see what it looked like before HERE

It started out as most of my paintings do now a days as a background and then I sketched loosely, I wasn't sure where I was going to go with it, and allowed myself the time to let it develop.

This painting reminds me of my brother Robert who passed away, last year. Once I had completed the painting I realized that it was the very thing I had experienced with him the day before he said goodbye.

One of my last conversations with Robert was about his faith, and he chose to give his life.  Moments later a burst of sunshine filled the hospital room, it was a magical moment that I will never forget.

I am enjoying my time creating and will be sharing a different piece every day this week for you to enjoy, some will be made available as prints at my Society 6 store if you would like to buy

Embracing his light - Mixed Media

Word for the Week - Isaiah 26:3

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. 

Isaiah 26:3

To be in perfect peace, that place of stillness where you know everything is where it should be, it is all working together, and you just have to be who you were called to be without any fanfare or pretense as you focus on his love.....

Have a blessed week and know that you can be in his perfect peace

Kew, and Following your heART - some new work

I had a great day out with my sister and cousin yesterday and we spent the day at Kew Gardens. 

We had been blessed with tickets by Cooltan Arts - A mental health and arts charity, who were able to bring a number of people together to enjoy the day as well.  They do really great work and I recommend that you check out their website.

I love going to Kew Gardens, there is such a peace about the place and the displays are great, and you could definitely spend the whole day there!.  I always bring my camera and end up with some beautiful images of some of the flowers on display.  

Yesterday was no exception we strolled around and there was much sharing, laughter, reflection as it had been a while since we had spent time together in a relaxing environment, the sun was warm and there was a gentle breeze so walking around was a pleasant experience.

We all agreed that spending time in a relaxing environment was an important part of impacting on mental health and well-being.  I have also been busy in the studio, which is a necessary part of my day, experimenting with techniques which I will share over time.
  

From time to time I share work here and on my Mixed media art site, so you have a choice of places to go.  Going to Kew gardens and spending time in a natural environment reminds me to pay attention, not only to my surroundings but to my choices. It is important to spend time reflecting each day.

I feel that immersing myself in my work and continuing to develop and hone my style is important, I love being creative, and trying new things, seeing how different materials work together, and seeing the fruits of my effort. Find out what sparks your creative juices and do more of it.

So, I will continue to follow my heART and paint, draw, sew, craft and keep on doing work that makes my heart sing, what will you be getting up to? 

Gratitude's and Celebration - Week 53 - Complacency

Gratitude and Celebrations Journal - week 53

I think that it can be easy to become complacent at times, and indeed I can say that no matter where you think you've come in your journey, you have to be vigilant, cause the very smallest thing can cause you to slip up and before you know it your back where you promised yourself you would never get.  

I have found this with my health and fitness, I had started the year really well and each month brought another excuse why I couldn't get out and train, and they were all valid reasons, but in the cold light of day were really a bunch of excuses.

Live...Gratitude and celebration Journal

I forced myself to go out early yesterday and kick start my training, I came back and was mashed for the whole day.  I hadn't realized how unfit I had got in such a short space of time.  You have to work at not becoming complacent and continue to remind yourself how far you have actually come and keep on making that effort.

Staying on track requires effort...

This is the first day of the second year that I have kept a gratitude's and celebration journal, and I have found that it helps me keep things in perspective, writing about different things helps me to reflect on my experiences while the art journal page that I do alongside helps to jump straight into the creativity and make the most of what has been presented using a range of different supplies.  I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to express myself in this way.

Prepare for the ups and downs of the journey

I look forward to the journey and hope you come along and join me.  Why not start your own journal, keep it as simple or complex as you wish, but do something!

Gratitude and Celebration Journal