surreal

last week's lesson 
in Full Circle was about Surrealism:
 a 20th-century art form in which an artist or writer combines unrelated images or events in a very strange and dreamlike way


so i got going on my surrealist painting, 
acrylic on paper.



surprise, another foxy lady ;) 




and this is the finished painting,  
it did unfold in a dreamlike way... 



Foxy Lady



playing with acrylics and inks 
 on some air drying clay medaillons i made... 


so far my Foxy Lady is my favorite.

happy weekend you all! 
xxx

4 seasons


we are still going with Full Circle, 
Misty Mawn's online workshop
and so far it has been phenomenal! 


on mondays we get art journaling prompts
and they've all been incredibly original, fun
and inspiring!

last week the prompt was to create a 4 seasons fold out book, 
here is a peek in mine finished: 


unfolded before i added the binding:


and some seasonal details:

- summer -



- autumn -


- winter -


- spring -


PS: while making this journal i realized that as "a Northern hemisphere 
expatriated to the Southern hemisphere" living is a place where the seasonal changes 
are very small
i've got all my season muddled up! 
;)


what is your story?

i do believe we all have a story to share
 and we all want to be heard.
how amazing is this project!? 


                    

"The Strangers Project is an ongoing collection 
of over 7000 anonymous journal entries 
collected from complete strangers.
What's your story?"
Brandon Doman

life lesson?



what i didn't expect when i started on my creative 
journey a few years ago is how much of the painting process
can be used as an opportunity for growth and possibility in my every day life. 


many experiences and emotions 
that show up while painting
are very similar to what happens off the canvas:

resistance, blocks, trust, distrust, doubts, 
ego-trips, expectations, hope, despondence, 
frustration, successes, courage, leaps, failures, learning curves... 


for example, i have noticed that most of my own work
that is hanging around our house and that i still love,
are paintings that emerged from a first attempt at something new, a place of curiosity,
no expectations, a place of playing and experimenting. 

i didn't worry whether it was meant for a gift, or for a specific wall or what it was
 "supposed" to look like... 
i was unattached to the outcome, no expectations, just playing. 



i do believe that when i approach life the same way, 
with playfulness, with a child like willingness to explore new things,
when i immerse myself in the process without worrying about the outcome, 
with endless curiosity...
then life is that much more 
SUCCULENT! 

"FREEDOM LIES IN BEING BOLD." Robert Frost


my bright sunflower still life, oil on canvas, 
still a work in progress. 
PLAYING! 

simplicity


the intense summer heat doesn't seem to want to lift
this side of the planet...

 and i'm dreaming of a rainy cold day to cozy up, 
read a book
 and spend all day inside.




images from here 

on my easel


evolution of a drawing




into a charcoal finished piece.



it was meant to be a bit looser and more expressive, 
as part of Full Circle Workshop
but i blended and over blended... 
will have to try again!