#InMyStudio - the Sunflowr Angel Journey continues

So my SunflowrAngels have been hanging out in my room because it's been the best place to store this big canvas in between my painting sessions.  Which has given me time to study this piece when I'm lying in bed before I fall asleep.  And I study it first thing when I wake up.

When I had all my 5 angels in place - I thought their faces were finished... and all I had to do were the final sunflowrs.  In a way I'm glad I've been dragging my heals on those last flowrs - because it's given me time to see things... and the more I looked at them, the more I knew they weren't done!  So I grabbed my canvas on Saturday and the work started.... again.

The puzzling thing for me is that my last update on this piece was about a month ago!

I always seem to come back to rework my faces but not usually within a month.

It's a constant reminder to me to to keep working and keep practicing!

It doesn't make perfect - because what's perfect in art but it does = growth!

And to me that's more important than anything else.

It's all about layers, deeper layers and digging deeper... and even in saying that - I know I'm still only skimming the surface and I still have so far to go!

Running again...

So a year ago I hung up my running shoes for various reasons...

One because I wasn't having fun anymore.  My hips were killing me and so were my feet - blisters and loosing toe nails became the norm.  Secondly, probably the biggest reason was that no matter how much I ran - I never shifted any extra unwanted kilo's.  I was running around 40km's per week and working hard - but it made no difference.  If anything, at times it felt like my weight was increasing but I know for sure, it wasn't decreasing.

I'm not sure when it happened exactly... when my running became about burning calories so I could indulge over the pure joy of running.  Every session was about making sure I was burning.  But I stopped loving it for a long time.  Also running when you are 30lbs heavier than you should be, isn't fun!  It's damn hard work.  No wonder my hips were killing me.  So I guess in a way - I gave up.  Hanging up my shoes after 35 years of running wasn't an easy decision.  I've been running and training from a small girl and I've had moments of being unfit but mostly I've been fit my entire life.  I've spent many hours on the road and in the gym.  But making the decision out loud was huge.  I was done - period!

Anyway... to cut a long story short my daughter has fallen in love with running and is doing beautifully.  In fact, she made me sit up straight the other day when she did a road race and was the second female home in the whole field and she's 15.  Well - pure and simply that's my old turf.  I grew up on the podium and when I realised that she's heading down this road - I know I can train her, but I will need to be fit to do that and be along side her.

Well at this stage - I'm no where along side her.  She's dropping me good and proper and I am feeling the shame of letting myself go.  My weight is now under control - but my fitness is shameful!  It reminded me that - no I don't have to train to burn calories {because I know that will never work for me again} but now I can train for pure fitness and health but maybe, just maybe... for the love of it again!  My sweet girl has been gracious with me... and right now it's about the small victories - like getting to the top of a hill without walking... it brought tears to my eyes today and let me tell you, running trail with tears in your eyes isn't easy.  Kitty has been joining us too... she's far too sedentary and seeing her this unfit too has been a shock to all of us.  She's been so brave overcoming and we are all doing it together.

Next week we do a race together.  Well Corks will race and Kitty and I will team up to finish!  Having my shoes on again for different reasons, real reasons has made my heart soar to new heights.  Long may this be a way for me to stay healthy and to connect with my girls as they become young ladies.

#InMyStudio - Bits and Bobs

Not sure if you remember my little SelfContained Book - a self Exploratory journaling assignment.

I have all the prompts ready and this weekend I started working in it and started filling the pages with images and stories.  I'm quite excited about it.  I'm not a huge fan of working in journals but I think I'm going to love this little book.  I worked with pencil and my stabilo pencils and I had forgotten how much I love pencil work. Plan to fill more pages with pencil sketches.

One of my favourite weeks from FullCircleWorkshop was the week when Misty did Icon Paintings.

I totally loved the icon I did previously and the embellishments that we made etc.

She did 3 or 4 lessons on Icon's that week - and this is my second attempt.

I've called this "With Grace in her Heart"

 I had a frame that I had planned to use around this image but it was to big and chunky and the image was a bit lost - so I decided to use the lace instead and it was the perfect finish to this graceful lady!

Again - I absolutely loved this lesson so much!

Not sure if you can see on this image but I wrote again up the side - it says "By Grace Alone"

It's a huge step for me.

Once my canvas board was finished - I mounted it onto a dark wooden frame I had!

It finished it off perfectly - a total 3D Mixed Media piece!

#InMyStudio - Eternal Sisters

Well I've decided to call this piece - Eternal Sisters because my two girls have been so close these holidays and because they have decided to be Eternal Sisters... Well, we all know they have been and will always be that - but the fact that they are choosing this for themselves speaks volumes to me.

When Misty gave this lesson in week five - landscape backgrounds... I grabbed a piece of Canvas paper, it was the first time I was using this brand and I loved it.  {I haven't been overly impressed with Canvas paper that comes in the form of a block pad but this one was pretty smooth and rather nice}.  I drew a line with charcoal right across the centre and then kind of left it there.  I've been shifting this piece from left to right for weeks.  I loved the lesson and I plan to do plenty more backgrounds and just keep them handy.
Misty was right - I got totally lost in the process...

Misty does this under her paintings and she demonstrated this often in our lessons.

But I'm not brilliant with writing on my paintings but I'm growing in this skill.

I wrote some song lyrics here and smudged them up.

Great lesson I'm learning in letting go....

And the paint is going on.

I totally didn't use a brush - just a large flat palette knife.

And I have to tell you I loved it!

This makes a pretty awesome painting all by itself.

Can't wait to get lost in my next background.

I started with the Sister on the right and felt she needed company.

I didn't want to get too caught up in the image.

I wanted it to be loose and free and more about the background than the Sisters.

Maybe my next one will have more details.

Time out and creative play with a difference...

It was wonderful to put everything down this long weekend to getaway.  From work, the studio, technology, school and routines.  The weather was perfect - not too hot or cold and our surrounds... so beautiful and so creative.  It's amazing when you don't have props (like art supplies) and wifi - you see the creative in everything and in normal things around you.  Even in your coffee cup...  It also allowed us to play creatively with our iphotography and with this landscape and lighting - it was a canvas with a difference.  I love seeing the girls on our trips away - they change a little, grow, connect deeply and come alive!  It's so good for them and for us to take these moments away!

We didn't drive all weekend - and we walked everywhere we went!

It was such a treat to really shut down the noise and switch off!

Lost in time

 A beautiful interruption in life to be quiet and gentle with time. 

Creative play with a difference...

I did take some needlework with me this weekend - as I was working on a project... I have never done this kind of work before so I was completely out of my comfort zones.  I had no fabrics so I had to go out and buy some cottons and linens and lace.  This little piece was inspired by a new online friend I've made this year Constanza Berger.  Her needlework is out of this world.  I ordered a beautiful pinnie from her Etsy Shop and I can't wait for it to arrive so I can see her exquisite handiwork in person.  Constanza bought one of my pieces this year and it's how we became friends and we are in some of the same art classes too.  She's uber creative.  Her medium is needlework (her words) but I think she's incredible with everything she puts her hand to.  I am so grateful that we can learn from each other in our different mediums.  And I'm definitely learning that creativity isn't only in one place (like painting) but it's inside of us, deep inside and that it comes out of our hands, from our hearts!  And it's to live it daily not only in the form of homework but as a way of life.

So the theme for this piece was using neutral colors which was a bit tough for me (although I love neutral colors) I love the brights too and I wanted to include a little ethnic fabrics in here, pieces of Africa - so the red and blue pockets are the ethnic pieces I could include without impacting too much on the neutral theme.

#InMyStudio - EvolutionofaPainting

When I was downloading my photos and filing them,

I came across my older pics of my Klimt inspired piece from the beginning.

I was a bit shocked at my first layers and how hard her face was... 

and why I kept going back to work on her - because I clearly wasn't happy with her.

It's something I've always done - taken pictures along my journey... 

And I'm so glad I did because I've been able to track her progress and seeing it like this has been a delightful surprise for me.  I'm rather chuffed with my final outcome!

So grateful for progress!

#InMyStudio... my Klimt inspired piece gains momentum

I hadn't planned to work on my very unfinished Klimt inspired canvas this weekend...  I've gone back to this face a good few times already and I finally found the gentleness I've been looking for with it.   I finished off my poppies and did more layers and started working on her dress which is truly remarkable with the detail.  I know my efforts to ever simulate Klimt are almost impossible because the detail on his pieces are truly remarkable... and a little out of this world.  My feeble attempt at this is barely scratching the surface.  But it did get me thinking what an incredibly interesting guy he must have been and what was going on in his head when he was painting.  But what I have realised, is how much I love detail work and how much I love working with tiny brushes, I think as much as I love painting big.  And how wonderful to experience both in one piece.  I still need to do more layers on her dress.  But to me the biggest job on this piece isn't the dress or her face or the detail work.  For me, it's going to be her incredibly elegant hands.  I'm not scared about them, I'm looking forward to doing them... I know it will complete this piece hugely!  I'm so grateful for the time #InMyStudio to play.  I have had so much on my mind!  And this was a lovely piece to get a little lost in!