#InMyStudio - being generous with myself...

I started this one just before I left for Italy!

She was sweet but I wanted to do some deeper layers.

When I was in Italy I watched how Misty and Anne worked with generous amounts of paint with flat brushes and I was intrigued.  When I left Italy, sweet Lorraine gave me my first flat brush.  I feel a bit embarrassed as to why I have never used one before... I guess we just get stuck in our ways!  Since I've been back, it's all I've been using...  And yesterday I popped to my Artshop to get some more... I'm smitten!!!

I think coming from an oil background and from a place where paint is at times challenging to get... I tend to be careful with it as opposed to allowing myself to be generous with myself and my paints.  But I am certainly learning to let go...

#InMyStudio... accounting for where I'm at.

Sooo it seems the past while, I've got stuck on just doing face after face and although I know my faces needed work... in terms of my proportions, depth and character etc.  It feels like of like I've got stuck in this place and it has felt safer doing one face after the next rather than venturing into full canvas pieces... esp after some of the bigger pieces I did earlier this year.  Also having such a busy work schedule has left me with time for little else... I even found when I was #InTheClassroom in Italy, I felt completely overwhelmed by the prospect of venturing into a piece and kind of kept it safe by doing a few faces.  I started a bigger piece but felt too intimidated to complete her there...

I knew I had some work to do... not only #InMyStudio but also in my head.!!!!!

So last night I decided not to do any computer work but just to play #inmystudio - and worked on doing some extra layers on some of my Italy faces and also I framed up two paintings yesterday... one of my beautiful gifts from Misty and one of my own pieces...  Hopefully I will get to do more framing this weekend.

I started this piece in Italy #InTheClassroom but she didn't blow me away!

But for some or other reason last night with deeper layers - her eyes just got me.

I'm not sure if I was just super tired or what but she is just filled with so much emotion for me!

I started this piece Sunday night because I was just so desperate to play!

She's pretty playful But I wanted to play some more with this piece.

I'm loving her much more!  She's more serious and I love it.

Again - I love her eyes!  So full of emotion!

I prepped some old canvas' last night of pieces that haven't sold.  I gesso'ed over and that's where I started today!  One of the other things I realized in Italy is that I need to go back to using references for inspiration... I really found this so helpful!  I've got a bit stuck on intuitive paintings that I have forgotten how lovely being inspired from references can be.

It's challenging and not using a reference has made me a little lazy at times.

I need to keep practicing with this.

So I decided to use my Botticelli book that I picked up in Florence for reference for this piece!  I'm so excited about doing a full painting again and I'm already loving this!

And of course... there's a hand... I'm already loving that hand... one of the things I've been desperate to grow with this year... I'm calling this piece...

"Extending the Olive branch"

Let the learning and growing continue!

Finding my groove... well trying to.

I was probably a bit unsettled before I left but I've come home wanting to change everything.  And I needed to start with moving my studio out of the main living space and into a separate space.  It was overwhelming everything, including me.  This is now a sweet reading or dreaming space.  I find myself just wanting to sit there!

How gorgeous are those cushions.

I am starting to love my new studio space... I'm finding my groove in there and still sorting lots.  Its good to have a space!

I'm still so exhausted and I'm trying to find the quiet and calm in resting and things around me.  Truth be told I need a long holiday of sleeping and reading and long walks on the beach!

With no agenda.

Nothing like sweet ethnic comfie shoes to make you smile!

The tough thing about doing a long-haul 2 week long trip - is the preparation for your absence prior to leaving (workwise and homewise) is so huge that you leave having pushed to the max.  And then having a super duper full travel itinerary and then of course the travelling time both ways.  Also I didn't sleep well while I was away, I'm not sure if it was from the excitement or what it was, but it has lead me to complete fatigue.

 I arrived back on Sunday afternoon and it was business as usual come 6am Monday morning with school runs and life and work deadlines.  And of course, now there is the 2 week absence catch up!  And when I say I have no bounce back - I have zero left!  It's worried me a bit but when I sat down to think about it - I haven't had decent leave for almost 2 years.... and the past few years have been full on.  We need a get-away!

So exhausted or not I had obligations - which was a birthday bash for one of my dearest friends and a fund-raiser for another friend trying to get to the World Champs... besides that the girls needed me for certain things and I couldn't be "away"for another week.

So where I can I've tried my best to show up!

Stealing special gaps with these two!  And together as a family!
Took the girls clothes shopping and we found flowrs...
What's a girl with flowrsinherhair to do...
I love spending time with them and love that we can be goofy together!

Sharing about Italy...

I'm going to be slowly sharing and walking through my incredible journey to Italy again to paint on my Italy 2014 blog...

You will find the link to the left side panel or you can click on the link above....

Hope you enjoy venturing with me as I recall the days...

I'm home....

I am home...

exhausted!

fatigued

emotional!

missing!

remembering!

longing!

but oh so...

grateful!

happy!

full!

emotional!

journeyed!

blessed!

loved!

Italian Treasures - can't wait to unpack more of my journey

Just some news for an exciting week...

Omgoodness - wrapping up life before I go has been stretching and exciting... but I have to say the excitement is creeping in big time.  I am almost 100% done will all the little bits of planning - I worked super hard this week to finish last minute things and also prepare things for home while I'm away.

So with limited supplies at hand (because so many are packed) and limited time to do little more than small sweet pieces...  I'll take whatever I can get... I had a small piece of canvas lying around with a failed transfer on...  I only used 2 colors... red, white and stabilo.  Can you tell - I'm still loving that little pencil.   I love her nose...

I don't get to read as much as I would like to these days because if I have time free - it's mainly kept for painting... so I tend to listen to books more than read them.  But some of these titles aren't on Audible so I decided to order some books the old fashioned way.  There is still a thrill about receiving real books and adding them to our library.

On my reading table...

1.  Bird by Bird - I'm reading and listening too... my sweet friend Betty sent me this copy.

2.  Finding Water - a follow on book to the Artist Way... one of them.

3.  A Thousand Mornings - a Mary Oliver poetry book.

4.  Floor Sample - it's Julia Cameron's autobiography.... 

5.  Sensory Intelligence - I was recently reminded by my friend Mel - why it's so good!

6.  The Vein of Gold - Another follow on to the Artist Way - it's the thickest one so far.

7.  Bringing up Girls - by James Dobson, there seems to be much in there about teenager girls - can never know too much about this topic.

Pretty heavy deep material - but I'm in love with all these books and I'm planning on reading Julia's autobiography on my flights... I have extremely long travel times - so it will be awesome to get lost in that!

My hubby was raving about my hair this week - so I took a photo of myself to see what all the fuss was about.  And I have to be honest, I was quite shocked to see how much I'm looking like my Momsie.  I am a good mixture of both my parents but in this pic - I just see her, in her younger years.  This capture feels like a bit of a time warp.  I sent the picture to my folks and my Dad said exactly the same thing!!!!  Which I just love!  I love seeing genetics at play... 

ps... I think my mom was beautiful... still is!  #honored 

When I told my girls what GrandPops has said they were... "ahhhh Granny is so beautiful"  I love the way they see life.

So I haven't bought creative pieces for ages - mainly because I was putting money aside for Italy.  But this month - I decided to purchase a piece or four.  They are all small pieces but they are all so interesting to me.  It's something I've been wanting to do.  Is put small and/or tiny pieces around the house - not only faces or paintings but just creatively interesting pieces.

From the incredibly creative Constanza -  I love this stitching - the red fabric saucer is MamaAfrica fabric I sent her.  She's used it many of her pieces and it totally suited her style.  She's as incredible with the paintbrush/pencil as she is with the needle.

Honored to have more of her pieces.

These two are from my sweet friend and travel buddy, Renee Plains.

If you know anything about me, you will know how much I love this theme... and Renee's pieces are amazing.  She's bringing them to Italy for me.

Can't wait!

Beautiful quiet weekend...

I just had such a beautiful weekend... why???  Because it was perfectly delightfully quiet and unrushed!  And the best part... I was home!  Plus my sweet friend popped in for a quick coffee and a precious chat!  I love beautiful people!  Just so grateful!

Plus I got to start packing this weekend.  I know that sounds crazy early!  But I have a week to go and I have a very hectic week and it gave me the chance to see what I still need to get, how I needed to downscale and cut back etc etc.  What makes it more challenging is packing up the art supplies.  But I am excited to say I'm good.

I basically had to get all these art supplies into....

These two pouches... well mostly!  PS... I didn't take all those brushes (even though I wanted to.  I really only packed the necessaries.

I also managed to put together little gift packs for my friends.  I made these sweet little gift bags from old coffee sacks that I got from a local coffee shop.

A perfect upcycle project!  I plan to do more of that!

I was looking for a little journal to take with me to Italy so I was looking through my ready made journals, altered books and I had forgotten about this wonderful little book.  I need to work more in here.

I did this Journal Spread as part of my homework in the FullCircleWorkshop in mid February.  I decided to just add a bit more depth to her face and she took a delightful turn.  Again mapping my growth over the past 6 months - so excited when I can actually see it!  She was mainly painted with black and white gesso!  I love that stuff!