Monday, February 29, 2016

Leap Day 2016!

What will we do with our extra day? Monty's day started with a wonderful surprise:) Look who discovered the feeder! 
It is a beautiful mild day today, this last day of February. A gift. I plan to go for a long walk in the park before starting work.  Hope you do something good for yourself today!

Sunday, February 28, 2016

A Room with a View

I love the view from this window. Not my window, but a place I have spent many happy hours.
 “Set wide the window. Let me drink the day.”-Edith Wharton
This is the month of February! Where is the snow? I am glad of its absence. A temporary reprieve.....

Windows, a chance to glimpse something beyond where we are now. Does it beckon? Does it turn you away? Does it fill you with longing? Does it invoke memory? We look out; we look in.....
I'm feeling very introspective today:)
I scarcely remember counting upon any happiness - I look for it if it be not in the present hour, - nothing startles me beyond the moment. The setting sun will always set me to rights, or if a sparrow come before my window, I take part in its existence and pick about the gravel.- John Keats

The only means of strengthening one's intellect is to make up one's mind about nothing, to let the mind be a thoroughfare for all thoughts.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/john_keats.html
The only means of strengthening one's intellect is to make up one's mind about nothing, to let the mind be a thoroughfare for all thoughts.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/john_keats.html
The only means of strengthening one's intellect is to make up one's mind about nothing, to let the mind be a thoroughfare for all thoughts.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/john_keats.html
The only means of strengthening one's intellect is to make up one's mind about nothing, to let the mind be a thoroughfare for all thoughts.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/john_keats.html
The only means of strengthening one's intellect is to make up one's mind about nothing, to let the mind be a thoroughfare for all thoughts.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/john_keats.html
The only means of strengthening one's intellect is to make up one's mind about nothing, to let the mind be a thoroughfare for all thoughts.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/john_keats.html

Friday, February 26, 2016

Home, home on the wall...

I love seeing my art in the homes of my customers:) This Dyptich now lives in a large old Victorian farmhouse cottage in Cape Breton! Looks great! Thanks for your support!

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Simple Daily Practices for a Happier Life!



1. Sit quietly in a chair every day for 15 minutes with NO distractions.

2. Floss. Very important this one. Not flossing linked to all kinds of unpleasant things. Keep several containers of it around the house, next to your bed, near TV/comuter, in your purse/briefcase. That way you have a better chance of getting it done. It only takes 30 seconds. Really no reason not to do it.


3. Give someone a compliment or/and do a good deed daily.Something for someone else!


4. Get out and WALK every day for 30 minutes, if you don't have 30 then 15.


5.
Make good choices. Every good choice you make reinforces other good choices. Only YOU know what the better choice is.

6. Take a vitamin pill and if you live in the Northern US or in Canada pop a vitamin D.


7. Do some daydreaming. Think about wonderful things....


8. Call your mom or someone close to you every day just to say hi.


9. Drink a full glass of water. More is better but one is great.


10. Make sure your kitchen is clean each night.
Makes the start of next day so much nicer:)

11. Have something to look forward to. Make plans to get together with a friend.


12. Think twice before you buy anything.


13. Make your bed


14. Smile


15. Avoid comparisons.
You are you!

16 Say thank-you like you MEAN it.


17. Have a goal. If you don't have any, make one, or two or three....


18 Eat some greens. Have a salad.


19. Stop and admire the things that please you.


20. Stretch

21. Suck in your belly button each time you think of it:) Hopefully it is several times a day:)

22.Try not to worry.....

“Worry is like a rocking chair--it gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere.
"
"Worry often gives small things a BIG shadow"


Anything to add? Please feel free to pass this on.

Mystery Art Show and Sale for Adsum House

Tonight!
Feb 25th at Argyle Fine Art Gallery on Barrington St., Supporting Adsum for Women & Children, The 2016 Mystery Art Show and Sale. Tickets are $20, you get wine, desserts from Scanway AND a chance to buy wonderful art for $100. It is a lively fun event! The artists names are obscured so you buy because it speaks to you:) Two shows, afternoon 3-5 and evening 7-9. Different art at each. Tickets can be purchased at the door, at Adsum for Women and Children or me. I have a painting there!

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Always a challenge...

One difficulty with being a self representing artist is that it is hard to get your work seen. I have had this 36 x36 abstract in my studio for quite a while now and although it is for sale, I am becoming quite attached to it and will now have trouble letting it go.:) 
The art business as with many others is all about numbers. The more people that see something or become aware of it, the greater the potential for an exchange. Win win. Painting is a very solitary occupation and I spend countless hours alone and yet it is getting that work in front of many people that will increase the odds of it bring pleasure to someone. From one to the many:) Tucked away in my studio, these masterpieces (ha) don`t get much exposure. I am working on a website that I hope will help achieve this.
If you have any advice I`m always open to listening....
 

Monday, February 22, 2016

Mondays...

Monday Monday Monday..... Just another day in the week, but the one most people like the least! Work. Schedules.Back to routine.Up and at em! What if we could shift our perception..

Monday.....the day that finances the fun things we do, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the dry places we live. Monday, the day we get to say hello to co-workers again and catch up with events. Monday, the day that gets us mentally revved and keeps us sharp. Monday, launch pad for the week ahead, a day to plan. Monday, the day we can try to get it right.... We need Mondays! Hail to Monday! 
(says the person who creates her own schedule...every day is a Monday! :)

The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today. -H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Saturday Sunrise.....

Today's sunrise from the Halifax Seaport Farmers Market. Minutes before this the sky was soft pink and then deepened to this wonderful salmon colour. A wonderful way to start the day!  The water was dark and glossy, rippling gently as the tide rolled in.  The air soothing and salty fresh. I stand outside for several minutes every morning before the market opens. Adjusting my thoughts, welcoming the day and getting energized for the hours ahead. Hope you have a great one! 



Friday, February 19, 2016

The Day Death Fell In Love With Life


Please WATCH this 5 minute video. You won't be disappointed. Haunting and lovely!!

So beautiful......
Created by Netherlands artist  Marsha Onderstijn

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Visual Feast

How beautiful is this? Radicchio and Endive. Vegetable jewels. This time of year I crave living colour. Got my fix today in the grocery store:) Outside everything is faded and dull. Although........on a sunny snowy day, sapphire and diamond hues rule!

The Moment

“Kindness can transform someone's dark moment with a blaze of light. You'll never know how much your caring matters. Make a difference for someone today.” -Amy L Mercree.         Painting for sale! Acrylic...36 x 48

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

“How did it get so late so soon?”

Oh my! A friend just sent me these two pictures which I have never seen. That's me as a teenager on a school trip to Venice. It was such fun, we had tremendous freedom and roamed at will. I now look at my young smiling face and wish I could go back through time and give that cheerful girl some advice. Have a chat about life and choices.

The picture below is my high school prom picture! Why so glum? The dress was made by my next door neighbor from fabric I chose. Ha! The next day I flew to Scotland with my family, our Grandfather was ailing. 
But really....... “It's being here now that's important. There's no past and there's no future. Time is a very misleading thing. All there is ever, is the now. We can gain experience from the past, but we can't relive it; and we can hope for the future, but we don't know if there is one.” -George Harrison

Monday, February 15, 2016

COLOUR interview: Tascha Parkinson

In 2009 I did a series of interviews based on earliest recollections of various colours in the lives of some creative people...I think I might do a few more...such an interesting exercise.....here is one of them...Tascha Parkinson


This is the second of a wee series of artist interviews based on the colours of the rainbow! It has been a fun project. What impact did each colour have on the artist's life. What is the strongest memory or association with it.

My second interview is with the delightful Tascha Parkinson of Toronto, Canada. The daughter of a painter, she carries on family tradition and creates the most wonderful, cheerful creations under the careful direction of her two Siamese cats, Opie and Lily. You can read her blog here and buy some of her art on eBay and and Etsy. Tascha has also dipped into the Youtube world and has some great art videos available to watch:) and of course there is  Facebook!

Little Red and the Wolf Cubs

Catching Snowflakes

Siamese Cat and Sushi

Here are Tascha's colour memories......"Thanks for letting me look back"

RED:
Back in art school I hung out with some people who loved bicycles. They rode them all over and would participate in what is called "critical mass". Every last Thursday of the month cyclists get together at Bloor and Spadina and ride their bikes through Toronto ringing their bells. I wanted a bike, so I went to the Goodwill, and there, was a vintage cruiser bike! I was so excited! It was from the 50's or 60's and it was a brown color. I went to Canadian Tire and bought a can of red enamel and painted the bike out on my balcony. I loved that bike! Unfortunately, it got stolen 5 years later.

ORANGE:
All the kitties I had growing up were orange colour. Then when I had my first apartment, I got Bailey. Another orange kitty. Everyone always remembers that about my childhood. That I always had orange cats.

YELLOW:
I grew up with my mom driving a yellow corvette stingray. BRIGHT YELLOW! You could always spot it in a parking lot!

GREEN:
Being part Irish green played a big part in my life. Four leaf clovers and such. Luck of the Irish. I always wore something green on St. Patrick's day.

BLUE:
This is a hard one. I guess I would say blue jeans. As a teenager I would try bleaching my jeans to have a tie-dyed appearance. I loved the wild pattern that would emerge from the areas that the bleach was stronger.

PURPLE:
Back in Art College I felt like this was my time to experiment with my hair. I dyed my hair purple. It was bright purple. I loved it! It was so hard to keep up though, and now I could never have the energy to maintain it.

PINK:
When I was about 18 I was in love with the movie "Pretty in Pink", I loved the way Molly Ringwald looked in that movie! I watched it about 100 times. It was a big part of my teenage life.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

xo February 14 xo

I will cover you with love when next I see you, with caresses, with ecstasy. I want to gorge you with all the joys of the flesh, so that you faint and die. I want you to be amazed by me, and to confess to yourself that you had never even dreamed of such transports…. When you are old, I want you to recall those few hours, I want your dry bones to quiver with joy when you think of them.
~ Gustave Flaubert, letter to his wife Louise Colet, 1846

Saturday, February 13, 2016

These Boots are Made for Walken...


An oldie but a goody. Walkens Welcome!  I love a quirky mind. This is a business with a sense of humour! I saw it in a  Wolfville  clinic window, Optometry (I think).
Speaking of walkin, it's darn cold here today! -11 feels like -17. Big mass of Arctic air taking a Southern vacation! Freezing in Florida too I hear. I was hoping to get out and stretch my bones, move this body and shake off my Winter ennui but I'm a wuss. Maybe later......
Sun is not shining today.....I just liked this pic of boots I took:) It is grey and wintry and threatening flurries. Kind of like the pictures below.
I'm not at the Seaport market today. Just didn't feel right this morning. Will work at home this afternoon to make up for lost $. Still have to pay for table....
Stark and lovely in it's own frozen way. Symphony of contrast. Dark and light, black and white. Winter poetry. xo

Friday, February 12, 2016

Tell me your Secrets....

“I want to be with those who know secret things or else alone.” -Ranier Maria Rilke. 

Secrets are intoxicating and alluring. People's secrets tantalize us! Knowing a secret gives us power. Knowledge that has the ability to change something.That's what secrets are....hidden keys, capable of unlocking good things or bad...  I like knowing secrets:) I won't tell!
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.” - Roald Dahl
“Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” -C.G.Jung

“Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides.” -Andre Malraux

“Secrets had an immense attraction to him, because he never could keep one, and he enjoyed the sort of unhallowed thrill he experienced when he went and told another animal, after having faithfully promised not to.” -Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows


Thursday, February 11, 2016

Soup for Mending Hearts, Chilly Bones and Crappy Days!


Soup beautiful soup! Everything feels better when there's a pot of nourishing homemade soup at hand. No thinking involved, no pressure, just a bowl of warm goodness...feeding your body and soul!
Start with 1 large onion, 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery and 2-3 cloves of garlic! Chop and toss into heavy pot. Pour in 4 cups of Veggie Broth.
Then add 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, a tin of lentils rinsed and drained, and 3/4 cup of red lentils...
Secret ingredient!!!! 1 small parsnip grated. Shhhh.
Spices are 2 Bay Leaves, 1 Tbsp Coriander and 1 Tbsp Cumin and 1 Tbsp Curry powder
A big old squirt of Siracha!!! Cha Cha Cha
Simmer for 30 minutes and voila!!! Top with avocado or chopped cilantro, parsley etc or even grated cheese if you are into that! I should have wiped the edge of the bowl to make the photo prettier but hey, you get the gist. I guarantee that a bowl of this soup will chase away the blues and lift dark clouds .......at least temporarily!
Really these are just rough guidelines, you can add whatever you want to soup. Versatile and always perfect for the don't feel like cooking but want something quick and good and tasty! x

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Winter Fun!

Haha don't do as I do, do as I say! Don't do this:) 
 We were hit with our first real winter storm on Monday. Lots of snow and wind but the roads are clear and the month is diminishing and next month is Spring! I work from home as well as from my studio so no storm day for me. Business as usual but fun to look out window at the wild weather!  
These pictures are from the Archives of the Netherlands. Great stuff!!!
I could use this rig:)
Imagine if they could see the fancy plastic cushioned and aerodynamic skates we wear today!



Monday, February 8, 2016

Blizzard Watch


This painting by Rod McKay was the first real piece of art I purchased. I've had it for years and it still gives me pleasure each time I look at it! I'm looking at it now:) 

I'm sitting on the couch blogging on my phone (!) and looking out the window occasionally to check the weather. Just little pellets so far, the storm foot soldiers..... I can hear them pinging on the window! We are expecting 40cm of snow by tomorrow morning. I filled the bird feeders, bought some "storm chips"( they are a thing here), got to the gym early, went to post office to mail some prints and now I am on the couch looking out the window every now and then to check the weather. 

Alas no storm day for me though! I can work from home. I have 50 prints and odds and ends to do for a lovely new shop on Grand Manan Island. The Painted Whale. Monty is sound asleep in front of the heater. I can hear the wind howling and feel the cold at the edge of my senses. Really all Is like to do is curl up with a cozy blanket over me, a good book in one hand and cup of tea in the other! Stay warm xo 


Sunday, February 7, 2016

Amarylis! Ama Right?

It is that time of year! Beautiful blooming Amarylis everywhere. Such a gift when all around is frozen and white.These are South African flowers, exotic and rewarding. The rate that they grow is spectacular! You can almost hear them:) Alien and alive! I am fascinated by them and they always lift my spirits. Also... no need to throw them out when done!  They can easily bloom again with some help. Read here to learn how!
Peggy's Cove in the snow.... brrr. I wonder if each house has a blooming Amarylis inside dispensing warmth and cheer. I'm off to help shoot a music video this afternoon.Should be fun! Have a great day...xo