There are great moments in a girl's life when she isn't afraid of snakes.....my great nieces are having a great moment!  Sometimes our creativity is scared out of us and we have to color in the lines, afraid to break the rules.  It is a good thing to just to let all the teaching and education go....all the techniques and tips put aside and just paint.  Letting loose is where the break through moments come....and we lose our fear that keeps us inside the lines.  Enjoy!

The summer comes.....long awaited after winter's drab colors.  The palette changes and we get outside to let it soak into our bones.  Color is magic.  The range of possibilities is endless....rich and diverse.  In the 500 hundred years since oil paint was developed in the fifteenth century, artists have discovered a fascinating variety of way to render the colors of nature into expressions of art.  We mix, we blend, we layer and glaze until the harmony is just right.  We brush and wipe away, scrape and apply with knives and fingers.  Color doesn't exist without light....so we become light chasers, finding the shadows and patterns in different kinds of weather.   Not only do we learn the primary, secondary and tertiary colors, we talk about hue, intensity, temperature and value.  But, in all the techniques there is a common denominator......we paint, we draw, we sculpt because we have to.....it is who we are.....co-creators with the Creator who ignites the spark.

Creativity requires renewal!

Many time my creative energy requires a little renewal.....a resurrection. Art is never quite knowing what inspires us or when....and then, not quite knowing how to express it as we face a blank canvas. Renewal for me is to begin....maybe after a walk or a prayer of gratitude. Beginning is often a leap in the dark. In the dark leaps of putting strokes on the canvas, my eye begins to see the light and I am refreshed. Taking the first step to come back from the dead lethargy of self-doubt, or comparing our skill level to another artist....is resurrection. We are alive again and ready to create. Happy Easter!

Creative inspiration has a reason.

Assume that creative inspiration comes to you for a reason......your spirit is speaking to you when a painting, poem, play, carving, sculpture is drawn out of that well. With each piece I am grateful for what my soul is trying to express, understand, overcome or celebrate. We may be producing goods that we will sell for a living, but the creative process is personal. Interacting with the materials and the content is allowing te process of creation to whisper the secrets we need for our own life. Perhaps it does not stop there. The secrets whispered to us in the creative-spiritual process are offered to the world as we share with one another. The brushes, pen, tools, words in your hand and the open heart within are willing to co-create for the greater good of the Universe.

There is nothing quite as inspiring for me as when thoughts crash against my spirit and urge me to pick up my brushes and express the joy of being a part of nature. Ocean, mountains, rivers, desert canyons draw me back from the distractions and interruptions into a reverence for life. Touching the generous creative part of self-expression is connective as we begin to co-create with the divine design. "When you are upon earth, enjoy the good things that are here." John Selden

Crosshairs in Space!

Exploring an empty canvas is a space exploration. Painting explores our creative spaces, reaching into the dark corners and allowing the light to give contrast to the shapes we find. Our inner world is a complex, exquisite site with a powerful play of colors, lights and shadows......a cathedral of consciousness with altars where we lay events and experiences that rival the outer world. This inner wealth is the artist's expression of outer space.