We are not being called to DO More.

We are being called to BE MORE of Ourselves and to DO DIFFERENTLY.

The world is shifting in a myriad of ways.

This is the time of darkness in the Northern Hemisphere (and increasing Lightness in the Southern).

Those of us in the tropics experience the shift as well; it’s just more subtle. If you were to visit me today you might not notice the seasonal change, but those of us living here definitely do!

This time of year is traditionally used to let our lands lie fallow, giving them a chance to rest.

It’s also a time to let our minds mull over the past year; it’s a time of introspection.

At the beginning of 2016, I declared it the “second-coming” of Sweet Sixteen.
It was a chance for us to revisit our younger selves and to make any course correction we wanted to make.

What will 2017 bring? What do we want to see, to feel, to experience in 2017?

It’s up to us — it’s always up to each one of us!

Resist the distractions of the world around you.

Focus on what YOU WANT!

We have the opportunity to shine our lights brightly, to bring our desires into focus.

We must keep our eyes trained on the “prize” that we seek.

Don’t worry; we can’t get this “wrong”.

Opportunities abound each day.

“Do-Overs” are a natural part of the creative process.

Most paintings have a story to tell. Sometimes we know those stores at the outset. Other times we learn the stories as the paintings progress.

My inspiration for Anuenue Ali`i Wahine came to me in a dream which I recorded in my journal.

Learning the stories behind the painting requires the art of listening.

Listening to what?

Listening to that still small voice within us all — the one that we don’t always hear, but that is always there.

Listen to your paintings.

Yes, it’s perfectly okay to ask your painting for direction. And when you do, be sure to listen for the answers — and then follow the directions given.

This is the "under painting" of Anuenue (rainbow) Ali`i (royalty or goddes) Wahine (woman) —right after the texture has been removed.

Yes, it's okay to NOT follow the directions too.

Think of painting as a co-creative act. You are not alone at your easel or table. You are working with the forces of creation that surround us at all times.

Getting closer, but not yet complete.

Painting is an interactive sport. Smile while you paint and when asking your questions. Be playful about your painting. Make it a game.

If you’ve ever watched someone start a painting, you have an inkling of what it means to really want to paint something.

Did you know that you are the most important tool in your toolbox?

Your painting comes through you: through your eyes, through your hands, through the filter that is YOU.

You cannot get it wrong.

Each brush stroke informs the next. You learn and relearn as you paint.

When one stroke or subject becomes easy (and it will), challenge yourself to do something different. Change your strokes or your subject matter.

I added more layers of "rainbow",  more dark hair, and gave her skin more highlights & depth before considering her complete. Anuenue Ali`i Wahine (Royal Rainbow Woman in Hawaiian)

When you're out in nature, look more closely at the world around you. What colors do you see?

If you squint your eyes, does your vision change?

Can you see red-violets in the shadows of the leaves, or orange in the dying parts of the red plants?

While the colors fade as the leaves and flowers whither and die, we can still see the beauty they once held for us. We just need look more slowly.

Beauty surrounds us when we look through our eyes with LOVE.