One Person's Obvious is Another's Obscure
There is joy in feeling the heart-or-head-to-hand-to-creation connection coming through the bowls. These bowls are perfect to me, although they might be imperfect to the creator.
Handmade art has loads of qualities and character, and is always made by “imperfect humans”.
The more we’re able to put ourselves into our art, the better and better our art becomes, even when it’s “flawed”!
We love the perfect imperfections seen and felt in art that speaks to us.
Creating a Life that Matters
Glass ceilings, especially those that are self-imposed, are meant to be shattered, and we're just the ones to do it. Let's do this!
Paint FAST : Listen S-L-O-W-L-Y
My inspiration for Anuenue Ali`i Wahine came in a dream which I recorded in my journal (I like to use a purple pen in my journal).
Clarity of Purpose; Singularity of Focus
Those were the exact words running through my mind over and over again while I tried to sleep. I finally got out of bed and wrote them down. Obviously this was an important message. I’m glad I did that! These words have continued to keep me focused the past few weeks and I’m expecting them to last me the entire year. They are my “words of the year”.
Attitude Follows Action
Often we think that if we "felt better”, or if we "felt like painting", that our painting time would be more fun, or more interesting, or our painting “turn out" better.
Actually, we will feel better about painting (and the resulting painting) after we paint!
“Get in, Get Out, Step Back, Repeat…”
I took just one painting class in college — oil painting. I loved it, but had more fun working in clay, and spent many semesters up to my elbows in “mud.”
Years after graduating, when I decided to paint again, I dug out my old oils. They still held magic.
Living Telescopically
Telescopic painting is a painting technique I caught myself doing the other day. To paint telescopically means that instead of watching the paint brush, your eye is watching the part of the painting where you wanted your brush to go. I was painting the horizon line on my Star Struck Mermaid and instead of watching myself paint the line; I was watching the line an inch or so ahead of my brush.
Finding YOUR Way with Watercolor
Two professional oil painters recently told me that they are afraid of painting with watercolor. They said that it is too unpredictable and unforgiving. I have heard this before.
In fact, I used to believe that too.
We Don't Always Know What We Need
I recently participated in a grueling 3-day tradeshow. It was an experience I am not likely to replicate, but there were a few bright spots.
On the third day, Keanu (hubby) surprised me by purchasing a 10-minute Ho’opono Healing Massage for me. I don’t think of myself as a “massage person”. I don’t have many aches/pains, and honestly feel a bit guilty about receiving massage because I don’t like giving them.
I had been standing on concrete for three days and when asked where my pain was I said my feet and maybe my lower back (I really didn’t have much pain, but they asked).
When I lay down on the table, my right foot cramped, so I asked the masseuse to pull on my toes to make it stop. He proceeded to really DIG into the soles of my feet.
Tools of the Trade: Books
I’m a bit of a bookworm; reading is one of my passions. I read journals, memoirs, novels, how-to books, self-help books, children’s’ books, cookbooks, etc. You get the picture. Recently a friend of mine recommended “The Painter” by Peter Heller, so I got it out of the library (love libraries!). It is a wonderfully well-written story about a painter; and I feel compelled to share a few of my favorite passages with you.