Mahalo nui loa (a big Thank You to YOU), to those of you who visited my studio December 6 & 7th. I am still basking in the joy and conversation we shared.

The paintings and giclées hanging in the studio tell the story of my painting life. By asking questions, you jogged a few memories loose and helped me to “connect more of the dots” linking my paintings together.

I am most appreciative of your asking about my coconut paintings. Their lineage feels especially important because I just finished a new coconut painting.

I did quite a lot of housesitting around the island for the first few years that I lived here.  Housesitting is interesting, sometimes fun, and often more involved than you might expect.

One morning, as I walked the golden retrievers along the beach while housesitting in Kewala Bay, I was thinking about all the changes I had experienced in the three years since I’d moved here. I was amazed that the dreams I had of becoming an artist had brought me so far from home.

Big Dreams Require Big Seeds © Patrice A Federspiel, 2003

Just then I saw three or four coconuts bobbing in the water along the shore. “Big Dreams Require Big Seeds” popped into my head. Immediately coconuts became synonymous with my dreams, and I knew a painting would ensue.

Then There Were Two © Patrice A Federspiel, 2004
This painting hangs in Kai Ku Hale in Hale`iwa

Since then, I have painted several coconut paintings. One painting, “Dreamscape: Lift Off” hangs in the front room of my studio.

Unless you have seen a coconut beginning to sprout, you might not recognize the object “hanging in the sky” of the painting as a coconut (the color is a bit more brilliant than true coconuts are).

Dreamscape: Lift Off © Patrice A Federspiel, 2004

That painting was an affirmation that my career was about to “take off” even before I really felt that to be true.

My most recent coconut painting is also not immediately recognizable as being a coconut; and its lineage is a bit out of the ordinary as well.

It began during a mini-meditation three months ago. During the meditation, I “saw” something growing in the palms of my hands. That something was my creativity.

A few weeks later, I found an empty coconut hull still in the husk in which it had grown on a tree. It looked like a heart to me so I brought it home and kept it in a plastic bag in my studio. I was saving it until I had time to paint it.

A few more weeks went by before I was able to begin the painting.

“The Heart of My Palms” is now complete. It speaks to the love I have for, and feel from and through, my hands.

The Heart of My Palms © Patrice A Federspiel, 2014

The coconut still symbolizes my dreams of being an artist. My hands are used to create my paintings.

All of my paintings come from my heart, through my palms, to you.

Thank you for the role you play in summoning them forward.

Image: Diving Deeper

Without fail, my paintings help me to know what to focus on in my life, or what is going on in the world around me. They act as a messenger from my inner self to my conscious self.

I can understand if that sounds a little weird to you. Once upon a time it would have sounded odd to me, too. Experience has proven it to me.

When I first met my husband, I was extremely busy with my art career. At the time I lived alone, worked part time at a frame shop, had just worked the 2-day Haleiwa Arts Festival ALONE, and was preparing for a Showcase event at the Honolulu Museum of Art.

To say I was busy is an understatement.

At that time I was working on a series of palm frond paintings, specifically, “Crossroads, Cross Purposes.”

Image: Cross Roads, Cross Purposes

Keanu was in between jobs at the time and had loads of time on his hands. I had no extra time on mine. While our first date was great fun, I didn’t have time for a second. Yes, we were at a crossroads of sorts.

Fast-forward three months when I started to work on another palm frond painting titled “When We’re Together.”

Image: When We're Together

Shortly after that painting began, Keanu and I had our second date… almost three months to the date after our first date.

The rest of our relationship continues to unfold beautifully.

And my paintings continue to send me messages. Sometimes I understand them immediately, but more often than not, they “speak” a cryptic language, even to me.

For instance, I didn’t know what “Seeding the Stars” is really about until yesterday. And she has been finished for three weeks.

“Diving Deeper” was the next painting to be finished. I understood her meaning even as she began.

She is telling me to dive more deeply into my inner life, my spiritual work, and my paintings. She tells me I have more to offer to you and to the world.

So here goes … I believe we are each responsible for choosing who we become in life. We decide what gives our life a sense of purpose and meaning.

Research shows that people who feel as though their life has purpose are happier, healthier, and that they live longer.

Our purpose evolves with us as we age and change. No matter what our purpose was, is, or will be, it is amplified when we bring our conscious awareness to it.

When we were very young, our purpose was to grow, to learn, and to figure out how and where we fit into the scheme of life. For some this purpose lasts a lifetime.

Some people find purpose in having children and nurturing them through their growing phases. Others find purpose in putting rockets on comets, caring for animals, or tending to the earth.

There are as many good, true reasons for being (purpose) as there are people on earth. It’s up to each of us to decide where, and how we want to use our energy.

I am a natural born “up-lifter.” My purpose is to help others reconnect with the magic and mystery in their own lives. I do this through my paintings, my writings, and by teaching the joys of painting so others can more easily connect with their creative inner self.

It has taken me all of my life to reach my current purpose, and it has taken me another five months to announce it publicly to you.

I’m telling you now to help you understand why some of my paintings might tickle your fancy or why some of my words can help you to feel better.

When something exhilarates us it has our attention. Place your conscious awareness on that which makes you feel good and you will learn more about yourself and your own unique, inner purpose.

If you have longed to paint, for fun or for self-expression, watch my website, blog, and eZines for my 2015 teaching schedule. It will be expanding in scope this next year.

If you feel moved to share this email with others, please use the link to do so. You will be serving as a conduit of connection and perhaps fulfilling one of your life’s purposes.

If none of this resonates with you, please feel free to unsubscribe. You won’t hurt my feelings!

In the meantime, continue to “Dive Deeper” into the depths of your own inner life.

You can assist the lives of others by “Seeding the Stars” (by planting and nurturing the dreams of all those you touch).

Image: Seeding the Stars

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.

As often happens while painting, I realized that this technique could also come in handy when living life in general.

Painting telescopically is not a natural way to paint though it can be easily learned. I imagine the same can be said for “living telescopically”.

A telescope is a device through which things far away are brought closer to us so we can see them better.

To live telescopically is to live with your desired future outcome in mind. Almost as if it were already true today.

Many people have wishes, dreams, and/or goals in mind for their “future self”. Having a dream or a goal is a great first step.

The next step, the telescoping step, is to live as if your dream or goal has already arrived.

Our goals and dreams become reality not because the future is changing, but because WE are changing. We are growing into the person who lives the dream or goal. Another way of saying this is that we become a “perfect fit” for our goal.

Depending upon your current mindset, this is either a giant leap or simply a slight shift in your perspective.

Regardless, play around with this thought to see how it feels.

What if it were possible to live your life telescopically with your mind’s eye trained on your desired outcome instead of on the way things are right now?

What if it is possible that by changing your perspective you can change your world?

Living Telescopically is not something that you “should” do. It is merely an optional way to look at life, one that my Star Struck Mermaid has been teaching me while I paint.

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. I had NO intention of even trying watercolor before moving into a very small apartment in Honolulu made it advisable (fumes from oil paints can be deadly).

Now I know watercolor can be magical & free as well as domesticated, and occasionally quiet.

Watercolor has many facets and can be used differently to suit your moods.

My favorite method is to embrace the mystery of painting as a form of meditation and insight.

I enjoy the challenge of starting fast with a loose idea. Then applying texture and paint to create an underpainting (my Hide-N-Seek method).

Later, when all the texture has been removed, I paint slowly, taking my time to find my original idea (the Seeking part of Hide-N-Seek).

It is a good idea to have several paintings going so that when you get “stuck” on one, you can work on another.

Each painting has the potential to teach us something new about art and about life.

When we quietly tiptoe into our paintings, we have the opportunity to watch magic happen as the world expands through our creation.

When painting slowly, stop periodically to really look at the painting in progress. In this way you can see what is needed and the painting process becomes a meditation.

Sometimes paintings happen quickly. Stunning paintings, filled with charged color and fluid movement can happen in one sitting.

There truly are as many ways to paint, as there are people.

If you want to find your own way with watercolor, please email me. Teaching and helping others to expand their artistic vision is one of my favorite things to do.

Not yet complete, here you see that I am finding more and more trees in this Aspen Grove in Autumn. This painting was started in the Hide-N-Seek Class I taught in Denver earlier in October, 2014. Ask me how you can arrange to have me teach a class in your neck of the woods!