Doodle mania!

Hello oh gorgeous reader,

I had planned to make a cool "raw" video about an art journal spread made without any kind of plan. It's very freeing to make art that way. All pressure is off and I don't care how it turns out.

Anyway, I ended up doodling like I do when I talk on the phone, just at a larger scale. I find it meditative to doodle without a care in the world.

Can't say I was super thrilled with the end result but it turned out "happy." I always loved bright colors as you can see. I'm glad the vibe is happy because art makes me happy always. I do have expectations but I'm relying less and less on the outcome of my art these days.

I'm having more fun as a result. I made a video of the Doodle Mania art spread. You can watch it HERE.

 I hope you're making time for some art!
xo
Happy Thanksgiving!!

Maria

P.S. I wrote a blog post about gratitude on my motivational art blog. You can check it out HERE.

New painting...

I have been on a roll lately creatively speaking.  I felt I was getting nowhere, so I started making up to-do lists every day, and it has helped immensely.  Not only do I write down the chores, but also the art hours.  That way they won't be frittered away on nonsense.  Life could so easily consist of habits and social media, but I really want to develop myself and my skills.  Now I'm getting a lot more art produced and it feels really good!  So, if you're stuck with whatever fuels your passion, try writing a list, scheduling in the boring but also the fun parts.  It really works!  You have to hold yourself accountable or get an accountability partner if you lack discipline.  Once your discipline muscle has gotten a workout, it gets easier to follow through.  Just be good to yourself!  LOVE everything about you, and stick with your passion in life.

Peace out!

PEACE original acrylic painting 8x8"

Busy, creative week coming on...

I have goals.  Do you?  I'm stepping up my art as a business.  It has long been on the back burner, and that has been good, but the time has come to become more focused on doing things I love in life.  I'd like to say: "What a great, meaningful day I had today," at the end of every day.  It is a choice, and choices can be scary sometimes, especially if they go against the grain of "what we SHOULD do."  The ego, bless its soul, tries to protect us from DANGER and whatever threatens has to be avoided at all cost!  
Time to bust out of prison!  Life is short, take a leap, don't be afraid.  I tell myself those things all the time, and the ego has gotten a bit more subdued. (Hallelujah!)  

To be honest, I barely ever lived the "safe" life, but those bills have to be paid, and they do get paid because we live in a sea of abundance.  Somehow we are fish that can't see the water for all the water...  The more risks we take, the more confident we get.  YES, I CAN DO IT!  Small risks, and then bigger ones as the confidence muscle is being built.

I finished another painting, this one in many layers of paints that I masked out around the buddha figure.  What is helpful in taking risks?  The little still voice within when we quiet down enough to listen.  Go for it!  

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Be Still... a mixed media piece

I finished a small 8x8" mixed media piece the other day, and I was happy with the result.  We can all use some meditation and be still, right?  I know I do.  I'm working on a large canvas and it's sometimes difficult to get all the elements to fit the whole.  When it's finished, I will post the process.  I've been taking pictures all along, and the painting has gone through a lot of stages.

Birds and poppies....

Seems that I've been into birds and poppies lately.  They say you create your own symbols as you go along on the artistic path and birds are definitely one of my symbols.  They can mean many things but mainly I think of freedom and lightness when I see them flying.  You don't see many white birds in the wild, but I like to paint at least one white bird in the crowd.  Looking at the wonders of birds in general, it's easy to see the superiority of Mother Nature's creation.  A painting is only a small echo of the natural "glory," but at least I hope the delight for the subject shines through.

Poppies are deliciously elegant, and the long stems seem unable to hold up those glorious red heads, yet they are perfect in every way.  An abstract rendition is very easy to paint.  Most people will immediately see the resemblance but I did have someone ask if those were lips...  All in the eye of the beholder, right?

My art journaling has been addictive for quite a while, but I have to keep stocking up my etsy shop.  I'm planning to add more paintings soon.  This piece is available now in my shop, here.

                            6" panels with 1.5" deep edges, painted black.