Rest

Drinking tea always feels luxurious to me. It takes time to prepare and to enjoy. Sipping a favorite blend while reading, drawing, pondering, or visiting with a friend is like a mini-vacation. I immediately go into rest and peace mode with a steaming cup in my hand.

So why not celebrate tea drinking with another activity that brings me rest and peace: art! I created these art journal pages as a result of the Art of Wild Abandonment Two: Bless This Mess online class taught by Junelle Jacobsen. If you're at all interested in learning more about art, I highly recommend this course. Junelle teaches it entirely via video, so you can go at your own pace. It's quite flexible, so whether you're a beginner or more experienced, you can jump into the mess on your terms. And it's quite inexpensive. It'd be a blast if you join me!

(Just FYI, I purchase most of my teas online through The Tea Embassy. They have a passion for tea and for sharing their knowledge of tea with others. I appreciate many of their blends; Almond Cookie Green Tea is my current fave.)

Autumn Reflections, Part 2

In my post Autumn Reflections on Bravery, I took the bold step of posting a painting that didn't come out quite as I had hoped. I feel vulnerable sharing artwork because I am just learning. Yet, that's what requires bravery, and I am committed to this path.

Therefore, onward I go! I'd like to share a couple paintings inspired by the one in that posting. These are notecards that I will soon send to some dear friends:

Visually, I like these better than the first pumpkin painting. However, I feel great gratitude to that first poor child. It is very dear to me!

Speaking of that baby, it landed in my art journal, and now looks like this:

Not so bad after all! It just needed a good home. (But to continue the theme on overcoming perfectionism, I can't figure out how to publish pictures properly--this picture insists on being posted twice!)

Thankful for the Beauty of Snow

A couple of days ago, we had our first snow of the season. I always find myself doing a happy dance when it snows, and the more snow, the better the dance. I realize some people find snow to be a challenge, and I grant that it's difficult to drive in. But for me, snow covers everything with a blanket of beauty and peace. Even garbage can lids look magical with six inches of powder on them. All of life seems covered with frosting.

When the snow comes, I find myself viewing my surroundings and my life through a different lens. My schedule, which on other days can seem so important and demanding, quickly goes out the window as I embrace staying home and spending time with family, taking the kids sledding, making hot chocolate and muffins, reading a good book snuggled under a blanket, creating art I so easily ignore when life goes at its usual pell-mell pace.

So, above is my little offering for the Interwebs, a small vignette from the snowfall of October 24, 2012. Whatever your weather today, may you sense the peace and comfort a snowy day can bring.

Autumn Reflections on Bravery

This is my second tentative step into the blogosphere with this particular blog. (I used to blog fairly regularly under another domain name.) I feel ambivalent about this step, wanting to post yet feeling tender toward this particular picture and therefore wanting to protect it. It's a fragile little thing, a fairly quick painting that will end up in my art journal. I must confess I'm not 100% pleased with the result. The camera did wonders for brightening up the colors.

Yet I want to post it, and I do so for a few reasons. First of all, I want my blog to be about process, not product. I want to celebrate the enjoyment of creating as well as the quirky, "imperfect" creations that emerge. Secondly, this blog is about bravery. I am a recovering perfectionist, and posting this little picture is a stretch for me, a step into vulnerability. Thirdly, I just want to post! This blog is just a baby, and for it to grow and develop, I want to embrace my humbling beginnings and just go for it. (And honestly, at this point my blog is only known to a few close souls, so I feel safe in posting.)

So here we go! Autumn is, for me, largely about change and reflection. This painting and the posting of it celebrate both.

Wind of Change

The past few years have brought much change to my life and my heart. All good changes, though not all easy. I've stepped away from some personal and professional pursuits and toward a grand unknown. Or perhaps a simple, humble one. Whatever it becomes, here is a small start--a page from my art journal that reflects this season. I hope it somehow refreshes your soul.