Quote Wednesday - Gogh

If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced....Vincent Van Gogh

Each Quote Wednesday I share a quote with a painting or photograph that I have created. Quotes can be so inspiring and uplifting it is a good idea to meditate on the words and make a point of saying something encouraging about your life! 

Do something great and share your favorite quote in the comments below. Join me next week for the next inspiring quote and image. Blessings

Tutorial Tuesday - Doodles

After coming back from the States and the cold but sunny weather I am getting back into the swing of things and have a quick little exercise to share.  Its organised doodling, it is a great way to get started in a creative activity, taking time out or just creating on a small scale.

I did a little video for you, and hope you enjoy, why not get your pens out and start to doodle, share what you do, or use it as the basis for another piece of art, attach it to card and send it to a friend!

I have so much to share with you, new courses, videos, artwork, supplies and artwork from friends far and wide, you will need to come back as I share some of these on the blog.

For now, stay blessed and be a blessing!

Word for the Week - Psalm 86:17

Give me a sign of your goodness that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.  Psalm 86:17

As you meditate on the scripture and enjoy the image ask and think about the many gifts you have been given, the many challenges you face, and the fruit that will come from the work of your hands. 

Words and images for the week, to bless, encourage and inspire you to be all that you have been called to be. 

What will you do with what you have been given today?

Quote Wednesday - Dickens

There is a wisdom of the head and.....a wisdom of the heart...Charles Dickens

Each Quote Wednesday I share a quote with a painting or photograph that I have created. Quotes can be so inspiring and uplifting it is a good idea to meditate on the words and make a point of saying something encouraging about your life! 

Do something great and share your favorite quote in the comments below.

Join me next week for the next inspiring quote and image. Blessings

Greetings from the US of A and Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day to all mothers around the world!

I have taken some time away from my schedules in the UK to take a trip to Virginia and New York

Snowed in at the Airport

We are thankful that the snow is on the melt, when we flew into New York last week on route to Virginia we were snowed in as flights came to a stand still in New York. Thankfully Virgin put us up in a hotel for the night so we didn't have to stay at the airport waiting for the next flight the following day.

On our way to Virginia at last!

While in Virginia, we drove down to Washington with Alan's Sister Yvonne and Sekani and did a 6 hour tour with Signature Tours (I thoroughly recommend!) which enabled us to get a snapshot taste of the city.  You really have to spend longer in the city, so it is on my list for next time!

Tour stopping outside the White House

We got to see the White House up close and personal, they forgot we were coming so we didn't get an invite in!

Also took in a stroll to the monument on arrival to Washington

Spent some time with Alan's sister Yvonne and later that week her son and daughter joined us, it was great catching up with them.

When we got back to Williamsburg, Virginia I got an opportunity to see my friend and fellow Artist Mika from Motley Soul.  We got so caught up in chatting and looking round her studio and getting to know her beautiful family that we forgot to take a picture together.  I left for New York and arrived yesterday to see my cousin and his family and see some of the sites here in New York -  we are also enjoying the brisk weather.

I will be posting more on my return and have a few things to show you this week that I had been working on, and some of the great supplies that Mika passed on to me on my visit. Here is something that I have been working on with the supplies I managed to buy on my trip to Virginia.

It is the beginning background stages, so when I get a chance will be adding more and hopefully completing it. Also working on a few pen and ink drawings that I will be sharing along with some more photographs when I get the chance to post.....

What have you been up to and in what way are you spending time with family this week.

Stay blessed and be a blessing!

Word for the Week - Proverbs 3:24

When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet....Proverbs 3:24

As you meditate on the scripture and enjoy the image ask and think about the many gifts you have been given, the many challenges you face, and the fruit that will come from the work of your hands. 

Words and images for the week, to bless, encourage and inspire you to be all that you have been called to be. 

What will you do with what you have been given today?

Quote Wednesday - East African Proverb

Wisdom is like the boabab tree; no one individual can embrace it... East African Proverb

Each Quote Wednesday I share a quote with a painting or photograph that I have created Quotes can be so inspiring and uplifting it is a good idea to meditate on the words and make a point of saying something encouraging about your life! Do something great and share your favorite quote in the comments below.

Join me next week for the next inspiring quote and image. Blessings

Word for the Week - Hebrews 13:6

So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper;  I will not be afraid.  What can mere mortals do to me?'  Hebrews 13:6

As you meditate on the scripture and enjoy the image ask and think about the many gifts you have been given, the many challenges you face, and the fruit that will come from the work of your hands. 

Words and images for the week, to bless, encourage and inspire you to be all that you have been called to be. 

What will you do with what you have been given today?

Quote Wednesday - St Augustine

Patience is the companion of wisdom....

St Augustine

Each Quote Wednesday I share a quote with a painting or photograph that I have created Quotes can be so inspiring and uplifting it is a good idea to meditate on the words and make a point of saying something encouraging about your life! Do something great and share your favorite quote in the comments below.

Join me next week for the next inspiring quote and image. Blessings

Art Journal Page - I can move mountains - Page and video process

This Journal page was great to do.  It is nice once in a while to work with a limited palette and really stretch yourself once in a while, and every now and then I like to work like this as we can sometimes take what we have for granted.

Working in an art journal enables me to work through ideas, try new techniques and see what works, and there is some pages that I will take a step further and work on canvas with them.

Here is the completed page, check out the video to see the work in progress, leave a comment, let me know what you think, what are you working on and how do you challenge yourself in your work?

I can move mountains

BBC - Wanted in Paradise - Trip to Barbados

Wanted in Paradise - Me, Alan and Sekani as we visit one of 3 properties on the island

Wanted in Paradise - Our accomodation

Last year we had the opportunity to take a trip to Barbados with the BBC to see what it would be like to live there. You can see the post I wrote HERE 

The Wanted in Paradise series follows 8 families around to see what goes into the decision to relocating to another country, and we went to sunny Barbados.  We explored the heartache and soul searching that goes into making a decision in a search for a better quality of life.

You can see our program HERE

Wanted in Paradise

We met lots of people and found out lots of information to help us inform our decision. For those of you that are familiar with my blog and my story as a carer you will know that I look after my mother who is suffering from dementia, so thoughts of relocation will have to be thought through with great care.

I have always thought my ideal will be the ability to stay in both places when the weather is at its' best - 6 months in the UK and 6 months in Barbados, obviously my work - art and creativity have to be able to be flexible and in an ideal world I will have an gorgeous studio like the artist I met - Janice Silvia Brock

The program aired on Thursday and there were lots that we filmed that wasn't included, people we had talked to and family members who had given their point of view.  I guess that there is a limit in an hour to what can be included and you would probably need a whole new show to fit every thing in!

Overall I felt that it gave a flavor of the decisions that we had to make the difficulty of the very thought of leaving family and friends behind to embark on a new place to call home.  Take a look and see how difficult the decision was and what we eventually decide.

Stay blessed and be a blessing!

Word for the Week - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God... 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

As you meditate on the scripture and enjoy the image ask and think about the many gifts you have been given, the many challenges you face, and the fruit that will come from the work of your hands. 

Words and images for the week, to bless, encourage and inspire you to be all that you have been called to be. 

What will you do with what you have been given today?

Change can come - Painting Process

Have you ever started a painting and not liked where it was going, and felt dissatisfied that you wanted to take it into a new direction?  I have been practicing by working on old paintings that have not been completed for one reason or another, persevered and then tried to take them in a different direction.

It is not always easy, but if you persevere you'll get the look that you want.  That is also true for life, and any changes that you might want to make.  As you step out and continue to do so on a regular basis you'll see the difference that is made in the circumstances, it might not always be easy, but will be worth the effort.

Hope you enjoy this video, I really enjoyed making it.

Quote Wednesday - Huxley

Experience is not what happens to you;  it is what you do with what happens to you.... Aldous Huxley

Each Quote Wednesday I share a quote with a painting or photograph that I have created Quotes can be so inspiring and uplifting it is a good idea to meditate on the words and make a point of saying something encouraging about your life! Do something great and share your favorite quote in the comments below.

Join me next week for the next inspiring quote and image. Blessings

Word for the Week - Luke 12:17

Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Don't be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows.  

Luke 12:7

As you meditate on the scripture and enjoy the image ask and think about the many gifts you have been given, the many challenges you face, and the fruit that will come from the work of your hands. 

Words and images for the week, to bless, encourage and inspire you to be all that you have been called to be. 

What will you do with what you have been given today?

Collage Experiments

Earlier last year I took Randal Plowman's course 'Experiments in collage' and learnt different techniques for creating collages and I shared some of the work that I did HERE.  It was a great class and had very supportive fellow artists.  There was about 24 of us which made it a lot easier to see and comment on each others work.  There were some beautiful collages coming from the members on the course, and next week I will share some of the ones that I was sent.

One of my main reasons for taking the class is to explore the work that I want to do in Art and Health - using art and creativity as a therapeutic tool, I want to explore ways in which we can use creativity to share our stories, memories and wisdom and allow them in different ways to surface.  For me these stories are important, the ones that we were told when we were little to the ones that we in turn tell our children and with art we can capture some of them.

These are the stories that tell of love, joy, peace, loss, sorrow and pain.  We lived through these and in moments of reflection when we are gathered we ask the question.... "do you remember when?"  Sometimes we cannot find the words to express how we feel and as a carer I find creativity acts as that bridge that allows the thoughts, feelings and emotions to be expressed freely and for healing to take place.

In the class I allowed myself to play with a wide range of materials and also incorporated such as the supplies I would normally use in my work like modelling paste, paint, as well as paper from a variety of sources. This is very much a part of my mixed media journey that allows you to be expressive using whatever tools and materials you have.  A small group of us in the class agreed to make a series of collages and do an exchange.  Here are some of the ones that I created.

Set your voice free - collage on card

Composure

Explore the Dream 

Time to believe the Journey

There is no place like home - collage, mixed media

I will share the rest on my mixed media art blog HERE

I am hoping to make this a regular activity and perhaps start collage series here on the blog using my new found skills, perhaps something weekly - why not join me.  I will be using a range of materials including paper, gesso, paints, embellishments, vintage paper, found objects, general household objects, fabric etc.  You can use whatever you have around you and also dig out those rarely used materials and supplies.  The  main aim is to spend a minimum of 20 minutes playing with your supplies and adding them to the page as you create your collage.  Watch this space for details.

Gratitude's and Celebration Journal - Week 74 - The Ideal

There is no situation or circumstance that is ever going to be perfect, and often we wait until we perceive it is the right time, when things fall into place, when the planets align or someone says those words that we were longing to hear.

We can prevent ourselves from using our gifts and talents, and as an artist there has been many a time when I didn't want to share a piece of work, because I was worried about what people might think, how they would see me or who they would compare me to, but whether or not they want to compare me it doesn't matter. 

At the end of the day, you can't stop yourself from doing things purely because of what others might think or stay in the neat little box that they try and confine you to.  You are a unique individual and you have to value yourself where you are, stop playing small and appreciate yourself a bit more.

There is a world out there with your name on it waiting to be explored, ideas that are waiting to be birthed by you that others are praying to see, and experience.  You have to step out of that shell you have been hiding in and show all your colours - you are extremely beautiful, I hope you know that!

There will never be an ideal moment, so start now, there will never be the right time, so take that step,  You are beautifully and marvelously made - have faith that if you fall, you will get up, and take another step, embrace those difficult times as an essential part of your training that will allow you to look back and celebrate how far you really have come.   

I celebrate and am grateful for this moment that is right here, when I can tell someone somewhere in the world reading this post that you matter.  Don't wait for the ideal moment or time, step out of your comfort zone now and live life to the full!

I am on a journey and hope you come along and join me. Why not start your own journal, keep it as simple or complex as you wish, but do something!

In the News - Encouraging the Young - Sir Karni Music

Welcome to In The News!  Today is going to be all about one young man who, has grown up and has many talents and I thought I would share his latest achievements with you.  We have to encourage our young, the men and women of our future to step out and use the gifts, talents and abilities that they have.  It is their generation that will be the worlds next leaders and movers and shakers and as we encourage them we see the fruits of our labor.

 Over the years I have shared aspects of my son Sekani's life, this little bundle of joy has provided us with an immense amount of laughter, love and he has a generous heart.

He was always caring and wanted to help, with his inquisitive and easy going nature he shone - he was known as a chatter box!

It is amazing to think that time has flown by so quickly and I wanted to congratulate him on an achievement that he has made.

Sekani, with his stand out and not follow the crowd personality, has been working hard on his music and collaborating with friends..

He is creating his own path, stepping out into the talents and gifts that he has and sharing them with others.

Our son, the young man whose name 'Sekani' means 'man of wealth and laughter', who has given us so far 19 years of laughter (and a few tears) - but that is all part of life as he matures into the man that God has called him to be.

As well as playing the piano, Sekani has been writing his own songs as well.  I wanted to share with you the latest project that he has been working on (in his home studio) which is his first song released on valentines day called 'I Wanna Be', featuring a couple of his friends, Pressure H and Tenzin C. The song has been taken from the album that he released.

Show him some love and visit his YouTube channel and listen to the song, and give him some encouragement.  His music links are - HERE

Stay blessed and be a blessing!

Quote Wednesday - Unknown

Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't I give myself reasons why I can......Unknown

Each Quote Wednesday I share a quote with a painting or photograph that I have created Quotes can be so inspiring and uplifting it is a good idea to meditate on the words and make a point of saying something encouraging about your life! Do something great and share your favorite quote in the comments below.

Join me next week for the next inspiring quote and image. Blessings

Word for the Week - John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  John 14:27

As you meditate on the scripture and enjoy the image ask and think about the many gifts you have been given, the many challenges you face, and the fruit that will come from the work of your hands. 

Words and images for the week, to bless, encourage and inspire you to be all that you have been called to be. 

What will you do with what you have been given today?