Sunday Morning

Sunday morning I drove Holly into work early which didn't sound like that great of an idea at the time but ended up being totally blissful.

With not another soul in sight and the stillness of the morning, I did feel unbelievably connected in that moment and undeniably happy.

 I, like everyone else, go about my day trying to remain grateful for the small things because let's face it, it really is the millions of small things that truly make up our lives....but Sunday morning... it was special.

The promise of spring is in the air and with it comes the hope of possibility.

The Word for Today is Inspiring

Judging by the weather of the last few days I think I can confidently say that "spring has arrived in the village".  We are in for rain and mild temps for the next few days...........ahhh Spring....so inspiring!

Speaking of inspiring....check out one of my new favourite blogs....Advanced Style by Ari Seth Cohen.

His bi-line reads,

"My name is Ari Seth Cohen the creator of Advanced Style.I roam the streets of New York looking for the most stylish and creative older folks. Respect your elders and let these ladies and gents teach you a thing or two about living life to the fullest.Advanced Style offers proof from the wise and silver-haired set that personal style advances with age.

I originally came across his ultra cool blog on the Huffington Post where he was interviewing 80 year old, Apollo dance theater legend, style icon, Jacquie "Tajah" Murdock.  The article is here and will have you realizing that it is possible to still be kicking up your heels at 80 and with style to boot.

Spring

I Have

that Spring will arrive soon.....

The Bounty of Spring

Undecided....in progress

Acrylic on Canvas

6"x6"

I can't believe it's Monday already as it seems like the weekend has whipped by in a blur. For Mother's Day, the girls (I know it was John) surprised me with an IPOD docking station with speakers for my studio. As much as I love my CBC and my sweetie Jian, sometimes it's nice to listen to music cause you know you can't dance to CBC...... at least I can't.

The girls were pretty much out of commision on Sunday as my oldest had a large project due today and my youngest came down with a really bad cold. As John was working around the yard I decided to bike on over to my friend Kellys. We had a beer, laughed a lot and just caught up on the news in the village.

Dinner consisted of a fantastic Butter Chicken dish with basmatic rice and fresh asparagus John picked from our garden. You gotta love the coming of spring............

Note: The above piece will be a part of the Spring Show opening at the Silverbridge Gallery on Friday May 15th.

Spring is in The Air

Safe Passage

Work in Paint, Thread, Wool & Silk

6"x3-1/2"

Double Matted 8"x10"

So I've spent some real quality time in the studio over the last couple of days so there's no whining from me today. Thursday I'll head up to the Silverbridge Gallery to drop off some new work and then in the afternoon Ellen from Ridge West is coming by to pick up my artwork for the show. I've really hit my creative groove which is turn making me a very happy camper.

I went out for a walk yesterday and the signs of spring are everywhere. Snow is finally melting, the road is dry and clear and my roof is breathing a sigh of relief after what has been a grueling winter. We've also had a visitor the last few days who seems to have found love with my cat Simba. We initially thought it was a female in heat as she would cry outside our bedroom window at 3 a.m. requesting Simba's presence. We, needless to say did not find this amusing in the least. At one point John went outside with the broom and starting banging on the deck to scare it away while Simba cowered behind the curtains in the house. We found out yesterday that she is a he. I opened the back door and he, in a very bold manner I might add, tried to get in.

Simba may be slightly flattered by all the attention but at the same time he is deathly afraid of his own shadow. I think this cat whom Sierah has named Sheila, which we may now need to change to Sam in light of his maleness, intimates Simba.

He seems totally uninterested in being friends and tries his best to escape from Sam's unnerving stare. Ahh, destined to become a one sided relationship afterall.

Spring

Some amazing weather has just begun here in Ontario and I for one couldn't be happier. Everyone I run into just seems to be in a better mood seeing that the long, cold winter we've just experienced is drawing to a close.

I picked up my artwork this morning for the Carriage House Show and I just couldn't be happier. Diane took each one out to present to me and I felt the chill start at my toes and eventually work it's way to the top of my head. I just couldn't believe the work could look that wonderful. I'm not going rattle on again about framing as I did that in my last post but suffice to say.........I am one happy girl.

Below you can find the before and after of "The Village". It started out with a plain white mat and a brown wood frame. Here is before minus the frame because I couldn't find a shot of it........just imagine that there is a brown wooden frame around it. The size was originally an 8"x10" but is now a 16"x12". It goes without saying a photo can never take the place of seeing it live.....besides I'm not a great photographer either as you can see by how lopsided the photo is.

Sure Signs of Spring

Seeing laundry on the line has always been a sure sign of spring to me. This is my neighbour's laundry but John put up our line today so come tomorrow, which I hear is going to be warm, you'll find me outside with my wooden clothespegs hanging clothes. We have been experiencing some fabulous weather lately.........this past winter was one of the longest I can remember.

We now even have a cleared path to the compost which may not seem that important to some but it was a real slog making your way down there with all the snow. Looking at this photo does remind me that we desperately need to stain the deck this spring......yuck!

Meanwhile on the art front, I am posting another piece in progress as the last one I posted got tea spilled on it. When will I learn to ever learn not to bring drinks into the studio and place them on my work area? At least I wasn't that far into it. So this will be the piece I'll be posting in various stages of progression. Right now it is just basic roughed in acrylic on cotton. I think the only section of this piece I'll not threadpaint will be the sky that way the trees will seem quite three dimensional against the flatness of the blue. Hope everyone's having as warm a weekend as I am.

See ya!