“Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will.”
-Vernon Howard
Romancing the Snail
“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.” -Henry David Thoreau
View From the Rabbit Hole
“I almost wish I hadn’t gone down that rabbit hole – and yet- and yet – it is rather curious, you know – this sort of life.” -Lewis Carroll
Is Faster Really Better? The Value of Doing Things ‘Right’
“In the inevitable showdown between speed and quality, quality must prevail” -Eric Schmidt
Choosing Direction
“The hardest thing for – not only an artist but for anybody to do is look themselves in the mirror and acknowledge, you know, their own flaws and fears and imperfections and put them out there in the open for people to relate to it.”
– Kendrick Lamar
Reflections and Anticipation
“Wisdom is looking back at your life and realizing that every single event, person, place, and idea was part of the perfected experience you needed to build your dream. Not one was a mistake.” — John Frederick Demartini
A “Muddle”
“Sometimes it is important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it is essential to take time off and make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow.” – Douglas Pagels
The Bright Side of Falling Short
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden
Resetting the Bar
“If a plan doesn’t work, change the plan, not the goal.” – Unattributed
“Rambles”
“I was fortunate enough to have a rambling youth.” – David Mamet
“Inktober” – My Ally in Conquering the Blank Page
“Look at the blank pages before you with courage. Now fill them with beauty” -Blaine Hogan
Learning from Failure
“Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failures are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” – Dale Carnegie
Shades of Grey
“There’s so much grey to every story – nothing is so black and white.” – Lisa Ling
Snail Trailz
“Walk on a rainbow trail; walk on a trail of song, and all about you will be beautiful. There is a way out of every dark mist, over a rainbow trail. – Muriel Strode
Patience, Grasshopper
“Patience is passion tamed.” – Lyman Abbott
Something New
“Art doesn’t just happen by accident. It is about pulling out new tricks and trying new things.” – Nicholas Meyer
Pacing Myself . . .
Learning to pace ourselves is so important to our survival.
An “Illuminated” Pattern
“I am the brightest light beaming from the darkest depths. A dichotomy. I am . . . Illumination – Jaeda Dewalt
Progress
Sometimes the things that take the longest are the most rewarding. . .
The Value of Values
Trying out the new Faber-Castell Pitt Graphite Matt Pencils to explore values in my artwork.
Fun With Stencils
Stencils have come far beyond the days of “Macaroni and Glitter” crafting! There are so many fun ways to use this versatile supply!
Welcome Summer!
With the warm days of summer arriving, it is time to think of summer-themed projects.
Birds of a Feather
“Education is not the filling of a pot but the lighting of a fire” – W. B. Yates
“The Golden Palette”
“Color. What a deep and mysterious language. It is the language of dreams” – Paul Gauguin
The Sleeping Lion- A Process
“Art resides in the quality of doing. Process is not magic.” – Charles Earnes
Running with the Turtles
“I don’t mind running with the turtles” –
Sondra Faye
The Graphite/Carbon Cougar
“Until you take time to discover yourself, you never know what you can achieve or how far you can go”
― Sunday Adelaja
A Growing Flock
“A bird does not sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” -Maya Angelou
Things I Learned from an Artichoke
“Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.” -Earnest Hemingway
Barns, Birds, and a Bumblebee
“The bad news is that time flies. The good news is you are the pilot.” Michael Altschuler
Chances
“”The best thing you can give someone is a chance.” – unknown
Goals
Sometimes it is hard to stay on track, but by taking ‘Baby Steps’ we are better able to stay focused on our goals.
The Beauty of Failure
This post is dedicated to all of those who have said to an artist, “It’s so EASY for you!” (Hint: It. Is. NOT.)
A Brown Eagle, A Rose, and Some New Supplies
If you choose to evolve, you will connect with the strength within you. You will explore what lies outside your comfort zone. You will awaken to love. You will become. You will be.” – Creig Crippen
Key to My Heart Ornaments
I have a new acrylic painting project pattern for Valentine’s Day!
Small Bites
To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe. -Anatole France
“Snow Leopard Cub” Pastel Painting
“I do have high standards. I look at everything I have done and think, ‘Why wasn’t that better?’ Part of my motivation is from crippling self-doubt – I have got to prove myself wrong.” -Michael Palin
‘Tis the Season . . .(To Create!)
“I’m always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up every morning… Every day I find something creative to do with my life.”
Miles Davis
A Variety of Creative Projects
“Never underestimate yourself. You are capable than more than you can ever imagine.” -Les Brown
“Precious” Supplies
The only supplies ‘wasted’ are those we are afraid to use.
Evolving
“You are being presented with a choice: Evolve or Remain”
– Creig Crippen
That Extra Hour . . .
“The time you enjoy wasting is not time wasted.” Anonymous Last night we turned our clocks back. If there is ever an indication that we are approaching the holiday season, for me, that would be it. I find it interesting that so many people are opposed to changing the clocks altogether, and every six months…
“Scary Sadie”
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” -T. S. Eliot
All Treats and No Trick
-“If I can make just one person smile today, it is a good day.”
Learning and Encouragement through Social Media
“Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
That “Ship” has Sailed. . . (or did it?)
The perils of shipping . . .
“The Wolf and the Moon” (A Halloween Cat Painting)
A black cat crossing your path may be the luckiest day of your life . . .
The Discomfort of Learning
Learning new things is scary, but necessary to improve and grow.
From Birds to Bunnies
And now for something completely different . . .
The Vulture in Pastel
“Fear the vulture and the vulture will come. Fear nothing and you are the vulture.” – Suzy Kassem
Sheila Landry Designs/Tole Painting Designs 