This, That, and the Other Things

“Our minds are like our stomachs; they are whetted by the change of their food, and the variety of supplies both with fresh appetites.” – Quintilian

It has been quite a week. Considering that it was a short week due to the holidays both here in Canada and in the USA, I think I accomplished a great deal. Besides working on my wood-cutting orders and sending them on their way, I was able to work on some ongoing projects, learn some new things, and even do a bit of designing.

The weather was amazing, too, and after several weeks of constant clouds and rain, it seems that summer had finally arrived here in western Nova Scotia. My partner and I had no less than four days where we headed to the shore for our daily walk and we packed our lunch and sat at nearby Smuggler’s Cove to picnic. It is a mere four to five-minute drive down the road from us and we have managed to get into a routine of packing things up quickly in preparation. We figure that it probably only adds a few minutes to our daily lunchtime, and the time spent away from the computers and with each other just gazing at the ocean in the sun is what we both feel is ‘priceless’. Many pay big time to vacation in beautiful spots such as where we live. After being here in Nova Scotia for over 18 years, the beauty of my surroundings never escapes me. I hope it never does.

Perhaps that is why I felt so inspired this week. It seems that for most of this year, I have felt a bit ‘flat’ when it comes to my artwork.

I have created some pieces and some nice designs, but to be honest, I haven’t had that burning enthusiasm that we sometimes feel. I felt that I have been floundering a bit without focus, not quite knowing what to do to make my heart truly happy with my creations. It doesn’t mean that I don’t like what I have made, as I do think there are some nice pieces and patterns that I have produced so far. It just seemed that something was missing from the picture. I couldn’t put my finger on it.

Art can be like that, you know. It isn’t like writing a numerical formula where there are absolute components and answers. Everything seems to be hooked to our emotions and the more we worry about things, the worse it gets, and the more we worry. You can see how this can quickly spiral downward.

I was actually wondering if I was getting ‘burned out’ from working so hard and in so many directions for so many years. But then I realized that was unlikely, as I still had so many things I couldn’t wait to do. I think the problem was more that of being overwhelmed than anything. Everything was bottle-necking from my ideas to my brain to the actual implementation. There was so much that I want to accomplish at once, that I didn’t know where to start. It stifled me completely and I was feeling unaccomplished and lost.

That is where the time at the shore – even though it wasn’t long – became so important.

Getting away from everything and just ‘being’ for a bit, allowed things to settle. It helped me sort through things in my head and cleared my focus. It helped me set priorities and even allowed me to give myself some time to just ‘goof off’ and do some types of creating that didn’t pertain to my business at all, but fed the creative part of my soul. I found that if I spent some time on these activities – even if it was just a half hour or so a day – it satisfied my need to do them and move ahead with what I consider my job.

The saying ‘all work and no play . . .’ certainly is something that is applicable to my own life. Although it is difficult for me to distinguish my ‘work art’ from my ‘play art’ at times. It is completely impossible for outsiders to do so. Keith often says that my playtime looks an awful lot like my work. I understand that completely, as sometimes even I, myself have a hard time telling them apart. But too much fog impairs our vision, doesn’t it? Sometimes you just have to go slow and wait for it to clear before moving on. I believe that these times at the shore and these short breaks (and even the longer ones where I am being completely selfish regarding my creating) are what allow that to happen. It seems so to me, anyway.

With that said, I will continue here by showing you the variety of activities that filled my week. Some were for learning. Some were for calming. Some were for fun. Some were even for ‘work.’ All, however, were essential in helping me get unstuck and feel good about my artwork. I believe they all helped me get back to feeling excited and good about things.

I’ll begin with a rather silly thing . . .

While walking on the beach, I have been picking up quite a few pieces of beach glass. The one beach in particular that we have been going to has what seems like an endless supply of beach glass shards. It is hard not to walk by without picking them up. Most of the glass is green, but there are lots of clear pieces and occasional amber and blue, too. I have been filling a fairly large container this year and they are something that I want to use to make jewelry with “someday”.

One day after a good haul of new glass, I went on Pinterest to see how I could use the glass to make pendants, etc., without drilling them and using wire. Drilling glass is something I really don’t want to do. That led me down the rabbit hole of ideas for not only using glass for jewelry but waxed cord and beads, which I have an abundance of.

Long story short, I spent one afternoon learning how to weave the cord with the beads to form a shell pendant.

While it may not look like a lot, and it is not without errors, I was rather proud of the outcome. It took a couple of hours of deep concentration, following the video I was watching, and I felt a nice sense of accomplishment when it was done. I don’t know what I will do with it, but I will probably try some other things. Once I got the hang of how to tie the knots, it was really rather fun. And I learned something new.

The next thing that I did was watch a video by my friend from back when I lived in Chicago, Kelly Hoernig.

Kelly and I were in the same painting group in Indiana and I love both her use of soft colors and teaching style. Lately, she has been working with watercolors and doing lots of mixing videos, which I love to see. Her relaxed approach is soothing and just what I felt I needed. (You can see her videos on her YouTube channel here: Kelly Hoernig: In the Studio) She has so many wonderful inspirational videos that aren’t very long, so you can enjoy them in small bites when you just have a few minutes.

I decided to make myself some swatch cards using a nice box that I had and some end pieces of watercolor paper that I had as cutoffs. I think it will be a great way to remind me of what colors were mixed to make some extraordinary colors. (Kelly has a series of mixing videos that is wonderful!)

It will be fun to watch this grow and be able to sift through the cards to find unique colors. I love watching mixing videos, but I’ll be darned if I remember where or when I saw something mixed! This will surely be useful for me!

Following Kelly brought me to be aware of a new class she was launching. She calls it the “Circle of Delight” and it includes 31, five-to-ten-minute projects that are to be painted on a circle in the format of a phenology wheel.

Now, to be honest, I never really knew what a ‘phenology wheel’ was, but after looking into the many types of them that are around, it really seemed like something I would enjoy doing.

The short time for each segment was appealing to me, as was the fact that there was no specific time limit on access to the videos. That seemed just perfect to me. You can find out more about the class here on Kelly’s website: https://kellyhoernig.teachable.com/p/circle-of-delight

If you have never taken a class with Kelly, you will enjoy it. She has an introductory price that is good until the 10th of July, too. So you have to hurry if you want to get the discount, but it is worth it even at full price. I started my journey with her yesterday and here is how far I got:

Besides the initial setup, it was very little time to get going. Kelly also encourages us to use what supplies we have, so it is really an economical class. I hope if you are interested in nature and expanding your creative world, you will give her a try. She is truly awesome.

Another teacher who I think is wonderful is Maria Raczynska. Those of you who follow me have heard me mention her many times before and have seen my artwork from her lessons.

Once again this summer, she has a “21 Days of Summer” course through her Patreon channel. She also has many free full classes on her YouTube channel.

This year, she is introducing a new, shorter class for the 21 Days of Summer every third day. I like this spacing out of the classes, as we don’t get overwhelmed with one a day.

I saw her class to paint a Whale Shark the other day and I just had to paint it. I had several new granulating watercolor paints that I recently got and wanted to try them for painting the ocean. The class was quick and fun and the shark came out just as vibrant and beautiful as the photo shows.

As you can see, Maria recently introduced her own line of brushes, which I was able to get. She is also coming out with some new ones next week! I can’t wait, as they really worked beautifully. It is fun to use supplies that were designed by a teacher and friend you admire so much. If you are looking to really expand your watercolor knowledge, you should consider Maria. And her Patreon has access to hundreds of videos, including all the previous series she offered. She is wonderful!

In the evenings, after supper, I continued to work on my stumpwork embroidery piece that I showed a couple of weeks back. It is slow going, as the two pansies took me about two weeks to complete, but they came out really nice using hand-dyed silk threads.

I also began the tulips, done using silk ribbon over oval beads. The stems will be completed using hand-dyed silk ribbon as well. Then I only have one more panel to do.

It will be quite a milestone to complete the 12-panel piece!

And finally, I did get some ‘work’ in.

I finished the prototype for my next Songbird Ornament in my series of painting patterns. This time the bird is the Cedar Waxwing:

This was the first draft, which I like to do on the Etched Stone Paper that I love so much using DecoArt Americana Acrylic paint. (You can receive 10% off of your order from them if you use the link above and add in the promo code SHEILA10. I love this paper so much and have become an ambassador for the company. I also will have a surprise for you all regarding it in the fall! I can’t wait to show you!)

I will be cutting the wood piece and creating the pattern for this handsome guy in the upcoming week. I think he will be a great addition to the flock.

And finally, I have a photo I wanted to share.

I love having berries, plain yogurt, and wheat germ for my ‘summer breakfast’. (Don’t judge! It is good!)

Our neighbor, Henri, has been sending over some of the fresh strawberries that he has growing in his yard. They are really yummy!

When I saw this one, I couldn’t help but photograph it for future reference. It is just about perfect!

Feel free to use it to draw, paint or use it for your artistic adventures. I may also have a go at it.

PHEW!

So how is that for a busy week? I must say, it was one of the most enjoyable weeks in a while. I guess I just love being busy and I love creating in different mediums with different subjects. I think my style needs to be defined as ‘eclectic.’ HA!

I wish you all a great week ahead. I don’t know what the rest of the day will bring me, but whatever it is, it should be fun. The morning fog has cleared and the sun is shining and it looks to be another beautiful day.

I hope you enjoyed seeing what I was up to and your week ahead, too.

Until next time. . .