Final Element

Ah... having a productive day feels so good... especially when it's time for bed! I got the second coat of paint up on the basement walls this evening, snuck in a workout at the gym this afternoon while the kids were asleep (Chris was home!), made a new dish for supper - a total experiment - and it worked out rather well, got tonight's painting done, and now it's time for some reading before bed. :)

Tonight I did the final of the four elements... Earth. I think I must have known this one would be the hardest and so saved it for last. I was trying to explain why to Chris... and I think it has to do with movement. He said something about it not fitting with the others quite as well... and I said that it's because the others are in constant motion whereas Earth is not so much. Well, unless you count landslides and tectonic plate shifts, but I figured those weren't a constant natural state so didn't want to try painting those. Instead I painted "Low Tide". It made me think of the mud flats at Five Island National Park. We walked on them once and it was pretty cool. It's easy to think of Earth as the regular soil/dirt that we can see all the time, but the crust of the Earth extends below the oceans as well. It's like secret dirt. :) Anyway, I threw in a mixture of browns as well as some white (for the Caribbean beaches and sea shells), some red (good ol' PEI), and some yellow (because Earth can also be sand from the desert). I'm not sure how it will turn out when it has dried, but I guess we'll wait and see tomorrow. Sorry, I'll see it tomorrow, you all have to wait until Friday. :)

I'm thinking my next 'series' of paintings will be the twelve signs of the zodiac. Should be interesting... some will be easier than others for sure!

Anyway... here's to happy thoughts of warming up the Earth. Three more weeks until the first day of Spring! I noticed yesterday that it was still light out at 5pm. Makes me smile. :)

Another Element

Ok, so today is element number three of four. I've done a Fire and a Water, today I did Wind. Tomorrow, Earth. I'll be honest (and perhaps a little self-congratulatory) I really like them! I think they're near the top of the list for my favorites so far. :)

I've been quite productive today... I took my son out for a little special just him and me time this morning. We went to the grocery store and the hardware store. Ok, maybe it's not super exciting... but it was time just for us two. At the hardware store we picked out some paint for the basement. I narrowed it down to two choices, and he picked the final one. Wasn't sure I'd get around to painting the hall today, but I did. During the afternoon nap/quiet time I tackled what will be phase one of four. The first coat of the downstairs part of the hall. There was too much stuff on the stairs part, plus it needs to be tidied and I'd need a ladder. I don't really do ladders... so maybe Chris will have to do that part! So, I'm hoping that by the end of next weekend it'll all be painted and finished up and I can start the next part... decorating!

I regularly get asked how I have time for this project... the painting daily and blogging about it. I'm not really sure to be truthful. I guess it's a matter of prioritizing. Sometimes the dishes don't get done... other times I'm up until after midnight because I had something pressing to take care of first. I guess I just think it's really important to not miss a day, so I don't. 58 days, and the one time I got behind was Valentine's Day, and I got caught up the very next day. Plus I think I had a good excuse for that day! I have no intention of shorting out on my goal of 365 paintings. There will be difficult times ahead I'm sure... but it's one of my top priorities so I know it will get done. It's all a matter of figuring out what matters to you and finding a way to do it. That's true of so much in life, don't you think?

Oh, tonight's painting is called "A Blustery Day". Hope you like it when you see it. Good night!

Super late night

Ok, it's almost one thirty in the morning and I'm just now getting to the blogging portion of my evening. I will keep this very short!

Tonight's painting is called "Agua Frio" and is a sort of companion piece to "Fire Dragon". My attempts at two of the four elements. Wind and Earth will follow soon I'm sure.

I like the texture and colour blending in this painting. I used some of my new paints (thanks!) and I've got to say I like how they worked out and how they dried. So, yay!

Quick side note... in terms of painting sales... would anyone be interested in a "buy it now" kind of option? Instead of waiting and having a big sale at the end with a whopping 365 or more paintings, I'm thinking I could sell some of them during the year... so if people wanted to 'call dibs' they could buy them early. I was thinking of doing a silent auction kind of deal at the end... so perhaps there could still be that option, but maybe we could add another way. Any thoughts? Let me know what  you think here or by email: jcope18@yahoo.com

I must go to sleep now... the kids will be up in about five and a half hours (or sooner!). Good night!

Week Eight Pictures!

Oh my... eight whole weeks! Today I reorganized my "studio" with the help of a suggestion from Chris. I was thinking I'd need some sort of shelving unit by the couch where I sit since my tubs of stuff always overflow. I'm not an obsessively neat person... but this was driving even me crazy. Chris suggested swapping some stuff around in our basement and it totally worked! Here's a picture of my little nook...  new and improved. :)

Overflowing bookshelves

My studio, such as it is

 So, very excited that I have all of my supplies neatly stored and organized. Now, when we want to bring the kids downstairs to play, there won't be the mad scramble to tidy all the random pots and tubes of paint! At least, not for a few days anyway. ;)

Tonight I finished my dragon painting. I started the background yesterday as I mentioned. Had a burst of productivity and it seemed like a good idea to do at least the background as it would take awhile to dry. So, it was all set to go today and I put the dragon part on. I quite like it. Dragons are interesting and so varied in their depictions in art and literature. If you haven't seen the movie "How to Train Your Dragon" (or something like that) you should. It's fun, and fun is good.

So, here are the pictures of the week's work. It's a little varied... hope you like it. :)

Feb 19 - Train Window

Feb 20 - Feet of the World

Feb 21 - Hidden Message

Feb 22 - Global Village

Feb 23 - Chocolate

Feb 24 - Finders Keepers

Feb 25 - Fire Dragon

Wow!

Not to put too fine a point on it... but wow. :) Thank you Very much to Dr. Joy Johnson for her amazing and generous donation to this project. A box arrived from Curry's Art Store today with Lots (capital L) of canvas boards, a whole rainbow of paint colours and new brushes. Oh it felt like Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one! I knew it was coming because we've talked on email, but still, opening that box was pretty amazing. So thank you a whole bunch for helping out with this project!!

Everyone that has helped so far deserves thanks and gratitude for sure... and there is a list of names at the bottom of the blog that I'm updating as we go with everyone who has donated and/or helped in some way. I've left off Chris's name because I talk about him so much in the posts, but he has obviously helped in so many ways it would be impossible to list them all. He's not forgotten though. ;)

This is such a huge project... and I don't think I thought all of it through when I started. Hmmm... yup, that sounds a bit like me. Jump in and hope for the best. I figure it'll all work out in the end. :) Definitely my basement is looking more and more like an art gallery/studio mayhem. It's a whole lot harder to take the kids down for some casual playtime! However, it is so totally worth it! I'm loving this project, I'm so happy to be meeting new people through it, and I think it's a wonderful part of my life. Even though it is harder in some ways than I thought it would be, it's better in others too. So it all evens out in the end. :)

It's funny, tonight I told myself that I wouldn't put too much pressure on since I sort of started last night. I thought, hey, I'll take it a bit easy, watch a movie, finish up the painting... no biggie. Well, instead I just couldn't stop painting. I finished tonight's kid-oriented piece "Finders Keepers" and started the background for what I think will be a dragon and started (possibly finished, will look at it again tomorrow and see) another one that was meant to be a companion piece for the dragon, but might end up being something else all together. I had new paints and brushes to play with. Whee! I missed a bunch of the movie, but that's ok... I've seen it before. :) I'm so excited about the two new ones... texture and colour mixing... lots of fun.

New pictures tomorrow too! It has been a crazy week in some ways... but a good week too. A few too many late nights, but hey, like I said before, it's all worth it!

One last thought... I know I'm thanking people who are helping with donations... but I do not want to overlook all the people who are reading this blog, posting it on their facebook pages, passing along ideas and suggestions, support and comments... and generally contributing in less tangible but also incredibly important ways. To all my friends, family, and even complete strangers who have found this blog and follow it... thank you! I hope that it inspires you to try new things, find beauty in odd places, and help someone out at a random time or place. We all live and share this life... let's make it a little better for everyone, together. :)

February 23rd

Is it Spring yet? Just kidding.... I'm probably going to be one of those annoying people who, in a few months, will be whining about how hot it is. Ah well, the human memory plays tricks on us to be sure. After all, every winter this funny white stuff falls from the sky. Oh yeah, it's snow... and yet... every winter so many people act as though they've never seen it before and have no idea what to do about it. Spring is my favourite season though. Sometimes I add Fall, but really, Spring is when things are getting warmer, new plants are growing, the air feels good, the world feels new again... nothing bad happens in Spring. Even if it rains it's just the Earth getting a fresh shower. I like the smell of rain and cut grass. Mind you, I also am one of the lucky few who do not fall victim to seasonal allergies! A few more weeks and it will be upon us. I know this because Spring officially starts right after my birthday. Yes, it's all about me. ;) It's like a turning point in my little world... once my birthday hits it's totally time for Spring... and won't Mother Nature just play along? Usually there's a bit more winter-y weather, but I can handle it at that point because I know, I'm older, so it's Spring. :)

I have no idea where this tangent came from, or why I've indulged in it, but there you are. The ramblings of a paint-stained person, here for your enjoyment.

Tonight's painting is called "Chocolate". It's a mixture of rich browns and it makes me think of my favourite treat. I can almost smell the chocolate goodness. Or perhaps that's just the scent of acrylic paint... who knows? I think I like diagonal lines... seems that a few of the more abstract-y type paintings have lots of diagonal lines. More interesting (and forgiving) than horizontal and vertical. I'm not so sure it's not because of high school math and those x and y axis graphs. Maybe it's my little rebellion years later! Here's a slope... so there! Did I mention I'm married to a mathie? Useful stuff math. Too bad it gets such a bad rap.

Ok, I'm off on another tangent... I think it's time to pack it in until tomorrow. When even I know I'm rambling it's time to go to bed! Almost to 1300! Thanks everyone for reading and for your support. I really appreciate it. :)

Up Late Again

Ok, so technically it's midnight already so this post counts as the 23rd... but it's about the 22nd and I figure in many areas of the world it's still Tuesday so I'm good. :)

I did a 5x7 canvas board tonight, so hopefully it'll fit in one of the frames I bought for them. Hard to hang boards, but I'm sure I'll tackle that issue as we go. It's called "Global Village" and is a world map surrounded by a chain of very simplified arms and hands. At least that was the intention. So... it's just supposed to say that this is our world. All of ours. Equally.

I really must start doing this stuff earlier... but life does tend to interfere... in a good way. Didn't get home until almost nine tonight so yeah, two hours and a bit of painting and here we are in the wee hours of the morning. Or the late hours of the evening... depending on if you're a half full or half empty kind of person. :) At any rate... tomorrow will likely be the same. Maybe Thursday will be an early night. Time will tell.

I don't know that I think every piece of art has to have a deep meaning or message... sometimes it's just plain old pretty... but I think it's nice now and again to think of ways to present positive messages and philosophies.

Until tomorrow... or, um, later today. :)

An Early Night!

It's only 9:30 and I'm going to post this and go straight to bed! Yay! I don't mind the occasional late nights, and I'm totally aware that most of them are all my own fault, but when you're sick and up until midnight, you can't expect to feel better anytime soon. But tonight... I planned a little better and now I'm free to sleep :)

My painting tonight is called "Hidden Message". Chris' suggestion again. He's absolutely the better (faster?) one of us at coming up with titles. It's more abstract and I wanted to experiment with layering and swirling paint. I was watching the Belindance Greatest  Hips DVD while I painted so I think that may have influenced things a bit. :) For those of you who don't know what that is, it's the belly dance show that the Belindance troupe did at Fringe Fest in 2008. (I'm in it) I miss dancing SO much so when I found the dvd I had to put it on. Might have been done a little earlier if I hadn't spent so much time watching it! hehehe

Anyway... not too much is new around here. It has been a week since Mojo passed and we're slowly getting better. I still have my moments, but Ophelia (his sister) isn't yammering on quite as much, though she's still extra cuddly. My son is seemingly unaware, and my husband hasn't said much on the subject at all, so I figure he's dealing with it quietly as is his way. The house still feels strange without him in it. I guess time will help. Someone suggested we get a kitten to keep Ophelia company. That'd work if she wasn't so anti-any other animal! She's doing ok I think. Kittens can wait until the kids are older. Not quite ready for that yet anyway.

Still open to title suggestions for new pieces, or subject matter suggestions... hoping to get some feedback. :) It's just nice to know people are out there reading my ramblings.

I'm off to bed... hope you all had a wonderful Monday!

Sick again...

Boo. I do not like being sick. However... it is just a cold so I shall count myself among the fortunate relatively healthy people! Always look on the bright side. :)

Tonight's painting is called "Feet of the World" and is divided into five sections. There are five different scenes and the sky goes from night, through the day, back to night. At the bottom there are feet walking by. It started as an idea of how to show that we are all connected in the world even though we are from different places, have different cultures, and different beliefs. I think it is important to think of how we are all similar rather than to divide into sub-groups. No matter what we do on any given day, every person sees the same sun rise and set. Well, unless you're at one of the poles and then sometimes it doesn't... but that's beside the point!

The idea with the feet was different at the start of the evening... but I changed it to what it is now to make an additional point. Our world has so many different environments or climates, but we are all on the same planet. We're in this together. There's a lot of talk about our carbon footprint these days. Even if you aren't totally up on the environmental issues, you can still see that it's one planet and its future lies in our hands... and feet.

I guess, if you can make sense of my ramblings, that it's very important to come together as humanity to do our best to not just preserve, but improve our planet and its future. Our future.

I could definitely go on and on about societies putting aside their differences for the greater good, but it's late (again) and I'm sick (again) so I think my bed is the place for me. Hmm... I wonder if all the late nights are messing with my immune system... perhaps one day I'll paint a white blood cell. hehe Or not. Good night!

Mini Rorschach

Tonight I painted the two mini canvasses that came from Katy. Wasn't sure at first what to do with them, but then figured they'd make a very cute mini-Rorschach. Wow... did I ever use too much paint! Then I dropped one on the floor. Did I mention I'm sick? hehehe I ended up wiping most of the excess paint off only to find that the effect was pretty cool. Like a motion blur. Chris suggested the title "Train Window" and it stuck. They didn't end up as mirror images of each other, though you can see how they would have started out that way. I like them. I like the suggestion of motion or speed. I almost got all the paint out of the blanket where it landed too.

Now I'm going to take my coughy, wheezy self off to bed. Where I probably should have been hours ago. One of these days I will make it to bed early. Maybe.

Week Seven Already?

Wow. Seven weeks of painting done! I can hardly believe it!!

A special thank you today to Katy from Halifax. She found my Kijiji ad and responded to it yesterday. I went to meet her and she very kindly donated six canvasses, two of which are super cute little guys. It's random acts of help and support like hers that makes this project extra special. :) So, thank you again Katy!

Tonight's painting was hard to think up. I sat and stared at the 6x6 canvas for a long time before deciding to do one of a little child in the rain with an umbrella. It's called "Puddle Jumper" and it's inspired by life events. Again, having some difficulty with shading and such... haven't ever tried to paint an umbrella before... that was interesting. :) I like the way the rainy sky turned out though.

So the part most of you check in weekly for... the pictures of the week's work. You can click the captions to go to the relevant posting... and as a special bonus, I'm going to include links to all of the picture posts in case you want to quickly go back and see... saves going through the blog list in the sidebar. My apologies for the ones that are slightly out of focus... I can't find my battery charger for my good camera so had to make do with the point and shoot. Hope you enjoy!

Feb 12 - Three

Feb 13 - Out on a Limb

Feb 14 (painted Feb 15) - Valentine

Feb 15 - Arvak & Alsvid

Feb 16 - Two Roads

Feb 17 - Daisies

Feb 18 - Puddle Jumper

Week Six   Week Five   Week Four   Week Three   Week Two   Week One

New Valentine's Day

Well, in light of our recent loss, we've decided to move Valentine's Day to February 17th. This way we not only separate the sadness from the day, but we also have two extra benefits. It's farther away from our son's birthday, and cheap chocolate! In light of this I decided to paint my favourite flowers. Yup, I love daisies. No roses for this girl! Is my husband lucky or what?

It's a pretty simple set up, a dark blue room, a yellow/brown ish tablecloth and an orange/brown vase with a bunch of daisies in it. I'm still working on improving my contouring. I think I remember an art teacher telling me I had to have greater contrast between my high and low lights. This is probably true... working on it!

In yet another burst of originality it is called "Daisies". Oh boy... slow me down. :)
If anyone told me that one of the hardest parts of this project would be to come up with names for these paintings I wouldn't have believed them. Now? Oh my. Hey, here's a thought... how about if you suggest names for paintings. Just names... and then we'll see what comes from them. Might be what you'd think, might not... it'd be an interesting experiment for sure. Leave a title suggestion in the comment box or send me an email jcope18@yahoo.com. I'll give it my best shot!

Ok, now off to bed. Sadly, I think I'm getting sick... so I ought to be in bed sleeping right now. Some people just never learn, eh? Good night!

Oh... new pictures tomorrow!!

Paint and Poetry

I decided to paint this morning with my son while my daughter was sleeping. It was interesting... and a little messy. He painted a "big purple mess" (I'll include a picture of it, but probably won't put it in the sale since it's by my boy and I'm the sentimental type who has to keep just about everything) and I painted a yellow wood with two roads diverging in it. One is more traveled than the other. My mom used to recite that poem when I was younger. I think it starts out "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood... I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." I think Robert Frost was the poet? Anyway... I always remember the little snippet and it popped into my head today as I sat down to paint. So... there you go.

I should go find it and put it here properly.... the beauty of the internet... instant gratification. :)

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
and sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
and looked down one as far as I could
to where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
and having perhaps the better claim
because it was grassy and wanted wear;
though as for that, the passing there
had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
in leaves no feet had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less travelled by,
and that has made all the difference.

Thanks to Mom and Mr. Frost for today's painting idea.

All Caught Up

It is important to me to have all 365 days of the year accounted for, so I painted two canvasses today. This afternoon I did one called "Valentine" and it is a cat posed to resemble a heart. It makes way more sense when you see the picture! Chris has sort of called dibs on that one... the second one is of two bright yellow seahorses. I've called it "Arvak & Alsvid" after the two horses that pull the chariot belonging to Sol, the Norse sun god. I thought it was a fun combination of opposites, seeing as they're seahorses, and similarities, they are horses after all, and in sunny colours. I think seahorses are one of the most beautiful creatures in the oceans.

So... I'm all caught up now and feeling pretty good about it. I think doing the Valentine piece and then the cheerful seahorses has helped to improve my mood from yesterday. Still a ways away from ok about it all, but am getting there.

Thanks again to the management at the Michael's in Dartmouth Crossing... they helped me out with a great discount on my latest batch of canvasses. :)

Until tomorrow (which is technically only half an hour from now)... good night!

No painting today.

I did not paint today.

One of our two cats has been acting sick lately and yesterday we found out he had a fist sized tumor in his stomach. Chris brought him home again with some medicine and the knowledge that this is not something that could be fixed. We hoped that we could keep him comfortable and happy at home since until this time he had been upstairs around us and still eating. Today he did not eat or drink and stayed hiding in the basement. It was time to say goodbye. It has been a very emotional day and as such I just could not face painting tonight.

Goodbye Mo. You are loved and missed so very much.

Broader strokes

Tried something a little different today. Chris suggested that I try less finicky details if I'm going to paint some larger canvasses. Guess he doesn't like staying up too late keeping me company (hehe). Anyway, at his suggestion I tried a looser, broader brush stroke style on the background, and then attempted to imitate a brush & ink approach to painting for the foreground. Not sure how well it imitated, but I think the end result is kinda cute. I called it "Out on a Limb" because it features three little baby (we think) lemurs on a tree branch. Sort of stole the idea from an old animal drawing book (sorry, can't remember whose it is, but could go check tomorrow) and added on to it a bit. Guess you'll have to wait until Friday to see it. :)

I want to say a special thank you to my brother-in-law and his fiancee today. Devin and Rachel sent a package for my son's birthday and in it they included a donation for art supplies for me. This is extra nice of them since they're in the midst of wedding planning and so I'm very grateful to them for wanting to be part of the project. I went shopping for canvasses today so thank you to both of you! Painted on one of them tonight. :) So... thanks guys!

If anyone else would like to help out and be part of the project in some way, feel free to drop me a line. You can either comment here, or send me an email: jcope18@yahoo.com This goes for people who have art they'd like to donate, spare canvasses or paint, anyone who might want to chip in for supplies, someone who wants to help plan how to sell these paintings (can always use more suggestions), or whatever. All help is appreciated and will be noted on the blog.

So, until tomorrow... which happens to be Valentine's Day. Still debating whether or not to paint any hearts or romantic stuff... or to leave that whole area alone. ;) Happy thoughts!

A Very Special Day

Ok... a little personal note from me. Today is my son's third birthday! I can't quite believe he's three already... where does the time go? He is a wonderful little boy who has captured my heart completely. I decided to paint a little something for him. Tonight's painting is a three-tiered birthday cake, with green icing (his favourite colour) and three candles. It is called "Three". Which, funnily enough, is also my favourite number. So, here's hoping for a really amazing year (again) with my little guy.

It is also the start of a new week. I was talking with my brother today and said I had 42 paintings done. He looked stunned and then I reminded him that six weeks at seven days apiece comes out to 42. He then asked where I was going to store them all! I have no idea... I'm sure necessity will cause me to come up with something close to brilliance... hehehe, or tupperware bins. :) For now, they're all out on two bookshelves so I can see them, and admittedly, show them off a little to anyone who wants to see them. :) I can't help it... I'm pretty proud of this project. Even if some of the paintings aren't my favourites... I'm still doing it. One a day for a whole year. So... this week... starting with some birthday cake. We'll have to see what comes next. Bowl of ice cream? Maybe not...

Happy Birthday to my little Cuppy Cake and tonight's inspiration. xox

Week Six Pictures!

With page views almost at 1100 I'm starting this post with excitement. Of course, that could also be partly due to my son's impending third birthday and Sesame Street themed party... tomorrow! Time flies, doesn't it?

Tonight's painting idea came quickly which is a relief since I didn't get to start until much later than usual. Took longer than I thought to pick up party groceries and then do some house set-up. Ah the joy of having a very involved and helpful honey! Kudos to you Chris! I decided to paint a tree in autumn, but in an abstract cheerful way with lots of bright colours. So, it's called (in another fit of originality akin to "Horse") "Autumn".  I like it. The picture of it looks a bit odd since the paint was still kind of wet... but I think it turned out well... and by well I mean close to what I had in my head. :)

So, here are the week's paintings with the captions linking to their day's blog post. Hope you enjoy them!

I think I had trees on the brain this week... 4 out of 7 paintings have at least one tree! Crazy....

Feb 5 - Solitude

Feb 6 - Baby Feet

Feb 7 - TOP Dancer

Feb 8 - can't remember the name, will check later

Feb 9 - In A Dream

Feb 10 - Falling

Feb 11 - Autumn

Much Better Night Tonight

Ok... I looked at last night's painting and I don't dislike it as much as I thought. Yay... moving on. :)

Tonight's painting was a better experience. Still staring at the blank canvas for awhile trying to get started. Really must start writing down ideas as they come instead of just trying to remember later. A small sketchbook would probably help too. So long as my baby girl doesn't try to eat it!

I did another tree at  night... seems I've got a thing for bare trees. Well, in this case, with some leaves... though they are falling off the branches. I called it "Falling" because you could argue that night is falling, the leaves are falling, temperatures look like they could be falling... and so on.

It's hard to believe that we're nearing the middle of the month already. February always seems to fly by. It also means that I have 41 finished paintings downstairs. I'm totally running out of shelf space for them! Will have to rethink my storage options soon... but I'm going to leave them out for a bit longer. I like coming downstairs and seeing all the different colours and ideas. It makes me feel better when I can't think of anything. It also makes me feel good about not missing a day! A lot of people say it's a crazy/ambitious project... to try to do one painting a day for a year... yes, yes it is. But, on the other hand... what an adventure! I also find it hard to believe tomorrow is Friday... posting day again. Where did the week go? This one just flew by! If anyone has suggestions for paintings please feel free to let me know. Or requests... I'll give just about anything a try. Family friendly of course!

Well, that's it for tonight... I'm going to bed with the Barenaked Ladies doing the theme song for The Big Bang Theory in my head. Over and over. Good thing I like BNL. :) See you tomorrow!

Disappointed

Ok... I'll say it. I don't much like tonight's painting. I did... but then I didn't think it was finished somehow. Then tried to fix what I added which didn't work out... fixed some more... oh it just goes on from there. Sometimes you just have to put the brush down and walk away. I almost started a whole new painting, but frankly, it's late and I'm just not up to it. Who knows... perhaps inspiration will hit and I can do something with it... or maybe I'll look at it in a few days and think it turned out just fine. Maybe someone else will love it. It's like anything... when you're too close you can't think clearly about it.

I started too late this evening... that's probably part of it. I felt a bit rushed, a bit devoid of ideas... and definitely irritated with myself for letting it get so late. I spent most of my evening baking cookies for my son's birthday party, then washing a small mountain of dishes, and then starting to paint. Oh listen to me... whining for what? Sorry... shouldn't even be posting when I'm in a feeling sorry for myself mood. Blech.

Every night I try to think of three good things about my day... so that my petty concerns seem smaller and inconsequential. I post them on my facebook page and on more than one occasion someone has thanked me for doing it because it helps them see the positives in their day. I think it's a very valuable exercise for anyone. Too often we get bogged down in what we don't like, wish we had done differently, a perceived insult, whatever. It's all around us in the news, our friends complaints, difficult moments during the day etc. It's a much better expenditure of energy to think of happy thoughts, positive moments, and especially if you've had a hard time with someone to think of something good that happened with them too.
I guess in terms of tonight's painting, I can be happy that I tried something that was in my head and that I hope someone will like it. It's called "In a Dream" because the colours are not where you'd think they should be. There is a toe dipped in reality, but skewed enough that it seems unreal. At least, that's what I was going for when I started!

So, happy thoughts to you... think of three good things when you feel the going get tough. Tomorrow is another day. Good night!

Snowy Tuesday

Lots of lovely snow came down today. Then some rain. Then more snow. Fun times. I went to the gym tonight and the drive wasn't too bad. Came home and put the finishing touches on my painting. I've completely forgotten what I've called it... blame that on a very long day and post-workout brain. I think it looks like a stormy sea though. Abstract, textured, kind of like choppy waves. I spent some time looking at it from all different angles before I decided which way I liked it best. Funnily enough it wasn't the way I had painted it! Just a little lesson about being open minded and accepting of change. :)

I guess, as in life, we can miss great opportunities by being stubborn. So, on this snow-sparkling evening, look at the view out of your window and see the beauty rather than the negatives. It's out there just waiting for a change of perspective.

Just a short note tonight... I'm off to bed.

Monday, Monday

I feel a little like Garfield come Monday morning. Ok, a lot like Garfield! It's rather unfair that Monday gets such a bad rap. What if our work week began on Wednesday and Monday was the new Friday? Would it be hated with such a vengeance then? This has nothing to do with tonight's painting... more just that I started today feeling very tired, and after a much longer day than usual (figuratively speaking of course) I'm ending it rather tired as well. It's a very good thing I started this painting last night or I would still be up for another hour or more! I did finish, and it's only 10pm so I might stand a fair chance of getting some decent sleep tonight. :) Yay!

Oh, I know I whine and complain... I apologize. There are definitely lots of moments when I rejoice in how wonderful my life is and just how lucky I really have it. *pause for reflection* Yup, there's one right there! After all, even if I'm tired, I'm healthy and happy. I can spend a few hours painting... so I must have some spare time, right? All together... I guess it was a good day after all. You know, for a Monday! ;)

I decided to paint another belly dancer tonight. My friend Trina. She has been an inspiration for me in a few ways, not least of which as a dancer! When she gets on stage, she owns it. Always a joy to watch... and great to share a stage with her as well. So, thank you Trina for being tonight's subject. I hope you like it! I even tried to work in acorn colours in the background.

A fundraising note... I submitted a letter today so hopefully will hear some good news soon. Won't say much about it now just in case nothing comes of it. Keep your fingers crossed!

So far, this blog has been viewed in several countries... Canada, the US, Mexico, Germany, Russia, Denmark, and I found out today the UK and Singapore too. Pretty amazing! Thanks to everyone who reads and shares this adventure. And now... I will toddle off to bed. Good night world.

On a binge...

First off, I am so amazed and excited that the blog is over 1000 views... and that there have been page views in six countries since I started at the beginning of the year. Canada, USA, Mexico, Germany, Russia & Denmark! Thank you to everyone who is reading and sharing this blog!

I started painting this morning. Usually I wait until the evening when the kids have gone to bed. Today I had a chance to start earlier, so I did. I thought 'oh good, now I can take the night off'. Well, I guess I must have been in a painting mood because I finished one canvas this morning, prepped a second (to do tomorrow, or so I thought), finished the second this evening, and then started on a third. The one I finished this morning is probably done... but I want to look at it again with fresh eyes tomorrow to see if I can or should do anything more to it. The one I did for today is called "Baby Feet" in honour of the arrival of my friend's baby last night. The other one is of my friend Trina... another belly dancer. That one might take a little longer since I only really put a bit of colour on it. I've been trying to get to the gym a fair bit and as such my evenings seem to be growing shorter and shorter!

I'd like to thank everyone who has helped me out so far with supplies, support, etc. I'm about to write a letter requesting assistance to be sent to a few places. I'm a little nervous about it... it's kind of difficult to explain the whole third-party fundraising thing sometimes. I'm also excited too... the more help I can get to do the work during the year, the more Children's Wish will be helped at the end. So, thanks guys. :)

I took a moment to look at all the paintings tonight... it's hard in a way to believe that I've really done that much painting in such a short time! Feeling good about it on a whole bunch of levels. Thanks for reading, and good night!

Almost to 1000!

WOW! Ok, I'm crazy excited about this... the last time I looked it was at 995... amazing! Thanks to everyone who is reading this and supporting the project. There's someone in Russia and someone in Denmark reading! I have family in the US and Mexico so I'm guessing that's where those readers are... but you never know. The more the merrier!

We've had some snow lately... as is par for the course in winter... and more than a few people are grumbling about it. Especially since we're supposed to be getting another bout this week. Personally I like the snow. I used to go skiing, but it's kind of costly and it has most definitely been awhile... so can't say I'd ski that well these days. Lots of people aren't so keen on snow... so tonight's painting is for them. It's a lovely beach with a palm tree and greeny-blue water. Yup, that's the technical name... greeny-blue. :) I called it "Solitude" because it's just this little peaceful beach with nothing and no one on it. You can sit and stare out at the water and relax. I thought it was restful looking... though perhaps a little sad. Not sure why... I'm not sad... far from it. Maybe it's just me, or it's the colour of the sky. Who knows. You can have solitude and be very happy too.

On a personal sort of note, I found out that my friend had her baby this evening... so many congratulations to her and her family!

Things are pretty good here in my little world... hope they are good in yours!

Week Five Pictures!

Wow... Friday again already? There's another reason for me to say TGIF! I really like posting the week's pictures... it's nice to see them all in one place (other than my basement of course).

I tried another Rorschach-y one tonight... since quite a few people seem to like "Butterfly". I think it's sufficiently different the second time to still be an interesting piece. I used two 8x10 canvasses, painted one black, one white, and went from there. Personally, orange & blue is one of my favourite colour combinations. See what you think. :)

As usual, the caption will link you to the day's blog post. Enjoy!

Jan 29 - Dewdrop Fairy

Jan 30 - Savannah

Jan 31 - Midnight

Feb 1 - Bond of the Heart

Feb 2 - A Pair of Wishes

Feb 3 - A Little Light Music

Feb 4 - Duet

Fundraising for a Fundraiser

Why does that feel weird and ironic? Ah well... it must be done. You see, in order to paint canvasses I have to buy canvasses. One or two at a time doesn't feel like much, but seven or more just about every week is starting to hurt a tiny bit. I know I'll recoup my costs at the end... but I would love to not have to take a chunk out of the money raised for Children's Wish. I have been fortunate to have received a donation of canvasses early on, and I did get a discount at Michael's today... but I could really use some more help. I don't know if there are any artists out there with blank canvasses collecting dust, or if anyone feels like donating some, but it would really make a huge impact on how much will be raised for CWF. If you are interested in talking about it one on one, please send me an email: jcope18@yahoo.com Any and all help will be greatly appreciated and noted on the blog and at the big event. Anyway... that's me and my completely unsubtle plea for help. :) I have a few ideas on how to raise some extra canvas money... just have to put them into action!

Now on to tonight's painting... I painted a musician playing a trumpet. Probably because I was watching a show with a trumpeter... but also because I love music. It was almost a saxophone, but I have a hunch I may have been influenced by the show. The painting is called "A Little Light Music" in part because it's a play on a Stephen Sondheim musical, and partly because I painted a rainbow of notes. Rainbows are the colour spectrum of light. It made me smile anyway. :) Showing my theatre roots and slight geekiness. I had a prism as a kid and I loved making rainbows on the wall. I usually simplify the rainbow in paintings down to six colours... partly because I was never that fond of purple and thought it rather unfair it got two colours, and also because I'm a little nuts and like my symmetry. Ah, the small insights you will gain into how I think... enjoy. :)

Thanks for listening (reading?) to my rambling thoughts... have a lovely night... or morning if you're in Russia. It is so very, very cool that someone in Russia is reading this blog! Thank you whoever you are!

Wishes

I've always liked looking at the stars in the night sky. Especially the rare times you get to see a shooting star. They seem so magical... and of course, you get to make a wish! I really love to wish and dream. It's like when you buy a lottery ticket and you get to have those moments (or days) to think, what would I do if I won? I always say, I'm not greedy, I'll share that 50 million with 100 people. ;) It's amazing what we could do. Most of the time I'm sure I wish for silly things, but now and again it's nice to get a chance to reflect that we're really quite lucky. I whine about being "broke"... but honestly? My car is paid off, I live in my own home (still paying of course) and I have groceries, heat, and a lovely family. I'm so rich it's insane! I guess that's part of why I'm trying to do this. My wish is that through my efforts someone who could really use a wish will have it granted. That would make me smile for a very long time.

Tonight's painting is an 8x10... larger than originally planned, but I couldn't get the canvasses I thought I could yesterday, and today was a bit too miserable driving to go out... so I have to dip into my dwindling stash of larger canvasses. I called it "A Pair of Wishes". It's a night sky with a few silhouetted trees in the foreground. There are two shooting stars. One for my wish... and one for the children I hope to help.

Good night.

Art Imitates Life

Or is it that life imitates art? In this case, tonight's painting was inspired by the last feeding of the day for my little girl. I had spent a lot of time in the car with the kids today so didn't spend as much time as usual pacing my living room with my almost twenty pound baby in my arms. Great for my back, not so great for my heartstrings. So... we had a slightly longer bedtime cuddle and it gave me an idea for the painting. It's called "Bond of the Heart" and is a mother and baby. I kept them featureless so they could be anyone. I like that better than trying to put faces on and then having it be too specific. Unless the painting is of a certain person, then I think I'll keep it blank so you can imagine whatever you'd like. The colours are warm and deep and I think it looks a lot like how I was feeling tonight. As much as I whine about tantrums from my son, or getting my hair pulled by my daughter, I know exactly how lucky I am to have them both.

With this impending weather I've heard so much negativity from people. Most people are whining about the snow they'll have to shovel, or how cold it is going to be. Um, hello? It's winter. That's what goes down in the winter. Every winter. This should not come as a shock to anyone... we live fairly north of the equator after all! Think positively. Snow is pretty. My son loves to go out and shovel with us... or make snow monsters (what our snowmen end up looking like). He has this amazing laugh when he's throwing snowballs... even more so when we let him get us. Snow is magical in its way. It crunches when you walk on it. It sparkles in the sunshine. As long as we've got power (for heat and cooking) and clean water... really, is a snowy day really that bad? Maybe it will inspire tomorrow's painting. :) We'll have to see!