One Year Later

Spring Creek, watercolour, 11.7” x 8.3”

Blog 18

 

One year after my last trip to Germany, I will fly to visit family and friends. Traveling is still a stressful experience due to the challenges airlines and train companies face in delivering their services. Last week we had to re-book our plane and train tickets. I won’t provide details because we are still fighting with the airline. No part of the original booking was in place anymore. We would not even have arrived back in Ottawa.

I am glad that I will travel with my husband. While I still depended on mobility help last year, this time, I can walk. I have fully recovered, even though I still work on improving my endurance, flexibility and strength. Sometimes, I get impatient. I still can’t go on hikes, but I have started to walk our dog, Shadow, again.

Looking back, I am glad I didn’t know how long the recovery would be. I learned a lot about myself and have re-evaluated my priorities. My creative time and the flexibility to make spontaneous decisions to spend time with friends and family have an even higher priority for me.

Crocuses, watercolour and watercolour pencil, 5.8” x 8.3”

When the warm weather gave us a teaser of the spring, I went outside to paint. On the first day, I sketched crocuses in our front yard. The next day, I met my friends Janis and Bob to paint a spring creek. This water source was only temporary, while large amounts of snow water filled ditches and fields. It was such a peaceful place.

We can learn a lot from nature, where everything changes quickly. I have met many people who want to wait until retirement to make time for their hobbies. Take action now instead of waiting. Contact me if I can help you fulfill your creative dreams.

Unfortunately, often we only realize during difficult times that we are wasting our time with things that don’t give us pleasure. Fortunately, I made a full recovery and gained more clarity on how I want to live a joyful life. I intend to enjoy every moment during my visit with family and friends, but I will also allow for creative breaks for some me time.

Until the next four weeks, my blogs will contain creativity tips. After my return, I will share my travel adventures and inspirations with you again.

Have a great May! Don’t forget to smell the lilac and tulips. 🌷😊

Give Your Creativity a Break

Chickadee, wool, 6" x 8"

Blog 17

 

A couple of weeks ago, I started to post Tuesday Creativity Tip posts on my Facebook page. This week, I wrote about taking a break from creativity. This advice might seem strange coming from someone whose life revolves around art.


Creativity in art refers to developing and expressing unique ideas, emotions, and perspectives in various art forms, such as painting, sculpture, music, literature, dance, theatre, and film. Creativity is essential to allow artists to express their individuality, connect with their audience, push boundaries and explore new possibilities, resulting in unique artworks that might evoke emotions, provoke thoughts, and inspire others.


However, rest and relaxation are crucial for nurturing your creativity. Allow yourself to take breaks and step away from your creative projects to give your mind a chance to relax and re-energize. Spend time observing the clouds or birds, enjoying a walk in nature, playing or doing anything else where your mind can wander. You will have increased creativity when you return to your project.

We all have times when we are more creative and inspired, so don't worry if your priorities change. For further reading, check out my blog, Are You Taking a Creative Break or a Break from Creativity? This advice is also something I have to heed when I do not draw or paint anything for a day. Some days are just like that, you get busy, or nothing works out and takes extra time. If art helps you reduce stress, that's great, but creating art because you feel you should do it might only increase your pressure.


There are very few days when I don't create art. Usually, I still pick up my felting projects to needle felt for half an hour. However, I am still creative behind the scenes of my business, creating new programmes and ideas for messaging and posts.


Talking about taking a break, I will be on vacation from April 25 and May 25 to spend time with family and friends, in nature and visiting attractions that will likely inspire lots of new projects.


Here is a look at my April projects in pencil, watercolour and wool. Sometimes, I have created a lot and other days, especially regarding my needle-felted paintings, it is hard to see any progression. Not all of the watercolour and felted paintings are finished. It is all about having fun on the journey. Don't compare yourself to someone else, but get inspired. Find the level of creativity and the mediums that suit you.

 

 

 

 

Housewarming - An Exhibition by Karine Giboulo

Blog 16

Last weekend, I visited Karine Giboulo’s Housewarming exhibition at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto with my husband and our daughter. We were fortunate to get a tour guide to give us deeper information about the art.


Housewarming means you invite family and friends to show them your new home. In Germany, it is customary to bring bread and salt for good fortune for the hosts and their homes. Bread is a staple food, and salt is a formerly expensive mineral used as a preservative.


Karine Giboulo, a sculptor from Montreal, created more than 500 miniature polymer-clay figures during the COVID pandemic. She displays our living conditions during isolation with insecurity about food supplies and the battle against the disease.


The installation at the Gardiner Museum resembles a home inspired by the artist's residence with a kitchen, pantry, living room, bedroom, bathroom, playroom and garden.


In each area, the figures tell stories, some closely related to Karine Giboulo's experiences during physical isolation. The confinement was even worse for her because she had just been diagnosed with a restricting illness. Suffering from mobility loss and pain during sleepless nights caused her to feel like a young person caged in an old body.


The artist portrays the limitations of our daily lives during the pandemic. She also critiques our consumerism, showing the impact of human activity on nature, visible in pollution, destruction of habitats, and climate change. Her observations offer lots of thought-provoking reflections on our actions.


You can visit the Housewarming exhibition until May 7, 2023.


To see some of the art, check out this YouTube video: https://youtu.be/0tCEzvaU9h4.

Happy Easter!

Blog 15

 

What are your plans for the long weekend? Will you travel to see family or have a big feast at your home? Do you plan to set time aside for creativity?


If you want to create some relaxing Easter art, I have a couple of templates to get the whole family to colour with you. When you are finished, you can create a collage of all the family artworks as a keepsake you can share.


Please click here to access the free egg colouring pages


If you have needle felting supplies, check out the beautiful needle-felted eggs:

You might be wondering how I managed the perfect shape of the eggs. While you could create the eggs entirely out of wool, I took a shortcut and used a Styrofoam egg for the inside.


Check out my Tuesday Creativity Tip posts on my Facebook page for more creative ideas.


Have a wonderful long weekend! Relax, create and enjoy the company of loved ones. Maybe, you can even enjoy some fresh air and look for the first signs of spring. Most of our garden is still snow-covered, but I was excited to spot the first crocuses close to the south wall of our house.

HAPPY EASTER!