Sometimes when things get a little too chaotic and hectic we need to remember to quiet our minds and simply breathe. This helps to bring you back to your calm center.
My newest angel I created in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8.5″ Watercolor Journal called Breathe. One of the fun things about watercolor paints is that they sometimes have a mind of their own. I love how colors mingled at the top of her wing.
Have a lovely week!
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I can’t believe how the month of April just flew by. Here’s another inspirational quote by Rumi from my mini 3.25″ x 4.5″ book:
“Shine like the universe is yours.” ~Rumi
Have a great weekend!
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Today would have been my father’s birthday but he passed away a few years ago. He was a talented man who could fix anything under the sun. He had a superb sense of humor and was a great artist and my inspiration for art.
Dad was very practical and logical in his thinking. He drew this pen and ink picture the day before his 21st birthday. I was lucky enough to find it mixed in with a bunch of other papers he kept. I was in awe with how beautiful it was. Funny enough, he never hung this masterpiece in the house so I hung it in mine.
When I was a kid, I couldn’t draw well. So dad took the picture I was trying to draw and drew a numbered grid on it. Then he drew another grid on blank paper and told me to copy each square, one at a time until I was finished. This made complete sense to me at the time and thus my adventure in art began. Eventually, I got better and didn’t need the grid as much. I really love this piece by dad because you can still see the numbered grid on it which reminds me of my first art lesson with him.
Dad was an oil painter but I never liked the turpentine smell, it was always very strong so I gravitated to watercolors. I started painting with my sister’s watercolor set by Mayflower with 24 colors. I was having a blast with that. Then for my birthday, mom and dad got me a big watercolor set made in England by Page of London with a whopping 80 colors!!! For a kid who was fascinated with colors, it was like I won the jackpot!!!!
Dad kept pretty much everything so lo and behold, he still had the original paint sets from when I was a kid. Sadly some of my pan colors in the larger set broke and got lost over the years but the sets are in good condition overall. I’m so glad he kept these because they bring back a lot of nice memories.
Thank you Dad for all your patience, creativity and ingenuity in teaching me art!
✨Happy Birthday Dad ✨
Hope you had a great week! Just a quickie post today with an inspirational quote by Rumi from my mini 3.25″ x 4.5″ book:
“Don’t you know yet? It is your light that lights the world.” ~Rumi
Love this quote by Rumi, it makes you think a little and realize how important and unique each of us is. So shine your light brightly for the world to see!
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Earth Day started April 22, 1970, as a way to bring awareness to environmental issues and changing the public’s outlook. We are all interconnected on this planet. Every action causes an equal reaction whether it be good or bad.
Everyone chooses their battles to fight. Some battle to reduce air pollution while others battle for the forests. My battle is for the oceans because they are one of the biggest sources of life on this planet. It’s heartbreaking to see the islands of plastic that have formed as a result of dumping garbage into the oceans. Some of the plastic breaks down, pollutes the waters and eventually settles on the ocean floors. Marine animals mistake plastics for food causing them to get sick or even die.
As humans we consume tons of fish, crabs, lobsters and shrimp from the oceans every year. With the amount of plastics, garbage and toxins that have been dumped into the oceans the marine life has become toxic for humans to eat. Yet it still is a very large food source for us, so what does that say about the state of our health?
This is just one small part of a much larger problem in the oceans and I could go on and on about the issues at hand, but I think you get the gist of it. Everyday we wake up we need to be mindful of the role we play on this planet and be proactive in taking care of Mother Earth so we will have a beautiful tomorrow.
What are some of the things you do to help make a better tomorrow?
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“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” ~Unknown
All photos above in the slide presentation were taken by Maria Vidaurre, Bahamas.
I wanted to try something new so I decided to create a flower girl in my Strathmore 9″ x 12″ Colored Pencil Journal using only colored pencils and nothing else. This turned out to be quite a challenge.
I have a library of art books that I go to for reference or to simply get inspired. After a little reading I was surprised by the recommended color combinations. Truthfully, I never would have used these colors for the skin tone or hair but because of the all the layering, it turned out different than I expected. I was pleasantly surprised.
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Wishing you a wonderful week!
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Just a quickie post today. I created this little 3.25″ x 4.5″ mini book in an online class by Joanne Sharpe called Art Sparks 1 through Ruzuku.com. I filled it with some of my favorite quotes which I’ll be sharing with you over the next few weekends.
If you don’t know about Joanne Sharpe, she is a super talented artist and instructor. I’ve been a big fan of hers for a long time and just love her work. I highly recommend her classes as they’re so much fun!
This is my first quote:
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I’ve been exploring more vegan recipes, especially the ones that don’t necessarily appeal to my tastebuds. And I must say, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. So far, they have all been quite delicious and tasty.
My family likes to eat tuna fish sandwiches but tuna is one of the most toxic fish you can eat. They’re high in mercury and other heavy metals because of pollutants in the water. So I wanted to find a vegan alternative. I finally decided to give this recipe a try and I’m glad I did. It’s a “No Tuna” Salad Sandwich. It’s great because it doesn’t have that fishy smell like real tuna but it’s super delicious and quite filling. Plus it’s quick and easy to make.
The recipe was published in the latest Forks Over Knives, “100 Best Plant-Based Recipes,” 2021 and it can also be found on their website “No Tuna” Salad Sandwich.
The main ingredient is chick peas aka garbanzo beans which is not necessarily my favorite but they work well in this recipe. I served my family these sandwiches and they were a hit! Lots of flavor, very filling and satisfying, vegan and most important, No Mercury! It’s a win win.
I recommend getting a little crazy and giving it a try. You may discover new flavors on this adventure!
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“Good nutrition creates health in all areas of our existence. All parts are interconnected.” ~ T. Collin Campbell
Hope your week is going great so far! I created this new angel in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8.5″ Watercolor Journal. I tried something new this time and added a zentangle design to the wings. I kinda like it, and then I kinda don’t.
Also, with the lighter color background, the white detailing got a bit washed out so I used gold for more contrast. Would love to know your thoughts, just leave me comment below.
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Flowing Waters Art 