It’s National Pi Day…the mathematical variety but I like to take every opportunity to remember and celebrate that none of my alegebra, calculus or high school math classes mattered after all.

“Pi Day” 11×14″

We’ve had a couple of pseudo snow days here (pseudo in that it does melt but cold and snowy enough most people give it a snow day pass). Not sure what it is about looking out at the snowy valley, but citrusy oranges and spring blossoms appear on the canvas! I tried to paint a wintery scene! Twice! Nope. It was all branches and florals and tropical parrots that may or may not be hot pink in real life. I’ll call it artistic license.

I’m reminded this week (again) that showing up at the easel is more than half the work. I have orders to pack. Paperwork to tend to. Supplies to put away. An office that’s in desperate need of a reorg. Pets. Laundry. House. Yard. Cooking. Errands. Emails. Life. Life. Life. All of them, perfectly good excuses to not paint. And a snow day? Fuggedaboutit! That’s a Netflix couch pass if I’ve ever heard of one! And yet…I also know that famous Picasso quote is true, “Inspiration exists but it has to find you working.”

I muddled through several attempts of wintery themed pieces with not much gusto until the click. That knowing in your head or brush or fingers or whatever the muse has hold of and says, nope, not today. I’ve got a pink parrot for you so meet me half way! Who am I to question? I followed the art bread crumbs, made some tea and stopped fighting against the painting I wanted to show up and went with the painting that was forming in my imagination.

And am I imagining floral crowns and parakeets while I drive around town? No. Ok, sometimes I am. But normally no. But I am pulling on all the pieces of my past and present artistic influences and interests and so when I am ready to paint, I’ve been warming up. The good news is that every magazine, book, instagram feed, art gallery, museum, art supply store, restaurant, boutique, farmer’s market is research!

These are the post pandemic snow days of being an artist, working from home, running a small business, trying to stay creative and remembering (and forgetting) that even after a decade of doing this…showing up to your art is the hardest and most rewarding work of all.

“Parakeet Floral Crown” 16×20″

Hello and happy Wednesday! It’s not spring…yet. However, with the abundance of florals yesterday for Valentine’s Day (note to self, don’t go to Trader Joe’s at 4:30pm on February 14th….what was I thinking???) I’m in the bird, bloom, blossom, petal, branch, all things natural history botanical flora fauna zone. That’s a genre.

I’m also painting BIG. Or I should say bigger. It’s all relative to what you’re accustomed to producing. I’ve had a beautiful large 30×30″ professional artist canvas (as in, too expensive or nice to use..better save it….don’t want to “ruin” it) and I ripped off the plastic this past weekend and dove in. What was I waiting for? I’m the first to say, use the good paint, don’t save supplies for a rainy day, blah blah good advice, good advice later. But we all have our blocks and one of mine is using big canvases. Part of it is space–my studio area has some limitations so there is extra effort involved setting up. There’s the “I don’t want to waste it” factor. Which is so absurd as I write the words but there it is….is it safer to paint fast and loose on small or medium canvases? Is that the appeal of a sketchbook as opposed to an Italian leather journal? Probably.

I’ve painted large before, this isn’t the first canvas, but it’s not that frequent and I’m vowing to make it a regular practice because it made me so darn happy! Happy to play around on the canvas because there was a lot more space! I could get creative with composition…items were bolder when on larger scale! Roses popped. Oranges glowed. Tulips swayed. This whole getting out of the comfort zone thing isn’t so terrible. And you know what I did after I finished? I ordered more 30×30″ canvases. I still feel some caution and uncertainty when approaching the larger white blank canvas but I dove in the next day to another one (different size but also big). Trepidation is still there but I’m allowing curiosity to join us.

Wishing you a happy creative big canvas use the good paint kind of week! xo

“La Grande Flora” 30×30″

Happy Lunar New Year! It’s the Year of the Rabbit! From most accounts I’ve read, the rabbit symbolizes peace, hope, tranquility, beauty and grace. Or…a calmer, more gentler year. This is the year that we are supposed to enjoy relaxation & contemplation.

I like this calendar holiday as I’ve always felt January 1st is too close to Christmas…how do you jump from fruitcake to treadmill so fast? You need to ease in. So here we go…a second chance at a fresh start to 2023.

Wishing everyone peace, tranquility and easy days ahead.

“Le Lapin” 10×10″

Here we are, at the end of the “in between week” heading into 2023. This is one of my favorite times of year…it’s both lounge-y and busy in different ways and feels suspended, as if the world is somewhat on pause.

Tomorrow I’ll do my annual informal list of things that worked great (do more) and things that sucked (do less). I’m not one for resolutions, at best they’ll work for a day or two so I prefer handwritten notes in my planner. Reminders, painting themes, work deadlines, birthdays, milestones, confirmed travel…I find it energizing and optimistic. Old school and it works.

One thing on my “do more” list that I know I’ll include is post more on the blog! I love it here, mostly because it’s so informal, short, sweet, sometimes just a sentence or two but I truly enjoy connecting with you. Thank you! Thank you for a great year, the virtual friendships and connections through art and the art of correspondence, are very special to me.

Happy New Year! Wishing you all an abundant, creative, happy, healthy year ahead.

Mindy xo