Free Spirit Soul Painting

 

Creativity is a natural extension of our enthusiasm.
~Earl Nightingale

What has been your creative muse lately? Have you been clearing out a room, reading a juicy novel, planting flowers, or cooking healthy meals? Running, hiking, resting?

My creative energy has been poured into painting.  Here is some of my play with color. I call it free spirit soul painting. Evenings here have been warm and breezy so I moved my painting outside onto my deck. Birds chirping, leaves rustling, fish jumping in the pond. Heaven.

This one is from my art journal. I love visiting the ocean. The colors, waves, sounds, and sandy beaches have a powerful affect on me. I hope to visit the ocean again this year.
Thank you for letting me share my art with you. I would love to hear about your creative endeavors or intentions in the comments below.
Wishing you joy and peace,
kathy

Friday Bliss List: Mamahood and Art

I took a lot of pictures this week. Didn't want to miss a moment and wanted to share with you.

My youngest son turned 5. We spent a fun filled day at the zoo seeing most of the animals, petting dog sharks, and watching dolphins leap and splash in the water.

For Mother's Day my husband gave me a huge bouquet of colorful flowers that I was able to split and create four pretty vases to set out for our family gathering.

My mom, sister, and me.

For the Mother's Day feast, I made Pioneer Woman's Tequila Lime Chicken, Mexican rice, and black beans with all the fixins of salsa, guacamole, and cheese. It was delicious and I highly encourage you to make it. For the plain eaters in the family, we grilled chicken legs. They were yummy too.

I've also been a painting fool. Throughout the day, my kitchen island alternates between the family diner and art studio. Painting has unlocked a joy in me that has been missing for awhile. A creative outlet just for me. I am so glad I took a few online art classes to show me the basics. Each time I paint I feel lighter, freer, and more adventurous.

This is from my art journal. I am thinking about creating an e-course about joy, beauty, art, and abundance. Would you be interested?

My little guy ready for Kindergarten.

Lastly, Preschool graduation was last night. My four kids have rolled through this program for nine years in a row. We hold the record. Two of my mom friends are close behind. Together we can put on a fun class party and clean up without the teachers having to do much at all. We have the system down. They even recognized us with a certificate and a dedicated parent award which meant a lot.

That's my bliss list. Thank you so much for letting me share with you.
Wishing you joy and peace,
kathy

Choose Joy Today

If you want to be happy, set yourself a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes. It comes from doing some certain thing into which you can put forth all your thought and energy. If you want to be happy, get enthusiastic about something. ~Dale Carnegie 

My dear friend Liz surprised me with this vibrant sign saying CHOOSE JOY. It greeted me this morning. Early. After a night of tossing and turning and fretting about the many things to do this week, I needed to see this.  I put it in a bowl of lemons, and snapped this picture. It made me realize I needed to take a deep breath and enjoy the moment instead of plowing full force into the day as a frenzied mess.

With camera in hand, I took this of my peony bush beginning to bloom. It's a little early this year and I was so thrilled to see the blooms. They remind me of my grandmother who loved peonies too.

Vibrant purple wildflowers are blooming in our field. These are strong survivors from last year. This must be a perfect environment for them.

Lastly, I am happy to finally finish my first painting from the Bloom True e-course. I have a few more started and absolutely love getting lost in the colors and possibilities of painting. One thing Flora taught us is that there are no mistakes. I loved hearing that.

In small letters, I wrote the word emerge on a leaf. It just felt right to me. It has given me joy sharing this with you. Wishing you a wonderful week,
kathy