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Welcome on a new edition of my weekly ritual, Gratitude Friday (if you are not familiar with it, please go read how it came up and what it is about).

Oh my ! What a weird week coming to an end. I notice that I actually enjoy more weeks that are grey in what happened within them than the ones that were totally black or toally white.

A lot of fear and doubts and tears were felt this week. But also plenty of “I love you”s, and hugs, and laughter.

This week, I am thankful for:

• My Mom’s radiotherapy treatment being over in a week from today.
• I can drive (sort of) and have my L license now (woot woot !).
• The perspective of freedom.
• Sunshine, play outside, hummingbirds.
• Cooking real food.
• New art supplies to play with.
• Art classes from my Kindreds.
• Watching tv with my husband.
• New good intentions to tighten our family bond.
• Trying to come back to blogging more frequently.
• Inspiration.
• Self-portraiture.

I want to hold your joy with you, tell me: what are you thankful for this week ?

Do you follow me on Instagram ? if not, I invite you to do so because this is the space you will likely hear from me the most. Sharing crumbs and pieces of what is happening in my Teal Studio (and out of it) 🙂 Quick and easy to share and connect with you guys. This is my favorite social media (shhhh).

I noticed that some things need to change, and one being I need to stop caring what people might think when they see me wearing what I’m wearing. To be true to my Essence. Even if it means feeling so damn good about  red tights ith ruffle sparkly lace skirt and black and white striped tank top. Because it makes me happy. Because it makes me feel aligned… So I snapped this pic to remind myself of this.

This Nixie is now finished and I LOVE her. She still does not have a name but I know it will come to me. She is Magic.

Guys, it’s coming ! My first *big* solo online class, Texture Tales. Sharing with you what makes my heart flutter every single time: texture. You will learn about gessos and gels and how to incorporate them into your art.

Anwen is not your typical Nixie, but she taught me resilience and trust. And she is so much more beautiful in person (I will list her today in the shop).

I am also working on a special painting for a special family member whom birthday is coming very soon.

And you, what are you working on right now ?

One thing I have learned from many teachers like Jesse Reno or Flora Bowley for example, is to detach myself from what I am painting. Get into the process of bringing it to life, love it, hate it, but no attachment or it will then be much more difficult.

I became quite good at it, most of the time. I do my best to paint for myself first, each piece being a messenger, a lesson bringer for me; and hopefully it will resonate enough with somebody else as well.

As I told you recently, I have three coping mechanisms when I face a little uncertainty in my Studio, and one of them is to go back to what I know and what makes me the most happy. I am doing a little redecorating in our home, and wants to create two 18*24″ paintings to go with the one I already hung in the space that goes from our garage to our principle floor. Tashi was supposed to be there but she is now in our living room instead (oops… #sorrynotsorry).

But it is okay to love where it is going…

I rarely paint on my easel but find that I do enjoy the change and the freedom it gives compared to painting on my table.

Open mind.
Open heart.
No expectation.
Joy in every step.
Every step being an exploration.
Exploration of the mind.
Exploration of the heart.

But it is okay to love where it is going…

You know me, texture is my drug and this is how I started this canvas. Modeling paste and heavy gesso, applied with a Catalyst tool/wedge. Seeing skips and making marks already. I never know where it is going and it can be after a lot of layers that an idea actually comes, an image imposing itself from what would appear to be chaotic for anybody else’s eye but me. When I played with my giant black pencil and made that circle-ish shape that would become her face, I still did not know it will become a face. But I was enjoying the colors, the patterns, the texture happening on the canvas.

But it is okay to love where it is going…

Then, as you can see on the pic above, I played with stencils and Liquitex spray paints. Picked a few paint colors that made me happy (yes, this comes back a lot…) and just applied (I will never stress enough that you need to protect your hands with a specialty cream; read your paint’s label carefully about potential cancer risks warnings). When I determined that the shape was a head, I added two scraps of paper underneath, thinking it would be a dress *or something*, and for a long time she had neither arms nor legs, to be honest. She even had a feather in her hair for a long time. I really really loved her already.

And then… she became that Nixie from my sketchbook (remember how I always tell you I can not put a sketch onto my canvas. never ? you always need an exception to the rule, I guess). I had this Nixie, arms wide open, from which tear drops would fall to water the Earth in my sketchbook, and adored her (so much that I was actually sad to know she will only live between the pages of it). So when she invited herself onto that canvas… I might have done a little happy dance, like getting together with an old friend.

And then a Moon… Full.

But it is okay to love where it is going…

When it was time to hang her with Alecia… I just could not, I wanted to see her more (even if the stairs are one I go up and down in every single day of the week, it is not the same). So I asked the tribe what they were feeling about her, and it was good enough to go ahead and have her in our living space…

So yes… it is okay to get attached to your artwork. More than okay not to create with the expectation to sell it immediately. It is okay to love it so much you want to have it in sight.

I invite you not to feel guilty when you prefer to keep your art just for you 😉 Because I know I do.

Welcome on a new edition of my weekly ritual, Gratitude Friday (if you are not familiar with it, please go read how it came up and what it is about).

May… today is the first day of May (come on…. almost half the year has already passed by ?!). Definitely Spring over our neck of the woods, some days almost feel like Summer. The barbecue is used more and more, the girls spend time outside everyday after school, my strawberry and blueberry trees have flowers… Spring and Summer are my favorite time of the year, so just that makes me happier already. Lighters.

I feel like I am grateful for the same things over and over, week after week. But it’s more than okay, actually. There is nothing wrong with that.

This week, I am thankful for:

• Synchronicity with my Kindred who lives a continent and an ocean away
• My husband being home at night
• Barbecues
• Granville Island Market (=fresh fruits=fresh fish=deli)
• Cooking
• 90’s R&B music
• Melissa coming over
• Decluttering my Studio
• Sacred Stories finding their way out
• Hugs
• Hearing Mom on the phone
• Sticking to the Whole30 (today is day #20)
• Sunshine

What about you ?