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You know that Vancouver’s nickname is RainCity, right ? It is a truly deserved name. No matter the season, clouds like to pour their tears on us.

This weather imply very little natural light very often. Which is not very helping for painting, recording a video, or taking pictures.

Some lamp with «natural light bulb» exists. We were lucky to score some at Costco, for $13 ! We did not really thought of it, and grabbed 2 (one for my husband and one for me)… and we realized when arrived home that the cashier forgot one (or whatever happened), so we paid only one lamp… Oops.

Here is what my art table (aka dinner table) looked like this afternoon:

Was just warming up in my new Art Journal (one of the big Strathmore visual journals) before starting a new painting.

This lamp saves my life 😉 It also means I will be able to do videos no matter what the weather is. YAAAAY !

I am participating to the new project, «Out of the Journal», started by Samantha and Dina: create two canvases a week. If possible 8×10 or more. I combine this with our 52 paintings done in 52 weeks. Here is Sam’s blogpost for more clarity: right there.

I really enjoyed this week’s paintings, that allowed me to complety get out (and pretty far away) of my usual creative comfort zone…

I love working on wood panels, but I don’t know why I stopped using them. This is such a different surface to work on, I just love it. I am a wood lover, and this time I really wanted it to still be visible.

She is filled with imperfection and amateurism. But I love her colorful shimmering hair (I will try to catch that later). Her body is white with blue shimmers. The words are not written big enough. But there is something about this painting that just yell at me «I am enough as I am, don’t try to perfect me»… So I simply listen 😉

Sometimes, the message is more important.

Oh my goodness…. this one brings me a lot of joy. She is not totally finished yet though. She is created on stretched canvas (surface I do not use that much anymore either…).

I began with two intertwined intentions: add a little bit of collage and play with colors, not mater what the media is.
I played with spray inks and then with white paint. Then, she emerged from there a few day later… My daughter can’t help but tell me how long her neck is. That’s true. And I love how my girls have this «me» thing that I can now speak of, but every single each of them is unique. Longer nose for one, longer neck… whatever it is, I just paint what I see.

I can’t wait to hear what message she has to whisper to me 🙂

This is it for my third week Out Of the Journal !

Gratitude Friday is a weekly ritual I started in order to focus on all the small and big positive things that happened during my week. I invite you to join me, you’ll see how much being thankful can change your life. If you want to know more about it, read my introduction post.

Hello !

How was this week ? I know for a lot of you Moms out there it was back-to-school week. I hope all went well for you as for your kids (or not so kids anymore). For us, it will be in September, in just a bit more than 2 weeks from now. I love my kids but school time is much better for all of us than two months of vacation 😉 And the girls are soooo excited !

This week, I am thankful for:

• My creative juice, still yummy and pouring on the canvas.
• I finished my Art Journal and started (hmmm in fact, I just gesso-ed the first page but still) the #5. You can see the video right here if you haven’t watched it yet. Feels good. A page is being turned, plenty of others are just wainting to be created, discovered, written.
• I love my Mamounette (aka Mom), and she will be with us in 2 months from now. Despite all the crap happening, I know she will still be coming.
• We received a package full of goodies from my family-in-law.
• Words with friends can be funny, after all.
• Rising Appalachia‘s music, I listened to it over and over all week.
• The kindness of the ladies at the scrapbook store Clipper Street. Can’t wait to play with my new stencils from Crafter’s workshop.
• I got a sale from my affiliation with Goddess Leonie. Thank you to you who made it through me. I know you will enjoy the Goddess Circle.
• Teesha Moore is way more than an amazing inspiring artist.
• Thank you to you, who come on my blog, and take the time to stay, read a bit, comment sometimes. It’s okay if you don’t leave a word too.
• I received very nice comments on my Art journal video. It is always something that warms my heart.
• I started writing daily again. Just venting, sorting things out.
• My brother-in-law arrived to day for his vacations with us, he is the one who comes every single summer since the first year of our Canadian life (the first one, was 6 months after our arrival). He will be here for Grenouille’s birthday. It means a lot to her.

If you wrote your Gratitude Friday on your blog, don’t forget to enter your NAME and URL below so I’m notified and can come to read you (you can also join by commenting this post):
[linkme]

I am so happy to be starting a new Art Journal very soon.

I finished my journal #4 yesterday… it was a fabric journal I created, a prototype to define what I like to do in order to then make more for my Etsy shop. I love the pillowy cover and its softness.
It contrasts quite a bit with the toughness of what is happening inside.

This journal is really like a visual diary of what happened in my life. My way of getting things out, working on them. My therapy. And also a space to experiment. I discovered I love working with spray inks. And stencils. And acrylic paint.

Now, take a look:

The song is by an Israeli living in France and speaking English fluently singer I really love, Yael Naim. I wanted to use another of her song but it was 40 seconds too short (in a short 5mn video, 40 secs are like forever ;)).
This song, titles “too long” is what inspired a page in my first ever Art Journal, so I am attached to it quite a bit 😉

Today’s  Wishcasting Wednesday is about choices.

My life is turning upside down since 3 weeks or so now. I am learning to adjust, to go with the flow. I will talk about it in another blogpost.

Today, I wish to choose Positivity (over staying in this state of gloomy feelings).
I choose to keep doing art, for me, for the ones who feel a connection with it, for my sanity, for my daughters who say «Mom, you are the best artist in the World» (and even if I know this is not true, this is their truth and it makes me happy when they say so).
I wish to choose to believe in my Dreams, no matter how silly and big or small they are. Because they are what keeps me going.
I wish to choose to find love and kindness when desparation and anger settle down in me.

I just want to find this balance in my life that I currently feel like is cruely missing, and be happy, and make my family happy…