Entries in art (13)

Friday
Apr252014

pictures for an exhibition

So excited to tell you that these little paintings will soon be on show in a beautiful gallery!! 

Tomorrow I'm taking them to Art & Rose Gallery in Pocklington near York for their 'Figurative Forms' exhibition.  This runs from 2 May - 25 June - so if you live locally or if you're visiting York during May/June please pop in and have a look.

You can see them in a bit more detail in my online gallery for 2013. 

There will also be prints and cards

Have a great weekend whatever you're up to - I hope there's an art date in there somewhere!

From my heart to yours

Rachel xox

Thursday
Feb202014

testing testing

What are your coping strategies when things go wrong or become so frustrating that you want to throw the whole project out of the window?

I'm still in the throes of producing my workshop for 21 Secrets but the technology has been beset by gremlins this week.  Error messages keep appearing, work won't save, I can't find files.

Apparently, Mercury is in retrograde and this affects such things.  I just know it's frustrating, whatever might be causing these problems.

Yesterday, having burst into tears, I walked away from the laptop and down to my studio. The paint flowed and the world turned the right way up again.

The technical problems are still there today.  Frustration abounds but I know I can go and make art and feel better.  

My other coping mechanisms are: 

  • ask my technical, left brained son for help (I don't know what I'd do without him)
  • going for a walk
  • put some music on
  • go and do something different - anything - bake a cake, clean, dance round the kitchen
  • talk to the cat (she doesn't know anything about technology but she makes me happy). 

What do you do when you are working on something,whatever it is, and nothing seems to be going right?  

Let me know in the comments box, I do love to hear from you

From my heart to yours

Rachel xox

Saturday
Sep212013

A Flower Fairy, a transition and a letting go

 

Today is the autumnal equinox and in my corner of the world here it involves a Flower Fairy Commission, a transition and a letting go.

This little painting is a commission.

It has a unique story, as do all painting requests. It is for my youngest son's girlfriend. They're both off to Uni today and Hannah asked if I could paint her a picture to put in her room! This came as a total surprise to me - a very lovely surprise but a bit of a shock really. You see, I had no idea that she liked my paintings. Neither she nor my son, James, have mentioned them before now. What's even more surprising is that James likes them too!! I was under the impression he thought my painting was just something a bit quirky that his mum did, nothing you shared with your girlfriend or discussed. But apparently not!!

I'm so pleased and proud and feel quite emotional about it. I also feel very honoured that this lovely young woman wants one of my paintings to adorn her wall. (and more than a little excited that a bit of goddess energy is going with them - they are both going to the same Uni)

It's been a strange time the last month, knowing that James is leaving soon. And now it's upon us. As a mother, you spend your life letting go of them - first play group, first day at nursery, first day at primary school, first sleepover, first scout camp, first day at secondary school, and more recently - the first music festival and a lads' holiday abroad.

For him, stepping onto his adult path, there's some reluctance - I want him to be excited but it's not apparent at the moment. I'm excited for him!! There will be tears, undoubtedly, but I wish him all he wants for himself; I wish him joy and lots and lots of love. 

On this day of equinox, the point of balance, when day and night are of equal length, my son and I stand poised in transition. He from childhood into his adult life and me from my being a mother with children at home and moving into my next adventure (and there is one I can assure you - details coming very soon!).

I feel as if we are both like the Fool in the Tarot, poised with one foot in the air ready to take the next step off the edge of the cliff, stepping through the portal into tomorrow not knowing what lies ahead but perfect in the knowledge that the Universe will support us, ready for adventure, ready for this new life phase. As James and I make this step of transition, I trust implicitly that we are perfectly supported as we step through the portal, perfectly supported by the abundant flow of the Universe and that only good will come rushing up to meet us as we take this next step.

Where are you today on this point of balance? Are there areas of your life that need more balance? Are you also in transition from one phase to another? Please share, I love to hear from you...

From my trusting and transitioning heart to yours

Rachel xox

Thursday
Sep052013

Self care and paintings

There's been a lot of painting going on recently and a lot of self care.  

This has meant no blogging during August.  An unplanned blogging break, but the self care has been entirely necessary and a break from computers where possible was a part of this.  I'm lucky enough to be self employed and can set my own hours and schedule me time when I need it - for this I'm very grateful and feel very blessed to be where I am right now.

Other self care principles for me are:

taking walks with my beloved (or on my own)

being outside in my garden

being by the sea (as much as possible - given that I don't actually live by the sea)

making time to spend with kindred spirits for meditation and healing (or just to chat and yes, I often chat to this lovely furry kindred)

self healing using Angelic Reiki (every day)

and, of course, art every day 

What does your self care look like?  

Do you take time out every day for yourself?  

I'd love to hear from you... please leave your comments below...

From my grateful heart to yours

Rachel xox

Tuesday
Jul302013

holiday 

We had a week away in Northumberland last week; chilling out, walking the beautiful white beaches 

splashing in the rock pools 

walking on Hadrian's Wall in the footsteps of the ancestors (I can't be certain of course, but it certainly felt like it)

 standing in awe at the mighty Kielder Reservoir

 But I still found time to get my art on, sketching in the dunes

and making mandalas in the sand 

I arrived home with some lovely reminders  

Hope you're having some holiday art fun - I would so love to hear from you about what you're up to...

From my heart to yours

Rachel xox