Dreams don't work unless you do

Moleskine journal entry

" Dreams don't work unless you do "

this is so true.....

so I am working, working hard

before I can show it all to you 

xx

♥

wood

part of a spread in one of my journals

I just wanted to share with you that I love wood, I love trees, old trees I can hear them talk... I also love wood to work on, I collect driftwood and fallen branches and pieces of reclaimed wood. Every now and then of course I will have to buy "new" wood. Like this Monday I went to check out a nice big macrocarpa slab for a sign I am commissioned to make....stay posted I will share ! For now I am sharing a couple of new Angels I finished ♥ Have a great week ♥

"Friend" 50 x 10 cm

SOLD 
thank you

♥

"Goodnight Moon" 45 x 9 cm

available

  message me ;)

The declaration of you

This blog post is in support of a new book by Michelle Ward and Jessica Swift called The Declaration of You. The Declaration of You will be published by North Light Craft Books this summer, with readers getting all the permission they’ve craved to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique and uncover what they are meant to do! This post is part of The Declaration of You’s BlogLovin’ Tour, which I’m thrilled to participate in alongside over 100 other creative bloggers. Learn more — and join us! – by clicking here.

 *

in·ten·tion  -n.  

A course of action that one intends to follow.

-versus -

goal -n. 

 The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed, an objective.

Although these are synonyms according to the official dictionaries, I like to talk a little about difference {for me} between these two words.

 

" Winter Solstice - Matariki " - 12 x 12 inch canvas

To me intentions are more spiritual than goals.

Goals I set to achieve tangible things, to get to a certain point, to finish a task within a certain time-span, things like that. Intentions are more the thoughts that are created in my mind: things I wish to do, I plan to do. These thoughts mainly have to do with actions towards others. People I like to help in some way or who like to surprise or inspire. I get these intentional thoughts on a daily basis while I am working in my studio. I don’t decide what they are going to be, they just come to me. I line them up in my head and try to make sure I act on them when the time is there. And this is the bit that makes it all a little uneasy for me. See, I do not plan these intentions to present themselves to me in my thoughts and I have very limited time outside of work, family and well…more work. So, getting to honour my intentions sometimes gets a little hard. My head gets very full and sometimes it overwhelms me. But new intentional thoughts keep coming, every day again and again. I think it must mean that I have a bigger heart than I initially thought was possible. Maybe it all started after the earthquakes I lived through. It definitely changed my outlook on life and made compassion and just being nice and good towards oneself and others more important. I do not plan for my future, I do dream a lot. This is another word play for me. Planning is more like setting goals {business} and dreams are more like intentions {spiritual}

My intention for this post was to share with you a little painting I made for the Winter Solstice -since I am posting on the 21^st , the shortest day here in the Southern Hemisphere. And to inspire you with a little extra information about Matariki (the Maori New Year) which coincides with the Solstice. You can find a little more about this here http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/matariki-maori-new-year/page-1

My goal was to get this post up in time and I am glad I managed that , because my goals don’t always get met. I seem to act more on my intentions.

I hope you have enjoyed my little comparison.

Happy Winter Solstice ! 

 *

{or Summer Solstice for you on the Northern Hemisphere of course}

☼

Raging Redbows and Rainstrings

" Well have you ever seen a rainstring before

so colourful it made you want to skip ?

Or tied a redbow on your door

and pretended to be fishing off a big ship ?

then come journey with us into that deep blue sea

where the raging monsters live wild and free

Red strings will keep you safe, draw you up to the sky

where rainbows full of colours soar and fly "

{by Joyce van der Lely and Karen Wright}

  

I haven't been on my blog for a while, just busy, busy with work, not much art time for myself. Busy in a fun way though, don't get me wrong. One large chunk of my time goes into the planned exhibit for my kids art classes arts in July :)

I am organizing this together with Jenny Grant, fellow artist and friend who also teaches kids at her daughter's primary school this term. Stay posted I will keep you updated, or follow the progress on Facebook

A Huia and a double twist pendant

I finished a very special commissioned mermaid on driftwood today.

She is a Gypsy Mermaid and carries in her hand a Huia, an extinct New Zealand native bird {click here for more info if you like to know more} 

 I was asked to make her as a gift and I just received a phonecall that she was very well received, this warms my heart.

And I also finally finished this portrait this week, had to touch her up when I re-stretched the canvas and suddenly felt she needed something around her neck or so.....she now wears a necklace with a traditional Maori carving pendant. It's a double/triple twist which symbolizes "Infinite" {click here for more info on these carvings and there meanings} 

And I helped out at the Midnight Circus again this morning, art activities with the kids. I made stencils of circus Monkeys and Elephants and had a ball making loads and loads of cool pictures with the kids.

It's been hard work lately, but hard work is okay when you like it :)

  

Reflection

"Reflection" 

is my latest 20 minute painting on a 10 inch square stretched canvas.

I am at an impasse a little, need time to reflect, need time to think, rethink, decide, prioritize. This is 20 minutes where I tried to immerse myself into just painting, no voices around me, no distractions, no pushing and pulling, just the canvas, the paints and my brushes. The 20 minutes were over too fast, the buzzer scared me a little, made me jump when I had to stop, so this is it, this is what it will stay, I won't tinker anymore.  But I need to find a balance between the art I do to make a buck, to pay the bills, to keep my family going versus the art I want to make from deep within. I crave artistic growth and experiments, I don't seem to have much time for those right at this moment. The 20 minute challenges offer a way to play and let loose and grow a little for me, so they are precious at the moment. I also need to find time to get my physical self in better shape. Making art hardly gives your body a work-out, but time constraints prevent me from choosing time for those exercizes.

I might not blog as much as I used to before, but I am always still around. My Facebook Page will be the place where I will always post, so if you want to stay updated, come and like my page there.

I alsostarted putting my available art on Wordpress (HERE), just because they have a lay-out I really like and I cannot seem to find here at blogger.

So that's all for now folks :)

Thank you always for following and reading my stories