I am tired of women not standing up for each other… or for themselves. That is why I only surround myself with strong women. And it is easy to spot them because strong women support each other vs tear each other down. Thankful for all the strong women in my life. 

I love this quote. Good reminder to not let things happening around me get inside me and weigh me down. 

Most of the painting is watercolor. Decided to use collage on her hair to have more texture and fun. I love it. And everything is more fun with bubbles! 

Last week, I was at Squam Art retreat in New Hampshire. My 5th year. This art retreat means a lot to me. It changed my life. It got me through one of my most difficult times in my life and made me realize that I am so much more than my professional title, what I own ( or not own), where I come from, etc. 

The 4 days at Squam is a time of quiet contemplation, a time of creative exploration, a time of connecting with old friends and making new ones and a time to connect with yourself.

The first year I went to Squam, I went alone and knew no one. Being an introvert, I was surprised I had the courage to do that. I probably did not think too much about it. I just took the plunge. The beauty of squam is that most people there are creatives and are introverts. It is super easy to talk to anyone because of our shared interests and it is equally acceptable if you choose to have a quiet moment. It is also perfectly normal to be knitting or making something with your hands while you are sitting around with people. I love that. Nobody would think you are weird or feels the need to ask you why do you need to be doing something at all times…

I have truly found my tribe at Squam. Some of the friendships I have formed here have blossomed outside of squam and I am thankful for these beautiful beings. 

This year, I was able to take Colleen Attara’s stories and treasures class. I have long admired Colleen’s work and was super excited to take her class. She is such a beautiful, authentic and generous human being. She gave all of us so much.. from materials to advice to inspiration. You can’t help falling in love with her. She encouraged us to tell our stories. To be authentic. Check out her website to find out more. Her cards are amazing… https://www.colleenattara.com/ this is an altered book I made in her class. I look forward to filling it with my stories and thoughts…

The other class I took was Layers of Landscape by Karin Olah. This is about using fabric to add dimension to your painting. Karin’s work is amazing. She makes me want to learn how to paint landscapes. Check out her work here https://www.karinolah.com/

While I wished I could paint landscapes, I knew my heart just wasn’t in it. So I listened to my heart and decided to paint what I love most instead. A face. This is what I painted and I love her. I think she was inspired by all the beautiful creative goddesses I have met at Squam. The fabric really added something interesting to the painting. I approached it like mixed media, using fabric as another media. I love this new technique and will be using it more. 

Thank you Squam. Thank you Squammies. For filling my cup. My cup runneth over with Joy, gratitude and inspiration. Till the next time we meet…

Here are some other pics to share.

Here is me on top of rattlesnake mountain. One of the most gorgeous views I have ever seen..

Here is a view of the dock outside our cabin. Every cabin has a dock. This is where we hang out, swim, dip our feet in the lake, look out for loons, knit, draw, drink wine, etc. 



Lastly, to bring a little piece of squam back with me…

Till the next time… 

This past 2 weeks have been hellish with my first poison ivy encounter. I had to see the doctor 3 times, going from low dosage of steroids to a full injection of steroids. And during this time, I realized just how difficult it is to do any art or anything really, while my body is itching. Especially drawing or painting faces. My brain just can’t hold any other thought besides “I want to scratch so bad!!!”. 

Thankfully mixed media was the exception. I could randomly throw down colors, collage pics and do random doodles on the page. Here are some progress pics of a homemade watercolor journal cover I made with mixed media. 

First find and glue images on my page. No rhyme or reason why I picked them. Just like how they look together. Then gesso over to prime the page.

 Time to add some colors using acrylic paint and distress ink pad. I also love to add gesso to tie the page together. 

Gesso using a brayed. My favorite technique to pull the page together.

Then added stamps with words, doodle..

And viola. Done. Maybe I will keep doodling on it…

Decided to be weird tonight. She has eggs in a nest, a heart and a little birdie on her head. She’s weird. She does not fit in. Who cares? We spend all our lives trying to fit in AND trying to stand out. How exhausting is that. Freedom comes when you can just be you. All of you.

Watercolor for the girl, magazine cut out strips as collage for the nest and her collar, gesso, acrylic paint, stencil with molding paste on the background. A marker for outline and last but not least, glitter glue on her hair❤️💕💕

I have never painted a self portrait. There is something vulnerable and scary about painting your image. I don’t know why… maybe it’s the intense scrutiny of your features when you are painting it? Maybe it’s the acceptance of your image? There’s probably a lot more to this which I don’t understand.

Today I decided to break that boundary. I printed a photo of me on computer paper, then transferred the image onto my altered journal book. Also added scrap paper, Dollie, other images on the page. I get very excited at this stage as it is the beginning of mixed media fun!!

I added gesso over the transferred image and then painted over it. It was the hardest face I’ve ever painted. I have to stop myself from “beautifying” my face and stay true to my face. Owning it. Accepting it.

On the other page, I painted over the transferred image of roses and transformed it into something else.

Added molding paste with stencils and doodles. And finally I added a long quote from e.h. A great reminder on how we are not defined by all the things we are not. Some excerpts that I love. “You are not your age, nor the size of the clothes you wear…” “you are all the books you read and all the words you speak”….  yes, I am all that and more. I am glad I painted my first self portrait.

Here are some close ups

I am a perfectionist trying to embrace imperfection. Blind contouring is the perfect exercise for me. It forces me to let go of perfection. My blind contouring drawing always end up looking wonky. In this case, she was drawn by looking at an amazing sculpture “Chloe” by Jalime Plensa. 

I really enjoyed playing with watercolor and collage here. So, just be yourself. The flawed, quirky and magical you❤️❤️❤️

Life is too short to live dully. Find what makes your spirit sparkle. Then do more and more of it. This is how I feel when I draw and paint… my spirit sparkling..

Watercolor painting. 

I believe different people bring out different qualities in you. Some bring out the angel, some bring out the beast. When someone is unkind to me, my defensive mechanism shoots up immediately and I fight back.., often being unkind too. I hate it when it happens. I don’t want to stoop to their level. I don’t want to be like them. This quote reminds me to be kind. And more importantly, not to be their reflection.

Watercolor painting. This time with an Asian girl in mind. Going to my roots😉 

Learned a new technique today call blind contouring. This is when you look at an object, draw it without looking at your paper or lift up your pen. It was an interesting experience. In the beginnings, it was stressful not being able to check and correct what I drew. But soon I just let go and have fun. 

The picture did not look like the girl I was looking at. All her features were wonky. Interestingly, after I added paint to the picture, painting and adding colors that I like with no clear objective in mind…, she began to appear.. in an abstract manner. 

Then I added some doodles to it. 

And finally scribbled a long quote about letting go, over the picture. It was hard to write over it as I loved the picture I painted. But I wanted to practice letting go. So I did. 

And I like the end result. A good reminder to relax and let go, go with the flow…