Sunday Swoon

Well, it is acutally Monday here but it is still Sunday somewhere so I have just made it into the Sunday Swoon post on Effy's Blog. Each week Effy posts something in her creative world that made her swoon and encourages others to do the same and link to each other so we can share in all that lovely swoonworthyiness (yes, that word is in 'my' dictionary)

My Swoon-worthy moment this past week came from an art class that I taught on Saturday. Here is the original painting

I had a wonderful group of ladies in my class who were all willing to put aside any pre-conceived ideas of where they thought this class was headed and just let go and go with the flow of the journey. Some were seasoned painters, some had been in my art journaling classes for a while but had not tried this style of painting. All were eager to paint and create, and in the end, that is all that matters. A lot of the time we can tie ourselves in knots with the expectations we place on ourselves instead of just surrendering to the process, being open to all and any eventualities.

 I was introduced to this style of painting when I went to a wonderful weekend workshop with Tracy Verdugo over a year ago and she taught me to give in to what my soul wanted to create and step out of my overactive mind controlling the situation. Together with my art journaling, of which Effy is a huge inspiration, it is the most enjoyable way I paint nowadays.

The paints we were using in this class are the new Atelier Free Flow paints. I love them because of their vibrancy, even when dripping and spraying, their consistency and the way they flow. They are my paint of choice and if you want to know more about them or where to get them you can visit the Chroma Australia website here.

Now to why this class this week was so swoon-worthy to me.

Well, quite simply, it was the perfect way to spend the day. I could have sat there long into the night painting and talking.

I love teaching, I love sharing what I have learned, I love the friendships I have made through teaching, I love the friendships that are strengthened through art classes and I love being in a group of like-minded souls creating our little butts off. Hopefully, while doing this, I can inspire others along the way. To see the smile of achievement on someone's face after you have taught them something is one of my greatest sources of joy and I got to see that on Saturday. 

Hope you found something to swoon about in your week

Namaste

Lee

Life is a Precious thing....

Life is Precious

Life is Beautiful

Life is to be Treasured

Life is Short.....

This weeks post is all about life, how you respect it, how you take time to appreciate the little things, how you spend your precious time living the life that you imagined.

My Book Of Days spread is from a couple of weeks ago and had that theme running all the way through it. There ended up being reminders of it every day, a common theme of appreciating life and living it to the fullest and remembering those who are no longer physically with us.

It is a simple spread. The prompt was to paint in journaling blocks for the week ahead, making it super easy to just fill it in as you go. I loved it!

The background is all made up of leftover paint on my palette from another earlier spread and a painting that I had started. Not ever one to waste things, I used it on this spread. All the marks I made were using found objects around my studio like corrugated cardboard and bubble wrap and various pens and paintbrushes. the journaling blocks were first blocked in in Titanium White and then the colour lightly painted over it, mixing in a bit of white and leaving it shabby, doodled around the outside of each block and then filled in each day with a white Signo. Easy peasy.

 On another note, during that week, I flew up to Sydney to teach two classes with these wonderful ladies. On the Saturday I taught my Blue Lotus

and then on the Sunday I taught 2 art journal classes on a canvas board.

I was also able to catch up with one of my dearest friends' on the Saturday night, so it was a really quick but meaningful visit all round. 

This weekend once again reminded me how lucky I am to be able to teach and share what I am most passionate about. It reminded me that when we all share that common passion, great things can be achieved, friendships forged and strengthened and our lives are so enriched by the experience. It reminded me the value of true friendship, the precious time we have with them and how we must vow to make each day precious.