goodbye glass

-mixed media journal page

I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers. ~Claude Monet

The only thing I'll say about this journal page is that I'll never again try to paint a face this small again. It frustrated me because it's the size of a quarter...lol! I am NOT a miniature face painter.....yikes!



Yesterday, I stepped into the area where all my glass is. I've been a mosaic artist for 12 years and now I'm thinking of getting rid of all of it except for the smalti which I may use in a painting. After the four month project I did for Ohio State, I'm completely burnt out. I crashed and burned......yup. Even though I've done many interesting projects and could tile anyone of your kitchens......I believe I'm hanging up the glass cutter and ditching the grout!! Funny, I bet now that I'm doing this I'll get some kind of big request for a project...lol! For now..... you can kiss my *GLASS*.... goodbye! : )



fill your heart with art

-manon

faith

9" x 12" mixed media on watercolor paper

Sunbeams out of the clouds
Faith out of all my doubt.
~Emme Woodhull-Bäche, "Prayer"

I have this optimistic outlook on life...... I have faith in everything. I always think that things will turn out as they should so I usually don't sweat the little things. Obviously, I know that there are bad things that happen but I always try to look for the positive in any given situation. Call me a dreamer or maybe just delusional...lol! I am both these things. I'm starting to get these smile lines on my face from smiling and laughing too much.....omg....... well ... I guess it's better than frowning right?

fill your heart with art and a whole bunch of faith

-manon

peaceful sunday

9" x 12" mixed media on watercolor paper

Love the moment and the energy of that moment will spread
beyond all boundaries into blissful, peaceful happiness.
-author unknown

Many of you do *Wordless Wednesday* and *Soundless Saturday* posts. Today..... I'm doing the *i have nothing to say Sunday*!!! I know..... it's pretty shocking that I'm at a loss for words but I am! lol!

I hope your Sunday is a peaceful one

fill your heart with art

-manon

it's *ok* to paint a crappy painting

9" x 12" mixed media painting

“One never knows what one is going to do. One starts a painting and then it becomes something quite different.”
-Pablo Picasso

I wasn't going to post this painting. I don't like it...... plain and simple. I think I painted the tooth fairy with the hand like a basketball player......lol! I'm really not hard on myself it just happens to be the way that I feel. I've decided to post the awful ones even if I don't like them because they're part of my journey. As an artist, I realize that much of what I paint is crap and that's ok with me. It makes me want to do better the next time. I get the push I need from producing the not so good ones.



These are four paintings I did 11 years ago,(btw..... I have a thing for missions). Anyway... they're 42" x 42" on cradled Ampersand boards. I've been eyeing them lately. I want so badly to repaint them.....lol! Here we go again...lol! The only thing stopping me is a big ladder...lol! When I look at them I can see how far I've come and that's a great feeling. It doesn't mean, however, that I can't start them again!!

fill your heart with art

-manon

"my skin* is crawling

16" x 24" mixed media painting on cradled board

Contempt loves the silence
It thrives in the dark
With fine winding tendrils
That strangle the heart

They say that promises
Sweeten the blow
But I don't need them
No, I don't need them

I'm a slow dying flower
Frost killing hour
The sweet turning sour
And untouchable

O, I need
The darkness
The sweetness
The sadness
The weakness
I need this

I need
A lullaby
A kiss goodnight
Angel sweet
Love of my life
O, I need this
-natalie merchant (excerpt from "My Skin"). I know i've said this a million times but listen to this if you have a chance. This song and her voice have haunted me for years.

This painting? Yikes! You may recognize parts of her..... lol! I have these paintings that sit in my studio and after so long they start eating at me..... so..... I repaint them....lol! I thought the original was rather boring .... and now? I've created a mess! All I know is that the song inspired it. This is how Saturday and part of Sunday went and what I realized.....

1. I cried over my painting.... three times....lol.
2. I will never be accepted into the Edward Burton painting group because I will blubber over every piece.
3. I will never.. ever, ever be a landscape painter.
4. I changed the landscape part 5 times and this is what I end up with..... ugh...lol.
5. Bob Dylan and Jackson Browne don't care about making me happy while I paint!
6. My new favorite color is dioxazine purple..... can you tell?
7. Those tendrils in that song are strangling my heart!
8. I will have to give this window thing another go in the future and I do mean future!
9. New camera and lights and still getting hotspots under the big heart. (it looks much better in person)
10. On a brighter note... this song is amazing!!

fill your heart with art

-manon

how to survive winter

This post is dedicated to my friend, Ces, and my friend, Renee. Ces lives in Texas and wears a heavy winter coat in 45 degrees. Renee is Canadian, like me, and probably has her flip flops on in minus degree weather!! lol

1. Always wear warm boots that are super cute!



2. You should be styling and profiling with your best winter outerwear!



3. Chop some wood for your fireplace! OK... maybe I didn't chop it but I brought it in!



4. Warm those feet by the fire!



5. Paint some hearts in the snow!



6. Sit under your studios lights to get some rays!



7. Eat lots of your favorite comfort food!



8. If it all fails..... get yourself to somewhere warm where you can *chill* and dream about all your blogger friends that live in the frozen tundra!



fill your heart with art

-manon

head in the stars

7" x 10" mixed media journal page

For my part I know nothing with any certainty but the sight of the stars makes me dream.
-Vincent van Gogh

I think this might be my favorite painting so far for a couple of reasons. I stood when I painted this and basically flung paint around.... I let loose. It's a wonderful way to paint. Secondly..... anyone who knows me knows that I basically live this way....lol! My head can usually be found in the stars, the clouds or in a dream......lol! I know that it's not very practical but I can't change it at this point... I wouldn't want to....lol.



I saw this piece the other day in AZ! I love it!! It reminds me of myself some days when I sit around thinking with my *head in the stars*!!

fill you heart with art

-manon

set yourself free

What I resist, persists, and speaks louder than I know
What I resist, you love, no matter how low or high I go

You see everything, you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed
There's not anything to which you can't relate
And you're still here
-alanis morissette, "Everything"

Lately I've been thinking about aging....lol! Yup.... I hear many people complaining about it. Honestly, I had a hard time turning forty but I snapped out of it after a few months....hahaha! Seriously though..... who would want to relive their twenties? Not me! I find that the older I get the more I know who I am and what I want. It's been a journey getting here.... an interesting one. I've spent too many years doing what others expected of me and not what I felt in my soul. Getting older has taught me to look inside and set myself free. I'm far from perfect and that feels awesome... lol! It took me a long time to be able to say that. Aging is a gift.... ya .... I look older and maybe even feel older but the pros far exceed the cons in my opinion. This quirky chick can now wear her boots with a skirt and not care what anyone thinks because .... I just can!



fill your heart with art

-manon

reconnect

7" x 10" mixed media journal page

I said I wanna touch the earth
I wanna break it in my hands
I wanna grow something wild and unruly

I wanna sleep on the hard ground
In the comfort of your arms
On a pillow of blue bonnets
And a blanket made of stars

Oh it sounds good to me
Yes it sounds so good to me

Cowboy take me away
Fly this girl as high as you can
Into the wild blue
Set me free oh I pray
Closer to Heaven above
And closer to you
Closer to you
Cowboy Take Me Away by the Dixie Chicks

This year .... reconnect with the earth, your love, your soul and your spirit. Reconnect with yourself.

I know, I know.... I didn't forget the face. I was trying to convey a feeling through her body instead. I'm not sure how it comes across but it felt right as I painted her.



I spent part of the holiday season painting ....... drum roll please....lol....... more hearts. I have to try and get this out of my system but the truth is that I honestly love to paint them.

fill your heart with hearts

-manon