shine on

9" x 12" mixed media painting on watercolor paper
© manon doyle

this thing they call our time
heard a brilliant woman say
she said you know it´s crazy
how I want to try to capture mine
I think I love this woman´s way
I think I love this woman

the way she shimmers
the way she shines
the way she radiates
the way she lives
the way she loves
the way she never hates
~excerpt from Shimmer by Shawn Mullins


© manon doyle

This month has been Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I'm a little late in the month but I wanted to make sure and post a little something for those who have have been touched by this disease. I want to honor those who show courage through pain and adversity and let their spirits shine through. I am continually inspired by those who I have lost to cancer, those who have battled and survived and those who continue to fight.

To all my sisterfriends.... don't forget to check your girls each month. We have all heard it before but early detection is so important!!

fill your heart with art

-manon

renewed passion

12" x 16" sketch on cradled Gessobord
© manon doyle


9" x 12" sketch on watercolor paper
© manon doyle

Lately I have a renewed passion for sketching. I used to love to draw in high school but over the years I ended up doing basic sketches and focused on painting instead. There's a beautiful voice inside my head that has awakened my desire to sketch again. I am so very grateful. My problem now is that as soon as they're complete I want to throw paint all over them and that means losing a lot of the work I've done. I'm looking for a happy medium....lol. Light layers of paint might be the answer....omg....not sure if I'm capable of that....lol. I will try and figure it out. : )

fill your heart with art

-manon

i believe in my destiny

9" x 12" mixed media on watercolor paper
© manon doyle

"There are winds of destiny that blow when we least expect them. Sometimes they gust with the fury of a hurricane, sometimes they barely fan one’s cheek. But the winds cannot be denied, bringing as they often do a future that is impossible to ignore."
~ nicholas sparks

fill your heart with art

-manon

you move me

9" x 12" mixed media on watercolor paper
© manon doyle

As I stand here searching for the right words
I know that wisdom comes from despair
And I realize it's harder to find your own voice
Than to follow one already in the air

And as our time draws nearer
I wonder just when we stopped being young
And I know my greatest deeds will go unnoticed
And our treasures were here all along

Child of the earth hear my confession
Please don't tell me that it's overdue
And from the four corners of the universe
I will make my way to you
~excerpt from *Child of the Earth* by Gov't Mule

One thing I love about art and music is that all of it can be left to the viewer or listener to interpret. You bring your own life experience to each piece. When someone sees my paintings they might think I cry a lot....lol.....that may or may not be true but what should be important to the viewer is how it makes them feel.

The lyrics in this song speak to me. When I hear them I feel a little sadness but mostly I feel hope. I feel hope for today and the future. I love it when a song moves me and fills me with emotion like this.

fill your heart with art

-manon

earth teach me

I felt somewhat out of sorts today. To be honest, I've felt this way for a bit. I decided to get in my car and drive with no real destination in mind. I ended up on this parkway and turned into one of the lookouts. I found this. Somehow just the site of these rocks gave me peace. I sat and lingered for awhile and watched as many people came and took pictures. Maybe they were looking for their own answers.






I read recently that getting grounded with the earth means to allow our spirit to connect and be nurtured by Mother Earth.








Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain.

~An Ute Prayer

fill your heart with art

-manon

sorry.... I forgot

9" x 12" mixed media painting on watercolor paper
© manon doyle

A bend in the road is not the end of the road… unless you fail to make the turn. ~ author unknown

My girl is surprised but what I think she is really saying is....*sorry..I forgot*! Could be *sorry I forgot...your birthday, our dinner date, to call you, your sweater, to kiss you goodbye, to bring the wine*....lol.... you get the picture. Fill in your own blank!! : ))


9" x 12' sketch
© manon doyle

Still sketching for future paintings.

fill your heart with art

-manon

merrily I roll along

9" x 12" sketch that will soon be painted : )
© manon doyle

There hasn't been much painting since my last blog.....but my paints are staring at me today and the seem to be saying...*open us up, Manon...... come on girl*! LOL Ok.... probably wasn't that funny but I am rolling on with these sketches and now I've got three ready to go.
I'm pretty messy at this sketching stuff. I've got graphite all over me and I keep smudging everything in site. I have my workable fixative but I only use it at the end before I paint. I'm thinking that I should spray my arms and hands with the stuff...lol.



K.... so last year Blick's was giving these little Golden paints out to try. I haven't given them a whirl yet but I'm going to. The Golden Open Acrylics apparently act like oil paints and stay wet for quite a bit of time. You can blend them with regular acrylics and when the paint is still tacky they say you can add a little water or medium to make them workable again. Gonna try them out!!

fill your heart with art

-manon