my lack of brushstrokes

7" x 10" mixed media journal page
©manon doyle

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.
~ judy garland


©manon doyle


©manon doyle

Lately I've read in some art magazines to pay attention to your brushstrokes......seriously?...lol.....OMG!! Brushstrokes? How bout finger strokes? lol. The reason I will never be a fine artist is because quite honestly I have no flippin' idea what a good brushstroke is or how to do one. Where do I find one? I don't think what I do has any kind of technical merit.....lol. I smoosh, smear, wipe and so on. When I do use my brushes I'm not very careful with the application or even their care.....yikes. I guess those articles weren't written for me....but....I do enjoy reading them...lol.

fill your heart with art

~manon

i miss my Moleskin

mixed media in Moleskin
©manon doyle

I was going through my old Moleskin journals earlier. I miss working in them. I switched to a 7" x 10" watercolor journal a couple of years ago because I was putting so much stuff in my Moleskins that they were starting to fall apart.....yikes. Every time I open them up now they make a crunching sound...lol. It might be due to all the gesso....or maybe the soft gel medium or the acrylics paints....lol. I should of stuck to just drawing in them.....lol. I do adore them though!!


mixed media in Moleskin
©manon doyle

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.”
~ rabindranath tagore


mixed media in Moleskin
©manon doyle

Yup....there I am...lol. The little dreamer. My head seems to be always stuck in the clouds....lol.


Moleskin journals
©manon doyle

fill your heart with art

~manon

painting hearts

9" x 12" mixed media painting on 300 lb watercolor paper
©manon doyle

I hope with all my heart there will be painting in heaven.
~ jean-baptiste corot

I love that quote and I honestly hope for the same thing. Ok.... I'm also hoping that there is a heaven and I'm eligible.....lol. I think that some of you are laughing at that statement....lol.... I'm trying my best though....lol.


6" x 6" mixed media painting on board
©manon doyle

I'm in the heart painting mode so I'm going with that for awhile. We are close to Valentine's day after all. : ))



Man...it's super cold up here. It hurts to breathe in this weather...yikes. I put my feet up earlier and was dreaming of warmer days.

fill your heart with art and hearts

~manon

my dream

I spoke of revealing my intentions for this year so ....here I go. I'll try and make it as short as I can....lol. I was inspired by my daughter, Alex, when years ago she started giving her Spring break up to go to Mexico and New Orleans to build houses for those in need. She also gave up many Thursday nights to help feed the hungry. She will be going to Mexico again this year on another mission trip. Anyway....this made me feel that I wasn't doing my part. I also wanted to give back.


set of three cards donated to the James Cancer Hospital
©manon doyle

I decided to start a small company to sell my artwork and have a good part of my intake go back to a worthy cause. I kicked it off this past fall with 500 packages of three cards donation to the *Up on the Roof* gala event for the James Cancer Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Cancer is a cause that is dear to my heart so it felt good to start with that and it was warmly received.

This is my logo above that I'm very proud of. Sisters of the Sun™ means a lot to me. The *sisters* part started out because I was painting so many women and I felt a kinship with sisterhood but it has become so much more. I want to paint works that convey hope, faith and belief. The sun to me represents happiness, light, energy, life and spirituality. The rising sun is a symbol of hope. The heart...lol....well...I think you probably have seen so many of these in my paintings that you all get this but in my sun it means warmth, love, compassion and a spirit of giving.

I will be starting an Etsy shop soon to make available a limited selection of cards, prints and maybe some originals but my bigger goal is to work with a cause that fills my heart with joy.

fill your heart with art

~manon

I am me

11" x 15" mixed media on 300 lb watercolor paper
©manon doyle

You are part of me now
You touched me,
With your kindness and love
So enchanted.
Your soft lips are kind.
Your eyes glow with life.
I'm glad you touched me,
You're part of me now.

~Lloyd Carl Owle (Cherokee)

Just so ya'll know....I'm not done with that painting. I have to put her away for awhile because I've been having a hard time painting her....grrrr... : ))) I posted her to show that I have been doing something and that something is driving me crazy!!


me

I am not what I think I am, and I am not what you think I am, I am... what I think you think I am."
~Sigmund Freud

I made a brief comment on my Facebook the other day. My parents and I were out to dinner and they told me I was a different breed...lol. Apparently I am very artistic minded and have an optimistic outlook on life. Really?....lol. My dad says I seem to live one day at a time and I don't look towards the future very often. He said it drove him crazy....lol. Well.... what can I say to that? He's so right.....lol. I'm not always happy about circumstances around me but I'm a happy person. I also live today as often as I can. Sure I have dreams and try to plan some things for the future but life just comes at you sometimes so I'm easily adaptable. Am I a different breed? For sure. We are all different and that is a beautiful thing.

fill your heart with art

~manon

guide me

7" x 10" mixed media journal page
©manon doyle

“Let your heart guide you. It whispers softly, so listen closely."

OMG.... I need some guidance from anyone on the current painting I'm working on.....lol. I'm not so sure what's going on but I am encountering frustration at every turn. After about an hour on her today I threw my hands in the air and decided to do a quick journal page. This is the page above. She was more than happy to pop up and show me some love today. : )


©manon doyle

I thought I'd post my favorite paper to work on. I buy Arches Bright White Watercolor Paper, 300 lb. Rough, 22" x 30". Omg....I love the weight of this stuff and the deckled edges make my eyes light up. It is not cheap though. $18 for one 22" x 30" inch sheet.....yikes!! I cut this one down to 9" x 12" sheets and was left with small 5" x 5" pieces to give as little gifts. Actually....I don't cut.....I use a ruler to make a very strong crease and then tear the paper away from itself. It leaves me with the beautiful edges. The thing I like about this paper is how strong and hearty it is. Can you tell how much I really love it? lol

fill your heart with art and awesome art supplies.....u deserve it!!

~manon

the eyes have it

9" x 12" mixed media painting
©manon doyle

Love is when you look into someone's eyes and suddenly you go
all the way inside their soul and you both know it. ~ author unknown.


©manon doyle

It seems that I like to paint eyes even though they can frustrate me. I have been known to start them over countless times until I get to something I like. I have to remember....lol.... that my goal is not to get accurate looking eyes....it is to try to convey a mood or a feeling.

I do believe in the old saying that *eyes are the windows to the soul*...omg...I believe that. You can read so much in the eyes. I've seen anger, sadness, happiness, surprise, tenderness but what I love to see most is the look of love. You just can't beat that!! : )

Next post I will blog a painting that has been giving me big time fits!! Yup....it has been doing a J O B on me but I promise to show her who's boss...lol.

fill your heart with art

~manon

faith in my heart

11" x 14" mixed media on watercolor paper
©manon doyle

When the road gets dark
And you can no longer see
Just let my love throw a spark
And have a little faith in me
And when the tears you cry
Are all you can believe
Just give these loving arms a try
And have a little faith in me

~have a little faith in me by John Hiatt. Check out his video.

Wow! I can't believe it's 2011. I'm ready to get it underway. I was thinking the other day that I was happy to leave 2010 behind me but then I had a change of heart. I've had many downs this past year and that was unusual for my little perky self...lol. Don't get me wrong because I also had many happy moments but 2010 was a roller coaster ride for sure. Anyway....I changed my mind about this past year when I realized that it was part of my journey.... the journey of my life. I know that I have faith in my heart, hope for my today and my future so I'm going to let it ride and try and enjoy myself.


©manon doyle


©manon doyle

I'm showing these two paintings because of the transformation. I know that a few of you have seen this on my Facebook page but I thought I'd share it again. It all started in my large watercolor sketchbook. I was fooling around and painted the above piece. Two days later I was not happy with her so I broke out the gesso and reinvented her.....lol..... she makes me happy now.

I will be posting soon about my intentions for this coming year. It's time. I have plans......lol....but I'm flexible because ya'll know about the best laid plans. : ). I am back to blogging and visiting your blogs which I have missed.

fill your heart with art

~manon