Out of the Office...

I have, over the last month, been pondering the idea
of balance, especially as it applies to my life in a day
to day capacity.

This is a concept that is an endless struggle for most
individuals, something that is difficult to achieve, and if
you are able to find it then something nearly impossible
to maintain.

Today's lives are the constant juggle between rushing
hither and yon, to and fro, desperately trying to complete
one more task before another urgent, must-have-done,
out of time priority steps up to demand your attention.

One of the ways I am striving to bring more balance to
my days is by spending Saturdays and Sundays, and after
5 p.m., out of the office, or i.e. my studio.
To remedy what might have turned out to be a
disastrous burn-out situation, I have been enjoying
these past weekends of May living life in other ways,
such as gardening, reading, spending time outdoors
soaking up the sun and breezes, along with re-igniting
my adoration for sketching/painting plein-air.

So, I thought I would share a few of my most recent nature
sketches, a current reading list, and some garden glimpses
from the moments of being, out of the office.






Current Reading List:

- Evidence by Mary Oliver

- Red Bird by Mary Oliver

- Diary Of A Rose Lover by Henri Delbard

- Gracious Living In A New World by Alexandra Stoddard

- Small Talk by Mary Lou Sanelli

- A Poet to His Beloved, The Early Love Poems of W.B. Yeats

- How to Grow Roses by McFarland-Pyle

Nature never did betray... The heart that loved her

My heart is full to the brim and overflowing with
gratitude this Memorial Day, as I am thankful for
receiving so many kind words and beautiful
messages from the dear readers of this blog.

And, oh... how I wish I could mail away bits of
inspiration to each and everyone of you. But never
fear, I will be hosting more giveaways throughout
the year.

However for now, this original hand painted Nature
treasure goes to lucky number #14...
Jessica Herman Goodson.

CONGRATULATIONS, Jessica!

Please contact me at TheRedDoorStudio@yahoo.com
with your mailing address.

A Bit of Inspiration Giveaway

I love mail!

Catalogs, letters, packages, publications,
and other what-nots, doesn't matter..., I simply adore
getting mail.

I also like sending mail, especially when I am shipping
bits of inspiration to friends across the miles. I always
imagine their faces as they carefully open their treasure
or treasures wrapped in brown packing paper and
beautiful tissue surrounded by ribbons.

This week, I mailed away a little hand painted original
to someone that continually inspires me with her art
and words. I can hardly wait until she receives it.

Although it won't entirely be a surprise to her that
the piece is coming, as we have discussed her
address, I also know she is not quite sure when
it will arrive.
And in that same spirit, I would also love to send
another little hand painted original artwork to one
blog reader, as a "Thank You" for visiting and following
along on my adventures through life and nature.

Just leave a comment to enter, and feel free to
comment more than once. For every message
received, that is the number of times your name
will be tossed into the hat. One reader will be
selected at random on May 25th, Memorial Day.

Many Thanks for always inspiring me with
your electronic mail!

A Beginning, An Ending

Nature is constantly reminding us of the never
ending circle of life, as Spring continues its
exodus and Summer starts taking center stage,
decorating the garden in deep, rich colored
blossoms complimented by a background of
lush greens.
But even amidst this parade of beginnings, and
newness...there are endings.

I could not help but cry when my husband
discovered a tiny bird lying dead in our yard.
Tears streamed down my face as I carefully
cradled this little creature in my hands.

We decided to bury him in the garden among
the roses.
"it was not the brilliant turquoise
of your skin that held my gaze,
but the still flickering faint light
shining amid such lipid pools of onyx,
whispering the truths of your soul"

Living My Dream

On my way to Kansas City last
week, I came up behind a rather
large camper lumbering down
the road.

I wish, I had had my camera
handy, so that I could have
taken a picture of the painted
logo that decorated the back
of this vehicle. The words
written across the spare tire
cover said "Living Our Dream".

This poignant message
made me smile, and I
immediately started
wondering just how many
people in this world can say
they are living their dream.

I spent a long weekend in
Hampton, Virginia teaching
at the Art and Soul Retreat.

Seeing happy student faces,
and the INCREDIBLE art they
made are the perfect reminders
to me, that I too am...
"living my dream".

Check out all the other
wonderful works of art
created... here.

Energize and Renew!

With the recent warm sunny days here on the Plains,
my thoughts drift toward the upcoming Summer
months and the journey I will be making to New
Hampshire in the early part of June. I am so excited
to be teaching at the first ever...
Squam Art Workshops - Fiber Retreat.

I am offering a BRAND NEW! workshop designed
especially for Squam, that I am completely over
the moon about!

The Painted Fiber Prayer Flag Banner is a one day
class that is available during all three sessions of the
retreat. In this class, we will create our own expressions
of peace and hope by drawing upon the extraordinary
natural setting that surrounds us on Squam Lake.

I will be sharing some very unique techniques for painting
on fabric with acrylics, which is quite similar to painting
with watercolors on paper. I especially love working in the
acrylic medium because it is easy to correct mistakes. Also
because fabric is such a versatile canvas, painted subjects
can be easily removed from their original background and
attached to other surfaces.

Sometimes, students are concerned that they will not be
able to render nature subjects with the same amount of
detail as my samples, so I thought I share some examples
from a past nature painting workshop. Take a peek here
and here. These pieces are truly BREATHTAKING!!!!
and over 80% of the class had never tried painting any
sort of nature subject before this.

In addition to painting, we will be exploring dyeing and
distressing fabrics to create backgrounds that resemble
patina metals like rust and weathered vertigris copper,
as well as weaving both paper and fiber together into a
cohesive artwork and discussing design principles to use
for collage art compositions.

And as an added bonus for participating in my
workshop, students will receive - a voucher
to purchase my new book: Nature Inspired at
1/2 price, a Squam Only Limited Edition Print,
shown in the picture above, and a Package of
my Rust and Verdigris Copper Patina Fabrics!

Sign-up today to join me for one, two, or even all
three days of creating your own inspiring prayer
banner art!

IT IS DEFINITELY A DON'T MISS EVENT!