V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #35: Balance

February 11, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

I don’t think I’ve possessed good physical balance since that time I went down in tennis and cracked my kneecap, despite physiotherapy’s best efforts. Now that chronic illness has been added to the mix, I’ve learned to live without that certainty. I’m wobbly; what can I say? Balance in other areas of my life, however; […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #34: reaching

February 4, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

“…she singled out a cedar, wide at the base, narrowing as it grew. If there was any kind of portrait worth doing, it would be the portrait of a tree. But a portrait had to convey character. The channels in this cedar’s raw umber all stretched upward, reaching toward light. It was more than a […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #33: Upside-Down

January 28, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

Strong-minded, I am not easily swayed. In fact, I like to say that life has to hit me over the head with a frying pan in order to get me to pay attention. Another analogy I use is that I have to be tied around the ankles, dragged to the fire and hung upside-down – […]

Inspiration Evokes Stillness

January 27, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

Days slow down as physical challenges demand. I am so blessed to be in this place, water just steps from our door. The Great Blue Heron remains a constant companion. He is a master of stillness, a quality I have challenged myself to achieve this week. I have brought out the paints again, as too […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #32: Stillness

January 21, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

It is not in my nature to be still. If there is a current, I will push against it. When my body fails me, my mind is churning. Emotionally, I am in a constant state of restlessness. Stillness does not come naturally. And yet, when I take time to calm the body, release the mind, […]

Coastal Dreams: Watercolour

December 28, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

Oceans hold particular allure for those of us who live mid-country and have certainly been the subject of many of my recent paintings. The beach scene featured, I painted for our middle daughter, who loves all things coastal. I tried to feature colours that would match with her current art pieces. Painting for another is […]

Art Inspires Hope

November 6, 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

There is a painter inside of me busting to get out. She talks to me, while I am working – makes suggestions, helps me pick the right brush, encourages different strokes. I like it when she is present. Listening to her is an act of letting go. It is a form of trusting. A growing […]

Leaving Ottawa

September 19, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

Canada’s capital city has lots to offer. Before leaving we took the scenic drive along the Rideau, stopping in at the various parks and places of note to take pictures. At the Remic Rapids, Muskoka chairs line the grassy banks, overlooking rock sculptures in the water. Apparently, artist John Felice Ceprano has been creating these […]

Photo A Week: Fruits of Labour

September 8, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

Finding an outlet to express myself creatively (beyond writing) has been my biggest accomplishment this year. Picking up a camera and a paint brush both happened simultaneously, as our adventures across country begged recording. Converting image to art, via watercolours, has become my passion, although to date, I’ve only had a few lessons, and each […]

I Wish My Art Would Quit Judging Me

August 22, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

A set of 150 watercolour pencils – a gift from my husband – challenges me to paint. In the busyness of moving, I have let this practice slip, and a number of sketches sit in my portfolio case waiting for me. Inspiration comes from the photos I take. The lone turtle (featured), for instance, begged […]

Imagine

If we could lift understandingto indigenous teachingsexpand our loveto earth, sky, and seaMake personal gain tabooand Ancients a weigh point If we could witness the mountainsslow floating across the skyand touch the dolphin’s soulanxiously swimmingwhere tuna are netted Would we cower at our insignificanceor move forward, learning to acceptthat all of life is deeply woveninto […]

Dear Child

I know a little girl,whose hair in ringletsfalls, unkempt from lackof brushing; who standswhen she should be sitting;who laughs with defiance whenchallenged, her dark eyes gleamingwith mischief; who holds her chin uphigh and stamps her feet, arms foldedin protest when she does not get her way. I see that little girl,have watched her play,with a […]

Re-de-fine-d

Ask me how I’m doingand I’ll say “fine”, notbecause I’m actually fine,but because “fine” is the onlysocially acceptable response. If I said that I have been lyinghere, for three hours now,willing my body to move,that would elicit unsolicitedadvice and tarnish my “fine”. I’d berate myself for breakingmy promise not to moan,knowing that complainingprovokes a compulsive […]