But I don’t mean in a selfish way, more in a self-awareness way. Of course to start this blog I had to look up what a blog is lol. It made me realize that we mostly are all bloggers, that is, people that share thoughts, information, tips and whatnot on the internet. Blogging for me is going to be specific to my journey in yoga and art - The Mat & The Easel - we’ll start with the art first!
Many of you know my story but I still enjoy sharing it as it makes me talk about my brother Dave. We would often hang out on a Sunday morning and chat about our plans and what would have to wait until retirement – I was going to paint and do various other things and Dave would joke that he was going to take up bird watching – he’d laugh merrily when he’d see a cardinal and say I won’t know what that bird is until I retire lol. That is until he was diagnosed with cancer. As we have all been touched by tragedy in one way or another I have no doubt that many of you can relate to this face to face with mortality. It was earth shattering for our entire family and close friends (of which there are many). Losing Dave made me take a very close look at myself – who I am, and what I want to achieve and what sort of footprint I would leave on this earth.
Painting became my refuge – retirement be damned! I would forget all of my daily stresses and immerse myself into the moment behind the easel. I could bring joy back into my life with vibrant larger than life happy flowers. I could share this joy with others! It really became a strong passion and I would spend every spare minute of my day drawing, blending colours, practicing techniques and taking photos for references. I am a detail oriented person so capturing the petals shadows, the light and complexities as well as simple sunshiney moments drove me to paint more and more. I was so thrilled to become a member at the Southampton Art Centre and then the Owen Sound Artist Co-op (where my brother had been a member!). It inspires me every day to have a place to showcase my passion for painting!
Now so many years after Dave is gone he lives on through his beautiful hand crafted cabinets and furniture that he built. His footprint he left was his passion.
So even though this is all about me it’s not really – it’s about all of us and what we do to express our passions and how we choose to live every day. I am so excited about my journey – and I hope that you will take time to respond and share with me what your passions are.
I look forward to talking with you about art – painting techniques, palettes, and a plethora of other Simply Maw-velous things to do with painting! I call them nurturing tools for your art and soul! We all know we need to do self-care, let me help! The Mat & The Easel is a welcoming place for you to come and visit on the internet or better yet at my kitchen table – hand crafted by my brother Dave! (he would love that!)
Cheerio!
~Kelly~