Welcome March!!!

 I love the month of March. I know it is unpredictable here in Canada. Sometimes it is a stormy, snowy and icy mess and at other times, it just gently unfolds. Already, the garden sounds different as I hear more and more birds. I continue to wait for the ongoing wonder of this season to begin to emerge. 

I feel so grateful to have work to do in my little studio. I have been intensely working on new workshops. This weekend I will release Nature Sings through Acorn Arts classes online. This class will dive into the wonders and beauty of nature expressed through offhand flourishing. I have also been studying the effects of different mediums on paper and how to build luminosity into the flourishes. The butterfly explorations have been so addictive.

There are times when I am amazed at the results on the paper through very simple techniques. My Faber Castell Polychromos pencils continue to bring a lot of delight as I work with them. If you have never experimented with them, I encourage you to give them a try. They layer beautifully and each layer remains transparent. Their quality is excellent. The core pigment is bonded all the way to the bottom of the pencil so you won't have problems with the core colour falling out. I can use these pencils all the way to the bottom if I use a pencil extender. The are excellent quality for the money and can be mixed with watercolour and watercolour pencils. John Neal Booksellers sell an assortment of some of my favourite colours. I always buy these open stock rather than in sets so I can select my favourite colours. Your favourite art store should have these in stock and you can enjoy looking at the wonderful colour range.

I will be using these coloured pencils in my April Fainting Fancies class through The Gentle Penman as well. The piece at the bottom of the post explores some ideas from both Fainting Fancies and Nature Sings. I hope you treat yourselves to a few colours and explore their possibilities. Just looking at them in the pencil case brings a sense of expectation to my work these days. 
Even as I work at my desk, surrounded by bright colours and and a mind filled with hope, the news of what is happening in the world is overwhelming. As artists, we reflect what is in our minds and hearts when we work. I struggled with whether or not to post about the classes that are coming up. There are so many pressures and concerns in the minds of my dear friends, students and colleagues. My hope is that this type of quiet work with your hands will bring you a sense of peace, hope, and focus as we bring beauty to the page.It can't fix the world but it can realign our thoughts and give our minds a haven from the storm. Wherever you are in the world and whatever is surrounding you, I am sharing a gentle message of Hope to our delicate world. Hugs all around.