I don't understand how the winter months can feel so long but Spring seems to fly by quicker each day. Here we are on May 1st! I have a few forget me nots in bloom in the garden and the violets are peeking up through the grass and the green colours around promise me that the garden will soon be abundant! Did I mention before that I love Spring?
I feel like I bounce into my studio each morning. There is a symphony of Robins singing their early morning songs, followed by a chorus of cardinals and finches. These are the happiest sounds of the season for me and they cause me to wait and listen before I begin my daily tasks. The music that they bring to the air is so important to me and brings me such a sense of peace. Those little songs throughout the day help me stay grounded in my work and in an attitude of mindful peace. As the sun goes down and I reluctantly close the studio shades, the evening song of the Robins keeps serenading me until I feel as if I have worked enough for the day. For me, the Spring is about noticing. It is about appreciating the glimpses of nature that come into my day. I feel as if I am a more effective artist if I can dampen the digital noise of the day and just listen quietly to the sounds of nature.I just finished teaching Floral Whispers for the Gentle Penman online. I tried to convey to the students how much coloured pencils can contribute to our sense of peace and mental well being. We can be mindful and deliberate in our coloured pencil work and the whole practice of putting pencil to paper is so calming. This year, the classes I have been teaching seem to build on each other. Not only for the students, but for my own understanding of the mediums I have been using. Floral Whispers deepened my appreciation for coloured pencils. I will continue to work on Flora and Fauna in special class for Ardington School in June. I will be sharing techniques for dry brushing on paper and vellum as well as some insights for painting florals, cast shadows, and other intriguing details from Medieval Manuscripts.
I am eager to share this class! This class is currently sold out but you can join the waiting list if you are interested.
I will be returning to The Gentle Penman in July for Wildflower Wonders which will be a beautiful class exploring Floral Flourishing! I have had many requests to offer another floral flourishing class and this will be a wonderful opportunity to incorporate lovely wildflowers into your flourishing repertoire. Registration is open online for all skill levels.
I will be returning to The Gentle Penman in July for Wildflower Wonders which will be a beautiful class exploring Floral Flourishing! I have had many requests to offer another floral flourishing class and this will be a wonderful opportunity to incorporate lovely wildflowers into your flourishing repertoire. Registration is open online for all skill levels.
I will be closing registration shortly for my Fascinating Floral Rinceau Study Day in May. Honestly, I get completely lost in the practice of designing rinceau and could spend endless hours exploring the possibilities. But there are so many projects waiting for me to complete that I will have to turn my attention to other things. Floral Rinceau is truly fascinating and the students who took the class in November of 2024 have continued to create amazing designs. I have added to the course notes with more discoveries and I am excited to share the Study Day on May 17th. All details are on my website.
Each project I work on seems to be infused with extra peace for me. I am drastically limiting my intake of news to try to maintain this sense of peace. I am also deliberately continuing to create courses and classes that are especially intriguing to me. Beatrix Potter who continues to inspire my work believed in creating artwork that pleased herself rather than others. She needed to be enamoured with her subjects in order to create her best work. There was certainly stress involved in her process and in her deadlines, but her best work was produced when she was happy with the subject. As each day seems to rush by faster and faster it seems more important to me to produce the work that makes me the most happy and bring me the greatest sense of peace. I love what I do as I work with my hands and it seldom, if ever, really feels like work to me. I hope wherever you are in the world and whatever circumstances are surrounding you, that you can nurture a sense of the practice of peace in your daily routine. I will be cheering you on all the way. Hugs all around.