Sweet Saturday Morning

Well, that should say sweet Saturday morning, ALONE!  I am getting some much needed alone time to get some work done and just be ME without a little bus crazy boy  ( who I love dearly)  around me every second.

Here is him working on a special project this week.  We have been spending some of the summer holidays so far traveling to far reaching subway stations to look at the buses, take pictures of them and then he likes to draw them.  He is also into the names of all the bus routes and is writing them out here.

I have been keeping somewhat on this side of crazy by making birds out of perler beads.  Yes!  I love these things- maybe its my son’s obsession with minecraft, but I am loving the pixelated look of these beads.

I am also thinking of opening a custom millinery shop for finger people.  Stay tuned!

More space on the web!

I have finished six “Paintings of Things That I Like to Look at” paintings, so I decided to make a little gallery to motivate me to do more.  This is my latest one,

and I am loving how they are getting more and more layered with patterns and colours.  School is out in three weeks and

I am trying to get things done before I have a little shadow around me all day!

hello!

Boy, is it nearly March?  How did all that time go by?  Here is a lemon poppy seed illustration

I recently did for some packaging.  It was really quite fun as I had to do it in someone else’s style!  I think I pulled it off.

This is my motto going forward!  It’s a page in my scrapbook.  Now that I am over 40, I am thinking about health and longevity- I want to be strong and be here for my son.  I am trying to do more yoga and go to my aquafit class weekly, eat well and be positive. I hope people are having a good new year-  January was a dark grey month and
it seemed a lot of people were having a hard time but we are emerging into the sunshine now.  Spring is on our heels and the days are getting longer and lighter!

I am still working some on my art journal…

This is how I felt the other day after a nice cup of tea.

I had been off caffeine for a few months after feeling scared by heart palpitations.

They have gone away and I am slowly having some tea and decaf coffee again and its so good to have it back!

Brockton map

I love my neighborhood so much I made a map of it!  You can buy one if you like!

Its $20 and is 8.5 x 11 heavy paper.  Just send me an email!  Its also on etsy, but in USD.

While you’re at it, have a look at my other maps!

lately

Photo courtesy of the Toronto Arts Foundation

This was an amazing opportunity.  The Toronto Arts Foundation called me a week before the Mayors Evening for the Arts Gala, asking if I could create a 12 page mini colouring book to be handed out at the event!  Of course I could! I just love the way it turned out.  What I love even more is that they plan to hand it out this summer to lots of kids during their wonderful initiative called Arts in the Parks.
Free arts events in Toronto Parks!  Wonderful!  Their vision: Creative city, block by block.  I just love that!

Here is the third and final cover in the Best Mistake Mystery series by Sylvia McNicoll, published by Dundurn Press! Phew that’s a mouthful.

I loved working on these covers!  Maps are so much fun.

mapping my world

Hello! Here is the second book in Sylvia McNicoll’s series!  Stay tuned for the third installment- I can’t wait to actually have all three books in my hands!!

They are published by Dundurn Press and it’s been a joy to work with them.

Right now I am working on a  map of my neighborhood!  I actually started this a few years ago and was spurred on to pick it up again

by a neighbor who wants to have this for her grandson’s room as a Christmas present.  I hope one or two other neighbors might like a print for their own homes.

I am still working away on my art journal, and I really enjoy that.

Hope you are doing well! xoxo

art journaling

Hello! I have been playing around with art journaling this summer.  This one above was from this week- First day of grade one!  Amazing. My baby is getting big, I love it.

These ones I did over the summer while Finch and I were at my mums.  My mum showed my a video from Mindful art studio,

about using art jornaling as a way to ease anxiety and stress.  It really spoke to me because I get super anxious sometimes and being a crafty gal, I thought this could really be useful and fun for me.

I am loving it.  I bought a special book just for this, apart from my sketchbook I’d use for illustration jobs.

The nice thing about it is the lack of perfection, the act of turning the page and really just being in the moment while working on it.  It doesn’t have to be a

masterpiece or even pretty.  It is just to get out the feelings and to create.  Plus I get to use all the great patterned bits and pieces I have all over the place.

I collage, draw, add paint, write- whatever!  If I don’t like it, I turn the page- no big deal.  More often than not though I find I go back and admire my past pages

and feel inspired to keep going.  I also like to use inspiring quotes and words to help myself remember to not lose faith.  This last image here has a scrap of text from a magazine article saying “Sometimes the greatest inspiration comes from listening for that still, small voice.”  So true!

I struggle with feelings of guilt that I get to “be at Home” while my husband slaves away all day at his job that he is unhappy with.  Artwork IS work.  Motherhood is work.  Now that its back to school, I am getting a bit of a break.  I deserve it and mustn’t waste it feeling guilty.

please click for full size!

Back in April at the book launch for Willow’s Smile I had the pleasure of meeting author Sylvia McNicoll.

Not only was she so nice and friendly, it just so happened she needed something to put on the cover of her next three books!  She asked if I would be interested and I said “OF COURSE!”.  I was very happy when her publisher, Dundurn, was also interested.  This is the cover for book one of three, and it was a pleasure to work on!  The story is so good, for middle school age kids, but I think any adult would enjoy it as well. It comes out on January 7, 2017!!

Yay!! The mailman brought my copies of the June issue of ‪#‎chirp‬ magazine! I worked on this image in the dead of winter and it was a joy to do.

free download!

Hey check it out!  You can now download and print my Indie Book Store Map at the Coach House Press website!  Isn’t that nice of them?

I thought so! Yay for Indie book stores! Yay for books!