Inner Heroine
This painting is the one I created for the book I was working on with my friend Susanna. You can see the painting and a sample of the book cover above.
Susanna’s book: The Guide for Real-Life Heroines is about helping women to transform their lives by doing small activities to help them get clear on their inner voice. My painting is called “Inner Heroine,” and it’s also the first time I’ve ever painted a whole person! I’ve done many ocean scenes, seascapes, and buildings, but never a figure, so this one felt like a big leap! I was so nervous and painted as much as I could before I got to her because I was unsure how to paint a woman. I knew I wanted her hands on her heart and for her to be looking slightly up or down. So I sketched her out and then started painting over little by little.
It’s a reminder that we women are powerful. We can do amazing things, and all we have to do is to look within. Every answer we need is already inside us. That light, that inner knowing, has been there all along. We just need to get quiet enough, and clear away the distractions long enough, to hear ourselves. I love it!
Releasing the Old
I just reread my last blog to see where I left you, and boy, have a lot of things happened since then! It was only about a month ago, but it feels like so much longer. A lot of things has been cleared out of my life in that time.
Autumn is a season for releasing, and this one has been challenging, to say the least. I released my old car to the junkyard, along with another car a friend was going to let me have (it needed too much work). I released my old laptop to the tech recyclers, and my old gallery, which has closed for the season. I’ve even wrapped up my flower-growing and shed-painting season, and I’ve gone through all my belongings and let go of so many things.
When I was clearing out my car, before the junk yard came to get it, I was very emotional. I found one of the kid’s toy coins under the seat and started crying. All the memories connected to my car came flooding back, and I let myself release those beautiful memories before I said my final goodbye.
With all this releasing, I believe I’m making space for all the new coming into my life! I am typing this on my new laptop, which is amazing, and I’m in the process of shopping for a “new” car. I’m working at a new Pop-up gallery, and I’m adding new paintings to the wall and to this site.
If you live in the Northern Hemosphere, you know the autumn well. It is the most colorful time of year, and the most sorrowful. Letting go is hard, but it’s a necessary step in life. During the fall, trees release their leaves to prepare for winter. You see, if they kept them, they’d be weighed down and damages by ice and snow. We can take cues from Mother Nature, one of the best teachers there is. We have to let things fall away to move into the next season, make space, and grow into somethings new and better.
Please share with me, what are you releasing this season? What are you willing to let go of in order to make room for the new?
Pop-Up Gallery Opening
This past weekend, we opened our Pop-up Gallery at the Senter Place on Main Street, Brunswick. We had a huge turnout and it felt wonderful to have this gallery so much closer to home, where more people can see all our hard work! We are open Thursday through Sunday, 11:00 to 5:00, through December 13th. I will be manning the desk on Thursdays and a few Saturdays, so please swing by to say hello! I’d love to see you!
