Wisdom at the Crossroads

Introspection

Episode 20 marks a milestone for me. The end of season 1 is less about endings and more about absolute beginnings.
The painting  “INTROSPECTION” is 30” x 40” of 17-year-old me at the tail end of the Photo Realist era, blending yet not trying to conform.
This first major painting was a deep and thoughtful, painstakingly rendered, reflection on the developing self and the value of mentorship. The episode follows up with reflections on the supportive structures and people we seek and discover who help to guide us through the business of life and art.This week is about gratitude for my “village”, for you for spending your valuable time listening in or catching up through the blog. It’s about courage and commitment, growth in the present and being seen in a very first exhibit in the past.
Season 1 was the response I created to answer my own questions, “If not now, when?” And “Why not me?”, which we all can ask ourselves. Together like any good diptych or triptych, we are greater than the sum of our parts.
Check out the expanded show notes through my blog and do enjoy the meditation which begins at 11:38 in the recording.
 
𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻The meditation begins with a reference to a beautiful dream and an invitation to be open and accepting of opportunities for transformation and growth that exist around us all.
Go ahead, dive in to a world of imagination and possibility. I’ll meet you there with a breath of fresh and loving air.
 
𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗞𝗦
Instagram: @mandartcanada 
Website: https://www.mandart.ca/
Blog: https://www.mandart.ca/blog

Shrinking Violets

The jostling characters of this small but feisty composition, 13” x 14”, on panel, affectionately titled “Shrinking Violets" compete for attention and visual elbow room. In this fictitious perennial garden, more kitchen garden than formal border, vibrant colour grants an introduction to new beginnings that merge a path of discovery and experimentation with textiles and technology.
We learn the value of a good reading list and friendships; in life, art and business. We also discover that red is delicious no matter which way you serve it.Join me to discover some creative magic along the road less travelled.
 
The visuals of this painting can be found on my blog.
 
𝗦𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗩𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
The meditation begins at 10:00 in the recording.
This one comes from the child within me. It takes us on an imaginary journey through “Adventure Island” and passes through a threshold to interact with a version of ourselves.
I hope you’ll join me as we visualize, reflect and project; to seek awareness, connection and gratitude, together.
 
𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗞𝗦
Instagram: @mandartcanada 
Website: https://www.mandart.ca/
Blog: https://www.mandart.ca/blog

Breeze at Bay

Be my guest in this episode at the edge of Lake Winnipeg where a breeze at the waters edge on the prairie keeps everything in motion. Inspiration is refreshing and today invites us on a journey through composition and colour.
An incidental green space where vegetation is allowed to wander and stray is always a favourite of mine. This one forms a billowing grassy vista that frames the view and inspires the painter within.
Incidentally we take a backward glance to the era of muscle cars and poodle skirts in search of summertime amusements. You may not be able to ride the moonlight express anywhere soon but The painting BREEZE AT BAY, 24” x 48”, 2014 might help you to reflect on the idea of motion described by the action of a loaded brush in acrylic, the challenge of rules and new roles for underpainting.Travel in real time inspires curiosity and takes us on a journey through a blossoming landscape at the beginning of a new season.
The visuals of these paintings and of some Norfolk pines can be found on my blog.
 
𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘇𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗮𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
The meditation begins at 9:40 In the recording in unfamiliar terrain. Here we find refreshment after a spring rainfall and accept the invitation to pause for a reflective moment. I hope you’ll join me to travel a curious path where we embrace the maternal energy of a former local in a Victorian oasis.
 
𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗞𝗦
Instagram: @mandartcanada 
Website: https://www.mandart.ca/
Blog: https://www.mandart.ca/blog
 

Tuross

The backstory this episode leads to Tuross on the South Coast of Australia. Beaches here are so numerous they are numbered not named. Shell picking at T1 is a whale of a time and landscape in painting is a journey through memory.
A little golf action gets going on the aptly named ”Heart attack Hill”, with the killer view. Legend has it the brown snake of the second hole may not be mere legend, while the bounce from the green definitely is.
Coming home at the end of this tale we come home to the action of a loaded brush and a new canvas on the paint wall with no plan or outcome on the horizon.
The visuals of these paintings and of some Norfolk pines can be found on my blog.
 
𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
The meditation begins today at 10:20 in the recording and is the longest of all the season 1 meditations at almost 12 minutes. This is meant to be a quick visit so I hope you won’t m might staying with me for a few extra minutes of downtime.
In the meditation a morning walk meanders from the shade of the Norfolk Forest at Plantation Point, along the sandy arc of “Poppies Beach” in “God’s Country”. It is a place where dolphins play in the morning surf and considerable walks are effortless. Join your guide here in paradise for a dose of comfort and support, knowing, “we are never alone”.
 
𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗞𝗦
Instagram: @mandartcanada 
Website: https://www.mandart.ca/
Blog: https://www.mandart.ca/blog

Em’s Blue Pair (Nostrum and Curative)

Art, like music, plays a role as the backdrop or soundtrack of our lives. Today's introduction to “Nostrum” and “Curative”, a pair of 30” x 40” acrylic paintings on panel, were once given the  cold shoulder. Now they offer a little bit of flexible colour magic and a balm for the soul in the depths of a Winnipeg winter.  
Do you have a studio? Want a studio? This backstory may be a curative for any romanticized notion you might have dreamed. Unless you are attracted to heavy traffic, emergency sirens and a breeze on your side of the brickwork, that is.  
I share a reflective tip to brighten your workspace and add a pro to the cons of my former expansive, frosty space.  
We also learn about schlepping, What it means to sail across a parking lot in a brisk breeze and  how to safely wrestle a 4’ square painting into the back of an SUV… shlepping. I missed painting this week when the work of art took over. 
 
The visuals for these paintings can be found on my blog and on Instagram.
 
𝗡𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
The meditation begins at 10:45 in the episode. 
The strong colour story of this pair has inspired a favourite visual journey that rises through the chakra column. Together we visualize a colourful chakra cleanse. We expand, we rise, we imagine and imbue our chakras with crystal magic from head to toe. You will want to return to  this practice often. 
 
𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗞𝗦
Instagram: @mandartcanada 
Website: https://www.mandart.ca/
Blog: https://www.mandart.ca/blog

Pet Portrait

Art imitates life and sometimes it documents it too.
Pet lovers unite as today we meet the cheeky cat brothers Rylands and Fletcher in a fairy tale of sorts.
The “once upon a time” leads us through torrential rain, to a job interview in puddling linen, onto a creative classroom filled with pre teens and carving tools and a drawer full of band aids. Seriously, I can’t make this stuff up.
We also get a glimpse of the colour reduction block printing process. In the backstory, we are reminded to always bring that brolly and to find creative ways to keep memories close at hand.
 
The visuals for these paintings can be found on my blog and on Instagram.
 
𝗣𝗲𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
The meditation at 8:40 In the recording is dedicated to the fur friends featured in the pet portrait, Rylands and Fletcher, and to our lovely tyrant, the recently departed 159 year old Miss Addy cat.
 
Joy is definitely invited to this short interaction where we reflect on the weightlessness of dreaming and moments of unconditional love spent in the company of our fur friends and family.
Join us for a little magic in the memory
We know you’ll be smiling and relaxed after this one.
Be well and be inspired.
 
𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗞𝗦
Instagram: @mandartcanada 
Website: https://www.mandart.ca/
Blog: https://www.mandart.ca/blog

Bloom 123

Lessons of inspiration and creativity inspire change on todays episode.
A change of season might lead to a change of scale, but scaling down in size does not mean we are scaling down the visual impact.
 
There is a new trio evolving on the paint wall in real time. We learn a triptych is not simply an image spread out across three adjoining surfaces but an opportunity to explore 3 independent compositions
 
The gifting of art part is not something I recommend but a triptych named Bloom carries a similar sentiment for a fledgling daughter's housewarming gift.
 
Bloom was also a lesson in keeping things fresh, of letting go of expectations and walking away from a composition before the bloom is off the rose.
Teamwork is key and this group have demonstrated they can hang out, mix things up, and still look fresh and refreshing in a tired utilitarian space. Art is subjective. At my house, in even our most under appreciated spaces, art blooms - if only for a short season.
 
The visuals for these paintings can be found on my blog and on Instagram.
 
𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝟭𝟮𝟯 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Practice is the key word when it comes to meditation in this episode, which begins at 8:55 in the recording.
In it, I am guided to guide you on a visual journey where we plant ourselves in the present.
In this episode, we are reminded meditation is not a test but an evolving process and that our bloom is radiant perfect and open to the potential that exists around and within us.
 
𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗞𝗦
Instagram: @mandartcanada 
Website: https://www.mandart.ca/
Blog: https://www.mandart.ca/blog

Side Yard Backyard

A mixed media pair called “SIDEYARD / BACKYARD” are the stars of the perennial show in the lucky 13th episode of the podcast this week. (It's also a week with Friday the 13th!)
Together they introduce a hardy cast of perennial characters whose cheeky personalities take shape in chalk pastel and acrylic on paper.
We hear the story of friendship as it played out in the garden, learn a simple way to impersonate a deckled edge and get a glimpse of art history at work in the painters studio.
The visuals for these paintings can be found on my blog and on Instagram.
𝗦𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗬𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘆𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
The meditation begins at 12:53. In it we are reminded life is lived in the details.
In the unhurried natural world, we independently pause to define our own version of a personal oasis. Using the breath as our guide In this real or imagined place we aim to move our to do lists aside for a short while and recharge. I hope you’ll join us for an unhurried moment, together
 
𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗞𝗦
Instagram: @mandartcanada 
Website: https://www.mandart.ca/
Blog: https://www.mandart.ca/blog

Cocktail Hour: Strawberry Margarita

It might not be 5 o’clock, but this episode inspires us to take a break for refreshments when work on the painting wall stalls. A casual observation inspires a winter series more beach babe than snow bunny, and a creative game that turned this painter's theory on its head.
Listen to the story of colour in the studio as an antidote to winter’s white and learn how a day at the office, at work, at play, trumps an actual job any day of the week.
 
And finally, If you come for dinner, you will be relieved to know that while appetizers and main meals might be artfully presented, there will be no art in the doggy bag.
 
The visuals for this painting can be found on my blog and on Instagram.
 
𝗖𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
The meditation begins at 11:55.
In seeking to find presence we explore the idea of peace and peacing out our squirrelly tendencies. We strive to be more, and do a little less.
 
𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗞𝗦
Instagram: @mandartcanada 
Website: https://www.mandart.ca/
Blog: https://www.mandart.ca/blog

Breathing Space

Breathing Space inspires us to consider our home and how art can offer us comfort within the discomfort of transition. We are reminded big art expands not only our spaces but also our perceptions. The pieces we are meant to find sometimes find us down the way along a circuitous path.
The triptych, “Inhale: Exhale and Relax”, introduces perennial personalities and reminds us to invest in ourselves along the creative road less travelled.
 
The visuals for this painting can be found on my blog.
 
𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
The meditation begins at 10:54.
It was inspired by a dessert landscape in the middle of a northern winter. In it we ground ourselves in colour to expand our chakras and experience the blessing of a magical morning interaction accompanied by curiosity and a new, old friend.
 
𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗞𝗦
Instagram: @mandartcanada 
Website: https://www.mandart.ca/
Blog: https://www.mandart.ca/blog