Over the past five months of teaching workshops and classes I’ve met some remarkable women who not only hear the Creative Spirit but are also heeding Her Call.

Many of us are in our third act, boomers-with-glorious-attitude, women-of-a-certain-age and we are redefining how we want to spend our time now that we can see our mortality over our shoulder. That distant final sunset is not so distant anymore.

Our children are grown.

Many of us have grandchildren.

We’ve spent years working.

We have waited for this time in our lives when we can pull our creative ideas from the back burner to the front flame, crank up the heat and finally get cooking.

The drawings and paintings that have come out of the summer and fall workshops are exceptional, and the best part is, these remarkable women go home and keep creating.

Right now, there is great destruction in the world. I do not need to name the damage, we’re all aware of what’s happening, but against the backdrop of destruction we have creators in the forefront, who are spending time in studios and workshops, creating scenes from their life and images from their dreams, and prayers from their hearts.  

Infused with their own insights, they are painting wisdom while commenting on experience, writing poetry, and composing music that accompany their paintings.

When their families and younger friends come to them with stories of sadness and heartache, grief and sorrow, they listen and say…with deep certainty, “My darling…I see you. I hear you. I hold your sadness in my heart," and then they say the most important thing of all, "this too shall pass.”

Now they will hand their beloved a small painting or sketch as a reminder of what’s important in life. And then, like beautiful Buddhas, they go back to painting.

That’s the power of creativity and love, which I think is oftentimes the same thing.

That’s when your Art Practice becomes your Spiritual Guide.


With love to all the beautiful, remarkable women, whose time to create has finally come.

Keep creating, we need your creations now more than ever. And as you write and paint, draw and compose, the world witnesses your soul whose heart sings out with creative magnificence to lift all those within her circle of love.

XO
 

Ready? This one is short but powerful.

Grab your paints and paper and go outside.

Pretty soon we'll be socked in for the winter months and won't be able to sit or stand outside with any kind of comfort, so keep that in mind as your plein-air-painting-days fall like leaves from the maples and oaks.

I still have a few places on my list to get to before the winter closes in.
Here are a couple of paintings from last week. Quick sketches that capture a gorgeous fall afternoon on Lake Winnipesaukee.

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The last Oracle Card Workshop was full of life and prayer. With a beautiful work on their cards, both artists painted their oracles with important messages that bubble up from the first layers of their mixed media work. I think they got a great start on their decks. 

Onward.

Now that the Workshop Studio is closed for the season, I turn my attention to launching my online workshops. This is a big project, but one that I'm looking forward to creating.

And, of course, I'll be painting daily to keep my website loaded with new work. 

And I'm thinking about a gallery show, a big sale of work in November so that I can make more room for my next canvases. I'll keep you posted.

As always, the Creative Spirit flows freely between my two studios and keeps everything lively no matter what season it is.

Love to you SweetArts,  Keep creating.  Remember, your life is your creation so make it a masterpiece!

XO
Jan 

PS A huge thank you to those of you who are sharing my blog with friends.Your acts of kindness are noted every time.