Is your heart screaming?

Mine certainly feels that way some days.  We live in a time that is beyond challenging, and I suspect that some of you are as emotionally drained as I've been.  From climate change, wars, political unrest, madmen, to drug cartels and so much more, the chaos and horror is unprecedented.

Last week's paint-throwing session has morphed into a series of 'Screaming Hearts' and I'm having trouble stopping.  I came across a quote by Roma Downey  that says it all:

"When hate is loud, love must be louder".  

I'd say these hearts are pretty darn loud.  The high-key, high-contrast colour speaks to me of the polarity that seems rampant these days.  While that may be one way to boost the volume of love, I'll bet there are dozens more that you, as artists, could create - think rough texture, hard and jagged lines, discordant themes and more.  The challenge is on!

I'd be delighted to share your version of a Screaming Heart...feel free to post a link in a comment below.  And if you have a favourite quote about love, I'd happily see that as well.    

And I'll leave you with another quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. that really resonates with me: 

 'I have decided to stick with love...

hate is too great a burden to bear.'  

May your week be filled with love, light and the certain knowledge that eventually we will all remember that we are all one.  

There are times when....

...I get creatively jammed.  When that happens, I make a point of unstucking (a Win Word of the Day) myself by literally throwing paint.  

Usually, that leads to more controlled experiments,

and oftentimes to something completely unexpected.

If you're wondering where this will all take me, you're not the only one.  I'm supposed to be working on a couple of projects (a mini book and my life story - AKA Family Feud).  Here's hoping the play is a step or two in the right direction.  🤔😉

Is it really that close to Valentine's Day?

And how did it get here so fast?  I've been working on a set of  Thank you/Valentines cards for the last couple of weeks in appreciation for all the work that the care givers in the Adult Day Services do at Swan Valley Lodge.

The group is so vibrant and deeply caring for all their clients I felt it would be fun to acknowledge that with a large card for the group, and individual ones they could take home.

There may also be a good-sized box of chocolates  in the finished package; goodness knows they are on the run so much they won't have any difficulty burning off the calories.

It's next to impossible to express how much the staff is appreciated there.

Oh, and I haven't forgotten John on Valentine's Day either; he's getting a new bookmark, and there may be chocolate involved there as well.  😉

May your Valentine's Day be massively colourful and filled with all your favourite things.  

Winter studio play...

...seems to come with a lot of snowflakes in this house.

I'm currently working on a card that features snowflakes, and have finished one as well.

This was for John's 81st birthday this past week.

I added another layer to the experimental canvas - only dozens more to go, I expect.  🤣

I also started some cards, knowing I go through several dozen a year, and my starts were getting pretty low.

I took some photos of some of the hand-crafted papers, given they were one of a kind.

And if that's not a colour-full week, I don't know what might be.  Hope your week was the same as we head into the second month of the new year!