Vacation Musings bring Insight and Patience

This morning I had my first cup of coffee on our son-in-law's deck in Minnesota. It was in the mid-70s with a slight breeze. Exhilarating after leaving Fort Myers 95 degree 90% humidity. We had to take a breather from the heat, so headed for Minnesota's cooler and breezier climes. Here the weather may change in an instant, but for now it is intoxicating.

We're on the go so much that I haven't been in one place long enough to blog. Today we're going to spend some time with my husband's great grandson Marcus. We haven't seen him, except for photos, since he was a few months old. Now he's walking. The family was eager for us to see their new home.

After 13 years in Fort Myers, my husband wants to move back to be near family. Now we've added house hunting into the mix on the condition that we can sell our villa. My online life is not affected in any way except for the transition periods, and the reason why this blog and others are super late.

Since my own children are scattered across the country, where I live does not seem to matter. The only change will be that they must visit us rather than have us fly out to see them. Aging does have its disadvantages. But more than getting older, ill health this year has cut a big swathe across my extracurricular activities.

We all have ups and downs in our lives no matter what age. How we handle the crises that come to us will determine whether we allow circumstances to get us down or to serve as a stimulus to our malcontent which motivates change.

Degas taped his paintbrushes to his arthritic hands so he could continue painting. Beethoven lost his hearing, but could hear the notes in his head and continued composing.

Countless other artists and musicians have overcome obstacles to create beauty with their feet or teeth. They have been blind and limbless, but have gone on to become famous using their internal gifts in spite of their disabilities.

Fall in Apple Valley, MN, water color on silk

Why not you? Why not me? You are more than the imperfect body you have been given. Your spirit and soul reign supreme. Your gifts are eternal and intrinsic to who you are. Don't give up on life just yet. Discover the power you have within. Test your limits. If you believe in a higher power harness your dreams to something greater than yourself.

Grab a Brush and let the Healing Begin!

"Lady in Waiting" 11 x 14 oil on canvas

Why is art one of the most popular methods used in healing? We certainly don’t need more artists in the world. What is it about the practice of touching brush to canvas that heals the soul?

My conclusion is the “focus” that painting requires. The very act pulls you out of yourself and takes you on a journey of line, color, texture and form. Feelings are given life and anguish melts into fluid that is pushed and pulled into a heartfelt story.

(Work in Progress with edits)

There is beauty in the finished product. Discoveries are made about one’s self. Inner turmoil is released and anger spent. As paint flows, tears run. The horrifying and ugly are confronted and expressed. Unspoken words are visualized and controlled rather than running wild in the fear worn caverns of the mind.

Afterward the cleansed heart heals, the pain dissolves, and the artist is refreshed. Is it any wonder that people want to take up art to see what they’ve been missing?

That’s exactly how I began to paint many years ago. A friend, knowing that I was depressed and struggling with a growing family and a difficult marriage suggested I join her in a neighborhood class taught by an artist in her basement studio. I tagged along, not knowing what to expect.

It was love at first brush. I found my niche! And in the process, I lost myself completely in each canvas. My self-esteem blossomed, my coping skills increased, and I never looked back.

From my Garden, front walkway.

For some, healing begins with music. I met a wonderful woman who heals with her guitar and a song. She visits hospitals, rest homes and other areas where suffering is paramount. Her comforting melodies have helped terminal patients get a grip on their illness and passing. She has increased hope in the hopeless.

"Peace Plant"

We have all witnessed children with physical or emotional disabilities make great strides around animals such as horses and dogs. They overcome fears, gain self-confidence, and feel better about themselves. The warmth of touch and connecting is a key component.

Discover your passion and begin the healing!

Amarylis on my Linnai.

The Wounded Warriors within our Ranks

"Broken Hearted" 11 x  14 pastel on Bristol

There are hundreds of outstanding artists who either have a disability or work at what they love with debilitating pain or discomfort. If that describes your circumstances, I want to hear from you.

Artist’s have much to share with each other. When the darkness comes, the pain cripples or the heart is grieving, welcome relief comes when we share our stories with others and reach out to someone else in need.

My arthritis is making it more and more difficult to paint or draw. And now stomach issues prevent me, at least for a time, from taking pain meds. I’ve purposely kept on typing because it keeps my fingers loose, but I’m limited to shorter and shorter time periods.

"Moody Blues" 16 x 20 mixed media on canvas

After a short time at the keyboard, my hands cramp up and stiffen into a claw and I can’t move at all. I will say that once I’m painting, I forget the difficulty and get lost in this marvelous thing we call art. I’m still limited, and work in two-hour sessions, but I keep on keeping on.

When I start to feel sorry for myself, I think about those artists who paint with their teeth or their feet. These great souls of courage persevere in spite of their disabilities. Art is therapy. Art is depth and feeling. Art is the expression of faith, gratitude and pain. Art captures the details that others miss and examines or exaggerates their complexities and simplicity.

"Broken" 9 x 12 mixed media on panel SOLD; prints available

Van Gogh is one of the best examples of a troubled artist who continued to paint his vision of nature; his vision of life. His struggles and emotional pain clarified the world he painted and made it all the more poignant for us.

Degas tied his stiff arthritic fingers to his paint brushes and continued to work up to his death. His works are timeless. He poured out energy, tears, and heart into every brush stroke.

Scars tell us where we’ve been. They also remind us of past sorrows and tragedy. Sometimes Army buddies compare wounds and talk about their battle scars and shared trauma. Scars are the visible testimony of their anguish and pain.

"A Joyful Heart" 9 x 12 pastel on Bristol

Some wounds are invisible to others. Their pain is felt deep within the human soul. The scars left behind are not easily shared, and other people doubt that they exist. These wounds are the most devastating because our sanity is questioned; our experiences are belittled or denied. We have no physical wounds to show others. These internal scars go deep. They are slow to heal. Sometimes the pain goes unnoticed or ignored for a lifetime and affect our relationship with others.

How do you see grief; except for a sad countenance? Grief that is held in too long may cause ill health. Unshed tears may prolong the healing. Without an outlet or a voice, the spirit may be crushed to the breaking point. Thank God for art. Truly God has led me through it (pain) and around it.

"Sunset on the Nile"  22 x 28  acrylic on canvas

Wear any physical and emotional scars like a personal badge of courage, friends. Use your pain to help others see the world through your eyes. Create like your life depended on it because it does.

Do You Believe in Angels?

"Sandve, Norway," oil on canvas

Do you believe in angels? I do. The Bible mentions angels many times including this favorite passage: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Heb 13:2 KJV)

After taking a long hiatus away from art to work full time and obtain health benefits for my family, I took the plunge. I started painting again and went to my first show in years with some artist friends. I was terrified.

I prayed. I clenched my teeth and the steering wheel as I drove to location. Should I proceed and risk making a fool out of myself or turn around and go back home?

“You might be surprised,” a voice inside my brain said. “What have you got to lose?” Indeed, I thought and proceeded to the show.

"Skudeneshavn, Norway," 16x20 Commission (Sold)

No sooner had I set up table than two women came on the scene, almost out of nowhere, and made a beeline for one of  my paintings. They were chattering away in Norwegian, and in measured English asked the price. I told them and they indicated they would have to get cash.

When they left, I was open-mouthed. I kept the painting on display not knowing if they’d return or if it was all a dream. The women seemed linked as a pair, walking and moving in unison. An hour later, they returned with cash. They bought the painting, a rendering of the coastline of Sandve, Norway. Afterward, they literally disappeared from the scene. I never saw them again.

I did wonder if they were angels sent to encourage me when I might have given up. At any rate, I have had similar experiences in my lifetime. God uses people to help us and to encourage us. Are they angels? Who can say? Yesterday I had such an experience.

"Tansy's Pride," 9x12 Pastel

Once again,  I was at an art show. It had been a long day. Although many people had enjoyed my work, even laughing at my cartoon posters and looking at my cards and paintings, no one had purchased. I was next to a jeweler, and the women seemed drawn to the vendor’s affordable and dazzling wares.

By the end of the day, I felt like a failure. Perhaps my work wasn’t good enough? Perhaps it was time to “really retire” and quit painting altogether? I couldn’t help but mull these options over as I perspired in the scorching heat.

A moment later, a large woman confined to a wheelchair pushed slowly toward my paintings. She seemed hypnotized by them. I was sitting in the shade nearby and watched as she examined each one. When she took my biography and business card, I made my move and introduced myself.

Turns out she was with the “blind artists” in another booth at the fair. Imagine, partially blind, and having the courage to paint and show your wares. We shared stories. She told me how much she liked my work and that I was an inspiration to her. My work had given her a reason to keep painting. It made my day!

"A Joyful Heart," 9x12 pastel

Was she an angel? At that moment in time she was to me. She reminded me that I didn’t have to struggle with a disability. I could see! I was so uplifted and encouraged by this woman that the time I’d spent feeling sorry for myself now seemed wasted.

Do you believe in angels? They’re everywhere! Perhaps you’ve been one to someone else, and you didn’t even know it. I better understood why I enjoy painting people. Each one is a miracle in his or her way, struggling with enormous problems, often feeling separate and alone.

We are woven together, this “family of God.” How precious are these connections and how fine the threads that bind us; ties that may so easily be broken in a fallen world.