October Autumn Leaves, Wexford, PA
Change.
When the fear of change
challenges your thoughts
and stifles your actions,
look to the leaves of Autumn.
Marvel in their bold beauty,
and allow them to ignite your bravery.
Dare to embrace something new.
Confront your experience differently.
Welcome the transformation.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Flowering Crabapple Tree, Mars, PA – Spring 2018
All of the Sudden.
You wait.
You wonder.
You anticipate.
And then
one day
you blink.
And all of the sudden
the beauty and joy and delight
appears.
All of the sudden.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
A Time for Change – Abstract in Taupe 18×24 on Stretched Canvas
A Time for Change – Abstract in Taupe.
I’ve been working on this abstract acrylic painting on a stretched canvas for a few weeks.
I am having so much fun with this new medium. It is such a liberating experience and also such a challenge.
Before ever painting, I would have thought works of art like this were “easy!” Slap and splash some paint on a canvas and call it art.
But…..
If you’ve never tried, I challenge you to.
There really is more to it than you realize.
Composition…. Point of interest… Balance….
But really when it all comes down to it…. Are you happy with it? Do you like it? Does it make you feel good? Evoke emotions?
I have to admit…. This piece has been through so many iterations, I couldn’t decide if it was done. I couldn’t decide if it was “worthy” to share. I felt like I liked it, but I doubted myself, so I sent a picture of it to my youngest son, and asked: “What are your thoughts?”
He liked it, but he reminded me I should not need affirmation of my own art.
How humbling is it when your kids have to remind you of how to be a confident adult?
And then again, what pride do we feel when our kids remind us of how to be a confident adult?
So here is my latest abstract – A Time for Change.
And I like it!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
PS This original painting is available (only one – no prints) at our McKinneyX2Designs ETSY shop if you like it too.
In the Darkness.
Sometimes
the most
beautiful,
wonderful,
exciting
things
show up
in
the
darkness.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
A view from atop the hill of the road I walk most every day – Mars, PA – April 1, 2018
A Different Perspective.
For the past 17 years,
I’ve walked the same road.
Each day,
I look for something new.
But sometimes,
we need to veer from that same road
And look at it
from a different perspective.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Crossroads Original Abstract by Jodi McKinney 11×14 140lb Cold Press
Crossroads.
When we arrive at a crossroads,
it is an opportunity to let go of the past
and who we have been.
Which way will we go?
Who will we decide
we want to become?
This recent acrylic abstract painting I created is called Crossroads.
Lately, I am driven towards abstraction and experimenting with acrylics.
It is fun to try something new…
An opportunity to discover who I want to be.
And my art is helping me find me…
the direction I want to go
at a crossroads of life.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
PS This original painting as well as prints and note cards are available at McKinneyX2Designs on ETSY. Hope you will take some time to browse our watercolor paintings, original art, and handmade rustic signs and decor.
Not everything that is faced
can be changed,
but nothing can be changed
until it is faced.
James Baldwin
I started a new book yesterday on Audible to listen to while I walk with Charlie – Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult.
The weather is getting a bit nicer, the daylight longer, and we need to get moving!
Nothing makes the time go faster than when I have a good book to listen to.
I was hooked from the first paragraph.
And when I heard this quote as I was listening on my walk, I almost stopped in my tracks. I backed it up a bit, and I listened again as the brief quote spoke to my soul.
I am facing a time of change in my life.
I’m guessing many of us are.
The changes we are going through are vastly different I’m sure.
Mine is career-centered.
Yours might be a relationship change or news about your health.
It could be the death of someone close to you.
It could be a change in the place you live.
Your change might have to do with your children leaving home or returning home, getting married, or perhaps the end of their marriage.
It could be a pregnancy or the ability not to be pregnant.
The changes each of us are going through can be as vastly numerous as the number of us reading this.
If you are going through something that is causing change in your life, I hope this quote resonates with you. I hope it helps you face it.
And when you face it, may you feel empowered, and may this change bring joy and enlightenment and peace to your life.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Daffodils Popping out of the Ground – February 20, 2018 – Mars, PA
In Search of the Little Things.
Sometimes we need to get down low,
Forsythia Buds on Branches – February 20, 2018 – Mars, PA
or look extra closely,
Grape Hyacinths Emerging – February 20, 2018 – Mars, PA
or push some other things out of the way,
Bleeding Hearts Emerging – February 20, 2018 – Mars, PA
or look for tiny changes.
Irises surfacing – February 20, 2018 – Mars, PA
The little things are there…
Little signs of change…
Little hints of what is about to happen.
As I walked around the yard late yesterday afternoon in bare feet on a record-breaking warm day for February in our area (we hit 80 degrees F!), I searched for little things. I searched for tiny changes. I searched for little hints of Spring.
And they were everywhere! Daffodils and hyacinths and irises popping through the earth. Buds developing on forsythia branches. Intricate formations of future bleeding hearts.
And it made me think…
Again…
On a topic that has not left my mind or my heart…
The mass shooting in Parkland, Florida last week where a 19 year old boy/man killed 17 innocent children at school.
As the days pass, details are being revealed.
Little hints of issues.
Little signs of change.
Didn’t anyone notice?
Wasn’t anyone paying attention?
Why was this troubled young man able to purchase military grade assault weapons?
For that matter – why is any civilian legally able to purchase military grade assault weapons?
That is certainly one important issue I feel needs addressed.
But we must also be diligent.
We must also be watching.
We must be paying attention
to our children.
We must be searching for and noticing the little things…
The little changes, the hints, the signs
happening with our children…
Before it is too late.
It is up to us.
Hugs,
Jodi
Icicle – Dealing with Change – Mars PA January 2018
Dealing with Change.
If you
think
you can’t
deal
with
change,
think of
the drop
of water
who froze
in
midair
when the
brutally
cold wind
met
it.
It became
an
intricate flake
that
landed
on the rooftop
and joined
the
others
to form
a
soft
white,
fluffy
blanket.
Then
the sun
came out
and
warmed
it
just
enough
to create
a crystal
clear,
hard,
solid
icicle.
The sun
grew
warmer yet,
and
the icicle
melted.
The
drop of
water
fell
to the
earth
and
watered
the ground
where
the tree
grew
that
provided
shade
when
the sun
grew
even
warmer
yet.
It went
through
all that,
and
remained
beautiful
in
every
stage.
If a
drop of
water
can manage
through
all that,
You, too,
can
deal
with
change.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Frozen Stream – Backyard – Mars, PA – January 2018
In Time – Seasons of Change.
Isn’t it so comforting?
Doesn’t it fill you with hope?
To know…
that the brittle frozen stream
will once again flow
with soft warm life…
in time.
Seasons of Change.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 