Young Fern in Spring, Mars, PA – May 2018
Unfurl.
Spread out your arms
and show your true beauty.
Open up your heart
and show your true love.
Unwind your mind
and show your creativity.
Unpack your burdens
and feel the lightness of hope.
Uncover your inhibitations
and welcome the unknown.
Reach beyond the tightness
and ease into peace.
Unfurl.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Book My Reservation – I’m Going to Grandma’s Onsie
Does any baby ever have enough onesies?
And why not make them funsies?!
For a fun little shower gift, I made these two little funsy onesies
for our soon-to-arrive baby girl.
Can you tell we are very excited to be grandparents?!
Pap Pap’s Perfect Princess Onsie
Just a little fabric paint, time and creativity, with a heaping scoop of love.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Are you ready for this adventure called “Today?”
Make it magical…
Make it creative…
Be imaginative…
Be silly…
Gain inspiration from whatever comes your way.
Have Fun!
Cherish the moments.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
I could have been bummed about that blurry leaf in the bottom left of this photo I took the other day on a walk getting in the way of allowing this to be a “perfect” pear photo, but instead, I had to laugh. What I somehow crazily saw was silly – a pear rocket ship firing up for take off with a big puff of steam behind it. Now isn’t that a more FUN way to look at it?!
Some of my sweet “regulars” here at LifeinBetween.me might remember a very similar painting I shared last month of a Blue Feather….
And even though this one looks about the same size as that first one here…..
in real life, it is hugely different!
The first one was 5 x 7″…
This one…. is 17 x 22″!
To try to give you a feel for the size, I took a photo of my son, Nick, holding it. Nick is 6’3″ tall.
Why? You might be asking…. Did I paint such a large blue feather?!
It was actually a requested piece.
Someone who saw the blue feather cards on our McKinneyX2Designs ETSY page asked if she could have it in a large painting.
So I tore a full sheet of Fabriano Artistico 300 lb Cold Press in half and started splashing water and paint with abandon!
I am thrilled to report she loved it.
I am also thrilled to report what a joy it was to create.
What a joyous journey it is discovering my passion for creativity.
Are you finding joy in your journey?
Happy Friday my friends!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Hummingbird Watercolor 8 x 10 300# Arches Cold Press
For #DrawABirdDay this month, I decided to paint a Hummingbird – the smallest bird of all.
I adore the sweet little hummers that visit our backyard every summer.
I take special care to assure their feeder is full of fresh nectar each week as I know they count on and need it to support their ultra-fast metabolism. I have read that their heart rate can reach as high as 1,260 beats per minute, and they have a breathing rate of 250 beats per minute, even at rest. During flight, oxygen consumption per gram of muscle tissue is about ten times higher than that measured in elite human athletes.
Amazingly, these tiny birds fly all the way from Mars, PA to Mexico, the Caribbean Islands or Central America every winter and return each Spring.
After I painted this, I realized I had painted one about a year ago, shortly after I took up watercolor. I recall thinking my hummer was one of my best paintings I had done at the time as I had only been painting for a few months. Looking back, I still like it, and I am also surprised at how different the two look. I can’t decide which I like better. I question if my art has even improved over the past year.
One thing is for sure, the splatter is one thing I have always loved! 🙂 I believe my strokes are more confident, my use of white space more defined, and my splatters a bit more refined and controlled.
Another thing I know for sure…. I am having FUN! Painting to me is relaxing. It is a way to unwind after a stressful workday or energize an early morning.
If you have ever thought about giving watercolor or any kind of painting a try, DO IT! Discover that inner artist just bursting to express your individual creativity. You will never have a dull, boring moment again in your life. You will always have something fun to do. You will always have a way to express yourself. You will always be able to create something beautiful to someone.
Happy #WorldWatercolorMonth!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
One Autumn leaf inspired me to create a little painting that closely replicated it in watercolor.
But then I decided to go a little free form and make it whatever color I wanted.
And then another color.
And then a little different shape…
All from one Autumn leaf picked up on a walk back from the mailbox.
The simple, smallest things that can create such joy…
Cherish the moments!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Don’t fence me in…
Don’t make me stay inside “the lines.”
I must break free
to really be me.
True love… true freedom… true creativity… true thoughts… true peace
can only be achieved when they are chosen.
Let me choose.
Don’t fence me in.
On my way home yesterday afternoon, I took a different route. I was looking at the sights of the tall grass along side the road and stopped to take a photo. When I was done, I caught sight of this fence post with its broken wire rope on the other side of the road, and it kind of took my breath away. All I could think was, “Don’t fence me in,” and I took this shot.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 