Gratitude

My husband and I celebrated our 14th anniversary this past summer and he surprised me with a new camera, my very first DSLR (a Canon Rebel.) It was truly a surprise; he had been planning it out for over six months, quietly getting cash back when he would buy groceries or run an errand, so that I would not notice a large chunk of money missing at once. I had secretly desired a DSLR for quite some time, but I would not have wanted to spend such a large sum on myself, to be perfectly honest. When he presented it to me, I was overwhelmed, not only by the gift itself, but the planning and thought that he had put into it. He is such a kind and generous soul; I am forever grateful for him.

Morro Bay on our 14th anniversary, shot with my new Canon Rebel

Recently, I was organizing my art studio and came across one of my older paintings, The Constant State of Becoming. I painted this piece during a very difficult period in my life, one in which I felt extremely suffocated and constrained. I chose not to hang the painting in my home for this reason, but I wanted to keep her just the same. The painting was rather large and difficult to store, and so I decided that I would rework it in some way. I tore the large painting into strips, not sure at first what I wanted to do with them, but the process felt so incredibly freeing and right to me. I decided to use several of the strips in my art journal, gluing them in and adding in some extra shading and detail. I can't help but feel that I freed her in some way.

constant state of becoming in my art journal

Though the lighting was not entirely cooperative, I snapped a quick photo of the piece with my new camera.  Now that I own a DSLR, I intend (after the holidays most likely) to shoot new photographs of several of my paintings in addition to photos of my new work.

May your holiday season be bright and beautiful!