Of course the Calgary Stampede will be back, but everything changes - especially after a pandemic! Not only has our social landscape changed, but there are plans in the near future to tear down the Saddledome. Does a painting ever capture anything but a memory? Maybe not, but a good painting stays current and changes with you throughout the years even if the subject matter is of a memory. Just like your favorite movie that you watch over and over. They change and grow with you. You notice new things. It brings up new feelings for you over the years. 

I like to leave unclosed lines and free-flowing paint that you can trace across the canvas. I like to layer texture and colour to imitate complexity, wonder and high energy. I guess you can see a real style and voice emerge in my work and it has happened very organically over the years. Many years ago a more advanced painter told me that you can't 'pick' your style, rather it happens naturally out of your brush. It is influenced by how you see things, how you hold your brush, what colours you gravitate towards. How you like to put the paint down on the canvas. I took that advice to heart. I have always experimented and tried many different mediums and subjects. I had no intention of staying with one thing unless it took over my soul, my energy, my desire, my passion. Each of my Big City Living Series paintings are a labour of love. I dream about them at night. I am so excited to start the next one - this is a good sign. I will keep creating them until I feel drawn towards something else. So right now, I am painting the city. But 2021? Who knows what is coming in the new year. For anything! I'm not afraid of uncertainty. I love it. It gives me energy to create and to embrace the beauty of each day. I hope everyone feels a fire inside of them that lights their way regardless of what is happening on the outside. Keep creating - every act of creation no matter how small, radiates positivity and generates good things. 

Have you found yourself pencilling something in your calendar one day, just to erase it the next? Over the last few months, I have either planned nothing, or I have tried to plan events, but have had to make numerous changes. Trying to plan a business venture right now is super challenging. There are constant new rules and recommendations being put out by various levels of government and it is very hard to react quickly, even for one person! I have to change marketing material, both print and online and I have to inform staff and co-creators of changes. Then I have to make adjustments in my personal commitments.

One tip I read about said, 'predict and prepare for the future while focusing on the present,' but they obviously did not write this article for COVID times. Together with Jennifer Beeger - owner of Mona Lisa Artist Supplies - we have tried to predict what this summer would bring. “Are people going to look for art classes this summer? Will it be possible?” We were asking each other back in early June. Well, people can't travel, so maybe... We just had a blank page in front of us. We really couldn't compare this summer to any other. 

So many people are facing the same situation. CALGARY (660 NEWS) – As many as one in four Alberta business owners feel that they aren’t going to be able to hold out until a vaccine is found.

In July, I met a number of brave explorers who came out and took a few classes of Mixed Media. We had a GREAT time.  We closed the doors behind us and went to work. We forgot all about our problems and trying to predict the future. We just focused on the here and now.
 
This is a lesson I bring into my daily life. I have no idea where this is all going to land, so I am just going to pay attention to how I am spending each day. Make each day count. Enjoy, explore, work, connect to those I love, connect to my work, connect to my art and something good is bound to happen. I am an optimist, but this is not just based on hope, it is based on making every day as good as I possibly can.
 
How are you managing the unpredictability in your life?

Can a person feel better from the act of making art?

Studies have show that yes, this is possible.  A study on the the evaluation of art therapy on adults with mild to moderate depression showed that there was significant improvement. (Zubala, A. 2017). These adults reported:
acceptance of depression, readiness to express emotions, sense of self and awareness of others, readiness for meaningful relationships, sense of achievement, sense of balance and new insights, growth and meaning.

I don't need a study to tell me that art helps a person feel better and one doesn't need to have depression to feel better from art! The fact is, doing anything that helps you get out of your head and into your hands - just feels good! Your ART could be carpentry, gardening, sewing or cooking for example. 

When you are making art you are more mindful. In my studio I recommend putting away your phones, clearing your mind and making space for the present. While we are here together in the studio, I encourage you to work mindfully. To access your inner voice and give it some respect. It will guide your every move. 

So far, every student has left my class with a sense of peace and accomplishment. This is really important to me.