Art can be like a dream.

Waking up from a dream can be disorienting, but what if the dream unveils a tantalizing glimpse of a life filled with parties and friends? When art is like a dream- it opens into another world.

The image accompanying this post transports us to the heart of a Miami resort, where the sun bathes the sky in a warm glow, and a crystalline pool beckons with irresistible allure.

In this dream, laughter dances on the water as people lounge beneath the vibrant Floridian sun, collectively seeking the elusive state of bliss. Titled Time Stands Still, this dream stands still. Time is gone.

Dreams are stories.

Alongside the pool, spectators absorb the radiant atmosphere, until a celestial figure, like the Moon over Miami, gracefully ascends into the sky.

This dream is a reminder that, even in waking life, moments of pure joy and serenity are within reach.

The Energizing Magic of Art

In the midst of life’s chaos, art emerges as a powerful elixir, replenishing our dwindling energy reserves. The magic of art brings inspiration and life.

Our spirits can be lifted and we are reminded that there is another space in which we exist. Our minds and imagination can travel through the layers of imagery, the use of the paint, or the collage of images.

Art can serve as a sanctuary. A warm place to meander into, or a reminder to be inspired, or a moment filled with color and beauty. It takes just a moment to be fulfilled. To look, to inhale, to feel the moment.

Art becomes a source of renewal, invigorating both mind and body.

Let’s just celebrate the ordinary.

In the image highlighted, titled Happy, there is a normalcy that just seems ordinary. What is ordinary? That which we take for granted? In these trying times, we must celebrate the ordinary. Most importantly, it is the place where we hope our lives go back to “normal” and the ordinary becomes a reality.

The challenge of these times is the feeling we are at war. The war to survive. A way to survive is to celebrate the ordinary.

Praise the normal as women are at the centre of it all.

At the centre of the ordinary are women. Women are keeping the families moving forward.  Firstly, are you making certain your kids are studying online and not getting emotionally lost and depressed? Secondly, are you trying to do work to have an income while also taking care of aging parents so they don’t feel too isolated? Finally, are you making certain the partner is not overworked so they may get sick. So many balls in the air. Above all, the goal is to make things seem normal.

This experience I am describing is not unique. Many women are all struggling everyday to find their energy and resilience.

Describing this existence is real. My strategy for the past year is not too look too far forward. To live in the here and now. Through it all, I keep painting. Keep focusing on the normalcy that baking a cake brings to the household.

We are in a war. We are just trying to make things feel normal and ordinary.

A new series about celebrating women

Considering all of the challenges of our reality- I decided to do a series of pieces that speaks to women at the centre.  The theme of persistence and resilience is relevant to where women are now. Most importantly, the sense that women are the light is the essence of this series.

Be sure to check out this new selection of paintings to be released on March 8 for International Women’s Day. I will be having a virtual live event describing the series and presenting each piece.

Please be sure to subscribe to my email list at https://www.memoryartgirl.com to be on the invitation list to this event.

Small art in little boxes. There is nothing like a small package.

The receiving, the opening, the discovery of a small little moment that says “love”. Really nothing like it.

I know you are thinking about the diamond, the bracelet, the pair of socks. I’m not talking about that. I am talking about the handmade little painting that tells a story. 

Why is the small handmade painting something you should really think about for a gift? Well for a couple of reasons.

First off, the ability to give a gift that has a statement is always the goal. We all want to share a story. Make an impression. Find a way to say”we love you” in a different unique way. Small art does this. It is just like a small moment that can make a big impression.

Secondly, small art doesn’t take up alot of space.  It doesn’t overwhelm. It isn’t an emotional over powering moment. It is a painting that tells the story of you and whomever you are giving it to.

For this reason, the show 25 days of minis, is a perfect little art show for the end of the year gift. A show that has 42 professional artists that will reveal their art every day beginning Dec 1. Every day a new selection of paintings will be revealed. How do you see these paintings? Just subscribe to www.25daysofminis.com and you will get the email with a the link to the new selection. An easy way to find small art that can shipped right to your door. Sounds too good to be true.

I will be participating in this online show with an entire new series of small 6×6 paintings. Little pieces of story that will be revealed everyday. Once per day starting Dec 1-25. Each piece comes wrapped in a small box with a gift card. A perfect, thoughtful, present to celebrate the season.

Pieces will be available on my shop at www.memoryartgirl.com beginning on December 1.

Past Images can Inspire the Ideas

Where do ideas come from? Nothing is original. You may disagree with this, but it is true. Everything spins from something else. A piece of music, an old photo, a place that reminds us of our younger self; all are triggers for ideas. Ideas that I can use to make my Art.

As you know I work from the ephemera of memory. Vintage advertising, old vinyl record album covers, lyrics from favourite songs, old photos, classic films all play a part in the germination of an idea. A piece of art that defines who you are. Most importantly, this brings me to the most important piece of finding ideas; having  defined parameters of the story. The themes of the story can be in the realm of “escape”, or  “empowerment” or the internal story of the “home sweet home”. Each area brings to mind its own type of images which speaks to your personal experience.

How an Idea in a story can Remind You of You

Since I have made art for over two decades, I have told the same story many, many times. Throughout the retelling I have found that my ideas flow best when I use themes of settings. For example, images of a city from the 1950s. The painting featured titled La La Land is Los Angeles from the 1950s. It can be recognized by the old department store of Bullocks, which was bought by Macy’s in the 1970s.

When I showed this piece in Palm Springs recently, many woman told me stories of their connection with this store. It’s glamour and uniqueness was part of the beginnings of their lives. Some worked there. Spending all of their earnings on the beautiful clothes. Others remember shopping there and feeling overwhelmed with the beauty of the building. The inside of this department store was 1920s art deco and its elegance was part of the shopping experience.

The Goal is to have the Ideas connect to your identity.

My goal is to bring a deeper sense of self for the viewer by reminding them of their history. This is important for all of us to do so we have a strong connection to our identity. Therefore, everytime I create a piece, I think of how the image can make the viewer escape into another place. A place from the past that defines the present “self”. It is an amazing experience speaking to clients when they recall their lives from another time. I feel that we are all very similar. Many times, these memories align with my own experiences. When a painting, a piece of art, deepens a person’s connection to themselves, then my job is done. My goal has been achieved.