Peaceful Stability - My Latest Commission

When things are going really great or really terrible, I disappear. I neglect my blog and facebook, no new Wishful Paintings and I decide to hunker down. This time it is because things are going really great. Thankfully! I am getting ready for Art and  Air in Webster Groves, MO this weekend, we found two new wonderful artists to fill our Key Artist positions at Wood Icing, I was able to travel with my family to Nashville for my cousin's wedding and I finished my big commission that was a Valentine's day gift from one very thoughtful husband to his wife. We delivered it to the wonderful couple on Mother's Day weekend and they were so so happy with it. Quite a gift to me, I must say!



Peaceful Stability 48"x40" Commission - Private Collection

I titled it Peaceful Stability based on our conversations about what she would like to have painted. This painting titled itself during its conception. I used straight lines; both vertical and horizontal to imply stability and reinforced this with texture and color. The colors are based on colors that "DF" and "MF" like and have in their home, but the way I blended them and used them with each other was my way of  expressing peace. I like the idea that there is orange and yellow in the green and that there is red-orange in the dark green. This conveys a feeling of compromise and partnership that must be present in order to attain peace. There is a hint of blue in the painting at the top that is accompanied by green and orange. This, for me, is a bit of the unexpected. The part of life we don't plan on, but learn to adapt to and even appreciate.

Sometimes I feel like I might just explode from sheer gratitude. I have been busier than I like and I have been feeling pretty sorry for myself about that fact, but reality is, that I have been so fortunate to have be experiencing all of the wonderful things that have been happening with my art career this year so far. I can't wait to tell you more, but for now this post is definitely long enough!

Wishful Painting Wednesday: I Keep My Mind and Body in the Same Place at the Same Time

This painting was born about a week after I came up with the idea of doing my new Wishful Painting Series. I was listening to NPR in the car and this man was talking about being mindful and present while being with his children. This is important to me, but I do fall victim to my wandering and often overstressed out mind. I find that even though I am getting a full dissertation from my kids about their day or their fabulous new idea, my mind is going away to solve all of my most recent problems. Not good. My kids are only going to give me that kind of uninhibited time for a little while longer and then I will have to share them with the world much more generously.

This is not only about my kids though. My life is getting wasted away in my head. Coincidentally, while I was working on this painting I tuned into Oprah's Super Soul Sunday episode with Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk, author and philosopher. He shared his thoughts that if we live in the present moment, we will find happiness because we are no longer living for the next moment or thinking back on the past moment, we are only thinking about here and now. This is something I would like to work on.


I Keep My Mind and Body In the Same Place at the Same Time 12"x12" by Heather Haymart

When the man on NPR spoke those words about staying present and mindful, I had a very clear vision of how I wish I could keep my mind and my body contained in the same place at the same time more often. Like keeping our special treasures in a box labeled "here and now". This is a serious battle for me to work towards since being a creative lends itself to living in another world often times, but I must come back to NOW, where my body is, or I am going to miss everything.

This painting may be a bit confusing at first because the words don't flow like a graphic quote you can read quickly on facebook, but that is okay with me. I like the idea, that for a moment someone must concentrate to understand my message. It's good to have to pause and think. This brings us closer to the here and now.

Wishful Painting Wednesday: Guilt Serves No Purpose

Guilt. It stinks, doesn't it? We all have it at one time or another and it is hard to accept when we really do screw up. Sometimes we feel guilty because someone laid a guilt trip on us (that's on them). Sometimes we feel guilt because we listen to those voices in our heads telling us that we should feel guilty for this fun thing, or getting a break or whatever (that's on us). We also feel guilty when we do actually screw up. The deal is, that when we make it right to the best of our ability, then we must let it go. Feeling guilty does not make the bad thing we did go away (that is on us).

This painting is for me and for those of you who have a large dose of guilt in your lives almost daily. Yikes, just today I felt guilty for telling my mom the honest truth about a project she was working on when she asked me what I thought (she was fine), I feel guilty that I am going out with some girlfriends tonight (I deserve it), I feel guilty I didn't leave time to get milk and coffee yet today. Oh man, I could go on and on and that is so stupid. So I think I must plaster this painting in every room in the house to help me break this habit.

So who's with me? Are you ready to LET IT GO? I am. Finally. Good luck to you and to me!



Guilt Serves No Purpose 12"x12"

 

Wishful Painting Wednesday: When You Smile Your Heart Believes It

I once heard that when we smile that there is a physical reaction in our bodies that resemble that of actually being happy. This theory has always stuck in the back of my mind and I've tried it. I have made myself smile when I was really unhappy to see what would happen. You know what happened? I laughed at myself for being silly! But seriously, I looked it up and there are scientists who believe this is actually true. I don't need to conduct a scientific study to know that when I smile, even when I don't feel like it, that I begin to feel a little better. Whether it is physiological or psychological, my heart is paying attention to my smile. Besides, what have you got to lose, right? So try it next time you could use an emotional boost and see if it doesn't help just a little.



When You Smile Your Heart Believes It 12"x12"

Just writing about smiling is making me smile. :)

So, yep, that is a big cheeky grin in the middle of my painting. Crooked and imperfect, but big and bold! I knew this over sized smile was going to be in the middle of this painting from the moment I first thought it up as I was driving to the studio. Gotta love car time. I wanted the edges of my painting to make the edges of your mouth just tickle to smile. Does it work?

Wishful Painting Wednesday: Good Thoughts = Good Life

Sometimes certain ideas are so simple that we overlook them. I wholeheartedly believe that if we think good thoughts, then good things will come. I don't mean just "things" either. I mean good experiences, good feelings, good overall. That is how this painting came into being. The yellow circles are like thought bubbles in my mind. The tight little squiggles are a mixture of all the things that cross our minds during a day. The good, the bad and the ugly. The turquoise stripes dragged in the texture into circles and all the good thoughts set free to un-spiral and become reality.

Good Thoughts = Good Life 12"x12" original    Click here for purchase

These Wishful Paintings are changing with each one I make. It is time for me to make a new one this week and I can't wait. I know the words, but the painting hasn't revealed itself to me yet. I am sure when I begin to sketch and play with the letter arrangement, it will come out. You'll see next week!



4"x4" Reproduction and 6"x6" Reproduction pictured with the original painting

Wishful Painting Wednesday - Today I Choose Happiness

Every day we wake up with a choice of how we will face the day. Will today be good or bad? Will I let bad luck, bad timing, or bad choices decide the fate of my day? Yes, honestly. I have and still will sometimes, of course. I am human. BUT no matter what is happening, we can choose happiness. If we choose it, it will come sooner than if we don't. Maybe it will not be immediate, but it does become reality if we first make the choice.

I personally have to work at not choosing fear, anger, stress, anxiety, and guilt among many other unpleasant emotions. My way of keeping them down and a more positive outlook up, is by forcing it on myself. Whether I say it out loud or in my head, I actually do say or think these words, "Today I Choose Happiness". It helps, I promise. Try it for one week; every time a negative thought creeps in; see what happens. It becomes difficult to keep feeling bad when your brain is saying happy.



Today I Choose Happiness 12"x12"

It felt really good to make this painting. Scratching through those negative words was very therapeutic for me. The buildings are like different establishments we can walk into or choose not to. The rainbow sky is like a new day with endless possibilities and the words "today I choose" are like the clouds we gaze up at, looking for something recognizable and turning into what we need them to be. Words with power. Happiness is seared into the dense haze of negativity with bright and cheerful colors the same way the sun burns away fog in the morning.
  

Wishful Painting Wednesday: Imagine World Peace Every Day

This painting took me the longest of all five I have made so far. Maybe its because the message is so important to me. I daydream of people all over the world hanging this painting in their houses, or seeing it online, or giving it as a gift or whatever. And they see it every day. Think of how much good that can do. If only for two seconds we all imagine world peace. That has to create some kind of shift, doesn't it?

Imagine World Peace Every Day 12"x12" original painting

The rays of peace filled light are shining down on our beautiful earth. I imagine it every day. This is how I plan to change the world one painting at a time.

Wishful Painting Wednesday - I Am Growing My Dreams

I am planning to introduce one of my new Wishful Paintings to you every Wednesday as long as I am able to keep it up, soooo... today I am so happy to get to show you the second painting in my new series called "I Am Growing My Dreams". This painting was being born years ago (as shown in my 2006 Gallery on my web site) when I was experimenting with trying to create abstracted flowers and leaves in my paintings, but I never knew they would come out in this way. The letters are seeds and they are growing up through the ground into beautiful dream flowers. I think my favorite part was drawing the veins of the leaves into the texture and drawing the roots coming up from the letter seeds. So fun!

I Am Growing My Dreams

I love the idea of how we can grow our dreams. Just like planting a garden, if you feed and nurture your plants, they will grow and make this world a more beautiful place. I believe that if we feed and nurture our dreams we can make our world a more beautiful place in our hearts and in our homes. The most important part to remember is that I am growing my dreams. It is entirely up to me to do this. I cannot count on anyone else to do it for me and it is not going to happen by magic. It will happen by feeding positive energy into my dreams. Now this painting is my reminder to keep'em growing!

The original is 8"x8" and the reproductions are 4"x4" and 6"x6" and for sale in my Etsy shop.

Wishful Painting Series

This year I decided, through much self reflection, to create a new series of art with words and I am calling it my Wishful Painting Series. I had this idea years ago when I learned about the concept of positive affirmations through listening to Hay House Radio, but I never had the confidence to go for it. My inner critic was telling me I have nothing worth saying, and using words in my art was cheating. I now believe that I can do both. I can keep making art that communicates with color and texture alone, but I can also create art with literal messages that I want to share.

For the last two years, I have had this very simple list of positive thoughts that I printed out from an e-mail that I had received. Every morning I read these messages and they have been, one by one, day by day, changing my life. The list says things like, "what people think of you is none of your business" and "you are in charge of your own happiness". Reading these each day must have helped because now I move in this world with these thoughts in my head instead of the negative things that used to paralyze me (at least most of the time).

So now I am doing this for the world. I have some positive thoughts of my own that I would like to share with the world through my art. It is an amazing concept to think that, if you think something enough that it can become a reality. And what if many people are thinking these affirmating thoughts every day? Think of the power that has. I have finally figured out how I can do my part to make the world a better place. Simply by providing a pretty and soulful reminder to people to think a good thought every day. Yay! How exciting!

So here is my first one:

Art and Love Make the World Go Around 8"x8"

Right now I am not selling this one. I feel the need to keep the original in my life for now, but I have made some reproductions and they are available on my etsy shop. They are mounted on wood, edges painted black and they have a hole drilled into the back at a slant so they can hang on any nail easily or sit on a shelf.

4"x4" and 6"x6" Reproductions on Wood

I have more paintings I am dying to show you, but for now I am only talking about this one. I had a revelation when I started creating this painting. I realized that I wanted these paintings to hang in my bathroom so I could be reminded of these messages every morning when I get ready. So this first painting was of course about how important I feel art is in this world. Art made with love can make a big difference. I truly believe that.

HayPea Artsy People Club

Ever since we opened the Wood Icing Studio Gallery, I have wanted to do something like this, but silly things like time, money, the stars not aligning or whatever, it just never quite became a reality. I am so excited to be giving this a whirl. This is my chance to have creative playtime with other creative people, share a little of what I know, and learn some too! Where'd we get the name? Weeelll HAYmart + KAEpea = HayPea! We meet the first Thursday of every month from 1-3pm. Anyone is welcome to come join us and NO experience is necessary. I promise. For $25 ($20 each if you bring a friend) we will do art demos, provide plenty of art supplies to learn creative techniques, and experiment with different types of media. Most of all, our goal is to embark on a creative journey together with like-minded, creative spirits. If you are in the area and are interested in joining us, please call Wood Icing at 636-536-0409 to register so we know you are coming. You can also visit our FB event page to find our more details.

This is our first page we did in our journals. We were experimenting with painting grounds with fluid acrylics for doing more fun things over the top of it. I stopped here because I like it the way it is.

This is a pocket we made for the back cover of our art journals. In the past I would have never "wasted" time adding little pretties to something like this, but now I am re-learning that no creative time is wasted time.

This is the prompt to work on in our journals at home. I haven't done mine yet, but I plan to by this Thursday! We will have a show and tell with the ladies who joined us for our first meeting and any new people who decide to join us. Can't wait to see what they did.

OK, I cannot resist sharing my latest find. I was shopping at Trader Joe's for a care package for my cousin Amie who's 4 week old little baby had to have heart surgery last week. (He is doing really well so far, thank goodness.) I found these Falafel Chips for her and then for me and now I am in trouble. Yum Yum. I think I am bringing them to the Artsy People Club this week!