A Long Overdue Update!

Wow, this was a long break from blogging! I was going to start again in September, but then we were preparing for a hurricane evacuation and Daniel's start of school. We ended up being able to stay home during Hurricane Irma as it had weakened to a tropical storm, but we didn't know until the last day. Luckily, we had no damage at all except no power for four days, which was nothing compared to what others experienced and are still experiencing.

I also spent the summer trying to understand the mind-boggling political situation in this country and the world. I will continue to keep my blog free of politics, but I did want to mention it here since it defined my summer to a large extent.

The paintings above and below were really fun commissions I worked on during the summer.

It made me feel quite powerless and so sad and angry to read about what this current US administration is doing and undoing. And then came the unbelievable natural disasters that were happening too fast and were too destructive to fully comprehend: incredibly strong hurricanes, earthquakes and now the deadly fires in California.

There was and is so much suffering so close to home and all in places we have visited. They are all places we love. And I have to say, this year's hurricane season was so unbelievable and so much more stressful as we often didn't know if we were going to be directly in the path. I'm so glad the season is finally winding down and the communities affected can heal and rebuild.

I noticed over the summer how my art was changing. At the beginning of the summer I still liked working loosely with acrylic inks and acrylic paint. I liked the element of surprise. Not so much later in the summer. There had been too many surprises that I had no control over and I noticed how I craved taking my time with my art and drawing more intentionally and realistically.

I found a wonderful young British artist on Patreon whose tutorials have taught me so much. Here's the link if you are interested. The golden retriever above I drew with charcoal pencils and my nephew I rendered with graphite and charcoal.

What I really want to learn is how to draw realistically with colored pencils. I followed Kirsty's tutorial for this kingfisher bird using colored pencils and solvent and absolutely loved it.

I used to think I wasn't patient, but that's not true. I am so enjoying these drawings that take me many hours to complete. I'm working on one right now that's going to take me a few more days until it's done. Again with colored pencils.

Thank you for sticking with me. I have missed our interactions. I'll do a few more blog posts with all the photos I've taking over the summer in our garden and a few knitting projects I've finished or am still working on.

In the meantime, I hope you are all doing well!!

❧ Silke

Nothing Stays the Same

I know this. I know that change is the order of things. I know that the only constant in life really is change. And of course my art has to evolve just like everything else, but it catches me by surprise every time.

I really made a commitment early on that I would let my intuition guide and drive my art and that's what I try to do. So, you can see by the elephant and the bird that my color palette was changing. A little darker, calmer and subdued.

And I kept feeling a need to paint more complex paintings, small and large. Today, I'm only showing the small ones as the larger ones are in the sketch phase only at this point.

The background above happened by me dripping high-flow acrylics into watered down absorbent ground. It made for such cool shapes. When I put this on Facebook, one of my friends saw a horse in the upper right, another saw the face in the lower left and I filled in the rest.  I love this painting!

The same with the one below - the figures were suggested by the shapes in the background and I just went with it.

And this one is really different. She was all there in the shapes, wing and all. We'll see where this leads.

Already in the background I created today, some warmer colors are sneaking back in. The textures of this piece are amazing! We'll see what it wants to become. 

And now a few photos I snapped around town and in our back yard (the flower photos at the end!). Savannah is full of "secret" gardens and whenever I walk through town, I try to find one of two.  

Everything is starting to bloom and it is gorgeous!

Winslow and I spotted this heron on our walk yesterday. It was so focused, it totally ignored us.

 And this color is all from our garden. It is spring here in the South and everything is waking up!

Head on over to Paint Party Friday for more beautiful art and inspiring blog posts!

I wish you a colorful, warm and sunny week! 

❧ Silke

A Season of Change

I hope my American friends all had a great Thanksgiving. Ours was perfect - filled with good friends, lots of cooking, delicious food and excellent conversation ... and, of course, plenty of leftovers.

And then came the official start of the Christmas season, which means an overabundance of ads and special offers in the mail and online. Every year around this time, I find myself wanting to run the opposite direction. Away from excessive shopping and toward a simpler life, handmade gifts and slowing down.

This has always been my favorite season - colder weather, shorter days, good food, baking cookies, crafting, gifting, end-of-year reflection, and planning for a fresh new year.

This year, that yearly pull toward more traditional living seems stronger and I find that I am leaning toward it in many ways - wanting to take more time cooking, baking and preserving good food, taking greater care to shop local and at small shops, caring for and taking pride in our nest, knitting more, sewing lots more, painting, writing more snail mail, and reading and reflecting.

I am drawn to doing things more thoughtfully and working more with my hands, being tuned in to the seasons and nature, and making things myself wherever I can.

In past years, I have felt that same pull but it always seemed like it would require too much change that I didn't think I had the time or energy for. But this year it feels like it's time. And I think it'll be a really good change, which I am sure you will read all about here on my blog...

In many ways it feels like my life is coming full circle going back to many values and skills I learned from my grandmother, including a love for cooking, baking, knitting and crocheting. She also did a lot of ironing and darning of clothes, which I have yet to develop a love for... But then I don't have to love everything, do I?!

Wishing you a peaceful and joy-filled beginning to the holiday season!

❧ Silke

The Mystery & Magic of Change

Change - it happens every moment of every day and it's definitely not always welcome in my life. Theoretically I like change just fine, but sometimes it's easier to like it in my mind than in my actual life.

But then I realized how many of the things I love to do aren't done unless I put them through a deliberate process of transformation. Like the felted slippers I make every year.

They go from being a ball of yarn to being knitted into giant socks. (Do you notice how Winslow isn't impressed in the photo below?!)

Then they go into the washing machine, which adds water and heat and friction...

 ... and when they come out: perfect!! (For anyone interested, this is the pattern I use, click on the link: Felted Slipper Socks. The $5 I paid for the pattern has been a very worthwhile investment!)

Another example of welcome change is baking. Yesterday I made bread and had a moment of marvel.

Add liquid to the dry ingredients and you get this:

Then add heat and the result is the most delicious bread! Again: perfect. Not lasting, but perfect at that moment.

It's really not much different from life, is it? Everything has to go through change in order to become more, different and a new version of "perfect in the moment." No matter how much I try to hold on sometimes, nothing ever stays the same. And really, when I think about my life and where it is now, that is perfect in itself. What I need to remember is that different does not automatically mean worse. In fact it can mean better and better and better!

Here are some beautiful flowers for you, gorgeous souls! Perfection in the moment!

Wishing you a peaceful Sunday!!

❧ Silke

A Milestone

As you know from my previous post, Daniel and I had a show of our artwork and the opening was last Friday. It was amazing! And absolutely so much fun! 

And as I get time to reflect, I realize it was so much more than that. In one of the quieter moments, I told Daniel that since our wedding day, this was probably the most significant event in my adult life. I was surprised when I said it, but then realized it was true. 

It was so much more than just showing my colorful art alongside Daniel’s exquisite watercolors. I spent the last six years following my soul’s urging to give it visual expression. When I finally decided to listen and stayed with it, I completed painting after painting, following my intuition and finally finding my own colorful voice.

Last Friday, I shared that with family, friends, students, some of Daniel’s fellow art professors, and the occasional stranger. And I felt not a hint of insecurity! I would say it was a miracle, had I not done a lot of inner work to stand strong in my own self.

Even with working on my sense of self worth, I wasn’t sure that I was up to public scrutiny of my art. Showing it online is very different for me than showing it all together in person. So it was a good thing I made a firm commitment when earlier this year Daniel and I planned to have a show together. That way I couldn’t bail at the last moment....

I called myself an artist before, but now I FEEL like one. 100 percent! And when several people told me how happy my art is and how it uplifted them, I knew that I am finally living my life purpose. Spreading joy and uplifting people has always been my wish, and even more so during these tumultuous times on our planet.

For over 40 years I have tried to find “my path.” I have had different careers, lived different places, had different interests, and nothing ever felt quite right. Or quite enough, I should say.

When I listened to the call to paint, I thought it was just another hobby I was going to try for a while. I never thought I’d find myself through color and paint.

Every painting I approach from a soul level. I never plan it, never do a sketch or figure out a composition first.

I pick a few colors and start dripping them into water on the canvas. When that dries, I try to look at it without judgment and wait for my intuition to guide me to the next step. Every painting is a new adventure!

I thought I could figure out my particular soul work with my mind, by reading books and thinking or writing about it, but that didn't work for me.

Painting the way I do helped me to get out of my head. I am a good thinker and analyzer, but my head was actually getting in the way of my heart and soul work. My art takes me into that space beyond words, which is where I found my path.

And last Friday, standing next to my extraordinary husband, I was brave enough to show it to everyone who attended our opening! And now my heart is filled with gratitude and so much love, especially for Daniel's unwavering support in my life's journey.

❧ Silke

Reflections

I took all these photos at the Chihuly Museum in Seattle this summer. It was spectacular! 

I can't believe that our summer is almost over. Daniel starts teaching again in another two weeks and already our days are getting busier with things that need to get done.

During our summer we painted, we read, we relaxed went to the movies, met up with friends, celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and traveled to Seattle to see some wonderful friends. We enjoyed every minute of it.

We also made plans to do a few renovations on the house and were getting busy with the prep work after we got back from Seattle when one of our pine trees close to the house was hit by lightening.

The lightning jumped to our outdoor spotlight and from there through some of the electrical wires into the house. We and our pets are all fine, although we were all shaken from the loud bang. And we lost quite a few appliances and electronics despite surge protectors, which need to be replaced.

But that's the ebb and flow of life - periods of free time to relax followed by busy times that keep us hopping. With everything we have going on this fall, we'll have to block out some time each week to relax and recharge.

Well, speaking of the ebb and flow of life.... lately I've been reflecting quite a bit on this next phase of my life I am entering: peri-menopause (sorry to any guys reading this. TMI, I know!). And while I kind of thought it would all be happening in my body, there's a lot going on in my mind, and my emotions are all over the place.

I'm definitely feeling this transition. It's sort of like going through puberty again (right down to the the increase of pimples in my face), but puberty was accompanied by great anticipation of being grown up and independent, with all the dreams of the young.

This now feels much calmer. In so many ways I have the life I have dreamed of. And I still feel anticipation of all this next phase will bring. At the same time I'm feeling just a little unsteady - not quite here anymore and not quite there yet.

There are days I feel confident and full of energy and others when I cannot find my place at all. I don't feel old, but I'm also not young anymore.

My body is changing, which I have trouble adjusting to. I used to be rail thin and skinny and now I am suddenly curvy. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but somehow I got it in my head that - for me - skinny is good and curvy is not. I know that's total nonsense, but it wormed itself into my thinking and it's taking me a long time to learn to be kind to my changing body and to still see it as beautiful.

I always thought that I would not ever have a problem with getting older, but... that was when I was young. When you are young you can't see things from an older person's perspective. But I do now. And while I have no regrets whatsoever about the choices I have made in life so far, and while I love my life right now, I still have to adjust to this new version of myself.

So, last night when everything felt a little chaotic with all the things we have going on right now around the house and life in general, I was wondering what I could use as an anchor of sorts. Painting has become sporadic and that won't change for the next few weeks. And then it occurred to me: my blog! I need to write again. I need to share. I need to go through my day and take photos that I'd love to put in my blog. I need to document this transition time for myself. I need to write! For me!

And if you are here reading what I write, even better!!

With much love and gratitude,

❧ Silke