Still here!!...

I know it has been a while since I posted last, over a month now. But I'm here!!!!  I'm around and about and today has been my first time to start painting again in a long while.  And to tell you the truth it hasn't been easy going, some of you might know that my daughter has severe autism and since February 2012 she developed head aches and it has been going on ever since and it has only become worse.

Journal page I did one night after one very frustrating day

So it has been a huge struggle for us and mostly for her as she can only say few words, but cant articulate where or how it hurts.  We know her and we all know that she's in pain and not doing well, but how do you explain that to Dr's and others who don't know her.  So during this whole time we have been fighting with the medical system, hospitals and specialists and all we got was not much at all, and due to this nothing was done and she only got worse.  Because of her autism and not being able to communicate verbally, her behaviours got worse and worse...   Everything around here has been put on hold, I haven't been able to work or paint, life just took a place on top of the highest shelf possible and everything has been to care for her and trying to find help for her.  Then finally two weeks ago, we finally found that one person who would hear us out and agree something has to be done.  Finally my little girl is getting the help she needs.  Now she's under medical care, some tests have been done and now we're waiting to hear.  We're no longer beating our heads against walls, our pleads for help have been heard and now the path looks like its going in the direction for the light.

So between visiting our girl in the hospital, meetings with Dr's and others, medical tests, never ending phone calls and emails, we have finally been able to catch up to much needed sleep, recovered energy and even been able to get a few things done around here.  One of the things was my workroom and studio space, the insulation work got done so Mr B bought me furniture and few things for my space {thank you baby} and although it has taken me over a month to get everything back in, I at last moved in again and even started to paint again.  So here it is, my new space {mind you, its still messy and will take time to get all that stuff I pushed under things to get sorted through} so I snapped a few pictures...

Canvas on the easel is getting ready for a painting I'm doing for an auction I'm donating it too 

{More details coming soon}

So today I added more to my canvas {details} and I cant tell you how fantastic it felt to 

be right in here, paint, feel the brush and just for a while my mind was only about the moment.

I feel hope and I really think we're now doing what should get done.

I cant believe it has been over a month since I posted here, and fall came and its almost over

or at least the beautiful colours have almost all fallen and faded away.

I have been able to get out for a few walks and of course my camera had to come along too.  

Board walk down by the bog

fall harvest

Sweet Cotton Grass

Here's to hope, to my little girl

And to everyone with no voices to be able to be heard!

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Spring clean up, or something like it...

Guess what!!!   It has become a just a tad bit warmer outside Yeahhhh!!... 
Meaning its not in the -20's {or below} any more so I have been able to venture in to the studio again.  Fun to be back in there, but, it needs a ton of work and I'm not just talking about little dusting and sorting {the list of "things to do" is a mile long} so the other day I rolled up the sleeves and got started, well sort of...

I ended up finding my old journals and I haven't seen them since way before we moved, so the sorting and cleaning went to a firm stop and I ended up looking through the journals instead {of course with fresh cup of tea to sip along with it}.  It was nice to flip through the pages again and it brought back a lot of memories, both the good and the sad.  But most of all the good pulled it all together and it gave hope.

After a time later of looking through journals and other old sketch books, I found another box that holds some of my older larger pieces I painted and drew on paper.
And I found this in there, a mixed media piece.

'Little Red Boots' mixed media on paper

                                      Okay so nothing really got crossed off the "to do" list,

but did it ever feel good to be in there without freezing my toes off.

I found inspiration and even for the future cleaning days.

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Im SoooooO Sick of Feeling Sick!!!

Its been a week today with this cold or what ever its named (I could give a few of my own names for it, but I don't want to be called potty mouth after)... But I can say this... IT MEGA SUCKS!!!!! Thank heavens for lap tops, I'm too tired to drag my self to the desk (got a little bit of work done), and I did a few drawings/paintings (all from the couch point of view). I wish to thank my friend Sandra for her virtual chicken soup, it hit the spot : )

Yesterday, I dog sat my friends dog Trevor... We did get out for a small walk, but other than that we took it easy (I had zero energy), lucky me Trevor rather sits on the couch and waits for his mommy, so we took it easy together. Please note Charlie is turned away from me, he was mad at me for having scratched behind Trevor's ears a few times too many (however, he forgave me later when the treats came out).

A few days ago, I went through some pictures that my aunt T sent me. I finally have pictures from my mums side of the family, and this is my first time to really see my Grandfather and what he really looked like. Aunt T also wrote a letter telling me about him and everyone else, I wish I could share things like this with my mum... But sadly I cant, she suffers from mental illness and we cant have conversations any more.

Top picture (left) is my mum at age 3 and my aunt T at 9 months, they are from very tiny little pictures (hard to see details on them). Picture on right hand side is what I put together in my Moleskin book. And the bottom picture is of my Grandfather Veikko. My aunt told me that he was a very proud family man, hard working and shy. He loved hunting, fishing and wood working. He died young, so I never got to meet him... These pictures aunt T sent me has made me feel closer not only to mum and who she was before, but also to the whole family on her side.

Thank you aunt T, oxoxox

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holidays iced over

Our Christmas has been very nice so far, my husband and I have been cooking up a storm in the kitchen. He made this really good carrot soup, perfect for cold winter days. Our turkey and ham turned out good, even after a few hick-ups at first. Kids were happy with their gifts and treats, and as always its so much fun watching them open their gifts up. We took it easy, went for nice long walks in the forest, read by the "cave man TV"(fire place channel, as our is still in the planning stage). Sure gave us some good laughs though. Today its Boxing day and the weather is really bad, ice rain and very nasty out. I did go out for a while (our son wanted to take something back to a store, so I took him to the mall... never again on a day like this, boxing day and ice rain, a combo from h.e. double hockey sticks). Got home and I took Charlie our for a short walk, took a few pictures as everything in sight is covered in heavy ice, so beautiful.

Now I'm going to bake a cake "soft spice cake", a recipe that I got from one of my favourite blogs I like to visit Mias Landliv. And here is my last contribution for EDM drawing challenge "Joyful", found time between my lazy moments by the fire and eating.


I hope all of you are having a great Boxing day so far, stay warm, draw and eat well.

Cheers,

Mari

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the joy of snow and frost, only lasted so long

Its warming up again, sigh, so much for the nice frosted grounds and white powdered hills... I got home and I have been stuck down in my studio all day, I have been trying to get all the tags done and after a while I just had to take a break. I took my break by creating a new journal page, I'm trying to come up with an idea for a piece of art for my daughter and I wanted to make it dreamy and fun. She is my little girl even if she is 15, and she has autism and she is more like a 5 year old. Still wants to be a princess, loves to craft and dress-up. I just love her imagination, her way to dream and how she sees life, its really neat.
The other journal page is from something I just put together out of the blue, I had some black masking tape left from a painting I did while back and I just love the rusty colours of it. Its about how time goes by so fast, my kids are growing up so fast and I'm, well getting a bit older... But Im still 25, so there.

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Mad Hatter Week and Double Multi Tasking...

What a week it has been, thank heavens its Friday. But on the positive side, I did get some art done, started on two painting and finished two journal pages and cooked up three new projects to do. And then tonight I got a third page done in my extra journal (that's the one that has everything and nothing in it), and that one I made while chatting with my brother on the phone... And if that was not enough of my wonder woman multi tasking skills, I also manage to throw the ball to Charlie a few times between chatting and creating.
So its been a crazy week, but there was great moments (they kind of wiped the bad once away).

Weekend here I come!!

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Inspiration, even though

My inspiration for yesterday was of all things, my allergies. I have allergies to pretty much everything you can think of (yes, chocolate too), and my eyes have taken a beating this fall. I kept rubbing them at night in my sleep, and by doing that I injured my eye and now I have to take it easy for a few days. I can read, but only for 30 min tops each time. And what do you think landed in my letterbox today? My book, and I have waited a long time to read it, I want to read it NOW!! What a tease, I feel like the donkey who has a stick tied to her neck, and a carrot dangling of the end, just out of reach... So close, yet so far.

But I did get two pages done in my journal yesterday (after I got home from the Dr's office), I felt frustrated and just had to do something. I named it "Labeled", and I bet there is many spelling mistakes in it, after all I couldn't see half of the stuff I wrote. But I like the colours.

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From one thing to another

Where ever I go, I always have with me a sketch book or my small paint kit.
Its nice to have something to put your ideas down in when you get the idea and before you forget about it.



Here I have first sketched this idea that came to me while sitting in a cafe, and a lady was sitting by the table next to mine and she was eating avocado salad. I loved the colours of the salad and there was Latino music playing in the background (got an idea),so I had to put that in to my book. Later on I painted it in to my book, followed by a few weeks later I painted the same idea on canvas (48" x 36").

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Art stuff and things and places between here and there

My old watercolour case, had it ever since my first year at art school (don't ask, it has been a while since I went to school). The case has been around the world, canoe trips, hiking, climbing, parks and cafes. It has taken a beating in bear barrels, backpacks, suitcases, my purse, trunk of the car and it has even floated in a lake (thank heavens for plastic pockets). Its small, but I get a lot in too it for times when I cant take a huge amount with me (I would like to take half of my studio). In it I have pencils, pens, brushes, water colour cakes, tape, glue, scissors, small paper bits and a few other small things.

This is from one of my many journals

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