Glimpses of the Gunflint Trail

My husband and I had the opportunity to escape to the Gunflint Trail this weekend! (The Gunflint is a trail/region in northern Minnesota that borders Canada!) 
Wow, I felt so blessed to be surrounded by all the gorgeousness. 
HELLO Gratitude!

It was very healing and inspiring. It is a long drive, and for only a couple days it was a lot of driving but it was worth it.

We did lots of dreaming of when we will buy our own place near the North Shore. My husband brings out the dreamer in me, he's a good listener and encourager of all my dreams. I am so thankful for him. This trip was planned for our 2 year Anniversary. We relaxed, went fishing, boating, picked blueberries, visited friends, and soaked in as much of the beauty as we could.

I love the simplicity of the the north woods. There is inspiration around every corner.
The rocks, the trees, the water, the sky... it just doesn't end.


I am so inspired by this trip. Can't wait to get into the 'art room' to create!
I've missed my landing pad...
xox
Nat

Backyard Beauty

If your looking for inspiration - most of the time you really don't have to go too far! You can go right in your own backyard to find inspiration! This inspiration you can use in your art or just to lift you up!

Sometimes we don't have time with work, family, obligations and all the other life stuff to travel or go to a 'beautiful place.'

So why not just look around your house, your yard, your bedroom, at the park by your house... look around at your beautiful life. I know it's there!

When we take the time to notice the beautiful things
that are right around us...
it only attracts more beautiful things!

Go find beauty!
This is what I found in my
backyard.... 

And this beautiful ball of orange fur and love!

Letting go - to SOAR!

I am trying (it's so hard for me!) to eat Gluten Free, and last night - I caved and ate pizza with my husband. I was sick. Tummy churning, I can't sleep or lay down sick. So I painted from 11pm - 1am! I just showed up in front of the canvas and let the painting tell me what it needed, what colors, what images it wanted... and...


Last night BEFORE I started painting....
This has 5-6 layers (I lost count)?

and then after last night's painting session...

WOW - looks a little different huh? It's not a horizontal painting anymore! And the color palette has changed!

It's still not done yet but I really like where it's going.

I LOVE eagles, they are my good luck charm. They make me smile, they inspire me - you might say they are my totem.
I'm the eagle spotter in the family. I've love to photograph them, spot them, draw them... but I've never painted one. Until now!
We have a eagle center here in MN that is amazing if you haven't been (I posted about it here.)

Letting go on the canvas is so exhilarating... and freeing.
 
I just let it FLOW. 

Almost without thinking... as you can see within only a couple of hours the piece completely changed!
I was so overjoyed while created this - I was damn near moved to tears.
It felt like the canvas was breathing, coming to life, a part of me.

Some of my photographs from a couple of recent trips - to the cabin and the north shore were my inspiration.
Here's a close up of the rocks section - I'm loving it!

Painting is what I was born to do. 
The eagle symbolizes my creative wings soaring.
Taking flight.
Today I went to yoga and we were asked to set an intention for our practice.
Mine was "Creative Energy"
 
I instantly had a vision of the eagle I painted.... soaring on the beach... the sky was swirled with a million beautiful colors. I was the eagle, it was so magical.


What is it that lights you up inside?
Do more of that.
Miracles will happen.
Love will bloom.
Wings will soar.




Nat



P.S.
Do you have intention for this day? This night? This week? This life?
Set your intention and focus on that.
Anything is possible!

Nike was right!

I really must say Nike had it right.

(Gee, did I really love Nike) 

I was a kid in the 90's... and Nike clothes, socks, hats, shirts and shoes where 

REALLY COOL.

I've discovered the only way to conquer fears, is to just do it.
I've had so many fears, fears that have stopped me in my life.
Afraid of situations, afraid to stand up for myself, afraid of what others with think.
Afraid what will happen, afraid what won't happen.

Anxiety runs in my blood, my dad told me my great grandma even had it.
We live in a fast-passed world where anxiety seems to be abundant.
People are taking prescriptions and trying to cure the overwhelm.
The stomach aches, the fears, the pounding heart, the shaking, sweaty hands.

They want to make it stop.
I've been there. Just wanting it to stop.

For me the cure wasn't the prescription (I've tried it).
I've had anxiety since I was in Elementary school.
At that time prescription drugs weren't as popular and my mom gave me a Pepto Bismol and send me to school.

And guess what?
I was okay.
My mom made me face my fears.
At the time it seemed so unfair. I thought she didn't understand.
Now, I think of it with love, as I'm an adult now and I understand my fears and anxiety much better now. I know how to tame the wild horses in me when they get out of control.
I've learned lots of way to cure anxiety when I start to get overwhelmed

• Meditation
• Walk the dog
• Time in Nature
• Plan a mini vacation!
• RUN!
• Exercise, move and shake it all out
• Clean
• Paint
• Call an awesome friend or my mom 

 What are your go to cures for anxiety and stress?

Me being brave!

 What have I done to get over my fears?

• Paint. Paint messy and wild. With NO plan, no vision other than to play! It's not the last canvas in the world (just heard that line - and LOVE IT!)
• Jump into the lake (even though I'm afraid of what I can't see below the surface)
• Call a client so see if they want to buy! (Um, what if they No?! I just told those voices to shut up and dialed!)
• Confronted a mean friend when I was being hurt.
• Went PARA-Sailing (pictured above!)
• Started this blog!

These are just a few... and if I wouldn't have done any of these who would I be today? Being Brave can be hard, but it's rewarding and exciting!
When we are brave... breakthroughs and new journey's are born!


STORY TIME
In third grade I was afraid to go down the water slide. We were at the community center
(I think it was a girl scout troop outing) and I was terrified to go down the water slide. Everyone else was going down. Having so much fun. I just waited for my friends in the pool. They kept keep trying to talk me into going and I bashfully said no. I was so afraid. Someone even said... "I can't believe you are afraid...look the 5 year old kids are going down the slide!"
My best friend some how convinced me, the pool was closing in 10 minutes and we were going to have to go home. I was stricken with fear, what if I drown, what if it went to fast. With time running out I went for it.
OMG.
I FLIPPING DID IT.
And
And...
I LOVED IT!
I quickly got a few more times in before the pool closed.
I will never forget that night at the Community Center Pool.
Everyone was so happy, my friends and my best friend's mom. It seemed like such a special moment.

I faced my fear.

It's your turn....
JUST DO IT!

PPF - Fishin' Fun!

I'm BACK!
 
I've been so busy creating lately! I posted a couple of times here and here about unraveling in process.

And emerging through letting go and just painting with wild abandon! 

I've really missed painting and sharing with the Paint Party Group on Fridays! 
Besides all the canvases I've been working on I finished up this Illustration "Fishin' Fun" All my free weekends this summer have been spent at the cabin where we do lots of fishing!

Have a beautiful weekend friends...Check out the other talent here! 

Nature Spottin'

My biggest source of inspiration is nature. Hence my longing to live closer to the deep wilderness. Here are some of my favorites pictures that I captured at the cabin last weekend.
 
We bought bikes this year (YEA!) and a bike rack (YEA!) and brought them up to the cabin and went on a 17 mile bike ride through Itasca State Park! WOW! It was so beautiful and inspiring, great workout too!

I can use these back in my sketchbook or in paintings as a source for ideas, shapes, pattern, texture and color!
 

 

 

 

Hope you are staying inspired and focused on your dreams however big or small

... the summer is going by so quickly for me!

Happy Summer - Happy Day!

Nat

Blooming in Layers

Here is the one of my recent paintings showing all the layers. What an amazing process I am going through. Of letting go, of finding ME in my work. I felt a little vulnerable, on the edge of something great. A journey of my true expression, breaking free from what I think the work should be, just letting it all flow from inside me. 

I met with an old friend yesterday and she said "Isn't it great to be an artist?" And I can't help but think of that now as I compiled all these images together to see the progression.

It's exciting and freeing.

I am trusting myself, and following my intuition.

Where ever the brush takes me, I say yes.

YES!

I look at this last photo I took of my painting, and I'm in love. How can I describe it? I remember the first time I just painted "freely." Damn, it felt good. It flowed from the oceans inside me. I was in high school (10 years ago) I created a piece for a special boyfriend. What was on the canvas was my heart, I told him. It was my expression of my love. It was a poem in color. My deepest feelings expressed through the texture, strokes, shapes and rainbow of color.

This idea of me being all over the canvas still rings true now.
 
Today I look at this painting I created, and I feel so overwhelmed with joy and happiness, it brings me to tears. I feel like my true, raw - heart, soul and spirit is here for you see. It's me.

This is the forest of my heart.

Letting go of expectations I have for myself, fears of what others will think is right where I am, and right where I want to be.


xoxo
Nat