The weekly word for Illustration Friday is Resolve, appropriately enough.

mixed media on 12 x 12 canvas board

Resolve to be quite, listen, make peace, be still, believe, embody mindfulness, dream, create and love to your fullest.

I was very much inspired (obviously) by my new book, Taking Flight: Inspiration & Techniques to give your Creative Spirit Wings by Kelley Rae Roberts.  I love this book.  Kelly is inspiring, gentle, supportive and encouraging. She takes some beautiful techniques, contributed by many other amazing artists, and gives step by step instructions to “give your creative spirit wings”. Everything you need to get the paint brushes out and make a mess.  And a mess I did make.  My hubby gave this book to me as a Christmas gift and I love it!

Illustration Friday word of the week is Repair.

“let’s make it better”

Illustration Friday word of the week ~ Late

Watercolor & Pencil

The mail is ALWAYS late when you are waiting for a special package.

Illustration Friday word for the week is packed

Watercolor & ink
(see it BIGGER)

Because we hike on a regular basis, we’ve tried hard to keep hiking a fun activity for the boys.  Super-E at age 7 is a good hiker but sometimes gets bored.  I-guy, age 3, will hike with us for about half the hike, but still needs to be carried in daddy’s carrier through tough terrain (or during cranky & tired moments).

I-guy may be too young for his own pack, but Super-E certainly isn’t, especially if his bag is light and  packed with interesting things.  This illustration serves as a reminder of things we need on our hiking trips.  We are always forgetting something.  We (mom & dad) still carry the water bottles and snacks, eliminating some of the heavier items from a little pack.  And I, of course, have my camera with me. Some more adult items might be a pocket knife and waterproof matches.  We never go hiking with the kids for longer than an hour or two, so some of these things might be unnecessary on a very short hike.

The map, compass, binoculars, notebook and pencil all keep a long hike interesting for Super-E.  Sometimes a small bird, plant or insect book comes along with us too.

Illustration Friday word for this week is island.

My photo of this painting is way more pink than it really is.  It’s really a darker orange and purple-ish color.  It’s too late in the evening to re-shoot. Ah well.   Enjoy!

Word for Illustration Friday this week is clutter.

“Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night.”~Unknown

During the summer of 1998, before our last year of college, my husband and I went on an 8 week journey across the US in a 1974 VW Camper Van.  So many wonderful memories were made with that great little bus.

We mostly camped, but occasionally stayed with relatives and friends, parked in a few parking lots over night and stayed in a hotel or two.

We started in Flagstaff, AZ and drove 10,000 miles winding our way up the west coast, heading east after Seattle to Washington D.C. then back towards Flagstaff.  See that little detour in Southern California (below)?   Our engine blew up on day 2 (!) near Santa Maria.  Hubby’s mother drove from San Diego and rescued us so that we could spend a week putting in a rebuilt engine ($ChaChing$).  After that little hiccup, we were on our way again.

She was the prettiest little bus.  Bright orange and cheerful. When we bought her for $2400 she was disgustingly filthy.  We scrubbed her up, made new curtains, reupholstered the back seat, and put new seat covers in the front.    After lots of motor work, she was purring too –even more so after the new engine. Very slow on the road , but steady. Sadly we sold her for $3500 to help us pay for that engine and the small dept we had generated from the trip.

Lots of good memories, but a funny one was all of the people who would stop dead in their tracks to watch us drive by, often times shooting a peace sign at us.  We’d laugh and laugh and laugh. Good times, good times!

A very late entry for Illustration Friday.

12 x 12 Acrylic

I’ve been making a huge effort to make exercise, yoga and meditation a part of my daily routine.  I’ve been doing well for the last two weeks, getting yoga in at least 4 time per week.  It’s so crazy how much it affects my day when I actually do take the time to practice.  I feel more energized, flexible and conscious of what I do, how I think and what I eat.   It’s a great feeling.

Another thing I want to make more routine is painting and drawing.   It’s a another thing that makes me happy, calm and very aware of everything around me.  When I’m in my painting moods, suddenly everything becomes incredibly colorful, vivid and an object of art.

8 x 10 Acrylic on wood

I have always admired Frida Kahlo. I love that she is strong, beautiful and unique in her ideas and art. I have always felt that there should be some Frida in my home, so it seemed only fitting that I create a portrait of her to hang on my walls. She fits perfectly in my home, with her colorful and striking style.

Theme word for Illustration Friday this week: Garden

Watercolor and Pencil

We are super excited about spring/summer fruits and vegetables! They are the best. Strawberries and tomatoes are two of our favorites. We are preparing for a small garden, hopefully it will go as planned. If not, we have our local CSA and a community garden. At the very least, we can say that we finally have our compost started.

Happy Wednesday!!