^{When our daughter was about seven she asked me one day why I worked at a hobby store. I told her that I taught adults how to paint. With her moon-size, golden brown eyes and pouty “O” shaped mouth she replied with child-like innocence, “Oh, you mean they forgot?”}

^{Ever so long ago I taught painting to hundreds and hundreds of adults. It was rare to meet an adult who didn’t approach the new painting class with deep concern and hidden fears that they wouldn’t be able to paint, wouldn’t be good enough, or fast enough.  Long ago they had left their self confidence and open childhood behind.}

^{Songwriter, Neil Young suggests, “If an idea comes to me I see it as a gift and roll with the muse.  I am faithful to that one thing. All of this is coming from somewhere. I just have to stand true with open arms.”}

^{Sounds easy “Stand true with open arms.” How do we create these supposedly open windows of optimism and self expression, allowing the creative muse to fly into our heart?  My take on this: The universe may be jam packed with magical experiences just waiting but why wait? Let’s be proactive and create a few “magical experiences” of our own!}

^{LIVE OUTSIDE OF THE LINES, calendar lines that is!  Clear a day or few hours from your calendar and play, play, play.       HAVE A RED LETTER DAY! Literally: Paint a still life, portrait, and landscape, whatever pleases you in endless variations of red. Pull out all of the tubes and jars…go for it.         PHOTOGRAPHER: Put a black and white PHOTOGRAPH in PHOTOSHOP and use RED FILTERS to create an entirely different mood.          NATURE anyone: Collect HEART shape rocks, heart shape leaves, anything from nature. Place in an empty shallow box (like the ones for jewelry.) Paint the box in your favorite color. A miniature COLLAGE reminding you of your day with NATURE.                Have you visited the CRAYOLA aisle of your favorite retailer? You will be amazed at what they have created to bring out the ARTIST in you. Kid’s stuff has never been better for the adult. I love the BLOW PENS, which splatter everywhere.  Load up; you will have so much fun with these products. I experiment with my CRAYOLA goodies on rolls of WHITE BUTCHER PAPER.  This, now happily decorated paper is later used for GIFT WRAP.   PS: I found markers in wild circus-colors; by BIC…they are fabulous!            PAINTING PEOPLE and not sure what to do with the open spaces surrounding your subject? Turn painting SIDEWAYS or UPSIDE DOWN and think of the blank area as an ABSTRACT. Begin filling in color, texture and small dabs of complimentary color. KEEP TURNING, KEEP WORKING your canvas.              Write “ART WISHES” on broad green leaves with GOLD or SILVER MARKERS. Release the leaves to the WINDS OF CHANCE or pin up on your vision board.       Remember SQUISHY FINGER PAINTING when you were young, try ADULT FINGER PAINTING using only your pinkies for dots, thumbs for dashes. Think SEURAT and POINTILLISM for inspiration.          VINCENT VAN GOGH painted the starry night sky, his straw hat studded with burning candles. Go outside and paint the MILKY WAY as though you were in the stars. TIP: buy one of those FLASHLIGHTS that go around your head—hands free!          Do you LOVE TO EAT foods that have amazing color and texture? Mix up your own paint palette with “FOOD COLORS” in mind.  ORANGEADE—COTTON CANDY PINK—MALTBALL BROWN—DJION MUSTARD GOLD—MARASCHINO CHERRY RED-- While you are at it: mix up some random colors and give them a fantastic new name.          Take an ORDINARY BLOSSOM and re-invent it on canvas. Draw a BLOSSOM in the center of your paper and create/doodle fantastic leaves, misshapen petals, scrolls within leaves and flower, keep going. Now add more petals, more leaves, crosshatching, dots and dashes. Think INDIAN PAISLEY for inspiration.  Let it FILL the entire CANVAS.        When our son was young and not always eager to practice the piano each day, he found a way to make it more MAGICAL. He would DRESS UP in a worn green velvet waistcoat trimmed in gold braid. He transformed himself into AMADEUS MOZART and played with great gusto.  Who would you choose to EMULATE for inspiration?  For starters just don a BERET.    OLD PAINTINGS stacking up? CUT UP a PAINTING (S) you have little interest in. Cut into AMORPHOUS shapes. Play with these random pieces in a new way, creating an ABSTRACT. Glue down onto another substrate, over paint, fill in, and turn upside down.  Just keep working and exploring new possibilities.         BEST FOR LAST: My all time favorite REPOSITORY OF POSSIBILITIES is an ongoing ART JOURNAL (s). ART JOURNALS provide an opportunity to paint anything and everything just for experimenting, exploring, developing new ideas, painting the style of a favorite artist!  ART JOURNALS are the perfect place to let the muse run wild. I will be writing more on ART JOURNALS at a later date.}

^{This week, find a PLACE WITHOUT LINES on your CALENDAR and have the best PLAY DATE EVER!!! Would love to hear what you do!}