We were counting down the minutes to the end of 2020, hopeful that this New Year would bring a bright new beginning that would replace the turmoil in our lives. Purging the worries of the past year, making room for healthier and happier times ahead - that was the plan. It may be starting off a bit rocky, but I’m still hopeful that we’re on the right path. Patience is a virtue that I’m still trying to cultivate. J

In keeping with that trajectory, I’m making room for new things to come into my studio, new ideas, new art materials, new themes . . . literally. Here’s what I’m clearing out:
Old paint clothes that are beyond crunchy
Battered brushes
Paintings I’ve definitely outgrown
Tubes and tubs of paint gone sticky or smelly
Rags, way too many containers and bits and bobs I’ll never use.  
​(SEE STUDIO TIPS BELOW)

Have you noticed how many people are turning to long forgotten crafts these days? I see rug hooking, knitting, sewing, baking and other crafts making a sudden resurgence. My goodness, even macramé is coming back. By Spring time, I predict we’ll see a lot of tie-dye T-shirts. So what’s going on? 
 
We’re filling our days with the things that soothe our daily lives, activities that bring us comfort and wash away distress. We are learning to take care of each other and ourselves and . . . making some really awesome stuff!
 
As the Holiday Season approaches, you have many options for the gifts you choose for your loved ones. ​

​There are few things in life that are absolutely certain. But, we quirky humans are capable of great adaptations. We find solutions. We are logical and intuitive, strategic and ingenious, especially in times of greatest turmoil. We embrace surprises, cope with unexpected challenges, and learn to move on to the next phase of our lives. Change is constant, and it is also necessary for the survival and growth of a creative life. 
 
To be sure, this year has given us an extra large dose of uncertainty, and if you’re like me, a fair amount of discomfort with not knowing what lies around the bend. Making plans to see friends, family, travelling, where and how to work . . . it has all become unpredictable. Some of us are better than others under these circumstances, but honestly, I’m sure we’re all at the point of ‘enough already’. We’re eager for the freedom we once had to plan our lives, but that may have to wait a while longer yet

There’s no doubt we’ve all had big adjustments to make in our lives this year. The rollercoaster of emotions has been difficult to navigate at times, but it hasn’t been all bad. We’ve found new ways to connect and realized how important those connections are to our daily lives. We’ve learned to appreciate the present moment because the future is so unpredictable. And that focus has helped us to learn new things about our environment, about ourselves and those we love.
 
Here in the Atlantic provinces of Canada, we’ve been luckier than in many communities. Our low infection rate, so low in fact that we have been designated ‘the safest place in North America’, has been, at least in part, because we have a strong sense of community. Caring about the wellbeing of others comes naturally to Maritimers. We live with an attitude of WE, not just ME. That is the key to a healthier society on so many levels, from the food we share to the care we take to repurpose and recycle. (If you live in Nova Scotia, you know about Guy's Frenchys!)

From time to time my artwork is rented for TV shows and movie shoots. It's always fun to imagine someone watching a show and seeing the artwork in the background. The work is rented through a gallery that represents me, then usually returned some time later for sale. 

This is painting is one of the works that was shown in a Christmas Special for 'This Hour Has 22 Minutes' a couple of years ago and it's now back in my studio. Because artists aren't told in advance when the gallery rents it out, I didn't know until I received messages from people across the country who recognized my style, people who follow me and collect my work. Imagine...they knew before I did! (smile) ​

​How does one become an artist? If you’re not one of those who went to art school and followed the direct line to becoming a famous artist (how many of those exist?), then the journey is probably more convoluted.

​‘Believe in yourself, and already, you have your first accomplishment.’ I was 16 when I wrote that neatly in my diary. Then later: ‘Be true to yourself, and the light will brighten the path you need to follow.’ It took some time, some twists and turns to get here, but the path is pretty well illuminatedt these days. 
 
When I was young, I thought I’d be a writer, live in Paris (how romantic!), travel the world and be an agent for change with my words or projects. I did travel, but then I came back and worked again so that I could feed my escapist habit. Travel, photography, writing and art making were always calling. I just had to find a way to support the habit. 

​Do you feel like you’re walking on pins and needles, waiting and waiting for the next report, the next directive about what we should and shouldn’t be doing? 
 
Being ‘fluid’ in my approach to making art is a joyful feeling, part of my creative process, but that’s because it is a self-imposed time for exploration, not something that is mandated out of fear and anxiety. Who likes to be told what to do?! 
 
We all want to do the right thing for the community and ourselves. It’s our obligation to society in general and to those we love. But how can we reframe this time of uncertainty in a positive light? How can we turn this time of ongoing uncertainty into an opportunity for growth, joy and hopefulness, not to mention my favourite: creative exploration in our lives? 

Do You Feel Like You’re Living in a Sci-Fi Movie? None of us imagined that we’d be living through these unusual times, isolating ourselves from others, from the environment we live and work in. Times have changed and we can’t predict what the future will look like. But because of all the challenges we’ve faced, we have adapted and learned new ways to live, some of them might even last for a very long time. 
 
I’ve started gardening. I’m looking forward to those sprouts becoming something I can actually eat, excited about picking fresh greens out of the garden instead of cracking open a plastic container of already slimy arugula. There is joy in the immediacy of that. 
 
Another first: Teaching Online! I’ve just finished giving my first Online Art Workshop. I was asked to share some of my techniques in a few one-on-one sessions with an artist thousands of miles away. 

​In the past, I have been accused of having my head in the clouds, of being a bit of a Pollyana because of my inclination to turn challenges into opportunities, difficulties into lessons that bring about positive change. I swear, I was born optimistic and feisty, a ‘fixer’ at heart. This time in isolation is certainly a test of my skill at maintaining that positive outlook, but I have fared well and am very grateful to have my studio at home, have beautiful views and natural surroundings to calm me and feed my soul. I've even ventured into the world of gardening, albeit with baby steps so far.
 
​As much as I love adventures and challenges, I certainly wouldn’t have chosen this period of isolation, nor would I be the one signing up for a silence retreat. Working as an artist alone in the studio is my ‘normal’, so that might be why I have fared so well. Kayaking is another solitary activity most of the time and I’ve been able to do that a few times when the wind hasn’t been blowing like crazy. Until Covid-19 though, those solitary pursuits were intermingled with joyful times with friends and family and that created a balanced life. And of course, there’s the issue of choice. There’s always that! (smile)

I’m late sharing my thoughts with you this month, because I struggled to find words that had meaning in a time when we are blanketed with fear. But here it is, the one thing that will save us from disaster is persistence in the effort to help one another. 
 
The irony is that as a result of our isolation, our social distancing, we are getting a glimpse into the many ways in which we are connected and dependent on one another. We are protecting ourselves, and our families; we are also protecting each other. We see the world turned upside down and shutting down; fear of the unknown is disrupting a nonchalant approach to living that many of us have taken in the past. The attitude of indifference to the suffering of others and of our environment is over. No one is immune. Where we were focused on our differences in the past, we are getting a glimpse now at the way that the world exists as one cohesive organism.