5 Simple Joys - The August Edition
Inviting creativity into your life by
appreciating the little things.
There’s something about the summertime. The days are long but the months are oh-so-short. I don’t know about you, but the summertime has a way of wrapping me up in nostalgia while simultaneously flying by faster than I’d like. Before I know it, it’s labour day and everyone is heading back to the city for school, regular work hours, and a general sense of hurry.
I’ve been making a conscious effort this summer to slow things down; embracing the little joys in life. I don’t know why, but it still surprises me how the smallest things, the most seemingly simple or mundane moments in life, can provide me with the most emotion, creativity, and joy.
5 Simple Joys is a monthly excuse to celebrate these small moments. My hope is that not only will this exercise remind me of the beauty I’m surrounded by on a daily basis, but it will also encourage you to look at life with a lens full of curiosity and beauty.
image by www.ryannehollies.com
5 Simple Joys - August edition
1.Vintage Tins
If you’re anything like me, you have a deeply routed love for all things vintage. The nostalgia antiques bring is irreplaceable. I love nothing more than an object with a story. Even something as simple as an old cigarette tin has been places, has seen things, that I can only image. The patina, the smell, the joy it brings me to use items in a newfound way… I’m here for it all.
A couple of weekends ago, a girlfriend and I snuck in some antiquing in Prince Edward County after a day at the beach with our families. Among the treasures we scored, I found this adorable, green (my favourite colour of all time) vintage cigarette tin at one of my favourite antique stops, MacCools Re-Use. As soon as I saw it, I knew exactly what I’d put inside. It was the perfect size for my favourite, buttery pastels that had yet to find a worthy home that felt as special as the pastels themselves.
2. Found Treasures
There’s something about finding random objects - treasures, as my youngest son so lovingly calls them - and using them for something special.
Last year, while staying in Turkey Point at a gorgeous AirBnB, The Kinsfolk, I quite literally stumbled upon an old brick in the lake. After cursing the assault it caused on my toe, I picked it up out of the water and discovered it had a bunch of perfectly sized holes for my paint brushes! See?! TREASURE!
It has now become one of my most used objects in my studio, and will forever remind me of that glorious day at the beach with my kiddos and dear friends.
3. Antique Tool Caddies
Another perfect example of using something antique or vintage and repurposing it within modern day life is another find I scored while antiquing in Prince Edward County at another amazing spot, Dead People’s Stuff.
This tool caddy is made of solid wood and a few decent sized compartments, that is now the new home for my paints while traveling! Who knows?! It might even inspire me to attempt a day of Plein Air painting?!
4. Sketching with Pastels
I used to go the traditional charcoal, conté or pencil route while sketching out ideas. But to be honest, those mediums never brought me any satisfaction. I could never really get my ideas down properly, due to the lack or texture and colour I could achieve. They were limiting, and I always felt less than inspired while using them.
Although it seems rather simple, I felt as if I had an epiphany one day when I started using oil pastels by France’s renowned manufacturing company of art materials, Sennelier, in lieu of my pencil. It was as if my world had opened up entirely. Sketching with their buttery pastels (designed in collaboration with no other than Pablo Picasso himself!) felt freeing. Their silky smooth texture, their colour range, all of it. I was hooked. There was no turning back. Now my sketchbook is full of life, and the sketches I make for proposed commissions are alive and full of energy, giving my collectors a much better sense of what their piece will feel like in the end.
5. Wood Panels
A new found love of mine is using wood panels as a painting surface. There are some artists that I admire that have been using wood panels for years, but it only just recently dawned on me that I, too, could give this a go! I wasn’t totally sure if I’d like working on wood, as opposed to canvas, but I have to admit that wood might be my favourite support. The way the wood itself acts as the background/base colour brings in a natural, organic feel that is perfectly matched to my typical subject matters. The wood grain also adds a texture that I have become deeply obsessed with. Although this seems like such a small thing to most, working on an organic surface gives me this cozy feeling that I can’t quite put into words. It brings me joy each time I use it!
Like I said, I truly hope this blog post inspires you take things a little slower, and to appreciate the smaller things in life a little more.
Thanks for reading! Until next time,