My hopeful world

I've been musing on BELONGING...

I know firsthand what it means not to belong, to skirt around the edges of love and acceptance. I'm certain that my own quest for a "home" is what led me down the path, to join hands with Jen Lemen in Hopeful World.

That was in 2010 and there isn't a day that I'm not grateful for what we've built together: a virtual place in which everyone can experience a radical kind of acceptance and belonging, too. Since 2011, we have been hosting online classes in personal development that are helping dear hopeful souls come home to themselves. Perhaps this is you?

In my hopeful world, your heart is nurtured by the knowing that in those moments when you feel most alive -- you also feel that truest self of yours is wanted and needed in the world, no matter how humble or unconventional.  

In my hopeful world, you are loved... in both your moments of elation and despair.

So if you feel called for this kind of self-acceptance and belonging, come join us for an upcoming session of The Story of You, or Your Emotional Wisdom. We also publish an self-paced class based on Trudeau's The Mother's Guide to Self-Renewal so you can join the thousands of mothers around the world who have grown from Renée's self-renewal circles. And, if you or a loved one you is challenged with postpartum depression/anxiety, we publish Katherine Stone's Daily Hope.

The Little Mermaid

I'm playing with illustrations for a new online class we're hosting on Hopeful World called The Story of You, debuting in April. Here's my little mermaid.

And Everything is New

Change is good, right? This. In honor of my brand new life.

Studies for Children's Book

Working on some illustrations for a children's book, using the gouache technique I've been experimenting with on my kid portraits.

Sick-O

Poor guy has been sick. As much as I hate seeing him in such a sad state, he's so adorable and especially snuggly when he's not feeling well. I can barely stand it. I know he won't always fit so snugly in this bean bag, nor will his feet be so small. I want to remember him like this.

And oh, isn't gouache so much fun?

Illustration Friday: Roots

And now, from a completely different brain... for this week's subject, I went back to my roots, literally. Digging deep into the depths of my files, I unearthed a defining piece from my past. The topic suggested an exploration of one's source and at its conception, this piece was about the gestation of ideas. As it progressed, it revealed something much darker, as did a lot of my work at the time. It was probably just cooler to be an angst-ridden artist in 1992.

Illustration Friday: Dream

I think I labor over the caption more than the image. In the case of "dream," the image came quite easily but I can't really explain why. Twisted free association, I guess. Dreams are like that, sometimes meaningful and sometimes fluffy; I think there is a concept here, of fulfilling seemingly impossible dreams. Or maybe, just flying pigs.

Selfie

Changed my headshot to the first self-portrait I've done in a dozen years.

Illustration Friday: Wisdom

A more lighthearted take than my original idea. All fellow moms of small children will understand "The Wisdom of the 4pm Frappuccino!"

Illustration Friday: Empty

Empty nests... are they really empty?

Illustration Friday: Aging

This is my first post. It's a little late... waiting for paint to dry! I was inspired by my 3-year old's "pretend crabs" chasing her away from her "pretend beach party" today. I am no hermit crab expert, mind you but I understand that as they age, they instinctively know when it is time to trade in their current accommodations for the bigger, better deal. I am currently intrigued by the idea that as people age, they also turn in their "encasements" — sets of ideas, patterns of behavior, stale relationships, etc. and are fully transformed into... brand new CRABS!

This was originally posted here, for Illustration Friday but I've long since lost the password to this blog soooo....