Artful Reflections
Artful Reflections are my personal insights, stories, and musings shared in a collection of blog posts. This is where I share my conundrums and philosophies about my creative life behind the canvas.
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2025 A Year of Color and Attention
Looking back at this year of painting I painted a lot this past year. Twenty Seven paintings. Holy Moly! Some paintings were so easily created that they almost painted themselves. Then there were others where the whole process was a struggle and a bit frustrating. Some work may hover in the almost done stage for weeks and is looking for more patience than I thought I had. I have previously mentioned that I do have a lot of “impatience” especially with myself! Color (really value) continues to lead the way as it almost always does with me. Without realizing, I leaned into it more boldly, trusting instinct over planning. Detail…
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When Your Art Page Gets Hacked
I got hacked. Lost my art page and a little bit of trust along with it There’s nothing quite like that gut-punch moment when you realize your Instagram art page – the one you’ve spent years building – has been hacked. Commandeered. Taken over. All your efforts in those posts, connections, and quiet moments of sharing your work with people who genuinely care about it… are suddenly out of your control and replaced with spam posts! It’s frustrating, infuriating, and honestly, a little heartbreaking. You pour so much of yourself into your online spaces. It’s not just “social media” – it’s our gallery, our portfolio and often our community. The…
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Horizon Health and the most excellent after care
Thank You to my Amazing Hospital Care Team with a big shoutout to the Physiotherapy Team! I really want to thank the incredible team at Horizon Health and St. Joseph’s Hospital. This whole experience was so much better than I could have imagined. Recovering from a total knee replacement isn’t exactly a walk in the park… however, everyone I encountered — from Dr. Kerr and the surgical team, nurses and PT treated me with such professionalism, skill, and genuine kindness. The experience I had a few things that caused me concern. First was getting discharged from the hospital and thinking I was going to be kicked to the curb without…
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Muscles, Mussels and More
Well it’s been an eventful bit of time between rendering mussels, nurturing muscles and more. Gathered by the Tide The shore has always captivated me. From my early years in Cape Breton to the many beaches in New Brunswick – the shore has always been an important part of my life. There is something mesmerizing about the quiet beauty of a beach scattered with shells that were Gathered by the Tide. Treasures waiting to be discovered. The way the light catches the shells revealing their iridescent blues and purples. This painter’s delight! The salt-worn edges that contrast with their smooth interiors. It’s a subject that I will always keep returning to.…
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The missed shots
Thinking about all the bird photos that weren’t meant to be This post is a tribute to all the photos I meant to take, the ones that got away, the ones I thought I actually captured – because those might be some of the best images that I imagined i could translate onto canvas. What I managed to capture are images of the feeder swaying after a take off. Bird rumps and tail shots. Blurry birds and fuzzy feathers. Innumerable bad shots. The ever elusive blue jay. I’ve missed the blue wonder countless times, and with every miss I had to laugh a little more. I mean what else could…
