Portraits of a Lady

"Subconsciously or not, the figures I paint are a reflection of myself and whatever mood I am in at the time, so every painting is in essence a self-portrait." ~ Lori Earley

Lori Earley is a New York artist and I must say, I like her style...

Belladonna

The Parting

Angela

Drained

Regret

Ms. V

loriearley.com

Skating Around The Frozen Pond

Ah, Christmastime. How I adore thee. I love the fact that I can play Christmas carols for an entire month, drink Gingerbread lattes (pure heaven in a cup), and walk along a street lit up with bright twinkling lights and crunchy white snow....though rain seems to be the norm here on the West Coast. It makes me appreciate the snow even more. What I wouldn't give right now to go skating outdoors at Hawrelak Park. I reminisce. There's something insanely romantic about holding hands under the moonlit sky and gliding around.

I love the fact that my neighbour up the street put up the tree in November. I love that there is a fuschia Christmas tree sitting in the window of a downtown store. It was there last year, and still there it is. Who wants a fuschia tree? I love that this season brings out the heart of people. There's more laughter, more giving. I'm moved by stories of strangers doing something kind for another without expecting anything in return, even something simple as recognition.

The only thing I don't love, is the insanity. After yet another year of this, I'm tempted to spend next year on a ski hill in Banff, in a lodge with a huge fireplace and room service. Just escape all of the hustle and bustle and noise of the city. Just relax, enjoy and reflect on the year past and the year ahead. It's easy to get caught up in the madness of the season. The impatient drivers. The crazy shoppers. Yes, the rude ones who forget manners and joy as they rush around for last minute gifts. These situations bring out the worst in me, if I allow it. But I don't want to be that person. Just because someone is an ignorant bastard to me, doesn't mean I should be one in return, does it.

Have yourself a happy non-specific seasonally correct interdenominational pseudo holiday festive occasion.

In other words,

Merry Christmas.

Extreme Storm Surgin'

Now here's a sport I think I can do...too.

Changing the way you look at the world. I like that. I like the entire concept. No two people have the same experiences. We are restricted to our own consciousness. Confined by our paradigms. We need to break out of these molds and live.

Live fully.

Life is short. We need reminders, because so often we forget. To look and see the world and experience the moments it offers. Dare. Dream. Laugh. More importantly, laugh at yourself. Give. Give to the world, your heart, your soul, your voice ~ in whatever way which makes sense to you. BE. Be brave. Be who you are. Be different. Be present. Be open to new ideas. Be willing to run, to leap and land on our feet or fall flat on our face. We need to have more faith in ourselves and more faith in others. Because we get each other through. We need to live a life congruent to our values, ideals and dreams. To never cease to wonder. To imagine what will be. To see all possibilities, when no one else will.

This is nothing new. But it never grows old.

Think about it.

This is your life.

"Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.

The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.

About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward.

Maybe they have to be crazy.

How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?

We make tools for these kinds of people.

While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."

~ Steve Jobs

Fleeting Beauty

Sylvia Ji, an artist from San Fransisco, has some mesmorizing work...I revel in sensuality.

Sylvia Ji