15 Original Acrylic Paintings
BOLD, VIBRANT, UPLIFTING, PLAYFUL, COLORFUL
“Only spread a fern front over a person’s head and worldy cares are cast out
and freedom and beauty and peace come in.” John Muir
15 Original Acrylic Paintings
BOLD, VIBRANT, UPLIFTING, PLAYFUL, COLORFUL
“Only spread a fern front over a person’s head and worldy cares are cast out
and freedom and beauty and peace come in.” John Muir
A Prayer for Chaotic Days
My time is chopped into pieces. I’m needed here and then there. My roles and responsibilities are woven together, back and forth between personal joys and demands and professional opportunities and obligations. I am weary, disoriented and struggling to juggle it all.
I’m not sure how to simplify my life. The only thing that seems to help is when I breathe and put my focus on the Divine. When I do this I am like a dancer with an eye on one focal point, I spin and yet do not become dizzy. Like the moon that travels with the earth we are both racing through the universe with speed and yet there is a feeling of stillness and connection because we spin together.
For the moment, I have given up hope to stop the spinning, and so I offer this prayer.
Loving God,
Who made the universe and all its movement. You guide the path of celestial bodies, planets moving through space thousands of miles an hour, surely you guide my singular little life hurling through responsibilities. Hear my prayer, be here with me, spin with me.
May I look to you to find a way through.
May my efforts be centered in love.
May I pause before showing up for my calls to motherhood and employment, and give myself one, two, even six generous breaths to transition.
May I remember the blessing of being alive.
May I soak in the tender beauty of children gaining independence.
May I feel present to the deep honor to be a guide, chauffeur, companion along the way.
May my mind be agile, flexible, graceful as I step from one role to the next.
May I arrive at each moment with a sense of being carried and led.
May I bring attention and care to whatever/whoever is immediately before me.
May I trust that what does not have my attention is okay without me, that you are working intimately in the lives of others just as you work in my own.
May I be kind to myself about it all, do my best and then not belabor myself with self-doubt, self-criticism, self-loathing.
May I stop resisting and embrace this life before me.
May I release harsh questioning that attempts to investigate my worth on a datasheet of productivity unrelated to the true goals of my life.
May I stop striving to prove my worth through external achievement.
May I be brave to navigate the disappointment of others and not count that as a personal failure of mine, but rather the simple limits of a body moving through time and space.
May I hold on to you as I spin Lord. Spin with me.
If it is your will that I slow down and change my path, hold my hand and show me how that is done.
I am open to changing this way of being and yet feeling like a failure for not knowing how to change does not seem to be the way.
Spin with me, Lord. Reveal to me the place that is still while spinning. Hold my hand. Put your other hand on the small of my back as we move through it all together.
Amen.
"Why is this so hard?"
I ask myself regularly.
I have shelter, food, employment, my family is healthy this moment.
People are suffering more right now and have suffered more through time.
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And still it feels like I'm moving through mud.
Nagging thoughts buzz around me as I squelch through my morning routine, "Do more." "Chin up." "Get going." "It's not that bad.' "Pull it together."
I swat at them, just wishing I could lie down.
But also afraid I might not get back up.
It seems quarantine and general angst of global suffering is enough to get this empath down. And then there is all the non-COVID related suffering.
There isn't enough time in the day to wail for all that is broken and aching. Is routine sacrilege?
I put my apron on this morning not out of motivation or inspiration. I put it on lost in the mystery of the movement of life. A new day. A new week. Some moments so familiar. Some moments new in beauty. Some moments exquisitely painful. I hope that showing up will help me find my way.
#quarantinelife #quarantinestories #keepgoing #showup #doitfortheprocess
Many are struggling in this time. I have found myself with my thoughts and compassion for people on the front lines. This includes the healthcare workers and grocery workers we often here about and there are so many who are vulnerable on different kinds of front lines. My prayer today is to stretch and include the many varied experiences and struggles.
A Prayer for Those on the Front Lines 🙏
For the healthcare workers,
The front lines of exposure and stress
For grocery workers and delivery persons,
The front lines of risk and demand.
For those who care for others,
The front lines of compassion (and physical) fatigue
For those who are jobless,
The front lines of loss of identity and financial distress.
For those who are in prison,
The front lines of neglect and isolation.
For those with small children,
The front lines of overwhelm.
For those living alone,
The front lines of loneliness.
For those who are do not have homes,
The front lines of vulnerability.
For those who are teachers,
The front lines of innovation and exhaustion.
For those unsafe in their homes,
The front lines of fear and violence.
For those facing depression,
The front lines of inner darkness.
For those who are sick,
The front lines of pain, discomfort, and facing mortality.
For those newly in recovery,
The front lines of perseverance and staying clean.
For those newly grieving,
The front lines of navigating loss without community.
There are many front lines. More than named here.
May we extend kindness to all.
For anyone on the front lines,of fear, despair, overwhelm, fatigue
May you know that you matter, you are seen, you are brave, you are appreciated.
May you find inner peace amongst the chaos (or solitude)
May you be protected from suffering.
May you be courageous in reaching for and accepting help in new forms.
May you know you are connected to all near and far, seen and unseen, known and unknown.
Amen.
I'm sending out some love and a prayer (below) for anyone feeling lonely.
Last night a loved one shared with me her loneliness.
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Thinking of this loneliness woke me before the sun, before the birds. 🐦
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It is Monday morning.
Another week to
face uncertainty
release fears
navigate zoom meetings
attempt remote learning
feel overwhelmed
feel underwhelmed
clean as an anti-anxiety med
compel myself to exercise alone
make (sometimes unfulfilling) efforts at connection
check in from a social distance on loved ones
and deal with this ache in my belly that might be loneliness, might be fear, or might just be heightened awareness of our shared vulnerability.
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I keep painting.
And a quiet prayer tumbles around in my heart.
A Prayer for Each of Us Experiencing Loneliness 🙏
May we breathe
May we be courageous to feel the breadth and depth of our loneliness
May we be gentle with the ache
May we be curious with the origins of this discomfort
May we trace the root of this feeling back
to our connection with all humanity
May we remember those known and unknown
who share this ache
May we stretch into the ways this ache is born of something beautiful
our true belonging.
May we feel that belonging
beyond appearance of separation.
May we feel that true belonging ready to
catch us
wrap us
swaddle us
rock us
back to a place of rest and ease.
May we fall into a love that holds us
without our needing to see or know or believe it at all.
May we rest in a spacious belonging
like earth held in rotation of the sun
No visible attachment
Appearing separate
And yet in constant relationship and bond.
Amen.
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Daffodil painting pictured, "Belonging" (c) Bronwen Mayer Henry 30" x 40" AVAILABLE
#meditation #quarantine #lonely #loneliness #meditation #bronwenmayerhenry #prayer #hope #findinghope #shadows #artistherapy #creativityheals #mondaymotivation #resilience
Here is a reading of the poem Love Anyway, in the final pages of my book, Radioactive Painting.
Love Anyway
(Written in isolation, June 15th, 2013)
You are afraid.
Love anyway.
You are alone.
Love anyway.
You don’t know how things will turn out.
Love anyway.
There is no burden:--financial, health, future or past--so great that you can’t
Love anyway.
No burden is lightened by your fear or worry.
Love anyway.
No relationship is healed by anger, resentment, withdrawal.
Love anyway.
You are not sure what to do or say.
Love anyway.
Even here—in this place of distress.
Even now—in this time of uncertainty.
You, my friend, you are being called to
Love anyway.
I am painting a stream.
It is calming.
Lots of big marks.
Connecting threads of color.
The layers.
Then the little pops.
I move through the piece, looking where there is too much order.
Then try to bring in more asymmetry.
Isn't that amazing?
There is no tidiness in nature.
Unspeakable beauty and calm, yes.
Evenness and precise symmetry. No.
That is only in my imagination.
I resist the phrase,"God has a plan.
"Does nature have a plan?
Or is it more that whatever happens,
Nature will keep flowing, moving, growing, beginning again.
That feels more like the Divine love I know.
Not that it is all figured out.
But that we are all being carried.
By love.
Whenever fear clenches,loneliness, job loss, identity loss, overwhelm, fear, financial strain, illness, death.
Any of these fear-clenching experiences
Can be bathed in love
Brought to the stream.
What is required to get there?
Breath.
It might take longer than it used to.
That is okay.
We seem to have a lot of time on our hands.
Wait for it.
It will come.
Softening at the edge.
Keep breathing.
Into the shadows.
Into the clench.
Into the fear.
Wait for the softening.
Friends, many of us are struggling to step into creative practices that have helped us in the past. I get it. I'm there with you. Here is a creative pep-talk I wrote for each of us.
Creativity Reclaimed: a pep talk for anyone struggling to (re)turn to creativity.
Creativity does not bring me a sense of purpose.
Creativity does not bring me meaning.
It does not fill the emptiness.
It does not tidy it all up and make it better.
Creativity helps me to be present with the emptiness.
Creativity helps me to feel the pain
It helps me to acknowledge the discomfort.
It helps me to stay.
Creativity is the opposite of numbing
Creativity is the opposite of running away
Creativity is the opposite of making myself busy.
Creativity is a radical act of kindness,
Creativity invites me to breathe more deeply.
Creativity does not wisk away my fears and worries.
It helps me to see that what I am feeling is fear.
Creativity helps me to remember the pain and suffering of others
It helps me to get lost in a sea of compassion
Rather than drown in a swamp of fear escalating news updates and what ifs.
It is my oxygen mask
A tool to restore well being so I can move in the world.
If it also has an outcome of some beauty others can enjoy.
That is an unexpected bonus.
But not the goal.
So let go of that bonus
and open to the true gift of creativity.
Open to creativity as a zen master.
Teaching you to breathe
Teaching you to go places that scare you
teaching you to let your increased awareness be held with love.
It doesn't matter if it is a brush, a guitar, a meditation cushion, gardening, dance or writing.
Maybe this list has just brought on anxiety.
Let yourself be still. Step outside. Look out the window. Examine one bug, one flower, one cloud. Immerse yourself in the creative movement of the universe.
Friends, today is book launch party day! Of course that isn't happening...but I wanted to share with you a reading from my new book, Radioactive Painting. I hope you enjoy. Please watch to the end where I share an offering for this very time. We are all connected. May you feel that deeply.
Thank you for ordering my book, I'd love to hear from you about your experience reading it. Available at amazon.com and Shanti Arts (and other places books are sold).
My heart is officially on my sleeve with this new offering, Radioactive Painting has been released into the big wide world. (Cue confetti and knees shaking).
My new book is available to order on Amazon and through Shanti Arts. (Please keep scrolling and you'll see some ways you can help celebrate.)
I didn’t realize how tricky this last phase of creating a book would be. Writing this book was such a heart offering, editing phase took all the focus and persistence I could muster, the querying phase took the meaning of resilience to a new level, and then the delight of finding a publisher and now here it is and I'm filled with gratitude, awe, and if I’m being honest substantial dose of nervous energy.
I'm proud of Radioactive Painting. It is part memoir, but it is also an exploration of hope, possibility and joy. As some of you may know, I had Thyroid Cancer and the treatment was part of my wake up call to more love, joy and creativity in my life. To my amazement, this book is arriving exactly seven years from the time that I was diagnosed. How can that be? It is a full circle moment (stay tuned because I have a new collection coming out that will celebrate this full circle-ness-wink wink).
I am so grateful to so many people witnessing, encouraging, and helping me to make this offering. I was beyond ecstatic when Dan Gottlieb offered a foreword for the book. Here is an excerpt,
"This book is about Bronwen Mayer Henry, a deeply spiritual woman who opens her heart to her readers as an act of love and as prayer. Bronwen’s prayers are of selfless gratitude and a fervent wish for the welfare of her readers and beyond. As a matter fact, this whole book is a prayer as is her poetry and her soulful art. This is a love story. Bronwen’s love for life, her love for God, her love for art and poetry, and her love and compassion for herself. And by the way, this book is an act of love for you, the reader."
—Dr. Dan Gottlieb, psychologist, author, and former long-time host of Voices in the Family, a radio show on Philadelphia’s NPR affiliate WHYY
Now available at:
I would LOVE your support and help for this book's release.
Review it: After you read the book, please post a review. (The Amazon reviews are a big deal in particular.)
Spread the word on social media! Post about the book release party or share quotes from the book on Facebook or Instagram. Tag it with #radioactivepainting or #bronwenmayerhenry so that I can see it too.
Gather a few friends for a book club or discussion group.
Follow me on Facebook, or Instagram and keep an eye out for the news about the book. If you comment or like those statuses, then more people will see them. Please share/comment/like!
Buy a copy or two for your family and friends as gifts.
Ask your local bookstore to stock it.
Ask your local library to stock it. I adore the library and regularly make requests of books I hope they’ll add to inventory and to my surprise and delight—they do!
Okay, I will go lie down now.
Come and celebrate with local artist and new author Bronwen Mayer Henry for the release of her debut book, "Radioactive Painting.” Bronwen will talk about her path stepping into creativity and share new work and inspiration.
This will be a special time including a talk, book signing, a brand new collection displayed, a raffle, and cake! Books, paintings, and stationary cards will be available for sale.
Buy a book at the launch party--and your name will be entered into a drawing to win a painting!
Bring a friend! All welcome.
Details: Friday March 20th, 7-9pm at BeWell Huntingdon Valley Event Space (2651 Huntingdon Pike, Huntingdon Valley 19006)
What if the very thing you are stressing over this very minute was part of a path to profound freedom and joy?
Friends, I'm profoundly humbled and bubbling with excitement to share my story of discovering more joy and freedom in my forthcoming book, Radioactive Painting, which will be available to order on February 25th.
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To my complete awe, this is precisely seven years from my diagnosis with Thyroid Cancer. How does such a full circle moment happen?
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Mark Nepo says, "Whatever opens us is never as important as what it opens."
For me my wake up call to more love, compassion, freedom and joy was heard with Thyroid Cancer. For you it might be a lost job, a lost relationship, losing a loved one, or something else. The truth is every moment of every moment there is a force calling us to awaken to love. And whatever the reason, big or small, that we finally do wake up--is beautiful and to be celebrated.
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I have poured my heart into this story. I have attempted to convey the beautiful messages that arrived as I faced my fears with a brush in hand. I'm grateful to Shanti Arts publishing this work, believing in my story, and putting together a beautiful book (It's in full color people!). Radioactive Painting includes my story, my prayers, my paintings, and ultimately it is written as a prayer for each of us.
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In an interview with an author, Oprah Winfrey remarked, "writers write the books they need to read." This is 100% true for me. I have not mastered all the lessons of this book. I'm living into them. I wrote this book for myself as much as I wrote it for you. I wanted to remember the lessons. Life is lived in a spiral. We revisit the same themes again and again. Sometimes from a higher place, and if we are real, sometimes from a lower place. I get that. And I offer this story anyway, my imperfect, vulnerable aspirational offering to you.
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It is my fervent hope and prayer that it brings a spark of hope, joy and possibility to anyone who reads it.
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#radioactivepainting #bookrelease #shantiarts #transformation #inspiration #artistswhowrite #writerswhopaint #marknepo #oprah #vulnerability
These wings are an incredible reminder and teacher about life, presence, heartache and learning to be present in it all.
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So often we respond to increased awareness in life by numbing to try to decrease awareness. We may become aware of someone else’s struggle or it can be a personal realization, "I'm in a dead end job." "I'm not going to live forever." "This relationship isn't going to make it."
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Whatever it is, as you increase awareness, you have two choices. 1) Numb and attempt to decrease awareness or 2) Increase LOVE.❤️
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When we come into more awareness our compulsions will alert us. They will say, "Oh my! Quick! Do something. This is uncomfortable." If we are having a compulsion (to drink/drugs/sex/overwork/socialmedia/food/exercise etc.) that means our awareness has increased in some way.
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If in this moment of compulsion we pause, we may notice a new awareness. Then we can go back to the two choices. 1) We can numb. Sometimes it is a life-saving option, but it isn't a sustainable option. or 2) We can ramp up the LOVE. With this new awareness how can we turn up the love?
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These are the two wings of freedom, awareness AND love/kindness. To take flight and find freedom you need both.Have you ever seen a bird or butterfly with a damaged wing. Oh, it is so painful to watch. This painting is inspired by butterflies my kids and I watched transform from caterpillars and not all of them made it. To have one working wing literally looks like suffering. This is the same way it feels for us. If we have awareness and not love/kindness it can increase suffering.
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This painting is a reminder to see clearly and hold with compassion all that unfolds in our lives. 🙏
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"Wings of Freedom" 40" x 30" (2) (c) Bronwen Mayer Henry (Acrylic on Canvas) AVAILABLE
"The two parts of genuine acceptance —seeing clearly and holding our experience with compassion—are as interdependent as the two wings of a great bird. Together, they enable us to fly and be free. " Tara Brach
"[Our Compulsions] are calls to awaken and will, if we learn how to listen, guide us into our true selves, and they will keep calling, sometimes in varied guises, until we wake up." Mary O'Malley
I am back from an incredible Creativity and Freedom Retreat in Italy--and I'm excited to share some of the experience with you.
First, I want to tell you that during the time leading up to the retreat in Italy, I had a shadow thought lurking in the back of my mind, "Who do I think I am to put on a retreat in Italy?" I had never been there, I wasn't a regular international traveller, I was reaching too far, etc. etc.
Do you know what completely silenced that thought? Putting on a retreat in Italy. (LOL) A few moments into the trip, this old pattern of thought came up, and yet it was silenced by, "I AM putting on a retreat in Italy!" So, ready or not, qualified or not, good enough or not. It was happening.
With much thanks to my co-leader Martha Pitcairn from Ignition Academy, and our fearless partner in all things local and delicious Erica Cantley, the Creativity and Freedom Retreat was an absolute dream come true. In fact it was so exquisitely joyful I notice it is taking me longer than expected to put words to it.
The trip was amazing, the incredible connections with the women present, the breathtaking views that made everything magic, the serenity of being in Umbria, the scrumptious food (hello fresh pressed Olive Oil from La Segreta), the delightful cadence of people speaking Italian nearby, and the adventures in Assisi and Rome.
One part of the experience that will stay with me always is the deep sense of fulfillment of getting to show up and do what I LOVE and helping 12 brave women step up to blank canvases. The opportunity to share my passion for creativity, the ways that I break through creative barriers and encourage others to do the same--and then watching them actually play along and go for it--was absolutely stunning. To do this in such a gorgeous environment was thrilling beyond compare. We challenged participants to various stretches of silent painting time and not only did they play along, but they had breakthroughs. Participants felt the transformative power of showing up in a creative space.
Here are some of the things women said to me during the week,
"This is the kindest I've ever been to myself."
"I felt total freedom from the judger."
"After a long period of grief, I felt like I was returning to fun."
"The peace washed over me."
"Painting felt like an act of love."
"I got free from the burden of awareness and always carrying for everyone around me. I got lost in the present moment."
When I share the experience of painting with others, I do not expect that they will experience the freedom and bliss I feel...and yet I sure do HOPE for it. Hearing these anecdotes emerge during the week brought me such profound joy.
If you follow my work and coaching style you know that I create for the process and don't emphasize the product. In Italy we worked in a compliment free zone. We worked with the mantra "I'm new to this." We worked with an inner smile. We worked with the intention to be as kind as possible to any part of the experience. And as you know if you've stepped into creativity of any form, the shadow thoughts are there waiting for you! And yet like shadows themselves, they are powerless when you move--when you take action! When you paint anyway. They cannot hold you back once you stop giving them any power.
As I transition from this adventure in Italy back to life at home I hope to carry forward with me the power of this experience. I long to share these lessons with my children, that following a dream is worth it, that community is powerful, that freedom and creativity are contagious. Though I miss the adventure of it all, I am also happy to be back in the comfort and connection of family, home, routine I hope to return to my studio space this week and begin work on Italy-inspired large canvases--stay tuned!
On the eve of my first ever trip to Italy to offer a painting retreat, I offer this,
A Prayer for Travelers
May we be open to the lessons of leaving a familiar place.
May we be open to the lessons of arriving in a new place.
May we be reminded of how connected we all are wherever we are.
May we stretch into unexpected moments with a deep sense of openness and ease that all is well and all will e well.
May we be protected within and without from anything that would separate us from love.
May we dwell fully in the present (even the bustling present).
May we be alert and present to the sights, sounds, flavors and energy of this new space.
May we be curious about what love wants to teach us as we travel and explore.
May our bodies be healthy, strong, flexible and resilient.
May we be generous and respectful of locals and fellow travelers.
May we be kind to ourselves and follow the ebb and flow of the need for adventure and safety, connection and solitude.
May we be reminded of the beauty of humanity and this earth wherever we are.
Amen.
Are you allowed to feel overwhelmed even if you choose something? Even if what is overwhelming is a blessing?
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Let's say you enroll in grad school, this is something you applied for, paid tons of money for and are investing lots of time in. Can you express overwhelm? Can you express doubt and fear?
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What if you intentionally conceive or adopt a child into your life. You invited this in, are you allowed to feel overwhelmed? Can you say "Woah, this feels like too much!" Even though you invited it in?
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What if you bump up your hours at work or cut them back? Can you feel overwhelmed? bored? Even if you choose something, are your conflicted feelings about this okay?
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What if you make a new commitment in a relationship or choose to end a relationship? Are you allowed to feel stressed? Lonely? Unsure?
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I'm eagerly anticipating travel to Italy at the end of this week. This is a dream come true for me. A bucket list item. A fulfillment of a lot of work, deep friendship, an act of courage, and an investment of resources. And I've felt nervous. I'm noticing anxiety about being away from my family. I haven't travelled overseas in more than a decade. I have more fear now that I have kids. Is it okay that I planned this trip, it is a dream come true AND I have these feelings? I think so.
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Turns out, that we don't feel more peaceful if we pretend, deny or numb our feelings.
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I'm hoping that articulating this gives each of us some breathing room. To be gentle and kind to ourselves even if some of the stress, discomfort, strain, or overwhelm we are feeling is also something we chose. Maybe it is okay to be compassionate with ourselves and others even when it is a result of our choice that is causing the stress. Maybe there is truth that whatever is unfolding in our lives is an invitation to bring loving attention. Maybe it is always okay to be loving and kind. Always.
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"Meeting a feeling is about relating to the feeling, giving it the attention and understanding it needs to be transformed back into free-flowing energy....As I met each of the old, frozen feelings...with my compassionate attention, they lost their power over me." Mary O'Malley
Recently, someone looking for creative encouragement pulled me aside. She said, “it isn’t just that I haven’t approached a blank canvas. I’m terrified. I’m frozen. Paralyzed.” She went on to tell me a version of a familiar story from childhood that left her with a creative block, that left her feeling she could only create if what she created was ‘perfect’.
Reflecting on her words, I found my heart bursting. For me the time at the canvas is SO FAR from performance and perfection. In fact, with reflection I can see that every brush stroke I make is an act of loving awareness. Not because I’m perfect and centered and without fear, doubt, worry, regret. But because my painting practice is a spiritual practice. And when the brush is in hand, something shifts for me. I can see that each mark is either love or a direct call for love.
Do you know what happens when you create from this place of love or a call to love? Magic. Absolute magic. There is a shifting and re-ordering within you. It is a completely new experience. And the result, when you look at your creation is you only feel the fulness of love and the call to love. You are actually blinded to critical thoughts. It is incredible. So how do you get there?
Here is a meditation and pep talk to help you on your way.
Imagine a small child you adore. Past or present.
Can you see the sweet roundness of their face.
Imagine the wideness of their eyes, the lightness of their step, the playfulness of their movements.
They bring you a picture.
It is a simple circle with lines emerging from the circle to the left and right, and two lines out of the bottom.
The child’s face lights up, and she reveals, “It’s you.”
Now your face lights up.
You gaze again at the paper with frayed edges.
And you see her creation anew.
You soak in the total and complete perfection of this creation.
A smile spreads across your face.
You reflect that even in a few years, the child could never create this again.
There is exquisite beauty in the rawness of this piece, this moment.
As the child grows, their pictures get more precise. Their lines get heavier.
Eventually the child puts down the brush.
Either distracted by other activities,
Or believing they are no good at putting brush to canvas.
Now imagine you are that child.
You are laughing and playing.
You do a little hip shimmy as you choose paints
For no reason other than the joy of being alive.
You have no thought of failure.
You only desire to paint what you love with the colors you love.
Begin here friends. Begin in innocence. Let yourself be led by love, led by joy. I could give you instructions. I could talk to you about mixing colors, layering, blending, texture and more. We could do that. There is nothing wrong with doing that. And it isn’t necessary.
The point isn’t to learn how to paint. The point is to play, create, explore, dwell in discovery, curiosity, possibility. This is not about what is happening at the canvas. This is about what is happening in your heart, mind, and life.
To step up to a blank canvas, with joy, intuition, freedom and curiosity comes naturally to a child, and often calls for bravery as an adult. That is what creativity invites us to.
Are we willing to be quiet enough to hear our hearts desire even in the small things like the color of paint? Are we willing to be quiet enough to hear where our heart is bursting and where our heart is aching? That is the invitation of creativity. Not to create some perfect impression of the world around you. But to transform, release and discover the world within you. And to wrap all you find there in love. Begin here and what arrives on the canvas will be secondary to what arrives in your heart.
Thank you Awbury Arboretum and Michelle Synnestvedt—who led yoga— for a joyful art opening last night. My paintings felt right at home amongst all the beautiful trees and gardens.
It was delightful to practice yoga together in the space and make new connections--what a joy-filled, laughter-filled gathering.
Each time I connect with people at events I'm reminded that we each have a story and it is a blessing to get to witness and share this path of life together.
All art on display is available for purchase. Message me if you fall in love with a piece!
Here are some pics from the opening:
My heart is full. I am bursting with gratitude from the joy of Tuesday night's Opening at Pendle Hill. 💛💛💛
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I'm so grateful to Jesse White for her leadership and support with this exhibit. I'm grateful to my family and friends who showed up. I'm grateful to Joy Cole taking photos. And, I'm grateful to you, my online community.
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It was a total surprise and joy to meet you. To hear your stories, to hear your heartache, your hear your own challenges with health, and your longing to step into more creativity.
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I love getting to spend time at the canvas AND sharing it with others online and at events like this week is an outrageous amount of joy. Then to hear how sharing my writing and painting has helped you on your own path. I cannot imagine any more fulfilling experience. I'm completely humbled. Thank you, thank you.🙏
Stay tuned, I've written some prayers, inspired by our conversations at the opening, that I will be sharing soon
My tree collection will be on display at Pendle Hill through July 17th.
Photos by Joy Brown Cole