Loosing your muse

Almost two years ago I lost one of my key muses, she was beautiful and full of life until she wasnt. everyday I grasp at art and try to locate the will to draw and create and most days I spend it staring at a blank page trying to will the art gods to speak to me. Some days are worse than others where a great sadness washes over me and I find myself missing her more than I ever thought I would. I think when I lost my mom a part of my artist soul went with her and I gave up....giving into the demon that is artist block. Some days I can sketch and some times even finish an ink illustration.....but I long for the beauty I used to create in color or in pencil and I just stare at the illustrations  hoping and praying they will spring to life through the magic of my pencils, pastels and inks.
Will I ever find another muse or have they abandoned me for good? These are questions I struggle with on a daily bases and perhaps one day the answer will come...just not today.

CAPTURING THE MAGIC AROUND YOU

As children we embrace magic and dreaming and the other day I started thinking about what the one thing I missed from being young and I have to say what I came up with was the wild abandon of dreaming and believing in fairies, Santa, and the Easter bunny.

 I miss that innocence of believing in innocent things that made you dream of what could be.

And then I thought about it more and came to the conclusion I really have not lost that ability to believe and am still holding onto the whimsies of childhood with my art. 

With art I think artist still have that belief that those things exist for honestly it is the only way we illustrate, write books and stories and create them from an imagination that still holds onto that magic! So for all you artist out there who think that they have lost the ability to pretend, dream, and wish I am here to tell you it is still in there you just have to allow it to come out and play.

Just have fun and spend a day chasing fairies and unicorns with a pencil and paper.

LET THE ART WORK BEGIN!

So a few weeks ago a very wise person said something to me that put fire under my bum and really got me to thinking....she said "God gave you a gift and when you turn your back on that gift it is a shame". She was talking about my artistic talent. 
Then that got me to thinking that I have been so wrapped up in the grief of first loosing all the supplies to create with (I have since replaced all of those products) and then last November I lost my mom and both my dogs with in months of each other that I did not feel inspired and sunk further into depression. After the words above I thought about it because I felt when my mom died I had lost my muse, but did I really? I dont think so I think as I sit and draw and create she is right there with me guiding my hand to create amazing works. So these last few weeks I sat down and became inspired by people and celebrations in my life and I created 7 new pieces to work on this year. For some of them they are the first in new series that I am starting like my Gem stone series, Lotus Blossom Series and the Celtic Goddess collection. 
I will say I am very happy to be out of the slump and what I will do is share the pieces as I work on them so you all can see them as they are being done.
So shine the spotlight and lets do some art and color the world beautiful!
Have a beautiful day
Lee Anne

My study for this years Christmas Card

"Merry and Bright"

Study for "The Morigan" from the Celtic Goddess Collection.

Study for "Butterfly" part of the Lotus Blossom collection.

The study for "Stardust"

The study for  "Mother Nature"

Study for "Garnet" the first in the Gem stone Series

The study for the second piece in the Gem Stone collection "Amethyst"

So keep checking back and I will be placing updates here.

ROSES OF THE RAINBOW

Sometimes simple gestures are the biggest inspirations in ones life. Recently a very good friend of mine sent me some amazing roses, they were rainbow colored.....now you may be asking why were these so much more special than any other roses the friend could have sent me? Well at the time they sent them I was going through not only a hard time (Easter was on it's way and it was my first Easter without my mom) but also some health issues that had gotten me down and when I received these amazing flowers through their beauty and artistic flair they became that ray of sunlight that my life needed at the moment. I kept thinking to myself what an amazing gift to an artist and maybe through god my friend was led to send these....I have always believed that there are angels on earth they come at times of need when we are surrounded by darkness. And one of my angels sent roses to inspire me and lift me up.
So what I propose is that we all be angels to those we care about and for no reason do something nice for one another because you never know just how it could touch someone in need.
Bright Blessings
Leanne

Spring in bloom...inspiration still hibernating

Every day I get up with the good intentions of doing art....embracing that gift that god gave me, but I just stare at the blank page waiting for something to spring forth from the inspirational well....and nothing. I love spring with it's warm days and cool nights all the world is reborn again...kind of like a phoenix rising from the ashes with death springs life. So how do I channel that idea to let my artist block die and spring forth with inspirational life? This answer eludes me on a daily basis. Thinking back to when I would eat breath and sleep art there was never any trouble with it I had a head full of ideas and not enough time to do them all. So I wander down the hall opening all the doors looking for the ideas and inspirations that lay just beyond my reach.
So I will get out side breath in the life that surrounds me and each day draw something I am greatful for....yes, I am going to sit down and do an art journal and see how this helps me. I will keep you all updated on the progress and if you have gone through an artist block and pulled your way out share what tricks you used to help.
Have a great Spring
Lee Anne

ANOTHER YEAR OLDER

So recently I had another birthday.....yes I am willing to admit even I am getting older. But this birthday I had to stop and think about my mortality and just what am I leaving as a legacy. We all want to leave a lasting impression on the pages of history and I just started wondering what is mine....what am I leaving behind that people will stop and go oh yeah that Leanne she was amazing because she.....and I could not think of a single thing. This I find sad and want to make a change to leave something, so I am racking my brain thinking...then it hit me! I have friends and family who will remember me fondly, I work a job where every day it impacts lives for the better and I have my art that speaks long past my speaking voice has been silenced. A legacy does not have to be some huge monstrous achievement but the little things that made up your life. So I will continue down the path touching lives as I go and that my friends is Legacy enough. So I am working on getting my studio together still cleaning out things then it will be time to move in and then there is no excuse to why art is not being done. Let us all go out and do what we love and in the process create our own legacy!

YULTIDE

Christmas time has always been full of magic for me , even as I got older there was still magic in it...from baking cookies to decorating the tree there is that Christmas magic. This year though I am a bit overwhelmed....I feel lost because of the loss of my mother. I have all month put on a happy face and pretended to enjoy setting up the tree, take part in get together's, lunches and everything associated with the season....a mask I guess you could say, so no one would know just how sad I am.

I am grateful for all those in my life, I am grateful for all they do.....but have you ever felt so alone while sitting with a wonderful group of people around you? This is exactly how this Christmas has felt. I find myself counting down the days until it is over....until this whole year is over. I only want  to sleep and not deal with everyone and that is sad for if you have ever met me I am very outgoing. It is so hard to pretend to be Holly Jolly, so as I sit here alone in the house all this has flooded into me and I felt I needed to release it....they say wrighting it down helps get it out. 

What I hope in 2017 is that a muse will swoop down and touch my soul and wala the art begins to flow out once more, only time will tell and for that matter heal.

I hope you have a merry Christmas and if you are a struggling artist with a major case of Artist block like myself just remember 2017 is a new year, you get to start fresh and maybe if we just give ourselves permission to play life wont seem so closed in on us.

Have a blessed year.

Leanne