I love the web, the blogs and lovely websites, Instagram, Pinterest and even Facebook. I've been encouraged in my art, tried new recipes, had some great sewing projects and have even reunited with old friends, heck because of Facebook I was able to "meet" my husband.

And sometimes I hate these places. On certain days I think it's best not to even turn on on my computer, because all these places can make me feel pretty down. It seems like everyone has it together and I don't, I'm missing something, I'm behind, I'm not good enough... and so on. I want to be a place on the web where someone can come and be encouraged to create, slow down and not compare. And here's the reason why.

Life doesn't favor others and not you. I believe life can get yikky and sticky for everyone. Period. (How do you like those G rated mommy words?) And it is during those not so great times we really learn who we are. We learn to paint in the chaos of life - metaphorically and literally.
You can train your eye to see beautiful things in your home and in your life. Stop and look and SEE - you will find something pretty in your own life. This helps with the comparison thing that makes me crazy. I remember on one particular yukky day, a friend came over to drop something off and she just smiled and said, "Your home is so cheerful, I love coming here." That floored me because all I could see was what messed up, dirty and not finished.
And I think the web in so many ways is a fantasy land. Whether it's other people posting all the fabulous meals and pics of them and their families around the world on Facebook, or the perfect house and garden on your favorite blog, or an amazing painting just finished and sold... it's just one little small part of a story. We don't see the tears, fights and problems surrounding that perfect Facebook family or the team of people it took to style that perfect room posted on Pinterest - including a professional photographer taking the pics. And we rarely see the stacks of unsold, not so good paintings in the corner or in drawers of the artist's studio. You can use photos to tell the story you want for yourself or for others to believe and sometimes it's what you need to believe as well. But it is in your power what you will use to tell your story.

Just keep these things in mind. There was a time I toyed with getting a better camera, trying to take better pictures so I can post on my blog... but why. I'm a painter. Learning to be a good photographer would just take time away from the art. So excuse my bad pictures and know I'm creating my world, the fantasy if you want, in watercolors.

But the reality is that the painting above is just a Shatto milk jar that I put the last remaining of my zinnias in after rabbits devoured all my efforts. And I painted this in my sketch book one very tired morning when Daisy was first born and I was sad and struggling with this very new, unfamiliar thing called Motherhood.